Page 3 of The Temptation

I clench my jaw, trying to push those thoughts aside, butit’s useless. She has a way of getting under my skin and pulling at every thread of restraint I have left.

“If you value your hands,” I grumble, turning off the ignition and abruptly unbuckling my seat belt, “I wouldn’t attempt to pat him.” I glance over at her, my tone dry but edged with warning. “Since you woke me at some ungodly hour this morning to take you to the hospital, I didn’t have time to feed him, so there’s a good chance he might eat you.”

I catch the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes as she looks at the massive guard dog pacing back and forth along the fence line, and I can’t help but feel a small surge of satisfaction.

“What’s his name?”

“Killer,” I growl.

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“True story, Lucia,” I deadpan.

“That’s a stupid name,” she replies, reaching for the door handle and exiting the car with a huff.

“It’s a great name,” I counter as I round the vehicle and join her on the footpath.

“Has he ever killed anyone?”

“No, but given half the chance, he would. He’s very protective, and I spent a small fortune having him professionally trained.”

That gives her pause as she takes a step closer to me. “I might just wait out here by the car,” she says.

“Nice try, but I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“You may be Dante’s underboss and best friend, but if anything bad happens to me, you know he’ll have your balls for breakfast.”

“I’m well aware,” I grumble. “Nothing is going to happen to you on my watch. Sit, Killer,” I command, punching in the code for the front gate.

Like the obedient dog he is, he does as I ask. Lucia couldtake a lesson from him … knowing when to follow orders without question.

“Hi, Ki-Ki,” she says in that sweet voice of hers that I’m beginning to despise.

“His name is Killer,” I snap when I see the dog’s tail wag with genuine excitement. That’s something he’s only ever done for me. Usually, he’ll growl at strangers while sizing them up.

I can only pray this woman is not going to work her magic on him and distract him from his job.

“And like I said earlier, it’s a stupid name. It’s cruel and degrading.”

“It’s a fucking name, Lucia. Get over it.”

“You are labelling him to be something he’s not.”

“It’s not labelling when he’d willingly commit to his namesake.”

“You said yourself he’s never killed anyone before.”

“That’s because he’s never had the opportunity to. Would you like me to test that theory by throwing you over the fence?”

When she gasps, I roll my lips to hide my grin. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But trust me when I say he’d rip you to shreds if push came to shove. He identifies as a killer. His pronouns are ‘Try’ and ‘Me’.”

I find myself smirking when she takes a wide berth as we enter my property, moving to the side that’s furthest away from my dog. And I’m glad she’s finally beginning to take me seriously.

“Nice place,” she says, once we step inside. I watch her eyes moving around the main room as we pause by the front door.

My house doesn’t even compare to the kind of luxury she’s used to. It’s not a mansion, just a humble three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, but over the last ten years, I’ve spent all my spare time renovating it and making it my own. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished here.