The Guy Next Door

She shook her head. “Obviously not, or the dog wouldn’t have been out there all alone, abandoned.” Still looking ripe with affection, she glanced at the dog. She had her heart in her eyes, her soft side on glaring display. “He isn’t wearing a collar.”

Uneasy with so much attention, the dog lowered his head and tucked his tail. He looked up at Jett sideways, his big brown eyes slightly crossed.

Too cute, Jett thought, but he wouldn’t voice that observation aloud. “Looks like a hound mix, probably around a year old.”

“How can you tell?”

“I know dogs.” The poor animal shivered, his eyes filled with pleading. “It’s okay, boy.”

“Oh, Jett.” Natalie bit her lip, fretting. “He looks cold and hungry.”

“Yeah, he does.” Jett handed the pizza box to her. “Can you take care of this?”

She automatically accepted the food. “What are you going to do?”

“Try to bring him in.”

She all but staggered. “To your apartment?”

“Yeah.” When she stood there in what he supposed was silent surprise, Jett asked, “Is that a problem?”

“No! No, of course not.” She looked from him to the dog and back again. That soft expression intensified. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Really wonderful. I just didn’t…”

Didn’t expect him to like animals? Didn’t expect him to be compassionate? Yeah, they had a lot of ground to cover. There was too much that she didn’t know about him. But spring break would help with that.

“Thank you.” She touched his biceps, her fingers light, caressing. “I don’t know any other men who would willingly bring in a stray.” Her hand settled on him and her smile went tremulous.

Jett cocked a brow. Why the hell was she thanking him? He was doing it for the dog. But seeing her like this, so…open to him…he was glad he loved animals so much. “It’s not a problem.”

When Natalie said nothing more, Jett turned back to the dog. “You need a little attention, don’t you, buddy?”

The dog’s ears perked up in hope.

Jett knelt down and the dog, while still cowering, started thumping his tail in excitement. He seemed friendly enough, but Jett didn’t want to take any chances.

He asked Natalie, “Would you mind going in by the dining table, just in case he gets nervous?”

Proving she knew little enough about animals, she said, “You think he might bite?”

“He’s scared, honey, of me and of you. A scared animal sometimes reacts defensively. I can handle it as long as I know you’re not going to get hurt.”

“Oh. All right.” Balancing the pizza box in one hand, she stroked Jett’s hair with a new level of affection. “Be careful, okay?” She gave him a fond smile and then moved away.

Deep inside Jett, something chaotic and dangerous settled into a solid, thumping rhythm. Until that moment, he hadn’t been sure that he’d be able to reach Natalie. Really reach her.

Now he knew he would.

Huh. He would have gotten a dog weeks ago if he’d known that was all it took to get past her barriers.

After watching Natalie retreat to the other side of the room, Jett turned back to the dog. He loved animals and couldn’t abide anyone who didn’t share his compassion. Nice to know that Natalie felt the same way.

Holding out a hand, Jett said, “Good boy.”

The dog whined in exultant hope and began army-crawling on his belly a few inches closer. Though Jett laughed at the dog’s antics, his heart nearly broke. The little fellow badly wanted the attention, but he was afraid to trust it.

Sort of like Natalie.

But in the end, Jett knew that his will would win over them both.

“Natalie, how about grabbing some lunch meat out of my fridge? I think a little food will help earn his trust.”

Within seconds she was behind him with not only the packaged meat but a dish of water, too. The dog’s ears shot up and his nose quivered as he sniffed the air.

“Thanks. You can set the water inside the door there.”

After Natalie had backed up again, Jett tossed a slice of meat to the dog. It landed right under his chin, and still he watched Jett warily as he bent to snatch up the food then wolfed it down in one gulp. The pup sat up straighter, anxious for more.

“You liked that, did you?” Grinning, Jett tossed the next piece a little closer to his door, and the next closer still. Making a trail that led into his apartment, he baited the dog and then waited.

As if starved, the dog chowed down on his way in. Jett could see his ribs sticking out; the thinness of the young dog made his paws look that much bigger.

Sitting down on his ass, Jett again held out a hand. Speaking in an even tone, he said, “Now that you’ve eaten all my deli meat, how about letting me pet you?”

Tail going like crazy, the little dog sniffed his hand, licked his fingers and came in close to devour the rest of the lunch meat. Jett emptied the entire package. The dog was too busy inhaling the food to object as Jett stroked him along his back.

After the dog finished it all, he sat back in expectation.

Jett shook his head while cautiously scratching near the dog’s left ear. “You’re a little glutton, aren’t you? Well, that’s all there is for now. I don’t want you barfing all over my floors.” He nudged the water bowl closer. “Come get a drink while we let that settle, and then we’ll see how you do.”

As Jett spoke, the dog’s ears twitched this way and that. He did investigate the water and made a sloppy mess lapping it up.

When Jett reached out to pet him again, he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he was overjoyed by the sign of acceptance.

Natalie came closer. “He’s so adorable, isn’t he?”

“If you say so.” Mostly floppy ears had tinges of white on the tips. A marbling of white ran down the oversized straight nose, over his chin and throat, and blossomed out in a diamond pattern on his chest. Two paws were white, and the long tail ended with a white streak.

Jett stroked the dog and although he could feel his bones, he didn’t find any burrs or noticeable injuries. “He needs a bath, a brushing and a lot more food.”

“And he needs someone to love him.” Kneeling down, Natalie reached out for the dog.

Surprised by the quaver in her voice, Jett bent to see her face. Dampness spiked her lashes and left her eyes glistening. Feeling very indulgent, he asked, “Hey, are you crying?”

She sniffed and shook her head. “No.”

Yes she was, and the purely female reaction had a dual assault on his senses. Her tenderness made him feel like the macho protector; she was so quintessentially female that it stirred him on a basic level. Another part of him ached at seeing her upset, because he suspected the reason.

In so many ways Natalie was an enigma, independent and forceful one minute, vulnerable and achingly sweet the next.

She wanted acceptance, but was afraid to trust—much like the abandoned animal.

Seeing her distress left an ache in his chest. “Ah, baby, he’ll be okay.”

Her smile wobbled. “Thanks to you.”

To shore up that statement, the dog curled up next to Jett. He rested his head on Jett’s thigh and let out a lusty sigh.

Natalie reached over to rub his ear. “Poor little guy is exhausted.”

Rather than make a big deal out of her teary-eyed emotion, Jett tried to lighten her mood. “I like his crossed eyes.”

Natalie gave a watery laugh. “They’re not really crossed. Just close together. And with his nose so big…” When she curled her fingers under the dog’s chin, he closed his eyes in bliss.

Making up his mind, Jett said, “You know what? I think I’ll keep him.”

Excitement brightened her eyes more than the tears had. “Keep him? Seriously?”

Jett rolled one shoulder. “Sure, why not? It’s pretty obvious that he’s a stray. And I don’t have a dog, so…” He said again, “Why not?”

She hurriedly settled herself cross-legged and leaned into his side. Smiling at the dog, continuing to stroke his ears, his neck, she admitted, “I’ve never had a pet.”

“Why not?” Growing up, he and his sisters had always had animals. They’d become members of the family, living into old age with a lot of love and affection.

Looking wistful Natalie shook her head. “Dad didn’t allow them when we were younger, and since I’ve been on my own, I figured I wasn’t home enough to give a pet the care and attention it would need.” She fidgeted, adding, “Besides, I’m not sure I trust myself to know what to do since I’ve never had any experience with animals. What if I did something wrong?”

“You wouldn’t.” Jett instinctively knew that Natalie would do anything and everything necessary to protect those dependent on her, whether it be a pet…or a child.

Thinking of her with a kid did something funny to him, something disconcerting because it was so pleasing.

“Jett?”

His right eye flinched. Hell, he’d barely gotten her to agree to see him out of bed and already his mind had gotten way off track.

“Caring is the biggest part of the job.” He put his hand over hers on the dog’s nape. “Because you care, you’d make sure he was fed and clean and healthy, and that he got exercise. That he felt secure. That’s all there is to it.”

Beneath his hand, hers trembled. She skirted his gaze. “You have more faith in me than I do.”

He released her hand to catch her chin, bringing her face around to his. “I’m a damn good judge of character.” And Natalie Alexander was golden, through and through.

“That’s why you got clocked with a keyboard by a female spy?”

Jett grabbed his chest, as if she’d dealt a lethal blow. Then he laughed and lifted both eyebrows. “That time doesn’t count because it wasn’t her character I paid attention to.”

Natalie shoved him with her shoulder, but her mouth twisted with a repressed laugh. “Jerk.”

“You brought it back up.” He smiled with her. “You’d be a great pet owner, Natalie. Take my word for it.”

“Thanks. But given my lack of experience, I don’t think I’ll test the validity of that on some poor dog.”

Jett could see her yearning, how badly she wanted to believe him. In the normal scheme of things, Natalie was such a confident woman. Seeing her like this twisted him up inside.

He conspired a swift solution that worked twofold; he could give Natalie a chance to accustom herself to the responsibilities of a dog, and at the same time he’d be building one more bond between them. “We’ll share him, okay?”

She went still then jerked toward him, her face flushing with warmth. “Share him?”

“Sure.” Most would consider that a chore, but Natalie acted as though he’d just given her an amazing gift. Her enthusiasm made him want her. Again.

Of course, he always wanted her. The woman could sneeze and it felt like a come-on to him.

Showing great restraint, he held himself in check.

Puzzling over his offer, she asked, “How would that work?”

“We both have full-time jobs, but between us he’ll get plenty of attention. That is, if you’re sure that you don’t mind helping.”

She looked thrilled. “I love the idea.” She put her arms around Jett and squeezed him tight. “Thank you!”

The dog caught on to her excitement and jumped up. With his tail going like crazy, he yapped, turned a circle—and lifted his leg to pee.

With a yelp, Natalie lurched back out of range, but Jett wasn’t quite so lucky. The bottom of his jeans got sprinkled.

He looked at Natalie’s face and knew she was afraid of how he might react. Did she expect anger? Outrage? Abuse against the poor animal for getting excited?

He’d have his work cut out for him, winning her trust.

Jett rubbed the dog’s ear. Deadpan, he said to Natalie, “This might be a good time to mention that there could be some messes until he gets trained.”

Relief left her giggling. One hand over her mouth, she scrambled to her feet and headed into the kitchen for paper towels. “He can stay at my place sometimes?”

Damn, but she kept his emotions in turmoil. How the hell could she be so killer-sexy and still be so damned sweet?

“If you don’t mind the occasional accident.” Maybe with the dog as an incentive, she’d break down and spend the night with him instead of scuttling back to her own apartment even before their breathing had quieted.

Usually he avoided the commitment implicit in spending the night together, but the idea of holding Natalie all night, waking with her in the morning, appealed to him.

Jett tried to take the towels from her so he could clean up the dog’s accident himself, but Natalie bent to the task without hesitation. Her hair fell forward, hiding her face, but he knew she was smiling.

Staring down at her, Jett noted the delicate line of her spine, the flare of her hips and her utter lack of squeamishness. He marveled that she’d come from an entitled background.

Not once had he ever seen her put her nose up at anyone. She didn’t shy away from hard work. She drove a modest car and dressed conservatively, both in style and cost. She laughed easily, spoke her mind and lived independently of her wealthy father.

In no way did she act like one of the moneyed elite. His family would adore her.

Her family, he assumed, would disdain him. Not that he gave a damn what they thought.

As Natalie threw away the paper towels and washed her hands, Jett picked up the pup so it wouldn’t get excited and make more of a mess. He got a big licking-kiss for his trouble.

“That’s what we should name you,” he told the dog as he wiped his face on a shoulder.

“What?” Natalie asked when she returned.

“Trouble.”

She laughed and cuddled close to him to pet the dog. “No way can you saddle such a sweet little dog with that name.”

“Sweet, huh? I need to change my jeans, woman. Nothing sweet in that.”

Twin dimples showed in her cheeks as she bit back a big grin. “He just lost control, that’s all.” And then to the dog, “Didn’t you, baby?”

The dog wriggled with happiness, and Jett tucked him under his arm for a better grip.

“I am so glad you’re keeping him.”

Jett heard the unremarked “but” in her statement. Natalie had the wheels turning, drawing conclusions that were probably all wrong.

Did she think his decision to keep the dog excluded him from going with her on vacation?

She didn’t know his family. In fact, he had a feeling she didn’t understand the idea behind “family” at all.

When the dog started squirming around again, Jett decided it might be a good time to take him out real quick. He snagged a jacket from the coat tree by his door and stepped into his athletic shoes. “Soon as I take this beast out so he can commune with nature, I’m going to call my sister, Connie. She’s a vet. She can keep the dog until we get back from the lake. And by then, she’ll have him good as new.”

Startled by that outpouring, Natalie hustled after him. “You have a sister?”

“Three actually, all of them younger, all of them nosy as hell.” He put a kiss to her forehead. The dog tried to do the same, which lifted Natalie’s frown. “That pizza is going to be cold before we get to eat it. You want to set things out while I’m gone? I’ll just be a few minutes.” He walked out the door before she could question him more.

Once outside, a cold breeze washed over Jett. For as nice as the weather had been lately, the temperature seemed to be dipping fast. At least it helped to clear his head. So much had happened in such a short time, much of it because of the dog.

“We need to come up with a name for you.”

Ears down and tail tucked, the dog didn’t react to his voice.

After setting him in the grass, Jett watched him closely, ready to grab for him if he tried to run off. He didn’t. Instead, he hunkered down and stared at Jett as if he’d just been discarded.

Again.

Between Natalie and the dog, his damn heart felt shredded.

“Not happening, buddy.” Crouching down in front of him, Jett spoke in a calm, even tone. “I won’t budge, I promise. Do what you need to do and we’ll go back in together.” He stroked the dog’s back then held himself very still.

After a few more minutes of worry, the need apparently became too great and the little dog went to a line of bushes. Jett realized he had nothing for cleanup but he didn’t feel too guilty about that. After all, the dog had been a stray only minutes ago. But first thing after they returned from vacation, he’d make a trip to a pet store for supplies.

When the dog finished, he again army-crawled over to Jett, approaching with anxiety.

Damn. “Come here, buddy.” Jett held open his arms and the dog crowded in. “Maybe Buddy works as good as any other name.” He lifted the dog. “What do you think?”

This time he got the desired response; the little dog’s whole body quivered with the furious shaking of his tail.

“Great.” Jett had to grin, and he even bent to put his face against the dog’s scruff for a moment, giving him the affection he craved. “We’ll run it by Natalie for approval.”

Jett strode into the apartment, put the dog on the floor and kicked off his shoes. Natalie stood at the small dinette table, setting out napkins and colas in a too-precise way.

It looked right, seeing her there at his table.

In his life.

Shit. Jett rubbed his face then dropped his hands and drew her attention by saying, “I think he likes the name Buddy. That okay with you?”

She looked up in time to see Buddy try to steal one of Jett’s shoes, probably for chewing. Jett retrieved it from him and, carrying both shoes, went straight into his bedroom to change his jeans. Twice he almost tripped over the dog as it stayed close underfoot.

Natalie wasn’t that far behind, either. He heard a sound and, wearing only boxers, looked up to see her standing in the doorway watching him.

Her gaze stayed south of his waist, and of course his dick made note of her heated interest.

“Something on your mind, honey?”

Her gaze shot up to his. It took her a second to regroup. “I like the name Buddy.” The dog’s ears flicked forward then back again. “Did you see that? He already knows his name.”

“Smart dog.”

“So…” Sounding cavalier, she asked, “Did you say that you have three sisters?”

“That’s right.” Her curiosity amused him. Just a few hours ago she wouldn’t have asked him anything at all of a personal nature. “If any of them knew about you, they’d be camped out here right now trying to learn all they could.”

“They’re that interested in your dates?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she faltered. “Well, not that we’re dating, but—”

“We’ll be traveling together, sleeping together all night.” He tossed his jeans into a laundry basket in the closet floor and pulled on clean ones. “I’d say that constitutes, at the very least, dating, wouldn’t you?”

She bypassed his question to say, “I don’t know if I want your family judging me.”

“They’re not like that.” But apparently her family was. Even her sister? Jett wondered. Natalie said they were close, so hopefully Molly wasn’t the critical type. “They all love me, and they’re all smart.”

“Meaning?”

“They’ll know right off that you’re different.”

She shook her head in denial and backed up out of the doorway as he approached. “I’m not.”

He wrapped a hand around her nape to keep her from retreating more. Her hair, all curly and cool, lay against the back of his hand. A flush heated her skin, amplifying her unique scent. He breathed her in and felt himself stir.

Looking at her mouth, he said, “You are very different.”

“How so?”

He coasted his thumb along the column of her throat, over a rapidly tripping pulse. “I’ve never before finagled an invite to join a woman on her vacation.” Knowing he had coerced her nettled him. If she’d had her way, she’d be in her own apartment right now, packed and ready to leave first thing in the morning—without him.

Natalie made a rude sound. “I bet it’s usually the women who are trying to finagle more time with you.”

Jett smiled. He got his fair share of play, but other women had rejected him. It had never bothered him that much, because none of them mattered the way Natalie did.

“There, you see? That proves my point of you being different, because you wanted to go off without me.” After a soft, deep kiss, he released her and started them both toward the kitchen.

“I didn’t,” she admitted. “Not really.”

His guts clenched, but he kept things light. “Could have fooled me.” Hell, she’d fought him tooth and nail at first.

“Truth is, I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

Jett shook his head. Yeah, his family would love her. “Lady, you don’t know your own appeal.”

Licking her lips, she measured her words carefully. “I do in bed.” Her cheeks reddened and she stammered, “I mean, we seem to really click there.”

“Click?” His mouth twisted. “That’s such a cold, unemotional word for how we burn up the sheets.”

Her chin lifted. “Well, I’m not as good at verbal sparring as you are. But you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. You thought I wanted the convenience of regular sex with no other attachments.” Only on rare occasions had he ever had the urge to introduce a woman to his family. It usually involved unavoidable social functions like the marriage of a relative or a holiday party. He always kept things simple, and his family knew not to make too much of it. But a vacation?

Jett had a feeling that his siblings would take one look at Natalie and know she had thrown him for a loop.

“Does your family know…” She gestured lamely. “You know, that we…how we…”

“That you use me for booty calls?”

Her face flamed. “Have you felt used?”

“Wonderfully so, yeah.” Trying to hide his smile, Jett held out her chair, but she glared at him, making him laugh. “Come on, Natalie, do you really think I’d deliberately do or say anything to make you uncomfortable?”

Grudgingly, she conceded the point. “I guess not.”

“Your vote of confidence warms my heart.” After she’d taken her seat, he went to his own. The dog went under the table and rested across his foot.

It occurred to him that Natalie might not know how family stuff worked. “My sisters and I are close, but my private life is off-limits. All joking aside, what you and I share is definitely private.”

Avoiding what he’d said, Natalie picked up her pizza and asked, “Will you tell me about them?”

“Sure.” Maybe because her own family was so broken, she couldn’t quite conceive of his. He was proud of them all and didn’t mind sharing. “Connie’s thirty, married, with a four-year-old daughter. Heidi’s twenty-eight, a legal secretary, married with two daughters, a one-year-old and a three-year-old. And Betts, only a year younger than you, is a nurse, still single and no kids yet. The brothers-in-law are nice, hard-working guys, and they love my sisters.” He shrugged. “Everyone has their differences on occasion, but never anything major.”

“There are a lot of girls in your family.”

“There’s an understatement.” It accounted for part of the reason that they all doted on him so much. “The four-year-old is really prissy, and the three-year-old is a tomboy. As Uncle Jett, I get a free pass to spoil them.” Soon, he’d introduce Natalie to his boisterous clan. They’d love her and, he hoped, vice versa.

The dog let out a lusty sigh.

Natalie bent to look under the table. “The poor baby is worn out.”

Jett peered under the table too, but he paid more attention to Natalie’s small feet. They were soft and delicate and very female. She had her toenails painted a funky powder blue. Demure on the outside, a little risqué underneath—that was Natalie.

He thought of how she wrapped her legs around him, how sometimes her heels pressed into the small of his back, urging him to go deeper, harder…

“Jett?”

God, he was obsessed. “Buddy will get plenty of sleep tonight at Connie’s office. She has pens for the dogs.”