washing her hands as well. “She obviously loves having a companion.”
“So maybe you need two dogs.”
She laughed. “She’s all I can handle right now.”
“She makes you happy. You’re smiling again. You needed that.”
She hadn’t realized that, but he was right. Despite how overwhelming bringing Agatha into her life had been this past week, the puppy had also taken her mind off everything that had happened with Owen. She hadn’t had time to think about him . . . or herself. And that had been a huge relief.
“You’re right. She is just what I needed. Thank you for that.”
“It was her, not me. She was yours from the minute you rescued her.”
She looked over to see Agatha and Puddy playing tug-of-war with a long knotted rope. Seeing her puppy engaged and happy made her heart swell. “Yeah, she sure was.”
“Good.”
“Okay, so what are we cooking?” she asked.
“Steaks on the grill. Roasted potatoes. Grilled corn salad.”
“Fire up that grill, then. I’ll start the potatoes.”
“Sounds good. They’re in the pantry. Make yourself at home.”
He grabbed a beer and headed outside while she put the potatoes on to boil. She opened one of the bottles of the wine she’d brought and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, then perused his fridge. It was nicely stocked, so she decided a watermelon salsa also sounded good. While the wine breathed, she chopped watermelon, jalapeño, mango, onion and cucumber, tossing it all into a bowl she found in one of the cabinets.
Jason came in to grab the corn, then eyed the bowl on the counter.
“You’re making a fruit salad?”
She shook her head. “Watermelon salsa.”
“I knew there was a reason I wanted you to have dinner with me.”
“Other than my sweet disposition and charming personality?”
He snorted out a laugh as he walked back outside.
“Jerk,” she said to herself, but then she glanced outside and noticed both dogs were looking up at him with pure love. Sure, because he had the steak, but she had to admit, he was quite the man. Tall, rugged, with nice lean muscle, and he was good with animals? So gentle and sweet but also . . . oh, so damn hot. She just knew he’d be dynamite in the sack.
Girl, you are so smitten.
She blinked. She was not smitten. She just got dumped. She just wanted a hot revenge fling with Jason. Who wouldn’t? The man oozed masculinity and ultimate hotness.
She finished chopping the basil and added it to the bowl, marveling at her own wayward thoughts.
“Smitten” meant there were emotional things involved. Heart things. And she was in no place to even think heart things. Her heart lay broken at the altar of her non-wedding, and it would be a long damn time before she could duct-tape the pieces together and even think about falling in love again.
No, what she wanted from Jason was smoking-hot sex and nothing more.
If she classified Jason into the “sex only” category, she could handle this.
Smitten? Emotion? Nope. She was not going to go there. Not with him. Not with anyone.
Not for a very long time.
If ever.
But she glanced out the door again, and there he was, teaching her puppy how to obey commands. Agatha’s little wiggly butt plopped firmly on the ground as Jason leaned over and smiled at her, and then he gave her an overabundance of affection, causing the pup’s entire body to vibrate with absolute adoration.
Well, hell. Who wouldn’t be affected by a sight like that?
Jason popped open the door and since she’d already been ogling him, he didn’t need to catch her attention. “Would you mind bringing me the salt and pepper? It’s in the door of the small pantry.”
“Sure.”
She found them and brought them to him.
He graced her with a warm smile. “Thanks, beautiful.”
Zing. Bang. Boing. “You’re welcome.”
She closed the door, trying very hard not to be affected by him calling her “beautiful.” He’d always called her that whenever he saw her. It was a throwaway term of endearment and meant absolutely nothing.
Except now the word felt like a caress all over her extremely sensitive skin. Which was ridiculous and probably meant she needed to get laid.
She was just raw and hurt and once she got her revenge, she’d feel more in control of her own destiny and feelings and every damn word Jason uttered wouldn’t feel so . . .
Special.
Whatever. She tucked her raw feelings inside and finished the salsa, putting it into the fridge. She took a couple long swallows of the wine, which was delicious, of course. Not