The Guy Next Door - By Lori Foster, S Donovan, V Dahl Page 0,21

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