in her life. And it was exhilarating and fulfilling in a way she’d never thought possible.
“From one hot mess to another, we’re gonna be OK, Howard,” she whispered. “I promise.”
She glanced over and was shocked to find Howard still right next to her. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. And it was right in her face because he was way bigger than he had looked hiding under that porch.
He was about the size of a petting zoo pony, with the biggest, saddest brown eyes Kendall had ever seen.
“Hey, buddy,” she said. “I’m Kendall. It’s nice to meet you.”
He stared at her for another few seconds before lowering his head. Kendall hadn’t seen anything about this on Dog Whisperer, so she wasn’t sure what the gesture meant, but she decided to go with her gut.
She reached out and offered him her hand, palm down, so that he could sniff it and determine if she was worth further investigation. He didn’t flinch away or snap at her. Her eyes filled with tears when he sniffed her hand, then gently leaned into it with his giant head.
A second later, he must’ve decided he’d had enough, because he turned away and wandered into his doghouse. She watched as he climbed up onto his couch, probably for the first time ever.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Kendall stifled a shriek at the unexpected voice.
Jackson melted out of the shadows and rested his elbows on the top of Howard’s fence, shaking his head at her.
Kendall swallowed hard. His short hair was disheveled, and his shirt was unbuttoned—like he’d just rolled out of bed, stepped into his jeans, and tossed that shirt on carelessly. A quick glance down showed that the top button of his jeans was undone, too.
He looked like a walking wet dream.
Come on, Amazon. Get your asses in gear. I need that vibrator, like, now!
Chapter 13
Jackson had never been so angry—and turned on—in his life.
What the hell had she been thinking, wandering out here in the dead of night, turning her back on a dog that could kill her if he wanted to? Was she really that unconcerned for her own safety?
And also…if he’d ever seen a gentler, more selfless display of compassion in his life, he certainly couldn’t remember it.
Kendall Quinn was every bit as gorgeous on the inside as she was on the outside—a fact that would have thrilled him…if she hadn’t client-zoned him so hard.
Now it just meant he had to work that much harder to keep things professional with her, when professional was the very last thing he wanted.
It was all so damned frustrating. She’d barely looked at him all through dinner, which meant he must’ve done a shit job of hiding his feelings and he’d made her uncomfortable.
He had to pull himself together or this was going to end badly for him. And for her. The last thing she needed was another asshole ruining a job for her.
But knowing all that and respecting her wishes did not make the whole thing any less painful.
Because he wanted this woman more than he could remember ever wanting anyone in his life.
So, like an asshole, he took his frustration out on her and said, “What the hell were you thinking coming out here all by yourself in the middle of the night?”
Damn it. She didn’t deserve to be spoken to in that tone. But before he could open his mouth to apologize, she stood up, straightened her spine like a general marching into battle, and stalked right up to him without hesitation.
She directed some serious fuck-you eyes at him, and damned if it didn’t turn him on even more.
“I was thinking I couldn’t sleep and needed some fresh air,” she snapped. “I didn’t realize I needed an escort around your property.”
“I didn’t realize you’d be dumb enough to wander outside at night, knowing full well that we have bears, wolves, and coyotes around here all the time.”
Holy shit, why had he used the word dumb? It’d just popped out of his mouth. It was almost like his mouth wanted to see her flay him alive.
He didn’t have to wait long for her reply.
She shoved the pen door open, knocking him back a step, then closed it behind her before rounding on him. “You told me I could come see Howard. You didn’t specify times. And all your employees, and Ray, told me not to go outside the property borders by myself. They said all the noise and smells