"Yeah, I don't want to know."
He burst into laughter. The sun exploded rays in her hair and lit them to fire. She smelled like earth and wild flowers. He tamped down an urge to lean forward and take a big sniff of her skin. Friends probably didn't do stuff like that.
Harry shot him a look of disgust, pulling on his leash to make Cara go faster.
"Do you have a dog?" he asked.
"No. I foster sometimes to help out the shelter, but I haven't made the leap yet. It's a big responsibility so I want to be sure."
"Yeah, Rome has a dog named Bella. She's a golden lab. He's crazy about her."
"I'd love to see your brothers again," she commented, stopping as Harry stuffed his nose in a pile of dirt. "But they probably hate me. I wouldn't blame them."
"They don't hate you, Cara. When I told them we spent the night together, they said we'd both made mistakes. I think they're right."
She groaned. "Oh, God, you told them we slept together? Now I'm really embarrassed."
"Why? Rafe was the one who hooked me up with FANTA-C. They all met their mates there."
"All of them? Wow, that's some serious juju."
She settled into quiet, and Remington spotted the faraway look she usually got when she was trapped in a memory. His heart ached, and he fought the urge to reach out and take her in his arms. Cuddle her close. How was it being with Cara soothed that restlessness that constantly haunted him?
No, he had to be careful. They both needed boundaries.
Maybe he'd go the club Chains tonight. It had been a long time between visits, but if he could find a sexy sub to entertain him and take his mind off fucking Cara, he may find some peace.
They finished the walk, and everyone gathered for a barbecue. He munched on hot dogs and hamburgers, helping at the grill, and distributing flyers to the crowd. Lacey hung by his side, chilled out, not needing a man to complete her.
As the day wound down, Cara trudged over with Harry cuddled in her arms. His chin rested on the generous curve of her breast. His gaze narrowed at Rem as they moved closer.
"Ready to wrap up and head home?" he asked. "I have an early shift in the morning."
His heart stuttered as she treated him to a full-blown smile with blinding white teeth. He almost stumbled back under the sheer power of feminine energy packing a punch. "I'm ready. So is Harry."
He cocked his head. "Huh?"
"That's the news! I'm adopting Harry! He's coming home with me."
Ah, shit.
Chapter Ten
"YOU WERE WITH CARA AGAIN? Walking dogs?" Rick asked.
Rem shrugged and put up his hand to the cocktail waitress. His draft was quickly re-filled, and he faced his brother, Rick, who had a very nice handful sitting in his lap. Namely Tara Denton, the love of his life. Her silvery blonde hair made her look like an angel, and Rem believed she was damn close. "It was for the rescue shelter. She kind of convinced me to be a volunteer."
Rafe spit out a laugh. "Dude, you've never walked dogs for anyone else but her. So, what's the deal? It's been a few weeks and you always seem to be making plans with her. You two hooked up again?"
Rem glared. His other brother had his arms wrapped firmly around his current lover, Summer Preston. With her high ponytail, innocent face, and girl-next-door looks, no one would ever expect she was a wicked Dominatrix who'd beaten his brother and loved him like no other. Rem respected the hell out of her. She led the life she wanted, and finally convinced his brother to do the same. As former military, Rafe had been intent on ignoring his submissive side, afraid his family wouldn't understand.
Stupid. Rem respected the beauty of domination and submission on both sides, and it didn't matter whether the role was male or female. At least, Rafe had finally learned to embrace his real self.
Rem happened to love them already like sisters, so he hoped his brothers ended up making it official.
The ladies leaned forward. "Rem, is this the woman you dated through college?" Tara asked.
"That's the one."
"The one who stomped on your heart and left you for dead?" Summer asked with a protective frown.
He laughed. "Not really. Rafe has to do a better job explaining the intimate details of my past. Nothing like your brothers spilling your dirty laundry."
Tara waved her hand in the air. "We'd never share your secrets. It's in the circle of trust."
Rick tugged her hair playfully. "Hmm, seems you've been watching too many movies and not enough studying."
"I got an A-on my last test!"
"It should've been an A."
Rafe rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like you're a perfectionist, Rick. I saw your station before. It was a bit of a mess. Pop would've kicked your ass."
Tara giggled.
Rem figured this was a perfect time for his announcement. "Cara and I are friends now. I invited her to join us for a drink tonight."
Silence fell at the table.
"Friends?" Rick repeated. "Are you kidding me?"
"You're not sleeping with her?" Rafe asked in confusion.
"Nope. We're just friends."
"Who's friends?" Rem groaned at the sound of Rome's voice. Sloane greeted everyone and slid into the leather booth with a glass of sparkling water. Her dark good looks, and no-nonsense attitude screened a brilliant mind. As "The Queen of Cards" she made millions on the circuit and had just got back from another tour.
"Cara and Rem are now friends," Rafe filled in.
"Not the Cara who broke your heart and abandoned you?" Sloane asked.
"Is there anyone at this table that doesn't know my personal shit?" he grumbled.
"No," Rome said.
"Dude, you're screwed up," Rick said. "First you said you'd never see her again after the FANTA-C date. Now you're suddenly sneaking around, walking dogs, as friends. Why don't you both try again? It's obvious you're into her."
Rem glared and jabbed his finger at his brothers. "Stay out of this. "
Summer spoke up. "Rem is right, it's none of our business."
"I agree," Sloane said. "Hey, maybe you can take her to Chains?"
Rem choked on his beer. "No way. I know she had Paul teach her, but I'm sure she's ready to pull out of the club scene. I think we both needed FANTA-C to close the door on the past, and start fresh. But not together."
Silence fell again.
As he glanced around the table, he received sympathetic stares that told him one thing. He was a big chump.
"Well, this is a quiet table."
He looked up. Cara stood next to him, shifting her weight from foot to foot in her trademark gesture of nerves. Rem stood and gave her a half-hearted hug, feeling on display as
the crowd in the booth took everything in. Sometimes, family was a real pain in the ass.
"I'm glad you can make it." He quickly made introductions to the girls, but his brothers surprised him. They slid out of the booth and caught up Cara in big bear hugs.
"You look great," Rick said. "All grown up."
Cara laughed and blushed. "You guys, too. I cannot believe I've been in Vegas over a year and never ran into you!"
Rome motioned to Rick. "Started with this guy, and one by one, he dragged us out here. Whatcha drinking?"
"Blue Moon on draft," Rem and Cara said together.
Rafe grinned. "Squeeze in with us."
She sat down and her leg pressed against his. He loved when she dressed up, but in a casual denim skirt, cowboy boots, and a white lace top, Cara Winters was drool worthy.
"How's Harry?" he asked grudgingly.
She smiled. "He's doing great. He'd been at the shelter a long time, and I was afraid he'd lost hope. He's literally the sweetest dog on the planet and now he's all mine."
The ladies sighed. Yeah, if they only knew Rem's days were numbered with the serial killer dog. "What do you do, Cara?" Sloane asked.
"I teach special education at Sommerset. I really love working with the kids."
Summer nodded. "I teach second grade at Lakeside. I swear, as tired as I get, those kids make it worth it."
The women bonded, chattering nonstop and slipping into girlie subjects that Rem wanted no part of. He relaxed in the booth, drank his beer, hung with his brothers, and enjoyed being next to Cara. The heat from her bare leg practically seethed through his jeans and burned him. The scent of musk drifted from her skin. So familiar. So enticing.
Like arousal.
The thought skittered past his brain and stopped. His dick was so hard, it strained his pants and made sitting so close uncomfortable as hell. Was she hot for him? If he slipped his hand underneath her denim skirt and between her thighs, would he find her wet for him?
"I heard Paul is treating you well over at Chains," Rick mentioned. "I'm glad. He's a good guy."
Cara didn't seem too nervous that Rick knew details. Since they were all involved in the lifestyle, no one had to worry about freaking out anyone else, and they talked as openly as they would in a club. Rem always told her it was hard to keep secrets from his brothers. It would drive most women batshit crazy, but Cara loved being involved in a large, noisy family. It was another part of her he adored so much.