As he stared at the wall, he thought about pit bulls. Lots of people didn’t like them because of their bite. They were up there with the strongest dogs. But when he was younger, they had a pit bull named Clementine. She was the sweetest, most docile pup he’d ever known.
One day, on the way home from school, Dickie Masterson was pestering Giovanni’s sister, Mariella. Mariella hated Dickie, but it was clear Dickie only picked on her because he had a crush. He followed her all the way home, pulling her hair and teasing her the way young boys often did when not getting the attention they wanted.
When Dickie tried to kiss Mariella, she shoved him away, but Dickie didn’t let go. Clementine jumped the fence and chased Dickie clear off their property, snapping and snarling like the dog from Salem’s Lot. They never saw Clementine attack like that again, but since that day, they always knew she had it in her.
The covers shifted. He sensed Erin scooting lower, the heat from her bare legs warming the air under the sheets. He tried to ignore her presence and continued to focus on his distracting thoughts.
He once saw a show about dog fights. It was awful. Dogs like Clementine were kept in captivity and taught to kill. He didn’t like to think about such cruelty, so why was he thinking about that now?
Dogs weren’t born nasty, they were made that way. Cruelty begot cruelty. Maybe someone was mean to Erin. She had to pick it up somewhere.
Any time someone claimed all pit bulls were mean, he defended the breed, telling anyone who would listen that Clementine was the sweetest girl he’d ever owned. She only growled when protecting herself or her pack and once when she was scared at the vet.
Was Erin scared of something?
Sometime later, his mind awoke, not aware of when he’d fallen asleep. Something soft tickled his nose and he opened his eyes only to find his body wrapped tightly around warm, soft—
His eyes flung open and he stilled. Erin slept in his arms, soft and delicate. Her hands balled under her cheek and her face blank of expression. She was so close he could count the individual eyelashes fanning over her cheekbones.
His body hardened and he swallowed. He didn’t want to move, but her legs were coiled around his. He wondered if she ever put panties on under that shirt.
Needing a distraction, he eyed the dark bruise on her cheek. What would have left such a mark? The airbags hadn’t gone off. Did she slam her face on the steering wheel?
A soft moan left her throat and she gently rolled to her other side, pressing her butt against his groin and nestling into his heat. His eyes widened, as did his cock. This wasn’t good.
He should not be getting hard for Erin Montgomery. She was rotten to the core, meaner than a rattle snake, and as cold and cutting as a scorpion.
Or was she?
Over the last twenty-four hours, his opinion wasn’t as solid as it had been for the last two decades of knowing her. No, he was confused and horny, that was all. This was how the dumbass frog died in that fable about the scorpion. No matter what sort of softness he thought he saw, it was her nature to be mean to everyone. He was no exception. And she’d sting him at the first opportunity.
Her head lulled against his arm and a feminine moan met his ears. Then her eyes opened and she stared over her shoulder at him. Confusion flashed in her eyes.
She rolled away from him, sinking deeper into the pillows and keeping her eyes on him. “Sorry…I fell asleep.”
“It’s cool.” He didn’t move, fearful if he shifted position, she might notice his hard-on.
She slipped off the bed and he caught a glimpse of her thigh and the soft moon of her ass cheek as the shirt fell into place. The bathroom door hung open and he squinted at the flash of skin peeking through the crack. A minute later the faucet ran and she returned to the bed, sitting along the headboard.
He remained on his side, like a boner-shamed teen. This wasn’t normal for him and he didn’t understand why his body was reacting in such a juvenile way. He didn’t even like Erin. Not to mention, she had this whole history with his cousin Finn.
He thought back to when she and Finn dated, trying to recall the details of their breakup. Rather than give himself a headache stretching too far down memory lane, he blurted, “Why did you and Finn break up?”
Erin paused, then slowly popped a pretzel stick into her mouth. “He got married.”
“Yeah, but that’s not why you broke up. Finn started dating Mallory after you guys were through.”