Playboy? Ha! I chuckled at my own joke. It wasn’t technically Hugh Hefner’s iconic, famous, 200 million-dollar whorehouse, and Charlie certainly wasn’t a 90-year-old, wrinkled, dirty old prune, but I was definitely moving into a playboy’s mansion. The good news was that the ball was now in my court. Basically, I was playing the playboy, because I refused to be seduced by him like all those other silly girls who fell for his nonsense and his killer good looks. I was aware of his charms, but I knew I could force myself to become immune to them, just like I did in high school. Sure, it would be hard to keep my hands off, because everything about Charlie oozed seduction, but I was stronger than that—or at least I hoped I was.
I tugged my purse up my shoulder, locked my car, and listened to the barks echoing around the huge house. I smirked, wondering just how long Charlie would actually be able to handle the noise. I was sure he’d never lived with anyone else, which was part of the reason I was still uncertain about his motives for inviting me to share an address with him. One voice in my head told me to shut up and just go with it, but the other knew he was up to something. I wouldn’t be able to relax until I knew for sure. Charlie knew me well enough to catch any sign of suspicion, though, so there was no point in trying to hide it.
I sauntered into the house and dumped my purse on the table. The sound of clattering paws on the hardwood floor drifted farther into the house and eventually stopped. I heard Charlie calling Oreo from outside, and when I walked through the back door, I saw him standing there with Max sitting on his feet, while the other three ran across the lawn. I was glad to see his huge yard was fenced, or we would have had a whole other set of problems to deal with.
“I think they’re going to like it here,” he said as I came to a stop beside him.
I took the leashes from him and laughed as I watched Oreo tackle Tank. When Billy charged in to break them up, the trio took off again. “I’ve always wanted to give them a yard to play in,” I said. “I hated that I couldn’t afford a bigger place.”
Charlie nudged me with his shoulder. “Well, you’ve got one now, for as long as you want.”
“Really? Just like that?”
He sighed.
Was he frustrated I was questioning his intensions? “What? Surely you don’t expect me to think you don’t want anything out of this.”
“Just the pleasure of your company, milady,” he assured me.
I smirked.
“I see I’m slowly chipping away at you,” he said.
“You’re not going to stop asking me to marry you, are you?” I asked on a sigh of my own.
He laughed and crouched to scratch Max behind the ears. The dog’s tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, and he leaned into it. “My time is running short. One of these days, I’ll manage to convince you it won’t be as bad as you assume it will be.”
Beep!
Charlie stood at the sound of the loud truck horn and gently moved his feet from beneath Max’s rump. “I’ll have them put all your stuff in the guestroom.”
“Sounds good. What about all my furniture?”
“We’ll store all that stuff in the basement for now.”
“Great. Thanks so much.”
He squeezed my hand and planted a small peck on my cheek as he passed. Heat shot through my body, and I sucked in a breath, hating how his lips quirked in a grin at the sight of it.
&nb
sp; “Later,” he promised then walked away inside.
I offered to help the movers carry boxes but they refused to let me help and told me they had it all taken care of. I shook my head and sat down in the grass next to Max, who stumbled a few steps before he fell into my lap. He wagged his tail as we watched the other dogs romp around and play. “Don’t worry,” I told him. “One of these days, you’ll be out there too.”
Max barked.
I grinned and scratched him behind his ears until the poor little guy fell asleep on my lap.
Oreo trotted over, panting hard, and sat sentinel beside me.
“So you really like him that much, huh?” I said and reached over to rest my arm around his shoulders.
Oreo let out a loud bark.
“Fine. We’ll see how it goes, but if it’s too much, we’ll have to leave.”
Oreo licked my cheek.