“Landships? As in mobile armored vehicles? With cannon and tracks?” Her voice peaked. “Whatever for?”
Kirsten turned and did a dancing backward walk. “Don’t know really. Ask Dankyo or the colonel. Say…” She blushed, her cream complexion reddening markedly. “What do you think of Mister Dankyo? He’s rather cute, isn’t he?”
“Cute!” What did she say to that? “Um…I suppose he’s quite handsome.” And intimidating and angry.
“Handsome!” She giggled. “He scares me half to death but yeah”—she cocked her head—“I wouldn’t mind his arms around me. But, don’t you tell him I said so! Swear you won’t!”
Claire shook her head. “I won’t. Never.” Lord. I have a hard time not getting shot by the man whenever he sees me, let alone talking to him.
“Good. Phew. That was just girl talk, you know?”
“Sure.”
Now, that really nonplussed her. Girl talk—she’d only ever come close to that with Francine. She sneaked a sideways look. Maybe they could be friends, even if Kirsten was bubbly and didn’t understand Dankyo should only ever be touched with a long pole.
In another of the low white buildings, in a cramped office beside the kennels, she met the kennel master. His desk was covered with books, pens, and paper.
“Hello! Mr. Theo!” The kennel master was short, with thin tangled hair, and faded clothes. Behind him, through a shut paneled door, came a cacophony of howls and barks.
“Morning, Filip.”
Claire turned to find Theo behind her. He rested his hand on her shoulder. This casual possession of her body made her look sharply at him.
He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “Miss me?”
She took a quick breath. Where he’d touched tingled with heat. She paused, chagrined at how much he affected her. “Yes.”
“Good.” His eyes softened.
That pleased him. Knowing that made her giddy.
“Kirsten. You can go back to your duties. Thank you, dear.”
She curtsied. “It was a pleasure, sir.” She nodded at Claire and left.
“Such a good time this is, Mr. Theo! The bitch, she is whelping soon! Tomorrow maybe.” He sniffed through his squashed nose. “And this is Claire! I have heard of you from June.” He bent and took her hand, kissed the back.
“Oh. Have you? I’m pleased to meet you, Mr.—”
“Filip! Just call me Filip. Come! Look at my babies.”
His babies, as he called them, were wolfhounds. Behind the door, in a long narrow room split into runs, dogs ran back and forth, barking and whining. At the first run, a bitch with teats almost bursting with milk rested on a purple pillow. Her big eyes looked up at Filip with adoration as he jumped the little gate, then stooped to pat her.
“Soon, hey, Angeliona?” He peeked at Claire. “She’s my favorite. I’ll be watching her all night to make sure her little ones come out all right.”
She nodded. Angeliona unraveled her long legs, heaved onto her feet, then padded over to the gate Claire leaned on.
“She wants a pat, Miss,” Filip said.
The dog’s head cleared the waist-high gate easily. Her shaggy brown coat felt rough under Claire’s palm.
“You are beautiful, Angeliona,” whispered Claire, squatting to pat her some more. “May you have many bouncing puppies.” The dog rested her chin on the gate, then slurped her warm tongue along Claire’s arm. Her doggy breath was sweet if reminiscent of fresh meat. Had she’d chosen to rise up on her hind legs, the wolfhound could have put her paws on Claire’s shoulders.
“I see you like my dogs.” Theo’s words brimmed with laughter. He gently rested his hand on Claire’s head, then took hold of her shoulders and tugged her upright.
“Am I another pet?” she asked wryly, turning in the circle of his arms.
“Perhaps. Time to do some work. You promised to write out everything in triplicate. Remember?” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Oh. Yes.” Anxiety jolted her. She needed to distract Theo—before he figured she was worried. She tilted her head down, leaned into him. “What if I only do it in duplicate?”
“Are you tempting me? I might have to spank you. Come.”
Simply waving a good-bye to Filip, Theo headed for the door.
Spank me? What have I gotten myself into?
She caught up to him outside. “I wanted to stay a bit longer.”
“Hmm.” He smoothed back the hair straying across her face, pressed her against the white wall, crushing daisies underfoot. The ridges of the stonework etched into her back. The hard bulge in his trousers pressed into her mound until she could feel him throb under her. He kissed her, tongue tip anointing her lips then he nibbled her lower lip before he moved his mouth over hers.
“Mmm. This is nice,” she managed to whisper.
“If you’d”—another small kiss—“stayed a minute longer, Filip might have had a heart attack.”
“Why?” Her eyelids fluttered, and she fought not to writhe against him.
“Squatting on the floor, like that, I rather think he received an eyeful.”