“Buddy, no!” he riots so loud into the night it sounds like thunder.
But it’s too late. That beast is coming at me, his eyes narrowed, his sharp as all hell canines salivating with greed. His paws land hard over my shoulders, knocking me onto my back, the air expelling from my lungs in a hiss. His snout burrows into my neck before a line of wetness licks over my left cheek.
Can’t breathe. Can’t move. Can’t see.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
It’s happening again.
Every muscle I own refuses to move as my entire body seizes with terror.
Kill me, please.
My eyes squeeze tight as a horrible numbing paralysis takes over.
Please, God, let me die. I can’t do this.
Let me die.
Let me die.
Let me die.
Cade
“Buddy!” Fuck! I pluck him off her, and he scuttles into the house with his tail between his legs. “Cassidy.” I pick her up and rock her in my arms right there on the porch. “Are you hurt? I can take you to the hospital right now so they can take a look at you.”
A dry whimper comes from her as she buries her face in my chest.
“It’s okay,” I whisper over and over like an idiot because it’s clear everything is not fucking okay. “Tell me where it hurts, babe. I want to fix this.” My voice falters as if I’m about to cry myself, and if she doesn’t feel better soon, I just might. I should never have taken Buddy off that stupid leash. I usually never leash him to begin with, so I figured it’d take ten times longer than necessary for him to take a piss with it on. All I wanted to do was get back inside and do exactly this with her.
My lips pepper her face with kisses until I finally meander to her lips and melt something more meaningful over them.
“Say something, Cassidy, because I have to know what to do next. Please tell me. Did you hurt your back? Your head?” I do a quick inspection for blood but don’t see any.
“No,” she whimpers a bit as she curls into my chest, tucking her thumb under her lower lip the way Piper does when she’s overwhelmed, and it makes me squeeze her that much tighter. “Sorry.” Her chest bucks with a dull laugh. “I guess you could say I’m just a touch afraid of dogs.”
“Cassidy”—I close my eyes a moment—“that wasn’t just some fear of dogs. The color bled from your face. You turned into stone. That was a full-blown phobia.” I press my lips tight, just trying to keep it together. “Let me get you some help. I’ll work through this with you. There are people you can talk to.” Hell, I’ll ship Buddy back to New York if I have to. As much as it kills me, I don’t want to put her through that ever again.
“No.” Her eyes shoot up at me, glossy and lined with crimson tracks. “I’m not some nutcase. I promise you that. I was just caught off guard. That’s all.” She gives a wary look over my shoulder. “Maybe you should feed him and anything else you need to do.” She clears her throat while watching Buddy whine in the corner.
“He knows he’s in trouble.” I jump up, and she pulls me back.
“Don’t. He’s not in trouble. All he did was lick my face.”
“I’ll just be a second.” I head inside, and Buddy beats me to his bedroom. I walk in and kneel next to him, rubbing his neck a moment. “Look at me.” He turns his head as if he’s afraid to do it. “Come on, Bud. You need to shape up. Knock it off with the jumping. I can’t have you pulling that crap. Got it?” My arm relaxes into him, and he coils into me as if gunning for a hug, so I give him one. As much as I couldn’t stand to lose Cassidy, I couldn’t bear to lose Buddy. It breaks my heart because I know the choice I would make. “Don’t worry, dude. We’re good for now. You just need to lay off the girl. She’s mine.”
I head out and seal the door shut behind me, only to find Cassidy already in bed with her clothes off, the moonlight kissing her in all the right places.
“Now here’s something I can get used to.” I fall in beside her, my hand landing over her warm, bare hip. “My God, you are beautiful.” My fingers run up and down her smooth skin.
“My God, you are a liar.” She laughs while swooping in for a kiss. “You got that leash I’m going to tie you up with?”
I hold it up in my hand without hesitation. If she’s offering, who the hell am I to refuse?
“That’s what I like about you, Cade James. You follow orders.”
“That I do.” I lean back and take a look at her gorgeous body. A dark red tattoo fills the area around her belly. “I’d love to see this. You mind if I turn on the lights?”
“Only if you promise to keep them on.” She gives a sly wink. “It’s going to be an overexposed kind of night for you.”
I flip the bedside lamp on faster than she can change her mind.
“Wow.” I shed a mile-wide, shit-eating grin at the sight of her like this. “I’ve got my very own pin-up girl right here in my bed.” My eyes take their time soaking in her bare shoulders. Those sweet tits I’ve been drinking down for weeks stare back at me, just begging for me to take a quick bite, so I do.