I could relate.
The second the door opened, all I saw was a blur of black fur flying over me as he jumped up and down, his front paws all over Hud’s now paw-print covered white shirt.
“Sit,” Hudson commanded gruffly.
Romeo immediately plopped down on his hind legs, his tail still going a mile a minute as he looked up with admiration and awe at the man that he now recognized as his alpha.
I couldn’t blame him. Hud hadn’t even directed his one-word order towards me and I wanted to sit at his feet, wag my tail, and look up at him with a lot more than awe and admiration. Since I could remember, I’d wanted Hud to be my alpha. Unfortunately, he had no interest in that position.
Hud rewarded Romeo’s obedience, scratching him behind his left ear.
White-hot jealousy spread through my chest…for a dog. The ridiculously inappropriate and disproportionate response quickly morphed into irritation at myself. Why did my body always betray me when it came to Hudson Reed? I’d been with my fair share of men. Hot men. Sexy men. Bad boys who turned me on with a wicked smile and an even wickeder gleam in their eye.
But none of them had ever caused my body to rebel against my brain. I’d always been in control of whether or not I indulged in the feelings that they inspired. No matter what my hormones or heart were doing, my mind had always been the one in charge. Growing up, my brothers had always joked around with each other about the wrong head making decisions when it came to girls. I’d always just assumed that it was an excuse men used to exonerate themselves of dog-like behavior. Kind of like how girls used being tipsy to explain away bad one-night stands.
Sadly, the more time I spent around Hudson, the more empathy I had for my brothers. If the random girls that they hooked up with inspired half of what Hud inspired in me then I couldn’t blame my brothers for their behavior.
“What the hell is this place?” I snapped with much more of a bitchy bite than I’d intended as I swung my leg out and stepped onto the dirt, feeling more than a little on edge thanks to my overactive libido and the fear that was coursing through my veins.
“It’s your job for the next five weeks.” He straightened to his full six-foot-two height, causing a shadow to fall over me and block the rising sun.
As I locked eyes with him, I immediately regretted my footwear. I knew that it was ridiculous, but heels had always been my version of armor whenever I went into battle. Whether it was a blind date, an internship, or a job interview, slipping on a pair of heels had my inner Lynda Carter spinning around and transforming into Wonder Woman.
If I ever needed to become Wonder Woman, it was now. Whatever this was between Hud and I was manifesting itself into an epic battle of the sexes. And it was a battle that I was completely unprepared for.
Standing up as tall as my five-foot-three frame would stretch, I lifted my chin. “Five weeks? You can not be serious.”
“Two hundred hours of supervised community service,” he stated flatly before repeating, “Five. Weeks.”
I had never claimed to be a math whiz, so I didn’t argue with his timeframe.
“Supervised community service?” That was news to me, not that I planned on protesting. If this was where I was going to serve my sentence the last thing that I wanted to be was unsupervised.
“Yes. That was what Cruella agreed to.”
I didn’t, for a second, miss the fact that he’d referred to the shrew at the animal shelter as Cruella. Around my brothers and his friends, Hud had a great sense of humor. Around me he’d always been all business, all the time.
A smile began to spread at the corners of my mouth. “And will you be the one doing the supervising?”
“I wouldn’t subject anyone else to it. The last thing I want is to be accused of using cruel and unusual punishment,” he teased as a half-smile appeared on his normally stoic face.
“Two jokes in the last minute…that must be a record for you.” I shut the car door behind me and pressed the lock button on the fob.
“You really think that’s necessary?” Hud raised his right brow.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it in your job description to promote safety?” Narrowing my eyes, I crossed my arms and sighed. “I don’t think discouraging a young woman—who was lured to a deserted area—from locking her door is really what they had in mind when you were sworn to protect and serve.”
I watched as a spark of humor lit his melted caramel gaze. His lips twitched before his expression softened. “Like I said, cruel and unusual punishment.”