33. Zombie
THIRTY-THREE
ZOMBIE
I was sitting in my office when my phone pinged with a message.
KITTEN:
So, I may have done something.
I stiffened, unsure how to take the text.
KITTEN:
You can’t be mad at me, but I got you something.
My hackles began to rise. Anytime Lennie got me something, it was always one extreme to another. Just last week she had brought me dinner and instead of it being a simple meal, the woman brought me seven different meals because she was “unsure what I would want.”
I could only imagine what this could be if she was warning me ahead of time. I was exhausted from searching the explosion site for Sarah to no avail.
DANTE:
What did you do?
KITTEN:
Just open the front door and I’ll show you.
I quickly got up and went downstairs to the foyer. When I opened the door, there stood my beautiful angel of a girlfriend holding a tan-and-white corgi puppy. She looked at me with a sheepish grin and held the puppy out like it was an offering.
“Surprise! This is Georgy!”
“Georgy?” I echoed, confused.
Lennie continued to beam at me. “Yes! Georgy the Corgi!”
I looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
“You got me a dog?” My tone was flat, devoid of emotion.
Lennie bit her lip and brought the puppy closer to her chest. “Technically I got myself a dog, but my landlord reminded me it’s not a dog-friendly building, so now he’s your dog,” she said with a hopeful tone.
My brows knitted together before I said the one word that was screaming in my mind. “No.”
However, the sassy spitfire was not perturbed by my denial. Instead, it only seemed to fuel her determination.
She straightened herself up and proceeded to give me the biggest puppy-dog-eyes I had ever seen while nuzzling the dog against her cheek.
The sight was pure perfection, and there was no way I could say no to her when she was looking at me like that.
She had a control over me that I refused to inspect too closely.
“No, Lennie. I don’t have time for a dog.” I tried to protest.
“But isn’t he just so freaking cute? He needs a home, a good home.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And you think I’m the right person to give him a home?”
She nodded her head yes quickly before holding out the puppy to me. “Georgy, meet your daddy.”
Hearing her call me that sent a jolt of lust to my cock, but I tried to focus on the situation I was currently in. Forced into puppy parenthood.
“Now Dante, meet your son, Georgy.” She handed me the small ball of fluff, and I held him awkwardly.
I looked into the dog’s dark-brown eyes full of hope, confusion, and love. He was really cute with his big ears and long nose. I knew how much my girl loved corgis, so telling her absolutely not would crush her. My angel was lucky she was hard to say no to.
I sighed. “Okay.”
“Yay!” Lennie clapped her hands and did a happy dance before running to her car and grabbing ten bags of dog stuff. How she managed to carry everything was truly impressive.
I held the door open as she pranced into my house, talking a mile a minute. “Okay, so I got everything you need. The crate is still in the car, but I got him several beds, treats, food, wet food, toys—"
“Len.” I tried to interject, but she kept going.
“And I got him his heartworm medicine and made sure to book an appointment with the vet for his shots.” She continued to babble while I just looked at the furry creature in my arms. We seemed to be thinking the same thing: She hasn’t taken a breath yet.
We watched as she turned my living room into a puppy room. I placed the dog down on the ground and let him explore, sniffing around his new digs.
“And I’ll help with walking him when you are at work and can bring him to the office with me—"
“Lennie, baby, take a breath,” I said, walking over to her.
She looked up from the bag she was unloading and smiled before taking a much-needed breath. She stood up and embraced me in a tight hug. Her floral scent wrapped around me, soothing my racing mind. The woman I loved had just brought me a dog. What the actual fuck was I going to do with a dog?
I squeezed her back, loving the feeling of her in my arms. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and heard a sigh of contentment escape her lips. She looked up at me with adoration and love.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome. You’re lucky I love you.” The words spilled out of my mouth, and I instantly regretted them.