14. Getting to Know You
getting to know you
. . .
Davian
The mutt guarded Sadie like he owned her, and it pissed me off.
I couldn’t even hold her fucking hand without him getting in the way. Sadie had pulled a leash out of her overalls, which she hooked to his collar, and he stayed guard between us the whole walk to Bruno’s. I could swear he even sent me a smug look when she scratched between his ears.
I doubted he was even a dog. He was more like a beast-wolf hybrid disguised in brown and black fur with deceivingly innocent eyes. The lolling tongue didn’t fool me.
Bear was trouble.
Since I couldn’t touch Sadie without upsetting her furry bodyguard, I used the walk to learn more about her. Her eyes lit up when she told me more about her culinary school and how she hoped to open a dog treat bakery one day. The shelter was where she spent her free time, and she’d made good friends with the other volunteers. They even went bowling together every Thursday night.
Her life was the polar opposite of mine.
I spent most days working for my father—which usually meant endless back-alley meetings and keeping up with the other players in the area.
Sometimes there were guns involved.
… Most times there was blood involved.
It didn’t sound like Sadie’s day-to-day included much blood, and today was clearly the first time she’d ever held a gun.
But I still couldn’t let her go so easily now that it was all over. I’d already texted my assistant to make a schedule for my men to keep an eye on the shelter. There was always a chance Fessy and his playmates would seek payback. It was expected in our world.
While Sadie called Mr. Sanders to give him the good news about Bear’s rescue, I texted her address to Malcolm with instructions to drive Daisy there.
The walk was otherwise uneventful, with everyone giving us a wide berth on the sidewalk. If Sadie noticed the effort people went to—like choosing to cross the street to avoid walking toward me—she didn’t say anything. But with the way she was beaming at Bear, I doubted she noticed much outside the dog.
When we reached Bruno’s shop, Sadie paused in the doorway.
“We got Bear back!” she announced, her beaming smile in her voice. “Is it okay if he comes inside just this once?”
“Sure, bring the rascal in,” Bruno called back.
The only other customers inside were a woman with her daughters, but the mother quickly ushered them out when she noticed me. I flipped the sign on the door to Closed when it shut behind them.
Sadie and Bear joined Bruno at the counter, where he filled a cup with whipped cream.
“For our returning hero.” He handed it to Sadie. She set the cup on the floor, and Bear went to town.
I took advantage of his distraction and joined Sadie at the counter, where she smiled sheepishly at Bruno. “Sorry again about earlier.”
He waved her off. “Forget about it. Not the first time someone pulled a gun in my shop.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? That… sounds like a problem. And I’m doubly sorry for adding to it.”
“It’s already forgotten. Now, I bet you’ve worked up an appetite getting Bear back,” he said. “What can I get you, Sadie?”
She didn’t even look at the display before ordering. “One scoop of bubblegum, please.”
“You got it. And Mr. Reed?” He plucked a chocolate-dipped cone covered in rainbow sprinkles off the stack. My brows rose when he topped it with a scoop of pink ice cream and more sprinkles.
“Butter pecan. In a cup,” I said. Sadie grimaced at my order, and my brows rose higher. “What?”
She took her cone from Bruno while shaking her head. “It’s nothing. Thanks, Bruno.”
“It’s not nothing. You have a problem with my order,” I said, caught between feeling amused and offended.
She suddenly looked incredibly interested in her treat. “Well… it’s just that butter pecan is such an old-person ice cream flavor, you know?”
I eyed her colorful cone. “But sprinkles are age appropriate?”
She snorted and tipped her cone at me. “Touché.”
When I pulled out my wallet, Bruno waved a hand and grabbed a cup off the stack. “Put that away. Your money is no good here, Mr. Reed.”
Sadie tilted her head, frowning as Bruno scooped out the ice cream. “Why does Bruno call you Mr. Reed?”
I fought back a smile and snuck a few twenties into the tip jar. “It’s my name.”
“But it sounds like you two know each other. You call him Bruno. Shouldn’t he call you Davian?”
She was adorable. “It doesn’t work like that in my world, sweetheart.”
Her eyes narrowed at the nickname, but she didn’t take the bait. I wasn’t sure whether I was pleased or disappointed by that.
“Here you go, Mr. Reed.”
Bruno handed me my cup, and Sadie cleared her throat. “You can call him Davian if you want to.”
Bruno’s eyes widened, and he shot me a nervous look. My lips twitched.
“I mean…” Sadie stumbled when neither of us said anything, and her eyes darted between us. My jaw clenched in an effort to hide my smile. “It was just an idea. It’s silly to keep up formalities when we’re all friends here, right?”
Thoroughly flustered, she bit into her ice cream and got a smear of pink on her nose.
It was impossible for me to resist pushing her, and I stepped closer with a smirk. “You think we’re friends?”
She wiped off her nose and blinked up at me. “Huh?”
“You just said we’re all friends here.”
I watched in amusement as a light flush crept up her neck. I wasn’t usually one to be this interested in a woman, but Sadie was full of surprises. It made me want to see what she’d do next.
“Okay, maybe I jumped the gun a little.” She winced. “But Bruno is my friend, and I thought you and I were getting there. Rescue missions usually bring people closer together, right?”
“I’m not interested in being your friend, Sadie.” I placed my palm on the small of her back, and she gulped.
Her brow furrowed with a frown. “You’re not?”
My gaze dropped to her parted lips. A bit of ice cream had gotten on the lower one, and any restraint I had evaporated. “Not even a little.”
We were close enough she had to crane her neck to look up at me, which I took full advantage of by sliding my hand up to the back of her slim neck and leaning down to claim her lips like I’d been wanting to since she aimed that gun at me?—
—only for a sharp tug on my heel to pull us apart before I’d even gotten a taste.
“ What the hell ?— ? ”