Chapter 8
Aspen
Molly simply wasn’tthe same the week after Cade and Renegade left. I had to smile at the memory of that day though, because it didn’t look as though Renegade had wanted to leave either. As for the man himself, I could tell he was itching to get back to normalcy, whatever that might be; even if I could have sworn he’d been a little reluctant to say goodbye too. That was most likely due to my hopeless romantic imagination though.
Early in the mornings, however, instead of sleeping in like was my normal, I’d found myself lying awake, wrapped in loads of blankets so I could cut the chill of the room.
Hell, I’d even started stacking pillows directly behind me before falling asleep, only to find them tossed off the bed haphazardly and no sense of security or comfort offered. It sucked that this chaos had come about after a single night of being cuddled. I could only imagine how bereft I’d have felt had Cade stayed longer.
Let’s be honest here, I missed him.
Albert Caden Summers—the book thief.
And he was technically nothing but a stranger, one who I’d gotten to know over the course of two days since the first of his seventy-two-hour stay had been ones he’d spent unconscious in my bed, with me ogling him like some silly schoolgirl with a crush.
Cue my sigh.
He was an incredible specimen of a man; one I found myself tied to since my childhood, and I must confess, I was undoubtedly curious to know more about him too.
Groaning, I peered at the clock, only for it to reveal it was barely six in the morning. Figuring it was going to be a day of burning through one cup of coffee after another, I dragged my ass out of bed and headed toward the bedroom door.
“Molly?” I called out, noticing she wasn’t at the foot of the bed or in my room for that matter.
Nothing but a loud doggy sigh came from the direction of the front door.
Poor pup. She missed her companion worse than I missed his owner.
Another three weeks went by, and I couldn’t seem to focus much on my latest book, so I was glad when Molly’s annual vet checkup came around the corner. There’d been far too many odd happenings concerning my dog and my house as of late, and I was starting to worry about the number of shredded blankets and pieces of clothing I was finding in random corners of my home. Never in the five years since I’d brought her home had my girl done that.
As much as I preferred being alone, there were times where I thrived within the public—usually as Penny Sexton, but today, the world would have to deal with Aspen Ridge—one who was feeling a little antsy within the four walls of her cottage as of late.
Eyeing the business card Cade’s partner/boss had left me when I’d mentioned I’d like to talk to Devolin, his woman as he so eloquently put it, I began to wonder if inspiration could perhaps come out of a visit with her—maybe her insight would knock me back into a productive writing mode.
With said card tucked in my wallet, I grabbed Molly’s leash and we headed for the front door.
“What do you mean pregnant?”
There’s no way I heard the octogenarian in front of me right.
And seven pups?
Seven!
“She’s about a month in, now,” Dr. Feinstein added on an excited nod.
“But how?” The remainder of my words froze in my mouth as realization hit.
Renegade.Fucking mangy, protective mutt!
Seven!
Fuck!
Shit!
Damn!
“W—when is she due?” I had to deal with this newfound reality of mine. How the hell was I going to handle this many pups? I had no room for that large of a litter. Hell, it had been cramped with Renegade and Cade inside my small cottage with us both; and don’t get me started on what I needed to do to assist her with birthing those pups.
What if she has complications? What if she lost the litter? What if?—
“From her ultrasound, I’d say you’ve got about thirty days, give or take a week, before these little critters come out to play,” he smiled. “Normal gestation period is about sixty-three days.”
He’s kidding, right? Please tell me I’m dreaming!
Yet part of my heart fluttered with excitement as I looked at Molly lying relaxed at my feet, contentment emanating from my fur baby.
“Hussy,” I muttered. “Why’d you have to go and make me a grandma in my mid-thirties, huh?” Her entire back end wiggled in excitement as she tilted her chin up at me. Grabbing her leash, I thanked the doctor, then left the room to pay at the reception counter. “I don’t care how cute they are, you can’t keep them all,” I told her as she eyed me with…was that a twinkle of pride or plea in her eyes?
Okay…maybe just one.
Damn, I’m such a pushover, but it sure explained the cloth shredding. My pooch was nesting.
Cade
The knock on my front door had me smiling.
It meant one thing: food.
Renegade’s incessant barking at said door though, had me groaning.
“Pipe down, Ren,” I ordered. I could have sworn the dog rolled his eyes at me as I grabbed my wallet and headed for the entrance. “Renegade, hush!” No go.
Frustrated with the canine’s recent tendency to ignore my commands—it had been like this since we’d left Aspen’s woodsy cottage—I opened the door as I fished around for the right amount of cash, then handed it to the delivery kid without looking up.
“Renegade! Bad boy!” was my greeting, followed promptly by a furball racing past my legs and almost bowling me over. “Molly, get back here!”
“Aspen,” rushed through my lips in a single breath.
Both of us stared at one another, flabbergasted by the play of events before us, and I found myself getting lost in those bright emeralds of hers.
But not for long.
“Renegade, back!” the woman before me bellowed, then pushed past me as I stood there dumbstruck.
On a whine, I didn’t have to look back to know that my dog had listened to her with much dismay.
“Why are you yelling at my dog?” I asked, turning to face her and the canine commotion after I’d closed the door.
Her arm shot out, index finger aimed at Renegade. “Your damn mutt got mine knocked up!” she shouted.
I turned to look at the two canines, already cuddled up with one another, paying us no attention whatsoever.
Huh!
“Do you know how to deal with birthing a litter? And what the hell is whelping? Or how about dealing with training or ensuring the safety of the seven pups about to shoot out of my baby girl in approximately thirty days?” Her perplexed look had me fighting the urge to bust a gut laughing, so instead, I stepped toward her and grabbed her forearms in my hands, pulling her forward so we stood toe to toe. “I’m not ready to be a grandma, Cade, and it’s all your fault!” Rant over, her head thumped my shoulder; defeated by life’s circumstances.
She was out of steam.
Then I chose that moment to burst out laughing.
“Puppies are cute,” is what came next, then I wrapped my arms around her, crushing her to me in what I hoped was a soothing hug.
“Seven,” is her mumbled rebuttal. “And you stole my book.”
Seven?My body stiffened.
“That’s right, mister; and I’m not doing this by myself either,” she declared, pushing back from me before poking me in my chest, and gracing me with that fiery gaze of hers I’d missed since I’d left her on her front porch. “Your dog is half the problem, so you’re going to be half of the solution, you hear me?”
Fuck, but she’d only gotten hotter in the month since I’d last seen her. My dreams surely hadn’t done her justice. Those eyes…that flush in her cheeks…those pink kissable?—
Focus.
“Cade, did you hear me?—”
Nah.
With one step toward her, I smashed my lips down on hers, and took what I’d been craving since that morning I’d woken up with her in my arms, what felt like a lifetime ago.
That’s when the doorbell rang.
For once, I wasn’t smiling at the idea of food. In fact, I groaned as I pulled away, my mind reeling, but my stomach rumbling its hunger, despite my cock telling me it was hungry for something entirely different. Hell, I barely felt the light thumping—a residual thing left over from my moderate concussion, according to the doctors I’d seen—in my head.
“This is far from over,” I vowed not only to myself, but to Aspen as my thumb skimmed her swollen lips.
Ignoring the glowing flush, her heavy breathing, and those addictive lips of hers, I turned for the door. I took the pizza from the kid’s arms, shoved the bills that most likely would cover three of those pies, and received a “Sorry, man,” as I slammed the door in the acne-ridden pubescent’s face.
It wasn’t until I’d turned toward my unannounced guest that I spotted her blush, then followed her eyes down to my crotch.
Great, caught again.
Shrugging off my wayward dick’s reaction—which had a tendency of standing at attention every time I seemed to think about the Amazon standing in my living room—I made my way toward my kitchen. “Come on. You’re staying for dinner.”
“I can’t,” Aspen said.
“You can, and you will.”
“I have to be getting back before it gets too late to drive. You saw how narrow those roads are.”
“Then if it’s too late, you’ll stay the night,” I told her. “It’s the least I can do. And don’t worry, I have a spare room you can crash in.”
Feet shuffled in behind me, then stopped.
“What the hell?” I heard.
Ah! She’d found it.
Settling the pizza box on the counter, I pulled out an extra plate and glasses from the cabinet, then served up a large slice for each of us. Aspen’s eyes were on me the minute I walked back out to the living room with our meal, then followed me as I returned with napkins and our glasses of water.
“You bought my books?” she asked, as I settled myself down on the couch.
“Mmm.” I lifted my plate and slice toward my mouth. I had purchased all of them and the three currently on preorder as a matter-of-fact.
“You have a library?” she continued as I took a bite.
“Mm-hmm,” came mumbled over the stringy cheese goodness.
“You’ve read all of these?”
I swallowed. “Yup,” I popped the ‘P.’ “Some of them more than once or twice. Now come on, your dinner is getting cold.”
On a huff, she did as I asked and dug in, even though I could tell she was chomping at the bit to figure me out some more. With my faculties fully intact however, I was going to make it a bit more challenging for the woman this time around. She’d have to give me some of herself before I gave her more of me.
Halfway through her first slice, the dam burst, and the inquisition recommenced.
“Have you read any more of mine, aside from the one you started at my cottage? By the way, I want that copy back.”
“About half of them so far, but I think your favorite is mine too,” I announced. “So when’s Sheltered Love coming out?” I already knew the answer, but I didn’t want her to think I’d become obsessed with all things about her, especially her work, because it had been the only thing readily available to me. I’d once heard inside an author’s mind there was always a bit of truth to what they wrote. Whether it be fantasy or experience, it was part of their makeup. I have to say, based on her erotic writing, I’d become a little more than curious.
“In a few months.”
“Good.”
“Good? That’s all?”
“Yeah, that’s all,” I parroted. “For a woman with a lost faith in Search and Rescue, I have to say I’m impressed on how likeable you’ve made the hero. I want to know what happens next between those two.”
“Hmm.” Aspen set her empty plate down on the coffee table.
“Another?” When she nodded, I grabbed her plate and mine, and headed toward the kitchen once more. “I meant to ask if you wanted something other than water earlier, but you were a little distracted. I’ve got beer, white wine, iced tea, and?—”
“Beer.” Her reply made me jump because, unbeknownst to me, Aspen had followed in behind. “I’ll get those, if you’re okay with that.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, then headed toward the living room with our second helpings.