Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Ronnie
Oh my God that man is crazy. Crazy hot and sweet. But nuts to spend so much money on a puppy. Then shaking my head, I laugh. Why shouldn’t he? He’s a freaking NFL player with loads of money, isn’t he? He must be used to getting everything and anything he wants. Still, it’s a generous gesture.
“What’s so funny Mommy?” Jimmy asks me as I take the first of the cardboard pet carriers from the pile.
“Nothing. Just thinking. Put the pink kitty blanket in this box while I get Tinkerbell.”
I’m not going to tell my son I’m laughing at how idiotic I am. Of course, Sean Patrick is a wealthy man and spending five-freaking-thousand dollars on a mutt, cute as she is, means nothing to him. Generosity? Or spoiled rich man? Who knows—or why should I care?
Why? Because he’s so damn good-looking and was so kind to Jimmy.
Lifting the calico kitten from her cage where her momma cat lounges, I notice my hands shake. Settle down girl. He’s a flesh and blood man like any other.
Sure. Not. Not like any other man I’ve ever met.
He’s bold. But then so was my baby daddy, Mac.
Sean is drop dead handsome and surprisingly well-muscled for a kicker.
Mac was okay in the looks department, nothing special.
Mac was a charmer, but Sean outdoes him somehow even in charm-appeal with a special liveliness.
He has the kind of innate enthusiasm that I can feel down to my core, like we’re connected somehow.
But he’s like a lot of other men I’ve met in the way he strips me with his eyes. Only it doesn’t seem dirty when he does it. He doesn’t scare me. Probably because I’m doing the same thing to him. Plus, he has a way with kids and he likes animals. What’s not to like?
Nothing. Only problem? He may as well be from another planet because he’s a stinking gazillionaire pro football player.
I know without knowing that he has the pick of any woman he wants and he’s not about to pick a pitifully poor single mom fresh from a rooming house.
A loser with no parents and no relatives who care.
A woman who knows better and who has the responsibility of taking care of herself and her son. Period.
As I get the next cardboard kitty carrier from the pile, I’m startled when I hear someone come into the room.
“There you are.” A male voice full of good humor booms in the confines of the kennel lined with cages.
It’s him. I spin around to meet the eyes of the object of my fantasies as Jimmy rushes to greet him.
“You got my puppy,” Jimmy says, more excited than disappointed, which puzzles me, but I put it aside as I wipe my hands on my jeans.
“Can I help you?” Of course I can help him, idiot. He wants his puppy. “I mean, we’ll get your puppy ready right away. You’re probably busy, in a hurry to leave.”
“No, not at all. Truth be told, I came in here to … see you.” He smiles and I see the hesitation under the boldness, giving him a more vulnerable boyish appearance than he had before and my heart stumbles.
More importantly, heat rises up from my center to warm my cheeks and I’m mortified because I’m behaving like the school girl I never was. What happened to the confident self-sufficient mother I’ve become?
“Oh… here I am. It was generous of you to bid so high for Dasher—I mean the puppy.”
“You’ve already named my puppy?”
“I name all the pets,” Jimmy says. “Dasher is my favorite.”
My heart tears knowing that Jimmy had his sights set on taking Dasher home for Christmas.
I knew all along the adorable pup wouldn’t last. Besides, in spite of the promise of my boss to donate free food to me, we could never afford to have a puppy of our own.
And biggest obstacle of all, my landlord would eventually find out and throw us out.
No pets allowed in our tiny one-bedroom apartment. Mr. Landlord already made it clear that he was doing me a favor allowing the two of us to live in a one-bedroom, but he’s committed to helping people to graduate from the rooming house if they can hold a job for a while.
“Is that so?” Sean crouches down to talk to Jimmy. “You didn’t want me to buy him, did you? How about if we play with him now?” He gets up and goes to the cage where Dasher bounces around, yipping and wagging her tail.
“Let me get her for you.” I hurry over, because there are several pups in that cage and I don’t want them all to escape.
“I got it,” he says, opening the door with an easy flick.
I don’t reach the door in time to shut it and all the puppies spill out.
Jimmy catches one, Sean catches two others, laughing and I catch the last puppy before it hits the floor.
Not that they would have hurt themselves since the cage is only a couple of feet off the floor, but still.
Sean and Jimmy go to the floor, laughing and scrambling around with the puppies and I give into the fun, putting the last eager pup down to join in.
Facing the doorway, I’m hoping we’re not causing too much of a commotion.
Then I realize our guests are busy eating and drinking courtesy of the Militia’s buffet.
Kneeling down, I reach for Dasher before she dashes for the open doorway.
Sean reaches for the pup at the same time and I find myself leaning in his direction, our faces precariously close.
A sizzle runs through me like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
Not that I’ve had much experience. Since Mac left, my son Jimmy has been the only man in my life.
It’s been easy to turn away from interested stares, easy to avoid mild flirtations and most importantly of all I’ve learned how to shut down the creepy interest of men with more sinister intent.
So now, this sense I have of being drawn to a man is new. I don’t want to turn away from his interested eyes, his lively smile.
“Looks like we’re both after the same thing,” he says. His smile grows more serious and for the life of me, I can’t possibly avoid his unmistakable flirtation. He makes me quiver with excitement.
Lifting the puppy with one hand, he says, “I don’t even know your name. It doesn’t seem fair.”
“Ronnie.” I breathe, barely audible. Then I gather myself and add, “Short for Veronica. MacNamarra.” I almost tell him my real name, my name before my bogus marriage, the one I was born with.
Lynch. But I have no idea why I would divulge that dangerous secret to a stranger.
Albeit a charming stranger. I let a stranger charm me once before and got deserted.
But my ex left me with Jimmy, the love of my life, so I really can’t complain. I sigh and smile.
“Ronnie.” He pauses like he’s tasting my name on his tongue, staring at me with some kind of power so I can’t move. I don’t even breathe. It’s like I’m waiting for him to raise his score card in judgment.
“You work here often?” he asks. It’s an odd question and he blushes.
Actually blushes. I breathe again and there’s a crazy tingling sensation rushing in between my thighs.
Hell yeah. I mean, no. No, no, no. I lick my lips and watch him watching me as he waits for his answer, though I’m not sure how to answer the question.
“Yes?” I say.
“Mommy, Prince is peeing.” Jimmy says, and poof, the sex-spell—because that’s what it has to be—is gone.
Tearing my eyes from this man, I scramble to my feet, grab a rag from the bucket standing nearby for such things and go to Jimmy and Prince, the poodle-boxer mix.
“Let me help you get these pups back in thier pad,” Sean says as he stands and scoops up two more puppies. He keeps Dasher in one hand, held against his solid chest and she’s content to be there.
I can’t blame the puppy. I might even be envious of her. Cuddling into all that man-muscle and warmth and strength. Leaning into that would be like heaven. But I’m no needy young girl any more. I don’t need a man. Do I?
No. Although my pussy reminds me about a need I forgot all about. Stop it. I’ve gone without for this long, surely I’m stronger than a passing sexual attraction.
Scrambling to snatch up Prince before he causes any more mischief, I bring him to his cage. We get all the puppies back where they belong and I pick up the two pet carriers with the kittens.
“I need to deliver these lucky kitties to their new owners,” I say, looking up at Sean. He’s a tall bastard. His cocky grin makes my pussy drool. Telling myself to turn away is useless. Dasher licks his chin. My heart melts. “I’ll get Dasher packed up for you as soon as I’m back.”
He nods and I rush from the kennel area back to the party to find my boss.
Not very cool, but I feel like I’m running for my life.
Or something. It’s weird. What do I have to be afraid of?
Sean frigging Patrick is no threat to me.
It’s not like he’s interested enough to make a move.
He’s a superstar who dates other superstars.
My boss, Annamarie, is in charge of the shelter and keeping track of who bid on who. She takes the two kitty carriers from me with a frown.
“This is all you have? We need to get a move on, Ronnie. These people are waiting for their pets. You need help?”
“No.” It’s my automatic response to that question. Always. I learned not to expect help the hard way. The only way to survive this life is to depend on yourself.
“Of course you do. We have to get thirty animals out the door in the next thirty minutes. I’ll send Gwendolyn in to help.”
Shit. Not her. She’s the opposite of me.
She volunteers at the shelter because the last thing she needs is money.
Plus, she’s worldly and sophisticated, always taking time off to travel to places I’ll never go.
And she’s pretty in a polished way and super nice.
One look at her and Sean won’t give me the time of day. She’s exactly his type.
But what the hell, Ronnie? You don’t need him. Remember?