Unforgettable

She rolled her eyes and a smile teased her lips. “I’m too embarrassed to say.”

Hmm. Not a chow then, or any of the larger breeds, obviously, or she wouldn’t be embarrassed. His lips twisted into a grin. “Was it a poodle?”

That melted-caramel gaze cut in his direction. “Worse.”

Worse? What could be worse than a poodle? What could be more ignoble than being attacked by a poodle? “Oh?”

She heaved a resigned sigh. “It was a Chihuahua.”

A shocked chuckle burst from his lips before he managed to swallow the rest of it. It took a tremendous amount of effort to flatten his lips. “A Chihuahua?”

She cast him a droll look. “Yes, a mentally unstable Chihuahua. He was in the throes of an identity crisis at the time.”

Lex crossed his arms over his chest, the woodpile and all the other pressing things on his to-do list forgotten. “An identity crisis, eh? How so?”

“He thought he was a rottweiler.”

She delivered the line deadpan and this time he didn’t even attempt not to laugh, but let the sound rumble up from deep in his chest.

“Go ahead and laugh,” she teased indignantly, chuckling herself now. She pushed her sweater sleeves up and showed him her forearms. Tiny bite scars slashed over her skin. “It was very traumatic to a little kid. He wasn’t all that small to a six-year-old, and teeth are teeth. That damn dog scared the hell out of me.”

Lex’s laughter tittered to a halt. She was right, of course. It would have been very frightening to a child. Still, when one thought about being attacked by a vicious dog, a Chihuahua was hardly the first breed that leaped to mind.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, making a concerted effort to wipe the lingering smile from his lips. “I shouldn’t have laughed.”

“Oh, hell,” she sighed. She pulled her sleeves back down. “It’s all right. It is funny. I know it is. I just wish that I could get past this fear of dogs. No matter how I try to reason it away, laugh it away, the fear is still there. It’s more annoying than anything else and I hate the weakness.”

Lex inclined his head. “You have every reason to be afraid. Regardless of how big or little the dog might have been, it still attacked you. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m more embarrassed than ashamed.” She gestured toward the dog. A note of irritation entered her voice. “And now your poor dog, poor—” She scowled adorably. “What’s your dog’s name?”

“Beano.”

“Poor Be—” She paused at the beginning of what sounded like a grand soliloquy of self-disgust and comically quirked a brow. “Beano?”

He flattened his lips. “Yes, Beano.”

“Er…why did you name your dog after an antigas product?”

Lex smiled. “Spend a little time around him, and believe me, you’ll understand the significance.”

A slow grin worked its way across those unbelievably sexy lips, and her light brown eyes sparkled with humor. “Do I really want to?”

Lex gave his head a small shake, rubbed the back of his neck. “Probably not.”

Her gaze drifted anxiously to the dog again and Lex followed her line of sight. Beano had lain down once more and pressed his nose against the chain link fence in a display of abject doggy misery. His brows alternately lifted and settled as he looked back and forth at them.

“You’re absolutely certain he won’t bite?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.

“I’m certain,” Lex said confidently. “He’s never bitten anyone. Oh, he might jump up on you, give you a muddy, slobbery hug, but he won’t bite.”

She nodded once. “Then don’t leave him penned up. It’s not fair.”

Lex quirked a brow. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“And you won’t faint again?”

“Let’s hope not,” she said grimly. “If you don’t mind, though, wait until I go in. I’ve got a couple of things I need to get out of the car.”

“Sure. Would you like me to get them for you?” Lex offered. The last thing he needed to do was look for a reason to spend any more time with her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He wanted to be with her, felt compelled to be with her.

She shook her head. “Nah, it’s just a couple of little things. My laptop and the book I was reading, but thanks for asking.”

“No problem.”

To Lex’s unreasonable disappointment, she stood. “Well, I’m going to head around that way.” She glanced at the dog again, chewed the side of her bottom lip. “Why don’t you give me five minutes before you let him out?”

Lex chuckled softly. “Sure.” A thought struck him and before he could issue the order to his brain not to speak, his mouth formed the words. “Listen, would you like me to help you get over your fear of dogs? Beano would be the perfect animal for the job.”

She paused and an equally hopeful yet dubious expression claimed her features. “You could do that?”

Lex gave a hesitant nod. “I think so.”

She seemed to mull it over. “It would definitely help me out, particularly for this weekend. Zoe isn’t going to look like the badass she’s supposed to be if she’s afraid of a friendly dog.” She arched a brow. “I’m assuming Trudy covered all the particulars about the To Catch a Thief event?”

“She did. Sounds like a lot of fun,” he lied. Sounded like a lot of trouble, nothing he’d ever enjoy doing, at any rate. On the rare occasions Lex had any free time, he preferred to spend it rafting on the creek, or fishing. Not playing pretend with a bunch of amateur sleuths. Still, to each his own, he supposed.

“I’m playing Zoe—who is completely fearless—and I’m going to look like an idiot if I faint because of the dog.” She paused consideringly. “If you could help me out with him, I would really appreciate it.”

“I would be happy to,” Lex told her, ridiculously pleased. “Why don’t we start after dinner?” That would give him time to take care of everything around here, shower and shave.

She nodded. “Sure.”

“Great. I’ll see you then.” Lex followed Faith as she descended the steps. An awkward pause ensued when they reached the bottom. He could feel a goofy grin on his lips and couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from hers. She was studying him intently again, making him feel as if she’d put his face under a microscope. Pride demanded that he be flattered, but he couldn’t help feeling a little bewildered as well, a sensation he’d been experiencing quite a bit since she got here.

“Er…is something wrong?” Lex finally asked.

She started, inhaling sharply, and her cheeks turned rosy with embarrassment. “No, nothing is wrong. Forgive me for staring. It’s just you, uh, bear a remarkable resemblance to someone I know.” She laughed self-consciously, crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry.”

Probably someone she knew intimately, Lex thought, given the way her creamy cheeks had bloomed with color. He pulled in a tight breath through his nostrils and fought an irrational wave of jealously.

Her brow furrowed with perplexity. “Would you mind if I asked you a personal question, Mr. Ellenburg?”

“Not at all, and call me Lex.”

“Okay…Lex. How did you get that scar on your temple?”

Was that what she’d been staring at? Honestly, it was a small scar, hardly disfiguring. He’d even been told that it added character to his face. He shifted, suddenly ill at ease. “Well, I wish I could say that I got it during the Gulf War, or something equally heroic.”

“But you didn’t?”

He grinned, passed a hand over his face. “No…it was a bike accident. The chain broke at an inopportune moment. I landed in a blackberry bush and came out a little worse for the wear.”

Eyes glittering with undisguised laughter, she inclined her head. “Oh, I see.”

“The mission was heroic, though. At the time I was pretending to be a superhero.” He rocked back on his heels. “I flew, too. Right over the handle bars.”

She chuckled. “Ouch.”

“Ouch was right.” Lex shook his head, lost in the memory. “My mother picked briars out of my hide for days.”

“I’ll bet.” Faith glanced at the dog again, who’d begun to pace his cage. “Don’t forget to give me five minutes,” she reminded Lex, taking a couple of steps backward.

“I won’t.” Still laughing softly under his breath, he watched Faith walk away. She moved gracefully and the swing of her hips was positively mesmerizing. In addition to being one of the sexiest women he’d ever seen, she had an ass that simply would not quit. Full and heart-shaped, set off by a small, barely there waist. Perfect. Need pumped through his veins, making his blood and reflexes sluggish, which would explain why he hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t continued to the woodpile that awaited his attention.

He admonished the dog to be patient—Beano had reared up on his hind legs and pawed agitatedly at the cage—then, cursing himself, Lex bustled into action. He had absolutely no business looking at her like that, much less thinking about how damn sexy she was. He didn’t have time for romance, dammit. He had to keep the lodge afloat. End of story.

Was he intrigued by her? Yes.

Was she hot? Most definitely.

But she was off-limits.

Lex set a piece of wood up on the chopping block and swung the ax with a little more force than was necessary to cleave the piece. Beano whimpered in his cage.

The realization was more depressing than it should have been under the circumstances. Hell, they’d just met.

Still, there was something about Faith Bonner that made him want to watch her, made him want to listen to the sound of her voice, made him want to kiss those carnal lips and see if they were as soft and talented as they looked. If he’d ever been this instantly intrigued and attracted to a woman, it had been so long ago he couldn’t recall it.

Lex exhaled mightily. But in the end, it simply didn’t matter. She was a guest—the guest that ultimately assured his season—and he simply couldn’t afford to let his baser needs get the better of him. The head with the brain had to maintain control. Too much rode on the outcome.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.