Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“Oh, wow,” I breathed in a sharp breath.
Dom’s deep chuckle vibrated through his chest. He patted my hand as he got off the bike before helping me off. He kept hold of my hand and led the way to a path that led deeper into their compound. I looked over my shoulder and saw a couple of guys closing a chain-link gate with foliage and some kind of camouflage drape to obscure the fence if someone was looking at it from a distance.
There were several houses and neatly kept paths and one small road going deeper into their territory. Some had bright flowers in front of them or in planters on the porch. Others were decorated for the upcoming New Year’s Eve party. And some were nearly as Spartan as the huts we lived in at the camp. These houses, though, looked sturdy and not leaky. The open areas mostly had a canopy of the same stuff covering the gate. It made paths through the small village that, even now, children ran through like they might a maze, giggling and chasing each other in fun. I smiled as I watched a group of two girls and a young teenaged boy ducking in and out of the canopies. They were so carefree. Not like the camp I grew up in. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to fully shove back the memories threatening to crack through that locked and sealed door in my head.
Dominic led me to his house, a modest, well-kept single-story with a front porch that housed a couple of rocking chairs. Nothing like what I’d live in at the camp. As we entered, a large brown dog came bounding toward us, followed by a sleek black cat that regarded me with curious green eyes.
“You two.” Dominic scowled at the pair. The dog whined, ducking his head and moving closer to me while the cat just gave the dog a disdainful look. “What have I told you about being on the porch? You’re not allowed. You get hair and muddy footprints everywhere.” He sounded appropriately angry, but neither animal scurried from him. Instead, the dog lay down right on top of my feet and looked up at me with a pitiful gaze. The cat licked a paw unconcernedly.
I bent down to pet the dog and he flopped over, his tail wagging between his legs and his paws spread wide. Obviously he wanted a belly rub. Who was I not to oblige?
The dog whined happily, his eyes sliding shut in bliss. The cat sauntered over to me and put her paw on top of the hand rubbing the dog’s tummy. She looked up at me and meowed.
“Jealous?” I have no idea why I was talking to the cat. If I’d done it at the camp, I’d have been punished. We weren’t allowed to have pets, let alone talk to them. Animals were for work or food. Not for affection.
The cat looked up at me and meowed again.
“Not cool, Peaches.” Dominic pointed at the dog, indicating he was talking to him. And I knew it was a him despite the feminine-sounding name. “Not fucking cool.”
I swear, the mutt grinned up at Dominic. The lolling tongue wasn’t so much the dog breathing as it was him genuinely sticking his tongue out at the big, gruff man. That’s how smug he looked.
“He’s so sweet. Don’t be mean to him.” I decided to test the waters. See just exactly what I’d stepped into. Immediately the dog whined and looked pitiful again.
“He’s the one bein’ mean to me. Makin’ you think I’m mean to the bastard.” On cue, the dog let out a small, sharp yelp, as if remembering a pain. “See? I’m not a monster. I don’t kick puppies.” The cat reared up on her back legs, putting both her paws on my knee where I was squatted down, clearly wanting my attention again.
“And you, you little shit.” Dom pointed at the cat. “I never said I didn’t kick cats. Only dogs.”
The cat hissed casually over her shoulder before hopping up to stand on my knee. I had to use both hands to keep her from falling which was obviously what the ball of black, silky fur had planned all along.
I stood, cat in my arms, and regarded the big man. There was a glint of humor in his eyes. Obviously, he wasn’t as irritated as he sounded. In fact, I’d say he very much loved these animals. When the dog jumped up from where he was still on his back begging for tummy rubs, he went straight to Dom, tail wagging rapidly and leaned against his leg. Dom ruffled the dog’s ears, then the creature moved back to me.
Dom opened the door and the dog immediately bounded inside.
The cat, still cradled in my arms, seemed to decide it was her turn for exploration and leaped gracefully from my hold to follow the dog into the house. I hesitated at the threshold, watching Dominic as he moved about, flipping on lights.