Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich [64]
Kate gave up on the belt. Her dog was going to ruin everything. “Stella, no!”
The poodle brought it down to a whine.
“Ignore Stella,” Matt said, his lips skimming along Kate’s neck, her ear. “Focus on me. Would it help if I howled?”
Stella went back to barking. The neighbor slammed on the wall, and the poodle amped it up to the point that Kate’s ears rang.
Matt lifted his head and gave Stella a glare. “Stop!”
The poodle curled her lip, but obeyed.
“Now where were we?” Matt asked as he opened the top four buttons on Kate’s chambray Depot shirt, his last word ending on a sharp breath of pleasure as he settled his mouth between her breasts. Kate murmured encouragement and Matt cruised on, making quick work of the rest of Kate’s buttons.
“Gotta admire a man who’s talented with his hands,” she managed to say.
When Kate’s shirt went flying, Stella let loose a snarl that sounded like it came from a Rottweiler.
Matt paused in his body exploration. “That wasn’t a good sound.”
Kate’s poodle stared at them from one pillow over. The dog’s eyes glowed in the dim light. And it wasn’t an I’m a happy dog kind of glow, either.
“Settle down,” she told Stella, but the poodle was focused on Matt.
“I’m sensing a turf war,” Matt said.
Kate kissed him and popped the top button on his jeans. “No way.”
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrf! Grrf. GRRF!
“No doubt about it. Your dog doesn’t want me touching you,” Matt said.
“She doesn’t get a vote. Give me a second.”
Kate unwrapped herself from Matt, corralled Stella, and tucked her into her travel crate, which sat beside the brocade love seat.
“Be good,” she said to Stella.
Yip, yip, yip, yip, YIP!
Matt yanked a burgundy-colored throw from the love seat and dropped it over the crate.
Arooooh, roooh, roooh. Arooooooh!
The guy in the next room pounded the wall as though he planned to hammer his way through.
“Sorry,” Kate called. “We’re trying to get her to stop.”
But Stella kept on in howl mode.
“I’m calling the front desk,” the guy shouted through the wall.
Kate had a vision of security at the door. With the police. And the ASPCA. And just like her last legal run-in, she’d be only half-dressed.
Matt rolled to his feet. “This isn’t going to work.”
“I’m sorry. She’s really a great dog.”
“No problem. I understand where she’s coming from. I feel exactly the same way about you as she does.” He gave Kate a quick kiss over Stella’s warning growl. “Lesson learned. Beware the overly protective poodle.”
* * *
SATURDAY MORNING, Matt did his best to put Friday night behind him. He’d never seen a dog smirk, but damned if the poodle hadn’t been doing just that as he’d left Kate’s room. During a mind-clearing, wake-up run, he’d decided on a plan to win Stella over and clear the way for him to Kate’s heart. Plus, he was far better off than Harley and Junior, who’d shown up for breakfast visibly and brutally hungover. Junior had turned gray at the sight of Kate’s wheatgrass-and-mango smoothie, and had left the hotel dining room without ordering.
While Matt could stomach the idea of a wheatgrass smoothie, he couldn’t deal with Kate’s total silence now that they were on the road and headed for the beer fest. Stella was stowed in her crate, on the backseat, but probably still shooting him death rays.
“You’re mighty quiet,” Matt said.
“What would you like to talk about?”
“Last night.”
“I didn’t think guys talked about stuff like that.”
“It’s true. It’s rule number five in the Code of Manliness handbook. I’m making a one-time exception.”
Kate sighed. “Okay, so here goes. I’m kind of glad for the poodle alarm last night. I made myself a promise not to get involved with anyone until I figured out my life. For the first time, I feel like I might actually be making progress with that.”
He had to give Kate credit. Not only did she have an impressive amount of willpower, she was also tenacious, passionate, and forthright. It was all he could do not to pull the car over and kiss her. But patience and planning had helped him succeed in business, and it would help him succeed with Kate. First things