The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [144]
Honey skittered into the kitchen with a towel.
The back door opened, and both Gabe and Jordan came in. They wore rain slickers that did little enough to keep them dry. Jordan was all business, taking the pup without asking questions, ignoring his own damp hair and shirt collar. Gabe shook his head. “It looks pretty young. What kind of dog do you think it is?”
Jordan murmured to the frightened animal as he gently toweled it dry. “A mixed breed. Part shepherd by the looks of him, maybe with some Saint Bernard. He’ll be big when he’s full grown.” Jordan investigated the pup’s throat and scowled where the too small rope collar had rubbed off much of the fur. “I’ll need my bag.”
Gabe turned to the door. “I’ll get it.” He pulled the hood of his slicker over his head and stepped into the rain without hesitation.
Misty started unbuttoning Morgan’s shirt as if she did so every day. “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t get some dry things on.”
Sawyer nodded. “Go change, Morgan. And take Misty with you. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”
Morgan stood still while Misty peeled off his wet shirt. “What have you been up to now, Malone?”
Sawyer didn’t give her a chance to answer. He waved a few bills under Morgan’s nose. “She wants to pay for staying here.”
Morgan scowled. “I thought we had all that resolved.”
Taking his hand, Misty tugged him from the room. “I won’t be a freeloader. If I stay I have to contribute. I’ve been eating here almost every day….”
Morgan allowed her to lead him away from the others, but the second they were out of sight he pulled her around and pinned her to the wall, then gave her a deep, hungry kiss. Against her lips, he whispered, “Damn, I missed you.”
She looped her arms around his neck and smiled. “I was starting to wonder. I thought you’d be home hours ago.”
“I had to do a class, and one of the women got hurt, and then I found the pup.” He groaned. “God, it’s been a hectic day.”
He knew his wet slacks were making her damp, too, but he couldn’t seem to let her go. He’d thought about her all day long.
“What kind of class?”
Oh, hell. He hadn’t meant to say that. He took her hand and now it was he leading—straight into his bedroom. He closed the door and turned the lock. “Let me change real quick and we’ll run up to the house. I’ll drive you straight into the garage so you won’t get wet.”
“Morgan.” She crossed her arms and leaned against his door while he hunted for a towel to dry himself. “What class?”
Trying to make light of it, he said, “I teach some of the women self-defense two Fridays of the month. Especially the women who work as park guides for the mountain trails. Sometimes they end up alone with a guy, so they need to know how to defend themselves.”
Eyes soft and wide again, Misty asked, “You said one of them got hurt?”
“Yeah, but not in the class. I’m careful with them, and the high school gym lets us use the mats. But she slipped on the front steps when she was leaving and twisted her ankle. She couldn’t drive, so I took her to the hospital and then had to go fetch her husband because they only have the one car and it was still at the high school. The only good part is that I found the pup when she fell. If I hadn’t bent down to lift her, I’d never have heard it whimpering.”
“So you bundled them both up and did what you could?”
“Don’t get dramatic, Malone. Anyone would have done the same.”
“Obviously not, or that poor little puppy wouldn’t have been there in the first place.” She sauntered over to him and touched his bare chest, smoothing her hands over his wet skin. “I don’t think you control things so much as you try to take care of everyone.”
Morgan kicked off his wet shoes even as he bent to kiss her again. Her hands on his flesh were about to make him nuts. “Let me change,” he growled, “so we can get out of here.”
She nodded and stepped away, then sat on the edge of his bed. If she had any idea what that did to him, seeing her there, she wouldn’t have dared test his control. Morgan opened