Protective Instinct Page 5

  Most people—including Hayes—seemed to think that Andra had broken my heart and I’d never recovered. That wasn’t it at all. I don’t think I ever really loved her. I think deep down part of me knew Andra wanted a lifestyle, not a partnership. She wanted me to let her run wild with my black card and live in a penthouse downtown. She’d slipped right under my radar. That’s why I didn’t do relationships anymore. Because she was someone I thought I could love who’d played me like a damn fiddle. I brushed away the thoughts.

  “It’s my new dog trainer. She’s someone I really, really shouldn’t touch.” It probably wasn’t a good idea to tell anyone I had a thing for her, either. I wouldn’t have if it had been anyone other than Hayes, especially after the owner’s granddaughter. But Hayes was a vault. Leak proof like Rubbermaid.

  That girl... I had no idea who she was, and she came on to me. Not the other way around. At the time, I assumed she was any random jersey chaser—she’d hidden the crazy-obsessed thing entirely too well. Plus, I made it clear from the outset it was one and done.

  She thought she was the exception, because when I didn’t call her, she told granddad we were in love.

  Now, I was at the top of the owner’s shit list and climbing up the GM’s, too. Throw in my shoulder, and if I didn’t walk the line, they’d trade me in a heartbeat.

  “Shaawww,” Hayes dragged out my last name. “You’re not supposed to be touching anybody.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Damn, how stupid do you think I am? I’m capable of keeping my dick in my pants.”

  My running partner pushed out an inelegant snort before he grabbed my elbow and pulled me to a stop. Overhead, the live oaks provided shade with the small leaves of spring. Bending at the waist, Walker reached for his toes and hissed. The hamstring obviously didn’t hurt enough for him to stop giving me shit. “I know you, brother. I know you didn’t wade into that orgy. I mean, I love my teammates, but you and I both know some of those guys will stick their dicks anywhere. Following one of them, even suited up, you’d be asking for a case of the crabs and a round of antibiotics. But you’re not exactly known for self-control in that area, Brody. You’ve been known to nail a different woman every night. I’m just saying... I know you don’t screw around anymore, but...now is not the time to end up with some girl posting pictures of your naked ass to TikTok. It’s not worth risking the rest of your career, my man.” He righted himself.

  I felt my molars grind together. That had actually happened. I’d slept with some random girl, and the next day my bare ass was on the social media app in a video the girl set to Saweetie’s “My Type.” It was pretty much the last straw. The women, the lifestyle—constantly worrying about who I could trust, be it a one-night stand, or someone I could see myself with long term. It wasn’t worth it anymore.

  I’d stopped manwhoring a few years ago, but apparently the gossip rags hadn’t gotten the memo. They wrote whatever the hell sold magazines and dredged up my past as proof.

  Funny, the media never really bothered me before. Until I discovered it was possible Lily believed the bullshit. Yeah, that...irked me for some reason.

  Because you like her. Is she someone you can have more with?

  That was a stupid fucking thought. She was the one person who could get me traded or fired, and frankly, I didn’t know Lily well enough to be sure she could keep even a one-nighter a secret. “Thanks, Dad. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to risk losing my job.”

  “Hey, I’m only reminding you what’s at stake. You’re the one with the something to lose here.” Hayes poked me in the chest. “Don’t scratch this itch, my man.”

  We set back to pounding the path. “I knew I never should have gone to that hotel room. Jesus, I love my teammates, but some of them...” I shook my head. “I don’t want my dick anywhere near where Peterson’s dick has been. That thing...last year after a practice, he came up to me, opened his towel, and says”—I put on my best Alabama accent—“Shaw, do you know what this is? It itches like a motherfucker and it hurts to take a piss.’”

  Hayes half tripped as he burst out laughing. “What did you say?”

  “I told him he better cover up his gnarly knob. That it was a goddamned petri dish of VD and hooker glitter that was going to fall right the fuck off.”

  Hayes snickered. “I’m glad I stayed home. I’m too old for that shit, anyhow.”

  “I should have, too. Just kept my ass at home and watched Moose and Squirrel take on the monster of the week.”

  “You know that’s a chick show, right? Like, ninety percent of their viewers are women.”

  “Shut your cakehole. You don’t throw shade at Dean Winchester. Bitch.”

  “Jerk.”

  “Ha! I knew it.”

  Hayes’s arms pumped in a relaxed rhythm as he executed the combination eye roll/head shake of disappointment. “How’s things coming with the dog? You get bit yet?”

  “Nah. She’s a good girl. She’s not a Pit Bull like I thought. She’s a Cane Corso. I did some research. They were bred as guard dogs in Italy, but have a bad rap because people get them without understanding the breed and don’t do right by them.” I lifted my shirt hem to wipe the sweat off my face.

  A woman who probably did cross-fit nine days a week and could kick my ass wolf-whistled as she passed us going the other way. I turned, gave her a little salute, but she wasn’t my type. Lily was my type. Soft in all the right places and strong where it counted. “This trainer knows her shit. CC lies on my lap now. She’s jumping into bed with me at night and follows me around the apartment. Hell, she sits outside the shower while I’m in it. Apparently, the breed tends to form a very tight bond with one owner.”

  Hayes eyebrows rose. “CC?”

  “That’s her name.”

  “She sounds loyal.”

  “Very. It’s nice for a change. Having a loyal woman in my life. Besides my mom, that is.”

  A flash of something crossed Hayes’s face. I didn’t know much about his family, but I knew it was a sore spot.

  “She’s a smart dog, too. She learned her name in no time and she’s getting the hang of housebreaking. I worry, though. The one time I told her no a little too loud when she tried to snatch food off the counter, she cowered and hid in her kennel for an hour. I think someone’s probably hit her.”

  When it happened, I’d texted Lily. I felt like a douche. Lil told me not to worry, that she’d come back out when she was ready, but not to reward her for the reaction by plying her with treats inside the kennel. That was hard. All I wanted to do was comfort her. But she would think it was praise for the behavior and continue to do it.

  When she finally came out to see me, I heaped on the love. Dogs were much more resilient than people gave them credit for. Didn’t help me feel like any less of an asshole.

  “What are you going to do with her when the season starts?”

  “Not sure yet. Maybe my neighbors will keep her for camp and away games. I think Lily would choke me if I tried to board her somewhere this soon. She’s not ready for that. I could ask my mom. She can’t say no to me.” My grin spread wide.

  “Do you know how lucky you are to have played all your ball for your hometown?”

  “Jealous much?”

  Sticking out a hand, he gave me a shove before he took off at a sprint.

  “Sonofabitch.” Huffing out a breath, I set out to chase him down. Finally caught him stopped at a water fountain.

  When he lifted his head from the spout, water ran down his chin as he wiped the sweat from his face. “Lily, huh? This wouldn’t be Dick’s stepdaughter, Lily the dog trainer, that I’ve seen you mooning after before, who also happens to be Billy Costello’s kid, would it?”

  Fuck. I hadn’t realized I’d said her name.

  He shook his head. “Wow, Shaw. You do know how to pick ’em.”

  Tr
uer words.

  Chapter Six

  The sexiest thing a woman can do

  is have her shit together.

  Brody

  I sat on a park bench outside my apartment building staring over the man-made pond, with CC’s leash wrapped around my wrist. CC amazed me with how smart she was. The commands Lily had given us to learn, she had down in two or three repetitions. She also hadn’t had an accident since she started letting me take her out on a leash.

  The dog could be deceptively calm. While we waited on Lily, CC lay on my foot in the grass. Her watchful eyes missed nothing, ears twitching with every new sound. Today, we were going to see how she reacted with other dogs.

  I was worried. Everything I read about Corsi said they weren’t good dogs for first-time owners, which is exactly what I was. She was big, and strong, and had a powerful set to her jaws, neck and shoulders. If she decided to get aggressive with another dog, she could inflict serious damage, and the last thing I wanted was for another dog to get hurt, and/or CC put down because of it. As a guardian breed, Corsi didn’t always do well with other dogs or strangers if not properly socialized. In inexperienced, or the wrong hands, they could be ticking time bombs. Which was how the breed got a bad reputation. They were on a lot of banned breed lists. Early and continuous socialization and proper training methods were essential. They also needed a human that didn’t lose their cool—apparently, the fastest way to make a Cane Corso obstinate was to act irrationally. Scream and yell, and they assumed you were a head case and not fit to lead. Also, you should never hit.

  I was fairly certain someone had taken that approach with my girl.

  Any quick movements toward her, or over the top of her, and she’d cower. It hurt my heart and made me want to commit murder at the same time.

  I’d spent plenty of time after that first appointment researching puppy mills, too.

  Jesus Christ, they were abhorrent. Dogs crammed into kennels in the worst conditions imaginable, infested with disease. Puppy farmers didn’t give a damn about the dogs, only the money they brought.

  “Hey, there. Lost in thought?” Lily had stopped about ten feet away. Damn, every time I saw her it hit me in the chest and knocked the air out of my lungs. She was pretty. But I didn’t have nearly enough time to admire her.

  CC got to her feet, checking out Lily’s dogs with wariness. One of them was a little gray fireplug of a thing. His ears were cut like CC’s and his stub tail was going so fast his whole ass-end wiggled. A wide scar over one eye and several small scars on one side of his neck and shoulder made him look like a dog you didn’t want to piss off. His build reminded me of a running back who’d pound the ball up the middle with brute strength play after play. And the jaws...this dude could tear your arm off if he wanted, yet his lips were split into a mammoth doggy smile as he wiggled and snorted.

  He was kind of adorable.

  The other dog was gorgeous. Dignified and refined. I’d never seen a dog appear feminine before, but this one had to be female with her delicate features. She was about forty pounds, her fluffy white coat stippled with red, brown, and gray patches. Ears set high on her head were folded over forward. She stood tall and relaxed on her front feet, a curious expression on her face as she checked out CC. Regal was the word.

  Lily watched CC’s reactions.

  “That a Border Collie?”

  “Australian Shepherd. This is Jet. She’s a confident dog. You’d be amazed how much one confident dog can teach another about how to behave. Right now, Jet is super curious about CC and how she’s going to reac—ah, see? There it was. CC looked away.”

  I watched my girl, who I was keeping on a very short leash. She’d turned her head to avoid Jet’s eyes.

  Lily went on. “In dog language, prolonged eye contact is a challenge. When CC glanced away, she deferred to Jet. I think we’re good to introduce them one at a time. Mack first.” Lil turned to Jet. “Sit, girl. Stay.” The dog did as she asked and Lily dropped Jet’s leash and started toward us. Damn if I didn’t admire those yoga pant thingies she had on. The woman had powerful thighs. The kind I wanted to feel wrapped around my waist.

  Shit. Knock it off, Shaw. I was doing a piss-poor job of not thinking about Lily and all manner of dirty things I’d like to do to her.

  Standing, I put a hand up to keep Lily from coming closer. “What about that dude?” I eyeballed the running back.

  She glanced at the Pit Bull then back to me. “Trust me, big guy, you and CC have nothing to fear from Mack Truck. He doesn’t have a fight response.”

  As Lily neared with Mack, CC’s ears dropped back against her head. When he went to sniff her rear, my girl jumped, letting out a little growl. My heart hurtled into my throat, but Mack dropped down to his belly and rolled to his back right under CC’s chin.

  CC sniffed his junk, sans jewels. Her own tongue lolled in greeting. I couldn’t help my smile when both of their nubs began to wiggle. It made my chest warm in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time. After Mack got to his feet, the two dogs danced around each other, sniffing.

  I patted CC’s head, then Mack’s. “Hey, buddy. Aren’t you just a little meatball?”

  A soft grin spread over Lily’s face. “I’m going to call Jet over, okay?”

  My shoulders tensed and Lily paused.

  “Brody, CC takes her cues from you. If you relax, she will, too.”

  I rolled my neck, tried to let go of the tension, but I couldn’t help but think of the damage my enormous dog could do to the little Aussie.

  Lily turned to her dog. “Jet, come.” The animal rose from her sit with grace, her neck elongated and her weight over her toes as she trotted forward to Lily. “Sit.” The dog did as she asked. It piqued CC’s curiosity. My girl pushed forward to the end of her leash and sniffed at Jet’s mouth. However, when Jet stood to sniff CC’s rear, my girl spun around and let out a low growl and my heart jumped. “CC...”

  “Brody, let them be,” Lily whispered.

  Jet quickly flipped around to face my much bigger dog as she met CC’s stare. As soon as the bigger dog looked away, Jet continued over to me to sniff as if CC didn’t exist.

  Lily smiled, patted her dog’s fluffy butt. “They’re going to be just fine.”

  Letting go of some of my tension, I turned to say hello to the Aussie. She allowed me to touch her for only a few seconds before walking to the end of her leash in the opposite direction as if to say, Well, are we going or not, humans?

  “Did...did she just give me the brush-off?”

  Lily chortled. “First female to give you the brush-off, Shaw? Don’t take it personally. It’s Jet’s world. We’re only living in it.”

  I held up two fingers. “Second. Second woman to give me the brush-off.” My gaze made a slow trip from Lily’s heart-shaped face to her curvy legs and back up. “Of course, her owner’s given me the brush-off several times.”

  Her cheeks turned pink.

  Dammit, why couldn’t I stop flirting with this woman? I was in enough trouble. Besides, one night was my limit, and Lily Costello definitely wasn’t one-night-stand material.

  I liked her, found her brain fascinating. I wanted to get to know her better. Find out why she was so guarded, and that was relationship talk. I’d learned the hard way that as long as I played football, I couldn’t have my cake and eat it, too. Relationships were a no go when you didn’t know who you could trust.

  It didn’t matter how much I liked Lily; she had a direct line to the man who could ruin my career. Pursuing her would be monumentally stupid. This whole arrangement was too tangled up with my career for me to be sure Lily could like me for me instead of the number 58 on my back.

  I shook off all the thoughts, pushed them to the back of my brain and pasted an affable smile on my face. “Let’s not keep Jet waiting, shall we?”

  As we set off down the path around
the pond and into the wooded area, CC stayed tight to my leg on Jet’s side.

  When a squirrel took off across our path, CC lunged after it, and Jet emitted a little growl. My big girl shrank back to my side.

  My surprise must have shown because Lily chuffed out a laugh. “It’s okay. Jet’s telling her to behave herself.”

  “Jet is the alpha.”

  Lily grinned. “No. Technically, I am. I prefer the term leader to alpha since dog pack behavior is a lot more watered down than their wolf ancestors. Jet is a dominant dog. Most dogs defer to her, but she takes her cues from me. It’s fairly simple, really. If Jet trusts me, she’ll follow me. The other dogs follow her. I only need to be in charge of one dog, Brody. But it has to be the right one.”

  “I mean, how do I do that? Become CC’s leader?”

  “First off, you’re lucky. She already watches you for cues. She’s wary of her surroundings, but you’re okay with them, so she’s trying to be okay with them, too. You have to keep that up by making her feel safe anywhere you two are. It’s like running the defense. If you’re confident in your abilities, and in control of your emotions and reactions, the other players will be confident in your ability to lead them. If you’re indecisive or worried, panicked all the time, so are your teammates. They won’t trust you to lead them anymore. You and CC are a team, too.”

  Lilly was putting it into language I understood. “I did a lot of research on Corsi.”

  “Oh?”

  “I don’t want to screw up with her, you know?”

  “I’m glad you’re taking being a responsible dog owner seriously. What did you learn?”

  I observed Lily’s profile. Her creamy skin had a pink glow. Soft, full lips I wanted to nibble on. Lily’s nose turned up just the slightest. My granny would have said God made it that way to keep the rain off her lip. She even had cute ears—tiny little things that might’ve belonged to a fairy.

  I mentally slapped myself in the nuts. “I know they have a bad rap. That people think they’re dangerous and there are certain cities that have outlawed the breed. But it seemed to me that most incidents happen because of the people involved. Like, let’s get the dog, then slap it on a chain in the backyard where the trash man throws rocks at it, and hell yeah, I’d bite somebody, too.”