“Aren’t you being just a little bit dramatic?”
“Why do you think that?” he asked, pulling into the police station parking lot. He badged through to the private parking area where only police officers are allowed, then found a space about midway down the first row.
“Because whoever is doing this is only trying to scare me.”
He stepped out and snapped the leash on Xena while Sage helped “Minx” out on the other side.
“Can the dogs come inside with us? Or I can stay outside. I don’t want their feelings to be hurt.”
Arik stopped himself from laughing. “First of all, the dogs won’t get hurt if they are left outside for a few minutes. Although, I wouldn’t recommend leaving dogs outside of a store and definitely not in a car. We get a lot of calls when people steal dogs left outside of shops and stores or leave them in hot cars.” He led Xena around to the other side. “But yes, you can bring these two inside.” He eyed “Minx”, then traded leashes. “But I’ll take Xena. You have to take…that one inside.” He shook his head. “I can handle a pink leash. I don’t think that my masculinity would survive leading that thing into the station house.”
Sage frowned, then bent down to pet Minx’s fluff. “He didn’t mean it, honey,” she soothed the small dog. “He’s just grouchy.”
Arik could tell her why he was so grouchy, but suspected that she wouldn’t want to hear it. Not yet. Although, her responses over the past twenty-four hours gave him hope that they were making progress.
“Oh my gosh, where did you get that dog?!” a female voice called out.
Sage turned, beaming at the female officer approaching.
“I just got him this morning from a friend of Arik’s,” she explained.
The female officer looked around, noticed Arik and…was this tough-looking female officer blushing? Yep! So Arik had this effect on other females too! Sage shouldn’t be surprised. He was an extraordinarily handsome man.
“Sage needs to file a report about a stalker,” Arik explained.
The woman’s hand froze on Minx’s head and she looked up at Sage. “A stalker?” She stood up, looking official now. “How long has this been going on?”
Sage shook her head. “I don’t know exactly. And I’m not even sure if it actually is a stalker. I just…” she looked helplessly at Arik and sighed. “I feel ridiculous.”
“Better than feeling dead,” he pointed out immediately.
Chapter 5
“What have I done?” she whispered, groaning as she rolled over yet again. Sage had barely fallen to sleep when the desperate whining started again. A moment later, Sage heard Xena’s exhausted sigh from the corner of the bedroom. But this time, she rolled over onto a warm, hard chest instead of her mattress.
Arik sighed. “I’ll let him out,” he groaned. A moment later, the comforting warmth vanished. “Come on you little brat,” he said to Minx who toddled out of the bedroom, heading towards the now familiar back door to do his business.
Sage sighed with relief that she didn’t have to get up again. Thankfully, tomorrow was Sunday and she could sleep in. Well, maybe she could get back in bed once she’d let the dogs out. Smiling at the thought, she rolled over and snuggled deeper under the blankets. It definitely got cold here in Wyoming at night! She loved it! She loved the cool nights and the dryer air, the lack of mosquitoes and…okay, the black flies last May had been awful. But they didn’t last all summer long. In fact, black fly season only lasted maybe five or six weeks, versus the six-month long nightmare of mosquitoes back on the East Coast. Yeah, the black fly bites were worse. But Sage was allergic to mosquito bites and the bites would swell up. Plus, she’d get twenty or thirty bites that turned into welts if she ventured out during the summer months.
Yes, this was much nicer, she thought, pressing her face into the pillow. Good grief, her pillow smelled good! When she sniffed again, Sage realized that the pillow smelled like Arik! Yeah, she could grow addicted to his scent.
A moment later, the sheets and blanket pulled back, letting in a draft of cold air. Then Arik was back, pulling her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, startled that he was in her bed. And yet, he’d just left it! When had he started sleeping in her bed versus the bed in the guest room? No wonder her pillows smelled like him! He was here!
“I’m going back to sleep,” he muttered. “Unless you’re going to ask more questions, that is.”
Sage blinked into the darkness, not sure what to say. “When did you come to my bed?”
“When Xena stole mine,” he muttered, even sleepier now.
“How long is that?”
He sighed heavily, then shifted so that his hand was in her hair, sifting through the tangled locks. “Do you really want to talk right now? Wouldn’t you rather get some sleep? I had no idea Minx’s bladder was so small. They’re used to living in a barn, able to relieve themselves whenever they need to. Tomorrow, I’m installing a dog door.” He shifted again, so that he could bury his face in her neck.
Oh boy! That felt really good! The sensation of his breath against her neck sent tingles rippling across her skin. His body was literally wrapped around hers. His leg was over hers and one of his arms hugged her waist. It was nirvana!
And he wanted her to go to sleep? Seriously?
“Arik?” she whispered, worried about waking him up. But also worried about letting him continue to sleep here in her bed.
“What?”
