Free Captivated by Megan Hart, Sarah Morgan, Tiffany Reisz

hard when it ended, she thought. It was going to slay her.
    But it wasn’t over yet.

Chapter Seven
    “I had a dog when I was married.” Colleen handed Jesse the box of canned food and supplies she’d helped him buy at the local pet supply store for his Saturday volunteer shift. “His name was Pete. He bit my ex-husband once.”
    Jesse closed the trunk of his car. “Ouch. Bet that made him angry.”
    “He’d been drinking and teasing the dog. You don’t poke a dog without risking its teeth,” she said with a shrug as she went around to get in on the passenger side.
    Jesse got behind the wheel. “We always had dogs growing up. One of the first things I’m going to do once I can get into my own place is get a dog. Probably even foster some. It’s good for kids to have pets.”
    Colleen adjusted her seat belt. “Can’t you get a place that allows dogs?”
    Jesse paused, then figured what the hell. There was no point in trying to pretend he wasn’t broke most of the time. “Nothing I can afford. Not in Laila’s school district or close enough to work to make it worthwhile.”
    “Oh.” Colleen looked uncomfortable, which hadn’t been his intention. “Sorry.”
    “Don’t be sorry. I’ve got a dozen pooches waiting for me at the shelter,” Jesse replied lightly.
    He reached to hold her hand as they drove, letting his thumb rub the back of it. Her skin was so soft. He wanted to hold her hand forever.
    At the shelter, he showed her where to put the supplies, then took her into the back room where the rescue dogs that hadn’t yet been put up for adoption were kept. Five today, ranging from puppy to senior dog. All had been taken from abusive homes. Some were recovering from surgeries or injuries.
    “This old girl here, this is Sasha.” Jesse led Colleen to the quiet black-and-white mutt in the corner. “She’s friendly but skittish. But if you give her time, she’ll give you plenty of love. She wants to be a lapdog.”
    Colleen bent to let Sasha sniff her fingers. “Hey, sweet girl.”
    Together, Jesse and Colleen spent an hour or so grooming and giving the dogs the love and attention they’d been missing. Then another hour cleaning pens and putting away donated supplies. He’d been concerned she might find the work too dirty or boring, but the time passed with them laughing and joking the entire time. Even singing. She had a terrible voice and was very proud of it.
    “Surprised the dogs aren’t howling,” she said when she’d finished a verse of some pop song that had been getting constant airplay.
    Jesse took the chance to pull her into his arms. “What did you do with the money?”
    “What money?” Colleen pushed up on her toes to brush her mouth to his.
    “The money I gave you for—”
    “Singing lessons,” she said along with him, then swatted him. “Jerk.”
    He laughed and pulled her close again. They were alone in the supply closet, so he took another chance. The kiss was sweet but had the promise of heat. She broke it first with a small, self-conscious laugh.
    “Thanks for coming with me today.” Jesse kept his hands on her hips.
    Colleen smiled. “Thanks for asking me. It’s good to give back to something. You know?”
    “Yeah. I think so.” He wanted to kiss her again, but held off, not wanting to push it. “Hey, you hungry? I promised you dinner.”
    “You did. And I am.” She backed up as much as the small space allowed. “Are we finished here?”
    He nodded, trying to think of a reason to stay with her in the closet long enough to steal another kiss, but unable to find one that wouldn’t be totally transparent. “Just let me put my name on the schedule for next week, and we’re good to go.”
    He’d thought a lot about where to take her, wishing someplace fancy like Fogo de Chão was in his budget instead of a local dive diner, but Nancy’s Hot Spot had the best steak and eggs he’d ever tasted, no matter what time of day you went. They made a pretty good gyro,