Free Persuading Him by Michelle Dare Page A

happened to him to behave that way.  Poor thing.
    I missed having a dog.  Growing up we always had a large breed, but once I moved away I decided against getting one.  I traveled so much that I worried about boarding a dog.
    Aubrey elbowed me in arm.  “Go pet him.  He’s really sweet.”
    She was always trying to get me to bring one home.  Kept telling me this way I wouldn’t be lonely.  I knew one day she was going to get to me and I would end up bringing a dog home, but didn’t think today would be that day.
    There was something about this Shepherd that drew me to him though.  She told me the vet and the shelter both guessed he was around two years old.
    “What’s his name?”
    “Ace.”
    Walking along the perimeter of the fence, I patted every dog that came to me.  We had all kinds of breeds.  Border Collies, Labradors, Goldens, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, you name it, we had one at some point.
    When I got closer to the Shepherd he started walking toward me.  He was really sweet.  Rubbing up against me, pushing his face into my legs, even trying to lick me.  Aubrey came up beside me and said that he hadn’t behaved that way to any of the other workers, including her.  They could pet him, but he wasn’t overly friendly.  He seemed to favor being with the dogs more than people.
    Looked like I had a dog now.  Took all of sixty seconds for him to get to me.  He wouldn’t be kept in a cage at my house.  I had twenty acres fully fenced yard for him to run around.  The fence cost as much as the house.  Kidding.  Kind of.  It was a price I was happy to pay for privacy.
    I did make a deal with Aubrey if I took him she had to board him and watch him for me when I traveled.  Not in a run all of the time, but out playing with other dogs.  She agreed and now Ace and I were in my Jeep on our way to the pet store to pick up the doggie essentials.  We also stopped at the shelter so I could fill out all of the necessary paperwork to officially adopt him.
    When we pulled up to the gate at my house Ace went to work barking at the paparazzi.  I had the back window down a little for the drive and it allowed him to get his mouth out and bare his teeth at them.  Some of them jumped back not expecting me to have a dog in the car.  I liked him more and more with every passing second.
    Ace jumped out as soon as the Jeep door was open.  I didn’t know how well trained he was, but Aubrey mentioned they taught him basic commands and he was very food driven.  He went to work inspecting the land while I dragged the gigantic bag of over-priced dog food into the house.  I got him a very nice bed and set it up in the corner of my living room.
    “Ace!”  I wanted him to come inside.  Hopefully he wouldn’t piss on my floor.  She said he was good about that, but living in a shelter you never knew.  He came bounding in, leaping at me, wanting to play.  Thankfully, he had been neutered and given all of his shots at the shelter.  Less I had to worry about.
    On the way home I realized the irony in his name being Ace and me dating a pilot.  Gotta love how the universe works.
    I spoke to Radek that night.  He would be back in a couple of days, but then had to go right back out for another customer.  All in all I wouldn’t see him for seven days.  My body would be humming with need by the time he returned.
    Over the course of the next week I made sure to stay busy.  Ace became my buddy, following me everywhere.  He refused to sleep in the living room, but instead wanted to be on my bed.  Nope, not happening.  I did compromise by bringing his bed upstairs and placing it at the foot of my bed.  He seemed to like that.  Not one accident yet, knock on wood.
    Kara called me the day after I brought him home to tell me they were reporting that Kasi Markson bought a viscous guard dog to scare away the media.  Idiots.  I got a dog because one of my friends made me feel guilty and I felt a connection with him.  I