Free Bootscootin' Blahniks by D. D. Scott Page A

cold on the couch, her faithful guardians Dipstick and Darling settled on top of her, one wedged in the curve of her stomach and one between her legs.
What he wouldn’t give to be a Puggle tonight
.
    At least, while she was asleep, she couldn’t argue with him or throw him out.
    With care, he placed the ice pack into its cover and secured the straps around her ankle, then repositioned her leg on the couch to what he hoped would be a more comfortable angle. Thinking she must be out good since she never stirred, he grabbed a suede throw from a rack full of them then shooed the dogs off her long enough to tuck the blanket around her. Soon, blanket and dogs were nestled in for the rest of the morning.
    He smoothed her hair away from her forehead, momentarily mesmerized by her thick, tri-colored locks. He’d never seen a woman with three simultaneous hair colors. Leave it to Roxy to up the ante. Hell, to give her credit, it looked great. With a combination of caramel, honey, and chocolaty-colored strands, she was hot. In an odd way. But that was Roxy, hot and odd.
    Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her button nose then dipped-in for a taste of her devil-for-the-taking lips. Wanting much more, he settled for easing back and inhaling the cherry almond scent of her skin. For a woman full of spice, she smelled nothing but sweet. And talk about baby soft skin. Spooning her in his bed would be real nice, the thought further denting his good boy image.
    In desperate need of cooling off, he checked the ice pack once more. Standing to leave, he bent over to pick-up the empty water bottle she’d dropped onto the floor. He didn’t want her falling again.
    “Nice aaasss,” she mumbled then winked at him before once again closing her eyes.
    “At least you like one part of me.” Zayne shook his head at her brash bravado, suppressing a laugh.
    McDonalds had always started at the bottom and worked their way up. With Roxy Rae, the legacy continued.

Chapter Six
    Z ayne pounded the snooze button a fifth time, forcing his eyes to verify the time.
Shit
. He blinked then refocused, staring harder at the glowing red numbers. Could it really be 7 a.m.? He was way beyond late.
    He shoved aside what little bit of comforter still covered him, knocking Studley Pete onto the floor. Pete yawned, making it known by a disgruntled half-bark, half-growl that he wasn’t any happier than Zayne to be awake.
    “Quit your belly-achin’, Pete,” Zayne said as he rubbed behind the dog’s ears and patted his back. “All you do is run into the kitchen and eat. I won’t get a morsel till I answer a butt load of questions.”
    Zayne opened his bedroom door and stuck his head out, seeing if the path to his bathroom was clear. The smell of fresh bacon and coffee assaulted his nose, reminding him how hungry he was. Hell, he hadn’t eaten since last night’s fried pickles. No wonder his stomach rumbled with the ferocity of a bear waking up from a winter nap.
    “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he hollered to whoever could hear him in the kitchen. “Just have to rinse off.”
    “It’s about damn time,” Damian’s deep, taunting grumble echoed the halls, followed by a hearty laugh.
    Asshole
. Damian knew better than to start something Kat McDonald couldn’t resist finishing, although all Zayne’s friends agreed how fun it was to test her patience.
    “Hurry up, Zayne,” his mother scolded, feeding off Damian’s bait. “The food’s been done for over ten minutes. That’s not fair to Cody. He busted his ass fixing our breakfast.”
    “You mean it’s not fair to you, Mom. You’re dying to know why I’m late.” Zayne grabbed his robe off the hook on the back of his bedroom door and headed for the bathroom.
    “I know where you’ve been, Smart Ass,” she snapped back, “and
who
you’ve been with. So get moving.”
    Zayne heard Damian snickering, followed by Cody’s guffaw. Some friends they were.
    Closing