Free Groomed for Murder (Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson Page B

fix everything so he wouldn’t have to struggle so.
    Oh, my god! What was she doing ? “Roscoe, shush,” she said to the dog and he quieted. She stepped forward. “Are you all right?”
    He looked confused for a second, then realized he was on the floor. He ignored her hand, and she drew it back. It wouldn’t be a good idea to touch him again.
    “I should go. It’s getting late.”
    She nodded as her heart sank. Without knowing why she did it, she snatched one of her muffins out of the bin and wrapped it. “Take it. You didn’t have any dinner.”
    He took the muffin without touching her fingers and backed up out of her apartment. From the kitchen she heard the door close and listened to his retreating footsteps for a moment, wanting to weep with embarrassment for both of them.
    #
    Drew flew down the stairs and out into the street, the muffin clutched in his hand. That kiss. It was making him crazy, even now, even with distance between them. It was too much. It was much too brief. He hadn’t gotten his fill before they separated.
    When he reached the sidewalk, he paused, leaning against her building, working desperately to get his raging body under control, lecturing and berating himself. He wasn’t here to get her into bed. He was here to secure his partnership. He’d worked too damn hard to fail now, and no frivolous lawsuit was going to stand in his way. He needed that partnership. And he honestly believed it was better for Brooke if she settled out of court. If she didn’t, he would have to annihilate her. He didn’t want to do that, so his plan was solid, and for her own good because now, after that kiss, he was more determined to settle this without the court battle, but not for Roger Wright-Davis, but for him…and for Brooke.
    He had the edge. He was ruthless and she wasn’t. That was totally clear. Although seducing her with his charm was on his agenda, he drew the line with actually having sex with her. He closed his eyes at the images that conjured, but ruthlessly pushed that away.
    Looking down at the muffin in his hand, he unwrapped it and took a bite. His face twisted. And he was swamped with longing for the kind of woman Brooke was—homey, caring to a fault, smart, beautiful, and damned sexy. She would have to cross Kristen Wright-Davis; she would have to be principled and stubborn. Those were the things about her that only made him want her more. He swore softly and viciously as he hailed a cab. When it pulled up to the curb, he swallowed. Even though he wanted to devour it, he threw the muffin into the waste can.

Chapter Five
    Brooke approached the dog park and slowed when she saw Harper and Poe immediately, but couldn’t find Callie. She searched the frolicking dogs. No Great Danes in the park. She would have noticed them right away. It was the first Saturday Callie had ever missed. A hollow feeling blossomed in the pit of Brooke’s stomach. It felt way too familiar, felt like when she was rejected by her parents, when they removed their support, when they couldn’t even be bothered to make an effort to see her during the holidays. Brooke reached into her pocket and checked her phone. There was no message. That feeling only intensified.
    Poe waved when Brooke entered through the gate and latched it behind her. A powerful and unwelcome emotion building in her chest, she honed in on the empty seat where Callie should be, bubbling with personality.
    Poe gave Harper a look when Brooke inevitably asked, “Where’s Callie?”
    Harper smiled as if to soften the blow. “She called and told me Owen had planned something this morning and she wouldn’t be able to make it, but promised to be here next week.”
    Brooke tried not to resent Owen, but she didn’t like it. He was taking Callie away from them. “Oh, I thought our dog park visits were sacred.”
    Harper nodded. “She was really apologetic.”
    Brooke had to wonder why Callie hadn’t called her—her best friend, her maid of honor.