Free Collared (Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson Page B

pulled off medical leave.
    And he’d been hurt again. Protecting her. Guilt washed over her in a rush. She’d tried to prove something to him and had ended up causing him to be injured again. He hadn’t even hesitated when he blocked that chair, just as she never hesitated in taking care of the people she cared about.
    To him ‘Protect and Serve’ weren’t just words. They were in his blood, his bones.
    Damn it. Here she was, just trying to entice him, make him see her in a different light, and she’d done nothing but reinforce his perception of her as a spoiled, naïve rich girl. Instead, she now saw him in a different light.
    When she got home, she went straight to her bedroom. When she saw herself in the mirror, she made a heated sound in her throat. Man! She looked ravished, her mouth thoroughly kissed, her hair a complete mess, and the mirror reflected something in her eyes that she’d never seen before.
    Doubts assailed her like they never had before. Caleb would be just a good fuck, nothing more. Wouldn’t he? She couldn’t really trust any man, and she didn’t really know him, but it wasn’t about that. It was just about the sex. Wasn’t it?
    She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more, but how was that possible?
    Blue danced around her, on edge because her mistress was most definitely on edge. The poodle trotted into the bathroom and came back with the brush from her vanity. Harper closed her eyes to try to gain some measure of composure, taking the brush from the distraught dog. She smoothed her hand over Blue’s kinky fur, giving her a good dose of comfort. Blue grounded her a bit.
    She walked into the bathroom and pulled her hair up into a sleek ponytail. Then back in her room she dressed in a black sheath with floral print on both sides, and slipped on a pair of skimpy black sandals. As soon as she finished, she walked back out into the living room and picked up her cell phone. She dialed as she headed down to the garage.
    “Tripp, I need a favor.”
    “Anything, Harper.”
    “I need Detective Shaw’s home address.”
    “What do you need that for?”
    “I have to drop a list off for him. He wants it right away. It’s very important.”
    “Okay, give me a minute.”
    As soon as she got the information, she dialed again and started speaking as she beeped open her sleek silver Benz Roadster. She programmed her GPS and started the car, maneuvering quickly out of the parking garage and toward her destination.

    #

    By the time he’d given a statement to the cops and dragged himself home, he was hurting bad. One whole side of his body was aching, and his shoulder was hammering at him with a dull throb that made driving extremely painful.
    He needed a hot shower, and would definitely need to make sure that silly dog was locked in his bedroom first. He literally couldn’t wrestle with Quinn tonight.
    With small hitches in his throat as he tried to deal with the waves of pain across his chest and back, he painstakingly pulled his polo over his head with as little movement as possible, unclipped the holster holding his weapon from the small of his back, but hadn’t removed the shield when he heard a knock at the door. Quinn barked and growled.
    “Down, boy. Stay.”
    Quinn immediately obeyed and Caleb opened the door.
    “Hello, I’m Reginald. Looks like you’re expecting me. Chop, chop let’s get you down to your skivvies and we’ll get you worked over.”
    Caleb hesitated for only a moment and without invitation the guy breezed into his apartment.
    “Ahhh…buddy, I would suggest that you take yourself and your perky attitude the fuck outta here. I’m not what you think I am. I’m a cop.”
    “Yes, that was all explained to me.”
    “Explained to you?”
    “Sure. Now, would you like scented or unscented oil?”
    “Oil?” He could only laugh at the absurdity. “Look, I’m not a hookup. I think you have the wrong apartment.”
    “No, I’m not. This is the address I was