The Penalty Box (Vancouver Wolves Hockey #3)(48)

“Sniper won’t let anything happen to her. Sounds like Sniper’s tolerating this guy because of Charlie, but he’s being clear about how far he’ll go.”

Sniper was cockblocking Andrew. I think I loved this dog. “Good.”

“Have you guys experienced any level of threat?”

“Nothing so far. I’m leaving tomorrow for a series of away games, so we will see.”

“Charlie is trained in using Sniper to protect. And Sniper’s only goal in life is to keep Charlie safe. If something happens, give me a call.”

“I’ll let you know.”

I didn’t want to leave Charlie again, but I felt a hell of a lot better about leaving knowing Sniper would be there.





*



It was Saturday morning. I packed my bags and stacked them by the door. Charlie stood at the island, watching me. “I can drive you to the stadium.”

“Ryan’s coming to pick me up.” I took a good look at her. She looked less strained, less anxious. “How are you feeling about being here alone?”

Her smile was beautiful. “Safe.”

“Are you two going to camp out in my room again when I’m gone?”

A small smile played on her lips. “Maybe.”

“We’ll only be gone five nights this time.”

A honk sounded from the door. Charlie took a step towards me and then faltered.

That was the first time she had ever made a move towards me, and I wasn’t going to waste it. I closed the gap between us and caught her face in my hands. I gave her a kiss that made her sigh heavily before I lifted my head.

“Be good,” I teased.

“Always.” Her eyes looked a bit dazed from my kiss, and it made me want to kiss her again. Another honk sounded.

I turned and picked up my bags. “See you when I get back.”





Chapter 15





CHARLIE





Like a new mom, I sent Jasper about a hundred photos of Sniper. I could not believe that Mica had bought me a dog. And not just any dog, a protection dog. Sniper was trained in both home and personal protection. Tony told me that he was more effective than a paid bodyguard because he was on duty twenty-four-seven. It was in his DNA. He could switch from playful family dog to fierce protector in a heartbeat.

Me: Getting sick of dog pictures yet?

Jasper: Sniper is the cutest dog in the world. Keep them coming.

Me: Are you back in SanFran yet?

Jasper: Still in New York. Home in a few days.

Me: How is Mark???

Jasper: Hot. Too hot to talk about on text. My phone might melt.

Me: We need a big phone chat.

Jasper: How is it going with The Savage?

What could I say about Mica? He treated me better than I had ever been treated in my life, even though our relationship remained completely platonic. Yes, we were starting to form a friendship, but it was more than that. This was Mica as a husband. He showered me with the utmost care and respect simply because we were married. It didn’t matter to him that our marriage was in name only—his consideration of me was over the top. I had never met a man who acted like that before. And it was messing with my emotions.

Me: It’s complicated.

Jasper: You okay?

Me: Yup.

Jasper: Damn, girlfriend. Last call for warmups. I need to head in.

Me: Call me when you get back to SanFran.

Jasper: I will.

I put my phone down and looked at Sniper. “Ready for your bedtime walk?”

Sniper stood up and moved to the door then looked over his shoulder with a dog smile on his face. God, I loved my dog. He was the sweetest, most sensitive dog in the world. He made being alone bearable. After our walk, I decided to have a bath in my bathroom before I went to bed. I ran the water and sighed as I stepped into the warmth. Sniper lay on the bathroom floor, his chin on his paws, his eyes closed.

Christmas was coming up in a week, and Zoey told me that the team had four days off over the holiday. Zoey and Ryan were heading for a quick trip to Saskatchewan to see Ryan’s mom. Mica hadn’t talked about the holidays, so I wasn’t sure if he wanted to celebrate. I debated asking him if he wanted to cook a turkey dinner with me, but fretted that he would see me as trying to play house with him. There was always this weird balancing act. Sometimes I fell into this lull where I started to believe this was real. Other times, I worked to keep an emotional distance and not get too close. I actively worked not to rely on Mica, but he made it hard.

The tinkle of dog tags made me open my eyes. Sniper was standing up and staring into the bedroom. Alert and intense. A prickle of fear coated my skin.

“What is it, Sniper?”

Sniper didn’t look at me. He twitched his ears and leaned forward, listening intently. I stood up and grabbed a towel, before wrapping my housecoat around me. Sniper took off in a dead run out of the bathroom.

“Sniper!” I almost slipped on the bathroom floor.

I ran after him and heard him barking loudly in the living room, his head in between the curtains. Something outside had his attention. With trepidation, I crept up to the big windows and slowly drew the blinds back. I couldn’t see anything in the dark.

“Sniper, quiet,” I commanded.

He immediately sat and stopped barking.