Country Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book #8)(40)

I suck in a hard breath. Unless she’s not a Whitney Briggs! What if he’s involved in some long distance thing? Come morning, I’ll make Piper sing like a bird. I’ll find some way to wrangle her big bro into a conversation, and she’ll happily give me all the dirty deets.

Cade speeds us to his little cozy home and zips around to the passenger’s side of the car to help me out.

“Such a gentleman.” I lean up and take a moist bite of his lower lip. “Feel free to act like a beast as soon as we step through that door—all bark and all bite.”

“Duly noted. And speaking of beasts, I’d better let Buddy outside to take care of business.” He lets us in and turns on the lights. It feels comfortable here, with his manly looking furniture, the large TV framing the wall looks like an old friend, even the slight hint of his cologne lingering in the air makes this place feel a lot like my second home.

“I’ll just be a minute.”

I make a dash for the sofa and watch as he leads an anxious, bucking, jumping, thankfully leashed, Buddy right out the door.

He probably thinks it’s silly of me—a grown woman—to be so afraid of a hairy, not-so scary pooch. I don’t remember a single one of those dogs that used me as a chew toy having such long fur. In my mind’s eye, I can see still the charge, their rolled and wrinkled brown flesh, those pink and black mouths, those sharp as spears canines salivating with greed for me. My chest bucks, and for a minute, I think I’m going to lose it.

I head on out to the porch for a breath of fresh night air and spot Cade down by the sidewalk, an empty leash in hand. For a second, I think he’s lost Buddy.

A gray and brown brindled blur zips past his legs, and Cade turns and hooks his gaze to mine, his eyes growing round with horror.

“Buddy, no!” he riots so loud into the night it sounds like thunder.

But it’s too late. That beast is coming at me, his eyes narrowed, his sharp as all hell canines salivating with greed. His paws land hard over my shoulders, knocking me onto my back, the air expelling from my lungs in a hiss. His snout burrows into my neck before a line of wetness licks over my left cheek.

Can’t breathe. Can’t move. Can’t see.

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

It’s happening again.

Every muscle I own refuses to move as my entire body seizes with terror.

Kill me, please.

My eyes squeeze tight as a horrible numbing paralysis takes over.

Please, God, let me die. I can’t do this.

Let me die.

Let me die.

Let me die.





Cade





“Buddy!” Fuck! I pluck him off her, and he scuttles into the house with his tail between his legs. “Cassidy.” I pick her up and rock her in my arms right there on the porch. “Are you hurt? I can take you to the hospital right now so they can take a look at you.”

A dry whimper comes from her as she buries her face in my chest.

“It’s okay,” I whisper over and over like an idiot because it’s clear everything is not f*cking okay. “Tell me where it hurts, babe. I want to fix this.” My voice falters as if I’m about to cry myself, and if she doesn’t feel better soon, I just might. I should never have taken Buddy off that stupid leash. I usually never leash him to begin with, so I figured it’d take ten times longer than necessary for him to take a piss with it on. All I wanted to do was get back inside and do exactly this with her.

My lips pepper her face with kisses until I finally meander to her lips and melt something more meaningful over them.

“Say something, Cassidy, because I have to know what to do next. Please tell me. Did you hurt your back? Your head?” I do a quick inspection for blood but don’t see any.

“No,” she whimpers a bit as she curls into my chest, tucking her thumb under her lower lip the way Piper does when she’s overwhelmed, and it makes me squeeze her that much tighter. “Sorry.” Her chest bucks with a dull laugh. “I guess you could say I’m just a touch afraid of dogs.”

“Cassidy”—I close my eyes a moment—“that wasn’t just some fear of dogs. The color bled from your face. You turned into stone. That was a full-blown phobia.” I press my lips tight, just trying to keep it together. “Let me get you some help. I’ll work through this with you. There are people you can talk to.” Hell, I’ll ship Buddy back to New York if I have to. As much as it kills me, I don’t want to put her through that ever again.

“No.” Her eyes shoot up at me, glossy and lined with crimson tracks. “I’m not some nutcase. I promise you that. I was just caught off guard. That’s all.” She gives a wary look over my shoulder. “Maybe you should feed him and anything else you need to do.” She clears her throat while watching Buddy whine in the corner.

“He knows he’s in trouble.” I jump up, and she pulls me back.

“Don’t. He’s not in trouble. All he did was lick my face.”

“I’ll just be a second.” I head inside, and Buddy beats me to his bedroom. I walk in and kneel next to him, rubbing his neck a moment. “Look at me.” He turns his head as if he’s afraid to do it. “Come on, Bud. You need to shape up. Knock it off with the jumping. I can’t have you pulling that crap. Got it?” My arm relaxes into him, and he coils into me as if gunning for a hug, so I give him one. As much as I couldn’t stand to lose Cassidy, I couldn’t bear to lose Buddy. It breaks my heart because I know the choice I would make. “Don’t worry, dude. We’re good for now. You just need to lay off the girl. She’s mine.”