Cruelty Page 6

  Luca glanced up at me and a wide grin graced his overly attractive face. “Ella! I was hoping you’d get here soon,” he said, coming from around the counter to envelop me in a hug.

  I felt every single eye in the room zero in on me. Sure enough, a peek out of the corner of my eye revealed expressions of envy and a couple mentally killing me on the spot. I hid my smile, feeling just a bit of satisfaction that these prim and proper looking women were nowhere near the type the brothers went for. I’d heard many of their exes before me had been a bit edgier.

  Right on cue, Gus yanked at his lead hard and fast, taking me off guard and ripping the lead from my hand. He barked wildly with excitement toward a dog one of the women was holding. Unfortunately, my poor pug overshot his pounce at the dog, missing completely and running headfirst into the leg of the chair next to it. He let out a loud yelp then rocketed away in the opposite direction, only to hit the counter harder.

  I released Luca as a string of giggles came from the women, pissing me off to no end. I shot each of them a look of warning, shutting them up as I went to my little dog’s aid. I scooped him up and rubbed his poor little head.

  “I can’t believe you still have this little guy,” Luca said with a soft smile, grabbing Gus gently from my arms. Gus sniffed at Luca then went into a frenzy trying to lick his face. “Aw I missed you too buddy. How old is he now?”

  I chuckled at how badly Gus wanted to get to Luca’s face as he held him away. “About eleven. He’s an old fella. Still just as crazy as he was when he was young.”

  “No kidding. Well, why don’t we let him hang out in our play area while we check out… what’s her name?” he asked.

  “Oh, Pretty. Or Pretty Girl. I call her both. Seemed to fit.”

  “Indeed. Crystal,” Luca said to the assistant. “Will you put Gus here in the play area until we’re done? Let him get some energy out without hurting himself.”

  The assistant graciously took Gus and cooed at him as she walked away.

  Luca hooked my hand around his elbow and took Pretty’s lead from me. “Let’s get you back and check out how those puppies are coming along,” he said cheerfully, immediately leading me and Pretty back to one of the exam rooms.

  The facility was quite impressive. The walls were a pristine light blue and the floors a lovely shade of light grey wood. It had a very cozy cottage feel to it, not leading you to believe it was an animal clinic at all. Once in the exam room, I noticed that the equipment was top of the line and undoubtedly expensive. The guys had spared no expense making sure their furry clients were as comfortable as possible.

  “I’ll do a quick exam to make sure mama is doing good, then we can get an ultrasound of the pups,” Luca said, kneeling to lift my profusely pregnant pup onto the soft exam table. “Do you know how far along she is?”

  I shook my head. “No clue, but I imagine she’s close. Her stomach has been pretty tight lately though. She’s been having a harder time jumping up short distances and whimpering.”

  Luca nodded and went to work checking her eyes, snout, and ears, occasionally stopping to write everything down on a clipboard. He got her weight and asked questions about her eating habits, then took her temperature. It was fascinating watching how deeply he fell into concentration as he took great care in checking over my baby. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. Luca had such a sensitive soul. It was almost easy to forget what had happened between us. I felt like we were back to how we were all those years ago, just us and not a care in the world. Fuck, that had been the best.

  I shook my head of the thoughts and asked, “So how are the animals doing?”

  “Good actually. We found homes for a couple, and another facility we work with took in a few more. Don’t worry, they didn’t ask any questions. They trust us. The animals are all in good hands. I promise.”

  “Good. That’s good.”

  Luca finished his exam and smiled at me as he put away all his instruments. “Well, she looks like she’s doing well. She’s still eating, so that’s a good sign. The closer to delivery she gets, the less she’ll eat. She’ll start licking at herself, panting, and may even begin pacing a lot leading up to labor, so just look for those signs.”

  I nodded along as he gave instructions, swallowing anxiously at the idea that my apartment would soon be overrun with puppies.

  Luca rolled over a small ultrasound machine and had Pretty lie down on her side. I watched, excited to see how many there would be as he turned the monitor on and began moving the wand into position. It didn’t take long to find the little things squirming around in Pretty’s belly.

  Luca let out a soft chuckle. “Wiggly little things.” He moved the wand around, and so far I counted only three. But as he moved, two more came onto the screen. “Looks like maybe five puppies altogether, which is low for a Dalmatian but not unheard of. An X-ray would give a more accurate count, but ours is on the fritz. We have another being delivered tomorrow thankfully. But I guess congrats are in order nonetheless, grandma,” he joked.

  “I’m too young,” I whined pitifully, which only made him tilt his head back and laugh.

  “From the looks of everything, I’d say she’s only a week or so away from giving birth.” He took the wand away and turned off the machine, wheeling it back into place. “If I were you, I’d start preparing a little pen for them. Nothing too crazy. Just a couple blankets or a dog bed with maybe a bit of chicken fencing. I might have some you can take home.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I paused for a minute, running my hand along Pretty’s side. “Thank you, Luca. For your help with the animals and now Pretty. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you guys hadn’t taken the animals in.”

  Luca leaned his elbows on the exam table, bringing his face down level with mine and barely a foot away. I felt his large, calloused hand slide over mine that was resting on the table. Tingles shot up my arm and blood rushed to my cheeks. I dared not move though. I knew if I did, the heat rising inside of me would become obvious very fast. Being still was best. Truth be told, I almost wanted him to touch me more.

  “Anytime, Ella,” he said in a husky tone.

  The silence that fell between us was deafening as we just sat there like that. Our gazes locked, me swallowing thickly, and his hand hot on my skin. His eyes flicked from mine to my mouth, and he too swallowed. Anticipation seemed to be singing in the air around us, both of us seemingly waiting for the other to either move away or move closer.

  The decision was made for us when the exam room door opened and we both jumped back from each other.

  “Don’t you two look cozy?” Rollins said with a chuckle when he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He was, thankfully, now dressed in a black shirt and clean jeans. His dark hair was wet and I could smell the same scent of Irish Spring that he had always used when he showered.

  “Um, I was just about to tell Luca about the owners of the shelter I got the animals from,” I quickly blurted out.

  Luca merely smiled at me like my discomfort at having been caught in our position was his greatest amusement.

  Rollins shrugged and stepped up next to me, giving Pretty—who looked comfortable where she lay—a quick scratch behind the ears. “What about them?”

  “Turns out they’ve got some influence with the police and are on a manhunt looking for who stole the animals.”

  “Tsk tsk, you little trouble maker,” Luca joked.

  “For real, I’m worried,” I replied seriously.

  “Were there cameras or any evidence of you being there?” Rollins asked, moving even closer to me now.

  Tingles once again shot through me when his arm brushed against mine.

  “No. Nothing. And we stashed the truck until everything calms down.”

  Rollins shrugged again. “Then don’t worry about it.”

  “So you’re not concerned at all?” I asked, looking between them. I may have taken the animals, but they were accessories. Shouldn’t they be worried too
?

  “Nope,” Rollins responded nonchalantly, moving away from the table. I stiffened when he moved behind me, so close his breath blew strands of my hair away from my neck.

  His hand came up and pushed my hair completely over one of my shoulders. I felt his lips ghost along the side of my neck as he continued, “The only thing I’m worried about is why you didn’t stop and say hi to me when you pulled up.”

  I think I stopped breathing altogether as he pressed forward, pinning my hips against the table. Luca kept his eyes glued to mine, a brow raised and a pleased smirk tilting his lips. He was enjoying watching his brother taunt me. This was something they used to enjoy doing quite often.

  Rollins hands slid onto my hips, squeezing my hip bones ever so slightly. My heart pounded furiously inside my chest and my hands became clammy as they gripped the table.

  God I wanted him to touch me more. His hands were fire and felt like coming home. But I couldn’t fall into old habits. Not when so much had been left unanswered. Resolution in that thought helped to stoke that ember of anger I’d been snuffing out around them in favor of making sure the animals were well cared for.

  I let that anger flow into the next word I spoke.

  “Stop.”

  Without warning, I pushed back from the table with all my strength, effectively shoving Rollins backward and turned, glaring at him as I backed away. His eyes were wide with surprise and flicked over my shoulder at Luca.

  “No. You don’t get to touch me like that. Neither of you do.” I shot Luca the same glare. “Contrary to what you both might be thinking, I still remember vividly how abruptly you ended everything with me. How you both broke my fucking heart and never explained why. I’m grateful for all the help you’ve given me despite all the bullshit, but I am not your toy.”

  “You really think we’d ever treat you like a toy, El?” Luca asked solemnly. Like he had the right to be sad I would think that.

  “How else do you explain the fact you’re both acting like the shit didn’t hit the fan all those years ago?” I snapped at Luca.

  “Ella,” Rollins said softly, bringing my attention back to him as he stepped closer to me again. “It’s hard to explain without sounding like complete assholes. We never meant to hurt you.”

  I snagged Pretty’s leash and gently coaxed her up so I could lift her up and set her back down on the floor. “Well, I already think you’re assholes and you did hurt me. So when or if you can figure out a way to explain to me everything, then you know how to reach me.”

  I quickly left the exam room with Pretty trailing beside me. I asked the vet assistant for Gus back, then thanked her for watching him before leaving.

  I knew I had been an absolute chicken for running away before they could explain, but I had to get out of there before I gave in to the brothers. I had come so close to letting Rollins continue. To kissing Luca. It was too much. Past hurt kept me from trusting them not to turn me, once again, into their play thing they could just do what they wanted with then throw away.

  I hated that I cried as I drove home. I hated that I wasn’t brave enough to hear their reasoning. I hated that somewhere deep inside of me, I still cared for them.

  Maybe even still loved them…

  I was so focused on what had happened with the guys, I hadn’t paid the least bit of attention when I stormed into my and Zoe’s apartment. I immediately unleashed the dogs and began stripping my shirt off, ready to just jump into a shower and wash away the regret I had for even going there in the first place. I should’ve just called another vet office in another city. Honestly, there could be hundreds of pregnant dalmatians out there. There’s no way someone would look at mine and go ‘that’s the one.’

  I kicked off my boots and was about to unfasten my bra as I made my way to the bathroom, only to come up short when I rounded the corner and saw Theo standing in front of my oven cooking. I squealed and grabbed the closest thing to me, a pillow. I moved it over my chest and glared at him.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Theo, who looked torn between looking at what my pillow was covering and my eyes, had his mouth slightly parted and seemed at a loss for words. “Uh…”

  I snapped my fingers, making his eyes stay on mine. “What are you doing here?” I asked again.

  He cleared his throat and dropped the spatula he’d been holding, then turned and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed and eyes downward. “Pipe burst in my apartment and flooded the whole damn place. Maintenance needed to get in and fix it, so I called Zoe. She uh… she said I could stay here a couple of days until I got it fixed.”

  “Right. Perfect,” I sighed in aggravation. I had decided against telling Zoe about what had happened between Theo and me on the way home from dropping off the truck, feeling that maybe it was best kept between he and I. Now, I was regretting not telling her. I didn’t know what to say. I’d be an asshole to tell him to leave, but then again, he’d been the one to be an asshole first. But two wrongs don’t make a right.

  Ugh. Sometimes I wished I really was as much of a bitch as I let people believe.

  Zoe chose that moment to come out of her room and stopped short when she saw me and Theo standing there in silence. “Oh good, you’re home. And shirtless.” Zoe snorted. She kindly snagged the shirt I’d tossed on the floor and handed it to me. “Hope you don’t mind I told Theo he could stay here,” she continued, shooting me a wink. I did mind, but again, I just had to be the better person.

  Theo watched me with hopeful eyes. I knew he had nowhere else to go since we were literally his only friends. And something told me I would regret turning him away.

  “No, I don’t mind. I’m going to go get changed and jump in the shower though.” With that, I exited the room, not wanting to say anything else in front of Zoe. I rushed into the bathroom and shut the door quickly, leaning against it.

  I wanted to be angry with Theo for the way he’d acted. For the awkwardness that was so clearly saturating the room around us. I hated it. I missed my friend. I took a deep breath in and out then went about setting up the shower. It felt like I was cleansing myself of all the negativity of the day as I slipped inside and felt the hot water cascade over my heavily inked skin. I pushed away all my thoughts as I went through my routine, but was stopped short when I saw Theo’s shower gel and shampoo sitting on the edge of the tub. I didn’t know what possessed me to do it, but I picked up the shower gel and flicked open the cap.

  The scent of his Axe Dark Temptation body wash rushed over me and sent chills down my spine. Dark temptation was exactly what Theo had always been for me. I inhaled deeply and once again was reminded of that kiss he’d given me. It had been desperate, yet it had blown my mind. I couldn’t deny the attraction I’d always felt for the blond goofball who’d bombarded his way into my life. But acting on that attraction had also felt like a bad idea. Then he kissed me. Everything changed with that kiss, whether I wanted it to or not. We couldn’t be the friends we once were. And that kind of broke me.

  There was a sudden knock at the door, causing me to jump in surprise and drop the bottle… directly onto my toe. “Who is it?” I shouted, trying my best to keep the pain from my voice as I lifted my poor foot and rubbed it. I looked ridiculous hobbling unsteadily in the shower on one leg, but shit that hurt!

  I got no answer. Instead, the door opened and closed quickly.

  “You okay, El?” Theo’s voice said on the other side of the curtain.

  “What? Yeah. I just dropped a bottle.” I pulled back the curtain and stuck my head out, making sure my body was fully covered by the plastic material. “Why are you in here?”

  He moved forward, leaving barely any space between us and ran a hand nervously through his light hair, making it stand on end. “Look, I wanted to apologize. What I did… it wasn’t fair. I was a complete asshole to you when you didn’t do anything wrong. And then I kissed you, which probably made it that much worse. You’ve been a great friend to me all
these years and I had no right to ruin that friendship with my stupid…”

  “Jealousy?” I finished for him.

  “Yes. Ella, you’re my best friend. And yes, I have feelings for you. I always have. And being the way I am, I tried to sleep with other girls to get you out of my head. Like… many girls.”

  I raised a brow at him and looked at him like he’d just lost his mind. “Is there a point to you being in here, or are you going to start listing the women?”

  “Right. Sorry. The point is, I only did that because I thought I’d get over it. I get over women easily and I thought that would be the case with you. But it wasn’t.”

  “Is this a conversation we need to have in here? While I’m showering?”

  “If I don’t say it now then I don’t know if I’ll say it ever. So, yes.”

  I sighed, but waved my hand for him to continue. Truth be told, I wanted to hear what he had to say. As badly as he was saying stuff already, I could only hope it’d get better from here.

  “I accept you just wanting to be friends. I accept that maybe I don’t mean to you what you mean to me. But I have to have you in my life. I promise I’ll set aside my jealousy and just be here for you if you need me. No matter what you need me for. I’m here.”

  I gazed into his startling green eyes, staring at me wildly with desperate pleas shouting at me from them. He was being sincere and wanted me to tell him I would still be here. That I’d still be his friend. Looking at him like this, I knew I couldn’t turn my back on him. Even if he was a jealous ass.

  “I want to be in your life too, Theo. You’re my best friend. After Zoe. She trumps you.” I smiled at him, letting him know I was joking. Mostly. I just hated seeing him so defeated. I figured making a joke might lighten the mood.

  Thankfully, it did. His mouth spread into the widest grin, making his looks even more irresistible. I was a bit surprised when a certain area heated violently at that smile. Suddenly, friends again seemed like a worse idea than kissing him again.