“Come on now. How much can you really trust a guy who doesn’t eat meat?”
“That’s ridiculous,” she admonished.
But secretly, she was enjoying the exchange immensely. It was the first time he’d loosened up enough to joke with her. She’d heard him and Eli trade good-natured insults on numerous occasions, and he relaxed with a few of the other full-time workers, but with her, he’d always maintained a maddening wall of reserve.
His humor remained as she finished with Minx, and they moved on to Luna. By noon, all the dogs had been checked, and when Grayson asked if they wanted to stay for lunch, she jumped at the chance. Not only was he more unguarded than she’d ever seen him before, he and Dev had hit it off in a way she’d never expected.
Over deep dish pizza, the two talked about their time in the military and swapped a few light-hearted stories. A couple of Dev’s questions about the foundation and facilities led to an in-depth tour of the entire campus, and the day practically flew by.
It was nearly four in the afternoon when the three of them sat on the turf floor of the arena with a half-dozen puppies crawling all over them. With the guys still chatting, Shelby played with the puppies as their deep voices ebbed and flowed in a soothing cadence.
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she pulled it ou
t to check the caller. Seeing her dad’s number, she slowed the stroke of her free hand over the fuzzy-soft pup sleeping in her lap. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, hon. How are you holding up?”
“Everything is good here. I’m at the foundation with Dev and Grayson right now.” Both of whom fell silent as she added, “How’d the vote go?”
“Good. Your mom and I are on our way to the airport right now. But I called because I wanted to let you know I just got off the phone with the police.”
“Any news on the break-in?”
“They caught him, Bells. The guy who broke in and who’s been threatening you, they arrested him a half-hour ago. It’s over.”
She sat frozen as those two words echoed in her head. Out of nowhere, her chest squeezed so tight she could barely breathe.
“Shelby?”
Dev’s voice jolted her attention, and as she met his concerned gaze, she realized her dad was still talking. Somehow she managed to reply, and then told him and Mom to have a safe flight before hanging up.
A smile trembled on her lips as she whispered, “It’s over. He said they arrested the guy who’s been stalking me.”
And then everything went fuzzy as relief swept forward on a wave of overwhelming emotion. Dev was beside her in an instant, passing the puppy from her lap to Grayson before pulling her into his arms. She buried her face against his chest as a sob tore from her throat.
“I’m s-sorry,” she stuttered. “This is stupid. I’m happy, and I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“Stress relief.” His voice was matter-of-fact as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. “It’s a totally natural reaction. Just breathe through it.”
She concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest until a semblance of control returned. With it came a wave of embarrassment. Pulling free from his embrace, she pushed to her feet and turned her back to gather her composure while wiping the tears away.
A moment later, Grayson stood in front of her with two of the puppies. “You good?”
Shelby gave a watery smile. “Yeah.”
“Great.” He pushed the squirming bodies into her arms. “I’m ready to be done for the day, so let’s get these guys put away.”
She cuddled the bundles of fur close and forced herself to meet Dev’s gaze as he rose. His expression asked if she was okay, and she nodded. He and her brother scooped up the rest of the pups to return them to their mother, and it was as if her little breakdown never even happened.
Except, Grayson gave her a hug goodbye—a first that nearly brought her to tears again. And as Dev drove home, reality hit on a few fronts. She didn’t need his protection anymore. Which meant she didn’t need to stay with him anymore. In his house. In his bed.
And speaking of bed…he didn’t need to worry about the rest of the world anymore. He could focus on her and only her—if he wanted.
She chose to focus on the reality that didn’t have her stomach tangled up in knots.
“I can finally drive my own car again,” she mused. “You won’t have to chauffer me everywhere anymore.”
He shot her a glance, then shrugged. “It hasn’t been so bad.”