Narrowing my eyes at him, I waited to see if he had anything else to offer.
“What I was going to finish my spiel with,” he paused, giving me a pointed look, “is that you’re also compassionate and have the capacity to care deeply for those who make it past your barrier. Dogs are easier to trust because they give you their love unconditionally and won’t ever betray you. You’ve trusted the wrong people in the past, and it’s screwed you over.”
“What are you, like, a psych major or something? Been taking lessons from Loren on how to deconstruct a person?”
“No,” he replied, grinning before shaking his head. “I’m just observant, a habit of this life. I’m actually going to school to be an art teacher.”
That had me raising my eyebrows. “You can do that? Be a teacher while in the… family?”
“I used to think I could. I don’t know anymore.”
“That sucks. I guess someone does have it worse than me. I can still try to be something I want.”
He nodded, a sad smile on his face. “Fair. Though I didn’t tell you any of this to weaken you or gain an advantage.” Nicco walked a little closer, leaving barely an inch between us. “I told you because I think we have a lot of similarities. We just chose to showcase them in different ways, but I’m not new to stubbornness or doing something for the wrong reasons. I know you teamed up with us to keep Loren safe and get yourself out from under your debt. I don’t begrudge you for that. It was smart. I just don’t think you have to work so hard to hate us. Despite being the criminal underground, I like to think of us as the good guys. We could be a family for you, or at least, I could be a friend. This doesn’t have to be only about winning a fight. We also both care about the same girl. You can deny that too, but I can tell. This doesn’t have to be only a transactional thing here. That’s all I wanted to say.”
He whispered the last part, his eyes searing into me, and I found myself wanting to believe him, my usual ire not bubbling up to the surface. Slowly, I agreed. “Okay, I’ll give you a chance to prove you’re not a heartless bastard. But I don’t forgive easily, so if you mess it up, that’s on you.”
“There’s that rough exterior already, assuming I’m going to screw you over. Trust, Wells.” He slapped me on my shoulder, spinning on his feet as he left, and I was left wondering what the hell had just occurred and why I felt so weird about it. I didn’t miss how he’d used my name that time either.
* * *
Throwing the foam football,I watched as Barkley and Fort chased after it, both wanting to catch it. Barkley managed to snatch it out of the air first, her sheer size and breed being an advantage over Fort. She ran to bring it back, her doggy smiles excited at winning the ball. I watched as Fort sulked back, not happy to lose, and a sudden realization smacked me in the chest. Fort was me in dog form. I watched in amazement as Barkley stopped when her new friend wasn’t with her. She turned, saw Fort laying on the ground with his head on his paws, and walked over to him, offering him the football.
It was a simple thing, watching these dogs bond and care for one another, but it struck me to my core. When Barkley nudged him, he lifted his head but still didn’t budge. When she yipped, nosing the toy, Fort moved forward a little more. Finally, Barkley yipped at him again, bouncing on her paws in a playful pose. When he got up, playing this time, she chased around him, encouraging him to keep running. That damn dog had been more successful at getting him to do what he needed than I had. It only solidified my impression that Monroe was like Barkley, and even Loren on occasion.
Thinking about the two dogs that way, I knew they needed to be paired. I’d already wanted to give Fort to Loren, and this only confirmed the decision for me. Whistling, I motioned for them to come inside. They’d long discarded the football, choosing to roll around in the grass instead as they chased one another. A car drove up the drive when I rounded the house, and I stiffened. It was unfamiliar, and I hadn’t been expecting anyone. I ducked back to see who it was, and I motioned for the dogs to sit. I relaxed when Loren got out. Stepping out from my hiding spot, I met her as she made her way to the door. The dogs were hot on my heels once they’d seen who it was as well.
“Hey, guys. Have you both been good?” she asked, bending down to pet them as they licked and jumped on her for affection.
“Kitten, did we have an appointment I’m not remembering?” I smirked, attempting to dampen the sarcastic tone. Defensiveness, as Nicco had stated, was my go-to response, and I was trying to change it, but it was a slow process. Thankfully, she smiled at me when she looked up from the fluffy mongrels.
“Nope. But I wanted to see you.”
“Me? Or the dogs?” Her reason had taken me by surprise, so when she stood and walked over, I stiffened.
“You, Mr. Surly.”
“Okay, do I owe you money or something?”
Loren rolled her eyes, swatting me. “No. I could want to spend time with you, just to spend time with you, Wells.”
I raised my eyebrows at her answer. “We both know I’m not the ‘spend time with’ type of guy.”
“Maybe not now, but I think you could be.”
“Listen, Kitten,” I sighed. “I had a long morning training. There’s a fight coming up, and I need to mentally prepare for it. I don’t have the energy to play mind games today.”
“Ah, so Nicco whipped you into shape this morning, and that’s why you’re so grouchy,” she mused.
Hanging my head, I counted to ten. I didn’t want to admit it had nothing to do with training and everything to do with all the confusing as fuck feelings I was having. When I felt her hand on my cheek, I jumped, not having expected her to be there.
“Hey, seriously, are you okay? Do you want to talk or something?”
Looking into her eyes, I saw sincere kindness, and all I wanted to do was take her up against the wall and fuck her. I couldn’t do the feeling shit, wanting to immediately replace it with the physical. The reality that I would screw this up eventually hit me, and I stepped back. Hurt flickered across her face, and it gutted me even more.
“I’m not good for you, Kitten. I thought I could be the man you needed, but I was wrong.” I stepped back more, the pain on her face now a knife to my gut. “You have enough men already clambering to be with you as it is. You don’t need me.”
She stared blankly, wiping a tear from her face. Loren turned to go but stopped, spinning around quickly, her hair whipped out around her. The change had been so abrupt, it froze me to my spot. She yanked on my shirt, forcibly pulling my face to hers. The hurt had morphed into anger, and I worried for a second she’d knee me in the balls again. I deserved it, though, so I did nothing to block her.