He searched my face and finally sighed. “You can’t be out here, freezing your boobs off. Why don’t you wrap up? You can help me, but only if you’re warm enough.”
I kissed him and hurried towards the front door. “I’ll be right back!”
21.
***Violet***
Itiltedmyheadfrom side to side, trying to understand what I was looking at. If I squinted and crossed my eyes, I could almost see it. Any other way and I was sure that Ian was full of shit. “Um. Ian, I mean this in the nicest way, but I’m not sure that’s a dog.”
Jayden, who’d finally stopped crying from laughing so hard a few minutes earlier, started up again. He sat on the arm of the couch with John beside him, sitting regally. John was also staring at Ian’s questionable dog like he wasn’t sure what it was.
Ian shook his head and patted Demon’s head. “You guys are dicks. Demon is a rescue. He’s a chihuahua mix, but he’s got some issues.”
I tilted my head the other way. Demon had no teeth, and his tongue hung out the side of his mouth at all times. His eyes were oddly close together, and he’d been born naked. Not normal-naked, like without a collar. He’d been born without fur from some genetic mutation, apparently. He looked like a hairless cat, if hairless cats had odd body shapes.
Adam held out his hand to let Demon sniff him, and Demon bit him.Gummedhim.
Ian sighed. “He’s a dick, too. He warms up after a while. He’s just a tough nut to crack.”
My heart warmed as I watched Ian stroke the dog’s head and speak about him like Demon was his little baby. It was adorable, even if Demon wasn’t. I moved closer and smiled. “He’s… cute.”
John let out a low bark, totally calling me on my bullshit. Jayden wiped his eyes and tried to compose himself. “I just… I wasn’t expecting him to be… so…”
I giggled when Jayden couldn’t finish his sentence. Looking up at Ian, I bit my lip and cleared my throat. “Demon is always welcome here.”
John huffed again, giving me so much attitude. Looking back at the giant dog, I put my hands on my hips. “You better watch your attitude, John.”
Adam gave up and joined Jayden in uncontained laughter. They were having a great time. John even looked like he was thinking of joining them.
“Am I crazy, or is that dog part human?”
Ian kissed the top of my head. “Don’t ask me questions like that, baby.”
“Hey!”
He put Demon down and followed along behind him, making sure he was okay. “After I get my dog comfortable, I’m kicking your ass for laughing at him.”
Jayden pulled me into his lap and rested his hands on my thighs. “I’ve got protection. She wouldn’t let you hurt my pretty face.”
Demon walked over to me and stood up on his back legs to paw at me. Without thinking about it, I bent over and picked him up, cradled him between my boobs, and stroked his weird little body while shaking my head at Jayden. “It depends. It might be hot to see Ian get all muscly and sweaty while kicking your ass.”
Jayden grunted. “Traitor.”
Ian was quiet, and when I looked up at him, he was staring at me in awe. Adam was too, to a lesser extent. I looked down to see if a boob had escaped my shirt, but I was all tucked in. I used my free hand to wipe my face. “What? Is there something on me?”
“He’s letting you hold him. It took me six months to be able to pick him up without him biting me. He tries to eat my sisters every time they see him. Their kids are terrified of him. He’s honestly a really mean little dog.” Ian shook his head as he stared at me. “You’ve got some kind of spell over us, don’t you? Even the fucking dog is obsessed.”
Adam nudged Ian and pointed at my chest. “There’s the spell.”
I laughed and waved them both off. “I’m sure he’s not as bad as you’re saying. And he’s actually kind of cute. Seriously.”
Jayden tempted his luck by reaching out to touch my arm, and Demon tried to eat his hand. His lack of teeth made it harmless, but we all looked at John, expecting him to respond to another dog attacking his owner. Instead, he sank to the floor and groaned as he sniffed the ground around him.
I narrowed my eyes at the bigger dog. “Stop being judgmental, John. Jeez. You’re almost as bad as my mom.”
“Speaking as someone who has met your mom, I’m calling bullshit.” Jayden held up his hands. “Rose seems nice, but the rest of them are wild.”
“Yet you’re volunteering to spend more time with them.” I smiled. “Did you ever think that might be a bad idea?”