Flopping onto the sofa, I watched as Em dropped the bags onto the floor and sank to her knees as one very fluffy . . . and cute . . . puppy ran into her arms.
Jeez. I hate Sierra so much right now.
“I’m sorry our dinner was ruined,” I said as I ran my hands up and down my face.
Em looked at me with the most adorable face. “It’s okay, big brother. I forgive you. Mom and Dad got a kick out of you getting a puppy for your birthday by . . . who was it again who gave you the puppy?”
Standing up, I let out a frustrated sigh. “No one. She’s nothing but a pain in my ass.”
Em stared at me with a goofy smile. “In other words, you like this girl.”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at my sister. How do women do that? How do they pick up on this kind of shit?
Turning, I headed into the kitchen. “It’s complicated, Em. Let’s just drop it.”
Laughing, Em jumped up and followed me into the kitchen. “Oh my gosh. Aaron Matthew Walker. You have fallen for someone. Admit it!”
Rolling my eyes, I picked up my home phone and began dialing the number to Home Slice. It was my sister’s favorite pizza place.
“You’re insane, Emily. Sierra is just a friend. She is a smart-mouthed pain in the ass. That’s all.” Of course there was her smile that made my heart skip a beat. The fact that I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. Let’s not forget her body that had been in my dreams practically from the moment I laid eyes on her.
Letting out a sigh, I pushed my crazy thoughts of Sierra out of my mind. I needed to stay focused.
Resting her hands on her chin, Em watched me intently while I placed the order for our pizza. Hanging up, I stared at her. “Why are you staring at me?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Em sat up and smiled. “I’m just taking this all in. I’ve never seen my big brother in love before.”
Busting out laughing, I shook my head. “In love? Ha! Em, you know nothing.”
Raising her eyebrow, Em tilted her head. “Really? If you can look me in the eye and tell me you have zero feelings for this, Sierra, I’ll believe you.”
My heart began pounding in my chest. Did I love Sierra? How could I love her? We’ve pushed and pulled each other pretty much since the day we met.
“I’m waiting, Aaron.”
Brushing her off with my hands, I looked down at the puppy. “Sierra clearly hates me, Em. Who buys a single guy a puppy?”
Giggling, Em reached down and picked up the ball of fur. Jesus, I’m going to have dog hair everywhere.
Grabbing my cell phone, Em took a selfie with her and the nameless mutt.
“What’s her name?”
Leaning back against the counter, I smiled. “Sierra.”
Gasping, Em held the puppy closer to her. “Aaron! You can’t name the dog after the girl who gave it to you.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I asked, “Why not?”
“You just can’t!”
Pushing off the counter, I grabbed my cell phone and smiled as I looked at the picture. Damn, it sure was a cute dog.
“The dog is a bitch, Sierra is a bitch. It’s perfect!”
Shaking her head, Em moved toward the door. “Let’s put her collar on and take her with us to dinner.”
“What? Take her to dinner? They aren’t going to let her in Home Slice.”
Em stopped adjusting the collar and stared at me. “How did you make it through law school, dude? We can eat outside. Maybe take her for a little walk while we are at it!”
Moaning, I grabbed the leash and pulled the price tag off.
This was going to be a long night.
I hated Sierra so hard.
“You need a crate,” Em said as we walked . . . or attempted to walk . . . along the Town Lake trail.
“What for?” I asked.
“Puppy needs somewhere to sleep. She’ll be safe in a crate.”
Smiling, I thought more and more about this crate idea. “Sierra locked up in a cage. Where she can’t bug anyone. I love it!”
Clearing her throat, Em asked, “Are you talking about the dog or the girl you love?”
Snapping my head over to Em, I shot her daggers. “I don’t love her. Stop saying that!”
“You do.”
“I don’t, Em.”
“Do.”
“Don’t.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
Nodding my head, I looked straight ahead. “I say so.”
Smiling, I watched a blonde-haired girl making her way up the trail. She stopped almost on a dime when she saw the puppy. Leaning down, I got a perfect shot of her tits. Huh. Maybe this whole puppy thing was a good thing after all.
