**Updated 4/2/21 - the MidWeek blog hop has been discontinued.**
Am I in the doghouse? Yes! My last MidWeek Tease was about a cat. Deuce did not like this! So this week I'm giving the dog equal time with a tease from Where There's Smoke. And the lovely black cover model? Yes, that's Greenbrier Smokey Deuce. I'm paying his royalty fees with very expensive Griller treats.
So welcome to the MidWeek Tease blog hop! I'm so glad you stopped by and I remind you to check out all the participant blogs by using the linky list at the end of this post. Enjoy!
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“No. My dog attacked you, Leon. I wanted to do a good thing by giving him a home. Now I don’t know if I can keep him, even if they don’t put him down.”
I wished I could reassure him, but the dog’s future wasn’t totally in my hands.
The folks at urgent care were great. They cleaned the wound again and gave me a tetanus booster. When the intern said I needed stitches, I held my hand out to Jere. “Hold my hand. I hate needles.”
“So do I. How about I run for the hills?” He pressed his cold palm to mine. I wrapped my warmer fingers around his.
“This is when the questions come, you know.”
He looked stricken but didn’t say a word. There wasn’t time. A petite Asian woman carrying a tray entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. May. She examined my wound and then picked up a mother-fucking huge needle.
“Procaine,” she explained. She looked at our joined hands. “Are you guys a couple.”
“No.”
“Working on it.”
She grinned at me. “He says ‘no’ and you say ‘working on it’. Looks like you may be winning.”
I clamped my jaw tight as the tip of the needle penetrated my skin. It burned for a second, then flushed hot, and finally cold and numb. “I’m a patient man.”
“That’s good because he’s cute.”
I glanced at Jere. He was blushing. I winked at the doctor. “I think so, too.”
She withdrew the needle and rubbed the spot. “Let’s talk while that works. Would you like to tell me what happened? Whose dog is it?”
I met her gaze. “He belongs to Jere. How well versed are you in same-sex relations?”
“Ah.” She looked at Jere. “So the dog didn’t understand what was going on between the two of you and went into protection mode?”
Jere gazed into his lap. “Yes, ma’am. That pretty much sums it up.” He looked at me, his gorgeous hazel eyes bright and full of an inner imp I hoped to meet again. “Leon gets loud if you know what I mean.”
Heat crept up my neck and into my cheeks. The little shit had bested me at my own game.
Dr. May laughed as she picked up the first threaded needle. “Some folks do. Okay, if that’s your story, that’s what I’ll put in my report. It still has to go to animal control, though.”
I didn’t actually feel anything as she set the first stitch, but I still winced. I turned my head to look at Jere. “I can’t watch, but you can if you want.”
“No thanks.” He jumped and released my hand to pull his cell phone out of his pocket. “It’s Dr. Widmyer.” He answered, and the doctor and I listened as they finalized the arrangements for Gale to stop by his house and get Mo.
A few moments later, I had six neat stitches, a five-day zee-pack of an unpronounceable antibiotic, a bandage over the tetanus injection site, and a sheet of instructions I knew I’d not follow since I needed to get back to looking all macho in front of Jere.
I asked him to drive my vehicle back to his place. He agreed and when he came around to open the door for me, I backed him against the Blazer.
He licked his lips. “Please say this means you’re going to kiss me.”
“Why waste time talking?”
I touched my lips to his in the barest whisper of a kiss. He grasped my waist and pulled me closer. I kept the kiss brief, seeking to give him assurance I wasn’t angry with him or Mo, not arouse him, or myself. He rested his forehead on my shoulder.
“Oh, God, Leon. I was so stupid. A card game. A fucking card game and I used it as an excuse.”
I cradled the back of his head in my hand. “I know you’ve been hurt worse than I can begin to imagine, but I’m not that guy. I’m not any of those guys.”
He raised his head and looked at me, searching “What do you want with me?”
How did I answer that without sounding like an idiot? “At first I thought I’d try to be a friend. Then I wondered about more because I really like you. And then, well, you’re pretty hot, you know. You make me horny.”
“Oh, great. All you want is sex.”
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE
Leon McNamee successfully worked his life plan to a good job, his own home, and the one thing he always wanted as a boy - a dog. He hasn’t had much luck in the relationship department, but in Smoke, he has all the company he usually needs.
Jeremy Cooke’s new plan is to stay clear of entanglements and not get hurt again. He moves to Marionville to start over and decides to rescue a damaged dog. After all, he’s well acquainted with abuse.
Leon and Jere get acquainted over their shared love of dogs, but Jeremy holds close his secrets. When an argument escalates, disaster strikes. Leon has to fight to save Jere’s dog - and the man’s trust. At the end of the day, his best ally is a black Labrador Retriever named Smoke.
AVAILABLE NOW AT:
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www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/where-there-s-smoke-49
KC Kendricks
