Page 24 of Seductive Swimmer
12
Alex
Walking a large dog who loves nothing more than to lean against you at every cross walk and shed white fur all over black Armani dress pants is not what I had planned on doing today. But when my new friend, Buster, puts a fresh layer of fur all over my legs on our walk back to the shelter, I find myself smiling down at him instead of feeling frustrated. It’s true what they say, animals make excellent companions.
“Who’s a good boy, then?” I rub his long, narrow head as he pushes into me. No creature shows affection quite as readily as a dog. And when he turns those soulful eyes up at me, it’s easy to see how Savannah has fallen in love with one of these animals. Although I do hope her Molly is less distractable than Buster. This fellow has spent our entire walk trying to pull me in every direction to smell everything and greet everyone. Not to mention, the attention I keep receiving from women is irritating, to say the least. The old Alex may have enjoyed random women coming up and cooing over the dog before trying to subtly get my number, but now that I’ve had a taste of Savannah, I’m not interested in anyone else at all.
When I arrive back at the shelter, the girl at the front — Carlene, I believe her name is, gives me a wide smile.
“Did you and Buster have a nice walk?” she chirps. I nod, but I’m distracted. My focus is on finding Savannah. Once Buster is safely back in his kennel, I head in the direction of the door markedofficethat I walked past earlier. With a soft knock so I don’t surprise her, I push open the door.
“One sec, Carlene. I’m almost done,” comes her voice, muffled by the pencil she’s holding between her teeth.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not Carlene.”
The pencil falls as her mouth drops open. “Alex! You’re still here.”
I frown at that. “Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Does she really think I would just leave? Certainly not.
“No, sorry, I…” her voice trails off, and she gives a quick shake of her head before shuffling some papers on the desk in front of her. “I just need a couple of minutes to finish some things, then we can go.”
“Take all the time you need.” I gesture to the couch tucked in the corner. “Mind if I sit here and deal with some emails on my phone while you work?”
I’m rewarded when her head tilts to the side and she smiles. “That would be fine.”
We fall into a comfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional click of the keyboard from Savannah. I can’t stop myself from glancing up at her every few minutes, enjoying the look of concentration on her face. She’s committed to her work, even though a nonprofit like this likely can’t afford to pay her well. I admire that tenacity, and it adds another layer to her appeal. Savannah Reese is a woman with passion and loyalty to her friends and family with an exemplary work ethic. She’s beautiful, she’s clearly kind, well-liked and respected, and she’s smart as hell. She ticks every single box a man could possibly have in a search for a partner. There’s no good reason why I shouldn’t pursue something more serious with her. Except for the fact that I have neverdoneserious.
A short while later, she pushes back from the chair with a sigh.
“Done.”
I stand up and stretch, noticing her appreciative gaze travel down my body. She may be hesitant to admit her attraction to me out loud, but I can see it in the way her eyes follow me.
“Shall we see if your girl Molly is back yet? I would like to meet the dog who has you so besotted.”
Savannah flashes me a blinding smile, so unlike any other expression I’ve seen. This one shines with love and excitement, and even though I know the emotion is directed toward the dog and not at me, it still hits me just the same.
She leads me back to the area that houses the dogs and walks to a kennel where she drops to her knees.
“Hey, sweet girl, did you have a nice walk?”
I crouch down beside her and our shoulders touch. I expect her to pull away, but she doesn’t. Instead, she glances over at me, then back to the brindle-colored dog in front of us.
“I normally sneak inside her kennel to snuggle her, but I’m not supposed to,” she murmurs to me as she sticks her fingers through the bars of the kennel to rub Molly’s nose.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I whisper back.
Her eyes sparkle, and after checking the area for any other volunteers, she opens the kennel so we can slip in. Molly stands up, her long tail wagging, and when Savannah sinks down to the floor, the big dog collapses on her lap, making me chuckle. I lower myself to the floor beside her, and Molly leans over top of Savannah to sniff my hand.
“Hello, old girl,” I say with a smile. She’s a beautiful dog, clearly enamoured with Savannah, but who can blame her for that? “Aside from her being quite lovely, what is special about Molly to you?” I find myself genuinely curious. I want to know everything about Savannah, especially what’s important to her. And Molly clearly is.
She tips her head to the side for a moment, staring down at her hand that’s stroking along Molly’s back.
“It’s hard to say. I’ve just always felt an affinity toward her.” Savannah bends down and presses a kiss to Molly’s head. I’m jealous.Of a dog.
“She arrived at the shelter the same week I started working here,” Savannah continues. “She looked so lost and confused, but that first time I took her for a walk and she leaned against my legs, I was a goner. She trusted me. Right away, she accepted me. She knew I would keep her safe, love her and take care of her. At least, that’s how it felt.” Savannah blushes, and her eyes dart back down to Molly. “It felt like I was important to her, and she became important to me. She didn’t ask for anything from me except for me to love her.”
I want that.What would that be like, to have someone in your life who just loves you and trusts you without asking for anything in return. That’s a foreign concept to me, and now I can see why there’s such a strong bond between Savannah and Molly.
