The Pet Stylist and the Playboy Read online

  Contents

  Warning

  Copyright

  Title

  CHAPTER ONE Swish

  CHAPTER TWO Dante

  CHAPTER THREE Swish

  CHAPTER FOUR Dante

  CHAPTER FIVE Swish

  CHAPTER SIX Dante

  CHAPTER SEVEN Swish

  CHAPTER EIGHT Dante

  CHAPTER NINE Swish

  CHAPTER TEN Dante

  CHAPTER ELEVEN Swish

  CHAPTER TWELVE Dante

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN Swish

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN Dante

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN Swish

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN Dante

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Swish

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Dante

  CHAPTER NINETEEN Swish

  CHAPTER TWENTY Dante

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Swish

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Dante

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Swish

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Dante

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Swish

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Dante

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Swish

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Dante

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Swish

  CHAPTER THIRTY Dante

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Swish

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO Dante

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Swish

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR Dante

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE Swish

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX Dante

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN Swish

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT Dante

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE Swish

  CHAPTER FORTY Swish

  About the Author

  Thanks

  My books

  Warning: for those readers who are easily triggered, this book contains the following: mention of suicidal thoughts, mention of prior child abuse, consensual cheating (not between MC's), and secondary character death.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  The Pet Stylist and the Playboy

  Copyright © 2018 by Rebecca James

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  ISBN:

  Cover Artist: Reese Dante

  Edited by Jenni Lea, Proof Your Love

  Beta by Jill Wexler, LesCourt Author Services

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

  The Pet Stylist

  and

  the Playboy

  By Rebecca James

  CHAPTER ONE

  Swish

  The familiar sound of a motorcycle revving up drowned out the whir of the electric clippers I ran in smooth sweeps over my tiny client. The early spring day had a definite nip in the air, especially in the shade of the screened-in porch, and goosebumps covered my arms as I worked. I’d removed my jacket when I’d started with the clippers, but I was sorely tempted to put it back on, copious amounts of white dog hair be damned.

  Satisfied with my work, I turned off the clippers and set them down.

  “Ready for a bath?” I said to the miniature poodle. Unlike most of the animals Gus brought me from his shelter, this one loved being bathed. I had no trouble getting her into the tin tub and sudsed up.

  I glanced up at the sound of heavy boots on concrete. Ax opened the screened door and stepped onto the porch from the patio, large, muscular frame looming in a way that had once sent chills down my back. I was accustomed to the big biker now, though, and knew that inside that barrel of a chest lay a heart of gold.

  “Hey,” I greeted him.

  Ax nodded hello, eyes already on the dog in the tub. He loved animals and took any opportunity he could to check out what I was doing, although usually under the guise of something else. Even among club brothers, he had a reputation to keep.

  Not that I was one of them. Not a day went by that I didn’t wake up with the thought that two years was too long to be a charity case.

  Noticing me watching him, Ax scowled.

  “Save it,” I said. “Anybody who loves animals like you do doesn’t scare me. Don’t worry, though. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  The corner of Ax’s mouth tilted up, and he slapped me good-naturedly on the back, sending me stumbling forward. He grabbed me by the collar just in time to save me from landing head-first in the tin tub with a yapping Roxy. My long hair came tumbling out of the bun I’d wound it in that morning, spilling over my shoulders.

  “Watch it, kid. You’ll drown yourself,” Ax said in his booming voice.

  I didn’t bother pointing out it would have been his fault if I had. For someone who used his stature for intimidation, Ax sometimes didn’t seem to know his own strength.

  “Could you fix my hair?” I asked irritably, hands still wet and covered in suds.

  With a surprisingly gentle touch, Ax gathered the thick strands into a ponytail and worked them back into a bun.

  “Thanks,” I muttered.

  “Who do we have here?” Ax leaned over the tub. The dog stood on her back paws and wiggled her tail furiously at him.

  “This is Roxy. Gus Taylor’s coming by to get her in an hour, and I’ve got to make her pretty. She’s getting adopted today.”

  “Is that right, little girl?” Ax crouched and extended a meaty finger to stroke the small dog’s nose. “You getting your forever family?”

  A snort from behind us brought Ax to his feet. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was; the subtle scent of Dante’s aftershave announced his presence, but I would have known anyway. I was attuned to the man as I’d never been attuned to anyone in my life. His scent, his sounds, his...everything.

  A burst of wind that held the remnants of the cold winter rattled the screens and skated up my bare, wet arms as I rinsed the dog.

  “What’re you laughing at, pretty boy?” Ax said.

  “Just the huge bald man talking baby talk to the tiny dog.” Dante walked around the wooden table.

  “Why don’t you have on your jacket?” he asked me, the smooth timbre of his voice echoing the wind’s ascent up my spine and making me shiver in a different way.

  “Because I don’t want it to turn into a fur coat.” I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Pass me a towel.”

  Dante picked up one of the white towels from the stack on the table and handed it to me. He wore jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt and, as always, looked like a fucking runway model.

  “One of these days you’re gonna be carrying around a chihuahua in a purse,” Dante said to Ax, who had resumed petting Roxy’s wet head.

  “Fuck you.” Ax took the towel from me and opened it. I handed the wet, shivering dog to him, and he bundled her into his arms.

  Momentarily distracted by the way Dante’s shirt rode up as he sprawled out on one of the lounge chairs, I took a second to admire the sight. His impressive six pack was interrupted by the perfect divot of his navel, a sprinkling of dark hair leading down from it to what I knew from all the times I’d been present while Dante undressed for bed to be an impressive package.

  “Where you been all night?” Ax asked Dante, gently rubbing the water from Roxy’s fur.

  “I’ve been here. Just got in late.”

  He’d gotten home just after three A.M. I’d heard his boots hit the carpet and the rustle as he’d removed his clothes. I’d been thankful he’d been alone. He wouldn’t have kicked me out of the room, but listening to Dante fuck someone in the next bed wasn’t high on
my list of things I wanted to do.

  He crossed his sock-covered feet at the ankles and regarded me with heavy-lidded eyes. He was sex personified.

  He ought to be; he saw enough action, my mind supplied uncharitably. These days I found it easier to stay annoyed with Dante than to suffer with my unrequited feelings.

  “This one of the old man’s dogs?” Dante asked.

  “Yeah. Gus will be here for her soon.” I took Roxy from Ax’s arms and plugged the blow dryer into the extension cord Blaze had run under the door for me.

  Several minutes of white noise followed as I fluffed Roxy’s hair. Ax stood at the screen looking toward the building across the back yard that housed Hard Times Productions, Blaze’s porn business, and by the way the hairs stood up on the back of my neck, I guessed Dante’s eyes were on me.

  Satisfied with my work, I turned off the dryer and brushed Roxy’s coat, pleased with my work. I wasn’t a professional pet stylist, but I was learning. Gus’s steady business of shelter animals helped me practice. He’d been so nice to me, regularly bringing me clients from the day I’d met him at a dog park. His generosity was one of the reasons why I wanted to take him up on his offer for me to move into the shelter. He was pretty old and didn’t have any help. Plus, I’d been at the clubhouse too long already.

  “Dude must be rich to take care of all those animals,” Dante said. Dante was from a wealthy family, but for some reason he chose to live at the clubhouse and ride a motorcycle.

  “He sinks a lot of money into caring for them,” I agreed. “He never turns any animal away. He lives on a patch of property in Henry and does it all himself. I think the veterinarian gives him a discount, and I don’t charge him much. He’s a great guy. Even if animals never get adopted, they always have a home with him.”

  “Sounds right up your alley, kid,” Dante said.

  I bit my lip, trying to build up my courage. This was the opening I’d been waiting for. As Ax set Roxy on the floor and began playing tug-of-war with her with a rope toy, I approached Dante.

  “Yeah, it is. In fact, I’m going to be helping him out.”

  Deep blue eyes fringed by dark lashes met mine, and as always when so close to the man, my heart turned over.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Like I said, he’s been doing everything himself. The shelter’s in an old house, and he needs somebody around full-time. I’m going to live in the rooms upstairs and help him take care of the animals.”

  Dante sat up.

  Behind me, Ax and Roxy had gone quiet. After a few tense seconds, Ax cleared his throat and said, “I think I’ll take the little girl out for a tinkle.”

  I tossed a blue nylon leash to Ax. “Don’t let her get dirty. If you do, you’ll be giving her another bath.”

  Ax grunted and attached Roxy’s collar and leash.

  “You’re moving out?” Dante asked when the other biker had left the porch.

  I nodded, busying myself with cleaning up.

  “When?”

  “A few days.” My heart hurt. Leaving Dante was going to be hard, but I needed to put distance between us. I’d discussed it with Morgan, who’d become a good friend of mine since hooking up with Zeke. Morgan and I had agreed I was only prolonging the inevitable by continuing to live at the clubhouse. Gus Taylor was offering me the perfect opportunity, and I wasn’t going to let my feelings for Dante keep me from taking it.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it before?” Dante asked, sounding slightly hurt. He liked to look out for me, and I guessed he thought I should have consulted him before agreeing.

  Since I’d finished straightening up my work area, I lit a cigarette to give my hands something to do. I wanted to quit smoking, but that was difficult to do when I was stressed all to hell.

  “It happened kind of fast.” I turned and studied him. Without meaning to, I added, “Are you...mad?”

  Dante swung his feet off the lounger and stood. He towered over me by a few inches. Always clean and fresh-smelling, his light brown hair cascaded over his broad shoulders. I wanted to touch it, but didn’t dare, in no way wanting to give Dante an idea of my feelings, although I was pretty sure he’d guessed a long time ago.

  Dante strode over to where I was standing. The man was one of those people you’d call a charmer, but he could be intimidating when he wanted to be. I’d never been afraid of him, though. He’d saved me. Besides, this wasn’t one of those times. The look on Dante’s face was soft and concerned.

  “Of course, I’m not mad at you. Although it would have been nice if you’d have talked to me about it. I’m the one who brought you here, after all.”

  I stepped out of Dante’s space so I could breathe properly. “Yeah, and I’ve told you plenty of times how much I appreciated it. But it’s high time I left, don’t you think?” I wanted so much for him to ask me to stay; it was pretty pathetic.

  Dante moved closer, causing my heart to speed up and my breath to falter. Other than the occasional hug or brotherly tackle, our bodies were rarely this close. Despite a very healthy sexual appetite, Dante had never shown that kind of interest in me.

  Laser-blue eyes locked with mine, and the sharp angles of Dante’s jaw tightened. “Somebody say you were in the way?”

  “Of course not. Everyone’s been great to me. But I’ve been here two years. I don’t fit in; I’m not part of the club.”

  “Do you want to be?”

  I couldn’t help laughing. “No way. Riding bitch with Ax to that rally was the closest I ever want to be to belonging to a motorcycle club.”

  Dante’s countenance softened. “Who’s gonna cook for us?” he asked teasingly.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” I said, doing my best not to step away from him again, because Dante would definitely notice.

  Thankfully, the screen door swung open, and Ax stepped onto the porch with Roxy.

  “She did her business.”

  Dante raised a brow. “Don’t you mean she tinkled?”

  “She took a crap, if you must know.”

  Dante chuckled and looked back at me. “We need to talk more about this, Swish.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, turning away from him. I hoped he didn’t see my hand shaking when I brought the cigarette to my mouth.

  “Later.” Dante said firmly.

  I was relieved when he followed Ax inside. Being within Dante Durham’s orbit was exhausting.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dante

  “Leave the kid alone,” Ax said, passing through the dining room into the kitchen.

  “What’re you talking about?”

  Ax ran a hand over his bare, tattooed scalp and got a beer from the fridge. “Want one?”

  I held out my hand, and he passed me a bottle before taking a seat at the table.

  “Swish needs to get out on his own.” Ax knocked off the beer cap on the scarred edge of the table. “And you turning on the charm isn’t helping him make the move.”

  “He doesn’t know what he wants.”

  “Sure, he does. To take care of animals. But more than that, he wants to stand on his own two feet like a man.”

  “He likes it here,” I muttered, peeling at the label on my beer bottle.

  Ax sat back in the wooden chair. I could feel his tawny-colored eyes assessing me. “It’s for the best, man.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says you, if you’d pull your head out of your ass and think about it. You know Swish has always liked you a little too much.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it as I had all afternoon.

  “It’s just a crush,” I said sullenly, unsure why it hurt so much that Swish was leaving. Maybe I had gotten too attached to the kid.

  “It needs to stay a crush,” Ax said, “and you know why.”

  Due to a drunken night when I was feeling particularly sorry for myself, Ax was the only one of the guys who knew why I’d never let Swish or anyone else get too close to
me. My life was mapped out, and Swish, the Hedonists, and everything else I loved weren’t going to be a part of it.

  Ax was right: Swish did like me too much. There were times I’d feel those dark eyes on me and turn to see a look of longing on the kid’s face that threatened to fell me. I couldn’t have Swish feeling that way about me, so, I kept him at arms-length. Only, for some reason, that was getting harder to do by the day.

  “He ain’t gonna get over you if he stays here,” Ax said. “And when you go, what’s gonna happen to him?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You guys planning on kicking him out when I’m gone?”

  Ax let out a beleaguered sigh. I knew I was being a difficult ass, but I couldn’t help myself.

  “Man, you know how much we like the squirt. But Swish ain’t gonna stay here if you’re gone. This is his chance, and you’ve got no right to keep him from it.”

  Fuck, the behemoth was right.

  I pushed away from the table, leaving the beer bottle still unopened but with a shredded label. I shared a fist-bump with Ax to let him know I’d heard him and headed for the bathroom. I had plans that night, and hopefully they’d wash all thoughts of Swish’s leaving out of my system.

  ***

  Club Craze was rocking. Bodies pressed together, moving to the music, guys huddled in booths drinking and kissing. It was a gay club, which, being bi, I didn’t always frequent, but tonight I was with Sonny, my co-worker at the car wash, and he was strictly into men. I didn’t mind. A hard fuck was just what I needed.

  I followed Sonny through the maze of people toward the bar. He ordered an Old Fashioned, and I ordered a beer. Moving to the less-crowded corner of the bar, I took a sip of the ice-cold brew and looked around.

  The music was loud and just the kind of stuff I liked to dance to. The sooner I found a warm body to press up against, the better.

  My gaze passed over guy after guy while Sonny went on about how hot somebody across the room was. My eye caught on a lean brunet dancing with his hands in the air and hips swaying in a way that got me hard. His longish hair was pulled back and an earring dangled from one ear.