Everlong by Hailey Edwards

Author:Hailey Edwards [Edwards, Hailey]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2010-03-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The next morning, warmth from a body curled intimately into my side radiated a delicious sense of peace, enveloping me deeper into sleep. Rolling over, I snuggled closer to the source and buried my face in sweetly scented fur. A few chaste licks swiped across my parted lips, snapping me into consciousness. Blinking against the bright morning sun, I locked onto a pair of dark, chocolate eyes staring languidly back at me across my pillow.

“Good morning.” The dog’s thin lips curled into an unnatural smile, white fangs gleaming.

The scream that ripped from my throat came loud and long as I rolled over, falling off the bed and landing in a sprawl across the hardwood floor. A tiny wagging bundle of fluff bounced joyfully across the bed to stand, staring down at me, from the mattress’s edge. It cocked its head enquiringly to one side as soft puppy breath blew warm air into my face.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle the screams that sounded pathetic even to my ears. I’d known Emma wanted me to have some kind of companion, but what was that thing? Dogs didn’t look like that. It was too hairy, like a mop come to life, and its eyes were too bright. It looked entirely too happy to see me.

The bedroom door burst open as Emma fell through to land on the floor beside me in a tangle of pajamas. We both stared at the doorknob lodged firmly in the drywall. She squinted against the sun, lifting a hand to ward off the overly bright rays.

“What happened?” Her words mashed together. “Are you all right?” She grunted and got back on her feet. “What’s going on in here?”

I raised a shaky hand to point at the shaggy occupant of the bed. “That caught me off guard.”

Emma’s expression shifted from dazed to pure delight as she knelt to pat the monster responsible for rousing me from sleep. “Aww, you have a puppy. Where did she come from?”

“I—I thought you bought her for me, as a gift or something.”

She cut her eyes to me. “I’m not that mean. I know you didn’t want a pet.” She continued to ruffle the dog’s glossy fur. “Even though this one is a cutie.”

The tiny beast bounced up and down in adulation as she washed Emma’s cheek with her long pink tongue. Tossing a glance over her doggy shoulder, the animal shot me a conspiratorial wink.

A cold dread flooded me. I felt ill. It couldn’t be. Could it? “That dog just winked at me.”

“Don’t be silly,” she chided. “Dogs can’t wink.” She scratched behind the animal’s ears as it emitted a throaty rumble. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think your dog just purred at me.” She laughed.

Now my sister was making fun of me. “That is not my dog,” I complained as I got to my feet and stood at the foot of the bed.

She ignored me, speaking to the pooch instead. “How did you get in here?” The puppy snuffled her hand.

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