Collared (Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson Read Free Book Online Page A

it.”
    “What makes you worried about me?”
    “I saw the way you were looking at us. Then, I saw the way you were looking at Nate. I thought I should talk some sense into you before you did something completely stupid.”
    Harper sighed. “Too late.”
    “Oh, God, Harper .”
    “You slept with Jared’s brother?” Poe said just coming out of the shadows, her mouth agape.
    “Oh, craptastic.” Harper said. “This is your wedding night. What are you doing down here?” These women were like sisters to her, but she had planned to keep her tryst with Nate a secret. But that was impossible when it came to the four of them.
    “I called Brooke, who told me she was heading down to the pool. I called Callie, too.”
    “Those motherly instincts kicking in?”
    “I guess something like that.”
    “I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Callie said coming out of the shadows. Wrapping her arm around Poe’s neck, she cocked her hip. Are you out of your mind?”
    “Oh, my God, all of you are making me sick. You each have a gorgeous man warming your bed and you’re down here with me.”
    Brooke shrugged, “I’ve already had my way with Drew, and he won’t miss me for a while. Besides, he’s sleeping. And why on earth would you think you’re less important simply because we’re all hooked up?”
    “I should be.”
    “You slept with Jared’s brother ?” Poe said again.
    “Yes, I slept with Nate, but it was just sex and it was…good. Really good. He was just a wedding hook-up. There’s no need to get all up in arms.”
    Callie and Poe sat down at the lip of the pool, too. “Well, if I was a meddler like you, I would pursue that, but I don’t think Nate is the right man for you.”
    “Your brother is very good-looking, Poe. What about him?” Brooke said.
    “Wilder? No, Harper would break him in half, and he’s just a bit too unconventional for her. She needs someone who’s solid and knows how to deal with her bullshit.”
    “Hey, I’m treading water right here in front of you all. And what bullshit?”
    “Hmmm, there’s a really sexy vet at St. Mark’s. I could introduce her to him.”
    “Doctors work too hard. I want my man to be home with me and not on call. And, what bullshit?!?” Harper asked again.
    “Oh, you know. You’re used to an upper-crust lifestyle, and you need a sophisticated man.”
    “Are you saying my money forces me towards a certain kind of man? You don’t think I could effectively sustain a relationship with a hard-working guy?”
    “Well, if there are men in your circle who are already looking at you with dollar signs in their eyes, what do you think will happen with a man who’s normal?”
    “I’m normal.”
    Poe shook her head. “No, Harper, you’re definitely not normal.”
    “I can be just as normal as anyone else.”
    All three of them had laughed, and that only set Harper’s teeth on edge. Well, she’d prove to them she could be just as normal as they were. Mark her words.
    Snapping back to the present, she paused just behind her seat, frowning at each of them in turn for good measure. “What?!?” she demanded, trying to sound innocent . Thinking about how her tête-à-tête with Nate couldn’t compare with her connection to Caleb Shaw. There simply was no contest.
    “Drew, could you get me another drink?” Brooke said, downing hers.
    Callie held out her glass to Owen.
    “They want to talk to Harper,” he observed with a chuckle.
    “Right,” Drew said. “Girl talk.”
    “We’re in the way, man.”
    “Looks that way.” Drew smiled and said to Brooke, “You signal us when we’re allowed back at the table.”
    Brooke waved him off with a smile.
    “So what happened?” Callie asked.
    “He turned me down.” That made her take a step back from herself. It was true that she went through most of her life with the expectation that she would get exactly what she wanted. When she wanted it. It was a given. Mostly because she had enough determination and