Heir of the Dog Black Dog by Hailey Edwards Read Free Book Online Page A

both. It might not always be enough, but it worked for now. I would worry about later when it got here.

Chapter Ten
    After leaving Mable with Davis and a jar of avocado honey, I received my second bonus check in as many days to deposit at the bank. Flush with green, I felt zero guilt when I grabbed a pizza from Marco’s for dinner. The man was a saint for keeping fae hours even though his restaurant was located on the human side of town. His wife was a banshee, which explained his soft spot for things that went bump late at night and craved hot pie after midnight.
    Usually I resisted the temptation to splurge—I had learned the hard way it was either feast or famine with this job—but after my crap day I needed some three-cheese therapy.
    At my building, I rode the elevator to my second-floor apartment with the pizza balanced on one forearm and the six pack of ginger beer I almost tasted dangling from the fingers of my other hand. I sneezed as a wisp of scent tickled my nose and brought a flush to my cheeks. Too many fresh smells overlapped for me to get a clear read, but the hairs on the back of my neck lifted.
    The elevator doors parted, revealing my hallway...and the incubus waiting by my door.
    I scanned the hallway then joined him cautiously. “What are you doing here?”
    His shoulder rested against the doorframe, his hair wet and slicked back. His jeans and shirt smelled of the laundry detergent I used while we were dating. Still used, actually. Shaw wearing my scent woke some primal part of me I wish had been left to lie.
    His gaze touched on my food. “You said yes to dinner.”
    I had, hadn’t I?
    Note to self: Make better life choices.
    “I got the files you emailed.” I nudged him out of the way. “I haven’t gone over them yet.”
    A somber note entered his voice. “This isn’t about that.”
    I studied him. “If this is about us, dinner is cancelled and your check will be in the mail tomorrow along with an amendment to my statement corroborated by Davis.”
    Shaw clamped his wide palm on the back of his neck. “This is serious, Thierry.”
    “Fine.” I passed him the beer to free up a hand while I dug the keys out of my pants pocket. “Ten minutes.”
    “Share your pizza,” he offered, “and I’ll pay for it.”
    “You can talk and eat that fast?” I accepted his nod as a challenge. “Deal.”
    Bent over the greasy box, he inhaled. “Pepperoni and onion?”
    “With three cheeses.” I twisted my key. “Come on in.”
    Shaw stood on the threshold with an odd expression in place.
    “I give up.” I swept my gaze around the room. “What are we looking at?”
    “Nothing.” He stepped inside and turned a slow circle. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
    Our mismatched furnishings consisted of cherry blossom hand-me-downs from Mai’s sisters and cow skull accents from Mom’s Gothic Western period. Our theme was a little something I called love blossoms in the desert .
    “It’s home.” I led him toward the couch and unloaded the pizza from my arms onto the coffee table. I set the ginger beer on top to make sure he didn’t start without me then went to scrub the hob cooties off my hands in the sink. “Mai will be home soon. If you want to keep this private, you better start talking.”
    He plopped onto the couch, opened a bottle of beer with his keychain and set it on a coaster two feet down the table. “Fair enough.”
    He didn’t make another peep while I dried my hands and grabbed extra paper towels and two plates. I dropped onto the cushion beside him, moved the case of beer and plated us two slices each. One look at his grave expression, and I forced the open beer on him. He looked like he could use a drink, even if this brand was nonalcoholic.
    Fae like us rarely drank the hard stuff. Lowered inhibitions mixed with our lethal powers made for a dangerous cocktail. I murmured appreciatively when he cracked one open for me. Sometimes it was nice having a man around