Touch Me by Melissa Schroeder Read Free Book Online Page A

against his chest. Her nipples were already painfully tight. Just that little touch had heat racing along her nerve endings.
    Hercules saved her. He jumped against the door and barked.
    “Great, now he’s definitely heard you. I better go in.”
    He did nothing but stare down at her.
    “Jack, you have to move.”
    He waited, then he stepped back from her.
    She turned and unlocked the door. Hercules practically pushed her out of the way to get to Jack. He wasn’t ready for it. They both went tumbling back onto the lawn. Hercules landed on top of Jack, who smacked his head against the ground. Thankfully, he landed in the grass so the blow wasn't too bad.
    "Hercules!" she ran toward them. Hercules was lying on top of Jack, licking his face.
    "Oh, stop, that's gross."
    "Hercules, get off him right now."
    Her dog ignored her. Instead, he continued to lick the Marine.
    "Hercules, get off me."
    Jack said it with as much command as she had, but this time, Hercules listened.
    She leaned down to help him up, but he waved the help away.
    He stood, slowly with his hand to the back of his head. When he looked it, they both noticed the blood.
    "It was grass," he said, irritation threading his voice. Of course he was irritated. He was a man.
    "Come on, Jack."
    "What?"
    "You need that cleaned and it'll be easier for me to see if it needs stitches."
    He opened up his mouth to argue, then snapped it shut.
    "Okay."
    The complacency made her wary, but she ignored it and led him into the bathroom. She would fix him up and send him on his way.
    And that would be the end of it.
     
    *  *  *  *
     
    Jack was going to have to buy that dog a big ass bone. He knew that without the attack, Hannah would have never invited him into the house.
    "Take off your shirt," she said.
    "You're bossy."
    She rolled her eyes as he pulled his polo shirt up and over his head. She took it from him and then motioned with her head for him to follow.
    He still couldn't believe he was bleeding. Hercules walked behind them, apparently aware he had done something wrong and acted like he was in charge of the services.
    "Sit there," she said, after pulling down the lid to the toilet. He did as she ordered and noticed that Hercules was sitting just outside the door.
    "Why do you think he attacked me?"
    "He didn't attack you. Not in the way you think." She bent over giving him an excellent view of her cleavage. He should really be paying attention to it, but there was no getting away from the fact that it was there for him to see. She pulled out cotton balls and a bottle of what looked to be antiseptic.
    "Sure felt like he attacked me."
    She poured some of the cleaner on the cotton ball then put it on his head wound. The sting was a shock at first and he muttered under his breath. She laughed.
    "I told you, he misses his first owner."
    "Ah." He didn't buy it, but he would take it. It got him into her house, which, was kind of sad if he thought about it, so he decided not to think about it.
    "He does. I know it's hard for a dog to understand when something like that happens. Sergeant Joseph was a good guy. Barely old enough to drink, but he loved Hercules. It about killed him to leave him behind."
    "Why did he leave him with you?"
    She shrugged. "His parents didn't have the space and I think they are a little older. Hercules is a lot of dog to handle. Plus, I think he was worried about if he didn't come back."
    "Like he had a premonition?"
    "I don't know if it was that, or that he had one or two close calls when he was deployed before. He said if something happened, it would make his parents sad to see the dog every day. I thought differently, but he probably knew his parents best."
    She continued to clean his wound as he looked at the dog. Hercules was keeping watch on him as if he was worried he had really hurt Jack.
    "Doesn't look like you need stitches and there wasn't any dirt or anything. Do you have any kind of antiseptic at home? You need to make sure you clean it