Page 90 of Conquest

The puppy laid down, its eyes on him.

Jesse looked at it as he shifted the car. “Don’t look at me like that. I can’t have a dog. I’m getting ready to go on tour. You shouldn’t have found a singer to save your scrawny ass.” He turned his eyes back to the road, softening his voice. “Believe me, I know what it feels like. You probably thought you had someone who loved you too until they tossed you out.”

The dog crawled across the center console and laid its head on Jesse’s thigh. Jesse took his right hand off the steering wheel and stroked the dog’s head.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Trish glanced up from her magazine, her head cocked to the side. Kenny and Julian paused in their conversation.

“Is that a dog barking?” Kenny asked.

A puppy raced around the corner of the doorway and into the chill-out room.

“Oh my god!” Trish squealed as she picked him up.

Jesse walked in after the dog holding a leash.

Kenny’s mouth dropped open. “You got a dog?”

“Not exactly. I found him this morning. I was going to take him to a shelter, but...” Jesse shrugged, leaving that for his answer.

When he’d left Grant Park, he called information to find the closest animal shelter, but as the operator relayed the information, he gazed down at the little dog trying to crawl onto his lap and snapped his phone closed. The next thing he knew, he was walking into a pet shop with the puppy under his arm. Forty-five minutes and a cartload of food, supplies, toys, and treats later, he was on his way back to Brandon’s, which had been quite a surprise for Brandon when he came home from grocery shopping and found him kneeling outside the bathtub trying to keep the puppy from shaking water and dog shampoo all over. Fortunately, Brandon recovered from his shock and jumped to help.

Julian fingered the black Lupine collar patterned with silver paw prints over crossbones around the puppy’s neck. “Once you buy a collar it’s official. Are you taking him on the road with us?”

“I plan to try,” Jesse answered. “If it doesn’t work out, Brandon said he would keep him until we come back.”

“He can be our mascot!” Trish said. “What’s his name?”

“Achilles.”

Kenny startled at the name. “Achilles? Why’d you name him that? What ever happened to names like Spot or Rover?”

Trish put Achilles on the floor. He galloped to Jesse and hopped on his back legs, pawing up at him.

Jesse bent down and ruffled the thick, soft fur around his neck, speaking to the dog in a babying voice. “Because Achilles was a great warrior, wasn’t he? And you’re a big, tough boy, aren’t you?”

“He’s a cotton ball,” Julian said.

Jesse sucked in an offended gasp. “Did you not see his paws and crossbones collar? He’s a rocker.”

“With identity issues then,” Julian chuckled.

Achilles started barking and shot out of the room.

“Look!” Kenny laughed, pointing after him. “He’s as much of a spaz as Jesse! Don’t they say dogs take after their owners? And he’s only had him since this morning!”

Ignoring everyone’s snickering, Jesse threw Kenny a good-humored dirty look and took off after Achilles. He jogged into the hall and slammed to an instant stop.

Evan stood up the hall with JJ and Greg. Achilles stopped in front of him and stared up at him. Evan gazed down at him with a contemplative look. He picked him up, watching the puppy’s tail wag so hard his whole body shook. Evan laughed softly and brought the dog to his chest, stroking his head.

Jesse tried to swallow around the lump closing his throat. It seemed like so much longer than a week since he last saw him. He noticed Evan’s face looked thin and pale. His eyes bore circles beneath, his head was covered by a dark blue bandana allowing just the ends of his hair to peek out, and he hadn’t shaved that morning, which wasn’t like him. But it didn’t matter. Even disheveled, he still looked amazing.

Evan lifted his eyes and froze at seeing Jesse. He slowly lowered his gaze, his eyes settling on the leash in Jesse’s hand.

Greg put his hand on JJ’s arm and led him up the hall away from them.

Jesse shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He wanted to retreat, but he wasn’t about to skitter away like a coward. Besides, Evan had Achilles and he couldn’t turn his back without a word when it was obvious the dog was with him. He filled his lungs with a deep breath and stepped forward.