Hard to Hold (True Romance) Read Online Free Page B

responded when Mike meant business. This wasn’t often, as he tended to spoil the pup rotten.
    The dog’s anxiety fed off his own. Despite obeying his command, the dog strained against her collar. She obviously wanted to know Anne better.
    Yeah, well, she could join the club.
    Mike knelt beside his pet and motioned Anne forward.
    “Sirus, this is Anne. Anne, meet Sirus, the wonder pup.”
    “Hello, Sirus.” The breathy sound of Anne’s voice warmed him like a gust of summer wind. The scarf, which looked rustically hand-knit, brushed against her cheek, flushed with color. The fact that her jeans curved quite nicely around her hips as she knelt didn’t hurt, either.
    The inside of his mouth parched to desert-like conditions. He was very thankful he didn’t have to speak again for a while. Anne had taken over the conversation, which was completely centered on Sirus.
    “You’re a beautiful lady, aren’t you?” she crooned to the dog, holding out her hand so that Sirus could give her a good long sniff. The dog’s butt and hind legs started rocking as her tail struggled beneath her. She wanted to obey Mike’s sit command, but she also wanted to tackle Anne and more than likely, lick at those adorably rosy freckled cheeks.
    Before he knew it, Anne was petting the dog, giving her extra scratches behind her ears. Inch by inch, the dog stretched closer.
    “You like dogs?” he asked.
    Okay, it was a stupid, obvious question, but with moisture absent from his mouth and his bloodstream pumping with the kind of powerful attraction he hadn’t felt in a very long time, he was lucky to form even three words of coherent conversation.
    “Oh, yeah,” she said, dropping to her knees in front of the dog so she could scratch both of Sirus’s ears simultaneously. For her trouble, the dog gave a long, appreciative swipe of tongue across Anne’s face.
    Lucky bitch.
    “Sirus, don’t lick.” He stood and pulled the dog back into a more controlled position.
    “It’s okay,” Anne said, wiping her hands over her face. Unadorned with makeup, her face glowed pink and pretty. “She’s just being a dog. What breed is she again?”
    “Weimaraner. I rescued her when I lived in Portland, though she’s returned the favor since.”
    Anne arched a brow. “Now that sounds like an intriguing story.”
    He remembered her telling him back in November that she was a reporter. Apparently, her instincts were well honed.
    “If I want to get moved in before nightfall, I’m afraid the story will have to wait.”
    “I can’t believe you’re moving in here,” she said, shaking her head, but smiling.
    “I can’t believe we ran into each other again,” he confessed.
    “Actually, the biggest coincidence comes from the fact that I live here, too. In this building, I mean.”
    Mike couldn’t stop the grin that generated from deep in his belly and then spread through his extremities. He suspected he could take off his coat right now and not feel the least bit of discomfort.
    “You’re kidding,” he said.
    “No, I’m not,” she said, standing. “There’s a park right around the corner. Why don’t you let me take the dog while you move your stuff in?”
    “Really? My dad just took some stuff upstairs and Ben’s coming over later with his car, but not having her underfoot would be a big help.”
    Anne slid her hand up Sirus’s leash until her hand was inches from his. Just when he thought their fingers might touch, she tugged the loop out of his hand. “I’ll take care of her. We’ll go for a walk and then I’ll bring her up to check out her new digs. What floor are you on?”
    Mike had to think. Before Anne had shown up, he’d known the location of his apartment. Now the information had retreated to a remote corner of his brain, probably to escape the powerful chemical reaction brought on by Anne’s proximity. Anne was beautiful. Anne lived in his building. Anne liked his dog.
    He’d hoped that his move to Albany would spark