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So Much for a Night Off

Chapter Ten – So Much for a Night Off

When I unlocked my door, a malicious thought crossed my mind. I swung the door wide and motioned for the guys to enter ahead of me. Brandon and Arkin both grinned while walking right in. Lucas smirked at me. I scowled in return, remembering that he had just been there this morning. He knew all about Dexter.

However, when I walked in I was pleased to find that my wonderful dog had Brandon and Arkin backed into a corner with his teeth bared. Lucas burst into a fit of laughter and the other two glared at him. "A little help here, Jules?" Brandon asked, eyeing Dexter.

The dog let out a sharp bark when Arkin went to move forward. This time I laughed before walking up to him and resting my hand between his ears. "Easy, Dex," I soothed. "They're friends." That was all it took. Dexter immediately sat back on his haunches and wagged his nub of a tail.

"Amazing," Brandon commented, kneeling down in front of Dexter. The Rottweiler eyed Brandon, but allowed himself to be petted. It didn't take him long to roll onto his back, begging for his belly to be rubbed.

"As you can see, he's actually just a giant teddy bear," I said, shaking my head. With a sigh I headed into my bedroom to dump off my purse. After depositing it on the bed, I pulled out my phone and shoved it in my pocket. When I turned to walk back out into the living room, I ran smack into someone's chest. "Okay, ow," I muttered, glaring up at Lucas.

He just grinned at me before shedding his jacket. "Here you go," he announced, pulling his t-shirt over his head. When he tossed it at me I didn't even bother to catch it. We had a short staring contest before I relented and snatched the shirt off the ground along with a basket from the closet.

"You're an ass," I grumbled as I shoved past him on my way to the bathroom to grab the rest of my white clothes. I didn't want waste a full load of laundry for one shirt.

Lucas trailed me. "That's not nice."

"I'm not nice."

"That's a lie."

"And what makes you say that?" I questioned as I tossed a few bras, some underwear, and my own white t-shirts into the basket. My aim was to make him uncomfortable, but it wasn't working. He was focused on my every move, so I only ended up embarrassing myself. My cheeks warmed up as I forced my way past him again.

"Just a feeling. This the laundry?" he asked, gesturing to the folding doors in the hall.

"Yeah," I replied with a nod, deciding to ignore his subject change.

He pulled the doors open for me and took the basket from me. Rolling my eyes, I started the washer and added the soap. When there was enough water in the washer, I took the basket from him and dumped it in. After moving everything around so that it was evenly deposited, I set the basket on top of the washer and shut the doors.

"Food?" he asked, a grin overtaking his face.

"Food."

"What took you two so long?" Brandon whined when we reemerged. His eyes zeroed in on Lucas's bare chest and a sly smile crossed his face. "Oh, I see."

"Don't be a pervert," I scolded, smacking the side of his head as I moved past him. "Pepperoni okay with everyone?" I questioned, not acknowledging the hurt expression Brandon was giving me.

"That's fine," Arkin told me, smiling as he shook his head. "If you get three larges we'll throw in."

"Sounds good," I said, pulling out my phone. The guys began to explore the apartment as I placed our order. Once I was finished, I just watched them as they examined the few pictures on my walls. They were like children in a museum. Smiling to myself, I plopped down onto the couch. Dexter wasted no time in jumping up beside me and laying his head in my lap.