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“Are you stalking me?” Violet snarled, staring at the man suddenly walking beside her at her favorite park.
She had been having such a good morning until this moment. Her work schedule finally allowed her to have Saturdays off, a rarity. Joyously, she embraced the ability to go for a long, lazy walk and enjoy the summer sunshine. Her coffee was on point this morning at the café and the cute barista that flirted with her had given her an extra shot of espresso as he winked at her. Even her new golden retriever puppy managed to sleep through the night without having an accident, giving hope for her house training. This morning had been perfect.
Until him.
Her asshole of an ex.
He walked next to her, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere, with a sheepish smile and hands tucked into his pockets. “Violet, please, let’s–”
“Leave me alone, Halden. I thought you'd have gotten that message after I ignored all your calls and texts.”
“Look I'm sorry, okay? Let me make–”
“Sorry? You're sorry?” She laughed but it was anything but humorous. Abruptly, she stopped, turning to glare at him. “‘Sorry’ is for when you accidentally spill a cup of water on the floor. Not for when you fuck almost half the girls on our college campus when we were dating!”
He ran a hand through his sandy-brown hair, causing the perfectly sculpted locks to appear imperfect, something he would spend far too much time on fixing later. “I know, it was a mis–”
She ignored him, stomping away. “Come on, Andarna,” she called to her puppy, who was tugging happily at the end of her leash.
“Fuck! Would you just fucking listen to me?” He snapped, moving to block her on the paved path and grabbed her wrist. Those vivid green eyes that once made her heart race now were hard as diamonds, staring down at her in anger. No one ever told Halden Tauri ‘no’ and it showed, but Violet was done with doing what he wanted and adhering to his ego.
She tried to jerk her hand back but only succeeded in hurting her wrist with how tightly he was gripping it. She wondered if he had forgotten how fragile her joints were or if he was intentionally causing her pain on purpose.
“Let. Me. Go.” She quietly stated, shifting her body weight, her hazel eyes never wavering from meeting his gaze. She refused to be intimidated by him. Not ever again.
His voice dropped low but with an audible bite to it. “You owe me th–”
A deep, menacing growl cut off Halden's words.
Peering to her right where the forest line started, Violet's eyes immediately widened as an absolutely massive, black dog prowled closer to them, as if emerging from the shadows. His golden eyes narrowed on Halden and lips curled back in a terrifying snarl.
“What the fuck…” Halden dropped her wrist and stepped back. For every step the practically pony-sized dog stalked forward, Halden took a retreating step back until the dog stood next to Violet, the top of its head reaching her chest.
Violet stood paralyzed, gripping her puppy's leash still in her hand with an white-knuckled grip. The massive dog was built like a tank, barrel-chested with a long, thick coat of black hair and just…huge! To add to the intimidating factor, one of its ears looked half bitten off and there was a long scar running down the side of its black muzzle. Every instinct within her short stature screamed to run! Even if it was foolish to run from a predator that could obviously catch her within a heartbeat and rip her throat out with its gigantic teeth, her body tensed, ready to flee. Yet it stood beside her, snarling at her ex like it was defending her. That counted for something…right?
Or maybe it just saw her as an appetizer?
“Violet–”
“Fuck off, Halden, and don't try to talk to me again. I've got nothing more to say to you.” She snapped, infusing every ounce of confidence within her tone that she could muster.
A low growl echoed her words, one expansive paw stomped forward either in threat or ready to launch was questionable. Whatever it was, it worked. Vivid green eyes wide, and with more than a hint of panic in them, Halden retreated a few more steps backwards before turning on his heel and hurried away.
A whoosh of exhaled air left her lips as she watched her ex attempt to subtly sprint away, his ego never allowing him to actually run in terror. She glanced down at the gigantic dog still standing at her side, its head tilted up so golden eyes met her own hazel. “Thank you for your help…but also please don't eat me or my puppy. That would suck.”
The black dog huffed, nudging her in the side with its head, almost knocking her over. Her heart rate spiked at the action, a flash of fear winning out before realizing the nudge was almost affectionate. Before she could fully calm herself, her heart rate doubled in a blink as the dog lowered its head to seemingly look at the golden retriever puppy staring up at it, tail wagging so hard it made her whole body shake. The dog snorted onto the puppy, making her ‘woof’ and tip over, tail still wagging even with all four paws in the air.
“Oh, you're sweetheart, aren't you?” Violet cooed, heart melting at the sight. “You just pretend to be scary.”
The dog looked up at her, lips curled up slightly and eyes somehow narrowed as if it understood her words.
She blinked. “Um..okay, sorry. Scary. You're very scary. I mean…you definitely were. And are…still are. Sorry.”
It's head moved back and forth, looking between Violet and the puppy attacking its left front paw like a personal chew toy. With another huff, it nudged her side hard using it's head, making her take a stumbling step.
“What?” She asked, only for him to nudge her again. “We're on a walk, or at least trying to if Andy didn't feel the need to sniff everything.”
This time the dog opened its mouth and gently placed it around her wrist and then tugged.
“Um…oh-okay?” Violet looked around the park, seeing the many people out but none seemed to be paying any attention to them. “I guess we're following you now?”
Being led around the expansive park by a dog almost as big as her own diminished size was not on her bingo card for the day but she did not think she could easily get out of it now, especially since it seemed to have a destination in mind. Thankfully Andarna trotted faithfully along on her own leash for once.
While walking, well being led, Violet tried to subtly study the dog while keeping an eye out of its owner. There was absolutely no way this dog was here alone. Firstly, she had checked and yep - definitely a male - appeared healthy with a shiny, groomed coat. He was also the biggest dog she had ever seen in her life. If she had to guess a breed, she would say a Newfoundland but he was bigger than any Newfie she knew of and there was something else about his stature that made her wonder if he was mixed with another breed. Whatever breed he was, if someone was trying to create a small, intimidating bear, they certainly succeeded with him.
Yet no matter how terrifying his outward appearance made him to be, his mouth on her wrist was so gentle, she barely felt it. Only the faintest hint of pressure and the slobber from his mouth were the only indicators of her entrapment.
Peering down, a smile tilted the corners of Violet's mouth up as she watched Andarna happily follow the larger dog's lead, only occasionally pouncing or sniffing something that caught her eye alongside the paved path.
The odd trio passed a playground, the sound of children's laughter and screams intermingled with parents’ voices. The Newfoundland continued their parade, going off the path and towards the nearby basketball courts. Violet noted one of the three courts, the closest to the playground, contained a handful of pre-teens shooting hoops and teasing each other. Meanwhile the court furthest away from the playground and backed up against a large open field, frequently used for various sports, was being utilized by a group of men.
Very attractive, shirtless men.
Hot damn.
Before she could get a good look at them, for research purposes obviously, the dog tugged her towards a sprawling oak tree at the edge of the field. Violet wondered if the dog chose it for the shade offered or the strategic location of being able to see over the field, courts and playground without having to move. Once at the wide tree trunk, the dog released her wrist and nudged her side again with his head.
“Um…okay? You want me to sit?”
With its seemingly signature woof, he nudged her side before sitting on his haunches, still grotesquely taller than a dog should be.
Sighing, she looked around the base of the oak tree. “And now I'm listening to…gods! Okay, okay! I'm sitting!” She startled as he nudged her more forcibly that time.
With a huff and a disgruntled mutter about ‘demanding, giant beasts’, she settled cross-legged, tugging the backpack off her back and next to her side. To her shock, the massive dog plopped down next to her, his side pressing against her left thigh, his soft, black hair brushing against her bare leg, not covered by her shorts. Andarna wiggled over, wagging and playfully growling as she attacked his front paws again. Violet hesitated but relaxed when the dog just stared at her silly puppy, allowing her to play. Violet quickly pulled out the stake and short runner, hooking it up to Andarna's leash so she could roam while Violet sat down. Once that was done, she pulled out her latest read, ready to relax.
Once the book rested on her legs, she turned her attention to her wrist. Faint discoloration already marred her pale skin. Carefully, she maneuvered her wrist, twisting and turning it but did not feel anything wrong besides it being sore.
“Fucking Halden.” She muttered to herself. Roughly, she yanked her single braid out and ran her fingers through her brown hair, watching as the silver ends caught in the dappled sunlight. If she could go back in time, she would love to slap herself and tell her to not fall for a set of pretty eyes and a smooth tongue. But hindsight is 20/20, as they say. Pushing the thought of her stupid mistake out of her mind, she threw her hair back into a loose braid and flipped open her book to her bookmark.
The dog raised its head and left out a soft ‘woof’. Violet followed his gaze and immediately stilled, senses on high alert. A beautiful Doberman strutted towards them. She was tall, not nearly as tall as the black dog next to her, but enough to create a sliver of nervousness in Violet. She wondered if her and her puppy would get a short complex from being around these large dogs.
The Doberman confidently walked up to their little group. Of course, the silly puppy had to be the first to greet. She pounced in front of the bigger dog, butt up in the air and tail wagging as if greeting an old friend. The Doberman stared down, if she was human Violet would have said staring down her nose at her puppy in judgement. After a long second where Violet started to worry she was going to need to intervene, the Doberman lowered her head and nudged Adarna with her head before continuing onward. She then walked to stand in front of Violet, staring at her with those eyes that seemed to be smarter than any dog's should be.
“Um, hi….I'm Violet.” She murmured.
The Doberman snorted loudly, either a sign of approval or disgust was still up for debate. Turning, she rubbed her head against the massive dog's for a moment, a strangely tender action for her otherwise haughty attitude, before regally taking a spot on his other side.
“Um…okay then.” Violet shrugged, cracking open her book. Guess she had some additional companions for the time being.
She was unsure how long they sat there, long enough to get absorbed in her book and for Andarna to wear herself out by sniffing and attacking the few leaves that fluttered by. Eventually, the puppy curled up between the massive dog's front paws and fell asleep. With a almost resigned chuff, the massive dog moved his head, resting it on Violet's bent knee like it was a pillow. Both bemused and slightly concerned that she was trapped once again by the Newfie, she returned to her book.
“Sgaeyl! Tairn!”
Violet blinked out of her book zen, caught off guard by the movement to her left. She watched the Doberman raise her head and glance at the Newfie before looking back at the man who had called, what Violet presumed, was their names.
And what a man he was.
Standing at the edge of the basketball court closest to them, the man stared at the odd grouping with arms crossed over his chest. Tawny skin gleamed under the morning sunlight, highlighted by a sleeve tattoo that covered from his wrist, up to his arm and continued to cover part of his chest and a portion of the side of his neck. Gods, he looked good. Damn good. Clearly defined abs adorned his torso and bulging biceps stole her gaze with the way his arms were crossed over his broad, toned chest.
Yet even from this far away, it was his dark eyes that seemed to hold her in their thrall.
“Sgaeyl! Come on!” He called, once again, in a low rumble.
Gods, that voice. Whatever deity had crafted this man obviously was attempting perfection. With the way the faintest breeze ruffled his messy black hair, this man was a romance reader's wet dream.
The Doberman rose to her haunches but remained sitting.
“Um…I think your owner wants you.” Violet whispered to the Newfie, his head still reclined on her bent knee.
The massive dog peeked one eye open at her then dismissively closed it again.
Violet chuckled to herself but the sound died in her throat when she looked back up. Mr Chiseled Abs walked towards her with a ground-eating stride, long legs demolishing the fair amount of space between them. Swallowing thickly, she had to remind herself that staring was rude.
As he got closer, Sgaeyl rose and greeted him, pressing her head to his thigh and receiving the scratch behind the ear he gifted her. She stuck to his side as he took the several extra steps to approach the trio still resting on the ground.
As he approached, Violet realized how tall the stranger truly was. He appeared tall from a distance but now, standing nearby, he practically towered over her, easily close to six and half feet by her quick guess. Gods…how was it fair to humanity for him to be this handsome and have that height.
“I'm sorry if my dogs were bothering you. I should have gotten them sooner–” He began in that low timbre, meeting her gaze.
“Oh no! They've been great!” She interrupted, waving a hand, then turned her gaze to the giant beast still refusing to move. “I'm sorry if you needed them, I told this one to move but he…well…”
“Tairn only does what he wants. Ungrateful asshole.”
Her hazel eyes snapped to the man's, whatever good will she momentarily had gone in a moment. “How can you call your dog that?”
The man rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in surrender as he moved to a squat. “Not sure he's my dog. It's more of a roommate thing…and I feed him. Pretty sure he only tolerates me for Sgaeyl. They're mated, or whatever the equivalent is for dogs.” He shrugged, running a hand up and down the Doberman's back.
“Sgaeyl.” She felt the name roll off her lips, a hint of a smile tilting her lips up. “She's beautiful.”
“Mmm…she's my girl.”
Violet was incapable of ceasing the melting of her heart as she witnessed the clear affection in the man's eyes as he looked down at the dog still by his side. Plus, the warmth in his voice as he claimed her, like his simple statement explained so much more…this man was a danger to her hormones if he kept this up.
“And this one is…Tairn? Do you know what breed he is?” She asked, looking away and desperately hoping the warmth on her pale cheeks was only internal and not visible.
He hummed. “Yeah, Tairn. I've wondered about doing one of those DNA tests but decided it didn't matter.”
“Oh? Did you get him from a rescue?”
“No.” He chuckled, shifting to sit in front of her now. “He found us at a park one day and fucking followed us home. I tried to leave him behind but Sgaeyl almost ripped my arm off so I figured I was outvoted.”
She laughed, tipping her head back and letting the mirth freely flow. Somehow, only knowing the dogs for a short period of time, she could easily visualize it. “Well, hopefully it wasn't too much of a hardship, he seems like a sweetheart. Anyone would be lucky to have him.”
“No…he barely tolerates people…except for you, apparently.”
Onyx eyes locked on her and she stiffened. Not from fear but because he seemed to be studying, as if attempting to peer into her mind and tease out her intent. It was now, so close and trapped in the strength of his gaze, that she observed the golden flecks in his dark eyes, like stars in the night sky.
This man truly needed to tone down his perfection. It was becoming unnerving.
A loud, deep voice interrupted their staring, making her startle at the sudden proximity.
“Hey, fairy! Thanks for your help earlier!” Another shirtless man shouted from the edge of the basketball court. Tall and broad like a barn door, Violet was fairly sure the man's muscles had muscles. Another man stood beside him, grinning like a fiend as he ran a hand over his short, blond hair.
She blinked awkwardly. “Um…you're welcome?”
The broad man's smile widened, a hint of mischief in it. “Loverboy there couldn't keep his eyes off you. Helped us score some extra points!”
“Shut the fuck up, Gar!” Mr dog-lover-and-sexy-abs whipped around to snap at the other man.
“We'll meet you back at the house, honey bear!”
The man sitting in front of her raised his middle finger, making the other two men laugh before they headed towards the parking lot where a small group seemed to be waiting.
“Sorry about him.” He shook his head, tracing a thumb over the scar bisecting his dark eyebrow. “We won't keep you any longer.”
“It's okay. We should probably head back too.” She commented, following his lead of starting to get up. Of course, she had a massive dog restraining her ability to move while the man glided from his seat in a smooth movement.
At first she gently tried to nudge the giant dog but when that came to no avail, she huffed and tapped his nose until he opened his eyes. At hearing a quiet snicker, she shot the man a glare before giving up and forcibly lifting the huge head off her knee to escape the restraint. With a reluctant sigh, Tairn rose slowly, as if emphasizing his lack of interest in moving positions.
Once Tairn began moving, Andarna woke up with an abrupt startle. She leapt to her feet, head rotating around, and seeing a new person made her frenzied with excitement. Tail attempting to power a tornado, she barreled into the man who knelt once again to greet the enthusiastic puppy.
“Whose this?”
Violet smiled at her puppy. “Andarna. She's a golden retriever. She just turned four months old last week.”
“She's cute.” He easily said but those onyx eyes remained on Violet as he said it.
Violet blushed, ignoring the awakening butterflies. He was just talking about her adorable puppy, he did not mean anything more than that, she reassured herself.
The man continued to play with Andarna, allowing her to chomp onto his hand with her puppy teeth and growl. Sgaeyl watched the two with a dismissive air as if this playful action was beneath her.
After tucking her book, runner and stake back into her backpack, Violet knelt in front of Tairn. He had not moved from her side, only sitting on his haunches and monitoring her every action. Without a second thought, she cupped his face, running a thumb over the long scar on his muzzle. She met those golden eyes that held an agelessness to them. “Thank you for your help earlier. I hope your human roommate gives you extra treats for saving me and being my hero.”
“What happened?”
The brusque question drew her eyes to the man, his gaze locked on her with a newfound intensity.
“Oh, my ex found us earlier while we were walking. I'm honestly not sure how he did. He tried– it doesn't really matter. Tairn scared him off and then brought me and Andy over here.”
“Is the bruise on your wrist from Tairn or this shitty ex?”
“It's nothing. I bruise easily.” She had to fight the urge to hide her wrist, instead ignoring the man as she pressed a quick kiss to the Newfie's nose before standing.
The man mirrored her action, towering over her, never lessening the sudden intensity. “And if Tairn hadn't come to your rescue, what were you going to do?”
Violet shoved her hands on her hips, meeting his gaze with a confident glare, hating she only reached his collarbone but unwilling to back down. “If you must know, I was planning on kneeing him in the balls…something he'd certainly remember.”
A long moment passed, something unnamed swirling around them like a cyclone. Then as if a breeze blew the cyclone away, the tension ebbed and he smirked down at her.
“What?” She snapped.
“You appear small and fragile, but you're a violent little thing, aren't you?”
“Only if the situation calls for it.”
He openly laughed and Violet had to remind herself to breathe at the beauty of the simple action. Still smiling, he spoke but with a new lightness to his tone. “I'm glad Tairn was able to intervene, but we do need to leave. Come on, Sgaeyl.”
Sgaeyl stood at her owner's side, still eyeing the puppy pouncing on the open ground between them, while Tairn pressed himself against her side.
“It's all right. We have to go home too.” Violet cooed, running a hand over the massive dog's head. “Maybe we'll run into each other again soon.”
Tairn impassively stared at the man, golden eyes staring him down as if trying to impart a silent message.
The man huffed. “No, asshole, I'm leaving.”
The dog curled one corner of his lip up, showing his sharp, canine tooth.
“Sgaeyl, get your mate before I fucking leave his fat ass.”
The Doberman looked between Tairn and her owner before letting out a loud bark and staring at her owner with narrowed eyes.
“Ah, fuck!” The man groaned, then shoved his hand in his pocket. “What's your number, Violence? I don't think Tairn is going to let me fucking leave without it.”
“It's actually Violet..”
“I think my name suits you better.” He winked, holding out his phone.
With an exaggerated eye roll, she plugged her number in his phone. Obviously, she was doing this so she and Andarna could see Tairn again…not to see Mr hot-specimen. Nope, this was solely for the dogs.
“I'm Xaden, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you.” She replied, handing him his phone back.
“We’re usually here every Saturday morning for a couple of hours, if you want to join.”
“Oh, yeah, that should work for us.”
He nodded, glancing over to the parking lot before meeting her gaze again. “Will you be okay? Or should we walk you back?”
“I can handle myself.” She crossed her arms over her chest, raising a single eyebrow.
“I believe you.” He smirked, onyx eyes scanning over her before turning and walking towards the parking lot, Sgaeyl loyally by his side.
Violet ignored the shiver his gaze sent down her spine. Scratching behind his ear, she spoke to the immobile Newfie. “You should probably follow. We'll see you next week, okay, Tairn?”
The massive, black dog pressed his head against her chest, making her fondly smile before he nudged Andara, almost tipping her over. With a huff, he turned and followed Sgaeyl across the open field.
A beep had her pulling her phone out of her pocket to see a text from an unknown number.
Unknown number: See you around, Violence.
She rolled her eyes before replying.
Violet: You're just mad Tairn likes me more.
“Come on, Andy. Let's head home.” She threw the backpack on, and made sure the leash was securely on her unbruised wrist, before checking her phone again.
Unknown number: Can't blame him for wanting to cuddle up to a beautiful woman.
Unknown number: Let me know if your shitty ex comes back. Tairn and I will sort him out for you.
Warmth filled her chest cavity at the unexpected texts, firstly from the compliment that sent butterflies soaring and secondly from his offer of….what? Protection? They were complete strangers and yet…he was offering to help her with her ex? Not that she needed the help, she was a modern, independent woman who did not need a man, even if it was still sweet.
Not that he needed to know that.
Violet: I told you I can handle myself.
She shook her head, adding the number to her contacts. Her hand buzzed once more with the responding text.
Tairn's roommate: Offer still stands.