Sassy Ever After: Kiss My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Serena Pettus

their handlers without warning. “Whatever you say. Are you sure this is a good idea? He doesn’t know me at all.”
    He simply shrugged his massive shoulders. “I’ll tell you what, if he gives you any trouble, I’ll eat my shorts. That’s how much faith I have in this working for you.”
    “I’m holding you to it. I should probably look into getting a large breed dog of my own to help with critters coming into the yard. A fence will only stop so much.”
    “You’re right about that, but there’s plenty of time to find yourself a pup later. Shadow here will be a good watchdog for you.” His smile made him even more approachable, yet it still didn’t hold a candle to Luke’s.
    “Why did you pick the name, Shadow?” Just then, a large mass of black fur rose from the truck bed. It was the biggest wolf she’d ever seen! Its coat was long, thick and shiny, telling her that this animal was well cared for and healthy.
    It stepped to the end of the tailgate and sat, looking to Benson for permission to get down, she guessed. Sure enough, with a small hand gesture, the big predator bounded down and came to stand at his side, now facing where she still stood on the porch steps.
    With its fur dark as night, the eyes were damn near hypnotic. A blue gaze so bright, she could have sworn they were glowing, stared back at her with utter focus, like it was studying her.
    “I gave him his name, mainly because at night you can’t even see his ass unless he looks your way. It makes him an excellent hunter,” Benson bragged, patting the canine on the head. “I’m going to walk him up to you, okay?”
    Nervous now, Ashe stammered, “Um…okay.” Seeing it across the drive, standing next to Benson was one thing, having it come to her was a little scary.
    “Don’t worry. I just want him to get your scent. He’ll pick up on Lilly too since you’ve been holding her. Once he knows the scents that belong, he can determine the one’s that don’t.”
    When he put it like that, it made perfect sense, as long as she could hold still. All she could do was nod her head as she watched them walk slowly forward. “He’s so big,” she whispered.
    “Yeah, but he’s a lover, that’s for sure. Hold your hand out, palm up, and let him come to you just like you would any other canine,” he instructed, holding his own hand out for example.
    “Like this?”
    “Perfect. Now just let him do the rest.”
    Ashe did as she was told, and tried to keep her hand steady while the wolf came ever closer. Now that she could see him better, she noted how similar his eye color was to Luke’s.
    Christ on a cracker! Now I’m comparing him to a wolf? She thought with a small shake of her head. When she did so, he stopped and cocked his head curiously. Clearly he was an intelligent animal, if a simple gesture was enough to have him stop and take notice. “Come on, bug guy,” she called.
    He closed the distance and gave her a few cursory sniffs before nudging her hand. Cautiously, she turned her palm and allowed it to smooth over his soft fur along the side of his head before giving a little scratch behind the ear.
    “It looks like he likes you,” Benson said, stepping up behind Shadow and giving him a playful pat on the back. “You stay here, Shadow. Guard .”
    At the stern order, Shadow moved past Ashe and took a seat next to the front door. “I should let him sleep in the living room,” she mused. “I’ve always hated to see pets left out in the cold at night.”
    “He’s a natural born predator, Ashe. He’ll be perfectly fine on the porch, and he’ll be better able to keep any nasty little pests away from the house.”
    “Well, he’s at least going to have a blanket and some water out here then.” Moving past the wolf watching her, Ashe went inside, leaving the door open, and snagged a blanket from the closet before going to the kitchen and coming back with a big bowl of water. “Here we go! All set for the night.” Spreading