Anybody But Him Read Free Page B

delight in making her feel … less attractive than the other girls, less cool. Just less, damn him.
    â€˜I had no idea this was your house,’ she said, hoping that her tone conveyed Or I wouldn’t have set foot inside it.
    â€˜Well, how could you? You live in Sydney, don’t you?’
    She frowned at him. ‘Who told you that?’
    â€˜Must have picked it up somewhere around town. It wasn’t a secret, was it?’
    â€˜Of course not. I didn’t think you’d manage to retain the information, that’s all.’
    â€˜Right.’ He stopped in front of her, giving her an opportunity to see that he was taller than the last time she’d been this close to him. And more … muscular.
    As the seconds ticked by, she realised he was waiting for her to explain her presence in his house. Fair enough, she supposed. ‘I came to complain about your dog.’
    â€˜Dammit, what have you done?’ He raised his voice and the Jack Russell appeared from nowhere, then sat at his feet looking up at his master with adoring eyes.
    Obviously the dog had no idea what his master was really like.
    When the dog didn’t answer, Blair raised his eyes to meet hers. ‘What did he do?’
    â€˜He could have killed me. He knocked me off my stepladder.’
    One side of Blair’s mouth twitched. ‘Oh, that’s sad. Did you never know your real ladder?’
    His mock-sympathetic tone made her do the nostril breathing thing again. It was a technique she’d learned to help her calm down. At the moment, though, it just made her feel like a bull preparing to charge. But more angry.
    â€˜The point is, he shouldn’t be running around out of control. Anything could have happened.’
    He looked down at the dog again. ‘Dammit, you did a bad thing. You knocked this lady off her high hor—I mean, ladder.’
    Nicola clenched her teeth while the dog’s little tail polished a shiny circle on the wooden floor. He seemed to think he was being praised. Maybe he was on the same wavelength as his master.
    â€˜I might have known I wouldn’t get any sense out of you.’
    â€˜No, sorry.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled them out again, showing his empty palms. ‘All out of sense. Never did have any really.’ He gave her a lop-sided smile. ‘Might have done things differently if I had.’
    Not sure whether he was referring to the way he’d treated her at high school or something completely different – probably the latter – she tilted her head to one side. Annoyingly, the dog copied her.
    â€˜Just control him, will you?’
    He grimaced. ‘I don’t think I can do that.’
    â€˜Closing the gate, and maybe the front door, would be a start.’
    â€˜But he likes to come and go.’
    â€˜You’re supposed to be the boss, not him.’
    â€˜Are you kidding? Have you ever seen a dog carrying a bag of poo? No, it’s us dumb humans who do that. Proof right there that dogs are superior, don’t you think?’
    She shook her head.
    â€˜Anyway, I’ve tried the boss thing and failed. Nothing keeps him in. Why do you think he’s called Dammit?’
    â€˜That’s his name ?’
    â€˜Yes, because the first week he was here I spent the whole time shouting, “ Dammit , come back here.”’
    â€˜Have you heard of obedience classes?’
    â€˜Yes, and done them. We graduated top of the class. He’s not daft, you know. As soon as we got home he disappeared. Once I gave up trying to make him stay home our relationship improved dramatically.’
    Sounded like one of her ex-boyfriends. Huh, more than one. Nicola turned away. She was wasting her time here. There wasn’t much to choose from between Blair and his dogwhen it came down to it. Both were dumb brutes, but at least the dog had an excuse.
    â€˜You’re leaving already? You only just got here.