The Italian's Passionate Return Read Free Page B

parents agreed to the puppy? Puppies are a huge responsibility. They take time and they have so much energy, it will feel like a miracle when they finally sleep.”
    Damien smiled down at her. “My niece is in my care,” he said softly. “Her parents died two years ago. So yes, I’m fine with her having a puppy.”
    Jemma still wasn’t convinced. “Where do you live? How will you get the puppy to her?”
    “In a plane,” he replied, smothering his amusement at her concern over a dog. She was very protective, which spoke well for her as a human being.
    Jemma backed up, shaking her head vigorously. “No. Dogs don’t get to go in planes. They go in the cargo hold. And that’s just mean! Those areas don’t have any temperature control and the dogs get scared and don’t understand what’s happening to them.” He started to open his mouth to speak but she interrupted before he could say anything. “And don’t even think about drugging this little guy to get him through the flight! The medicine could wear off and he would need water immediately. If the medicine wears off mid-flight, the dog doesn’t have any ability to tell you what’s going on. And that’s not even discussing any kind of waste issues the dog might have while in flight.” She stepped back, cradling the wiggling puppy protectively. “No. Not going to happen. You need to get a puppy closer to wherever it is you live.”
    “I live in Italy,” he replied, looking down at her with laughter unhidden now. “And the puppy won’t be in the cargo hold. He can be with me in the main cabin.” He stepped closer. “But if you feel the need to protect the little guy, you could come with me. You could hold him the whole trip home.” His fingers trailed down her face, tickling her ear and causing the breath to catch in her throat. “Perhaps not the whole time,” he corrected.
    Jemma looked away, shocked at how quickly he had turned this conversation into an invitation instead of a sale. “I’m not going to Italy. And I doubt any airline would allow you to bring a puppy on the plane.”
    He chuckled. “I don’t fly commercially, Jemma. I have my own plane.”
    Jemma stepped back, stunned. “Of course you do,” she said with irritation. Then she realized she was being irrational. “Fine,” she spat out. “Tell me about your niece.”
    He shrugged. “Why do you want to know about her?”
    Jemma refrained from rolling her eyes. “Because each of the dogs have their own personality. For instance, this little one,” she said, lifting the puppy to her eye level and receiving a sniff and pink tongue again, “is the most exuberant. He would need a lot of space to run around.” She put that one down, not having named any of them because she knew she couldn’t afford to keep any of them. “This one, on the other hand, is a bit gentler. Once he grows up,” she explained, snuggling with the new puppy, “he’ll be calmer, needing running time, but not as much. Someone who takes the first one I showed you, will need to run around, throw the ball for the puppy throughout his whole life. All of them will need daily walks, preferably twice a day, and even more when they’re puppies. But once they mature, their exercise needs change. Just like ours do,” she explained.
    Damien was impressed. “And you can tell all that about each of them while they are puppies?”
    Jemma shrugged one shoulder. “Sure. I get to know them. I understand them.”
    He looked around, noticing all the horses out in the pasture. “You’ve built up a good reputation for horses as well. Do you understand them like you do the puppies?”
    Jemma put the puppy down carefully and stepped towards the stall door. “Horses are different, but yes. I understand them.”
    “What do you understand?” he asked when she was once more beside him in the dark confines of the center aisle.
    She looked up at him defiantly. “I understand when one of the males needs to be put in his