Hoss’s Limits (House of Lustz #2)

Cady Chapter 2

I had a pounding head. I worked late to get the clinic in shape to open today. Admittedly, I could’ve been here even longer if it weren’t for Tajah, Mikhail, and Hoss. They helped me straighten things, even though I told them not to stay. Secretly, I was glad they had. However, it didn’t do much for my sleep because I went home and tossed and turned most of the night. You would think it was due to worry in my mind over the break-in and what if it happened again? And you’d be correct, but only a portion was about the break-in. The rest was him, the man who set my teeth on edge and made me want to snap and snarl at him. At the same time, I would love to climb that man and have crazy sex.

Christ, crazy sex! Where the hell did that come from? I needed mental help. Who in their right mind wanted to have sex with a man who made them so frustrated? One minute, I wanted to be naked and naughty with him. The next, I wanted to choke him. I kept reminding myself that even if I got past my immense frustration with Hoss, it wouldn’t matter. Sex always ended up being a letdown, and guys always walked. Or, in my case, they did.

Tajah hadn’t had much luck in the love department until she met Mikhail. He came out of nowhere and swept her off her feet. I never imagined in a hundred years that she’d join a sex club and end up being a part of the life and engaged to the owner. It appeared she’d found her someone. I prayed it would last.

I let my cynicism show when they invited several of us to dinner almost two months ago. It was my first real exposure to Mikhail, and I lost it. I told her in front of him and others, including Hoss, that it wouldn’t last and that he’d cheat on her before leaving. It was beyond shitty for a best friend to do that, I know, but it just came out. I let my personal feelings be reflected in their relationship.

Since that night, we have been slowly mending the riff I caused. She kept asking why I reacted that way, and I kept evading answering her. It hurt too much to explain, even to her. However, I’d watched the two of them since then, and I was ninety-nine percent sure I would have to eat my words. From everything I saw, Mikhail adored Tajah, and she had blossomed with him. I’d never seen her this happy.

“Cady, your next patient is here.” Dottie’s voice broke through my walk among my memories. I pulled myself together to answer her. I gave her a fake smile. Hopefully, she wouldn’t know it was fake. She was my assistant, but she’d only known me for a short while.

“That would be Butch, right?”

“Yes, it’s his annual physical and shots. His mom is very anxious for him.” She grinned. The reason was we all knew Mrs. Gains, Butch’s mom, was always anxious. She loved that dog and he was spoiled rotten. I already knew what I’d find, but I went anyway. I left my office.

“They’re in room two,” Dottie said helpfully .

“Thank you,” I told her as I quickly scanned his chart to refresh my memory. When I had everything I needed, I pasted on my smile and entered the room.

Mrs. G was sitting on a chair, holding Butch. I almost laughed at the sight. I was impressed. She was a petite woman, built like me, with a massive bulldog on her. He practically obscured her. The impressive part was the fact she’d been able to lift him. She was seventy and not used to lifting heavy things all day like I was.

“Oh, Dr. Anderson, I’m so glad you’re here. There’s something wrong with Butch. He doesn’t want to go for walks anymore. He sleeps all day and night. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. You have to fix him,” she said frantically.

I’d given up on her calling me Cady. Leaving that alone, I got to work. “Mrs. Gains, I’m sure it’s nothing too serious. Let me take Butch and put him on the table, then I can examine him,” I said kindly.

I hefted Butch up. Let me tell you, it was no small feat. He weighed a ton. Putting him down on my exam table, he sank into a lump and closed his eyes. As I performed my examination, he snored the ceiling down and never opened his eyes. I held in my chuckle. He was so funny and cute in a bulldog way. Mrs. Gains sat there wringing her hands the whole time. When I was done, I told her what I found.

“Mrs. Gains, the only thing I can find with Butch is he’s overeating. He’s put on three pounds. That’s too much. He was already overweight. The reason he’s tired and won’t walk is he’s too heavy. You must cut back his food and treats as much as it pains you. And making him walk will help him shed the extra weight. When that happens, he’ll become more energetic. ”

She’d been told repeatedly that he was obese, but she just kept feeding him. She gave me a pained look as she defended him with her usual excuse for his obesity.

“I can’t do that! He’s always starving, and he comes to me begging for food. I can’t say no, and he’s so sad when I do. I don’t want him to be hungry.”

“He won’t starve, and I doubt he’ll feel hungry. Most dogs have no off switch when it comes to food. They’ll eat regardless if they’re hungry. Butch is doing that. I promise you, cutting his food back won’t make him starve. It will extend his life. His heart and lungs sound good, but that can change. I’ll have the tech take some blood. He needs a couple of shots today. I’ll also have them give you a diet sheet for him. I want you to have Butch for as many years as possible,” I gently prompted her.

She gave a huge sigh, but she didn’t argue. Maybe this would be the time she’d follow the diet sheet. Every other time she received it, nothing was done other than we wasted paper. I gave Butch a good head rub and scratch, which he enjoyed. His snoring eased, and a content sigh came out. My tech came in and took over so I could move to the next patient.

Thankfully, my day was busy, and time passed quickly. I had little time to dwell on the robbery attempt or Hoss. I enjoyed my interactions with all my patients. Animals were so much more straightforward than humans. Give them love and attention, attend to their basic needs, and they give you love and affection back.

However, the day did eventually end, and when it did, my mind went to the break-in, which amped up my anxiety. Would the thieves try again tonight? If they did, how would I recover? I lucked out last night, and they didn’t have long to look. Why they didn’t grab equipment, I didn’t know. They could readily sell it. A lot of it wasn’t cheap. The answer was they weren’t here for those things. No, they wanted the drugs. I had pain meds, sedatives, and antibiotics, both in pill and injectable forms. All three were in demand and could be sold for much more than they cost. The only reason they didn’t get them was I was a paranoid person and insisted, before leaving every night, that all such medications were brought to my office and put in a hidden panel in the wall. Sometimes, my quirks paid off.

The few employees who were allowed to lock up, such as Dottie, were the only ones who knew the vault’s location, as I called it. They were given strict instructions not to talk about it to anyone, not even other staff. The reason for all of this secrecy was I’d seen what happened when drugs were stolen.

While interning as a vet, I worked with an older gentleman. He’d been a veterinarian for forty years. His knowledge was endless. He loved to teach, and I was given an amazing education. I was forever in his debt. The only thing he didn’t do was secure his medications enough. I’d questioned him when I started. I asked him why they were only locked in a glass case. Anyone could break in to get the drugs if they wanted them. The lock was a tiny, flimsy one, too.

Dr. Hamilton waved off my concern, stating he hadn’t had any issues in all the years he’d practiced. The clinic had locked outer doors and an alarm system. He assured me they were safe. It was as if fate decided to prove him wrong after I asked. Two months later, the clinic was broken into after hours. The men who did it were after the drugs .

Unfortunately, they had no clue the clinic wasn’t empty. Dr. Hamilton had stayed late to work on something. The robbers surprised him. Instead of tying up the old man and grabbing the stuff, they shot him and left him to bleed out on his office floor. Everyone was devastated. Police were frantically looking for the men. The security cameras captured video of them, though they wore masks. The police weren’t confident they’d catch them.

I didn’t know what made me do it, but I asked to watch the video. I was determined those bastards wouldn’t get away with what they did. I thought there might be a clue in the video to tell us who they were. I knew there was probably no hope in hell of there being one, but I asked anyway. I was shocked and so were the police when I found something. It was a tiny slipup, but in the end, it was enough to identify one of the two murderers and lead the cops to the second one. It came down to a tattoo.

One of the men’s sleeves inched up when he removed the medications from the case, and I saw his wrist. It had a distinct tattoo. It was some blue devil’s face with horns. I recognized it. A man had come in with his dog a couple of weeks before the incident. He said he was there because his dog wasn’t eating. When we finished our examination, nothing was found wrong with his dog. I remembered talking to him and asking where he got his ink. He told me somewhere in Ohio. When I saw the tat again in the video, I told the police I had the man’s name and address.

They were stunned that I remembered the tattoo and his name. I went into the office files to get his address for them. I explained that I had a thing for recalling things I read, and names always seemed to stick with me. It was enough for them to track him down, even though the address was fake. The dummy used his real name. Eventually, they found him, and pressure was applied to make a deal. If he gave them his accomplice, they’d reduce his sentence.

That had pissed me off. I knew it was essential to get them both off the streets, but to make a deal so a murderer wouldn’t spend his entire life in prison? It grated on me, but I had no say. In the end, both men were found, convicted, and sentenced—the one who didn’t make the deal got life without the possibility of parole. The dealmaker got twenty years and the possibility of parole. That was seven years ago. My secret prayer was they’d both die in there. Because of that horrible incident, I was extra careful in my clinic. I vowed it would never happen to me.

But here I sat, with dread building, as I worried it was happening and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. What if they kept coming back to search? Or what if they returned and decided to steal the equipment to make a buck?

Other than my brother and Tajah, I only cared about my clinic. Well, I take that back. I was inching toward caring for Mikhail. He made it hard not to with the way he doted on my best friend. As for my clinic, it was my baby. A lot of hard work, long hours, sacrifices, and tears had gone into this. My cell rang, catching me off guard. I jumped. It was lying on my desk. I picked it up and read Tajah’s name on the screen. Smiling, I answered it.

“Let me guess. You’re running away from Mikhail because he’s smothered you with too much love and attention, and you want to hide out at my place. What a bitch.”

Her laugh was a long one. I leaned back and waited. Finally, she settled. “No, I’m not running from Mikhail. My bed is more than great right where it is. Why did you call me a bitch, though?”

“Because you have him entranced, where every woman would die to have a man or a woman. We all hate you because you have what we want. Watch out. Someone might kill you to get him.”

“They already tried that, remember?” was her snappy comeback.

“Fuck, I guess so. Shit, it seems like forever since that crazy bitch went after the two of you. Have you heard anything about her, by chance?”

“Laura is still in the mental hospital, and from what Mikhail has told me, she won’t ever be let out. She tried to strangle an orderly and knife a doctor to get free. Hopefully, she’s the last obsessed person we have to deal with. Unless you want to attempt to take him.” There was amusement in her voice. She knew I would do no such thing.

“Taj, there’s no way I’d go for your man. He’s great and all, but not my type.”

“Hmm, yeah, you’re right. He’s not your type. Now, if he were like Hoss, you’d be all over him,” she slyly added.

I wasn’t about to get into Hoss with her. He mixed me up too much to try to sort him out. “In your dreams. Hoss is a chauvinist who thinks that because he’s a man and the size of a mountain, he can boss people around, especially women. Well, I have news for him—not this woman. I need that like I need another hole in my head. ”

“Hoss is nothing like that, Cady. He’s a great guy and smart. You shouldn’t dismiss him. He’s not a chauvinist.” There was no teasing in her voice.

“Taj, whether he’s one or not, it has nothing to do with me. I’m not looking to hook up with someone. I told you. I’m better off alone. I need to concentrate on building my business.”

“What about a family? You’ve always wanted a husband and kids.”

“I did, but it may not be for me. Not everyone settles down and has kids. If I don’t, I’ll just live vicariously through you. Yours will become mine. I’ll be the cool, fun, and understanding aunt who sides with the kids and makes you and Mikhail insane.” I said it jokingly, but inside, my heart hurt. I wanted a family as much as I did my clinic, maybe more.

“Cady, you know that’s not true, not for you. Please, don’t give up hope. There’s someone perfect for you out there, and I’m positive you’ll find him. But only if you don’t close yourself off from the prospect of it. I know you’ve been hurt more than once. Forget those fuckers. Keep your heart open. You have so much love to give,” she said softly. There was no teasing in her voice. Tears smarted my eyes. We had to get off this subject before I burst into tears.

“Alright, alright, I won’t close myself off. Hey, I hate to rush, but I’m finishing up work. Was there a reason you called other than you wanted to hear my voice? If you’re not looking for a place to stay, I don’t know if I can help you.” I made it sound like I was kidding again. I didn’t want to get into the deep emotional shit.

“I called to see if you were doing okay. It’s after five. You shouldn’t still be at the clinic. Please tell me you’re not there alone.”

“Tajah, I’m fine. I have everything locked, the alarm is set, and I have all the lights on. Only an idiot would try to break in here with all that. Whoever it was, they’ve moved on. I had a busy day and needed to catch up on my notes and do a couple of things.”

“You can write your notes at home on your laptop. I know it ties into your system. And anything else can be done before you open. You have staff to do those things. I don’t think you should be there alone anymore.” Her worry was coming through the phone.

“Taj, stop it. I’m fine. And I don’t want you calling Carver or telling that man of yours to check on me. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. I love you and thank you for worrying about me, but I’m good. Now, I’ve gotta go. Love and kisses,” I told her hastily.

She sighed before answering back. “Love and kisses. Be safe. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t. Go sex up that man of yours or something. Remember, you’re getting sex for the both of us.” That made her laugh before we said goodbye and hung up.

It took me almost half an hour after talking to Tajah to get my mind back in the game to chart. While I waited to get there mentally, I puttered around the clinic, cleaned things up, and ensured all the examination rooms were stocked for the next day’s work. I’d been seated at my computer for maybe twenty minutes when there was a loud pounding at the front door—not a knock, but an actual pounding. My heart jumped, and I gasped, fright filling me until my brain kicked in. A robber wouldn’t knock first, Cady. Think. Maybe someone saw the lights and stopped to ask for directions or something. It had happened in the past, and once, a woman who ran from her boyfriend. She was trying to hide from him and asked me to let her do it in the clinic. You better believe I did.

With those in mind, I got up and went to the front. I couldn’t see outside. Our door was solid, and the windows that faced the front of the building had the shades drawn. The thought of someone outside in the dark watching me freaked me out. Closing the blinds was a must when I was here alone. I stood on the other side of the door and waited. I jumped like an idiot when the pounding happened again. Only this time, it was followed by a voice. A deep, masculine voice that I recognized.

“Cady, I know you’re in there. Open the damn door. I need to know you’re safe,” he hollered.

His bossy tone put up my back, and I didn’t think, so I reacted. I unlocked and then yanked the door open. Hoss stood there towering over me, but I didn’t care. I blocked the doorway, although it was ridiculous. My tiny body would be nothing for him to walk through. However, I still did it. I scowled as I looked up a long way at him. He was frowning as he met my gaze. I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. I went on the attack.

“Who do you think you are? Coming to my work, making a racket, and yelling for me to open up. I have news for you. You’re not my goddamn boss!” I snarled.

“You wanna do this out where anyone can hear us, or can I come in and we’ll fight in private?” he asked calmly. I would’ve sworn the way his mouth was twisted that he was trying not to laugh. But what was there to laugh about ?

“No, you need to leave. Then there’s no need for you to come in or for us to stand out here. You’ve seen me. I’m great. Tell Tajah I’m beating her ass the next time I see her for calling you.” The sneaky shit went to him. Next time, I’d have to tell her not to tell Hoss. Wait a minute. There wouldn’t be a next time.

Arguing with myself and having conversations in my head was a habit from childhood. One I tried to work on but to no avail. It caused me to wait too long. As I went to tell him to leave a second time, Hoss took it upon himself to take the decision out of my hands. He stepped closer, reached out, and lifted me off my feet. He walked me inside, then kicked back his foot to snag and close the door.

This set me off. I wiggled hard, hoping he’d let go. Nope. So, I kicked out. I caught him in the shin, right below his knee. He grunted, but the ass didn’t drop me. He kept walking and carrying me along.

“Hoss, put me down! I swear to God, if you don’t, I’m going to hurt you,” I hissed.

“You’re cute, like a hissing, spitting kitten. You know, the kind that you just want to pet even if they’re acting like a rascal. You know, if they’d just let you pet them, they’d calm down.” The son of a bitch had the audacity to grin.

“Try to pet me and see what happens. I’ll scratch your eyes out and bite your hand off,” I growled.

“Don’t make promises you won’t keep. If you promise, I expect you to carry through. You can try to bite and scratch me if you want. I’ll love correcting your behavior.” He winked at me.

I didn’t know what to say to this. Any other guy who I let loose on usually yelled back and then would storm out. After a few times of that, they’d get the message and stop. It worked well when the guy was someone who merely irritated you. It sucked when the guy was someone you were in a relationship with. Hence, this was why I was single and doomed to remain that way. It took a moment for it to register after my feet were placed back on the floor that he’d toted me all the way to my office.

“I need you to behave and stay here. I’ll be back. I just need to lock the door,” he advised me. He didn’t wait to hear my answer before turning and walking out.

In a blink, I hurried to my desk. I’d grab my purse and phone, then slip out the back door through the kennel area. There were no animals to worry about giving away my presence tonight. I made it halfway to my office door before he filled it. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a stern look.

I was momentarily distracted from fleeing by how that pose struck me. It made his already massive upper body and arms seem to double. The bulging muscles made me want to moan and touch him. I was snapped out of my daze by his words.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like, big man? Don’t you know what a woman leaving looks like? You should. I bet enough have left you. Only they were probably way less dressed. That must be why you don’t recognize it,” I snarked back.

His left eyebrow hiked up. Instead of getting angry, he calmly asked, “Would you like to try to answer me again?”

His calmness and the way he subtly demanded me to have enough guts to stick to my remark or back down and change it made a tiny thrill race through me. I didn’t know why, but I knew I wasn’t backing down.

“Nope. I thought I was speaking English, but let me slow it down for you. I leave. Woman go. Not you.” I said it slowly.

It was a mix of someone talking to someone dumber than a rock and someone who thinks talking slowly and using few words with someone whose primary language wasn’t English. I thought it was ignorant and insulting when everyday people did it, but it was fun to use it against him this way. I knew he was far from stupid. Tajah told me he was brilliant. I braced for him to explode and make threats or storm out. Instead, he raised his brow higher. There was something sexy about it.

“Keep it up and see what happens, Tiny.” His commanding tone, with that hint of risk and pledge mixed, made me shiver inside. I had to fight not to let him see it. God, what was wrong with me? Shut up, get him out of here, and then go home! I lectured myself.

“I thought I told you to stop calling me Tiny, Supersize.”

He smirked. “Supersized is right. Everything I have is. Glad you noticed.”

A heat flash made me feel like I was sweating. There was no mistaking what he meant. I wasn’t able to stop myself from glancing down at his crotch. As I did, he chuckled, and I gasped. He was sporting an enormous bulge, Like if his cock was even close to that big, it was a monster. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. The thought of him having a jumbo cock filled me with trepidation and exhilaration. I scrambled to regain my senses and to respond to his comment .

“Just what I thought. You’re so insecure that you have to stuff socks in your pants. How sad.”

“Imp, I don’t need to boost my assets falsely. I can show you if you want.” He reached down and put his hand on the belt of his slacks. He was dressed in what had to have been a complete suit earlier in the day, but his jacket was gone, and so was his tie. The top two buttons were undone, and the sleeves were rolled up his forearms.

I threw up my hand. “Stop! Enough. What are you doing here, Hoss? Tajah sent you, didn’t she? I don’t need someone babysitting me or breathing down my neck. I’ve worked here plenty of nights until very late and been fine. Go home. She shouldn’t have made you do this.” Things were becoming dangerous—it was time to get back on track.

“I came to check that you were safe. Tajah didn’t send me. Mikhail asked if I was close and, if so, if I’d do it. I was, so I did. And you being here in the past wasn’t smart, but it’s twice as risky when this place was broken into last night. Damn it, Cady, whoever did it, could decide to come back tonight! Do you think the fact you’re here will stop them? They could break in and beat, rape, kidnap, or kill you! Do you understand that? No money or stuff is worth your safety or life.” There was no playfulness in his tone anymore. It was hard and insistent. He wasn’t happy.

“I’m more familiar with what could happen than you are. However, this is my livelihood. I can’t avoid it as soon as it gets dark. I have to stay over sometimes. When animals are here overnight, I must check on them to ensure they’re doing alright. If I have an extremely sick one, I stay to watch over them. I’m here all the time alone. Whoever broke in would be absolute imbeciles to do it again, especially the night after they did it the first time. I’ll call Tajah and Mikhail and tell them not to ask you to do this again. Thank you for being such a good friend to them. Now, you need to go so I can finish up.”

“What did you mean when you said you’re more familiar with what could happen than I am? Has something like this happened to you here before? Taj didn’t mention it.”

“Nothing happened here. Tajah is my best friend, but we don’t live in each other’s pockets. The longer you stay here yapping, the longer I’ll have to stay after you leave. I have to get my documentation done on all my patients from today. Tomorrow is another full day.”

Thank God he had let his hand drop away from his belt, but he moved closer. I had to force myself not to step back. He stopped when he was only a couple of feet away. He was studying me intently. I put on my best bland look. The silence stretched. I was about to break it when he did.

“One day, I promise you, you’ll trust me, and I’ll know all your secrets. Until next time, Cady. Don’t stay too late. Be alert when you go to your car.”

I was at a loss for words about the secrets and trust part, so I ignored them. “I’ll be careful. Good night, Hoss.”

We were moving swiftly from my office to the front door as I answered him. When we got to it, he unlocked it and opened it. He stepped outside and then swung around to face me. “Good night, darlin’.”

And just like that, he strolled off. I watched as he got into a gorgeous sports car. It was so him. I had no idea how he fit in it, but he did. I admired the car. When he started the engine, I waved, shut the door, and locked it. My desire to stay and work was gone, but I had to remain for a little bit. If I didn’t, I would feel like Hoss had won, and that wasn’t happening. Moving back to my office, I made myself sit at my desk and work. I’d worry about Hoss and chew Tajah out later.