I cringed at the way she talked to him like a baby. He was a manly dog, and he deserved to be treated as such. But Storm didn’t seem to mind being coddled.
“Why did you bring her along?” I hissed, leaning over to Sinner.
“Bring her?” he snorted. “Nobody brings Claire along. She just sort of jumped in and came along for the ride. She’s getting to be just as bad as Freckles, and if it weren’t for the fact that she’s pregnant, you’d have two women in this SUV instead of one.”
“Yeah, but…” I glanced in the back at the crazy woman. “I mean, she’s not exactly useful in a deadly situation.”
Sinner’s eyes met mine in amusement. “It’s cute that you think that. But sure, I’ll go along with your theory.”
My seat jerked forward as Derek slammed against it again. “Would you stop it! He’s going to give you rabies!”
“He is not. Look, he’s harmless!”
“Storm is not harmless,” I chuckled. “You should have seen him rip that guy’s head off.”
“Storm?” Sinner asked, giving me an odd look. “You named him after Storm?”
“What was I supposed to name him? Tacos? He needed a badass name. Look at him. He’s a beast.”
“You could have named him Sinner,” he muttered. “Am I not formidable enough for you?”
“I didn’t name him after Storm. The name just came to me.”
“Right,” he snorted. “Like I believe that.”
“It’s the truth,” I argued.
Derek pushed himself into the center console, his back nearly hitting the gearshift. “This fucking dog is trying to kill me! Iswear to God, I’m gonna drop you at Tahoe and find the Donner Party!”
“I’m pretty sure they’re all dead by now.”
His gaze snapped to mine in anger. “Switch seats with me.”
A grin slipped over my lips. “Are you afraid of him?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in his voice, and while I was enjoying the show, even I could admit that Storm was a lot to take in the first time you met him. “Fine. Pull over, Sinner.”
“Pull over here? On the side of a mountain road? Did you want to get killed?”
“No, what I want is for everyone to stop getting so worked up over my dog.”
Derek jabbed a finger in Storm’s direction. “That thing is not a dog!”
“Whatever.”
“A wolf, Rob. A fucking wolf!”
He yelped when Storm snapped at him again for swearing.
“You could have gotten a normal dog or a kitten, but no, you had to get a wolf!” He leaned in close, narrowing his eyes at me. “Did you ever think of just getting a girlfriend?”
My mind immediately flashed to Crystal and how amazing she was in bed, but since she kicked me out, I’d have to settle for rushing in to save her life. Maybe I’d get to sleep with her again.
“Geez, you’re such a baby,” Sinner grumbled, pulling to the side of the road as the semi behind us slammed on the horn. “Hey, it wasn’t my idea!” he shouted at the driver.
Getting out, I switched with Derek, grinning when Storm snapped at his coat just as he got out. Rubbing behind his ears, I praised the gray wolf. “Good boy. You’re such a good boy.”