Renegade Millionaire by Kristi Gold Page B

his jacket and hung it over the banister. He scratched the head of the monstrosity with heavy jowls and pointy ears. “Gabby, this is Joanna. Joanna, my roommate, Gabby.”
    Joanna wasn’t sure whether to be really angry or really relieved. “Very funny. I thought you meant you lived with—”
    â€œA woman. I know, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about residing with an overgrown lapdog.” Rio tried to affect little-boy innocence with a shrug, but it was loston Joanna due to his toxic smile, the snug fit of his long-sleeved white thermal shirt and soft, washed jeans that molded him in all the right places, leaving no doubt he was all man.
    She looked down at the dog, whose tongue hung out one side of her mouth, her head cocked as if totally enthralled by her master. Joanna couldn’t blame her. The doctor made her want to pant and fawn, but she sure as heck wouldn’t do that.
    Joanna clutched the hangers to her chest when Gabby cautiously moved to sniff her feet. At least the dog’s tail was wagging, a good thing, Joanna decided, considering the size of the canine’s teeth.
    Uncertain what to do next, Joanna said, “Hey, Gabby.”
    As if totally disinterested in Joanna’s greeting, the dog turned her attention back to her master with a look that could best be described as love-struck.
    â€œI found her on the side of the road about three years ago,” Rio said, scratching Gabby behind the ears. “She was starved, I think maybe even beaten. It took me a year to get her to trust me and not to cower.”
    Obviously Rio Madrid made it a habit to pick up distressed females. “She looks healthy now. And big.”
    â€œShe’s a big baby.” Rio pointed at the floor. “Stay.” Gabby tucked her tail between her legs and stretched out on the black Oriental rug at the foot of the stairs, her head resting on crossed paws.
    Joanna suspected that many females, regardless of their species, would gladly drop to the ground in answer to his command. Not this female. Joanna was stronger than that. At least she hoped so, although at times she greatly questioned her strength in his presence. Especially now.
    Rio gestured toward the staircase. “You, Ms. Blake, may come with me.”
    Joanna silently followed behind him trying hard to avert her gaze from the roll of his narrow hips as he took the stairs with a long stride. Even when they arrived on the second floor, she couldn’t seem to stop looking, imagining, remembering the night he’d kissed her, the night he’d taken off his shirt at her apartment. And that tattoo. Below that tattoo…
    â€œMy bedroom’s down there.” Rio pointed to his left.
    â€œReally?” Joanna’s voice sounded high-pitched and scratchy.
    â€œYeah. Do you want to see it?”
    She didn’t dare. “Maybe later.” Maybe never, if she knew what was best for her.
    He gestured in the opposite direction. “There’re two baths and three other smaller rooms at the other end.”
    â€œWhat’s in those other rooms?”
    â€œNot much. One’s my office, the other two have a few odds and ends, but no real furniture to speak of.”
    â€œOh. So where am I staying?”
    â€œRight this way.” He crossed the hall and opened a door that led to another stairwell enclosed by narrow walls. “Be careful,” he said over one shoulder as he began to climb the steps. “It’s pretty steep.”
    Joanna made sure to concentrate on her footing, not Rio Madrid’s finer points, as she scaled the stairs. She’d hate to have to explain that she’d taken a tumble while shamelessly staring at his butt.
    At the top of the staircase, he opened another door and stepped inside the room. Joanna could only gape once she entered behind him. The whole area was swathed in sunlight spilling from the triple windows. The four-poster white canopy, covered in