It was really annoying.
“Come on, kitty,” Dell said. “Trust me.”
Jade could have told her not to bother resisting, that she’d cave eventually. They always did. It was because Dell was the genuine deal, and animals could see that. Animals meant everything to him. While women flocked to him like bees to honey, she’d never seen him put his personal life ahead of his work. It was really a fascinating paradox. The gorgeous man could have anyone he wanted, and yet he didn’t seem to want much more than what he had. A successful animal center, a few close friends, and speed-dial to the pizza joint.
Jade knew that she tended to shut people out and keep them at a distance. Dell did, too, but he went about it differently, making himself available to everything and everyone . . . while keeping it all shallow.
He didn’t take anything too seriously, especially women.
But the kitten continued to stare at Dell with a heartbreaking defiance that Jade recognized from every time she looked into the mirror.
Gertie whined and wagged her tail, sweeping the floor with each pass, hopeful to make a new friend.
Wasn’t going to happen.
“Okay, how about this,” Dell said. “Come out and I’ll buy you dinner.”
The kitten didn’t blink.
“Losing your touch,” Jade murmured, sorting files.
Dell flashed her a smile that said As if, and her nipples hardened. Which meant he was right—he wasn’t losing his touch. Not even close.
Dell eyed the unhappy kitten and wished she could talk to him. He wished the same thing about his enigmatic receptionist behind him.
Jade was working her computer with her usual slightly OCD efficiency, which was in complete opposition to her eye-popping green fuzzy angora sweater that reminded him of a lollipop. A lollipop with really great breasts. Peanut the parrot was perched on the printer at her right. Both Peanut and Gertie were part of Belle Haven, and since Belle Haven was Dell’s large animal clinic, the animals and everything in the place belonged to him. Well, except Jade.
Jade belonged to no one.
“From what I can gather,” she said, eyes still on her keyboard, “the kitten was deserted at some point during the mob of the free vaccine clinic this afternoon. And,” she added in the same conversational tone, “if I figure out who did such a thing, I’m going to shoot them.”
Nothing reached Dell’s hard-shelled, softhearted receptionist faster than a neglected or abused animal.
Something they had in common.
“We’ll find her a home,” he assured her, looking the kitten in the eyes. “Promise. Now how about it, you, ready to come out yet?”
“Ready to come out!” Peanut chirped, doing her best imitation of Dell’s low-pitched voice.
Dell didn’t take his eyes from the kitten. “I know, you’ve had a majorly sucky day. Come tell me all your troubles.”
“Does that actually ever work for you?” Jade asked.
“Shh, you,” he said, and keeping his movements light and easy, he reached beneath the chair. “Come on, beautiful.”
“Mew,” said the kitten.
“Mew,” said Peanut.
“It’s all going to be okay,” Dell assured the cat. “No one’s going to hurt you.”
When the kitten just stared at him, Dell slowly slid his hand beneath her belly, which was nearly concave. Her ribs were so prominent he could have counted them, which pissed him off, but though she growled and let out one last protesting “mew,” she let him pull her from beneath the chair without slicing him raw with her claws. “Good girl,” he murmured, holding her against his chest and scratching her beneath the chin.
She watched him very carefully, but it was as if she knew that he knew. Hell, maybe abandoned souls recognized abandoned souls, he wasn’t sure, but she slowly relaxed until finally, unable to resist the gentle scratching, she even closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.
“Yeah, there you go,” he said quietly. “Lifting his head, he flashed a grin at Jade. “If only your species were as easy.”
“We both know that for you they are.” She shook her head. “And that should be illegal.”
“What?” he asked innocently. “Sweet-talking a p—”
“If you say pussy,” she warned. “I’ll make sure that tomorrow you’ll be up to your eyeballs in vaccines and wellpuppy checkups from sunup until sundown.”
“I like puppies.”
“Scratch the puppies. Did I say puppies? I meant analgland expressing. I’ll find every large animal in Sunshine who needs it done and book them, just for you.”
Dell laughed. She did that a lot, his stalwart, snarky, razor-tongued receptionist. Made him laugh.