Page 38 of Keeping Kaitlyn

The dog chuffs quietly before rolling his gaze away from his mistress to watch me suspiciously with ice-blue eyes.

“Went, this is Mook,” Kait says without looking at me. “Mook, this is my friend, Went.” When the dog keeps staring at me, Kait sighs. “Don’t be like that—say hi.”

Still eyeing me like he wants to know what my leg tastes like, Mook lifts his paw. When I don’t take it after a second or two, he cocks his head at me, his expression so clear, I can practically hear it.The fuck? Are we shakin’ or what?

Stepping away from the elevator, I drop into a crouch next to Kait and take his paw while the elevator doors slide closed behind me. Giving the paw in my hand a shake, I let it go with anice to meet you.

Mook licks his chops before dismissing me completely to focus his attention on his mistress, waiting for his reward for not eating me.

“Don’t let him scam you. He just went out,” Ryan says, still standing in the doorway, watching us with the samecan I bite him?expression as the dog. Ryan and I have always had arocky relationship—probably because he thought I had a thing for Grace and I never did or said anything to make him think otherwise. Matter of fact, I can think of more than one occasion when I just made it worse. “He should be good until morning.”

“Thank you for keeping him for me,” Kait offers him a smile that twists my guts into angry knots because even though I know that Ryan is completely gone for Grace, and Kait took away my right to feel jealous over her years ago, I still feel it. I still want to punch him in the face when he smiles back.

Like he can read my mind, the dog in front of Kait looks at me and licks his chops again.

“You put up with my cranky ass and my crazy kids, day in and day out—the least I can do is watch your dog.” Shifting his gaze from Kait to me, the smile falters. “’Night, Ritchie Rich.”

Whether Kait heard it or not, I heard it loud and clear.

You got her home safe, now get the fuck out.

“Goodnight, Kait.” Under the watchful eye of both her guard dogs, I hold my hand out to her. When she takes it, I stand, pulling her up with me as I go. “It was nice to meet you.”

“Goodnight.” Kait nods her head, a nervous smile pushing at the corners of her mouth. “Thank you for bringing me home.”

“Thank you for letting me tattoo you.” Turning away from her, I punch the call button for the elevator before turning back at her. “Make sure you cross it off your bucket list.”

Eyes wide, Kait’s mouth opens but before she can say anything, I give into the urge that’s been stalking me since she walked into my shop and fucked everything up. Careful to go slow, so I don’t get mauled by either of her guard dogs, I lift a hand and slip it around the back of her neck, thumb skimming up the length of her throat to press against the underside of her chin. Tipping it up to angle her mouth under mine, I lean down and make the second biggest mistake of my life.

I kiss her.

The second I feel her mouth under mine, I want more. I want to push my tongue past her lips. I want to lick and taste every part of her I can reach. because when I’m touching her, I forget. When I’m kissing her, I can forgive her.

Iwantto forgive her.

I want to pretend that the last six years never happened. That she never left. That she didn’t just use me for a few weeks’ worth of orgasms and the chance to escape the life her asshole father was trying to force her into.

Pulling back before I forget we have an audience, I let out a shaky breath. “Do you want to have dinner tomorrow night?”

Gaze stuck to my mouth, Kait’s brow furrows like she doesn’t understand the question. I don’t blame her. Five minutes ago, I was reminding her that I hate her and now here I am, kissing her and asking her out on a date. I’m just as confused as she is. “You work.”

Shit, she’s right—I work the door at Gilroy’s on Saturday nights and she does the Gilroy family dinner thing on Sundays.

“Okay—Monday,” I say, bobbing my head. “Do you want to have dinnerMondaynight?”

Still confused, Kait nods. “Yes.”

Relieved, even though I’ve just made things a million times worse, I smile. “Give me your phone.”

Looking up at me with a nod, Kaitlyn fumbles her phone out of her back pocket and offers it to me. Taking it from her, I add my number to her contacts, sending myself a quick text before handing it back to her. “I’ll text you so we can sort out the details.” Forcing myself away from her, I drop my hand to look down at the dog who’s managed to wedge himself between us. “Nice to meet you, Mook.” Looking up, I aim my gaze down the hall to the man who’s still standing in his doorway, waiting for me to leave. “Later, Soldier Boy.” Flipping Ryan the bird, I back myself onto the elevator and leave while I still can.

TWENTY-ONE

KAITLYN

Since my workschedule doesn’t care what time I finally fell asleep last night, the alarm on my phone goes off at 5AM like it always does.

As soon as it starts squawking, Mook lets out an aggrieved groan before burying his nose in my armpit so he can roll me toward my nightstand—his signal forshut that thing up, I’m sleeping.

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