Page 7 of All I Want Is Love
Now, no one cares. Least of all me. I just brush my teeth, wash my face and don’t even comb my hair. I use my fingers to brush through it. Then I grab a pair of jeans and a warm sweater.
Oh, right, Soren told me not to forget my warm, winter jacket.
When I step outside, Soren is leaning against the wall, Barkley sitting next to him like the bestest boy he is, wagging his tail when he spots me.
“Here you are,” Soren smiles. “That was fast. Did you bring his leash?”
“Leash?”
Oh, damn!
I return to my apartment and grab Barkley’s leash, plus the small bag of treats and anything else that might come in handy.
Once outside, Soren shows me his warm smile again, which makes me feel flustered all over. I put Barkley on his leash, so he won’t jump at every pedestrian in his overexcitement. My brain has difficulties processing this morning, making it quite difficult to believe that I am here outside now with Soren and my pup. I am still ogling Soren in awe when he hands me a still-warm cup of coffee.
God, yes! Exactly what I need!
*SOREN*
Aspen’s little brother accepts the coffee and takes a huge gulp, eyes shining happily. I love that I just got him in a moment when his guard was down. I only met him yesterday, but so far it’s obvious he is reluctant to talk to anyone or even look at them for too long. All in all, he seems to be so quiet and often far away with his thoughts. Robin is often somewhere in the clouds withhis thoughts, too, but it doesn’t look like Leo is daydreaming… more like he is dissociating.
My chest churns slightly.
“Thank you for the coffee,” he says after a while, casting me a careful gaze. He has these deep blue eyes, bluer than Aspen’s, and a beautiful, soft face. His hair is a light shade of brown, and he clearly looks like he just got up. He seems to have his guard down more in the morning when he is still sleepy.
Adorable.
I tear my gaze away. It’s not the right time to stare. “I am sorry for dropping by unannounced, but I wanted to check on you and Barkley.”
“It’s fine. I needed to take Barkley for a walk anyway.” He pauses. “I am not a morning person.”
“I figured.” I grin.
“I used to be up early. It’s because…” He stops his sentence abruptly and doesn’t finish it. “I really should consider Barkley more. He needs his morning walk.”
I chuckle. “His breed is quite the chilled one. He won’t mind much if you walk him later.”
“Still, it’s not good…” he says, again not finishing his sentence.
“I don’t mind picking you and Barkley up for a walk each morning,” I offer.
He turns to look at me, his eyes wide in surprise. Cute that this is what got me a reaction. “I am sure you are busy. Aspen told me you are a vet. I couldn’t possibly stop you from work.”
“You wouldn’t,” I assure him. “I open later, and I have an assistant. As for emergencies, I always have my phone with me. This is a small town; most of the time, I need to drive to reach my patients.”
“Barkley was your patient, right?”
“Yes, his owners got him as a birthday present for their child, but once he grew out of his puppy phase, they realized he is toobig and too much work for their liking.” I can’t help but sound annoyed. People buying pets as presents is one of my major grievances.
“People suck sometimes,” Leo says quietly. “They just take what they want from you.” Before I can inquire further, he touches Barkley’s head softly. “He is the sweetest, and not just a random toy.”
“So, what do you say? Tomorrow at the same time?” I can see him struggle with my offer. While I am not so sure why, I don’t want to push it on him too much. “You don’t need to say yes,” I reassure him. “It’s really just an offer. I am going on a walk during that time of day anyway.”
It seems like my words just put him at ease. “Is that true?”
“Yes, it’s my daily workout,” I chuckle. “Though it’s barely enough to stay fit.”
His gaze moves from my face to my chest before he draws it away, clearly flustered. Okay, heissweet. I am not surprised by how overprotective Aspen is.
