Her expression immediately softening, Ashlyn knelt down next to a kennel with a small beagle inside. The dog didn’t appear to be sure about what was happening but he was a happy little tyke, his tail wagging nervously as he pranced on his paws. “This is Clyde. He’s a one-year-old beagle mix. He’s good with kids and other dogs. He’s housebroken and knows a few beginner commands. Would you like to meet him?”
I almost said yes but then out of the corner of my eye I spied inside the kennel next door. What looked to be a yellow Lab had pressed himself against the back of his cage, his head down. His entire body language was one of defeat and it made me unutterably sad to see this guy so depressed. Unlike the other dogs in this room who were barking and jumping around for attention, begging to go home with me, he’d given up.
“Who’s that?”
“That’s Sam,” she said so softly I could barely hear her over the din. From the look on her face, she was as heartbroken about this sweet canine as I was. “He’s a yellow Lab about six months old.”
I scooted closer to his kennel and Sam responded by whining and trying to make himself as small as possible. “How did he get here? Was he a stray?”
There were tears in Ashlyn’s eyes and she sniffled a few times. Yep, she was a softie and I couldn’t help but like her all the more for it. There was something about an animal lover that I couldn’t resist and this one didn’t just pay lip service to it. She volunteered her scarce free time to help them. It made my check look pretty pitiful.
“He was surrendered by his family last week and he’s taking it hard. They said he was too active and too much work. I have a feeling he chewed on things and wanted to play all the time. Also, he’s not completely housebroken either, so he probably had accidents.”
If you weren’t ready for some pee and poop in your life, don’t get a pet or have a baby. That was my motto and I’d learned it from my mom and dad. Wise people. Personally, cleaning up potty accidents didn’t bother me. Sam was probably a great dog but thought it was all his fault that he’d been dumped here. He’d need time, patience, and love.
“I’d like to take a closer look at Sam.”
* * *
Ashlyn
I carried Sam’s trembling body from his kennel and into the adoption area, stroking his silky fur and trying to soothe him as best as I could. He was nervous and didn’t know what was happening and my heart broke for the little pup. He was so confused, sad, and lonely. The volunteers here could only do so much for him. What he needed was a home.
The adoption area was where visitors could interact more freely with the prospective adoptee. The room wasn’t huge, about nine by nine but it had toys for the dogs to play with and some soft cushions for us to sit on. Sam, however, ignored all of the toys and simply sat where I’d placed him, on an overstuffed pillow, his wet nose tucked under a paw.
My throat clogged with emotion as Kyle immediately dropped down to the floor and simply sat by Sam, stroking his fur and crooning softly to him about what a good boy he was. He didn’t try to pick him up or make Sam do anything that he wasn’t ready for. They both just sat there and got to know one another while I watched.
And reevaluated Kyle Lewis.
Because anyone who could be that sweet and gentle with a scared animal wasn’t the monster I thought he was. He was no Darth Vader, Joker, or Kahn. He wasn’t even Eddie Haskell. He was decent man who was trying to build a building on a spot that I didn’t agree with. Shelby had a point. I could like someone and not agree with them on every little thing.
“I didn’t thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful.”
Kyle smiled and leaned a little closer to Sam’s ear. “Did you hear that, Sam? The lady liked the flowers.”
“They were so exotic I didn’t even know what most of them were. I think one was a tiger lily.”
“It was. I’m just glad you liked them.”
“I did. Thank you.”
He scratched Sam behind the ear and the puppy whined, moving a little closer and placing his head on Kyle’s thigh. The Lab looked up at him with those big brown eyes, so soulful and expressive. Sam recognized that this man was kind, even though the world hadn’t been for the canine lately. It looked like this relationship might work out. Sam was in desperate need of love and Kyle could provide it.
“You’re a good boy, aren’t you? Yes, you are.”
Sam was getting the idea that this situation was good, not bad. He’d crawled closer to Kyle and was now almost sitting on his lap. Kyle reached for a ball, shaking it so it made a ringing sound.
“Do you like to play, Sam?” he asked. The Lab had turned on his back for a belly rub which Kyle was happy to give. “Do you want to play ball?”
The answer was no. Sam was quite content to lie there and get his belly scratched and Ashlyn couldn’t blame him. She was fascinated watching Kyle’s capable hand stroke the dog’s fur and imagining her own skin under those fingertips.
Stop. Just stop. This room is getting hot.
I tugged at the collar of my button-down flannel that I’d thrown on over a t-shirt. Since when did Nat keep the furnace up so high? I was roasting in here and far too young for hot flashes. My gaze landed on Kyle, who was now kissing Sam on the snout and getting licks on the cheek in return.
This is all his fault.
I might be immune to watching a man be sweet to a puppy or a baby, but my hormones weren’t. He was killing me here and I couldn’t take much more of it.
“So what’s the verdict?”
The words came out loud. Far louder than I’d intended them to, although they would have been fine in the main kennel with a dozen barking dogs. Here in the quiet sanctuary they felt incredibly out of place. If Kyle thought I was acting strangely though, he was too well brought up to say anything. Instead, he cradled Sam’s large puppy body in his arms like an infant, giving scratches behind the ear, much to the canine’s delight.
“I think we’ve found a winner here,” Kyle replied, barely able to take his eyes off of Sam. I felt a twinge of jealousy that no man had even looked at me like this one was looking at this dog, but then I gave myself an internal scolding because this was a wonderful turn of events. Sam was going to have a home. It wouldn’t be my house but surely Kyle would have a good setup.
I needed to ask him a few questions before we sealed the deal, however. As a volunteer, the wellbeing of these animals was in my care and I didn’t let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry come in here and adopt one.
“You said you had a big yard for Sam to play in?”
“I do. I’ll need to puppy-proof the house, of course, put away my shoes and anything else he might chew but there’s plenty of room for him to grow and play.”
“What about when you go to work? Will someone check in on him? He’s not fully grown yet and he won’t be able to hold it all day yet.”
“He won’t be home all day alone. He’ll go with me, although right now I am working from home. And to anticipate your next question, he’ll travel with me if at all possible. If not, I’ll get a pet sitter.”
I couldn’t seem to control my mouth today and the next sentence came tumbling out before I could stop it.
“Maybe your girlfriend could watch him while you travel.”
Finally dragging his attention from Sam, he gave me an evil grin. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Yet.”
There was admiration in his gaze and I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks and a few other places. The room had been hot before but now it was blazing. He could go from doting daddy to sex on a stick in three-point-five seconds. The man was lethal, and he was definitely aware of it.
I needed an icy blast of cool air and maybe a dunk in the frozen lake in the local park.
I reached out to give Sam a pet and at the same time Kyle moved his hand, so our fingers brushed briefly. Sparks. Lightning. Electricity. I swear that we both jumped at the contact, it was that intense.
“Well…I’ll go get the paperwork for the ado
ption.”
“Okay, should I wait here or come with you?”
I hadn’t moved and my limbs didn’t seem to want to.
“Uh, wait here. I’ll bring the forms to you.”
My legs finally took direction from my brain and I stood, my knees like jelly. It took every ounce of concentration I had to walk to the door without collapsing.
“So I’ll be right back.”
“Me and Sam will wait here for you.”
The Lab wagged his tail upon hearing his name. He was going home. And me?
I was clearly losing my mind.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ashlyn
Kyle’s home was a regular suburban house with a two-car garage and an expansive backyard. There were no gates at the entrance, no butler opening the door, and no cold and impersonal metal building. The furnishings were comfortable and probably expensive but not obvious and lavish. It was in a word…normal.
I hadn’t planned on ever seeing his home, but when we’d finished his paperwork Nat had asked me to go with Kyle and give him a hand getting setup with his new companion. This wasn’t our usual protocol, but he’d just written a six-figure check so she wanted the VIP treatment for him. Kyle hadn’t realized he would find the one today and didn’t have any supplies. So with a loaner leash and collar on Sam, the three of us stopped at the nearest pet store, practically buying out the place.
I had to admit that it was fun. Kyle immediately grabbed a cart and we filled it with a comfy dog bed, bowls, food, puppy shampoo, a brush, treats, a brand-new leash and collar, and more toys than any one dog would ever need. Sam was going crazy in the toy aisle, his tail wagging back and forth like a windshield wiper. Just seeing him this way brought tears to my eyes. He’d come out of his shell when he’d realized he had a new home and was going to get tons of love. This dog was going to be so spoiled. Just the way it should be.
Whatever toy Sam wanted, he’d received courtesy of the grinning idiot standing next to me. If I thought Sam was having a ball, it was nothing compared to Kyle. He’d appeared to be having the time of his life and the whole scene was melting the ice around my heart. A man that was this loving to an animal had to have a great deal of good inside of him.
I needed to apologize. Several times, probably. I’d let my zeal for stopping his project blind me to the fact that Kyle Lewis was a really nice guy. I should have known it before. He’d been friendly and not creepy at all in the elevator, but I’d closed my eyes to all of that. It was easier.
Kyle held up the giant dog bed. “I guess I’ll put this in my bedroom. I should have grabbed two so Sam would have a place to nap in the office.”
“No need.” I pointed to where Sam had jumped up on the couch and had made himself at home. “He’s found a comfy spot.”
Kyle laughed and walked over to give the canine a cuddle. “You certainly did find a comfy spot. I don’t mind you on the sofa but I’d like to at least put a blanket down so I can throw it in the wash.”
“That’s a good idea. Things can get a doggy smell pretty quickly.”
“Make yourself at home. I’m going to put this in my bedroom.”
Kyle disappeared down a hallway and that gave me a chance to look around and be…nosy. The refrigerator was my first stop. He had a few photos stuck to the front, one with him and several people that looked to be his family. Everyone was happy, smiling, and holding ice cream cones. Kyle was a younger version of his dad but then it appeared that all the children has a strong resemblance to their parents. There were three boys and two girls and a few others that might be spouses.
The other picture was Kyle and his friend George standing on top of what looked like a mountain, grinning like idiots. Had Kyle climbed a freakin’ mountain? Was there anything this man couldn’t do?
“Don’t be too impressed. It was a small mountain.”
I whirled around to see Kyle standing behind me with a smirk on his face, Sam right by his side. He’d caught me checking out his pictures.
“You climbed a mountain?”
“Mt. Hood. It’s approximately eleven thousand feet.”
“That sounds big to me. I’m afraid of heights.”
Kyle came closer and plucked the photo from its magnet, studying it closely. Clearly these were good memories. “It was a dare of sorts. I’d just decided not to sell some new patents and instead open my own technology business. George said we should do something to mark this occasion and I made a joke that I didn’t think anything we could do would be as dumb as me opening my own business, even climbing a mountain had to be smarter. A few weeks later we did it. We did our research, of course, and it turns out Mt. Hood is good for beginners.”
“Have you climbed any more mountains?”
“No, but I’d like to again. I can better understand the rush of adrenaline that people talk about.”
“Do you want to climb Everest? Because people die up there.”
“Yes, they do and no, I don’t. I’ll stick to climbs where the odds are on my side.”
“Smart.”
He clipped the photo back on the refrigerator and then brushed the other picture with his fingertip.
“That’s my family, if you didn’t already guess. We all took a vacation to St. Thomas for a week last year. What you’re seeing in the photograph was literally hours before the annual Lewis Family Olympic Games. I don’t like to brag but I got a gold and two bronzes.”
“The Lewis Family Olympic Games?”
I had to hear about this.
“How about we get comfortable on the couch and I’ll tell you all about it? I have more pictures from the events. Do you want something to drink?”
The voice in the back of my head was telling me to say no and go home. I’d done my duty for Natalie, after all. But a louder voice was telling me to say yes.
I wanted to know how he won a gold medal.
* * *
Ashlyn
An hour and a half later I’d heard all about Kyle’s family, including the stories from the family Olympics through the years. It sounded like he’d had the best childhood ever.
“So your brother Paul has the most gold medals?”
“He is the oldest and he’s athletically gifted. He played baseball in college until his shoulder went.”
We were sprawled on the living room floor, an almost empty pizza box sitting between us on the coffee table, and Sam draped over Kyle’s lap hoping for a piece of gooey cheese or maybe a sausage bite. The puppy was looking up at his new owner with hopeful brown eyes and it looked like Kyle was going to cave.
“That’s too bad. What does he do now?”
“He owns his own graphic design firm, but he still finds time to coach Little League. His team did real well last year.”
“You sound proud of him.”
“I am proud of him. I’m proud of all of my siblings actually, although you wouldn’t have been able to tell that when we were growing up. Let’s just say that the Lewis family took sibling rivalry to the next level. That’s why my dad made up the Olympic games. I think he hoped we’d stop competing with each other on a daily basis and save it up for once a year.”
“Did it work?”
Kyle took a bite out of the pizza crust. “I think it did but we’re all just competitive as hell. It’s in our DNA. Dad’s the same and so is Mom in a much more subtle way, but sometimes I think she likes to win more than all of us put together. She’s just more low-key about it.”
“Your household sounds like a lot of fun. All those brothers and sisters and a house full of love.”
“It’s a good thing we had all of that love because that’s about all we had.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My dad was a high school physical education teacher and my mom worked part time in the school office. Those aren’t exactly high-paying jobs and they had five kids. They were both only children who wanted a big family. So there was never really enough of anything. Money, food, clothes. Since I was the
middle kid, I wore hand-me-downs from Paul. Poor Jack was the youngest and they were pretty worn out by the time they got to him. And let’s just say that mealtime was an Olympic sport all its own. We didn’t say much until we were done eating because if you snoozed you’d lose out on seconds. Between us kids and the dogs, there were never any leftovers in our house.” Kyle’s gaze traveled over the comfortable living room. “Things have changed, obviously.”
The more I learned about this man the more shocked I was. I’d have never guessed that he’d been brought up in those circumstances. He seemed to wear the mantle of genius inventor tycoon effortlessly.
“I had no idea,” I stammered, not sure what to say. “That’s quite a success story. Did all of you go to college?”
“Not all of us, but we were aware that if we did we had to find our own way to pay for it. I was lucky and received several scholarships, but I still had to take out a few student loans, and of course Paul went to school on an athletic scholarship. Jack and Stacey both joined the Navy, and Kathy became a history teacher.”
“Your parents must be very proud.”
“I hope they are because I’m proud of them. They were terrific parents and they worked hard to give us a decent upbringing.” I knew the question was coming and there was no way I could stop it. “What about you, Ashlyn? What was your childhood like?”
There it was. The one subject that I didn’t want to talk about.
Crap.
CHAPTER NINE
Kyle
The minute the question popped out of my mouth I could see that it was the wrong thing to ask. I had no idea why, of course, but I could tell that I’d stepped in it and ruined our lovely evening.
And things had been going well.
I’d watched Ashlyn turn from a nervous, uptight female into a relaxed and smiling woman who was as fun to be around as I’d imagined. This had been the best company I’d had in long time and I wanted to keep it going as long as possible. Hell, who was I kidding? I wanted to ask her out on a real date and have her say yes.
Tease Him (ManTrap Book 2) Page 5