They stood for a moment, just gazing into each other, and Cade found himself wanting to sweep Lucy up in his arms and kiss those beautiful lips.
He wondered if they were as soft and luscious as they looked.
Tane cleared his throat and Lucy blinked, dropping her eyes as a flush crept across her face and chest. The sight of her pleasure did something to Cade, and he fought back his primal urges.
“Where’s your car, Miss…” Tane began.
“Um,” Lucy shook her head with a little smile. “Please, call me Lucy.” She ran a hand along her braid. “I’m parked in the lot, outside.”
And then she was walking.
Tane gave Cade a stern look as he passed. “You stay here. You can barely walk.” Though he’d kept his voice pitched low, the order was clear.
Cade wasn’t having that, though. Whatever Lucy was dropping off, he planned to help with. He’d assumed he’d never see her again, so seeing her now was an incredible gift and he wanted to make the most of it. There was something about that woman… something for him.
His mate.
“Shit, Cade.” Tane fell in beside him. “I get it, but you’re going to hurt yourself. I need you back in the field. Quit fucking around and get back in bed.”
“I’ll head there later.” After he’d helped Lucy.
Tane cursed under his breath and called for backup through the telepathic link, but he didn’t exert his dominance or pull rank.
Instead, he walked right next to Cade, as though he didn’t think Cade could walk by himself.
“Oh,” Lucy frowned as she caught sight of his gait. “Please, I’ve got this, actually. None of it’s heavy. I just didn’t know where to put it.”
“It’s not a problem.” Cade smiled. “I’m happy to help you. It’s the least I can do.”
“Oh?” He loved the way her lips formed that word, the way her dark brows raised, the hint of a smile playing in her eyes.
“We appreciate you making a donation, ma’am.” Tane said quickly. “Least we can do is help carry it inside.”
Lucy smiled at Tane. “I didn’t catch your names.”
“I’m Tane. And this here’s Cade.”
“Cade.” She gazed into his eyes and Cade felt his blood heat all over again. “It’s nice to meet you both.” She shifted her focus to Tane, extending her hand. “I’m Lucy Vasquez.”
Cade bit back a growl as Tane clasped hands with Lucy. And when she offered her hand to him, he didn’t want to let it go. But he didn’t want to seem like a creeper either so, he reluctantly released her palm.
“So,” Lucy turned to the back of the SUV, opening the hatch. “Most of this is brand new. I took the tags off and washed it, but nobody’s used anything except for two of the beds at the back.”
Cade was shocked at the volume of dog paraphernalia in the back of her car.
“Lucy.” Grey called, walking over to them carrying one of those to-go cups from the cafe. “Great to see you. What are you doing here?”
“I came to drop off Atlas’s stuff.” She shook her head. “I mean the stuff I bought for the dog.” She dropped her eyes, looking down at her feet. “I didn’t know if his family might want any of it for him, or if you could use it for your other patients.” Lucy smiled up at Grey. “I was just telling these guys that most of this is unused.” She reached into the car, pulling out what looked like a plush tree limb. “He wasn’t with it enough to play with any of it, but he laid on two of the beds. I can show you which ones.”
“Lucy, that’s…” Grey surveyed the contents of her vehicle. “That’s very kind of you.”
Cade refused her offer to help them carry things inside. He, Tane, and Grey made quick work of emptying Lucy’s car while she held that stuffed toy, cradling it to her chest and petting it absentmindedly as she followed them into the clinic.
“What’s that?” Tane asked, pointing his chin at the toy.
“Oh,” she shifted, as though realizing she was carrying it for the first time. “It’s called a find-a-squirrel?” She glanced down at the toy again with a little smile. “I never learned if he was a chewer or not. We may have saved these squirrels from decapitation for all I know.” She chuckled, handing it to Tane. “Oh, there’s one more thing. Be right back.”
As Lucy headed out to get whatever it was, Tane and Grey closed in on Cade.
