“I got that,” Grant said dryly as he opened the door for Kate.
“I’ve booked an appointment for Gus. We’re a little early, but I think they will accommodate him. We can shop for whatever he needs while we wait.” Grant was expecting to be hit with the smell of animals, but the shop smelled clean. In the back, he saw a Great Pyrenees finishing up his grooming session with a blow dry of his fluffy fur.
“Darling, darling, darling!” A tall woman with long, glossy hair and fresh makeup ran over to them in mincing steps in her stilettoes. She and Kate hugged like old friends.
“This is Brandy,” Kate introduced the woman. “She will be grooming Gus.”
“Of course we’re ready for Gus Gus!” Brandy said, bending down to pet the corgi. “My sister, Ginny, is here helping.” The woman fluffing out the well-behaved Great Pyrenees waved to them.
“In that case, Gus needs to be outfitted properly. Maybe you can pick out what you think he needs?” Kate said airily. “We’re going to grab lunch at the bistro. We’ll be back!”
“I hate that… well… insert bad word here,” Kate said as soon as they were out of the shop.
Grant barked out a laugh. “You seemed like such good friends,” he said to her.
“We went to school together. I don’t like to burn bridges. Her daddy bought that shop for her as a hobby. She’s such a conniving little—you get the idea.”
Grant smirked. “Watch your language. There are children present.”
“The dogs there are well-groomed, though. Not that she even knows how to run a business. Ginny, her sister, does it for her. Ginny basically runs that shop.”
They stopped for lunch at a French bistro down the street.
“They have fantastic quiche,” Kate told him, “and bacon-and-potato soup, as well as a greatcroque monsieur. Let’s order all of that and a fresh green salad, please,” she told the waiter. “We can split it, and you can try everything.”
It wasn’t that much food. Kate seemed full, but the meal only whetted Grant’s appetite.
Kind of like—stop it,he snapped at himself.
When lunch was over, they strolled back to the groomer’s. The walked in and saw the corgi, a brand-new leash keeping him loosely tied to a wrought-iron hook on the wall. Gus was ecstatic to see him.
“Gus looks great!” Grant told Brandy.
She preened the little dog’s fur, saying, “He was a perfect gentleman.” The corgi was even fluffier than before, and he smelled better too.
“I’ve got new dog tags on order for him,” Brandy said. “Here’s all the rest of his new stuff.” She handed Grant a dog bed filled with toys, treats, and scarves for a well-pampered pup.
Kate paid while he snuggled the puppy as the women in the shop cooed over him.
Kate seemed more relaxed on the way back to the estate. She chatted about the people they had passed and cracked jokes. Grant felt himself relax in her presence.
When they arrived back at the estate, Kate followed him up to the room and deposited the packages on the couch in the sitting room. Grant’s stomach rumbled.
“Are you still hungry?” she said with a slight laugh. “I forgot how much men eat.”
“I am,” he said, giving her a smoldering look, “but not for that.”
Chapter 7
Kate
In two steps, Grant walked up to her. He pressed her against the wall, kissing her long and slowly.
“I can’t stop thinking about this,” he told her in between kissing her neck.
She panted as he undid her pants.
“I’m going to fuck you,” he whispered to her. “Do you want it from the front or the back?” He kissed her again before she could answer, then he tore open her blouse, actually tore it open! She shrieked mentally as the buttons flew everywhere, comically pinging off the expensive vases andobjets d’artthat were placed tastefully around the room.
