Tyler's mouth quirks. "I could shower first. Would you be okay with the kitten until I come back?"
"I think I can manage."
"Okay. Let me run home, clean up, and I'll come back. We'll get her everything she needs." He carefully transfers the kitten to my arms. "Support her back legs. There you go."
The kitten immediately curls into my chest, purring loudly.
"She likes you," Tyler observes.
"How can you tell?"
"She's relaxed. If she was scared, she'd be trying to escape. But she feels safe with you."
The way he says it makes something warm bloom in my chest.
"I should name her."
"What are you thinking?"
I look down at the tiny gray ball of fluff. "Mochi. She's small and squishy and sweet."
"Mochi." Tyler grins. "Perfect."
We stand there for a moment, and I'm acutely aware of how close he is. How he smells like sweat and something woodsy. How his eyes are even more intense in the sunlight.
"So," he says, breaking the spell. "I'll go shower. Be back in an hour?"
"An hour works."
"Good. And Chloe?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you eaten today? Besides coffee and pastries?"
The question catches me off guard. "I had a protein bar for breakfast."
"That's not a meal." His voice goes firmer. "When I come back, we're going to get Mochi her supplies, and then we're getting you actual food. Understood?"
My breath catches. There's something about the way he says "understood" that makes my stomach flip. I’ve been reading way too many Daddy Dom books because he sounds just like one of the characters.
"Okay."
"Good girl."
The words hit me like a physical touch.
He turns and jogs away, and I stand there in the parking lot, holding a kitten and trying to remember how to breathe.
Did Tyler Reid just call me "good girl"?
And why did I like it so much?
I carry Mochi upstairs to my apartment, setting her down gently on the couch.
She immediately explores, sniffing everything, her tiny tail straight up in the air.
I grab my phone.
