Small tingles rasped along her nerves as her eyes held his.She looked down, then jerked her head up.
“Um, what about you?”
He smiled when a red tint of color covered her face.He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
“It will happen soon enough.It’s too early, and it will make you feel uncomfortable around me, and I won’t have that.I need you to want me as much as I want you.”
Something softened inside her.This was the gentlest she’d ever heard him sound.Jennifer raised up on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss on his lips.
Grant’s hand came up to grip her hair in a fist before his head lowered.It wasn’t a slow, gentle kiss.It felt like him staking a claim.His tongue pushed through her initial resistance to plunder the deep part of her mouth.He deepened the kiss when he heard Jen make a sound between a peculiar groan and a whimper.
Jen jerked her head away.
“Oh, shoot.I’m sorry, Lucky,” she said as she pulled out of his arms to encircle the neck of the dog at their feet.
Grant looked down at her.“What the hell is that?”he burst out.
Jennifer tried to steady her breathing before she frowned up at him.“It’s a dog.”
Grant took a step back and leaned against the counter, his breath still labored.“I think that is the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen.”
Jennifer gasped and covered the ears of the mutt.“He can hear you, Grant.And he’s very smart.You don’t want to hurt his self-image, do you?”
Grant snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.“The cast on his leg isn’t helping his image.”
Jennifer stood in front of Grant with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I’ll have you know he’s one of the bravest dogs I’ve ever seen.He was hit by a car, and his family couldn’t afford to take care of him, so they brought him to us, broken leg and all.He never cried or tried to bite and is always gentle and friendly with everyone, even though he was in constant pain.”
“I’m sorry, Lucky,” he said and tried to sound sincere without laughing.
Jennifer looked at him suspiciously, but after a moment, nodded her head.She kneeled in front of Lucky, her hands gently moved over the dog’s leg, and she looked for any swelling.She giggled when Lucky swiped his tongue across her face before she could dodge him.
“How long have you had him?”
She looked up at Grant while she petted the dog.
“Oh, he’s not mine.I’m just fostering him until he’s better.”
Grant’s eyebrows snapped together.
“Fostering.I didn’t know that happened with animals.”
Jennifer stood.“Oh, yes.I have a list of foster families who take on sick animals, puppies, or really old animals.”
“So why are you doing it?”
She slid her hands down both sides of the dog’s body, massaging and soothing Lucky.
“I take the hard cases.The animals that need a lot of meds.You have to be certified to dispense medicine like his, or I take the vicious ones.”
Grant stood straight and scowled.“What do you mean by vicious?”
“The biters.The ones that have been abused and need emotional rehabilitation.”
Grant’s face turned red.“You handle them by yourself?”
She stared up at him in confusion.She couldn’t understand why he was getting so worked up.“Yes, I’m the director, so I must take hard cases.I can’t ask any of my people to do that.Besides, I, by far, have the most experience.”
