Chapter 4
Chapter Four
CHRISTIAN
“ O h my God, I’m so sorry!” Starling reaches for my arm, giving my bicep a squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. All good,” I say.
In truth, my head is throbbing, and I may never hear out of my left ear again, but this is a good thing. If Starling hadn’t burst my eardrum and startled me into giving myself a mild concussion, I would have kissed her.
And I should never kiss her.
I was just running through all the reasons hooking up with Starling is a terrible idea less than an hour ago. It’s still a terrible idea, no matter how good she smells or how perfect she feels or how excited my cock was about getting her out of those wet sweatpants and spread open for me on the nearest flat surface.
My cock continues to throb behind the fly of my jeans. He insists we can make this work, that whatever scared her can be explained away and he can make her scream for much more exciting, orgasmic reasons, but I ignore him, determined to get the fuck out of here without fucking Starling.
It’s what’s best for both of us.
“I’m so sorry,” she says again. “Something was tugging on my sweatpants, then it ran over my foot. I think one of the animals is out of their kennel. Probably Hokey Pokey or one of her babies. I told the temp filling in for Sheila today that hedgehogs are too small to be put in the kennel, even in the smallest enclosure, but she didn’t listen. I don’t think she’s a real animal lover. Furry Friends might just be a job to her.”
She pulls in a breath. “But still, I shouldn’t have screamed in your face. I should have calmly told you that I thought a ghost was tugging on my clothes. That’s what I thought it was at first, before I formed a more logical hypothesis.” She lets out a strained laugh. “Hypothesis! Ha. I never said things like that before. I’ve been spending too much time with Wren and Barrett and their nerdy science brains.” She gulps. “I’m sorry, I’m talking a lot. I talk a lot when I’m nervous about ghosts and escaped animals and injuring my employees right before I make out with them. Not that I’ve ever done that before. I’ve never had an employee, let alone made out with him. That would have been a first.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, figuring the conversation about why we shouldn’t get that close to making out ever again can wait until after we’ve recaptured whatever ran across her foot. “Let’s get that flashlight and see if we can find the fugitive. Then I’ll go check the fuse box and we can take things from there.”
She nods and moves tentatively into the office and around to her desk. “I think it’s under here. That’s the direction it ran when it went over my feet, anyway. Though…now that I think about it, it felt too big to be a hedgehog. Could be one of the smaller cats, maybe? If it’s Pierre, he’ll scratch my hand off if I get too close. I understand that he had a hard life as a feral kitten on the mean streets of Bad Dog, but he needs to take the violence down a notch or two or he’s never going to get adopted.”
“Here, let me.” I shift behind her, guiding her to one side so I can get to the row of drawers. Her ass brushes against the front of my jeans as she moves and, once again, my cock sings the “Fucking is Fine and We Should Do It All the Time” song of his people.
His very dumb people.
Cocks are dumb. That’s a proven fact, and I don’t intend to let mine call the shots. Even on the rare occasions when I have a one-night stand, I think it through first. Thinking is good. It keeps a man from making things awkward for himself in his very small hometown or accidentally fucking a relative.
Yes, I know all my first cousins and most of my second cousins on sight but considering McGuires and McGuires-by-marriage make up most of this town, a person can’t be too careful.
I’m not into cousin love, even if it’s two or three times removed.
“All right, Pierre,” I murmur in a soft, hopefully soothing rumble. “If that’s you, I’m just dipping into the drawer to get the flashlight. No reason to get upset.” I reach for the drawer, pausing as a soft chirping sound emanates from beneath the desk.
I glance up at Starling in the dim light. I can’t see her expression, but I make out her shrug as she whispers, “I have no idea what that is. It sounds like a bird, but I’m pretty sure those were paws on my shoes. And Captain Carl the parrot got adopted last week.”
“All right then, we’ll just take it slow until we figure out who’s hiding under there,” I say, continuing to speak in my animal-whisperer voice, the one that’s kept me from being bitten by the frightened strays I’ve helped socialize for years. Pulling the drawer out just far enough to get my hand inside, I reach in, feeling for the flashlight. “Could be the ferret. What was his name again?”
“Could be,” Starling whispers back. “His previous owners called him Ludwig. Because the marks above his eyes look like big, fluffy eyebrows. But Sheila’s going to change it. She doesn’t think he likes being called Ludwig.”
“Really?” I ask as my fingers close around the handle of the flashlight. “Why?”
“Would you want to be called Ludwig?”
“Good point.” I pull out the flashlight and close the drawer, covering the end of the light with my palm before I flick it on. I don’t want to scare the animal by blasting a beam directly into its face.
Gently, slowly, I set the still-covered bulb down on the tile and peek underneath the desk until I see two glowing eyes above a white-and-black striped snout.
“It’s Stinkerbelle,” I whisper to Starling, the name summoning another chirping sound from the skunk, this one more irritable sounding than the one before. “I don’t think she likes her name, either.”
“Oh, the poor thing,” Starling says. “She was so scared in the kennel earlier. I’m not surprised she made a break for it, though I can’t imagine how she got out.” She drops to her knees and peers under the desk, cooing, “Hey there, sweetheart. I’m sorry I screamed and scared you. And I’m sorry you don’t like your name. What if we call you Belle or Bella instead? Would you like that?”
The skunk emits a more upbeat chirp but doesn’t move from her position crouched beneath the legs of the chair.
“We’re going to need a treat to coax her out,” I say.
“I’ll go get one, just a second.” Starling stands only to squat back down a beat later. “I need the flashlight. It’s so dark in the breakroom I won’t be able to find the raw almonds without it.”
“No worries,” I say, handing over the flashlight, my pulse picking up again as Starling’s fingers brush mine. Touching the woman’s fingers is enough to make filthy thoughts dance through my head.
The chemistry between us is insane and way too dangerous to mess around with.
It would be like playing with fire by a leaky gas pump.
“But that’s okay. We’re just going to stay calm and focused, Bella,” I whisper as Starling moves into the breakroom in search of skunk treats. “We’re going to get you back in your kennel, get the lights on if we can, and head home before we make any mistakes that we can’t undo in the morning.”
The skunk chirps again, as if agreeing with me, and I can’t help but smile. Bella’s a sweet little thing, and cute as a button. Her glossy black eyes seem to promise a person that everything is going to be all right.
“This is the kind of weird pet I can actually get behind,” I say as Starling returns and crouches down beside me again. She sets the flashlight between us on the ground, the beam shining up toward the ceiling for illumination. “Unlike brain damaged poultry.”
“Kyle doesn’t have brain damage,” Starling shoots back, coming to her misfit’s defense, the way she always does. “He’s doing so well on the leash these days and obeys all his commands. He also has a dance he does just for me when I get home. It’s the Starling Rocks my World dance. He told me so.”
Refusing to think about all the ways I want Starling to rock my world, I remind her, “Is that why he almost attacked the cake at Kinsey and Clark’s wedding?”
“He thought it was a predator, not food. Which is valid. He’d never seen food that big or fancy before. Here, take a few nuts and hold them out flat on your palm. I’ll offer some out on this side and hopefully Belle will feel safe coming to one of us.”
“Bella,” I correct before I realize what I’m doing. A little embarrassed, I add, “I think she likes that better.”
A smile in her voice, Starling says, “Is that right? Okay, Bella. Christian and I have treats for you, pretty girl. I promise I’ll find somewhere better for you to sleep than in the same room with all those dogs and cats. I know that must have been scary.”
“That’s right,” I murmur, sliding my hand closer to the skunk. “We’ll get you set up in a private cage with lots of blankets and extra nuts for being such a good girl.”
“A very good girl,” Starling echoes in a husky voice that makes my cock swell behind my fly all over again.
Mercifully, Bella decides to emerge from the desk at that moment, giving me something else to focus on.
I just have to hold it together for a few more minutes and then I’ll make sure I’m never alone in a room with Starling again. It shouldn’t be hard to do. We share an office with two other people, and I can make excuses to skip lunch with her until I leave for Minneapolis.
Hell, maybe I’ll just stop eating lunch altogether.
My buddy from the gym is always going on about intermittent fasting and how good it is for the body. The whole thing sounds sketchy to me, but in the name of avoiding Starling, I’d give it a try.
And if I drop a few pounds, maybe I’ll be too weak to think sex thoughts. I’ll start having fantasies about diving face first into piles of food instead of Starling’s pussy and all will remain right with the world.
“There you go, buddy,” I murmur as Bella takes one of the nuts from my palm and backs away again, keeping an eye on me as she chews. “Almonds are pretty tasty, huh?”
“I made buttercream frosting with almond milk the other day for my vegan friend and it was delicious,” Starling offers.
Bella inches Starling’s way, extending her nose to sniff the offerings in her palm, but when she’s ready for more nuts, she comes back to me. This time, she stays close enough that I can feel her whiskers brushing the side of my hand as she chews.
“Looks like she likes you,” Starling whispers.
“Clearly, she has good taste,” I say as Bella takes the last almond and climbs into my lap, wiggling her fluffy bottom back and forth until she finds a comfortable spot. When she’s apparently settled, she smacks her lips and shoots Starling something that looks so much like a smile that we both laugh.
“Aw, what a darling,” Starling says. “I wonder if Kyle and Bella would get along. It might be nice for him to have a friend who’s with us all the time. He loves Keanu, but Wren and Barrett are so busy, it’s hard to get them together for a playdate as often as we’d like.”
“You’re not taking this skunk home.” I stroke Bella’s coarse fur and she makes more happy smacking sounds. “One weird pet is the limit for any household.”
“Who said?” she counters. “And Bella’s not weird, she’s precious. Look how good she is. Skunk teeth are razor sharp and she didn’t try to bite me a single time earlier today, even when she was upset about being put in the kennel. And she’s already potty-trained. Her previous owner said she hasn’t had an accident since she was a baby and will always go in the litter box as long as you use unscented litter. The only reason the woman gave her up was because her job is moving her to a state that doesn’t allow skunks as pets, and she won’t be home as much.”
I frown. “Isn’t it illegal to keep skunks as pets in Minnesota, too?”
“Well, yes and no,” she says. “It’s kind of like fireworks. You can’t sell them or bring them into the state, but if you just happen to have one, it’s okay to shoot it off. And Bella’s previous owner had a zoo license here, so she was covered. She was hoping we could find a similar placement for Bella’s next living situation. Sheila’s looking into a few animal rescue places that fit the bill, but if one of them won’t take her…”
I look up from the skunk, whose snout is now resting on my thigh in a way that makes me feel lucky to be the kind of human animals instinctively seem to trust. “Then what happens?”
Starling shrugs. “Well, you know Furry Friends only uses euthanasia as a last resort or if the animal is too sick to have a decent quality of life. But if no one will take Bella and it’s illegal to allow her to be adopted, it may come down to that. After spending her entire life in captivity and having her scent glands removed, she wouldn’t survive in the wild.”
“Shit,” I mutter, digging my fingers into Bella’s fur, summoning another happy smacking, chirping sound from the sweet little beast.
“Yeah, it would be a shame,” Starling says, before continuing in a more pointed tone, “so, maybe it’s for the best that she escaped her cage on her own while the cameras were down. I mean…should she disappear tonight, heading off to a happy new home with someone who’s going to love and spoil her, no one would ever have to know.”
“No,” I say flatly.
“Why not?”
“I’m subletting an apartment in Minneapolis before I find a long-term living situation,” I say. “I can’t have a pet skunk in an apartment. Someone would see her, and it wouldn’t be fair to have her in a place where she couldn’t go outside to play.”
“Oh, come on,” Starling says. “You’re already in love with this darling baby, I can tell. I bet you could find a rental house in Minneapolis instead. They do have houses there, you know. Get a house with a fence too high for the neighbors to see over and you’re golden.”
I look up at Starling, meeting her gaze in the glow of the flashlight. “Are you trying to convince me to commit a felony?”
“It’s not a felony. It’s a misdemeanor that carries a one-thousand dollar fine.” She grins. “Or jail time, but I think you’d do fine in jail. You’re the kind of guy who makes friends easily and always lands on his feet.”
I match her crooked smile with one of my own. “I always knew you had a diabolical side.”
She laughs. “Yeah? I thought I did a good job of keeping it under wraps.”
“Says the woman who had a deviant turkey in her dorm room for weeks before the University staff found out.”
“And I would have gotten away with it, too, if hadn’t been for those meddling freshman wanting revenge on their RA,” she says. “But I don’t regret taking away their beer. Eighteen-year-olds are too young to drink, and the housekeeping staff was sick of cleaning up puke in the bathroom.”
She glances down at the now snoozing Bella and back up at me. “So, are you taking this sweet girl home or what? If so, I should grab a crate carrier from the storage room, and we should get out of here before the lights and security cameras come back on.”
I hesitate a beat, but in my heart the decision has already been made. Even a small chance that Bella might end up being put to sleep is too big a risk.
I draw in a breath and let it out with a nod. “All right. Grab the carrier,” I say, pushing on when Starling lets out a soft squeal of happiness, “but this doesn’t mean I’m boarding the crazy pet train. There will be no playdates with Kyle. Kyle is not now and never will be welcome in my home.”
“So you say now, but you’re going to come around to loving Kyle. Everyone does, sooner or later.” Before I can assure her that I will never have warm feelings for her freak of nature turkey, she’s reclaimed the flashlight and hurried off to find the carrier.
Fifteen minutes later, we have a sleepy Bella settled in the crate with one of the spare fleece blankets donated by Furry Friends’ supporters. Thankfully, the rain has stopped, and Starling and I stay dry as she pops her trunk and we set Bella gently inside.
We’ve just closed the trunk and I’m about to head inside to check the fuse box when a soft whirring sound fills the air and the exterior light above the back entrance flickers on.
Starling looks up at me, arching a brow. “Power outage or destiny?”
I smile. “Maybe a bit of both.” I pull out my phone, checking the app to make sure the cameras are back on. When I see they are, I text Kane, letting him know the power is back on and that I’m heading home.
Starling drives me to my place without saying another word about how close we came to crossing the line between friends and something more, making me think she must have also realized the error of our ways. Knowing I’ll never have her in my arms again sends a tight, grief-adjacent feeling twisting through my chest, but this is what’s meant to be.
Destiny wanted me to leave the shelter with a new furry friend, not a lover. I have to accept that and move on.
I tell Starling goodbye and head inside to get Bella settled, certain that’s the end of the chaos between me and my nearly irresistible boss.
But I should have known better.
I really should have…