Chapter 8

"Silence isn't always what it's cracked up to be," Cade said, and scratched his jaw at his witty, brilliant insight.

Hell, he'd rarely been shocked by anything. Growing up in Redwood Ridge, where everyone knew everything about you and secret was a word in the dictionary, he'd seen the best and worst people had to offer.

But sitting across from Avery at her kitchen table and listening to her share something so private his chest ached left him reeling like the floor had dropped out. He wondered how many times in his childhood he'd told his parents I love you, and then tried to imagine his own hypothetical kids and how he'd feel if he never got to hear those three words.

It was more than that. The way she'd brushed off the comment and claimed to be used to quiet had him guessing she wasn't just referring to Hailey. He didn't know anything about her ex, but if the guy had let Avery go, he couldn't be too right in the head.

Her cheeks were crimson. Even in the dim kitchen, he could make out the blush, and he was sorry to have embarrassed her. She met his gaze briefly, those cocoa eyes mixing with honey, and then skittered away.

And wasn't it a crazy bitch, but he had the urge to reach across the table and pull her into his lap. Talk to her until the night waned and sunrise peeked over the mountains. Suddenly, he wanted to know everything about her, and that sent a ripple of shock and need through his gut.

Mostly shock. Because unless he was referring to his friends, talking wasn't what he typically sought from females.

He took a sip of his cooling coffee. "Your ex, how is he with Hailey? I figure he's got holidays and every other weekend or something?" And if the guy showed up in Redwood Ridge, Cade might just rearrange his face on principle.

Avery shook her head, gaze trained on her cup, but weary exhaustion flitted in her eyes and was gone in a flash. "He hasn't seen her in two years, not since I filed for divorce." She looked up at him and sighed. "I have full custody. That was part of what took so long for the divorce to go through. The only thing I asked for was a small trust fund for Hailey, in case something happened to me. He didn't believe child support or a trust was pertinent if he signed parental rights away."

Forget rearranging his face. He'd break every bone in the guy's body. Instead of the plethora of choice terms that came to mind, Cade reined in his temper. "She's better off without him. So are you."

She nodded. "My sentiments exactly."

When he'd asked about her ex before, she'd been tactful. Not that she wasn't now, but she wasn't choosing her words as carefully. "You don't speak ill of him. Why?" She had every right to, by the sound of it.

"I don't like painting him in a terrible light in front of Hailey. He might change his mind one day about seeing her, and I wouldn't want to scare her off. He's her dad." She sipped her coffee. "The way I look at it, we both brought her into this world. By me bad-mouthing him, it gives her the impression half of her is bad, too."

Her selflessness knew no bounds. Had it been him, he didn't think he'd be so mature. Anger and betrayal and hurt did things to people. It was normal to lash out and react. But it was as if her feelings didn't matter, putting only her daughter first. He shook his head in wonder, his respect for her notching near pedestal height.

Since it seemed like she needed a topic change, he went back to his reason for being in her cabin in the first place. "So what else went down at the meeting tonight? They rope you into doing anything else?" He grinned to lighten the grief in her eyes, which he supposed was more for him than her.

She told him about moving the venue and the secret admirer exchange, which he found quite clever. "Online invitations and flyers will go out on Monday. I guess the dance was pretty casual before, but the ladies thought something formal would be more romantic. To be allowed inside, guests must dress in red or pink to attend. And it's suit and tie."

He laughed. "Like prom."

"Sort of." She shrugged, but her smile was back. "I think it'll be a nice change of pace, at least by the sound of it." She gestured to his cup. "You want me to heat that up?"

"No, thanks. I should get going." Not that he wanted to.

Disappointment settled in her smile, and he knew, right then and there, that she was feeling it, too. The attraction had been obvious, at least to him, from the minute she'd carried an injured Seraph into the clinic. It had only been amplifying since. He'd been taking things slow, biding his time for the moment to act instead of standing still.

She rose and rinsed their cups out in the sink. "Thanks so much again for watching Hailey. We'll see about next week-"

She stopped the pleasantries when he came up behind her and moved her soft brown waves off her neck to expose her nape. A breath shuddered out of her mouth, and then she seemed to stop breathing altogether.

Leaning in, he nuzzled the soft skin below her ear, keeping his body mere inches away, lest he jar her with his arousal. Her fruity scent encompassed him, filled him, and he fought the urge to nibble on her neck to find out if she tasted just as sweet. She didn't move, not away or closer, and he took that as a good sign.

He brought his lips to the shell of her ear. "You didn't ask me why I don't mind babysitting your daughter on Friday nights."

She shivered. He grinned in satisfaction. Oh yeah, she was right there with him. And unlike before, when he'd driven her home from Shooters, she was ready to be kissed.

"This isn't a good idea, Cade." Her voice, a breathy whisper so unlike her usual calm, was beginning to tear his composure to shreds.

"Good ideas are rarely fun." He knew it was the wrong thing to say when she turned to face him, and he found her walls back up, her spine stiff.

She wasn't the type of woman to go looking for fun, playful, or short-lived, but damn if he hadn't met anyone who needed fun more than Avery. And at the moment, he was feeling the opposite of playful. Not for one second did he think this was a game.

"You're my boss, and I'm not in the market for romance."

Yep. Walls. Funny, he usually respected them. He had some of his own, for that matter.

He placed his hands on the counter behind her, caging her in and taking a step deeper into her gravitational pull. "People don't usually shop for romance. It just happens." Like right now, for instance.

"You're still my boss. I need this job so I don't have to dip into Hailey's trust fund. People will think... It's not a good idea."

People were going to think whatever they wanted, regardless, and her job wasn't at stake. "Then how about we keep things just like this, until you're ready for more." He could do secret and he could do slow. Right? "No one has to know unless you want them to."

She started to shake her head-and damn, he'd never had to work this hard-but he leaned in until his mouth was a whisper from hers. Her eyes widened.

"Since you refuse to ask me why I don't mind the babysitting gig, I'll tell you. I like your kid and I really like you. Your organizational mind is so hot, and I've been itching to unwind the tension from you since you alphabetized the magazines in my office. Yes, I noticed that," he added when she opened her mouth. "I enjoy talking to you outside of work, like we did tonight, because you relax more and say things you normally wouldn't. Thus, the idea of seeing you every Friday night when you come home is a hell yes in my book."

The tiniest of wrinkles formed between her eyebrows as if she'd never heard something so ludicrous, but he could tell she was damn tempted to believe him. Wary hope and interest sparked in her eyes. "Um..."

"That. That right there nails home my point. You fluster the hell out of me." He'd put his foot in his mouth more times in the two weeks since she'd come to town than the whole of his teen years. "And it's too much fun watching your mind go blank when I say something you're not expecting. Such as, I find you very attractive."

She let out an uneven breath that skated across his jaw. He went from semi-hard to down, boy.

"Here's the part where you say you find me attractive, too." He grinned for good measure, and was rewarded with the clouding of her eyes.

"You know you're attractive. I could cut my teeth on your abs, but..."

Killing him dead. "You haven't seen my abs. Would you like to?"

There went the eyes again, wide. A sexy as hell blush tinged her cheeks. He could all but feel the heat.

Fun as this was, he was sweating with the resistance. "Going to kiss you now, Avery. Three, two, one..."

She sucked in a breath, dragging his with her. He brushed his lips across hers, testing, getting her used to him. He hovered there, barely touching, until she took the initiative and added more pressure. Letting her test the waters, he followed her command.

As if unsure, she fumbled, tensing against him. His gut clenched with the realization she probably hadn't been kissed since filing for divorce. And hadn't she said they'd been separated before that? From the little she spoke of her marriage and from what he'd gleaned, Cade doubted the ass had paid any attention to her needs.

Shoving the prick from his mind, Cade cupped her jaw and took over. Confidence was a fragile thing, and he wasn't going to be the one to break hers. He tilted his head, parting his lips to take more of her. Her lids drifted shut and he was lost.

One hand at the small of her back, he eased the other into her hair to gently hold her to him. After that, he lost track of what the hell was happening. His heart jacked against his ribs, his mind vanishing in a fog of sensation.

She was soft. Everywhere. The crush of her breasts against his chest, the strands of her hair, her lips as they moved against his. So damn soft. In the space between newness and uncertainty, she found a rhythm and opened to him. Her hands fell to his shoulders and fisted. A holy shit female moan vibrated from her mouth to his. He was losing a battle with sanity.

Don't push her. Get a grip.

He eased his mouth away and brushed a kiss to her temple, keeping her body flush with his, struggling to draw air. Her breaths panted against his neck, hot and damp. Giving himself just a moment, he stilled until the spots before his vision cleared.

She muttered something that sounded like crap on a cracker, and he laughed. Looking in her lust-induced eyes, he fought the strange pleasure/pain in his chest.

"I need to get home." No, he really didn't, but staying any longer would kill him.

He kissed her forehead and stepped away, not missing in the slightest that she grabbed the counter behind her as if needing it to stay upright. He whistled for his dog while dropping into a chair to shove his shoes on. Freeman strode into the room and sat by the back door as Cade shrugged into his coat.

"Why'd you name him Freeman?"

He glanced at his dog and back to her. "He has light markings under his eyes and the stoicism of Morgan Freeman." He shrugged.

A slow smile spread over her face, and he had to remind himself he was leaving for a reason. "You named your dog after an actor?"

"Yep." He paused. "Why Seraph?" He jerked his chin toward the hallway where her puppy and child slept.

Her smile turned wistful. "When I saw Hailey snuggle up to him in the exam room, he was like an angel in that moment. I'd never seen her connect with something like she did with him." She rubbed her forehead and laughed. "It's a hassle getting her to leave him to go to school. And when we get home, the dog follows her everywhere, even to the bathroom."

The awed expression on her face did him in. She was the type of woman to appreciate the little things, accumulate moments instead of seeing the grand spectrum of it all. Rare, indeed.

He grabbed the knob and opened the door. "To him, you were the angels. 'Night, Avery."

---

For some strange reason, Animal Instincts was hopping the next week, more so than typical. And then on Friday, Avery checked her Twitter phone app and discovered why.

Cade's Aunt Rosa had tweeted about Avery taking the event committee deal and that Cade had watched Hailey while she'd been out. One of Redwood Ridge's most eligible bachelors had shown he liked kids and he could do the responsible thing, which made him even more attractive. To women, it meant he had the potential to be tied down.

Which explained the sudden crush of female owners bringing in their pets for anything from "her coat isn't as shiny" to "it slept a lot yesterday" to "he looked at me funny."

She needed a bottle of wine and twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. She'd barely tolerated the complaining clients when she'd had to shift some off of Cade's schedule to Flynn's. Even Drake had taken a couple, much to his dismay. People and Drake were not cozy bedfellows, which was why he mostly did surgeries. But she appreciated the help just the same. The patients? Not so much.

Flynn came in from the back, glanced at the waiting room, and shook his head. "What the hell? They're still coming?"

Instead of signing a response, she showed him her Twitter feed.

He leaned against the desk. "That explains it. They're vying for Cade's attention and checking out the competition."

"I'm not competition. There's nothing going on between us." Even though Cade had kissed her in her kitchen and her girly parts were still weeping with joy. The man knew how to kiss. But no one else knew that juicy tidbit.

"Liar, liar."

She shook her head. "Whatever. I'm just glad you're able to pick up some of the slack." Luckily, Flynn and Gabby didn't have many home visits this week, so they'd helped with most of the add-on appointments.

Now if she could just figure out what to do with the six casseroles in the break room fridge. Added to that, there were so many cookies and brownies that she'd gained twenty pounds just looking.

Cade and his recent appointment came out of an exam room. Avery couldn't remember the woman's name, but her white Persian was Fifi. No lie. Fifi. And Fifi's owner was a stacked blonde roughly in her mid-thirties who was severely underdressed for an Oregon winter.

When they stopped by the front desk to talk, Avery turned to Flynn and signed. "Watch this. Hair flip in point five seconds."

On cue, the woman let out a glass-shattering giggle and flipped her mane over her shoulder.

Flynn covered his face and tried not to laugh, but his shoulders shook and he emitted an awkward snort/groan combination.

Cade looked at them, narrowed his eyes, and tuned back into the senseless flirt.

"Wait for it," she signed. "Casual arm touch..."

Fifi's owner dropped her slender, manicured fingers to Cade's forearm and leaned in as if Cade were reciting Shakespeare naked.

Flynn hunched over, face red in hysterics.

Cade finished the chat, sent the woman on her way, and turned to them, shoulders tense. "What's so funny?" he signed and spoke simultaneously, pissy eyes narrowed.

Flynn sobered. Or tried to. "Your harem is growing by the minute."

"You're hilarious."

Avery sighed. "They're an embarrassment to my entire gender."

Cade glanced at Avery. "It's not like I ask for it. Seriously, what am I supposed to do with all that food? My freezer's full. So are Drake and Flynn's. And I don't encourage them, for the record."

He didn't discourage them, either. Which just gave her another reason not to get involved with him.

"Never said you did."

The look on his face dried her hilarity. He was irritated, edgy, and if she wasn't mistaken, embarrassed. His gaze dropped away from her and he closed his eyes, face tilted heavenward.

Guilt churned. She didn't realize it actually bothered him-her and his brother poking fun or the women treating him like a new toy. He was so affable and outgoing, letting things roll off his back. Not once, no matter how ridiculous the appointment or how busy they got, did he complain. His full charm had been cranked. Every patient was seen, and he didn't make them feel stupid for coming.

Flynn strode off as they stared at one another.

Cade sighed. "How's the afternoon looking? Is it just as crazy?" He eyed the semi-full waiting room.

"Hey," she said softly, and waited until he met her gaze. "Do you want me to handle this? The casseroles and desserts? I can screen the appointments better, too. Not book so full."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Brent strode up, handed him a chart, and took the next patient to exam. Cade scanned the file, breezed through what she figured was Brent's notes, and shook his head.

"Christ," he muttered. With his brow furrowed, he looked at her as if trying to formulate words, his gaze impenetrable. Frustration rolled off him in waves. Jaw locked, he glanced down the hallway, still making no attempt to move.

And something clicked into place. This was all her fault. The crazy week, the women, all due to a few tweets because he'd been nice enough to help her. Her stomach sank. "I'm sorry about all this. I'll get someone else to babysit Hailey for my meetings. It'll die down around here once the word gets out-"

He strode to her side of the desk so fast her breath seized. Gripping the arms of her chair, he put his face inches from hers. "Know what else will calm things down? Agreeing to go out with me."

Oh. Wow. Not expected.

They hadn't officially discussed the situation after their mind-melding kiss, but he'd offered to keep things under the radar if she said yes. She hadn't said yes. She hadn't been able to say much of anything after he'd knocked her into next week. With his lips.

Business and pleasure were not a good mix. Plus, people would think she'd gotten the job or preferential treatment because of their supposed romance. After Richard, she'd sworn off men. Two years strong. She'd been with him so long she didn't know how to do this anymore and, in honesty, Cade was way out of her league. They'd been flirty and cordial and mostly professional in the office. They hadn't seen each other out of the clinic. Things hadn't begun to get complicated yet.

Forcing back a shiver, she took in the perpetual shadow on his jaw, his direct blue eyes, and the scent of fabric softener. The muscles in his shoulders and forearms flexed, all predator-like. His full mouth was dialed to grim.

Wow. This alpha thing he had going on sometimes was just as earth-shattering as his sweet side. She forgot her own name. Her mouth dried to dust. Her heart pounded.

"Fine," he said at length. "Have it your way. Our secret. I can handle the fallout. I'll be over tonight to watch Hailey."

With that, he shoved off her chair, straightened, and headed into an exam room.

It took her a full five seconds to remember breathing was a requirement of life.

Squawk. "Blurred lines."

She eyed the cockatoo with a frown and jumped when someone cleared their throat to get her attention.

Thor startled underneath the desk, hauled ass to his feet, and rammed into the counter, knocking over a few charts. Before Avery could calm the giant Great Dane, he lunged at her for protection from the big bad five-foot blonde woman holding a...turtle. Yep, a turtle.

That was the last thing she saw as her chair tipped backward, hitting the floor with a thud, leaving one hundred and fifty pounds of trembling dog sprawled over her and her feet up in the air. Flat on her back, she calculated on a one to ten scale of how embarrassing this was, and came up with an eleven. She blinked at the florescent lights overhead.

She swore She-rah laughed at her from her cat perch on the printer.

Footsteps squeaked over the tile and moved closer, stopping beside her and Thor.

Drake's face appeared above hers. "He's not a lap dog."

He had a funny bone after all.

After two more grueling hours, she went to pick up Hailey at the rec center, finding April and her daughter, Jenny, talking to Miles at the front desk. They'd spoken nearly every day on her lunch break when she went to visit Hailey at school, but this was the first time she'd encountered her at the center.

"Oh, hey." April turned Avery's way. "I'm glad I caught you. How would you feel about getting the girls together for a sleepover at our place? They get along pretty great and it would give you a night off. I was thinking the night of the Valentine's dance, since we're not going. Plus, you'll be super busy with the event committee setting up things."

Joy hit her first, her chest swelling and her throat tight. Hailey had an honest to God friend. But apprehension soon followed, twisting in her stomach. The girls did get along well, not that Hailey engaged much on the surface, but Avery was hesitant to agree.

"She's never been to a sleepover before." Hailey had never been away from Avery for an entire evening, come to think of it. She also had a lot of quirks and special needs. April was trustworthy and Jenny was a sweet girl, though. Why not let her try? "I will be really busy that night. Could we test it out before then, that way if I need to come get her it won't be an issue?"

April waved her hand. "Sure. How about next Friday night? I could take them both home right from school."

Avery wouldn't get to see Cade that night, which should've warned her the sexy vet was on her mind too much. She shook her head. "That sounds great. I'll pack some overnight things in her schoolbag. If it goes well, you'll have to let Jenny stay with us next time."

They chatted for a couple minutes, and Avery collected Hailey to head home.

Later, when Cade arrived at the cabin at five-thirty on the dot, Avery was still staring off into space. She looked up at him, blinking furiously to hold back tears. "Hailey's having a sleepover next weekend. Can you believe it? She's made a friend."