“Calm down—I didn’t mean anything by it.” Kane’s hands went up in defense, but he was beaming with pride, as if he had just won a bet.

Rory dropped his arm back down to his side, gave Kane a withering glare, and stormed out of the locker room.

—

“We spend a couple of nights together and you’re already stalking me? I knew I was good, but wow,” a low voice rumbled behind her.

Clare snapped her head around in surprise to find Rory standing only a few inches behind her in the office of Woodlawn Rescues. It was a few hours after they had parted that morning. Smiling, she rolled her eyes at him, letting him lean down and give her a soft peck on the lips.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Same thing as you, I’m guessing.” He reached down to pet Ace, who happily wagged his tail between the two of them.

“I knew you worked here, but it’s still funny seeing you actually here.”

“Why?” He stepped closer to her, his hands reaching for her waist and pulling her forward to rest against him.

“Because this room is smaller than you are.”

“That’s why I spend most of my time out in the yard.” He kissed her neck softly, pressing her into him.

Clare exhaled, accidentally moaning lightly at the contact, as his lips traveled the length of her neck. She tilted her head to the side to give him more access, momentarily losing herself in the warm sensations of his solid body pressed into hers. His tongue slid against her smooth skin, devouring her gently.

“I could never get tired of tasting you,” he whispered into her.

“Rory, it’s only my first day. I’ve got to get back to filing.” She tried her best to push him away, but her hands ended up twisting in his shirt instead. She was pulling him closer, arching her body against his.

“I can help you.”

“Help me get further distracted, you mean?” She finally stepped back and locked her arms out in front of her to keep him at a distance.

“You might like it,” he teased, allowing her to push him away. She grabbed a stack of files off the desk and moved over to a tall industrial filing cabinet.

“I think that’s the problem.”

“I’ll catch up with you later,” he conceded with a smile, leaving the office.

Clare heard the door to the kennels open as the barking increased in volume. A shiver ran through her body as she remembered how his hands had just been on her. She loved that he was here working at the same place she was; it made her feel more connected. It was as if they were sharing a part of their lives together, sharing an experience no one else could have with them.

Kiera popped her head into the office. “Clare, Dr. Prentiss just got here.”

“Awesome,” she said. “Um, I didn’t finish the filing yet.”

“Leave it, you can do it later. Come meet him.”

Clare nodded and placed the stack of files back on the desk, then hurried out to the hallway to follow Kiera. The young woman was waiting for her by the exam room door, waving for her to come join her. Following Kiera into the small medical room, Clare was again surprised at how small the place was.

There was a counter to one side with a sink; medical supplies lined the wall. On the opposite side, a metal exam table that folded up into the wall was currently down, with several open folders on it. An older gentleman stood by the exam table, leaning over and writing in one of the folders. He was mostly bald and wore large glasses propped on his nose, a white lab coat over slacks, and a collared shirt.

“Dr. Prentiss, we just brought in a new volunteer. This is Clare Ivers.” Kiera motioned between them.

“Hi, it’s great to meet you.” Clare smiled at him and extended a hand, which he accepted as he smiled back at her.

“Good to meet you, too. We need more volunteers around here.”

“Clare is studying to be a vet one day, so I’ll let you two chat. If you need me, I’ll be out feeding the dogs and checking on Rory,” Kiera said before heading out of the room.

“She’s a good kid.” Dr. Prentiss motioned toward where Kiera had just been. “Is this your first day? Have you met Rory yet?”

“I have.” She smiled shyly.

“Those two are the only reason this place is still open. Patty does an amazing job, but she couldn’t run this place alone. I have my own practice and I volunteer at several other places, so I’m only here one day a week.” He closed some folders and put things away as Clare listened intently.

“First up, I’ve got some annuals to deliver. Want to help me?”

She eagerly agreed to help with the vaccinations, following him out to the kennels.

He greeted each of the dogs as he passed, seeming to know all of them by name. Clare guessed that the shelter had about twenty kennels, but only half were occupied at the moment. The backs of the kennels had sliding hatches, some currently opened into an outdoor pen area. She could see out into the yard, where Rory was down on one knee, working with a large rottweiler.

The next few hours went by quickly as she followed Dr. Prentiss around, helping him perform exams. She did finally manage to get some filing done, and by the time her shift ended, she felt depleted but happy. She kept thinking how lucky she was to have stumbled upon this place, feeling like she was finally doing something to help herself toward her goals.

Chapter 13

The weekend went by quickly, with Clare spending most of her time at O’Leary’s working, and her mornings at Legends. Rory still continued to escort her home every night, and she found herself looking forward to it more and more each time. They hadn’t been on an official second date, since she hadn’t had a free night after their date in the ring, but she had seen him on her second day at Woodlawn Rescues.

Clare thought about yesterday at the shelter as she finished filling up a bottle of water to take with her to the gym. She loved that when she and Rory were at the shelter, he was so focused on the dogs that he didn’t usually get distracted or socialize with her much.

Much being the key word, though, since he had found a few excuses to come over and fondle her.

The thought alone made her cheeks heat up as she pulled a jacket on and grabbed her gym bag before leaving her apartment, making sure to lock up carefully before she left. She was excited to go to Legends because Rory was beginning her training today. Having skipped her self-defense class this morning in favor of sleeping in, she hoped she wouldn’t be too out of shape and embarrass herself.

“Where were you this morning?” Casey asked almost immediately when she walked through the gym doors not too long after leaving her apartment.

“I was at O’Leary’s so late last night, I needed the sleep.” Clare joined her friend at the counter and tried her best to look apologetic.

“Excuses, excuses. You coming tomorrow? Only a few weeks left in the class.”

“Damn, Casey, is this how you talk to all our clients?” Kane came up behind his cousin.

“Only my favorites,” she replied.

“Glad we have you in charge of membership, then,” he said sarcastically, teasing her. Clare just rolled her eyes at both of them, giving them a small wave as she left for the locker room.

A few minutes later, Clare had locked away her things and was dressed in form-fitting black sweatpants with an emerald-green top. She headed out to the main floor of the gym to find Rory. With the giant black-and-white dog by his side, he wasn’t hard to spot, talking with several buff men she didn’t recognize. Seeing her, he waved and excused himself from the conversation.

“Mhuirnín.” His voice was low and gravelly as he approached her.