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I tried to push back against him, and my ass slid across the front placket of his suit pants. Careful. I didn’t want to feel anything that would contribute to my personal failings later on.
Too late there.
I closed my eyes and drew in a calming breath. His resulting exhalation brushed the tendrils of curls near my ear.
“I made a few calls and convinced Piper Lockwood to donate one of her famous cat trees to the clinic.”
He just kept chatting along like he wasn’t half hard against my butt. “Famous?”
“Well, in cat circles anyway. She has a cat café in California that went viral, thanks in part to how clever she is and her famous rockstar husband. She only does special orders.”
I forced myself to focus on my surroundings. There were little shelves and ramps bolted to the carpeted wall. A dozen pillars in varying heights were scattered around the space, offering a dizzying array of levels for cats to perch, play, or sleep on. The room was a proverbial princess playground for cats. “So, she makes up cat trees?”
“Does that look like a typical cat tree?”
I tipped my head to study his face. “You sure know a lot about cats.”
He swallowed, his gaze bouncing from my lips to my eyes and back again. “I donate a lot to this place
. The cats they take on deserve so much more than the universe gives them.” He straightened up and moved away from me. “The least I can do is help out monetarily.”
I grabbed his tie before he could totally escape me. This was something that was important to him. There was a passion in his voice that I’d never heard before. “This isn’t a dating thing, huh?”
He gently pulled his tie out of my fingers. “No. This is a way to raise money for the treatment of these sweet animals that people forget about. And an adoption clinic for those who are ready to go to regular homes.”
“And you’re adopting a cat?”
“No—well, yes.” He folded his arms. “I usually just donate. I don’t know why I got the stupid urge to adopt one. I don’t have time for a cat.”
“Sure you do.” I patted his lapel. “You make time. It can even be a mascot cat for the law office. You know, like some have a dog. Helps to have a support animal, right?”
He frowned. “That’s not very professional.”
I shrugged. “Screw professional.”
“That may be your take on things, Miss Moon, but that’s not how I treat my business.”
“Maybe you should.”
Before he could answer me, a woman with a jaunty ponytail clapped her hands. “Attention, everyone! We’re going to start out with our first speed round. Now it won’t be super fast like the ones some of you may have been part of in the past.” Her voice was friendly and perky like Elle Woods from the Legally Blond movies. “But we want you to meet as many amazing kittens and cats as possible and hopefully, bring one home!”
She quickly told us how to line up and gave us little buzzers like people used at restaurants.
“When this goes off, you move to the next playpen. And don’t worry if you don’t find your perfect purrmate today. The entry fee will go to helping all of our special needs kittens and cats here at Kitten Around, and we truly appreciate it.”
Since I had my own buzzer, Preston and I wouldn’t be seeing the same kittens. However, I couldn’t stop myself from watching his reactions to each cat or kitten. The tentative and patient way he had with the frightened ones, and the overwhelmed delight he couldn’t disguise at the playful ones.
Okay, my ovaries were in serious peril here.
Ignoring the warmth in my belly, I focused on my own tiny bundle of fluff. The initial rounds had gone quickly, and we now in round four. I was thoroughly covered in kitten fur, but the energy of the room had boosted my mood.
I sat crosslegged in one of the larger pens. This was a special case with a bonded pair. The sweet white kitten with a heart-shaped spot to the left of her nose was freaking adorable. But her protective, jet black brother was a bit thornier.
I let my hands rest in my lap and didn’t make any sudden movements, allowing them to come to me. Eventually, the white one climbed up my sleeve to get to my shoulder while the black one gave me some serious side-eye.
A minute later, the little white one was purring from her perch in my curls.
Oh, crap. I had not been entertaining the thought of actually getting a cat today. Let alone a troublesome pair of pre-teens. They weren’t itty bitty kittens, but according to their paperwork, they’d been returned twice because of problematic behavior.
