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He’s dressed in ripped jeans, wearing a t-shirt with the animal shelter’s name across his broad chest, and his dark-golden hair is perfectly styled. He looks beautiful as always, and I hate it.
Damn beautiful bastard.
His eyes lock with mine briefly, and my heart does this stutter thing in my chest, causing me to stop walking for a moment. Probably not noticeable to anyone else, but I mentally scold myself.
I’ve been around every single type of celebrity during my career. I’ve seen the most beautiful of humans, and I don’t get nervous.
But that’s what I’m feeling right now as I recover and approach Royal, who’s standing with Jenny, Axel, Sebastian, Maverick Adair, and a cute guy I don’t recognize.
They all have matching shirts advertising the shelter in various colors—even Jenny, which makes me smile. She smiles back at me, grabbing my shoulders and kissing my cheek. “Thank you for being here, Soren.” She motions to the men next to her. “I believe you know everyone, except maybe Cooper.”
I’m assuming that’s the good-looking guy with a kind smile, who’s standing between Royal and Maverick. He’s on the small side, but not too thin. I notice when he smiles at me that he has dimples and eyes that sparkle with kindness. “Hi, I’m Cooper. I’m a volunteer here.”
He holds out his hand for me, and I shake it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Byhe volunteers here, he means he forces us all to adopt animals until our houses are stuffed full of them,” Axel says, but there’s no animosity in his voice. He seems quite fond of the guy, who blushes to the tips of his ears.
“I’m not that bad,” he says.
“Yes, you are,” Royal says, wrapping his arm around Cooper. A flash of something goes through me at the contact, and I don’t know what it is. Not really. It’s clearly just a friendly gesture, but it sends heat through me and not the good kind.
The green-eyed nasty kind.
Cooper shoves Royal playfully away, and they laugh, as do Axel and Sebastian, but I notice Maverick isn’t laughing with the rest of them. No, he looks like he wants to rip Royal’s arm clean off.
I’m not sure why, but they aren’t known for being friends, that’s for damn sure. Even though Maverick doesn’t race cars—he’s on the motorcycle circuit—so they aren’t in competition with each other, but he and Royal have always had words during public events—and it wasn’t sweet nothings they were spewing at each other.
Cooper shows me around after that, letting me meet all the adorable animals looking for a home. I ask him if it’s okay to post pics on my social media, and his eyes light up. “Oh, yes. Please do. They all deserve a chance at a real home.”
I smile and nod in agreement, reaching down to pet an adorable little black kitten. “They are very cute.”
“Do you have any pets?” Cooper asks me, his eyes still lit up and his dimples popping.
“This is how it starts,” Royal says, nearly making me jump at his close contact when I didn’t realize he was near. Although I should have. My body is now hyper-aware of him and his spicy cologne that I take a moment to breathe in before I catch myself.
I turn to look at the stupidly handsome man, his smile wide and bright and his eyes sparkling with mischief. “What?”
Royal nods toward the kitten. “He’s pulling you in, Soren. Run away.”
“I am not,” Cooper says, but he’s grinning wide. “I asked a simple question.”
“Uh-huh,” Royal says, shaking his head with a smile. It’s weird to see him like this—joking around with his friends and not snarling with competition thrumming through him with nervous energy.
No. He’s relaxed.Kind of like he was at Worlds of Fun.
Cooper pouts, but it’s playful. “Do you have any pets?”
I shake my head and give the kitten’s ears one last scratch before pulling my hand away. “No. I travel a lot.”
“Oh well, if you’re a pet lover and want one, I’m happy to help out.”
I focus on Cooper’s words but can barely concentrate because Royal is laughing. And goddammit, it’s such a beautiful sound, I’m entranced.
“Help out?”
Cooper nods his head casually, picking up the kitten I was petting. “Yeah. I do it for all these guys when they’re out of town. I make sure they get lots of love and food and water.”
“And toys and treats,” Royal adds.
