Umm . . . what the hell does she think she’s doing?

“It’s okay, I know the season has been hard on you. You’re bound to get delirious at some point. But I assure you, Herman is a gentleman and just came to me for some fancy photos for his fiancée. Who doesn’t love a man in a tux? Am I right?” She pats my back. “Let’s just lay you down for a rest. Clear that head of yours.”

“Kinsley, I’m not an idiot.”

“Oh we know, we know. No one is calling you an idiot, trust me. Smartest guy in this building. But you are tired. Must have been all those late nights thinking of Clyde.” She pushes at my chest. “Go ahead, lie down—”

She’s cut off when I pull her down on the bed and roll on top of her, pinning her to the mattress.

“Cut the bullshit.” I lean down so our heads are only a foot apart. “Why is there a dog in our apartment?”

Her face softens as she says, “Aww, you called it our apartment.”

“Don’t change the subject. What was my number-one rule, Kinsley?”

“Umm . . . refill the ice tray?” she asks with an adorable smile that I almost give in to.

Holding strong, I say, “No animals.”

“But Herman—”

“Is a dog,” I finish for her. “If the long ears don’t give it away, the snout and the bark when I entered the apartment did. What is he doing here?” She looks to the side, but I force her back to look at me. “Don’t lie to me.”

She bites her bottom lip again and the movement just about does me in. What I wouldn’t give to pull that plump lip between my own teeth, to see what she tastes like. I know what she smells like—vanilla and lavender. That lip balm she’s always wearing, is it sweet? Waxy? Does it taste like how she smells?

“Well you know, it’s a funny story.”

“I don’t think I’m going to laugh.”

“You might.” She winces and smiles at the same time; it takes everything in me not to smile as well. “You see, there was a poor man who was just diagnosed with stage four testicular cancer—that’s not the funny part—he had two bloodhounds that needed placement. Of course, we took them in, but you see, Herman gets very scared and startles quite easily. The other bloodhounds—even though his own kind—were making him incredibly nervous to the point that he was shivering in his kennel so hard I thought he might have a heart attack, so, I called all our foster homes to see if they could take Herman and they’re all full. So you know, that left me with no choice, but to bring him back here. You saw him, Maddox, you wouldn’t want him shivering and shaking all night alone in his kennel, unsure of what was happening to him. He’s already been through enough, so can we give him a few nights here, away from the rowdy dogs? He’s an old fella and he only has three legs, and the least we could do is give him some peace.”

I don’t say anything. I just stare down at her.

“And if you tell me I need to take him back, I will cry. I will cry all the tears, and I will be sure to cry over you so you feel every tear that falls from my sad, heartbroken eyes. I will squat over you and drench you in my salty, somber tears, to the point that it turns into waterboarding. I will waterboard you with my tears.”

Still nothing. Just staring.

“Did I tell you how nice you look today? Did you get a haircut because wow, look out, ladies, Mr. Sharp is coming through.”

Blinks.

She grows more nervous.

“You won’t even know he’s here. He’s quiet, besides that one bark. That was because you startled him and me for that matter. If I was a dog with three legs, wearing a suit, would you toss me to the wind? Or would you keep me? You would keep me, I just know you would, and guess what? He barely moves during the day, he has his own bed, and he really likes to sleep. He barely has any teeth left, so he has soft dog food and if you really want a weird sensation, you can stick your finger in his gummy mouth and let him chew on your finger. He’s quite gentle, but boy, what a thrill. He really rocks your world, you know?”

I still stay quiet, which drives her to the brink. She crosses her arms over her chest defiantly and says, “I’m not taking him back and that’s final. He’s staying here. Do you hear me, Maddox? He’s staying here.”

“Oh Herman, it’s not you, it’s him,” Kinsley says while she straps his harness on. And it has to be the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen.

My suit was removed—apparently she was trying to spice up his adoption profile with some fancy pictures—and that’s when she revealed his lack of fourth leg, made a giant show of it while she was walking him to the door.

Now she’s bent down next to him, lifting his giant floppy ear so he can “hear” her better.

“You’re such a good boy and even if the other dogs scare you, it will be okay. Just think of the warm, calm, quiet apartment I’m staying in and hopefully it will make you feel better in your heart. Can you do that for me, Herman?” The pathetic dog with the wrinkled forehead, black-rimmed eyes, and saggy jowls, just stares at her with the saddest fucking expression I’ve ever seen. I know the minute Kinsley catches the look because she sucks in a deep breath and presses her hand to her eyes.

Fuck.

She’s going to cry.

She fixes the harness.

Sniff.

Yup, here it comes.

When she speaks, her voice wavers and is weak. “Be strong, Herman. Okay? You got this, buddy.”

For fuck’s sake.

Growling, I drag my hand over my face and turn away as I call out, “He can fucking stay, but keep him away from me.”

“Really?” I hear Kinsley pop up and sprint over to me where I see her tear-ridden face gaze up at me. And if her voice didn’t crack me, her face would have. “You really mean that?”

Hope. That’s what I see through her tears and just that one look brings me to my goddam knees. In this moment, anything she asked me I’m pretty sure I would say yes.

Holding steady, I say, “He can stay.” And then much firmer, I add, “But he’s it. I swear to God, Kinsley, no more. Do you understand?”

She nods vigorously. “I swear, just Herman. Oh my God, Maddox, you are amazing.” She leaps up into my arms, and I catch her as she wraps her legs around my waist. I stumble back a few steps from the unexpected leap and just as I catch myself, she grips both my cheeks and kisses me directly on the lips.

A tingling sensation spreads through my body as she slowly peels away and smiles at me, her face only a few inches away. My heart trips and starts to tumble, hitting every rib on its way, shocking me, filling me with so much goddamn excitement that my veins thrum for more.

She just fucking kissed me. Not a friendly kiss, not a cheek kiss, but a direct kiss on the lips. Fuck, I want more. I want so much more than just the light press of her lips, a slight graze of her mouth. I want her mouth to part so I can taste every inch of her.

But before I can make a move for more, she sighs, rests her forehead against mine and whispers, “Thank you so much, Maddie. You’re making me so happy right now. Thank you for showing your kind heart and helping out this beautiful friend of mine.” And then she hops down and walks over to Herman and tells him the good news while rubbing under his ears.

I watch as the girl I’m madly in love with talks to a dog she only recently met. Her “friend.” She whispers softly, brings her cheek to his, holds him tightly, and then pats his head. Watching Kinsley with animals? It’s a beautiful fucking thing. She truly, from the depth of her soul, loves every single one of them. Her passion runs through every inch of her and it only makes me fall for her harder . . . even if I don’t want a dog in this house.

“He’s so excited,” Kinsley says, looking over her shoulder. “Just look at him.”

“Yeah, really excited,” I say sarcastically. The dog has not changed his facial expression one bit—still looks like the droopy dog that he is.

“He is, his tail is moving. Look.” Kinsley points and I glance over her to catch the smallest of movement to his tail. “See, he’s so grateful.” Kinsley gives Herman a hug and then pulls away. “Oh, where are my manners? I never introduced you two.” If you haven’t noticed already, Kinsley treats all animals like they’re humans, and I think it’s one of the reasons they flock to her. She’s like a modern-day Dr. Dolittle.

Kinsley waves to me to come closer and when I reach her, she takes my hand in hers and tugs me down to his level. I squat in front of the three-legged Herman and give him a gentle stroke along the back of his neck, feeling a sorry for the guy.

“Don’t shit in my house.”

“Maddox,” Kinsley chastises. “Don’t be rude. Shake his paw and introduce yourself.”

“He’s going to fall if I lift his paw.”

Kinsley shakes her head. “No, he’s smart, he’ll go back on his hind legs. Go ahead, don’t be scared.”

I’m not fucking scared, just irritated.