Page 23 of Complete Me

Kaino groans. “I knew you’d want to take one home.”

I hold her up in front of them. “Look at that sweet face and tell me you can resist her?”

Their smile is soft and they stroke her fur gently. “She is sweet.”

I grin at them. “I think Bingley would love her.”

“Xander.” Bjorn shakes his head. “You don’t need another cat. You have Bingley, and you shouldn’t disrupt his life by introducing a small kitten into the mix.”

I frown. “That’s rather bossy of you.” I pull the kitten against my chest. “If I want to bring her home, I will.”

Bjorn holds up his hands defensively. “Sorry, you’re right. But do you think it’s a good idea to make snap decisions when it comes to pets?”

I pout, mostly because he’s right, and give in. “That’s a very reasonable observation. You probably should have led with that. Asking is always better than telling.”

That makes him blush and wince. “Sorry. I’m working on it. Old habits.”

I lean in and kiss his cheek. “You’re forgiven.”

His boyish smile is back, and this time there’s a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “So, what did the vet say to the cat?”

I roll my eyes and smirk. This is Bjorn’s way of easing stressful situations, and though I don’t usually find his jokes funny, they are mildly amusing. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to humor him. “I have no idea. What?”

“How are you feline?” His grin lights up his face, making my heart skip excitedly. I’m all kinds of confused. Doubly so now, with both Kaino and Bjorn sitting so close to me. Yes, they’re paying attention to the cat, but I’m right here. And they’re both so damned attractive, if complete opposites in almost every way. Surely it’s wrong for me to want to kiss both of them. Yes, polyamory is a thing, but for other people. Not university professors trying for tenure. I shudder to think how a few of the review board members would react if confronted with a candidate for tenure who was in a poly relationship. The school claims to be LGBTQ+ friendly, and for the most part, it is. This is Seattle. But the review board still has a few sticks-in-the-mud who could cause problems. And I’m so close to tenure that I can taste it. I don’t need to have that derailed because of some uptight committee members’ opinions. Sighing, I lean back, giving myself some breathing room. Otherwise, I might do something foolish, like give in and kiss one, or both, of them.

We spend the next hour in feline heaven. Eventually, every cat comes to investigate our little group, and I’m clearly the favorite, though we all get some love. I find it interesting that Kaino doesn’t have an issue touching or being touched by the animals, and I can’t help but wonder what the cause of the aversion is. But that’s too heavy to contemplate in the midst of all of these sweet fur babies.

I kiss each of the cats before Brad takes them back to their crates. Then he leads us next door, where it’s immediately clear that this is the dogs’ domain. There are half-chewed toys everywhere, dog beds strewn around like kindergarten nap mats, and an omnipresent eau de canis scent that permeates everything.

“If you guys will have a seat, I’ll bring in the dogs. There’s a range of sizes at the shelter right now, but they all get along, so we’re allowing them in the playroom at the same time. Otherwise, we’d have to separate them into smaller groups.” Brad goes through yet another door, and a minute later, six dogs come barreling in.

They appear to be mixed breeds, though with some, it’s easy to tell what the dominant lineage is. The barking is loud and excited, and everyone’s tails wag violently. Some of the little dogs are doing that shrieky whine thing that’s getting on my nerves, and they’re all dashing here and there, chasing each other. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the chaos, but Kaino doesn’t seem bothered. Bjorn is in his element, if his grin is anything to go by. He throws himself on the floor, utterly disregarding the massive drifts of dog hair, and lets himself be licked and pounced on by every pup in the room. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Nah, I’m fine.” It’s obvious who the dogs’ favorite is, and this time I’m very glad it isn’t me.

Wrinkling my nose, I survey Bjorn’s clothing. “You’re covered in dog hair and slobber.”

“I know! Isn’t it great?” Bjorn laughs and wraps his muscular arms around the labrador mix currently trying to stand on his chest. “All this love. No judgment. No conditions.”

Humming, I watch the chaos unfold, then glance at Kaino. “Not your thing?”

“Oh, I love dogs, but rolling around on this floor is a bit too much, even for me. I’ll hang here with you until Bjorn calms down enough to stop feeding the pack energy.”

I eye them skeptically. “The pack energy?”

Kaino nods in Bjorn’s direction. “He’s the pack leader. They all know it, which is why they want his attention. And he’s excited and enjoying their interest. They feed off his energy, and he feeds off theirs. Eventually, one or both sides will get tired and calm down, breaking the cycle. At that point, the dogs will probably come over here and see who we are.”

I gawp at him. “Dear god, we don’t have to roll around like that. Do we?”

“No.” Their eyes sparkle with amusement, and they’re so damned pretty. “They’ll be much calmer then.” They point to a small fluffy looking dog about the size of a loaf of bread. “My bet is that one’s a snuggler. She’ll be in your lap, leaning against your chest, begging for pets.”

I eye her cream-colored coat. “It looks like hair, not fur.”

“It is hair. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Shih Tzu mix. They don’t shed, and they do need haircuts.”

I blink at them. “What, like at the salon?”

Kaino nods. “Exactly.”

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