Page 34 of Sweet and Salty

Nothing out of the ordinary, even Gregory has stuck to his routine. Showing up in the back of the building where the patient exit door is, demanding food that Zoe always puts out for him. It's cute as hell—despite his aversion to me—but the clockwork of the routine puts me on edge. IfI'venoticed that she goes out that door promptly at five p.m. every evening, then socould Spencer. And from the way he tore up her porch last week, I know he doesn’t care that I feed the cat with her every night.

I make a mental note to mention it to her later. Maybe we could finally coax him to be a house cat or switch up the times or something.

After another hour, I head over to her office, finding her door open just like I suspected. She doesn’t have another client for an hour, and I simply can’t stay away from her any longer.

“How's your day going?” I ask after lightly tapping on the side of the entryway, lingering there in case she's deep in work mode.

Her smile is bright as her eyes, flying to mine, looking up from some paperwork scattered about her desk. “So far so good,” she says, setting down a pen and rounding the desk to stand before me. “You?”

“Can't complain,” I say, then tilt my head.

Zoe notices the hesitant move and arches a brow at me. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong,” I say, smoothing a hand down her arm because she can't be this close to me without touching her. “I just picked up on something today about a routine of yours and I’m…concerned.”

Her features turn serious, and she nods. “And I thought I'd been doing so well about shifting things up,” she says. “I don't take lunch on the terrace anymore, and I take my lunch breaks at different times. I've even shuffled my clients around. What did I miss?”

“Wemissed it,” I assure her. I reach my other hand to cup her cheek, making sure she can see the severity in my face. “You've been doing amazing. Honestly, you're going above and beyond.”

She flashes me an incredulous look. “But?”

“But,” I say, shifting closer to her. “Your habits with Gregory are like clockwork. Even when I’m doing it with you. It wouldmake me a whole hell of a lot more comfortable if you started varying the times we feed him and give him those treats. Or hell, invite him into the building and make him an indoor cat.”

Zoe closes her eyes and blows out a breath before looking back up at me. “I didn't realize,” she says shaking her head. “Especially since you’ve been doing it with me. But you know Gregory. He’s the one who operates on a schedule. He knows exactly when I'll be here. And you know I’ve tried to lure him inside with treats. I think he’s warming up to me, but he’s an independent-gentleman-of-the-night cat. I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to contain him.” Her smile turns into a little frown at that, and every instinct urges me to track down the cat and tell him hehasto be her pet, if only to make her smile.

“Don't you dare,” she says, eyes flaring up at me as if I stated my thought out loud. “I can see the look on your face. You're always trying to solve all my problems, but Gregory doesn't belong to me, and if he decides he wants to take the next step in our relationship then that's on his terms, not mine.”

I laugh, deep and rough and unexpected. Something that always happens with Zoe, either from her mouth or from a teasing text. Jesus, I can't get enough of this girl.

“Heard,” I finally say.

Her grin deepens, and she smooths her hands over my chest before bringing her body flush against mine. I immediately snake an arm around her lower back, securing her against me as our mouths are an inch apart?—

The bell sounds, signaling someone entering the building, and we immediately break apart, her eyes losing all sense of warmth they had a moment before.

My instincts snap to high alert, and I carefully secure her behind her office door before spinning around to check who the unexpected guest is.

“Ah, Mr. Rolfe,” Senator Casson says, Zoe’s father striding through the door in one of his expensive suits. He extends a hand toward me, and I shake it, blowing out a breath that it's only him and not Spencer finally getting brazen enough to try me.

“Dad,” Zoe says from behind me, coming out of the cover of her office to hug him quickly. “I didn't know you were stopping by.”

Senator Casson slides his hands into his pockets, his eyes darting between us before he focuses on Zoe. “I just had a wonderful lunch at Lyla’s Place,” he says. “And I couldn't resist a quick pop in to see how you’re doing.”

“I'm doing great,” Zoe says.

“Really?” he asks like he’s not totally buying it. “I know Rolfe here briefed me on an incident last week, and you've ignored my texts asking about it.”

“I haven't ignored your texts,” she says. “I've been busy.” Her eyes flash to mine for a moment before they return to her father's, and it's all I can do tonotsmirk. “And yes, that situation rattled me. But I'm grateful for Mr. Rolfe. He's definitely making me feel safe.”

Lava streaks through my veins with the way she says my name so formally, definitely not the way she said it last night, breathless and intimate.

Senator Casson nods, a bit of tension dropping from his shoulders as he looks at me. “I'm certainly glad you're taking care of my daughter,” he says. “Worth every penny to keep her safe.”

“She’s my number one priority,” I say, glancing at her before forcing my gaze away. “I'm doing my best to take very good care of her.”

Zoe laughs, loud and effortless and so damn sweet.

He smiles, looking a bit confused at her reaction, and I chuckle softly before nodding to them both, shaking her father's hand again before I head off to my workstation to give them some privacy.

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