Page 14 of Dirty Pucker

Enough with this schoolgirl crush. Keep it professional. This is your job, remember? Do you really wanna be known as the social media girl who hooks up with the players? Not to mention Theo would flip out if he found out I have a crush on the guy he despises.

That giddy feeling evaporates. I’ll admit that I’m attracted to Del. And there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s insanely hot and a gentleman. But that’s as far as my feelings will ever go. A crush, and nothing more.

We play with the cats for a few more minutes, then return them to their kitty condos.

“You’re the cat whisperer. Those kittens loved climbing all over you,” I say.

“I’ve never had a cat. I’ve only ever had dogs,” he says as we walk toward the entrance of the building.

“You could have fooled me. You looked like a natural cat dad with the way you cuddled those kittens.”

We stop by the reception desk and thank them for letting us stop by.

“You’re always welcome. Any time you want to stop in and love on these furry little guys, please come by. They love the company.” The receptionist smiles. “You should think about fostering if you’re not ready to commit to adoption. We’re always happy to have more foster dads and moms for our cats and dogs.”

“We’ll definitely do that,” I say. “Thanks so much again.”

We head out. I glance over at Del. “Would you do that? Foster a dog or a cat?”

He tucks his hands in the pockets of his coat. “I’d like to, but it’s hard with my schedule. During the season, I’m gone a lot for games and training and traveling.” Del steps ahead and holds open the door for me. “Are you a cat person or a dog person?”

“Can’t choose. I love them both.”

“Do you have pets?”

“Nope. Maybe someday though.”

Just then, he stops walking. When I turn to him, he’s looking down at the front of his shirt.

“What’s wrong…” I trail off as soon as I see the wet spot. “Oh no…”

“Is this how cats show their love? By pissing all over you?” he deadpans.

I cover my mouth to hold in a laugh, but I burst out anyway.

“That’s it. Laugh it up.”

“I’m sorry.” I wipe my eyes.

His frown fades and he flashes that devastatingly handsome half-smile. “Mind if we make a pit stop at my place before we head back to the arena, so I can shower and get cleaned up?”

“Of course.”

Chapter 6

Del

Iunlock the front door to my three-story townhouse in the RiNo neighborhood of Denver and let Ingrid inside.

I walk through the entryway, up the stairs to the second floor, and into the open-concept living space and kitchen.

“Want something to drink?” I ask as I walk into the kitchen and grab a glass from one of the floating shelves.

“Just some water. Thanks.”

When I turn around to hand her the glass, I catch her glancing around. I just moved here a couple of weeks ago, and so far I’ve only managed to unpack the kitchen, and set up my sectional and TV, and my bed upstairs. That’s it. The rest of my stuff is still in boxes, which are scattered all over my living room, the hallway, and all three bedrooms upstairs.

A sudden wave of self-consciousness hits me. My place must look like a shack compared to what she’s used to.

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