Page 47 of Ice Cold Rival

I scrolled through the extensive numbered entries, a little surprised to see several sex-based items shedefinitelyshould have experienced before now. What the hell was wrong with Kane? He’d been with her for five years—five years of unlimited access and time—and he’d never let her go down on him?

Damn I was tempted to pick that one and drive straight to my house. She wanted to give a blow job? I volunteered as tribute.

She expected me to pick something sexy though. I scrolled a little farther and smiled, closing her phone before handing it back.

“Well?” she asked.

“I have the perfect choice. I just need to text someone really quick.”

After a couple of messages and a promise to run shirtless at the next 5k, I’d gotten what I wanted. When we pulled up to the Lucky Duck Pet Rescue, Alexis waited by the door. She looked better than I’d seen her before. The dark circles were gone from her eyes, and she’d put on some healthy weight. I was glad my donation had given her the chance to hire the help she needed.

Kenzie’s brows drew together as her gaze bounced between me and the sign on the non-descript white building. “What are we doing here?”

“Number thirty-four on your list was adopt a pet.”

Her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand onto my thigh. “I can’t have a pet in the sorority house. I mean, maybe a fish or something confined to a tank, but nothing they’d have here. That was more for future me.”

I picked up her hand. “I know. We’re here to play with the adoptable pets, to give you a feel for what future you might want.”

“At ten p.m. at night?”

I shrugged, glancing through the windshield at the disgruntled owner waiting for us. “Cats are nocturnal, and Alexis owed me a favor. We don’t have to go in, but don’t let what you think youshoulddo hold you back from what youwantto do.”

Her jaw firmed, and she nodded. “Okay, as long as Alexis is okay with us bothering the animals this late.”

I laughed as we got out of the car. “Are you kidding? The animals are going to love it, and Alexis will love making them happy.”

Alexis ushered us inside, gave us a rundown of the rules, then retreated to her office to make headway on her never-ending paperwork. Kenzie made a beeline for the kitten enclosure, and her happy sigh when she saw the cute little fuzzballs made the entire night worth it.

Twenty minutes later, we were sitting on the floor of the largest playroom, covered in kittens. Kenzie laughed as a sleek black one with huge ears attacked the toy she was swinging around. Even if I wanted to get close to her, the army of baby cats wouldn’t allow it.

When I wished for chaperones, this wasn’t what I had in mind, but I didn’t hate it. If someone had tried to tell me last year I’d be taking a girl on a date to a pet rescue, I’d have assumed they had a concussion. Fake date. Sort of. The line between fake and real was getting fuzzier by the moment. Kind of like Kenzie’s pants.

I genuinely wanted to spend time with her. She was an amazing person with a sharp sense of humor hidden under her kindness. She listened, she cared, and she demanded more from life than what she’d been given. On top of all those reasons, she was the only girl who’d tempted me to break my one-night rule.

There were other people I liked spending time with, but none of them inspired the very detailed fantasies I’d started indulging in the shower. What was the difference between a fake relationship and a real friendship with benefits?

Kenzie looked up from her adoring fans and caught me watching her. “What?”

I shook my head, not ready to explain my convoluted thoughts. “You seem like a cat person.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure until we came in here and I got to pick. Then it was easy. I’m definitely adopting a cat as soon as I have a stable environment.” She looked down at the black kitten with bat ears, and I could practically see hearts floating out of her eyes.

“Why was adopting a pet on your list?”

“Brighton is allergic to pet dander, so we could never have pets as kids, and Toby isn’t into animals. He thinks they’re all dirty and a waste of time.”

“That tracks.”

“Actually, it was you who inspired this entry.”

“How so?”

An orange and white mix with legs longer than its body tumbled off the cat tree behind her and landed on her thigh. The black kitten growled at the intruder until it left the sanctity of Kenzie’s lap.

“The way you guys are with Henry and Sunny. They cause trouble and make messes, but you love them anyway—unconditionally. It would be nice to feel like something loved me no matter what.”

My heart squeezed at her sad tone, and I bit my tongue to keep from saying something I’d regret. Before I could figure out the right words, Kenzie offered me a wobbly smile and held up the black kitten.

---