Kissed by Cat. Shirley Jump

new bandage.

      Had he been as affected as she? Had he felt that…that electrical shock?

      It was her feet against the carpet. Static electricity. Yeah, except her feet were bare and they were standing on vinyl flooring.

      The light was streaming through the windows now, exposing his face clearly. She saw the jagged lines that ran down his face, disappearing under his neckline, almost like pale pink zippers running along his cheeks and neck. The backs of his hands were scarred as well, dark red in some places, soft cherry in others.

      Something terrible had happened to Garrett McAllister. Something he seemed to want to hide, judging by the way he kept his face averted and avoided looking directly at her.

      Garrett led the retriever back to her kennel, giving her another gentle pat and a few kind words before closing the door and moving on to a small multicolored Pekingese. His hand hovered over the latch, his back to her. “This isn’t going to work, Miss Wyndham. Maybe you should find other employment.”

      She crossed the room in three strides, coming to a stop beside him. “What do you mean?”

      “I don’t work well with others.”

      She softened her tone. “Because of your scars?”

      He wheeled around, a volcano erupting in his eyes. “Who do you think you are? How dare you come in here and start intruding on my life?”

      She took a step back, speechless.

      “I didn’t ask you for a commentary on my appearance. I asked you to leave.”

      “Leave?”

      “Yeah, and the sooner the better.” He turned back to the kennel, but didn’t unlatch the door. The Pekingese yipped impatiently.

      Bloody hell. Catherine stood there, facing his back for several seconds, chewing on her lip. She needed his help, but there was no way she was asking for it now. She’d never before needed a man to help her do anything.

      She wasn’t about to start now.

      “Your wish is my command.” She stripped off the lab coat, then reached over his head and dangled it in front of his face. The muscles in his neck flexed and tensed when he swallowed. Twice. He stared at the coat as if he’d never seen it before. She dropped it on the top of the kennel. The Pekingese barked at the pile of fabric. “I’m gone.”

      Then she turned on her naked heel and left the room, certain Garrett would be spending the next few minutes picking his jaw up off the floor.