Special K

by Stormy Glenn

  He kept the small white furry kitten cradled to his chest as Keeland drove them back toward town. It really was an adorable kitten, even if it did need a good bath and some food…maybe a lot of food.

  “How old do you think he is?” he asked to break the heavy silence in the cab of the truck. Keeland had refused to say a single word after telling him to buckle up his seat belt.

  “I’d say she is six or seven weeks old, give or take a few days on either side.”

  Oh, it was a girl kitten.

  “Well, she is a cute little thing.”

  The slightest of smiles cracked the grim line of Keeland’s lips as he gazed over at the kitten for a moment. “Yes, she is.”

  Hmm, talking about the kitten seemed to be the only way to get Keeland to open up. So be it. Dom could talk kittens until the sun went down if it meant he had Keeland’s attention. The man intrigued Dom unlike anyone had in ages, if ever.

  “Do you think she’s going to be okay?” Dom was worried. He didn't know much about kittens despite learning recently that he had a lot in common with the feline breed.

  “I need to examine her just to be sure,” Keeland replied, “but I think she should be fine. She also needs her shots soon.”

  “And you can do that?”

  “I’m a licensed veterinarian. I can do that. But if you would feel more comfortable, there’s a clinic in Carlton, just on the other side of the county line.”

  Dom frowned. That was over sixty miles away. “Do you like working with animals?”

  “I do.” Keeland turned his gaze to look back out the front window, which was good since he was driving. But the smile slid off his face and Dom didn’t like that. Keeland was so much cuter when he was smiling. “It’s people that I don’t like.”

  Okay.

  Dom found himself in a unique position. He didn’t know quite what to say to Keeland, and that was something that had never happened to him before. He always knew what to say to a man he was interested in, and it always worked. He hadn’t been turned down since he was a teenager just learning the ways of the world.

  Keeland didn’t seem to want to give Dom the time of day. Maybe it was the crash that had Keeland rattled. Maybe Dom needed to do something to get Keeland’s mind off the crash and onto him.

  He could do that.

  “You’ll like me,” Dom said with more confidence than he felt. The words were playful, but the meaning was not. Keeland was going to like him. Dom planned to do everything he could to make sure that happened.

  Dom chuckled when the truck suddenly swerved. Keeland’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he glanced at Dom. Keeland’s mouth opened as if the man was going to say something, but he snapped it closed and continued driving.

  Dom just leaned back in the seat and gently petted the kitten cuddled against his chest. He suddenly had a very good idea on how to get, and keep, Keeland’s attention. He just needed to put that idea into a plan.

  “So, what’s going to happen to this little girl after she’s given a clean bill of health?”

  “I’ll need to find her a good home.”

  “I’ll take her.” The words were out of his mouth before Dom could stop them. He had no idea why he’d said them, but now that he had, the idea actually sounded like a good one.

  “You?” Keeland snorted. “I hardly think you could provide her with a good home.”

  Dom noticed the set look on Keeland’s face, his clamped jaw and fixed eyes, and bit back the angry retort sitting on the tip of his tongue. Letting his anger out at Keeland was not the way to win the man over.

  And something deep inside of Dom told him he had to win Keeland. He didn’t know if it was the man’s spitfire personality or the cute way his lips twisted together right before he said something scathing, or even the wonderful way Keeland smelled.

  Dom just knew he had to have the man.

  “Maybe you should get to know me a little before you make assumptions about my life, Keeland.”

  “You ride a bike.” The words sounded like an accusation.

  “Yes, I do,” Dom said. “What of it?”

  “How do you plan to take her to the vet and such? It’s not like she’ll fit in your saddlebags. And what about when it snows? You could crash…again.”

  “We live in Black Rock.” They were high enough up in the mountains to get a fair amount of snow in the wintertime. “I have a truck I use when the weather gets bad. Only an idiot tries to ride in the snow.”

  Keeland snorted, but didn’t say anything.

  “Besides, I kind of have an in with felines.” And then some.

  He’d only known about being a shifter for a couple of weeks, but he already felt more settled in his skin. He spent a lot of time getting to know his inner cat. Some of it was pure desperation, but a majority of it was curiosity.

  He could suddenly do things he’d never been able to do before. He was faster, stronger, could hear better and see in the pitch dark. The change in his senses was probably the most astonishing. The things he could smell and the intensity with which he smelled them astounded him.

  Keeland smelled delicious. Dom wanted to lick him from head to toe on one side, then work his way back up the other side. His panther was going insane over the sweet scent. Dom could feel him pacing back and forth. He clenched his hands at the agitation boiling up inside.

  “You’ve had a cat before?” Keeland asked.

  Well, shit.

  “No, not exactly, but I’ve been around them all my life.” That was one way to describe it. It wasn’t as if he could tell Keeland he had a feline inside of him. The man would laugh himself silly and then never speak to him again.

  “My mother didn’t allow pets,” Dom said. He didn’t admit the part where she didn’t allow pets because she’d rather spend the money on alcohol. He really didn’t remember a time when his mother didn’t drink.

  After growing up in hell, finding out the woman he thought was his mother, wasn’t, had been quite the blow. He still didn’t know how he felt, and at the moment, he didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to think about what he would do to sweet, sweet Keeland if he had a flat surface and a few hours to indulge every fantasy floating through his head.

  “What do you think happened to this little girl’s mama?”

  “My guess would be that she got hit by a car,” Keeland replied.

  Dom glanced up at the sadness lacing Keeland’s voice. “Did you see any sign of that?”

  Keeland shook his head. “I didn’t get a lot of time to look before you came flying around the corner and tried to mow me down.”

  Dom chuckled. Keeland wasn’t going to let that go. “Well, maybe if you spent less time standing in the middle of the road and more time looking for Henrietta’s mama—”

  “Henrietta?”

  “Yeah.” Dom grinned as he held the kitten up. “Don’t you think she looks like a Henrietta?”

  Keeland snorted. “If you say so.”

  Dom knew he was getting to the guy. Keeland kept shooting him quick glances when he thought Dom wasn’t paying attention, except Dom was always paying attention. Keeland fascinated him.

  He just needed to figure out why.

  He’d seen prettier men…maybe. He’d certainly seen friendlier ones. Of course, Keeland’s sass was intriguing in itself. Dom hated “yes men,” even if he did on occasion deal with one simply so he didn’t have to chase a good time for the evening.

  It'd been a while since he’d done that. Dom was going through a bit of a dry spell right now, but it was a voluntary one. After watching Gabriel and Chay fall for each other, he’d started to want what they had. One-night stands were growing stale.

  Dom glanced out the window when Keeland slowed the truck and then pulled into a parking lot. “I never realized this was a vet clinic.”

  “I’ve only been here a couple of months.”

  That might be it.

  “Looks nice.”

  When Keeland climbed out of the
truck and headed for the building, Dom followed. He didn’t like the hard pull in his gut when Keeland walked away from him. Besides, Henrietta needed a medical exam to make sure she was okay.

  That was Dom’s story and he was sticking to it.

  Keeland unlocked the front door and walked inside. He pointed to a door on the far side of the room. “Take her on in there. I need to go grab a few things.”

  Dom carried Henrietta into the small exam room, grimacing when he saw the cold metal exam table. He was not a fan. Instead of setting her down, Dom kept Henrietta cradled to his chest. He understood the need for the shiny metal table. It was probably easier to clean. But it seemed a bit impersonal to him.

  When the door opened and Keeland walked in, he had a tablet with him. “I’ve started a file for her. I’ll need to get your information if you plan to keep her.”

  “I do.”

  Keeland held the tablet out. “You fill this form in while I take a look at our girl.”

  Our girl. Dom liked that. He smiled as he traded the kitten for the tablet. The form seemed pretty straightforward. He filled in everything he could and left the rest blank.

  “She looks good,” Keeland said just about the time Dom was done filling out the form. “She definitely needs some kitten food.” Keeland glanced up. “I can recommend a good brand if you don’t know what to get.”

  “Please.” Dom smiled as he set the tablet down. “Anything you can tell me to make sure Miss Henrietta is well cared for would be appreciated.”

  He almost growled when Keeland’s fingers moved over Henrietta’s fur. He couldn’t believe he was jealous of a kitten. Maybe if he shifted into his feline form, he’d get more than sassy comments and dark glares.

  “She’ll needs shots in a couple of weeks.”

  “Why can’t you give them to her now?”

  “Because I’m not positive she’s old enough. I can guess at her age, but I’d prefer not to. If we give it another couple of weeks, I’d know she was old enough.”

  Okay, that made sense.

  “Are you going to get her chipped?”

  “I’m sorry?” Dom asked. “Chipped?”

  “It’s a locater chip in case she gets lost. Any vet or humane society can check for a chip if she gets brought in, and it’ll come up with your information so she can be returned to you.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  Keeland gave his first real smile. “There’s a small pinch when it’s put in, but nothing major. Most of the time, they don’t even realize we’ve injecting them with something.”

  “Yeah, okay, that might be a good idea.” It wasn’t like he planned for the little fur ball to get lost, but accidents happened, and he was pretty sure if he lost Henrietta, Keeland would never speak to him again.

  “If you want to hold her, I’ll get everything set up.”

  Dom cradled Henrietta to his chest, gently stroking her. Her white fur was matted and dirty, but he knew that would clean up well enough when she had a bath. It was her weight he was worried about. She barely fit in the palm of his hand.

  “Here we go,” Keeland said as he walked in with a silver tray. He set the tray down before walking over to the sink to wash his hands. He smiled when he walked back over to the exam table. “This won’t take but a moment.”

  Dom was actually kind of fascinated by the process and how gentle Keeland was with the kitten as he inserted a small rice-shaped tracking chip under Henrietta’s skin. He winced when the kitten cried out. That was definitely a sound of pain, but strangely enough, a moment later she calmed.

  “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Keeland said. He gave the kitten several long strokes before picking her up and handing her to Dom. “The rest of this is up to you. She needs a bath and food. I’ll send you home with a few pamphlets on kitten care.”

  Dom knew he probably had sucker written all over his face, because he walked out of Keeland’s vet clinic with a big box of stuff and two hundred dollars lighter in his pocketbook. He wasn’t sure if Keeland was trying to test him or get back at him. Either way, he had an appointment in two weeks to come back and get Henrietta her shots.

  Keeland was nice enough to offer to drive him home. Dom wanted to drive to the shop and talk to Chay to get his opinion of the intense need he felt whenever he looked at Keeland or smelled him, or even thought about him. This obsession just couldn’t be right.

  It wasn’t like Dom at all.

  Taking care of Henrietta seemed more important at the moment. Well, maybe not more important, but more imperative. Besides, Keeland would probably have his nuts in a sling if he didn’t put the little kitten before his needs, and that was not the way to win brownie points with the man.

  “Well, this is me,” Dom said when they pulled up in front of his house. “Do you want to come in for some coffee?”

  That was nice, wasn’t it?

  Keeland’s face flushed. “Is this like asking me if I want to see your etchings?”

  Dom chuckled. “No, it’s actually me asking if you want to come in for some coffee. I don’t have any etchings, but if you really want to see something, I think I have some bike blueprints lying around somewhere I can show you.”

  Keeland laughed, which was what Dom had been going for. “Maybe another time. I have to work early in the morning, so I’d better head on home.”

  “And where is home?”

  Keeland grinned. “Black Rock.”

  Dom shook his head as he climbed out of the truck. He reached back for Henrietta and her box of stuff before shutting the door. He leaned in and sent Keeland a wicked grin. “Okay, Special K. You don’t have to tell me now, but I will find out where you live eventually.”

  “Wow.” Keeland lifted an eyebrow. “My own personal stalker.”

  Oh, he had no idea.

  Chapter Three

  Keeland could feel the flush in his cheeks as he drove away from Dom’s place. He couldn’t believe how forward he’d been or the things he’d said. That was so unlike him. He wasn’t a wallflower exactly, but he usually didn’t go chasing after guys. He certainly didn't flirt with them.

  It meant his love life sucked, but he’d just never really gotten the whole dating-game thing. He’d spent too much of his time studying and going to school. The upside was that he owned his own veterinary practice at the young age of twenty-six. The downside was that he had no social life.

  Maybe that was about to change?

  Keeland laughed bitterly. Who was he kidding? Guys who looked like Dom didn’t go for guys who looked like him. They went for pretty boys or guys who looked just as rough-and-tumble as they were. Geeky little nerds were out.

  Keeland pulled into his driveway and turned the truck off. He leaned back in his seat and sighed. Not for the first time, he wished he had been born someone else. He knew he’d made the most of what he had by using his brains to make a good career for himself, and he was damn proud of himself.

  But every once in a while, he wished he had been born pretty. He wasn’t ugly, not by a long shot, but he was more comfortable covered in animal hair and other things than he was dressed to the nines. He kept his hair short for a reason. He wouldn’t know a hair product if it came up and bit him on the ass. And his idea of dressing up was taking his lab coat off and putting on a clean shirt.

  While a big, bad biker might not know what Sak’s Fifth Avenue was, it was obvious from Dom’s gorgeous, muscular physique that the man prided himself on looking good, and damn, did he look good. Keeland felt his cock harden just thinking about how good Dom looked.

  Keeland laughed to himself. “I’d do him.”

  In a freaking heartbeat.

  Knowing there was no hope for it, Keeland climbed out of his truck and headed into his house. Except for needing him to treat Henrietta, Keeland doubted Dom would remember who he was by morning.

  Keeland let himself into his house and then shut the door behind him. His shoulders slumped as a trickle of despair wove its way through him. He
flipped on the light, hoping it would make home feel a bit more welcoming.

  It didn’t.

  His house was okay. It was a rental, but he hoped to change that at some point. He was saving up to buy himself a place outside of town, something with a few acres so he could build his vet clinic on his own land.

  He also wanted to get a few pets instead of always treating them. He had no one to come home to, not even a goldfish. It didn’t seem fair to have a pet when he put in so many hours at work. Maybe if he had someone in his life that would change, but he’d have to have someone first.

  Keeland hung up his jacket, then wandered into the private bath off his bedroom. It’d been one of the main reasons he’d picked this place. Well, that and the cheap rent. He liked having a private bath just for himself, one he didn’t have to share with guests. Assuming he had guests.

  He stripped off his clothes and dropped them into the hamper specifically for his work stuff. He preferred not mixing his work clothes and his regular clothes because he got all sorts of nasty stuff on his work clothes.

  Keeland groaned as he stepped under the shower spray. He liked his showers lobster-boiling hot. When he had his own place, he promised himself he’d get one of those rainfall showerheads and just stand under it until the hot water heater ran cold.

  He soaped up a clean washcloth and began scrubbing all the work grime off his body, but by the time he reached his dick, it was still hard and thoughts of work had been replaced by fantasies of his big, bad biker.

  He squeezed a little more soap into his hand before wrapping his fingers around his cock. He gave himself several long strokes before reaching down with the other hand to tug on his balls. The small bite of pain combined with the ache of lust flushing every inch of his body had Keeland stroking his cock faster, harder, longer.

  He was so close, but it wasn’t enough. No matter how fast he jerked off or how long the strokes, he couldn’t get off. Keeland groaned in frustration before leaning out of the shower and reaching into the wooden box on the shelf over the toilet.