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Before I can refuse him again, he keeps talking. “I mean, you wouldn’t even have a cat to buy food for it if I hadn’t shown up and dragged you into my mess—” Reaching for me, he pulls me closer by the front of my coveralls. “Right?”
I nod and stop breathing when he starts to work the front of them open. “I propose we share joint custody,” he says softly, his dark blue gaze dipping lower to rest on my mouth.
I lick my lips because my mouth is suddenly so dry it feels like I’ve been eating sand and his jaw goes tight. “Joint custody?” I sound stupid when I say it. Like I have no idea what the words mean. I’m wearing clothes underneath. Jeans and a tank, same as always, but that doesn’t matter. My heart starts going crazy like it did last night when he got too close. All I can do is wonder what it would be like if Declan Gilroy was undressing me for real. If we were alone and I didn’t absolutely hate everything about him.
“Yeah.” He looks up at me when he says it. Coveralls loose to my waist, he slips his massive hand inside. “Joint custody.” His wide, blunt fingertips skim along the underside of my breast and I have to lock my knees in place to keep from crumbling to the floor. “You take care of it and I’ll buy what you need to do it.” His hand closes over the squirming lump tucked under my arm and pulls it out, his knuckles grazing my nipple on the way out.
The cat.
He was reaching for the cat.
“Her.” I watch him tuck the kitten into the crook of his elbow where she promptly starts purring so loud she sounds like a motorboat. “She’s not an it. She’s a her.”
“Okay. Her.” He flashes me a grin. “Do we have a deal?”
It’s only fair, right? He’s not wrong. I wouldn’t even have the cat if he hadn’t shown up and dragged me into his business. I mean, why should I have to spend my hard-earned money on things like cat litter and squeaky toys when he’s the real responsible party?
Before I can say anything he gives me a grin so deep it reveals a pair of dimples I’ve never noticed before. His little brother has them and he uses them indiscriminately to get what he wants. I have a feeling Declan doesn’t flash his around as easily. “Excellent,” he says, holding my gaze for a moment longer before he takes my cat and the cart full of shit and walks away.