Please Remember Me (14 page)

He reeled. Yeah, he knew about the deal with Logan. The file on Dex Rose had her name all over it. During the interview, she’d spoken about her drinking problem and her substance abuse. But to think she’d be dead… His heart clenched. “And this translates to the dog…how?”

“I wasn’t any good at being a party girl. I suck at modelling and my acting skills aren’t even acceptable enough for the gag reels. I put so many things up my nose it’s a wonder it’s in one piece. But now that I’m here, I’m pretty good at taking care of Sparky.” She gestured to the dog. “I’m responsible for someone other than me and I like it. I’ll bet Riley would like to be in a home where he’s loved. Here, he can be. I figure, if I can channel my energy into making other people’s lives better rather than my addictions, then why not?”

Her words turned over in his mind. A place for the unwanted animals? Sure, he’d always wanted a dog, but with his crazy hours, it seemed unfair. If she could handle the chaos, then maybe the idea of taking in the occasional animal wasn’t so bad. But to take in the masses to combat addictions? He wasn’t so sure. Still, his respect for her rose along with parts of his anatomy.

Squeezing her tightly, Marlon sighed. “You can do whatever you set your mind to. I know you will give him the best home possible.” The scent of her shampoo wafted to him. “But right now, I’d like to know who Bobby is.”

“A friend who keeps an eye on me, kind-of-sort-of.”

Her words didn’t ease his apprehension. “Jaden…”

“He’s in my past and nothing you have to handle. Really.”

“You frustrate me, babe.”

A smile lit up her face. “So you will stay? I know Judi gave the green light, but I was afraid to ask.”

He chuckled. “Miss Bold was afraid to ask? You didn’t seem to mind taking charge back at my apartment.” Meek and demure suited her. Then again, he liked her bold, sassy, and willing, too.

More colour rushed into her cheeks. “I didn’t want to sound like a wuss. I mean…”

He silenced her with a kiss, enveloping himself in her scent. She clasped his shirt in both hands, pulling him flush against her body. When they parted, her eyes fluttered open and a lazy smile blossomed on her lips.

“I’m needy, aren’t I?”

“Sweetheart, I’m standing here, trying to hold off a damned erection and you talk about needy?” He rested his forehead on hers. “You’ve got me wrapped around your little finger.”

Jaden wrapped her fingers around his length, stroking him. “How about you stay tonight and snuggle me?”

“You got it.”

Chapter Thirteen

“Just try to tell me pets don’t have feelings.” Jaden stormed into the shelter. Her voice shook the glass foyer. “Everyone has feelings!”
Including me.

She’d spent the previous week arguing about Riley with Pearl’s son Leonard through a series of phone calls and personal visits. He wasn’t about to let her adopt the dog. His words at the diner cemented themselves in her mind. “Drop him in the pond for all I care.” Thank God Marlon had heard the nastiness. As soon as she’d found out the dog had been dropped at the shelter, she’d rushed across town. According to Summer, Leonard abandoned Riley on the doorstep with the opinion that animals were nothing more than disposable ‘things’.

An eerie feeling wrapped around her heart. She took a quick look over her shoulder. The dark green sedan sat in the parking spot next to her car. A man lounged on the hood, his ankles crossed. At first glance, he appeared casual. She inched backwards towards the inner door. He wore sunglasses again. Who knew what he was looking at.

He can’t take my independence and he won’t break me.

Once inside the sky blue building, she stopped cold. Puppies, full grown dogs, kittens and cats peered at her from inside wire cages. Some of the cats mewled and batted their paws through the holes. Others sat and stared. Some of the dogs barked, while a handful whimpered. Her heart clenched as she forgot her problems. Many of the dogs were purebreds. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. All of them needed homes other than the chilly confines of the wire and cement block.

“There’s so many of them,” she murmured and folded her hands in front of her mouth.

“People give them up because they lose the cuteness. The dogs get too big to control and the cats cause allergies. It’s sad but true.”

Jaden jumped. When she turned, a petite woman with hair the colour of milk chocolate crossed her slender arms.

“Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Are you Summer?”

The woman grinned, displaying dazzling white teeth. “One and the same. I assume you’re Jaden. Marlon spoke highly of you when I took some forms over to the county office. It’s a little strange because he doesn’t talk about anyone except for the guys he works with. You’ve made an impression.”

Jaden fumbled for a response. He thought highly of her? She’d made an impression? Wow. He knew the woman she wanted to be—not the celebrity fuck-up. She owed him the biggest kiss and more than one night of devotion.

“You don’t believe me?”

Jaden tucked a hank of loose hair behind her ear. “I—it’s just crazy to hear it from someone else.”

“Get used to it, girl. He’s usually a pretty quiet guy, but he’s got a great big heart and he’s loyal. He’s in love with you and I am thrilled.” Summer clicked her tongue, calming some of the dogs. “I tried to be the kind of woman he needed, but I couldn’t overcome the memory of his wife. I still see him from time to time.”

The wind rushed from her lungs. The ‘in love’ part she could deal with eventually, but wife? The man had a wife? Jaden grasped for anything to keep her upright. The glass door worked fine. She prayed it didn’t swing open. Okay, so they really didn’t take much time to talk about stuff, but really. A wife? Hell.

Summer touched Jaden’s arm. Her voice dropped to a low tone. “He didn’t say anything, did he? I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to shout out his past.” Putting one fist on her hip, she frowned and tapped her chin with her other hand. “That might have had something to do with why our dates are further and further apart. I tend to talk without thinking sometimes. It’s a gift and it gets me into so much trouble.”

Jaden squared her shoulders. She tended to speak before thinking, too. “I understand and it’s fine.” Sort of. On to more important things before she had too much more time to think. “I—I came here to pick up Riley.”

Summer’s frown brightened to a wide grin. “Ah, Riley. He’s a pistol, but he’d be a great family dog. He tore up the squeaky hamburger toy in about ten minutes flat. Lots of energy, he’d like kids to play with.” She sighed. “But then all of them would make great pets. I want to save them all, but I can’t. Not enough room. If I’m lucky, two-thirds of them are adopted.”

Forgetting her personal discomfort, Jaden slipped through the glass doors to the kennels. She’d always wanted a kitten. What about a full-grown cat? The first cage held two grey tabby cats. She stuck her finger through the holes in the cage. One of them purred. The other butted her fingers with the top of its head. “I think I’d like a cat, but how do you know if they tolerate dogs?”

Summer snorted. “What cat does? It’s a case of coexisting and a matter of temperament. In here, they’re all lovey and adorable. At home, some change. Some cats are distant. It’s like they do what they have to in order to get out and when they succeed… Well, you’ll have to see for yourself. I know a couple of cats who took to their master’s dogs with no issues, but they were adopted.”

The duo slithered around each other in a desperate attempt to get her attention. Would Judi mind a pair of cats? What if she was allergic? Two sets of greenish-yellow eyes peered at her. Her heart melted. My life, my choices. “I’ll take Riley and these two. They seem to need me.”

“I have to get preachy for a moment. Four animals is the limit in town, you know. Marlon won’t enforce it because he’s with the county, but he will tell the city cops if you change your mind and think you want more. Unfortunately, he has to tattle.”

“Oh.” Tears misted behind her eyes. Not because of the rules, but for the loss of the opportunity to do the right thing.

“Enough sermons.” Summer opened the cage and handed Jaden one of the cats. “I know how you feel. I’ve seen too many older people have to give up their pets because they can’t take care of them anymore. Then there are the ones who outlive their owners, like Riley. It stinks. I want to take them all home.” She tapped her chin again. “Both of these guys have had their shots and the local vet neutered them, so you’ll only have to take them in for a check-up. While I’m thinking about it, did you bring a crate?”

Jaden froze. “Crate? For what? Can’t I just put them all in the car?”

“You’d be surprised, but no.” Summer laughed, the sound ringing around the room. “I know Riley likes the car because Leonard told me. Cats tend to ride better when in a crate. Although I had one lady who drove with her orange cat draped around her shoulders like a shawl, not that you probably care. It’s kinda funny to see old Doris Folger tooling around town in her Caddy with Farkus sleeping around her neck.”

Jaden nibbled the corner of her mouth. Keeping cats entailed a whole new set of equipment… Still, she couldn’t leave them. “Okay, so where do I get a couple of crates?”

* * * *

Whistling the last song he’d heard on the radio, Marlon strolled out of the courthouse and through the parking lot to his patrol car. Each time he’d had got a chance over the past week, he headed to Judi’s to see Jaden. She didn’t insist upon dissecting his day, but listened until he had nothing else to say. She took away his stress when she smiled. Each time they made love, his desire for her grew. He’d rip out his own heart and bronze it for her if she asked. But letting her go? Damn. Letting go might be more than he could handle.

His phone beeped with an incoming picture message. He grinned when he read the identification screen—Jaden. He pressed the buttons to retrieve the message. Could it be a risqué picture to tide him over? She might have shrugged out of the Hollywood façade, but she knew a thing or two about turning a man on. Sliding behind the wheel of his cruiser, he peeked around the parking lot and brought up the file.

In the image, she smiled with a wide-eyed grey tabby in her arms. The caption read: “My child, Tantrum!”

He shook his head and laughed. Only Jaden could name a cat after a temper fit. Another picture popped up. In this one, she held another cat while Sparky peeked over her shoulder. The caption for this image read: “Here’s his sister, Unruly. Sparks and Riley love them. Well, sorta.”

Somehow the sight of Jaden with multiple pets seemed right. As right as her with children—his children. Laughing, he drove to the muni lot. The smile on his lips warmed his heart and spread through his chest. She took all the dull greys in his life and gave them pops of vivid colour.

Once he’d traded the cruiser for his Jeep, he engaged the engine and headed to his apartment. After he’d retrieved a change of clothing, he planned to spend the evening with Jaden—and now her furry children. He couldn’t wait to hear the adoption story.

Hell, he couldn’t wait to hold her and be near her.

He rummaged through the top drawer for a fresh pair of socks. Each time he showed up at Judi’s, she found yet another odd job for him to complete. If it wasn’t a leaky toilet, it was a broken step, or the smattering of leaves in the back yard that needed tending. He didn’t mind, but the work meant he got filthy. A man couldn’t cuddle with his girl when he smelt like sweat and rotten leaves. Jaden never crinkled her nose or pushed him away, but as far as he was concerned, the scent of garbage disposal waste was not sexy.

As he stuffed the socks and a black T-shirt into his duffle bag, his doorbell rang and echoed through the silent apartment. His heart leapt. Jaden? She didn’t generally come to his apartment because Sparky insisted on riding along. He rushed to the front room and yanked open the door, expecting to see the love of his life. His good mood fell flat.

Sabrina.

She fluffed her hair, running her fingers through the thick, honey-coloured curls. “Hey you, you’re never home anymore.”

The deep V of her lavender blouse drew his attention to her ample cleavage. Holy shit. She’d mimicked Jaden’s couture look, complete with rhinestones on her curve-hugging jeans and heels so high she’d likely topple over. Well, hell. He groaned. She obviously wanted to trap him. But now was not the time for her shenanigans. “I’m not your concern.”

Crinkling her brow, she stepped towards him and gripped his shirt. “I didn’t come over here to maul you. I’ve missed our friendship.” She released his shirt and smoothed her hands down his sides to his hips. “You’re one of the few people I trust.”

“Uh-huh.”

She cocked her head. “You look pretty lonely and there’s no one in this whole huge apartment. I don’t like seeing you so down.” She peeked over his shoulder. “I do like the extra muscle. You’re working out more.” She squeezed his arm. “Your strength turns me on. Let me nibble every part of your body until we both collapse.”

His cock shrivelled in his jeans. The scent of her perfume churned his stomach. She wasn’t the woman he wanted to impress. He spoke through clenched teeth. “Sabrina, go away. I’m not interested.” His phone interrupted him, frustrating him no end. “I need to answer this.”

Faster than he could fumble the buttons to connect the call, Sabrina grabbed the phone. “No way, baby.” Her eyes lit up. “Ooh! It’s Jaden. You even have her name highlighted with a picture when she calls. How sweet.” Giving him a shove, she flipped down the receiver. “You’ve reached the very involved Marlon Cross residence. This is his girlfriend Sabrina speaking. Let me direct your call.” With that parting shot, she snapped the phone shut. “Oops. It dropped the call.”

“What the fuck?”

“Oh, my. You’d better go get it before something happens to it.” Turning, she gave the phone a hefty fling, sending it into the middle of the parking lot.

Marlon swiped his hand through the air in a vain attempt to grasp the phone. An oncoming car connected with the phone, shattering the device against the asphalt. Bracing himself, Marlon winced. “Shit.” So much for modern technology.