Liam let the phone drop onto the bed. What was wrong with him? This had been the single hottest night of his life, and he’d freaked out and ran away because Gunnar had said he wanted to hold him.

Never let you go.

It was scary how Gunnar's words had echoed Damon's so precisely.

Something’s wrong with me.

Liam followed orders too easily, and he liked it. He liked having an alpha take control, and he let them go too far.

I'm never going to let you go.

As incredible as the phone sex had been, Liam couldn't let himself fall into that trap again. He got up, cleaned himself off, and checked on Puff again.

As Liam opened the latch to the kennel, Puff looked up at him blearily and meowed. Liam had left a quarter can of cat food on a saucer for him, just in case he decided to eat on his own, and Puff had nibbled at it.

"Good job, Puff," Liam said, delighted and relieved as he rubbed the kitten's head. "You'll go home tomorrow." And then Gunnar would have no other reason to call.

Disappointment stabbed at him, but Liam ignored it. He and Gunnar had just shared words in the dark. Nothing more. And tomorrow, in the bright light of day, they could both pretend nothing had ever happened.

Puff ate half of a can of cat food overnight, and when Liam was ready to pack him back into his carrier, his cage looked like a tornado had hit it. He smiled. The little guy was definitely on the mend.

The next day went quickly. Liam tried not to think about what he would say when he saw Gunnar again. Fifteen minutes before the first evening appointment, Olivia and her grandmother arrived.

Olivia's grandmother was a stocky woman with a light purple curly wig that she pulled off with style. She wore glasses with thick black rims and a beige pantsuit with a brightly colored neck scarf. "You must be the Dr. Chandler who has impressed our Olivia so much," she said, and before Liam could react, the old woman had pulled him into a tight hug.

The top of her head rested just above Liam's solar plexus. She smelled of hairspray and expensive perfume.

"Yes… um... you must be Olivia's grandmother."

"Patrice. Don't call me Pat. Us ladies don't take well to the diminution of our names." She loosened her grip and took a step back, giving Liam a chance to breathe.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind us putting Olivia to work."

"Nothing too strenuous I hope. I had her scrubbing out the gutters last weekend." Patrice laughed.

Olivia exclaimed, "No, you didn't!"

"I'm trying to give the doctor a good impression of your work ethic, dear."

"Don't worry," Liam said. "I know Olivia is a hard worker."

"Now don't you take advantage of her."

"Never."

"You're a handsome one. Do you have a girlfriend?" Patrice peered up at him, her bright blue eyes magnified by her glasses lenses.

"No." Was Patrice hitting on him? "Women aren't my type."

"Good. Alpha women can be a bear. My sister’s one. It’s always, ‘Do this. Put that there. Hurry up now.’ No boyfriend either?"

Liam shook his head.

"Bad breakup?”

“Um...”

“Bad breakup. I've been there. I've been through about every kind of breakup, but that was before I met my husband. And a couple years after, he passed. God rest his soul. Don't let it get you down. There are always other fish. And sometimes they're swimming closer than you think, if you understand what I'm saying." She grinned.

Was Patrice was trying to hook him up with her son? "Why don't you and Olivia come into the back with me for a few minutes. You can see what we’re doing, and you can both see how well Puff is doing. He's eaten half a can of cat food on his own today alone."

"Really!" Olivia rocked up on her toes and clapped her hands once. "I knew he was going to get better."

"You'll have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he's getting at least six ounces of cat food a day."

Liam took Patricia and Olivia to the treatment room. Puff’s eyes were still a little gooey, and he was still sneezing, but the kitten was improving. He’d had gotten over the worst of it.

Liam had put Puff in one of the mid-level cages because he knew Olivia would want to easily get to her kitten. It was doubly good because Patricia could also easily reach inside of the cage. "Tiny little creature, isn't he?” Patricia opened the cage door and began to pet Puff, who was much more interested in batting at her charm bracelet.

"We have an elderly cat with kidney failure coming in later on tonight and a Pomeranian with a luxating hip. I'm going to need you to wait until I say it's okay to pick up any of our patients today, okay?"

Olivia nodded solemnly. "I promise. And if anyone is growling or snapping, I'm supposed to get out of the room and let Carolyn handle it. Right?"

"Exactly."

Liam had glanced over the schedule at lunch, and the afternoon had seemed quiet, but you never knew. An emergency could walk in anytime. Especially on a Friday.

"What time is your father coming?"

"Gunnar said he'd be wrapped up before six, but I'll be taking Olivia out for a snack and some girl talk in about an hour. Or earlier if having another person around gets to be too much trouble."

The first of clients came in, and Liam said, "Olivia, why don't you put on your scrub top?"

"Yes, Dr. Chandler!" Olivia ran into the back room to grab a scrub top from the cabinet.

"She's really taken to you."

"I've taken to her too."

"Hmmm..." She nodded. "I see. That's good. Olivia could use a softening influence in her life. Even if only for a little while."

Liam didn't know what to say to that. Thankfully, Olivia ran back in and said, "I'm ready."

"I'll just have a seat in your waiting room," Patrice said. "If you need me for anything, give a holler. It’s a joy to be able to take this child to do some activity without having to sign an injury or death release form."

Patrice was right. If Olivia were injured, it would open the clinic up to a lawsuit. Something must've shown on his face, because Patrice added, "I trust you. And things weren't so formal in my day. Besides, Olivia comes back from those Kung Fu classes of hers covered in bruises."

"I got a new one on my shin! Want to see?” Olivia said, lifting up her right leg. “It's turning green."

Patrice's lips twitched. "Three days a week. I don't know how you can stand it, dear. Once a week hiking nearly does me in."

"Maybe you and the ladies shouldn’t drink so much wine," Olivia said innocently.

"Shhh!"

The front door opened with a melody of chimes and Mr. Gallagher, leaning on his cane in one hand and with a cat carrier in the other, slowly walked in. His gaze rested on Patrice, and he called out, "Pattycake! What are you doing here this fine afternoon?"

Patrice's wrinkled face reddened over her cheeks and forehead. "Henry. You know I don't use that nickname anymore."

"Is that your granddaughter? The young Bruce Lee?"

"Her and Gunnar moved to this part of town, and Dr. Chandler is their new vet."

"Good choice. Griffin’s is smaller than that city clinic on Davis Street, but you won't find better care in the city.”

Liam's face heated.

Henry said, "Patrice, you're looking good. How long has it been?"

"About six months."

"That's a lifetime when you're our age."

"I hope you mean young and beautiful, Henry." Patrice started walking toward the waiting room. "Is that Isabel? I remember you mentioning her at the taco night over at the center."

Henry brought Isabel in three times a week for subcutaneous fluids. Either Liam or Carolyn took the cat in the back for the treatment. Liam said, "I can take Isabel while you to catch up."

Henry agreed, and Liam took the carrier into the back with Olivia at his heels.

Carolyn was already in the back, taping up surgical packs to put in the autoclave. She looked up as they entered. "Oh, Isabel. I could've grabbed her."

"It's fine. It looks like he and Olivia's grandmother are friends."

"Mom-Mom wants Henry to kiss her,” Olivia said. “I heard her talking about it on the phone."

"Well, Henry is very nice," Liam said noncommittally. "What we're going to do is take Isabel out of her carrier and give her 200 mL of fluids subcutaneously. That means under the skin."

"Is it a needle?" Olivia looked more fascinated than worried.

"Yes, and a fairly large one. It's like a pipe, we want the fluid to flow in as fast as possible, so we use a wider needle."

"Does it hurt?"

"A little, I think. But just when you stick it in. Once it's in, I'm sure it feels weird because the fluid is cooler than the cat’s body temperature, but most of our patients tolerate it well." Some became screaming and snarling masses of fur, teeth, and claws, but Isabel was usually very calm. "You don't have to watch if you don't want to."

"I can watch."

Carolyn crossed the room and opened up the top of the carrier, pulling out a thin, shorthaired white cat with bright green eyes. Even with the fluid treatments, her kidneys were getting worse, and she was slowly losing weight. But for now, she was stable. Carolyn held her gently by the scruff and began rubbing her forehead as Liam stuck the needle in. She was used to it, and she didn't even meow.

Liam said, "I can hold her if you want to get the autoclave started."

Carolyn nodded.

As she walked away, Olivia asked, "Can I pet her?"

"Yes, just be gentle. She's an old lady."

A bubble of fluids slowly grew beneath the skin and fur of Isabel's right flank.

Olivia asked, "You have to go to school a lot to be a vet, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Olivia hung her head. Liam recognized that look. She'd mentioned yesterday about wanting to be homeschooled. And hadn’t they recently moved? Liam bet she was having a harder time than she had shared with her dad or even her grandmother. Kids were fun when you were an adult, but it was much more of a mixed bag when they were your peers.

Liam said, "School can be hard. Sometimes you just don't understand something, and you feel stupid. And sometimes the worst thing is the other kids." Liam let those words hang in the air as he pinched off the IV line and pulled the needle out. A drop of pinkish water dripped out of Isabel’s skin from the injection site.

"Is she bleeding?"

"A little bit. But it will stop."

"Oh, good. Some of the kids at my new school are mean. I got mad and broke Kaitlyn’s nose and got suspended, and now everyone’s mad at me, but she was saying mean things about my dad, and she deserved it."

Olivia was certainly a tougher kid than he had been at her age. Still, breaking someone’s nose, even if she was mean, didn’t help a little girl make new friends. "That's hard. When I was a kid, I was really fat. My older brother died when I was seven, and it just made everything worse. I couldn't stop eating just so I had something to do, and just so I could feel safe. It was really hard."

"I think the other kids don't like me because I only have one dad."

Liam wasn't stupid enough to ask why she thought they didn't like her. Kids were pretty clear about what and who they did and did not like, and it wasn't hard to figure out when you had drawn the short stick. Liam said, "I got through it though. My uncle gave me some really good advice."

"What did he say?"

"He said I should look for other kids who were also being left out and make friends with them."

"Nobody else is getting left out."

"That's what I thought too. But when I started looking, I found out I wasn't alone."

"Really? But what about everybody else?"

"Once you have a couple of good friends, you don't care about everybody else. But even the mean kids wanted to hang out with me anyway after I brought my new friends to my farm to ride our horses."

"You have horses!"

"My mom and dad still have two, but when I was growing up, there were four. Dad said they were for farm work, but we didn't have a lot for them to do, and I really thought of them like pets."

Olivia’s shoulders slumped. "I don't have any horses."

"It doesn't have to be horses. Maybe you can bring someone home to play with Puff when he's doing better."

"Maybe. My dad's a cop, and he can arrest somebody!"

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Yeah, he's very busy."

That wasn't really Liam's objection, but he wasn't going to argue it. "Did you have an easier time at your old school?"

Olivia nodded. "I know Dad likes the new house and his new job because it doesn't remind him so much of Daddy, but I miss our tire swing and my friends."

"You're a tough kid."

"I'm taking my test for my orange belt next month. Sifu Chan says real kung fu didn't have color belts. In ancient times, when you trained you didn’t wash your belt, and eventually it got dirty enough to be black, but in modern times we keep things so clean it would take a hundred years for someone to get close to a black belt so this is what we do now. I have to test in forms and sparring in the ring."

"That sounds exciting." Liam had never been particularly good at sports. Only when he discovered long distance running in his senior year of college was he able to stick with a consistent exercise program. Lucky loved their morning runs.

"I have to practice every day. It's the only way you get strong."

"You're right about that. Maybe there are other kids in your grade who do martial arts?"

"I'm the only one in my school who does kung fu."

Kids sure were literal at this age. Liam didn’t remember it, but he figured he’d been the same. "Maybe one of the other kids goes to a different school. Or maybe they do karate or tae kwon do. It’s still something you have in common."

Olivia bit her bottom lip and looked up toward the ceiling. "Maybe. Thanks, Dr. Chandler."

"Anytime."

The next two hours passed quickly.

Liam was vaccinating a pair of new kittens when Carolyn popped her head in the door, "Mr. Justice is here for his five-thirty. I thought you'd want to know."

"Who's Mr. Justice?" Erica, a young chestnut brown girl about Olivia's age with her hair gathered up in a single puff at the top of her head, asked. She and her mom, Kim, were here as new clients.

"He and his daughter have a new kitten too, but he was pretty sick. He's getting better now. Maybe you know her? Her name is Olivia. She just turned eight."

Erica cocked her head. "Olivia? She's in Class B. I think she broke Kaitlyn's nose!"

Erica's mother pursed her lips. "Kaitlyn? That's the girl that flushed your coat down the toilet, right?"

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying, Kaitlyn’s a piece of work. Especially for someone so young."

"Johnny said Olivia took Kaitlyn down in two punches. I was in the nurse’s office because my stomach was hurting, so I didn't see. But Johnny said it was epic. They suspended her for a week." Erica said with wide, shining eyes. "They were going to expel her, except her dad's a cop, and her other dad died, so she's… emotionally… something. I don't know. But whatever happened was definitely Kaitlyn's fault."

Erica’s mom said, "While I understand what got this girl riled up, violence is never the answer."

"I know." Erica sighed. "Olivia’s in class B though. I'm in class C. We’re never really going to talk to each other anyway."

This wasn’t quite the slam-dunk Liam had been hoping for, but hopefully, he could get the two girls introduced to each other. At least Erica seemed interested in getting to know Olivia better if only so she could learn how to break another girl’s nose. "Olivia's here today, helping out with the animals. I'm sure she'd love to meet your kittens."

Erica’s mom said, "She has a kitten of her own?"

"Yes. Puff had a really bad shelter cold, but Olivia and her dad are both animal lovers, and they've been very good about taking care of him."

"All right."

"I'm just going to do one more stick for the rabies vaccine, and then you too can have the room with Olivia for a few minutes to get to know each other."

Both agreed, and after the vaccines were given, Liam had Carolyn bring Olivia back.

"Olivia, meet Erica. I think she goes to your school. And she has two kittens. They're both three weeks older than Puff."

"Nice to meet you, Olivia,” Erica said.

The two kittens were an orange and white male and a tortoiseshell female. They shared a single cat carrier and were currently in a play fight.

Erica said, "Your kitten’s name is Puff?" And before Olivia could answer, she waved Olivia closer to the carrier, and explained, "This is Lucius, and the girl is Cookie. You can tell she's a girl because she's a tortoiseshell. All tortoiseshells are girls. My mom said they should be named Cookie and Lucius because they're always fighting, but they really love each other. I'm not allowed to watch the show because it's not appropriate, but I did see part of one episode."

"Yeah, my name’s Olivia. What show?"

From there, the two girls began chattering with each other in cheerful, staccato bursts. Liam said, "I'm going to take your file to the front desk, and whenever you're ready, you can check yourselves out. Stay as long as you like. Olivia's dad is the last appointment."

Kim nodded. "Thanks for your help doctor. Erica, thank the doctor."

"Thank you!" Erica shouted without turning around. She had Cookie in her lap while Olivia was petting Lucius in the carrier.

Liam quickly went to the waiting room. Olivia's grandmother had left, and Gunnar stood by the fish tank, bent over slightly as he looked inside. He looked up as Gunnar walked into the room and gave a heart-stopping smile. "Liam," he said.

The way Gunnar said Liam's name, in combination with Gunnar's scent in the air, made Liam want to step closer, feel the alpha's arms around him, and taste his lips. Liam had spent the entire day trying not to think about what happened between them last night, and how he had abruptly ended it, but the memories couldn’t be ignored. Liam's skin grew warm. He ran his hand through his hair. "It's good to see you, Gunnar."

"I'm sorry if anything I said – –."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out like that."

"It's understandable. I should have known better, but I got caught up in things."

"I liked it. Getting caught up in things."

Now Gunnar's cheeks flushed. "Me too,” he said. His gaze locked with Liam's, and he said, pointing at the tank, "What kind of fish is this?"

Liam walked over to the tank, glad for the excuse to stand closer to Gunnar. "The orange one with the thin white stripes?"

"It looks like Finding Nemo."

Liam smiled. "It is like Nemo. It's a clownfish."

"I wonder why they call it a clownfish. It's beautiful," he said.

Liam looked over at Gunnar, and Gunnar was looking straight at him.

Liam averted his gaze and pushed his hands into the pocket of his doctor's coat. Thankfully the doctor’s coat was bulky because being this close to Gunnar combined with the memories of their conversation last night was turning Liam on. At work. With the man's kid just a couple of rooms away. "It's a nice fish," Liam said. "If there aren't enough females, the males change sex so they can bear their young."

"They don't have omegas?"

"That's more of a primate thing. And in certain species of wolf and large cat. Otters too."

"Odd."

"There's still plenty of debate any evolutionary biology community about why certain species have omegas while others don't."

"Must be fascinating."

"I'm not really an evolutionary biologist."

Gunnar laughed. He said, "So what has my daughter been doing this afternoon here?"

"I think she might have made a friend from her school."

"Oh good! I know she's been having a hard time, but she hasn't really opened up about what's been going on. What did she say?"

"Just that she's been having a hard time making friends. And I think the other kids haven't been treating her well. But one of our clients and her daughter were here this afternoon with a pair of new kittens, and it looks like she and Olivia are hitting it off."

"I'm glad. You're a lifesaver. On a daily basis, you get to stop bad things from happening before it's too late. It's really incredible."

Liam didn't know what to do with Gunnar's admiration. He was a veterinarian because he loved animals. It was important work, but it didn't make him incredible. "Your work is pretty incredible too. You put criminals behind bars."

"Only after someone has died. And even then…" Gunnar sighed. "I just do my best."

The door to the second exam room opened, and Erica and Olivia bounded down the hall. As they approached, Liam heard Olivia say, "Come meet my dad. We’re picking up Puff today. Puff has a cold, so you have to wash your hands after you touch him before touching your kittens otherwise you will get Lucius and Cookie sick too. It's very important."

"Okay," Erica said. "Can I see him?"

"Maybe when he gets better. When you come to my house?"

"If my mom said it's okay. Or maybe you can come to mine. We have a trampoline!"

"Cool! You must have lots of friends!"

Liam stepped away from Gunnar as the two girls entered the room. He was the adult, but it was weird how he felt like a child who, just by standing next to the alpha detective, was somehow breaking the rules.

Gunnar said, "Olivia, maybe you could introduce me to your friend before you invite her over?"

"Sorry, Dad,” Olivia said. “This is Erica. She has two kittens named for a show she can't see too. Erica, this is my dad."

Gunnar held out his hand, and the other girl took it. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Justice."

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm always happy to meet one of Olivia's friends. So you have a trampoline?"

"It's my brother’s, but he goes to boarding school on a scholarship for the spring and fall."

"That sounds like a really good opportunity."

"I guess. I don't want to go to boarding school."

"Erica is in Class C," Olivia said. "That's why I didn't know her before. But she's very cool."

"I'll go get Puff," Liam said. He was glad he’d been able to help. And it was good practice for when he settled down and had his own kids. When he got back, Erica and Olivia were saying goodbye to each other as Erica's mom opened the front door and took Erica by the hand. "You will both see each other on Monday."

"Are you going to the carnival?" Erica asked.

"I don't know. Are you?"

"Yeah. They have a bouncy house and a ferris wheel."

"What time?"

Erica shrugged. “It's from ten to four."

Gunnar said, "Olivia and I were aiming to get there after lunch, around one o'clock."

"But I want to have funnel cake for lunch!" Olivia said.

"No."

"Mom, we’ll be there at one, right?"

"Yes. Serena from Girl Scouts is coming too, remember?"

"I know."

"So you two will see each other tomorrow. And you get to meet Serena, Olivia. She goes to Catholic school."

"Okay."

While the two girls were saying their goodbyes, Liam invited Gunnar to the empty exam room and walked him through Puff’s at-home instructions. Usually, he left this to Carolyn, but he wanted some time alone with Gunnar, even if it wasn't really a good idea. He showed Gunnar how to hand feed Puff again. After they had finished, and Puff was back in his carrier, Liam said, "You're really going to only have to do this if he stops eating again. But he's worked his way through about a can and a half since last night, so I think he's going to be all right on his own as long as he gets the medicine and you keep an eye on him."

"I will. And I can call if I have any questions?"

"Yes. Our office line is open from 8 to 6. And um... you have my number if you want to call after hours. For any reason." Was that too aggressive? He didn't want Gunnar to feel obligated to call. "If it's convenient."

Gunnar took Liam's hand. "Is this all right?" Gunnar's eyes were dark as he rubbed his thumb in a slow circle on Liam skin.

"Yes." It was fortunate Gunnar’s daughter was just in the other room. Fortunate, or incredibly unfortunate, considering how Liam's cock was responding to Gunnar's simple touch. Liam ran his tongue between his lips.

"It's more than convenient,” Gunnar sighed. “I know I shouldn't be doing this. And I've got baggage."

"Me too."

"Is there a lock on that door? I want to kiss you."

Liam glanced at the doorknob. It was the most basic twist lock, enough to make someone pause but not to stop anyone determined to enter. It was enough. "It locks," Liam whispered.

Gunnar locked the door. Then, in one swift and graceful motion, he took Liam's hand again and pulled him close. They stood chest to chest, and Liam's cock swelled. Gunnar said, "I'm going to kiss you now." His voice was low, just loud enough for Liam to hear, and the tone of it sent a shock of lust through him.

Liam nodded and lifted up his chin. Gunnar lowered his lips until they were pressed against Liam's, soft and warm. Liam parted his lips, and Gunnar's tongue teased at the opening before plunging inside.

Liam pressed himself close to Gunnar. The alpha was taller, and his cock pressed into Liam's belly. Liam's own cock longed for friction, and to Liam's embarrassment, he whined, actually whined, in his throat. Gunnar put his arms around Liam and, shifting his weight, he pushed his thigh between Liam's legs so Liam could grind himself against it.

Here.

At work.

With only a thin wall and door between them and the rest of the practice.

Liam pushed his hands beneath Gunnar’s shirt, feeling the velvet heat of his skin as their scents mingled.

So good. Liam forgot about the office, and time passing, and the murmur of voices through the door. It was just him and Gunnar, the feel of his skin and the taste of his mouth and the delicious friction every time he rubbed his cock against Gunnar's thigh.

Puff sneezed.

A few seconds later, the doorknob rattled. "Dr. Chandler?"

It was Carolyn.

Liam jumped back. "Carolyn.” His voice sounded wrong. He swallowed, and said, “One minute."

Liam adjusted his doctor’s coat and buttoned it, grateful for the concealing fabric.

Aside from a slight flush to Gunnar's thin lips, he looked calm and composed. Annoyingly so. Liam glared at him, and Gunnar smiled.

Liam quickly unlocked the door. "We were just finishing up hand feeding," Liam babbled.

Carolyn grinned. "I hope Mr. Justice has learned everything he needed to know."

"Dr. Chandler was very informative."

"I bet."

"Why don't we get you and Puff checked out?" Liam said. Thankfully, sheer panic had softened his cock enough so he could walk out of the room without waddling.

Damon had never made Liam feel this way from just a simple kiss. Liam had thought himself in love at least at the beginning, but now realized it was just because he was glad to have any alpha paying attention to him. And while Damon had been undeniably handsome, he’d always been a bit cold. Liam had ignored it, wanting to be wanted. But now, though of course he and Gunnar were not in love, Liam realized what he had been missing.

The revelation lingered with him as he said goodbye again to Gunnar and Olivia.

"Feel free to call if you have any questions or problems," Liam said. He met Gunnar's gaze. "Any time at all."