Catnap
. . .
Ellie
Cade Westbrook wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t cuddle.
The guy liked his space. He had a bed fit for a king—literally—and sheets with a thread count higher than my zip code. Plush pillows I couldn’t stop rubbing my cheek against complemented a mattress I was pretty sure he’d trapped an actual cloud inside of.
It was a cuddling oasis come to life.
Yet he chose to lie on the far side of the bed like a rigid corpse awaiting his mummification.
He didn’t even climb under the blankets, so I stayed on top of them, too. Where I’d curled up facing him, he stayed on his back—arms folded over his chest, ankles crossed, and eyes firmly shut. The epitome of closed off.
“You can come closer,” I offered, fighting a losing battle with a smile. “It’s a big bed.”
“I’m good here,” he grumbled without opening his eyes.
Such a grouchy bear.
I could see why he needed some cuddles.
Maybe it wasn’t my smartest move to climb back into bed with a guy who’d body slammed me and tried to throw me out, but where was the fun in running away with my tail between my legs?
My calling was to help people just like him.
Cade bunched up the pillow underneath his head before shifting against it with a grunt. “Can’t believe I’m doing this.”
My lips twitched. I couldn’t believe he’d fallen for my little challenge either. But it was time for people to get over the stigma professional cuddling carried. It did so much good in the world and deserved to be celebrated.
Plus, maybe he had some wealthy friends he could recommend me to if I converted him.
I scooted a few inches closer to Cade’s side, tugging my pillow along with me.
His entire body tensed up, like a coiled snake ready to strike.
Okay, then. Time for a different approach.
Cade reminded me of when I first adopted Whiskey and he’d been extremely standoffish. I’d had to earn his trust slowly—mostly by narrating everything I was doing until he let me close enough to pet him.
I doubted Cade would ever welcome me petting him. But I could still help him get a good nap.
“Part of our training involves exercises that help with falling asleep,” I murmured into the quiet room. “The first step to a good nap? Clear your mind and relax your body.”
He snorted, and a frown lingered between his brows. “Then what? You’ll pull out some magical stones and start chanting over me?”
I laughed softly at the image.
“You must watch some fun movies,” I whispered, shifting my head to the edge of the pillow and speaking slowly.
“But I promise there won’t be any spells or human sacrifices today.
Just focus on relaxing individual body parts.
It’ll stop your mind from wandering, and you can work your way down from your head to your toes.
Right now, relax each part of your face.
Your brow. Your eyes. Your lips. Let all that stress from the day just melt away. ”
From the tightness of his jaw, I wasn’t sure he understood the assignment.
“Just try,” I coaxed gently. “It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Cade’s chest lifted with a deep breath, and some of the tension eased as he exhaled.
“Once you feel your face relaxing, move down to your neck,” I whispered, watching as his breathing deepened. “Let your vocal cords rest. Then focus on the tension bunched in your shoulders. Imagine it just fading away. Feel your shoulders sink into the mattress, relaxed and at peace.”
I kept talking him through the relaxation exercise, while he remained silent. As the minutes passed, he uncrossed his arms and let them rest at his sides.
When we reached his toes and there was nothing else to relax, I kept talking in the same low, soothing tone.
I talked about how beautiful his building was. That the view from his windows had stolen my breath. About the tenacity of the building’s staff and how I admired Preston and Hughes for taking their jobs seriously—even when they’d threatened to sic Frank on me and made me fear for my life.
A faint laugh rumbled from Cade’s chest, and it dawned on me that I’d been babbling. I winced. “Sorry. Your profile has a note that you like listening to someone talk, but I shouldn’t keep basing our session off those requests. Do you want me to be quiet?”
A long beat passed—long enough that I thought he might’ve fallen asleep—before Cade gruffly said, “Keep talking.”
Pressing my lips together to hide a pleased smile, I racked my brain for other things to talk about.
Like always, Whiskey was the first thing that came to mind.
“My cat would be so jealous of your giant marshmallow bed. He loves napping, but he can be a bit bougie about what he sleeps on. He has a red velvet pillow he treats more like a throne.” I snorted softly and pulled my unicorn hood back up, straightening the horn to get comfy.
“I bet he slept the morning away in this tiny nook by his favorite window—and now he’s probably wreaking havoc in my apartment.
He’s an adorable little menace, and I love him more than anything in the world. ”
I pulled out my hair tie while I talked, working to fix the mess my braid had become.
“I worry about him a lot, too. He has a tumor that’s affecting his eyesight, and he’s had a few scary surgeries recently.
It feels like each one takes a couple years off my life.
” My fingers froze, and I winced again. “Sorry. It’s so unprofessional of me to unload my problems on you.
Guess I’m overdue for a vent session, but I’m sure you feel the same about rich people problems. Like maybe if your… private jet got sick?”
Cade didn’t answer, so I shook my head. “Never mind. I don’t really have any idea what kind of problems rich people have, but it sounds like your job is stressful.
Plus, you have your own bodyguard. People without problems don’t hire those.
And you’ve got someone prank-hiring a cuddler for you.
I guess my troubles are pretty tame in comparison.
A sick cat who steals my yarn, plus creditors harassing me about his vet bills. It could be worse.”
Cade stayed quiet, pulling my attention back to where he lay on his back a couple feet away. Something about his frame was still stiff, but some of his frown lines had smoothed out.
“Mr. Westbrook?” I whispered, checking if he was actually out. When he didn’t answer, I raised my voice a little to make sure. “Cade?”
His chest rose and fell with deep, even breaths, and a proud smile curved my lips.
Sleeping like a baby.
I wasn’t far behind him, even though snoozing on the job wasn’t something I usually did. It wasn’t exactly professional. But after all the arguing in the lobby and being manhandled by my client, I’d earned a little catnap.
It was almost too easy to scooch closer to my handsome client until I was pressed against his firm side.
Sliding my arm across his stomach and resting my head on his broad warm chest was even easier. He gave off more heat than a furnace.
Closing my eyes, I snuggled closer and let the stress of the day fade away until all that was left was me and my surprisingly toasty client.