25. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
It had been five days since we’d been to the plant nursery, and Mallori still had no idea I was aware of the kitten she was keeping in her room.
Silly woman.
Now it was time to have a little fun.
Faking a sneeze, I walked into the living room with a tissue against my nose. Mallori’s head turned toward me. “Are you getting sick?”
“Not sure,” I said, affecting a sniffle. “I don’t have a fever. Must be allergies.”
She tilted her head, blonde ponytail flopping over one shoulder. “What are you allergic to?”
“That’s what’s weird. The only thing I’m allergic to is cats.”
The absolute panic on her face forced me to bite my inner cheek to keep from laughing. “C-cats?”
“Yeah, I’ve never been bothered by pollen or any of that. Just cats, the furry little fuckers.” I could see Mal mentally freaking out, eyes wild and frantic as she absently tugged at the frayed hem of her shorts.
“That’s sad. Cats can be so comforting.”
“Too bad I get violently ill around them,” I said, shaking my head.
Her gaze shifted from mine as her thumbnail went directly to her mouth, and the worry in her eyes almost made me feel guilty. Almost. She had snuck a damn kitten into the house, after all.
“Violently ill?” she whispered, a flush creeping beautifully up her neck.
“Yep,” I said, putting on a show and blowing my nose as I headed to the kitchen. “Maybe some cat dander came in from outside or something. I’m going to grab a mask and do a deep clean of the entire house.”
Even from the other room, I could hear the alarm in her voice. “Oh, let me do it. Why don’t you go out for a while?”
I donned a face mask—which did an excellent job of hiding my smile—from the kitchen drawer and walked with a purpose back into the living room. “Naw, I got it. I think I’ll start on that end of the house.” I pointed to the right, where her room sat.
Laughter stuck like a knot in my throat. I’d never seen anyone leap off a couch so quickly. “Oh! Well… Don’t, um, I need to go in there first. I… I washed my bras and they’re hanging everywhere. I don’t like to dry them in the dryer. You know how it is, right? Or I guess you don’t since you don’t wear a bra.”
Her voice faded as she practically sprinted down the hallway, but I could still make out her frantic babbling. “But if you did, no judgment here. No siree. I’ll even go bra shopping with you, if you want. You seem to like black. There are lots of black bras to choose from.”
My grin took up my entire face when I stripped off the mask and tossed it on the coffee table before shadowing her path to her room. Mallori had closed the door, but I pressed my ear to it and heard fast whispering followed by a tiny mewling sound. Then more whispering. Was she having a conversation with the damn cat? The idea amused me to no end.
I waited a few beats and then tapped on her door. “Mallori?”
Her reply was high-pitched. “Yes?”
“Bring the furball out here.”
A long silence ensued, and then she said, “No, you’ll get sick.”
My eyes rolled upward, and my shoulders shook with silent laughter. “Bee, I’m not allergic to cats. I was fucking with you.”
The door opened, and Mallori stood there with a mass of white fluff against her neck. Her aqua eyes flashed with accusation beneath a scowl. “You knew.”
“Yep,” I said, my lips twisting to the side to control the smile trying to break free. “I found her when I went to put some towels in your bathroom.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes lowering in contrition before lifting bravely back to mine. “It’s only temporary. I found her in the bushes, and she was so scared, Hawk. I walked around the neighborhood, but she didn’t belong to anyone.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I said only, “Uh-huh.”
“And I checked with a couple animal shelters, but they were all full. I even put out some feelers on a Facebook group, but no one wanted her.” She turned the kitten around to face me. “How could no one want her? She’s so sweet.”
The animal chose that moment to hiss at me, a tiny noise that wouldn’t scare a fly. Mal bent to whisper in one pointed ear, “Cut it out, Coconut. We’re trying to make a good impression here. ”
“You named this beast Coconut?” I queried, pursing my lips and attempting to look stern.
“Uh-huh, because she’s white with a little brown.” Mallori lifted the kitten’s brown paw and waved it at me. “Can you say hello to Uncle Hawk?” she cooed, and I rolled my eyes.
“Uncle Hawk?”
“Well, she has to call you something.”
My voice was purposely dry when I replied. “It’s a cat.”
“Cats are people too,” she retorted and then frowned at her own words. “You know what I mean, and I’m really sorry I was being sneaky. I didn’t know what to do besides take care of her until I found a good home for her.”
Mallori’s eyes begged for forgiveness, and I’ll be fucked if I didn’t feel myself softening at the sight.
“But you haven’t had any luck?”
She shook her head. “No. Would it be okay if she stayed for just a little while? I can’t bear to think of her out there by herself. You know the Hendersons’ dog is always getting loose.” Her lips were turned down as she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against the cat’s fluffy head.
I set my hands on my hips and exhaled a long sigh. “Mallori…”
Her eyes popped open and met mine with a plea that cut right through the ice around my heart. “She’s really good. She only piddled on the floor once.”
“Piddled?” I asked, lifting one eyebrow.
Mal nodded. “Only once, until she figured out the litter box. And have you ever seen kitty piddle? It’s tiny.” She formed a small circle with her thumb and forefinger. “Just think about how great it would be to have her around. She could catch mice and stuff.”
My lips twisted into a grudging smile. “She’s not much bigger than a mouse, Little Bee. A mouse would totally kick her ass.”
My roommate giggled and held the cat forward in both hands. “Maybe if you just held her for a second.”
I picked up the cat by the scruff of her neck. “What’s up, furball?” She splayed all four legs and hissed again, showing me her tiny teeth. My mind was already made up, but I pretended to hedge.
“I don’t know, Mal. This seems like a pretty ferocious beast you’ve got here.”
She pushed at my hand. “You have to snuggle her. She’s just a baby.”
I brought the kitten against my bare chest, and the little fucker…
“She licked my nipple,” I said flatly, shifting her over a couple inches to avoid a repeat.
Mallori’s face melted. “Aww, she thinks you’re her mummy.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered as I felt the tiny engine purr to life inside the little one’s warm body. She nuzzled and blinked sleepily up at me before closing her eyes. It was a pretty cute cat, but goddammit, there was already enough cuteness in my life with Mallori around.
Nevertheless, I heard myself say, “Fine. She can stay until we find her a permanent home.”
Mallori’s resulting smile was full of sunshine and happiness, and it pleased me that I had put it on her face. Her slender arms wrapped around my waist, and she rested her cheek against my chest, just beside the kitten.
“You’re not going to lick my nipple, are you?” I asked .
She laughed. “I can if you want me to.”
My dick twitched as my mind screamed a huge fuck yes , but thankfully I didn’t say it out loud. I had very sensitive nipples for a man, and imagining Mallori’s little pink tongue circling mine had me hardening to rock solid in a matter of seconds.
“Probably be best if you didn’t,” I said, my voice raspier than I intended. Because then I would have you flat on that bed before you knew what was happening.
With the kitten between us and my nose pressed into Little Bee’s sweetly-scented hair, I wasn’t sure what it was about this woman that made me say yes to things I should have said no to. But on the flip side, when it came to my darker desires, I said no to the things I really, really wanted to say yes to.
And it was becoming harder to do so with each passing day.