Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Roxy
“Thank you,” I say as we approach the apartment building. “That was…well, thank you.”
He gives me a small smile. “I’m glad you liked it. I thought you might.”
He pauses and then starts to open his mouth to say something when there’s a small noise from some bushes nearby. We both stop walking.
“Did you hear that?” I ask.
He nods as he looks around. “It’s probably a rat.”
I roll my eyes. “Rats don’t meow.”
“It wasn’t really a meow, was it?” he asks, but as soon as the words finish leaving his mouth, there’s a sound that is most definitely a meow.
I walk over to the bushes along the front of another apartment building two buildings down from ours. I crouch down and use my phone to peer into the boxwood hedges. Two bright green eyes stare up at me.
“Well, hi there,” I say softly. “Aren’t you cute.”
“What is it?” Gray asks as he approaches me.
“It’s a dragon. What do you think it is?” I look up at him. “A rat?” I ask as I reach into the bush and extract a small black, fluffy kitten.
“I mean, it could be a rat,” he says with a laugh.
“We’re not a rat, are we?” I coo as I hold the kitten against my chest and stroke his dark fur. He begins to purr, his whole body vibrating with the noise.
“What should we do?” I ask, looking around as if someone will magically appear and say, “He’s mine.”
“I don’t know,” Gray says.
“Wait. You should keep…” I lift the kitten and hold it up to the streetlight. “Her.”
“What? No way. I don’t know a thing about cats,” he says, his eyes widening as he steps away slowly as if I’m holding a small bomb.
I hold the kitten out to him. “Here, just hold her. She’s very cute.”
“Yeah. Well, lion cubs are cute too, but I’m not about to hold one,” he protests as he continues to step back until he reaches the curb.
“Oh my God. Don’t be such a pansy. Just hold her,” I say as I thrust the kitten into his hands.
“Like this,” I urge as I show him how to hold it against his chest. The kitten curls up and returns to purring.
“See. She likes you.”
He gives me a pointed look. “She likes warmth and I’m sure food. I mean…how old is this thing? We don’t have anything a kitten needs.”
I pull out my phone and check the time. “There’s a twenty-four-hour pharmacy not far from here. It’ll have a few things. That should be enough at least until tomorrow. It doesn’t look that young. We can probably feed it kitten food.”
Gray sighs. “I can’t really keep a cat. They’re loud.”
“You and noises. Come on, let’s go,” I urge as I take his free hand in mine and drag him back toward his car. We get in and he hands me the kitten. It buries itself against me as Gray drives us to the pharmacy where I run in and get some essentials. When I come back, I find Gray laughing. I peer inside and see he has the kitten lying on his lap. She’s on her back, and every time he pokes her little belly, she holds out all her feet.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t a man and his new kitten,” I tease as I open the door.
His eyes go wide. “What the heck did you buy in there?”
I put the items in the back seat. “Well, they had a litter box, not a great one, but it’ll do for now. Some litter, kitten food, small metal food bowls, some toys. Just the basic cat starter kit.”
“I’m not keeping it,” he groans.
I sit down and look over at him. The kitten rubs its head against his hand and purrs loudly. “I think you are.”
“I’m not,” he grumbles, while keeping the cat on his lap as he drives us back to the apartment building.
“How come you don’t park in the parking garage?” I ask as I realize he’s parking on the street again.
“Hutch always backs into my car. He’s replaced my bumper like three times. My car fares better out here in the wild.”
I giggle. “OK, valid.”
“I do park in there when it snows.”
“Uh, you want me to help you bring this up?” I ask as I point to the stuff in the back of the car.
Sighing, he looks over at me and then back down at the kitten. “I really can’t,” he states.
“Do you need to record anything tomorrow?” I ask.
“No.”
“Great. Then you can keep her tonight.”
He glares at me as we get out of the car, but he keeps the kitten snuggled up against him. I grab the items I purchased and then we walk up to his apartment. I haven’t actually been inside it yet and I stand at the door after he unlocks it, unsure if I should come in or just hand him the things.
He stops once he’s five steps into his hallway. “You coming?”
I swallow before answering because my mouth suddenly feels dry. Why am I so nervous? Shaking my head at my strange reaction, I step inside and shut the door. I follow him, glancing at the art on the walls. We enter a living room with leather furniture. His home is, well…homey.
“What’s that look for?” he asks me as he watches while I inspect his things.
“It’s…nice,” I blurt out and then feel like an idiot.
“Nice?” he replies with a raised eyebrow. “What? Did you think I lived in a cave?”
I fight my grin but fail. “I mean, you did kind of act like an ogre.”
“I did, did I?” he muses as he pets the kitten.
“Where do you want this stuff?” I ask, raising the two bags.
He purses his lips and looks around us. “Uh, the bathroom?” he suggests.
I follow him down a second hallway and into what I suppose is the guest bathroom. He shuts a door into a bedroom and then the hall door, and in the very tight quarters, we work around each other as we fill the litter box, and he pulls down some towels from a small linen closet to make a little cat bed. I put a heating pad under it. I play with the kitten for a few minutes with one of the three toys we bought. And then we watch the kitten curl up and fall fast asleep.
“Wow. That little guy was tired.”
“Girl,” I correct.
“Whatever. She’s tired. Now what?” He looks from the kitten back to me.
“We let her sleep. We can leave some of this food out, in case she’s hungry later.” I sprinkle some food into a bowl. “We’ll need to get her better kitten food, but this will work for tonight.”
“OK,” he says slowly as he quietly opens the door and we both slip back into the hallway.
“If you need me to watch her tomorrow, just bring her downstairs,” I offer as I make my way back to the front door.
“I will,” he replies.
I pause when I get to the door, turning, I look back at him. He’s close, just a foot away. I can smell his woodsy cologne. Why does he have to be so handsome?
“What?” he asks, his voice lower than normal.
“Nothing,” I squeak, feeling foolish for ogling him. This isn’t real, I remind myself for what feels like the hundredth time this past week.
He clears his throat and takes another small step toward me. “I’ve been thinking…” He trails off.
“About?”
“Maybe, we should kiss,” he says slowly.
My eyes go to his lips and then back to his eyes. “Why?” I whisper.
“Because, won’t it seem weird if we never kiss around Pierce?” he asks.
Shrugging, I consider it. “I mean, I guess it depends on how much we are around him,” I counter, but somewhere deep inside, I’m screaming that I think we should practice kissing.
“I just…I thought we could have a practice one in case we have to pretend. That way it’s not so awkward,” he explains, his eyes drifting down to my mouth as I bite my lower lip.
His hand comes up, and he places his thumb on my lower lip, pulling it free from my teeth. He keeps his hand on my jaw as his eyes search mine.
“OK,” I agree because I feel like my entire body is going to burst into flames if we don’t kiss, like, right now.
He steps forward, closing the distance between us. I can feel the heat of his body as he presses it against mine. Damn, Gray has muscles, like, lots of muscles.
He chuckles as his lips brush against mine. “I work out, wife,” he teases and I realize I said that out loud.
“Good, I like a hubby who’s in shape,” I murmur as I feel his breath against my lips.
“Do you now?” he asks, his lips coasting against mine again.
“Stop teasing me, Gray, and kiss me,” I demand.
The words are barely out of my mouth when his lips crush against mine. It’s the perfect amount of pressure, not too hard, not too soft. He nips a little at my lower lip and a moan escapes me. I feel my cheeks pinken, but I don’t stop kissing him. His tongue traces my upper lip and our kiss deepens. Our tongues tentatively meet, with slow strokes that leave me wanting more. I whimper from the sensation, and he plunges deeper into my mouth, taking control and exploring every last crevice. Shit, is this how Gray fucks? Because if it is, then sex with him would be epic.
My arms snake around his neck, pulling him closer, needing more of him. He keeps one hand on my jaw, angling my head how he wants it, and the other holds my hip. He’s somehow forceful and gentle all at once.
And then, he pulls away and drops his hands. We stare at each other for long seconds, neither of us saying a word. The only sounds are from our labored breathing.
“Well, I guess we can check practicing kissing off our list,” I finally say, breaking the silence.
He laughs and then licks his lips, and I watch his tongue as it darts out of his mouth. Damn, I’d love his tongue on other parts of my body. “I suppose we can,” he says after a moment.
“Good night, Gray,” I say as I turn the handle and open his door.
“Good night, Roxbury,” he replies. I don’t look back, but I grin when he says my given name.