Epilogue
Kai
“Hey, little guy, it’s time to go to bed.” Leo scoops up Panda, our tuxedo kitten, and puts him on the floor outside the bedroom door.
The kitten mewls and ambles straight back inside.
I laugh. “He loves you.”
We’ve had Panda for two weeks now, which means we’ve had practically no sleep and zero time to be intimate. I was a much better-behaved kitten. Mostly. Sometimes.
Cayenne has been ‘gone’ for a while. At Christmas, Leo and I decided it was time to get another cat. A real one. We spent several weeks visiting cat shelters until we found Panda. Or rather, Leo found him. It had to be his choice. Did he know what he was looking for until he found the cute, mewling black-and-white cat? Probably not. But the moment he saw Panda, I knew the kitten would be coming home with us. And he did after Leo and the apartment passed the shelter’s vetting procedure.
After some settling-in time, we introduced him to Janice, who instantly fell in love with him. And who wouldn’t? Cats are awesome. That’s why I became one for seventeen years.
Leo picks Panda up, gives him head pats and snuggles, and then takes him to his bed. A bed the kitten has never slept in. He prefers curling up on the end of the bed, in roughly the same spot I used to as Cayenne. The kitten mewls indignantly.
“One hour. Then you can come back in.” Leo dashes into the bedroom and shuts the door.
Seconds later, a tiny meow filters through.
“Small apartment,” I remind him innocently. “Thin walls.”
He presses his back against the door and glares at me. “Do you want to make love or not?”
“Oh, I definitely do. Our kitten, however, does not want us to.”
Panda continues to mewl.
Leo sighs. “I guess not.”
“He’ll be less clingy soon.”
“How soon?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. In a few days. Maybe a few weeks. It could even be a few months. How long was I clingy for?”
“You, or Cayenne?”
“Same thing.”
“No, it’s not. Okay, yes, technically it is. Cayenne was very clingy, but then, I needed him to be. You—well, you’ve not grown out of your clingy phase yet.”
I grin. “Do you want me to?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so.”
Leo puts his finger to his lips. “Listen.”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly.” Leo waits a few more moments, then joins me on the bed.
“Maybe he’s getting up to mischief,” I whisper.
“You’d know all about that.”
I snigger. “The worst thing I ever did is make a burglar fall off the wall into the bins.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod innocently. “I doubt Panda will do anything like that . Besides, he’s too small to get anywhere he shouldn’t.”
“Are you sure ?”
I laugh. “Nope. Hey, you wanted a cat.”
He lies with his head on my chest. “Yes, I did.”
I stroke his hair and gaze at him. I love him so much.
“I also want to make love to you.”
I kiss his hair. “I would like that very much.” To prove it, I make my clothes disappear.
“That will never not be unfair.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Very.” He rolls off the bed and strips.
The feather over his heart is a little darker now, as though loving him each day has strengthened our bond.
He grabs the bottle of lube and motions with his hand. “Lie on your side.”
I oblige, turning my back on him and tucking my hands under my cheek. He nudges my top leg until it’s forward and bent. He kisses my shoulders and back. Moments later, his slippery finger caresses my hole. I gasp with delight. My lashes flutter. I stretch my top arm back so I can graze my fingers over him. He nudges my jaw with his nose. I turn my face into a slightly awkward kiss.
“I love you, Kai.”
“Love you too.”
We’ve said it a thousand times—at least—and I never tire of saying or hearing it.
He warms me up slowly, kissing me throughout. He’s an expert at making my toes curl. At making me gasp and groan. At making me wriggle and writhe on his fingers. I’ll admit to being afraid the first time he made love to me, even though I’d seen how much he enjoyed it when I made love to him. He made my first time just as beautiful and special as all the previous first times. He made it wonderful and perfect. Now, several times later, it’s just as pleasurable. Just as memorable. Every moment I’ve spent with him is ingrained in my heart and will be for eternity.
“Are you ready for me?” he asks.
“Yes.” I’ve been ready for a while, but I love the foreplay almost as much as the lovemaking .
He puts his hand under my knee and lifts my leg so my thigh is at right angles to my body. “I can get deeper this way.”
I chuckle. “You don’t have to explain. Anyway, admit it, you just like how flexible I am.”
“I do.”
“It’s all that licking my?—”
“Don’t you dare.”
“What?”
“I know what you were going to say.”
“Do you?” I use my most innocent voice.
“Yes, chaos gremlin.”
“But don’t you want to know why I’m so flexible?”
“No. Zip it.”
I pout. “You’re no fun.”
“Do you want me to make love to you?”
“Yes.”
“Then hush.”
I press my lips together and giggle, although it quickly becomes a gasp when he pushes gently inside me, filling me up. I groan, close my eyes, and stroke his arm. He makes love to me slowly, kissing me often. It’s easy to pretend nothing exists but the two of us—and maybe a kitten waiting impatiently on the other side of the door. He glides in and out of me, his warm breath puffing over my shoulder, my ear, or my neck, depending on where he last kissed me. I turn my face towards him, seeking his lips. His tongue caresses mine as he makes love to me in more ways than one. I feel utterly connected to him, like we’re two parts of one whole.
“Leo.”
“Touch yourself.”
I slip my hand between my legs and stroke my cock.
“Come with me,” Leo begs.
“I’d love to.”
I let my orgasm consume me as his release rocks his body. He comes inside me, and I come all over my hand. Once we’re done spilling and shuddering, he slowly lowers my leg, puts his hand on my hip, and kisses me more.
“We should get cleaned up,” he says between kisses.
“Uh-huh.”
“Let the kitten back inside.”
“In a minute.”
“There’s no rush.”
“None at all. He hasn’t broken anything yet.”
Leo stills. “Do you think he will?”
I laugh. “No. Kiss me.”
He does.
Time drifts, but my love for him remains steady and constant.
Eventually, he rests his head on my shoulder. “Thank you for being you.”
“I can’t be anything else.”
“Hm, that’s not true. You can be a cat.” He pats my head.
I push against his hand and then sigh happily. “I can be anything I want.”
“Even a rhino?”
I snigger. “Probably. Do you want me to try?”
“No!”
“I like being me most of all.”
“Could—could you look older? Bit by bit, I mean? Like when Cayenne grew from a kitten to a fully grown cat.”
I stroke the back of his hand. “Yes. To everyone’s eyes, including yours, we’ll grow old together.”
“I still can’t get used to the fact you can lie.”
“I’m not perfect, Leo.”
“No. You’re purrfect.”
Laughing, I turn over and cup his jaw. “I’m not even purrrfect.” I draw it out longer than he did, almost purring in the process.
“All right, you’re my not so purrrfect angel. I love you, and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you.”
I hug his arm tightly. “I’ll treasure every moment we have together.”
“Me too.”
The kitten mewls and scratches at the door.
“Get cleaned up. I’ll let Panda in.” I shake my hand, and all the cum is gone.
“That’s not fair either,” Leo grumbles.
“Angel,” I remind him, creating clothes in the blink of an eye.
He slips to the bathroom while I open the door. The kitten stares at me and then uses its tiny claws to clamber up my leg. I pick him up, cradle him in my hand, and take him to the bed. By the time Leo returns, Panda is fast asleep.
He lies beside me.
I snuggle up to him, stroking the feather over his heart. “Happy?”
Leo kisses me. “As happy as anyone could ever hope to be. Are you?”
“Yes. Do you know why?”
He smiles. “I can guess, but tell me anyway.”
“Because I have you. I will always love you.”
“Always?”
I press my palm firmly over the feather and will all my love into it. “For eternity.”