Chapter 38
CHAPTER 38
“B ea, I swear to God, if you don’t stop farting in the kitchen, I’m banishing you from it for good.” Stark glared at the beagle.
If her wagging tail was any indication, Bea didn’t seem all that concerned by his threat. Or, more likely, she couldn’t hear it. She let out another long braaaap before sitting and staring hopefully at him.
Waving his hand in front of his face to dispel the smell, Stark said, “You don’t get a treat for farting, Bea.”
She whined, and he sighed before opening the treat jar and taking out a treat. Bea’s tail thumped happily, and Stark said, “To your bed, Bea.”
She immediately jumped up and ran to her bed, moving pretty spryly for her age. He gave her the treat. “Funny how your hearing becomes remarkably better when there’s a treat involved.”
His phone buzzed, and he checked his text before heading toward the front door. Hollis had shown up earlier than expected. He opened the door, smiling at Hollis, who stood on Rayna’s porch with a bag in one gloved hand. “Hi, Hollis. Come in.”
“Hello, Mr. Stark.” She joined him in the hallway, and he shut the door behind her.
She handed him the bag, and he said, “Thank you, Hollis. I appreciate you working on a Saturday. I thought I would have time myself, but the day’s gotten away from me.”
After he and Rayna had finished feeding the dogs, they’d gone to the gym for a workout before running the errands for the rescue.
“You’re welcome,” she said.
Although she had to have found it odd that he was in Rayna’s house, she didn’t mention it or ask any questions. He also knew she wouldn’t say a word to anyone about him being here. Her refusal to speculate or participate in gossip was another quality he appreciated about his assistant.
Freddie walked into the hallway, his tail held high and the usual suspicious look on his face. To Stark’s surprise, Hollis immediately crouched and held out her hand, making a soft clicking noise with her tongue. “Hi, kitty.”
“He bites,” Stark said quickly as Freddie stalked toward Hollis, no doubt thrilled at the chance to meet a new victim.
Freddie sniffed Hollis’s fingers, and Stark’s mouth dropped when he made a soft meow before rubbing against her hand. Hollis smiled and petted his body, her hand stroking his fluffy tail. “Oh, aren’t you the cutest boy? Yes, you are.”
“Holy shit,” Stark said when with another meow, Freddie jumped into Hollis’s arms. She straightened, holding him against her chest as Freddie butted his forehead against her chin.
“I wouldn’t let him that close to your face,” Stark warned. “Seriously, he bites.”
“No, you don’t, baby,” Hollis cooed to Freddie. “A big handsome boy like you would never be a bad boy and bite, would you?”
A low rumbling filled the hallway, and it took Stark a minute to place it. Freddie was… purring?
“Oh, you are just the sweetest boy,” Hollis said, her voice a soft, sweet pitch Stark had never even imagined she was capable of. “Don’t listen to him saying you’re a bad boy. You aren’t. No, you are not, my big, handsome boy.”
Freddie’s purrs grew even louder, and he kneaded and headbutted Hollis repeatedly as Stark continued to stare at them. Had he fallen into some alternate universe? It was the only explanation for both Hollis and Freddie’s behaviour.
“Isaac? I thought you were meeting me upstairs. I’ve been naked for nearly fifteen minutes, and my cooch is severely disappointed she’s not being pounded by your lovely thick cock.”
Rayna’s hand slapped him hard on the ass, making him jump, and a high-pitched squeak escaped his lips.
Fuck. Double fuck .
Hollis’s gaze landed on his. One perfect eyebrow rose a quarter of an inch, and her mouth twitched ever so slightly before her face returned to normal.
“Isaac?”
Please don’t be naked. Please don’t be naked.
He whirled around, ready to keep Rayna shoved behind his back if she was, in fact, naked. To his relief, she wore a long t-shirt, and while he had no doubt she was naked underneath it, at least she wasn’t going full Monty in the hallway.
“Hey! What’s wrong?” Rayna smiled at him. “Why haven’t you come upstairs?”
“Um…”
She cocked her head. “Is that? Is Freddie purring?”
She peered around his broad body, and her face turned an astonishingly bright shade of red. “Well, shit.”
She sighed, and he gave her major props for bravery when she straightened her shoulders and stepped around him. “Hello, Hollis.”
“Hello, Rayna.”
“I suppose it’s too much to hope that you didn’t hear what I said.”
A rare smile crossed Hollis’s face. “Would you like me to lie? Because I can if it’ll make you feel better.”
“Shit,” Rayna said again before she stared at Freddie. “Wait, are you… is that Freddie?”
Stark couldn’t help but laugh at the dumbfounded look that Rayna gave the cat in Hollis’s arms. “Yes, that’s Freddie.”
“I don’t believe it,” she said. “Why hasn’t he tried to bite off her face?”
“I don’t know,” Stark said as Hollis frowned at both of them.
“He’s a sweet boy,” she said.
“He’s a demon,” Rayna said.
Hollis’s scowl deepened. “You shouldn’t say mean things about your cat.”
“Oh, he’s not my cat,” Rayna said. “He’s a foster.”
She glanced at Stark, her eyes lighting up with excitement before she turned back to Hollis. “He’s available for adoption if you’re interested. You can fill out an application on our website, and one of our volunteers will contact you to chat about Freddie.”
“I can’t believe no one has adopted this very handsome boy,” Hollis said before rubbing her cheek against Freddie’s. Rayna tensed. Hell, Stark did, too, but Freddie just purred loudly before licking her face.
“He shouldn’t be in a home with kids, though. He stalks and attacks them, so if you have children or are planning on having kids, Freddie isn’t the right cat to adopt,” Rayna said.
“That’s okay, baby boy,” Hollis said in that same sweet, coddling voice as she stroked gentle fingers over the scars on Freddie’s face. “I don’t like kids either. They’re the worst.”
Stark and Rayna watched in silence for at least another three minutes as Hollis and Freddie fell deeper in love. When she finally set him on the floor, brushing the cat fur from her jacket, Freddie made a sorrowful sounding meow before rubbing against Hollis’s leg.
“Don’t cry, baby boy. We’ll see each other again soon,” Hollis said.
She cleared her throat and gave Stark and Rayna a polite smile. “Rayna, nice to see you again. Mr. Stark, I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Thank you again, Hollis,” Stark said.
She nodded, and with one last look at Freddie, she left, closing the door gently behind her. Freddie made another of those sad little meows, and Rayna bent to pet him.
“It’s okay, buddy. She’ll be - ouch! Goddammit, Freddie! Stop biting me.”
Stark couldn’t help but laugh as Freddie growled at Rayna before stalking past both of them with his tail flicking rapidly.
“Sorry about the whole pound me with your cock thing,” Rayna said.
“It’s fine.”
“Is it?” she asked with worry in her voice.
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Yes. Hollis won’t say a word to anyone. I wouldn’t have had her come to your house if she were a gossip. I’ll admit, I didn’t anticipate you asking to have your pretty pussy pounded in front of her, but that’s the risk I take by being so good at fucking.”
She snorted and pinched his butt before her brows creased. “Wait, why did you ask Hollis to come here?”
He held out the bag. “I needed her to buy something for me. I meant to do it myself but ran out of time.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Open it and find out,” he said.
She took the bag from him, carrying it into the kitchen and setting it on the table before reaching inside. She brought out the laptop in its box, staring blankly at it. “A computer? Why did you need Hollis to buy you a laptop today?”
He grinned at her. “It’s not for me. It’s for you.”
“What?” She stared at him in shock. “What do you mean it’s for me?”
“Your laptop died, remember?” he said.
“I know, but…”
“What?” he asked.
“You’ve already done so much with paying off the vet clinic bill and hiring a freaking private plane tomorrow that -”
“I want to do this,” he said, taking the laptop from her hands and setting it back on the table. He pulled her up against him. “You can’t do your rescue work without a laptop, Rayna.”
“I know, but I can look for a second-hand one when we return from New York.”
“Now you don’t have to,” he said.
“Isaac, I…”
He nuzzled her throat. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t want to, all right?”
She nodded, and he pressed a kiss against her collarbone. She hugged him tight. “Thank you, Isaac.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” He reached down and squeezed her ass through her t-shirt. “Now, why don’t we go upstairs, and I’ll do something incredibly sexy to you.”
“Why do I suspect your sexy and my sexy means something very different?” She stared down at her crotch. “Oh God, you’re going to wax my muff.”
He laughed and squeezed her ass again. “Yes, baby, I am.”
“That is not sexy,” she said sadly.
“If you’re a good girl for your waxing, I’ll make sure shower time afterward is ridiculously sexy,” he said.
“You have yourself a deal, Mr. Stark.”
* * *
Rayna stared at the dozens of pet carriers in the main cabin of the very posh, very expensive looking private plane. A few of the dogs inside the carriers were whining or barking, but a surprising amount of them were lounging contently inside their carrier, gnawing happily on their chew stick.
“I can’t believe they let us load the plane with twenty-seven dogs,” she said in a hushed voice.
Stark grinned at her. “I told you, when you’re rich, they let you do what you want.”
“Apparently,” she said before peering out the window of the plane. A flight attendant was waiting for them when they arrived at the plane, but the pilot and copilot hadn’t arrived yet.
She studied the gray and cloudy skies. “I hope the weather holds out.”
“It will,” Stark said confidently. “There’s supposed to be a big storm hitting New Cassel, but that won’t happen until tomorrow morning. We’ll be landed and back home in Harmony Falls by tonight.”
The flight attendant joined them. “Mr. Stark, would you like something to drink?”
“Just water, thank you, Henry,” Stark said.
“And yourself, Ms. Abrams?”
“Water is great. Thank you,” she said.
“Of course. We’ll also be serving snacks during the flight. A cheese and cracker plate with cheeses imported from France.”
“Looking forward to it. Thank you, Henry,” Stark said.
The man retreated to the back of the cabin, where a small kitchen was located, complete with better quality appliances than Rayna had in her kitchen.
“I’ve never had French cheese before,” she whispered.
Stark bent and pressed a lingering kiss against her mouth. “You’ll love it.”
Someone cleared their throat behind them, and they turned to see a woman and a man, both wearing pilot uniforms, standing in front of the cockpit. The man nodded to Stark before slipping inside the cockpit, but the woman stayed where she was, her green eyes assessing Stark coolly.
Stark’s body stiff, he said, “Captain Malek, nice of you to finally join us.”
Rayna gasped, her eyes flying wide as the woman’s gaze turned frosty. “Stark. There’s a line, and you’re grazing it.”
They stared each other down. Rayna immediately had visions of her, Stark, and twenty-seven dogs being left on the tarmac. She was trying her best not to hyperventilate when a smile cracked the pilot’s face. Stark began to chuckle, and Rayna watched in astonishment as he and the pilot embraced.
“It’s good to see you again, Amanda,” Stark said.
“You as well,” she said.
Stark put his hand against Rayna’s lower back and ushered her forward. “Rayna Abrams, meet Captain Amanda Malek. She’s an old friend from high school.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Captain,” Rayna said.
“Please, call me Amanda.” She peered past Stark, staring at the carriers. “So, you’re a dog guy now, Stark? Because I heard a rumour that you have cats living at your house.”
“You need to stop texting with my mother, Amanda,” Stark said, but Rayna could hear the amusement in his voice.
“How else am I supposed to keep tabs on you?” she asked.
He rolled his eyes, and she grinned before glancing at her watch. “All right, let’s get these dogs to New York.”
She joined the copilot in the cockpit, and Stark and Rayna took their seats. She buckled her seat belt and placed the bottle of water Henry handed to her in the cup holder. Her nerves were singing high soprano, and she listened carefully as Henry went over the safety instructions. He finished and took his seat at the front of the plane as the engines began to power up. She stared out the window, anticipation and nerves swirling in her belly.
“You okay?” Stark took her hand and squeezed it gently.
“Yes.” She fidgeted in her seat before blurting, “This is my first plane ride.”
He blinked at her. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I’m, um, a little nervous.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said. “Amanda is a top-notch pilot.” He paused. “You’ve really never been on a plane before?”
“You and I live very different lives,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve never even left the state. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, but any money I save up inevitably gets used for the rescue.”
She paused. “That doesn’t bother me. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m resentful because I’m not. The rescue means a lot to me.”
“I know,” he said. “You don’t sound resentful. But you do deserve a vacation.”
“Right?” she said with a grin. “Like, sooo deserve one. Someday, I’ll do it. I’ll go to Paris and sit at a fancy cafe’s outdoor patio, drinking coffee and eating delicious pastries while I people watch.”
She smiled at him, her breath catching in her throat when Stark leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss against her mouth. “That sounds perfect, Rayna.”