Chapter 10 #3
Bear made me feel good about myself, about life in general—which was on my list—so I didn’t think twice about leaning in to him for a kiss. He framed my face with his massive hands. I felt the heat down to my bones. His kiss was soft and sweet. I enjoyed it, but it gave me no sexy-time tingles.
He broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine. “Damn,” he breathed.
“Right?”
“Maybe we should try one more time, hit each other with the hottest kiss in our arsenals.”
I couldn’t help grinning. “Let’s do this.”
We flew into a passionate embrace, hands roamed, tongues met, but after a few short moments, we both started laughing.
Bear shook his head, rubbing his hands over his face. “Well, this is disappointing.” He turned and dropped heavily onto the top step.
“I’m pretty sure it’s you, not me.” I sat next to him, bumping his shoulder with my own.
He studied me and shook his head again. “Someone up there hates me. The hottest, most beautiful woman I’ve met in far too long and it’s like kissing my sister. If I had one.”
I shrugged, apologetically. “Maybe you’re just not that good of a kisser?”
He put one of his huge hands on my knee and squeezed. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
I giggled, squirming away from him.
“Okay, that’s it. There’s only one thing to do.” He stood, grabbed me, and threw me over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift. “We need to have sex and make sure.”
I laughed like a loon as he bounced me up and down. He grabbed my ass, steadying me. “Careful; don’t fall.”
I pounded on his back, trying to speak through the laughter. Chaucer barked once and then sat himself in front of the door, blocking Bear.
Bear lifted me easily and placed me back on my feet. “Saved by the dog. All right. I’ll accept defeat, but I reserve the right to kiss you at will in the hopes that we eventually spark.”
I wiped away tears, my stomach hurting from laughing so hard. “I accept those terms but reserve the right to slap you if I find myself annoyed by the intrusion.”
He nodded. “And I accept those terms.”
After Bear left, I dragged myself upstairs to change into my warmest fleece pants and thermal top.
I wished I’d felt something when we kissed.
He was kind and funny, sexy and sweet. Why couldn’t I be attracted to him?
And why did Aiden bringing me a hat to keep me warm give me the squishy feels?
Gah! Officer Grumpy cleans out animal traps and I’m smitten.
Bear kisses me and nothing. Sometimes, life truly sucked ass.
* * *
I awoke with a start, the phone echoing through the empty house.
Chaucer put his nose against my forehead.
“Dude, I hear it. Keep your cold, wet body parts to yourself!” I’d slept in the one chair left in the living room.
Neck throbbing, I straightened, shaking out the hand currently being attacked by pins and needles, and ran to get the phone.
“Hello.”
“Katherine.”
I froze. My skin crawled.
“Katherine, are you there?”
“What do you want, Justin?”
“Many things. Fortunately, none of them involve you. First, though, I want my car. Before it starts to rust.”
Of course. The car. “How am I supposed to do that? You closed my banking accounts.”
“ My banking accounts. I’m the one who makes the money. You’re the one who spends it.”
“No-fault state. And I worked my ass?—”
“Your considerable ass.”
“—off, cooking, cleaning, organizing your social calendar, hosting dinner parties and charity events.”
“True. You made a better personal assistant than a wife. I’m rather enjoying not having you always silently moping in the background.”
Was that true? Did I act like that? I thought about our ten years together but couldn’t pinpoint a time or event that caused a shift.
He’d always relished complaining that something I’d done or said could have been executed better, corrected me to show me how I should have done it.
After a while, it was easier to not say anything.
He only ever listened to find fault, anyway. “Why are you really calling me?”
“I told you. I want my car back. If you were hoping for alimony or a settlement, you’ve got a wake-up call coming.
So, here it is. You’re getting nothing from me.
Nothing. I’m very good at what I do, Katherine.
Your lawyer will never find my money, and it is mine.
I want my car and then I’ll wash my hands of you.
Well, almost. I have another gift coming your way soon. ” Click.
My head throbbed. Justin. Threats. Infestations.
Starvation. Unemployment. Gran. At the thought of Gran, a band seemed to squeeze my chest. I couldn’t handle it coming at me from every direction all at once.
Chaucer leaned into me and then plopped his butt down on my foot.
The band began to release. “You’re right.
One thing at a time. We need to get you fed. ”
I moved to the pantry and opened the door. Movement made me squeal and slam it shut. Chaucer barked, sniffing in the crack under the door.
Glancing at the phone, I wondered if this fell into the category of a 911 call. It totally should, but I doubted the cops would see it that way. Frick! Chaucer started clawing at the floor, trying to dig under to get at whatever was in the pantry.
I’d put a trap in there yesterday after I fed him, worried Chaucer’s food would attract critters. If a trapped animal was the price of being right, I’d rather be wrong. Chaucer barked and whined.
“I know!” I stamped a socked foot. Now what? I forgot to bring my hazmat suit and industrial-grade gloves with me.
25) Buy a hazmat suit! Lead lined.
I slowly opened the door again, body blocking Chaucer, who desperately wanted in. “Sit.” He sat, but his body strained around me, trying to see the predator stealing his food. Two angry eyes glared at me.
I may or may not have screamed. Those eyes had to have been a foot off the floor.
I slammed the door. Pounding on the door caused me to jump, falling over Chaucer.
My head cracked on the floor, but still I scrambled to get farther away from whatever was in the pantry that could pound on doors.
Tears sprang to my eyes, but I stood up and stalked back to the pantry.
I smacked the flat of my hand against the door over and over. “No more! Get out and stay out!”
When the pounding started again, I realized it was the front door, not the pantry. Oh .
“Katie? Are you all right? Open up!”
Sure. Why not be Aiden? He’s clearly what the situation was lacking. I needed another man who thought I was a worthless idiot.
Chaucer ran to the door, giving a happy bark. I stumbled behind him, my head pounding while my brains leaked out. I wiped at the tears on my face and took a deep breath.
Pound. Pound. Pound. “Katie?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” I mumbled. I opened the door to find tall, dark, and dickish with his hands on his hips, apparently pissed off I hadn’t moved faster.
“Why did you scream? And what took you so long to answer the door?”
See? “I’m having a prob—wait! Yes.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.
I circled behind and pushed him toward the kitchen.
He didn’t move. I kept pushing but had no traction on the slick wooden floors.
My feet slid out from under me. I was not going down twice inside three minutes.
I grabbed his waist and held on, finally able to right myself.
“Can you please take your hands off me, Katie?”
Pointing around him toward the kitchen, I said, “Protect and serve. Get in the kitchen and protect us from whatever huge snarling beast is in there and then serve us by getting rid of it.”
I had no idea what he was thinking. His large back was better at looming than conveying thoughts. Tentatively, I reached out and tried one more shove. His hand whipped back and grabbed mine, pulling me around to stand in front of him.
“Hey! You’re the cop. You have the gun.” I scampered around behind him again and shoved with both hands. Nothing.
“Woman, if you push me one more time, I’m arresting you.”
“If you’d just move, I wouldn’t have to push.”
Chaucer scratched at the pantry door again.
“Please, can you help us?” I whined. I kind of hated him for making me whine.
He moved forward. “Was that so difficult?” He stopped by Chaucer, patting the dog’s head and then pushing him aside.
I stood in the kitchen doorway, ready to make a break for it. “So I have to beg before you’ll do the decent thing? You’re all the same,” I mumbled.
He shook his head and pulled his flashlight from his belt.
“Don’t forget your gun! Whatever’s in there is huge.”
He opened the door a crack, his foot braced against it opening farther. He shone the light through the divide, turned back to me, rolled his eyes, and flung the door open.
“Careful!” I half hid around the doorsill.
Aiden crouched down. “Hey,” he murmured. “You’re okay. I’ll get you out of there.”
I leaned forward, trying to see around him.
He stood, carrying something toward the back door. “You want to open the door so I can let the vicious beast out?”
I ran forward to do as he’d asked and looked in his arms. A baby raccoon. It looked at me and hissed as he carried it past.
I closed the door and leaned against it. The band was back, squeezing my chest. Damn. The door opened, smacking into the back of my already-throbbing head. I stood a moment, absorbing the pain.
“You need to take two steps forward so I can open the door enough to enter.”
Ignoring the sarcasm, I shuffled forward to sit and dropped my head to the table.
I’d hurt a baby raccoon. My husband, the man who pledged to love me forever, thought I was a sad piece of crap, one he couldn’t scrape off the bottom of his shoe fast enough.
The house was infested. My body hurt from sleeping in that chair.
I couldn’t afford an exterminator, let alone a bed. And Gran was dead.