Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“There. He’s safe. You have food for him, a litter thing, and some toys. He’ll be fine.” I stood, holding out my hand. “Bed. Now, Magnolia.”
She walked past me, and I followed.
“Leave the light on,” she instructed.
I did as she asked, even though I rolled my eyes. I did stop before shutting the door, peeking at the kitten. He was curled into a ball, seemingly content. I had an odd feeling as I left the room, but I convinced myself it was simply because I felt unsettled at the thought of an animal in my house.
In my room, I heard Magnolia in the en suite, and I lay on the bed, waiting for her. This wasn’t how I planned the evening to go. By now, we should be on round two. Maybe three. Not caring for a stray and at odds about its future.
Magnolia came out, wearing a shirt I’d left on the back of the door. I patted the bed. “Come here, darling.”
She hesitated but did as I asked and crawled into bed, letting me pull her close. I pressed a kiss to her neck, ghosting my mouth up and down the silky skin. She hummed in pleasure as I flicked her lobe, nuzzling the sensitive skin behind her ear.
“You mad at me?” I whispered.
“Maybe a little.”
“Kitten is safe and warm and fed,” I reminded her. “They’ll find him a home where he is loved.”
“He is so cute. And a ginger.”
“He looks like a hedgehog. His fur sticks up everywhere.”
“I know. It’s cute.”
“I have a demanding job, Magnolia. I travel. He’d be alone.”
“I know.”
“I have never had a pet. I have no desire to have one.”
“Okay.” The one word was laced with sadness.
I sighed, knowing I had just eliminated sex from the agenda tonight. I pulled her close, brushing her hair off her cheek and burying my face into the thick locks. “Your hair always smells so good.”
I nuzzled behind her ear, tightening my arm around her waist. “So does your skin.”
“You always smell good too,” she whispered, trailing her fingers up and down my forearm.
“Yeah?” I whispered back.
“Sometimes, I want to lick you.”
“Jesus,” I muttered. Between her scent, her closeness, and her simple words, I was hard as a rock. And she seemed open to the idea of being closer. Maybe sex wasn’t off the table. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here. Offer you affection.”
She rolled over so we were almost nose to nose on the pillow. “You can offer me affection.”
“I want to offer my cock too.”
She pressed her lips to mine. “Accepted.”
I woke up, Magnolia nestled against me. Our fingers were entwined, her back pressed to my chest. I was holding her tight. I lifted my head, squinting at the clock. It was only two, but something had woken me up. Hearing nothing, I relaxed back onto the pillow, shutting my eyes.
Then I heard it.
A plaintive, quiet little meow. Then another.
I carefully sat up, pulling my arm out from under Magnolia. I grabbed my boxers from the floor where I had tossed them earlier, and I went to the guest room, opening the door and stepping in. On seeing me, the kitten raced over, meowing and moving quickly. I dipped, lifting him before he used my skin as a climbing wall. He began to purr loudly, making little noises that made me smile.
“What’s up, little man?”
I checked out his area. He still had food and water. His bed was in place. The litter box was right there. The toys I had added that the pet shop recommended were sitting on the floor. Perplexed, I bent, slipping him into the tepee. “Go back to sleep.”
I turned to walk away, but he was right there. By my feet, his strangely large paws on my toes. He meowed again, this time louder.
I bent and scooped him up. “I don’t know what you want.”
I slid him back into his bed and tossed in a toy to keep him company, but a few steps later, he was back at my feet, crying. I tried twice more, but he insisted on following me. Finally frustrated, I carried him into my room and crawled into bed, snapping on the light and waking up Magnolia.
“Magnolia, the kitten keeps crying.”
“He’s lonely and scared in there,” she mumbled and went back to sleep.
I poked her. “Myers.” Then again. “Myers.”
She kept sleeping.
I looked at him and he at me, each studying the other.
“Pee in my bed and I will put you back where I found you,” I threatened. “And it’s only for a while.”
I lay down, and the kitten crawled beside me on the pillow, burrowing into my neck. He made an odd motion with his paws, almost tapping at me with them, then curled up, purring loudly in my ear. “Don’t get comfortable. You’re going back in the other room soon.”