Page 77

STILL BASKING IN Ahaze of sweet afterglow, Nate nestled Dorcas against his side as his breathing gradually returned to normal. “I can’t feel my legs.”

Dorcas chuckled as she traced the muscled ridges of his stomach. Her black hair was mussed, her features relaxed with the look of a woman who’d been thoroughly loved. “Is that a ploy for sympathy?”

“Will it work?”

“Nope.”

“In that case, it’s just an observation.”

The past twenty-four hours had been blissfully uneventful. Larissa and Rita were busy deciphering the files from the flash drive, leaving Nate and Dorcas without much to do. And considering it wasn’t safe to be in public without backup, they chose to spend most of their time tucked away behind closed doors.

All his life, he’d never felt this connected to a woman. With her, he felt centered, grounded. Complete. As sappy as it sounded, it was as though he’d finally found a piece of himself that he’d never realized was missing. At first, the knowledge had left him unnerved, but now that he’d given it time to settle in, he liked the way it felt.

The kitten hopped onto Nate’s side of the bed and gave a high-pitched meow.

“Hey, little guy.” Dorcas reached over to pet its head, and the kitten softly purred. “I thought you put him back in the bathroom.”

“I did. I think he’s learned how to open the door. Give him another week or two, and he might figure out how to enrich uranium.” This was the cat’s third escape from the bathroom, and Nate made a mental note to lock the door next time. There was ample room in there for the cat to move around, and so far the only thing he’d managed to mangle was an unsuspecting roll of toilet paper. Messy, but easy to replace. “What are you going to do with him now that you know he doesn’t belong to Rita?”

“I don’t know. I can’t bring him to animal control, knowing they’ll probably put him to sleep. But I can’t afford to keep him.” She sighed, the corners of her mouth pulling down, and it squeezed his heart like a fist. “Once everything returns to normal, I guess I’ll look for a rescue organization that’s willing to take him in.”

She wanted the cat; he could see it in her eyes. “Would you keep him if you could afford it?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never had a pet before.”

His brows shot up. “Never? Not even when you were a kid?”

Evidently bored with being petted, the kitten hopped over Nate’s head and curled up in the space between Dorcas’s pillow and the headboard.

“Rita had one of those little aquariums,” Dorcas said. “You know, the kind that’s big enough for two or three fish. That’s as far as Mamá was willing to go. Not that I blame her. Pets can be expensive, and money was tight.” She propped her chin on his chest to look up at him, her gaze adopting a hopeful glint. “Maybe you could take him. He really seems to like you.”

“What—no. Are you kidding? He’s bitten me at least a dozen times.” He had the marks on his hands and feet to prove it. This morning, when he’d climbed out of bed, the little bugger had pounced on his bare feet like some sort of kitty commando. He never did it to Dorcas, though, so maybe he was just trying to get Nate out of the way.

“I think he’s just playing,” Dorcas said.

“Or searching for an artery.”

The glint in her eyes faded, and he felt like an asshole for doing that to her.

Nate bent his head to kiss her brow. “Tell you what—let’s see what happens in the next couple—three days. If we can’t find anyone willing to take him, I suppose he can bunk with me.”

Her whole face lit up, and he decided that alone made it worth putting up with the pint-sized demon. Without a doubt, his brothers would give him shit about it, but screw ’em; he didn’t care. He was totally gone for this woman, which meant he was willing to do whatever it took to keep that smile on her face.

“In that case, we should probably name him,” she said.

Nate craned his neck to stare at the kitten. It stared right back. “Beelzebub?”

She playfully swatted his chest. “You cannot name him Beelzebub.”

“How about Damien?”

Her lips pursed. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. Just look at him.” He gestured to the kitten, who watched them with those wide, unblinking eyes. “I’m willing to wager there’s a 6-6-6 hidden somewhere beneath the fur.”

Dorcas rolled her eyes. “How about Coco?”

“That’s a chick name.”