Page 30 of The One Night Match

“It’s beautiful.”

A smile stretches across his face, and he tugs me toward the door, only giving me a second to thank Ben for everything today.

We step through the huge wooden door, and warmth surrounds us immediately.

Like the outside, the inside is primarily wooden, with accents of stone throughout. It’s a rustic dream, and I find myself stepping forward without conscious thought.

I notice my boxes piled high near the door, including the suitcase I had with me at the hotel last night, and can’t help butfeel hurt that he didn’t even bother moving them from where the delivery driver would have left them.

A loud meow catches my attention, and I drop to my knees immediately, coaxing the ball of orange fluff closer.

“Oh my god, you have a cat?” I ask, never taking my eyes off the feline as it moseys closer. “I’ve always wanted one, but my mom is allergic!”

The orange body in question flops down in front of me, letting out another long meow as it demands pats, which I obviously administer immediately.

It’s rude to keep such a sweet little angel waiting.

“What the fuck?” Cruz mutters behind me. “That little dick has never let me touch his stomach. In fact, he’s usually personally offended whenever I try to touch him at all.”

I glare over my shoulder. “Don’t call him that. He’s a sweet baby. Aren’t you?” I coo. “What’s his name?”

“Asshole.”

My mouth pops open in horror. “You can’t name your cat that! That’s horrible. No wonder he doesn’t want you to touch him!”

I run my fingers through his thick fur, his purr picking up to a loud rumble. God, I love him already, and that’s dangerous because I don’t think Cruz will let me take his pet when I leave, even if he does seem to loathe the creature.

“Why not? He is an asshole. He moved his ass into my house, he scratches me every time I walk past, he pees all over my shit, and he’s just generally a real dick.”

I raise my brows and nod to the pile of goo masquerading as a cat. “You think I’m going to believe that this precious little soul would hate you for no reason?”

Cruz sighs exasperatedly. “You just wait and see.”

FOURTEEN

CRUZ

“Little fucking bastard,” I mutter as I move into the kitchen, leaving my new wife fawning over my mortal enemy.

Is it kinda weird for a Mafia boss’s enemy to be a cat? Yes.

But believe me, if you met this little fucker, you’d understand.

Except Riley doesn’t. She fell for him the second he sauntered up to her with his innocent little face. Meanwhile, she’s planning to leave me at the end of the ninety days.

Absolutely the fuck not.

No way.

I’ll show her how good things can be here, how good we can be together. And if she wants ten more cats, all the same level of dickish as Asshole, then fine. I can live with that.

Apparently, there’s nothing I can’t live with other than losing her.

I tug two beers from the refrigerator and lean back against the bench, taking a long pull of my own bottle while the other sits untouched and waiting for her.

It’s only a few minutes before she pads in, her feet bare and her body more relaxed now she’s finally out of her heels.

She eyes the beer on the counter, and I twist the top before handing it to her.