Unable to resist, I push the amber locks over her shoulder and bury my face in the crook of her neck. She shudders and presses her body into mine, laying her head on my shoulder. My hands shake and my grip around her tightens as I continue to mouth the words of that song. I have no idea if I’m out of tune or not. I press a kiss on her hair and murmur the words, ‘Don’t let my heart keep breaking’.
I feel the weight of her head leave my shoulder and she taps me twice on my arm.
“The song is over,” she says, smiling shyly. “Thank you for the dance.”
I fucking love that look on her face right now. She looks innocent, like she did when I first met her.
With her hand in mine, I walk her to an empty booth and we sit together on one side. We place our orders when the waitress arrives, then sit back in our seats. The awkward feeling that was present when we walked inside the cafe is gone. Nor kicks off her heels and pulls her legs up. Before she can tuck them under her ass, I grasps them and set them on my lap. She peeks up at me and I notice her shoulders loosen as if letting go of the weight she has been carrying since God knows when.
AFTER OUR DINNER, I DRIVE her home, park the truck in front of her house and walk her to the door. This dinner wasn’t planned. It was impromptu but that doesn’t mean I won’t treat it like a date.
I lean forward, lifting her chin with my thumb and lower my mouth to hers. She licks her lips, pulling back a little and raises her head to look over my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, searching her face. Is she afraid of kissing me? Or maybe being seen by people kissing me. “Are you worried about what people will say when they see us kissing?”
She bites her cheek, sneaks a glance up at me then drops her gaze to stare at my chest.
I sigh in frustration. “Fuck what people think, Snowflake. This is about you and me.” I take a step back, dropping my arms to my side. “I’m not going to beg or force you to kiss me. It’s up to you, Nor. No one should be allowed to dictate what you should or shouldn’t do. That decision is all yours.”
But it’s only a matter of time before I take that decision into my own hands. She’ll just have to deal with it.
I spin around, walk down the path and out of the gate before I cross the street. I dig my keys from my pocket and unlock my door.
Once I’m inside, I flip on the lights, toss my keys on the table in the hallway, kick off my shoes and stride into the living room. Sirius, who’s sprawled on a pillow on the sofa, lifts his head. As if he considers me not worthy of any welcome, he drops his white head back on the pillow and shuts his eyes.
I head to my room and change into a pair of training pants and nothing else, and then leave and climb down the stairs to my basement which is also my gym room. I stalk to the punching bag, curl my hands into fists and work on getting the stress out of my body. Ten minutes later, I’m far from cooling down. I bound up the stairs and out the front door barefoot. Seconds later I’m knocking on Nor’s door. The moment she opens it, her eyes widen slightly, tracking the rivulets of sweat down my chest. I pounce forward, slip my arm under her knees and throw her over my shoulder, before whirling around to stalk back to my house, my back absorbing the blows from her tiny fists.
I’ve officially gone insane.
I toss her on the couch, and take a step back, my chest heaving.
“Are you insane, Cole? You can’t just haul me from my doorstep and drag me here without my permission, you. . .you big savage.”
Sirius sits up all of a sudden, stretches his body. He blinks a few times, then hops onto Nor’s lap. I scowl down at him as he settles in, rubbing his stupid head on her chest. I clench my jaw, flex my hands.
Fucking hell. I’m jealous of a cat.
COLE IS BEING STUPID AGAIN. And just to show him how much his foolishness is going to cost him, I wait until Nor settles nicely on the couch then I hop onto her lap. I curl up in her lap, tucking my legs under me and purr, my eyes falling shut. Seriously, I would live here if I could. Marry a kitty and have a few kittens. Not only does she smell like catnip, her fingers are magic. Cole is missing out on this big time.
I force one eye open and peek at Cole. He’s scowling at me, his gaze moving from Nor’s captivating fingers stroking my fur, and back to me. He probably wishes he was me. I’ve never seen him this affected by a woman since he adopted and took me home with him from the animal shelter five years ago.
Tough shit. A cat has to be selfish sometimes. Cole left the house huffing and sweating, a scowl on his face. He came back a few minutes ago with Nor over his shoulder. He tossed her on the couch then stood back and glared at her.
Nor is right. My master is a savage. My savage. It doesn’t stop me from showing him what he is missing.
I climb to my paws and knead Nor’s lap, but I’m completely side tracked when she starts to rub the back of my ears distractedly. My purring motor picks up when she strokes my chin and I forget all about teaching Cole a lesson.
This shit is dope. Yeah, we’re keeping this girl.
“I JUST HAVE A FEW questions. Did you have fun tonight?” I ask, She stares at me incredulously, shakes her head. Nods.
“Did you want me to kiss you tonight?”