Gentleman Nine(4)

As I approached my door, the smell of something cooking immediately infiltrated my senses. Music was blasting. He hadn’t wasted any time making himself right at home, apparently.

Channing didn’t even notice me enter.

I swallowed. The sight of him taking over my kitchen really caught me off guard. It wasn’t because he was frying something on the stove, but rather because he was doing it in nothing but his underwear.

His muscular legs were on full display forming a path up to his gray boxer briefs, which left little to the imagination, hugging his package and round ass. And he was shaking that ass around. There was no doubt in my mind that if Channing ever decided to do this very thing for a living, he’d make a killing. Homeboy could dance. He must have been listening to an old school R&B channel because Do Me! by Bell Biv DeVoe was playing. That could have been his anthem, I suppose.

This was all very Tom Cruise in Risky Business—well, if Tom Cruise had been shirtless and shredded. Taking a deep breath in, I just stared at him for several seconds. For as long as I’d known him, I’d never seen him like this.

Deciding it was time to make myself known, I called out over the loud music, “Channing!”

He turned around suddenly and began to laugh. “Oh, shit!” He immediately lowered the music.

“Meow.”

It was then that I realized what looked like a kitten was sitting on his shoulder. I hadn’t noticed it before because the right side of his body wasn’t visible. Also, because I was mostly looking down.

What the heck?

“You brought a cat?”

“Meow.”

“No.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Well, sort of. It’s kind of a crazy story. I’ll tell it to you over lunch.”

“Do you always cook half-naked?”

Was he blushing?

“Actually…yes. But I didn’t think you’d be here until later. Otherwise, I would’ve put some damn pants on.” He approached then kissed me on the cheek, the warmth of his lips and body sending shivers down my spine. A bit of his saliva lingered on my cheek.

Oh. Fuck. I’m in trouble.

Sneaking a fleeting look at his tanned, washboard stomach, I noticed a simple tribal tattoo that started on his lower abs and dipped into the abyss of his underwear line. That was intriguing and made me wonder where the ink ended.

I pried my eyes upward. “I know you weren’t expecting me. I decided to come by and say hello, since I don’t work too far from here.”

“I’m really glad you did.” He flashed his beautiful teeth. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too.”

All of you.

Something on the stove started to burn, prompting him to rush back over to it. The kitten managed to stay glued to his shoulder despite the swift movement. I laughed because suddenly my house had transformed into a circus.

He glanced back at me. “You can stay and eat, right?”

“That depends on whether you put some pants on.”

“No junk food for lunch. Got it. No problemo.” He winked. “Yeah, of course, I’ll get dressed.”

Stretching my neck in an attempt to see what he was cooking, I asked, “Is there even enough food? You weren’t expecting me.”

“Yeah. I always make too much.”

“Meow.”

“Do you mind telling me now where this cat came from?”

“I don’t know where she came from, actually. She found me somehow.”

“What?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I was walking here, and she followed me to your doorstep. She found me on State Street and just kept walking alongside me all the way to Beacon Hill. I didn’t have the heart to leave her standing there on the curb while I came inside. She kept meowing at me. I figured she was hungry. I gave her a little of the turkey you had in the fridge. I’ll replace it. I was gonna find a shelter and take her there later or maybe tomorrow after work.”

“Leave it to you to be a pussy magnet, Channing.” I chuckled.

“I guess, right?”

Our eyes locked, and he seemed to be observing me.

I cleared my throat. “Well, it definitely seems like you’ve had an active couple of first hours in Boston.”

“It’s all good. I really like this city so far. Stopped at a nice, little market in the North End on my way here, too.” He nudged his head toward his shoulder where the tiny cat was perched. “Before I ran into this one over here.”

Maybe now wasn’t a good time to break the news that pets weren’t allowed. I couldn’t help but swoon a little over the fact that he’d taken in a stray cat, though.

“Boston is a beautiful city, especially this time of year when the leaves start changing. You’re gonna love it here.”

“Keep an eye on the stove for me? I’m gonna go put some clothes on.”

The kitten stayed on Channing’s shoulder as he sauntered over to his room to get dressed.

He came back out a minute later wearing jeans and a fitted, white shirt. He was holding the kitten now, cradling it like a baby in his strong arms.

“She finally climbed down off of you?”

“Well, no, I had to pry her away so that I could put my shirt on.”

The cat was purring as Channing gently scratched its head. His masculine fingers raked through the soft, white fur. That made the hairs on the back of my neck stiffen.