Calmly, Carefully, Completely(103)

“Why don’t you come and see what I got for you?” he says, waggling his eyebrows.

A laugh escapes my throat, even though I say, “That is so not funny.”

“Come on, little girl,” he taunts. “Come and see what’s in my pocket.”

His hoodie is definitely wiggling, and there’s something in there. I go sit beside him, and he arches his hips toward me when I reach out and press gently on the lump. “Keep going,” he says. His voice is suddenly hoarse.

I reach into the side of the pocket and feel a cold nose sniff my hand. I lift the edge and look down. “What’s that?” I ask, but I’m already smiling.

“That’s your present,” he says. He’s still smirking. “I just got back from the vet with her. She got deflead and dewormed and had her ears cleaned and got tested for kitty diseases. She’s healthy.” He pulls her out, and she’s so tiny she fits in the palm of his hand. “I got a litter box and some food and stuff, too,” he says. He’s watching me, almost like he’s waiting for me to shove it at him and start screaming.

She’s teeny weenie, and she has orange hair. “What’s her name?” I ask.

He shrugs. “That’s up to you.”

“Ginger,” I say. “She’s a Ginger.” I lift her to my cheek, and she nuzzles me. “Is she really mine?”

“Well,” he says, grinning, “If I wanted some * of my own, I would just ask for some.”

I startle. But then I realize what he said is so freaking ludicrous that I start to laugh. It’s a deep belly laugh, and I can barely catch my breath. I lean over and kiss him. “You want some, all you have to do is ask,” I say.

He growls low in his throat and pulls me in so he can kiss me.

I pull back when I’m breathless. “Later?” I ask.

His brow arches. He nods, but he avoids my gaze. What is that about?





Pete



Reagan likes the kitten, I can tell. She likes her a lot. She hasn’t stopped cooing to her since we came home. She left her with me long enough to take a shower, and now she’s lying in my bed, her hair damp and hanging over her shoulders, and she’s wrapped around that little no-account kitten. The thing only cost me ten dollars, but I would have paid a lot more than that just to see her smile.

I come out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my hips and close the door behind me. She looks up from my bed, and her eyelids drop as her eyes roam around my body. My dick gets hard immediately, and I turn away from her long enough to put on a pair of boxers and run the towel back and forth across my closely cropped hair.

“Thank you for the kitten,” she says quietly. Then I hear the bed squeak as she gets up and comes toward me. Her fingertips touch my back. “Do you think one of your brothers might babysit so we can spend some time together?” Her voice is soft and quiet, like her footsteps and the touch of her fingertips. Her voice quivers just like her hands do.

“I can wait,” I blurt out. I’m a *. I know it. I don’t want her to feel like she has to do anything. And in all honesty, I’m afraid it’ll change something between us. What if I can’t meet her needs? She needs to be loved calmly and carefully. What if I can’t do that? What if I get too caught up in the moment and forget about her needs? What if I do it wrong? What if I make her hate me? What if she loathes the idea of having sex with me again after this?

She scoops up the kitten and puts her in my arms. “I don’t want to wait,” she says. She pulls her shirt over her head, and she’s not wearing a bra. My breath leaves my body. All I can see is her perfect rack and her pert, pink nipples, which are tight and pushing toward me. Ginger struggles when I squeeze her too hard. I look down and force myself to unclench my hands.