Hosed (Happy Cat #1)(31)

And as promised, Ryan’s brought gloves.

I’ve never wanted to kiss a man over rubber gloves before, but I definitely want to kiss him now.

“What’s with the sheriff?” he asks.

Gloves on, I bend to grab a dildo by the base with two fingers and drop it in my trash bag. “Not enough fiber in his diet?”

Blake laughs. Jace cracks another half-grin.

“If he’s giving you trouble—” Ryan starts.

I grab a packet of lube, and my cheeks are on fire, but I reach for a butt plug too. “He’s just doing his job.”

“He should be asking to see Maud’s webcam footage,” Jace says, pointing to the bakery with a dildo he’s just grabbed.

He looks down at what he’s pointing with, sighs, and stuffs it in his trash bag.

Ryan glances back at the sheriff, then hands his bag over to Blake. “You wanted to fill three of these. Here you go.”

“Ah, taking the lazy way out,” Blake says with a grin.

“Helping build your character,” Ryan replies.

A familiar laugh rings from across the park. Olivia’s under the shelter in the center of the square, playing tug-of-war with George and a string of anal beads.

“Your raccoon’s quite the ladies’ man,” Blake says. “Maybe you can take him on your next date.”

Ryan and I share a glance. He grimaces, and I giggle. George was not a ladies’ man last night.

“C’mon, Cassie. Let’s go see Maud.” He takes my garbage bag and holds it out to Jace, who’s staring at Olivia with his jaw ticking. Blake notices and grabs my bag too.

“Lazy, both of you,” he teases. He elbows Jace. “Earth to loverboy.”

Jace jerks away. “I’m going to get a ladder,” he mutters.

“I get it. Abandon the youngest. That’s always how it is.” If Blake’s really put out, his amused grin doesn’t show it.

“You’re not the youngest,” Ryan reminds him.

“I’m the youngest in the country at the moment. Go on, go talk to Maud while I do all the hard work.”

He winks at me, and the playful banter between the two brothers makes me want to hug Savannah so badly I can hardly breathe.

I miss my sister.

“You okay?” Ryan slips an arm around my shoulders, and the pain in my lungs eases.

I nod. “Let’s go see Maud. I’m not letting Savannah come home to a mess.”

He hooks his hand through mine as we step over butt plugs and feather ticklers and head to the street, and an electric current shoots up my arm.

He still likes me, despite the toilet trouble.

I squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

“For rescuing you from the dildos?” he replies with a teasing grin.

“Ugh, that too.”

“They really bother you.”

I step over an extra-large model that looks like it could cause some damage. “I’ve just never been as comfortable with talking about sex as Savannah is. I’m missing that gene, I guess. Or maybe I was old enough to understand what my parents really meant when they told us to stay away from certain people while we were on set for her show. Or maybe it’s just that everything was so public when I was little, that I like privacy in everything now.”

“Ah, privacy. That anonymity you love in San Francisco.”

I sway into him while we step off the curb to cross the street, and the brush of our arms makes me tingle more. “Yeah. But being anonymous in a big city hasn’t brought me out of my shell. I should be grateful to whoever tossed these dildos. Maybe I’ll touch enough of them today to get over blushing every time I look at one.”

He grins down at me. “I like your blush. In fact, I’d like to watch your whole body blush.”

I bite my lip. “I’d like to enjoy my body and not worry if it’s blushing or not.”

“God, Cassie, now I’m getting a little uncomfortable.”

“What? I’m sorry—oh.”

He makes a subtle adjustment to his pants. “Don’t be sorry. I like the thought of you enjoying yourself. I just like the thought of you enjoying yourself with me even more.”

“Me too,” I say, blushing again, though by this point I don’t care.

He likes me. He really likes me and is attracted to me and maybe it’s time to trust that I can handle a sexual relationship with another adult.

Maybe it’s time to trust that I’m not a natural screw-up. That I am beautiful and special and worthy, and that I deserve happiness and pleasure.

We walk into the bakery, and my mouth waters at the scent of donuts and cinnamon rolls. Gerald looks up from behind the glass counter and gives me a squirrely eyeball. “Look who the raccoon dragged in,” he grumbles.

“Morning, Gerald,” Ryan says easily. “Y’all still have cinnamon rolls?”

“And donuts?” I add hopefully.

“All out,” he says.

“Gerald! We are not.” Maud hustles out of the kitchen, glances at my and Ryan’s joined hands, and her face crinkles in a huge smile. “Coffee and treats on the house, just to apologize for someone being rude. Sit, sit, you two. How was your bike ride yesterday? Cassie, did you really flip upside down on the zipline? It happens, honey. And I’m sure Ryan was there to catch you.”