“Yeah, it’s not like I could avoid it when he was telling me about that little fellow.” Nana gets down next to the enclosure, the movement of the phone making me feel slightly dizzy, but she follows my instructions. Just like I thought, the skin doesn't ping back like it would if the kitten were well hydrated. I turn to Declan. “Do you have any kitten formula and feeding supplies?”
"Yeah, I bought them just in case. They’re in the drawer in my walk-in closet.” I take a quick and hopefully unnoticeable breath to steady myself. How cute is it that he bought supplies just in case? I know we’ve got a lot of shit to figure out, but the way he cares about his cat really makes me feel like he’s going to be redeemable. Call me naive, but it’s always mattered to me how people treat the animals in their lives.
“Nana, if I text you the instructions, do you think you could feed the kitten overnight? Or if you can’t, maybe one of the others could.” Before she can answer, Declan jumps in.
“Jacinta will do it. Nana, can you keep them company until she gets my message with the instructions? I’ll tell her to sleep in my room so she can return the kitten to Princess after each feed.”
With a few more instructions, it’s all arranged, but even after we hang up, Declan’s body language tells me how worried he is. Poor guy loves that cat and her kittens. His head is down, and his shoulders are hunched as he puts his phone down on the bedside table. Not waiting for him to turn around, I step up to him and put my arms around him. It's a little awkward because I’ve never had the need to initiate this level of comfort for someone other than Max and her mom and dad before. I guess, like anything else, I’ll get better at it with practice. For now, he’ll get my awkward Harlow hug and like it, damn it.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine after we get some fluids into it. If it hasn't picked up by the time we get home, we’ll take it to the closet clinic.” He shudders in my arms, but the tension leaves his body as I rest my head against his back. “Do you know what they are? I never asked you.”
“The two seal points are males, and the two chocolate points are females,” he tells me, breathing in a huge inhale before stepping out of my arms. Without another word, he steps around me and goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. It feels like the distance between us just grew huge again, but I’m not sure why. Even if there isn’t a romance between us, surely we can have some kind of relationship? I don’t think it needs to be all or nothing. Or at least, I don’t want it to be like that now that I’ve gotten a little closer to knowing who Declan really is.
Grabbing my phone out of the pocket of my jeans, I settle myself on the bed and send Nana a message with a few extra tips on how to feed the kitten. Hopefully, by the time we get home tomorrow, it will be better. I’d hate to think anything else is wrong with it. There was an ultrasound machine in the stable, and my mind starts wondering what other supplies they might have. If they have some sterile saline and syringes, I could set up some subcutaneous fluids when I get back, if it hasn't gotten any better
It's difficult to not run through all the scenarios in my head. Does the kitten have a congenital abnormality? Did it get exposed to a virus? Did it aspirate some milk and get pneumonia? Did that happen because it had a cleft palate and I didn't notice? I shake my head to clear it all away. Poor Declan will be devastated if it has neurological problems or something else, and it’s easy to get lost in all the what ifs. Running a hand through my hair, I realize how freaking tired I am, my eyes feeling gritty and heavy. Still slightly drunk Harlow comes to the decision that there’s nothing to be gained by worrying Declan further. I won’t make him run through all the possibilities with me.
Once I’ve closed the mental door on that, I shoot Max a quick text, wanting her to message me when she gets back, no matter the time. God only knows when Declan’s coming out of the shower, so I turn out one of the lamps, leaving the other lit on his side of the bed. That’s right. We only have one bed, but it’s huge, so it really doesn't matter. I'm also so freaking tired. Last night's drama combined with the emotional rollercoaster from the last few days has my eyes closing quickly.
I must have fallen asleep because the movement of Declan climbing into bed startles me, but his whispered words and body heat have me drifting off again in no time.
* * *
We must have forgotten to close the blinds because the bright sun shining through the windows has me waking even earlier than I’d set my alarm for. Snuggling back into the warm, hard body behind me, I’m tempted to go back to sleep, but then the hand on my stomach moves, and I freeze.
Whoops, looks like Declan and I ended up spooning in the middle of the night and that'shismorning wood that I’m grinding my ass against.
I hold still, but the hand that’s on my stomach starts to creep higher, caressing its way toward my breasts.Shit, what do I do?I don't think he’s awake yet; he’s still relaxed against my back, so I'm pretty sure he’s sleep groping me. Do I let him go and enjoy the moment, or should I wake him and stop him? Declan and I still have a few issues between us, the biggest one being his loyalty to his sister.
Biting my lip, my mind whirls with indecision. But before I can make a choice, my alarm blares loudly through the room. Declan's hand stops its ascent instantly, and his body tenses behind me.
“Well, I’d like to say I'm disappointed to wake and find myself groping a sleeping woman, but it would be a lie.” His voice is raspy and still sleepy, but it tickles my ear, causing goosebumps to break out over my skin and my nipples to pebble.
Very carefully, he lowers his hand, removing it from under my shirt before rolling away from me and onto his back. “I’m sorry. I need to have an important conversation with my sister before any of this goes further,” he says quietly. With that, he climbs off the bed and disappears into the bathroom. There’s a weird combination of emotion in his statement, some mix of disappointment and shame, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve got to admire the guy for sticking to his guns no matter the attraction between the two of us, but there’s another part of me that’s frustrated he can’t let it go.
While I'm waiting for him to finish in the shower, I quickly get dressed in my clothes from yesterday and check my messages. I never heard it, but Max messaged that she’d see me on set before we left today.
I still need to grab my backpack from her though. Decision made, I shout through the bathroom door. “Declan, I'm just going to go and get my backpack from Max. I'll be back in a moment.”
“Okay,” he shouts back, sounding a little strained. I would probably sound the same if I was rocking morning wood that could pound in a nail. Yes, I had paid attention when I ground back into him, but then I had my hand on it the other night too, and Declan isnotlacking in size.
Grabbing the key card, I let myself out of the room and go in search of Max and my backpack. Hopefully, I’m not walking into anything in her room. At this point, I’m not sure if I’d be more embarrassed or jealous.
* * *
Declan
Fuck. Again, I find myself in the shower with my hand on my dick because of Harlow. I swear I wasn't even this bad in high school when I first discovered girls, but waking up next to her, her warm body snuggled into mine, that plump ass pushing against my cock and the feel of smooth skin under my palm... It almost had me coming in my pants. I had to move away; otherwise, I might have started something again, and until I talk to Jacinta, I don't want to do that.
I can’t keep going on like this. When she comforted me after we got off the phone with Nana, I knew I was a goner. This woman who asked me about my cats, who probably saved one of them... This woman is nothing like I thought she was. Nothing like any of us assumed she was. I have to find a way to make my sister see that.
A wave of fury stabs at me as I continue to run my hand up and down my cock. I'm so angry I'm practically choking it, but it’s just what I need at the moment.
Harlow’s voice through the door has me pausing, but when she tells me she’s going to get her backpack from Max, there’s a sense of relief. Now I can do this without feeling guilty that she’s just on the other side of the door. “Okay,” I call back from between gritted teeth.
Why the fuck did my PI not find out about her being a vet? In fact, I haven't heard from him at all which is strange. Something is going on with him, and I need to get to the bottom of this. I've been waiting for weeks for info on Harlow and just recently her mother. Something is fishy. The only reason he would be avoiding me is if someone was paying him to avoid me. The guy’s good at his job, but he’s shifty as fuck.
My mind floats back to the feeling of the swell of Harlow's breast under my hand when I’d finally realized what I was doing. A few seconds more and I would have had one of those perfect nipples in my hand. My mouth has already been on them, and I'm dying for a repeat. A loud groan leaves my mouth as my cum shoots onto the shower curtain, and after a few more strokes, it’s too sensitive to continue.Fuck, how am I here again?If I didn't feel like I needed to talk to my sister, that could very well have been Harlow’s tight pussy gripping my cock. I swear then and there, that's the last time I use my hand. Next time, I will be doing this with a very willing partner.
