Tangled Up In Her
Beau
Andthenthereweretwo.
I should have known this is how the day would end up. Me and her. But I was relying too much on Sin. She had her plan, and I didn’t have any desire to take part in the art direction of this thing. Not my strength. Cece’s the artist in our family.
“You two good here? I’ve got some paperwork to deal with, and since I had to come in on the weekend, I may as well suffer through it before I leave.”
Luna nods. Her long hair is hanging loose today, artfully styled in the loose waves she often wears in her videos. Have I been watching them? Guilty. I wanted to get to know her a little better, and standard Internet stalking is unnecessary when she has a wealth of video content out there in the world.
“Okay, you two. Let’s get this thing wrapped up.” Jared glances around a little uneasily. He’s been u¨ber-polite any time Damien is around. I’m curious to know what he owes the guy. But with no sign of him around, he’s reverted to the sour attitude he gave us when he first arrived.
“Sounds good.” Not like I want to be here any longer. Any time the entire team converges in one place, the noise level increases to bleeding-eardrum levels. With Wilder’s team added into the mix, I’m surprised we haven’t had any noise complaints. It’s a lot. The sensory overload has me wanting to hide out in my room for a week. But I can get through this.
“We’ll get a few shots in here and then I’d love to get you two out on the ice.”
I glance down at my flat-soled sneakers. They were designed for the street, or maybe the half pipe, not the ice. But Damien doesn’t want us on the ice with the cats with sharp blades strapped to our feet. Way too many chances for disaster.
“Let’s start with you two back-to-back against the wall over there.” He waves us over.
We get into position, but he makes a clucking noise of disapproval. “Lean into each other. I want you touching, arms crossed.”
We shuffle closer to each other until we’re joined at the back. The heat from her body is simultaneously comforting and alarming. I’ve been getting these flashes of attraction when we’re together, but today ramped it up to the next level. Watching her work with her team has been enlightening. She’s a leader. Strong, but understanding. Able to let loose and have fun, then rein it in to get down to business. Not a single flash of the vapid influencer I originally mistook her for. I hate being wrong. Doesn’t everybody?
He shuts the door, and his assistant lets the four kittens out of their carrier. She places them by our feet, and they start tussling with one another. Tiny razor claws extended to swipe at their siblings, like mini Wolverines. Agents of fluffy chaos.
“Good. That’s great.” The shutter clicks in rapid succession. “Now I want you each to pick up two of the kittens and thenstare down the camera. Like you’re about to face your toughest opponents. Glare them down.”
We both scoop up a couple of fuzzy bodies, but mine are squirming all over the place. Luna’s back shudders against mine, and when she can’t control it anymore, a laugh bursts out.
He takes a few more pics, then sighs. “I asked for attitude, not hysteria.”
Luna’s giggles only get louder at his criticism. “I can’t help it. They’re squirming all over, and one of them is eating my hair.”
“Fine. Let’s put the kittens away. Can you please ask Damien for some trained cats to take out on the ice?” He sighs dramatically, storming off, with his assistant hustling to keep pace.
“That guy would benefit from an ice bath,” Luna says.
“Seriously. Is there such a thing as a trained cat?”
“How am I supposed to be serious with this going on?” The feisty kitten with the black mask covering his eyes is batting at a long lock of her hair, while the other one has gotten itself tangled up in it.
I place my two kittens on the ground and reach over to help free her from the little beastie. It thanks me with an angry hiss, baring little needle-sharp teeth.
“Come on, buddy. Let me get you free from there.”
Her hair is softer than the kitten’s fur, and I have to concentrate extra hard to focus on it and the little squirming bundle. The one time my eyes darted up to her face, my fingers froze, and I stared for an impolite amount of time. It takes a minute, but I extricate him from her hair. Her breath escapes in a soft gasp when my fingers absently tuck the errant lock of hair behind her ear, and I pull back immediately. The tiny creature kicks out, startled, and I gasp at the sting of little claws slashing my hand.
“Fuck.”
“Did he get you?” She leans in to check out the tiny slices on my hand. They sting like a bitch. “I’ll grab some cream and bandages.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just go wash my hands.” I’ve already done it about a thousand times today. What’s one more? The cats are cute, but I can’t help worrying about all the germs. I’d like to just enjoy the moment, but I can’t shove the worry down entirely.
She disappears, leaving me glaring at the little critter. He has the audacity to squeak in outrage, as if I’m the one at fault. She slips back in on silent feet, stealing the kitten away. He immediately stops hissing, curling up into a cozy ball in the crook of her arm. I can almost see the halo shining over his tiny triangular ears, but I’m onto his deception.
Her palm is soft under mine when she grabs it. She squeezes some ointment from the tube and smooths it on with a gauze pad. Then, she applies a bandage to cover it up.
