“It’s not done.”
No “thank you for thinking of me.” No “sorry I was a brat back there.” Nothing. He just crossed his arms and glared straight at me.
My control snapped. My heart drummed in my ears and my muscles pulsed like I could lift a fucking bus. I held my breath and counted, but it was the same thing that happened when the other side was clearly cheating in kickball, or I got back shitty notes from the gatekeeper for a grant.
“Fuck it,” I grumbled to myself and started forward. I wasn’t sure what I looked like, but Harley pointed at me. I eyed him up and found his weak spot. He always stood unbalanced just a bit, unless he was a kitty. Harley the man didn’t seem sturdy, not even on his feet. He looked to be at a loss as to what he should do. “This attitude of yours is too much.” I got to him, and his eyes widened as I snagged an arm around his waist and lifted. He struggled, so it wasn’t easy, but I managed to toss him over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and once he was there, he let out a whine and held on.
“Do you have any idea how many accidents occur from this type of horseplay?” he asked, his voice gusty and breathless.
“This isn’t horseplay, it’s catplay,” I said and slapped his ass. He growled, but it wasn’t a cute kitty noise. I was certain, given half a chance, he’d try to gouge my eyes out, but he clung to me, almost like he was terrified. Maybe he was scared, but I would die before I dropped him, and I didn’t care a whole fuck of a lot at the moment how he felt about me manhandling him. In the corner near the big doors I had a man-sized black metal kennel, and I stalked toward it. While I was walking he began to struggle a little, and I had to hold him steady around the waist with one arm, and around the knees with the other. He smacked at my back and twitched his toes. None of it hurt, though he did come close to throwing his weight.
“Brad!”
“Harley,” I snapped back in the same sarcastic, irritated tone. Shit, I was supposed to be keeping my cool.
The kennel was big enough for a large puppy, and plenty big enough for a kitty who needed to learn a lesson or two. The door was already open, thank goodness, or I didn’t know what I would have done. When I got there I dropped to my knees, and he gasped, holding on with a squeak. I tipped forward, sort of plopped him on his ass on the edge of the kennel, and then put a hand on the top of his head to keep him from bumping it. With all my might I shoved him forward with my other hand. I think shock was the only reason the poorly planned maneuver worked. He stared around, gobsmacked, and I managed to shove his feet in and swing the door shut before he kicked at it. I had the padlock through the lock holes in the corner of the kennel and secured before he gave the door another good kick. I held my hands up and barely stopped myself from doing something completely immature, like sticking out my tongue.
“You will let me out of here, right now!” he bellowed, and for the first time I saw him truly unraveled while we weren’t fucking. His hair was a mess and his lips were bright where he must have been gnawing on them while I carried him. He kicked at the metal and his face bloomed scarlet. He screeched and pounded his hands on the ceiling of the kennel, but it was made to hold man or animal, and it was solid. He glared, his eyes clearly telling me that he would murder me if he could. Had he, even for a second, looked truly scared, I would have hauled him out directly into my lap, but he was livid, madder than a wet cat—madder than any animal would ever be able to be. I felt justified in treating him like a sub for the time being.
I sat back and rested my hands behind me and then crossed my legs at the ankles. My feet were far enough away from the kennel that I didn’t think he’d be able to get me. “I still don’t know what makes you tick, Harley.”
“You fucker! I do not like this!” He grabbed the top of the cage and held on, kicking with all his might at the door, but it was secure and built just for these types of temper tantrums. I let him go until he tired himself out and flopped to the bottom, chest heaving from his efforts.
“You don’t seem to listen to me when I say I want to keep you. So I thought I’d give you a practical demonstration.” I waved a hand at the kennel.
He slammed at the door with his feet for another minute, maybe two, and only stopped when sweat streamed down his cheeks.
“Is seeing believing?” I grinned at him, all at once feeling much better.
“If you think I will stand for—”
“I don’t know what you thought we were going to talk about, but I’m your owner.”
He snapped his mouth shut and sat back as far as he could from me with his shoulders worked into the corner of the cage and his mouth pressed firmly in a thin line.
“You can tell me your problems, Harley cat, but I take care of them. I take care of my kitty’s needs. I fill that ass when you need it. And I let you know what’s best. You don’t go off half-cocked deciding by yourself. Not when it comes to us.”
“Doesn’t seem like you need me.” He took his shoe off and lobbed it at the kennel door.
Real anger surprised me and I fought not to clench my fists. The last thing I wanted was for him to be afraid of me for real. “The only reason Kwan’s here is you agreed. I can’t take that back now. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Harley shot forward and swatted out of the kennel toward me, I think beyond being reasoned with for the moment, but he was too far away from me to reach. He dragged his fingers across the barn floor and I winced.
I sat up and massaged my forehead with my thumbs. “You never sprint at the end of practice. Damn it.”
“What the hell does that mean?” His face ran nearly purple with the force of his yell.
“I knew you were having problems with this whole thing, having another person in our space, but I trusted your word. I trusted you to have control of yourself. I brought him here against my better judgement because he needed help.” I pressed my thumbs into my skin until it hurt and then eased off and stared directly into his eyes. He bared his teeth at me. “I’m putting someone else in your face. I’m not stupid, and I get that. It’s just fucking upsetting that it doesn’t matter how much I show you, or tell you that it’s you I want, you don’t believe me.”
He huffed and rattled the kennel door.
“Harley, you’re interesting, did you know that?”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “That’s hardly a compliment.”
“You know you’re beautiful? Do you understand that at least?”
His bottom lip jutted and he glanced away.
