Pam’s phone chimed from the other room.
“Ope,” she said as she rose from the table. “That’s probably Tegan. I told her I would call and let her know how the date went. She’s probably concerned that she hasn’t heard from me. I’ll be right back.” Without another word, she bustled down the hall in search of her phone.
Her daughter likely didn’t expect our date to be an all-day affair. Honestly, I hadn’t either, but now that we were here, I didn’t want it to end.
Remi rubbed against the leg of my pants before jumping onto my lap.
“Hey, buddy.” I ran my hand over his sweater-covered back, eliciting a deep purr. “You take care of your momma when I’m gone, okay? She’s a special lady.”
He stuck his tail straight up and started to make biscuits on my lap. It wasn’t a direct yes, but it was good enough for me.
Pam turned the corner and smiled when she caught sight of me loving on Remi. “I am so sorry about that. I didn’t want her to worry.”
“No reason to be sorry. Did you tell her how it was going?”
“Yep. I told her you were the most handsome minotaur I’d ever seen.” She paused for a moment. “And I told her about the kiss. I thought it was better that she heard it from me instead of Javier.”
That was right. Javier worked for her son. Reece was probably already aware of our little PDA session. I just hoped he didn’t give Pam a hard time over it. She was a grown woman. She deserved affection.
“Oh?” I looked at her with my brows raised. “What did she have to say about that?”
“She was excited. She thought it might be a little fast, but I reminded her about Atlas mating her within a week of knowing her. It drove home the point pretty quick.”
It made me wish minotaurs had fated mates like wolven. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a thing for our kind.
“Is everything okay?” She stood next to my chair, her hands tousling my curls as she massaged the base of my ears.
“Mmm,” I groaned. “That feels good.”
“I was thinking we could watch a movie together. Maybe cuddle a little bit. Unless you have somewhere to be, that is.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch. “Pam Rollins, for today, I am all yours.”
“Good. Let's get in my bed.”
My eyes darted open, and Remi jumped from my lap. “Y-your bed?” I stammered in disbelief.
She wanted me to get in her bed with her?
“I am so sorry. I thought you’d be more comfortable there instead of the couch. I don’t think there’s room for us to cuddle.” Her cheeks were bright red as she awkwardly backed away.
“Hey.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to me. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised, that’s all. I’d love to lay in bed with you.”
The blush across her cheeks began to fade, and the corners of her soft lips tilted up into a smile. “Let me get this cleaned up first. I don’t want Remi getting into anything.”
It sounded like her little Sphynx cat was quite the rascal. I’d always considered myself a dog person, but he was making me rethink my ways.
“I’ll help.” I closed the Chinese food containers and gathered up the plates and silverware.
“Are you always this helpful?” she asked with a laugh, taking the dishes from me and giving them a quick rinse before placing them inside the dishwasher.
I shrugged. “Like I said, my parents were good role models for what a relationship should be. I also live alone, so I’m used to cleaning up after myself. If I don’t do it, who will?”
Granted, I did have a housekeeper, but she took care of the deep cleaning. I was responsible for the day-to-day stuff, like the dishes and wiping down the counters.
“That’s true. I’m just not used to it, that’s all. Even though I worked, Don still expected a lot from me in terms of housework. He was pretty old-fashioned.”
I shook my head in disgust.
