I slid off of him and got to my feet, offering a hand out to him. “Time to play, kitty cat,” I told him.
Apprehension flickered through his gaze, but he took my hand.
He got off the bed, getting onto all fours without needing to be told. Progress. The tail was sexy between his ass cheeks, and those ears really made the image that much better.
“But first, come here,” I told him, beckoning. I grabbed the box with the supplies I’d ordered and pulled out a new pink collar with a tiny little bell on it. Ripping the plastic with my teeth, I pulled it out and showed it to him. “Thiswill look perfect on you.”
I found the key to the collar he wore around his neck and unlocked it, watching as he settled back onto his legs to rub at his bare throat. He wouldn’t have the relief for long, but I indulged him, letting him have his moment. This would be the last for a long time. He had to know that being mine consisted of wearing a collar.
We’d come a long way, enough to where I didn’t think I needed the little padlock for the collar. I secured the collar around his throat but didn’t lock it into place, and he looked warily up at me.
“You aren’t going to take it off,” I said, more confidence in my voice than I actually felt. “Are you?”
He wordlessly shook his head.
Warmth suffused me, leaving me tingling from head to toe. “You’re learning so well,” I said. “Such a good kitty cat, aren’t you?”
He looked up at me, briefly wetting his lips with his tongue, and he let out a tentative meow.
It was almost as hot as the bark — almost, but not quite. Maybe both of us would learn to find something new attractive. This wasn’t what either of us had wanted, but we were meeting halfway. If I could learn to want him as my kitten, he could learn to want me as his master.
Couldn’t he?
It was worth a try.
It was an odd feeling. I wasn’t used to compromising. Things were so often black and white, one way or another — yes or no.
But my life wasn’t black and white anymore. It was suspended somewhere between the two in a shade of gray that kept fluctuating from one end to the other before I could get a handle on it.
I’d had someone kidnapped and brought to me, someone who hadn’t wanted to be there, and I’d done things I never would’ve dreamed of a year ago.
I’d done those things, and I couldn’t stop.
I didn’t want to stop.
He moved and the little bell jingled, bringing a smile to my lips. He was watching me, waiting, and I left him there as I turned. I looked through the box, shuffling through the items I’d bought and the castoff wrappings of what I’d already introduced to him.
I hummed softly, considering.
I didn’t want to show my entire hand yet, and there was no need to rush. He was still getting used to this, and I was still trying to figure out how I felt about the whole thing. I didn’t want to overwhelm either of us.
That wasn’t entirely true. There was part of me that wanted to lay it all out, to pull out all the stops and just go for it. But I wasn’t reckless that way. I was too meticulous. I had to be patient. That was the only way I’d gotten this far, and I had to continue it.
I pulled out one of the cat toys, a stick with a string and a feather dangling from the end, and gave it a thoughtful shake.
His eyes went to it, and I could see the wariness in his expression. Would he actually take the next step toward being my pet, or would he disappoint me by ignoring the toy?
With a flick of my wrist, I dangled it in front of him.
He sat back on his heels, tentatively batting at the feather.
“Good,” I said, pleased. “Good kitten. Very good.”
He looked at me then batted at the feather again, hishand curled slightly into more of a paw as he tried to grab at it.
I lifted the stick, the string sliding from between his fingers as I dangled it above his head. He shot me an inscrutable look before he went back to playing with the feather, carefully dragging it down. When he let go of it, it sprang up, and I lowered it just enough for the feather to brush the tip of his nose when it came down.
He gave me another look but tilted his head up, grabbing at it with his mouth.
