For the first time since therapy that morning, the tight coil in my stomach eased.
Fuse leaned over and gave me a light kiss on the cheek, lingering close as Kayla grabbed her box and headed out.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” he murmured against my ear. “I want you to feel comfortable here. And once we take care of Viper, you can come home with me. I’ve got plenty of room for you and both of these furballs. You game for that?”
I nodded, suddenly feeling shy. “Yeah, I’d like to see your place.”
“Good. It’s a date.”
Something about the warm way he offered me a home tugged at my emotions. He didn’t have to do that. He did it because he likes me and wants to be with me. Any fool could see that. Even a fool like me.
Chapter 10
Fuse
Ijerked my chin towards the hallway. “C’mon,” I told her. “We need to get these two set up with supplies before they decide the pool table’s their new bathroom.”
Winter laughed and gathered the tuxedo sisters up into her arms. When they tried their best to squirm and play fight with each other, she glanced down at them fondly and tucked them both under one arm.
I led her down the short hall towards the storage room which Dusty used as backup for her kitten rescue supplies. I grabbed what we needed.
We climbed the stairs and headed to her room. My chest constricted to know that I’d soon be locked out like every night. I’d be spending another long, lonely night alone sleeping in the easy chair at the end of the hallway. It always felt like I was so close, but so far away.
She glanced back at me on the landing. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
“It’s too late to back out now,” I told her.
“Oh, I’m not trying to. I just feel fortunate to finally have a pet. I wanted one growing up, but it was never in the cards for me.”
“Yeah, you think that until you’re scooping litter boxes twice a day.”
She just lifted the kittens to her face to cuddle them.
When we reached her door, she shifted the kittens carefully so she could unlock it. I stood there loaded down withsupplies, watching her fuss over the lock. And for a brief second, whatever this was building between us felt very domestic. That’s when I remembered what I’d told that Savage Legion prospect, Rick, about putting Winter in my cut so everyone would know she was spoken for.
In our world, it wasn’t a title that was tossed around lightly. Giving a woman your property cut was like claiming her. There was a certain permanence about it. But it also meant extending my protection and the club’s protection to her. No brother would approach her once she was in my cut. And this woman, who just managed to find a small piece of happiness, was in a precarious situation. She needed my protection, right now more than ever.
She finally got the door open and stepped inside with the kittens first. I followed and kicked the door shut behind us.
Winter immediately set the impatient kittens on the floor. They both flounced off in different directions to explore their new home. That’s when I knew they were going to bring complete chaos into our lives. I got busy pouring kitty litter into the litter boxes and filling up their food and water bowls. Then, out of habit, I stepped back towards the door again.
“I just realized something,” she said quietly. “You’ve been sleeping in that chair in the hall, haven’t you? The one with the spread draped over the back.”
I froze in place, taken aback by how she knew about that. I’d taken care to settle down after her lights went out and to get up before daylight, so she never saw me snoozing outside her door. I’d been afraid she would see that creepy, stalkerish behavior. For a second, I didn’t make eye contact with her.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” I told her. “I wasn’t trying to be creepy or anything.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been sleeping out there every night for three weeks.”
“I just wanted to be close in case anything unexpected happened. It wasn’t about control. I worried about you being trapped if there was a fire or something.”
“I might have thought you were being controlling in the beginning, but now I know it was just you being protective.”
I finally lifted my eyes to look at her. The expression on her face was warm and inviting. I had to remind myself that things had changed between us. She no longer saw me as the man who bought her. I’d proven that my intention had been to rescue her. She trusted me now.
“I don’t mind. Truly. I’m the kind that can sleep anywhere, standing up if need be.”
“I know you don’t mind,” she replied, her voice calm and serious. “I do mind. You’re a good, decent man. You shouldn’t be sitting out in the cold hallway for weeks on end.”
