Flint reaches an arm over his shoulder as if feeling for the scratches. “Crawled through some debris last night. Roof nails must’ve caught me.”
Ember walks across the kitchen to get a better look. “It’s like you’ve been attacked by a horde of cats.”
“Maybe that’s what it was.” Flint smirks as if reliving last night.
I fist my palms, hiding my sharp, pointy nails. The cat sweater on the countertop grins up at me as if it knows exactly who’s responsible for the scratches.
Ember taps her fingers against the countertop, studying Flint. “You don’t have a cat.”
“It’s a stray.” His gaze floats to mine. “Aggressive little thing. Practically feral.”
Ember glances at me, then back at him. “Funny. You smell more like perfume than cat hair.”
Flint lifts his arm to smell himself. “Weird. Must have bought the wrong deodorant.”
Ember squints between us. “All right, well… I’ll leave you two to your… uh, recovery.”
“Recovery?” I say, cheeks blazing.
She smiles. “Sweetheart, if you saw your neck, you’d understand.”
Flint chokes on his coffee, and I bury my face in his borrowed t-shirt, pulling the neck over my chin to hide the evidence of last night.
Ember waves a hand in the air and grabs her coat from the back of the chair. “You need anything before I go? Concealer, a turtleneck, scratching post?” She looks over her shoulder at Flint with a smile. “Maybe a shirt before the neighbours really do think you have a feral cat.”
“Get outta here and get your mind out of the gutter.” Flint walks her down the hall and sees Ember out.
Ember’s footsteps fade down the path.
Flint closes the door and stalks back into the kitchen, coffee in hand, smirk on his face. “Next time, maybe keep the claws retracted?”
“Next time maybe wear a shirt.”
He chuckles. “I didn’t know she was just gonna turn up.”
I can’t stop my smile from widening despite my cheeks being hotter than the kettle.
Flint scratches the short salt and pepper bristles on his jaw. “You think she bought the cat story?”
I glance at the cat sweater grinning at me from the counter. “Not a chance. First my house burns down, now my dignity’s up in smoke too.”
He leans down, voice low. “Don’t worry, firecracker. I’ll help you rebuild that too.”
As I gaze into his steel-grey eyes, I believe this man will do anything for me at this point. I just hope he wants to build on our relationship.
“Can I visit the house today?”
Flint shakes his head. “Not yet. The county fire marshal’s still doing his investigation. Once he clears the scene, I’ll take you over myself. It'll be a few days before he’s done a full report.”
I nod, swallowing hard. “Okay.”
He squeezes my hand, thumb brushing my knuckles. “You’ll get through this. One step, one brick at a time.”
“Promise?”
His eyes soften. “Promise.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Now drink your coffee before Ember comes back with a turtleneck and a lecture.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and reach up on my tiptoes to kiss his lips, holding my breath and hoping I’m not setting myself up for a rejection and making a fool of myself again.
