When he glanced over, her eyes were closed, forehead relaxed. Her lips parted just a little. That soothing comfort that he’d become accustomed to in her presence took over. This did not suck. No, it settled deep in his stomach in a very, very nice way. Relaxing.
Being with Becca was relaxing.
He let out a long breath and let the rock do its thing through the subwoofers while they hit up the all-night fast food place for ice cream. Becca stirred only long enough to take a long slug of her drink. Then she settled until they hit the winding driveway past the gate to his house.
Not bothering to park in the garage, he pulled right up to the front door, grabbed his Slim Jim, and bounced out the door. Two seconds. He needed two seconds to pacify his feline, and then he’d take Becca home. Hell, he’d even leave the Porsche at her house if she wanted to sleep in it. He could catch a ride home from the app on his phone.
He took the stone staircase up to his front door two steps at a time and let himself inside. Gibson wasn't around.
This was what his life had come to—a beautiful woman who preferred to sleep in his Porsche more than a bed, a cat that hid from him, and a limp Slim Jim in his hand.
Brek was right. He needed a fucking hobby.
“Gibson,” he called. “I brought a snack.”
The front door opened. He turned to find Becca standing there, eyes wide, taking in the ridiculous marble foyer. White walls, marble every-fucking-where, and gold anywhere that wasn’t white. The whole place screamed ostentatious asshole, not rocker-lives-here. He needed to add some black. Some character.
In his one attempt to knock down a wall, he’d run into…er…electrical issues. Those issues meant he had a huge hole in his wall and no idea what came next. It added character alright. Just not the kind he’d hoped for. But he figured life could be a lot worse than marble bullshit and a gigantic wall hole, so he dealt.
“Aw, this sweet guy is Gibson?” Becca leaned down as Gibson walked right up to her.
Traitor.
Slim Jim still in hand, Linx pressed his hands to his hips. “That’s Gibson. He’s still pissed at me.”
“What d’you do?” Becca gave Gibson a solid scratch under his chin that made Linx squirm with jealousy.
He wanted her to touch him like that, too. This was ridiculous. He handed her the meat rope with a jerk of his chin to the cat.
“I took him to get neutered.” Linx sighed. “Turns out he didn’t want to get neutered.”
“Wouldyou?” Becca carefully unwrapped the meat, offering a nibble to Gibson.
Neutered? Um…he was a guy who liked his family jewels right where they were, so… “No.”
Intuitively, he pressed his legs together. Not that he was checking to ensure the guys remained intact—he knew they were—but relief was his friend since they were still hanging out where they belonged.
“I suppose whacking off his junk would cause a rift.” Becca fed Gibson little bits of Slim Jim, breaking off one small piece after another.
“First, there was no whacking.” Now, Linx was the grumpy one. “One of the top veterinarians in Denver did the procedure. He’d graduated top of his class from the Colorado State University Veterinary School.” He counted off the points on his fingers. “His practice consistently wins awards for patient care, I checked.Andhe listens to Dimefront.”
Becca laughed. She spread out on the floor and let Gibson snuggle on her lap. “It doesn’t seem like Gibson here is impressed with any of that.”
“Yeah, well, my mom always watchedThe Price is Right,” Linx mumbled. “It is what it is.”
Since she was settling in with his cat, he should probably offer her a warm beverage or something.
“I don’t understand what that means.The Price is Rightthing.” Becca’s face went blank.
“Bob Barker?” he asked, giving a valid hint.
She shook her head.
“ ‘Have your pet spayed or neutered? Help control the pet population?’ ” Linx did his best impression of Bob. It was lacking, but what could he say? It was past two in the morning. He tried.
“Oh.” She nodded and positioned Gibson so they were face to face. “Your daddy is a nutter.”
“Yeah, well, I’m just doing my part. I bought him a leather jacket and everything to say I’m sorry. He doesn’t care.” Linx took two cautious steps toward the pair on the ground. When Gibson didn’t bolt, Linx sat.
