I burrow my face in his side. “Nowhere,” I mumble.
He knows I’m lying, but he holds me closer to him, and I breathe in his summery apple scent.
I’m still not able to explain my fears, especially when they barely make sense to me.
“It’s going to be great,” he assures me, stroking my hair.
“Yeah?” I chuckle. “What if my Heat comes during the trip?”
“Then it’s an even better trip,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
“You’re ridiculous,” I huff.
“We will pack as many supplies are you need. Or, if you’re worried, we can pick up the kittens without you.”
“What?” I sit up and look at him, aghast. “Absolutely not.”
His look is teasing, and I lean down to kiss him. He hums contentedly against my mouth, and when he pulls away, his pupils are wide.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, caressing my face. “It’s going to be great. You’re going to save the kittens, and we have good company to go with us.”
Ivan’s right.
It’s only a day trip, and my Heat isn’t due for another week.
He gently taps my forehead. “Get out of there,” he murmurs. “I can see the cogs in your mind turning. Everything will be okay.”
I lay back down on him, and his chest rumbles with a mighty purr.
“Does it still count as a book club if I ask you to read to me?” I murmur.
“Of course,” he says. “We’re still reading together, technically. Chapter six, page fifty, right?”
“Yes.” I snuggle into him while he holds the book and listen to the soothing cadence of his voice.
His purr keeps me content, and a sense of calm washes over me the longer his chest vibrates.
It’s only a day trip—we will be back the same day.
Nothing crazy can happen in that amount of time.
15
LOGAN
I…am…nervous.
I stare at myself in the mirror, wondering what the hell I agreed to.
What good did I think would come of this?
Whywould I agree to this?
Trooper sits patiently on the bathroom counter, slow blinking at his own reflection.
“I don’t know how to hold a conversation for four hours,” I tell him.
He is unbothered by my predicament.
