A glance downward revealed her new friend watching her with censure.
“You think I’m pitiful, don’t you? But if you were human, you’d understand just how hot he is. Fucking smokin’!”
If an animal could roll its eyes, the alley cat certainly did. Perhaps she’d dealt with enough toms in her life to feel differently.
The thought gave Nadia pause. Did she take a mother away from her babies?
Ariel suddenly rolled on her back and presented a flat stomach.
No recent births—whew!
“Okay, fine. You may be right, Ariel, but until Luc tells me he’s not interested, I’m putting all my eggs in one basket.”
As she turned to go inside, a burst of teal light caught her attention from below.
Nadia shifted and peered over the railing.
Across the street, underneath a large maple, a man rested with his shoulder against its trunk. He studied the building with a mild curiosity, as if he were bored and the place held no special interest beyond passing time.
His broad shoulders and trim waist indicated compacted strength with no wasted mass. His posture was loose enough to appear casual but controlled enough to assure her he wasn’t. The t-shirt fit close across his chest and arms, worn without a care for effect.
Ex-military? Perhaps.
His hair was light brown or dirty blond, and seemingly styled out of habit rather than vanity. Stubble darkened his jaw, enough to blunt the severity of his features without softening them. His mouth stayed neutral, unreadable, without invitation but not quite in dismissal either.
Curious eyes met and locked with hers for longer than polite. The low light made discerning the color too difficult, but his gaze was steady and observant, giving her the feeling he was there for a reason despite the casual stance. Part of her wanted to challenge him. But the saner half prevailed, reminding her it wasn’t wise to question unknown men at night with no one else present.
Should she disturb Luc? Let him know a stranger watched their building? What if the guy were casing the joint?
“Casing the joint? Who says things like that, Nadia?” she mocked herself.
She did what single women worldwide did in moments of uncertainty—she consulted her cat.
“What would you do, Ariel? Call the police?”
The feline poked her head through the safety bars, hissed, and strode into the apartment.
“Good call.” Nadia nodded approvingly and quickly followed, locking the door behind them. “We’ll hope he’s just waiting for someone.”
Ariel appeared to roll her eyes a second time.
“Let’s get something straight here and now, cat. I am in no way brave. Seriously. If it comes down to you or me, save yourself. I subscribe to the every-woman-for-herself rule.”
She felt uncomfortable under the steady green stare.
“Okay, well, minus the alley incident. Three on one helpless creature wasn’t right.”
Ariel blinked, her eyes softening.
After a brief internet search, Nadia created a list of kitty must-haves and texted Luc. The damned thing was going to cost half her weekly salary for the basics.
“You probably should get a check-up, too. It wouldn’t hurt to have you fixed so we don’t have a litter of kittens running around anytime soon.”
“Yeow!”
“Don’t look offended. We all have heat cycles, babe.”
Wasn’t Nadia going through one now? It sure seemed like it whenever Luc was around.
