His thick pecs bulged under the faded Lone Fox Distillery merch shirt. My eyes dropped to his tummy.
Phew. You hot thing.
I showed him where I wanted the dresser to go, but before I could lift a finger, he picked it up and hauled it into the bedroom where he placed it on the wall next to the bed.
“Here?” he asked, only a little out of breath.
“Yeah, thanks. That’s perfect.”
“If that’s all it takes to make you happy, I’ll win at being your fake boyfriend.” He grinned down at me.
“Oh, yeah, you do,” I said without thinking and didn’t bother to correct myself. Lewis also helped me move the couch into the right position, and we snapped a quick picture for social media with his thick arm flung around my shoulder.
My knees almost buckled but not from the weight. Lew sweated a little and his musk was the best fucking thing I’d ever smelled. I wanted to stick my face into his pit and lick him there.
I took a step back after I’d taken the picture, and we both observed our day’s work. I still had a pile of rubbish to put into the bin.
“Anything else, Bright?” he asked me, one long canine digging into his lip.
“I think that’s all I can do for today. Thanks for coming over, Lew.”
I heaved a sigh.
“What’s wrong, Noah?”
Our eyes met and I wanted to burrow into them, take the comfort they promised from him.
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “It’s just … this place is so ….”
“Bleak?” Lew supplied.
“Yeah. And I don’t even have any spare cash to pick up a bucket of paint, a plaid, or some pillows to make it a little prettier.”
He bridged the distance I’d only just established and palmed my shoulder. His hand was so large it cupped half my neck. I swallowed hard.
“You’ll get there again, Noah. I believe in you.” I closed my eyes and shook my head in exasperation.
“Stop making me cry, Sinclair,” I huffed.
“I can’t promise that, Bright,” Lew said in a soft voice and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I got to get back to work. Text me if you need anything, okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Lewis.”
With one last squeeze and a nod, he turned, pulled on his hoodie and his boots, and left.
I watched him drive off and was about to close the door when I heard a tiny mewl. My first impulse was to slam the door shut, but I had never been able to ignore other creatures. Even as a kid I’d tried to save all the baby birds, hedgehogs, and once even a Redcap before my mum put her foot down.
What if it’s hurt?
I clicked my tongue and it mewled again. A cat slunk out from one of the ugly evergreen bushes on either side of the door. It was drenched and the tip of one of its ears was missing.
“Hey, baby.” I crouched down and clicked my tongue at it once more, holding out my hand for it to sniff. “Don’t be scared.” It wasn’t. The cat darted past me and into the shack. When I hurried after it, it had settled down on the folded plaid on my couch and licked its fur dry.
I walked closer and knelt before the couch to get a better look at it. It was thin and raggedy looking, half white, half orange tabby, with gorgeous green eyes.
Once the cat had sufficiently dried itself, it rolled into a ball and closed its eyes. The purring as it fell asleep almost made my heart burst in my chest.
Precious baby.
