I waited five minutes then went back downstairs. They weren’t in the hallway, and the box was gone, so I poked my head into the living room.
I clapped my hand over my mouth.
Chase was sitting on the sofa, still shirtless, with the kitten tucked under his neck.
Sleeping.
“Well,” I said. “Isn’t this a strange turn of events?”
“I don’t know what happened.” He looked over at me, confused. “I put the box on the sofa, then she climbed out, and tried to jump off the sofa. I thought she might hurt herself, so I put her on my lap and now…”
“Now she’s sleeping against your neck.”
“Yeah. And I’m kind of afraid to move.” He paused. “But she is really, really soft.”
“For someone afraid of kittens, you’re doing a really good job holding her.” I smirked.
He was. He had one hand cradling her tiny back, and it was just about the sexiest damn thing I’d ever seen.
He looked down at her awkwardly. “Well, she’s not an otter, but—”
“How many times! You can’t have an otter as a pet!”
“I know, I know.” He sighed. “Sadly. They’d be a great pet.”
“They’d be an awful pet. They’d hit you with their rock all the time.” I shook my head. “So we have a kitten instead.”
“Does she have a name yet?”
“No. Why? Are you naming her?”
He slid her down his body, careful not to disturb her sleep, and cradled her against his arm. “She looks like a Socks.”
I joined him on the sofa and tucked my feet below my butt. “Nope. She’s only got one sock.”
“Patch?”
“No. She’s not a pirate.”
He frowned, then his face lit up. “I know. We’ll call her Otter!”
Oh, Jesus.
“Otter? Really?”
He smiled smugly. “You told me I couldn’t have a pet otter. Now I can.”
“But she’s a cat.”
“Look, babe,” he held out one hand, “It works perfectly. You get a cat, and I get an otter.”
That…sadly made an awful lot of sense.
“It’s a stupid name for a cat,” I said.
“Cats are stupid.”
I covered her ears. “Sssh. Don’t say that. She’ll hear you.”
He rolled his eyes but pulled me into his side with his other arm. He kissed the top of my head. “You’re not very good at revenge, are you, babe?”
“Not really,” I admitted. “But this one is mostly so I can get my own way.”
“I figured that the second you pulled her out of the box.” He laughed. “I wouldn’t snuggle a kitten for just anyone.”
I tilted my head back. “Please keep doing it. It’s really sexy.”
He laughed, leaning over to kiss me. “You’re lucky I love you.”
I smiled, rubbing my thumb over his jaw. “And you’re lucky I love you.”
“Mm.” He kissed me again, his lips beautifully soft and smooth against mine. “I know I am.”
THE END