In Heat

They haven’t the faintest how quickly my brain is working out all of the scenarios that could go down while they’re gone. While they’re off getting screwed by strangers, their barely legal princess could be throwing parties that I would quickly shut down, or she could have boys over that would get castrated. Cat could be in danger of me stalking into her room in the middle of the night, sliding her panties off, and breeding her on pretty pink sheets. Fuck, I shake the thoughts away and tell myself that leaving is the best thing for me to do.

“Mr. Bellamy.” Her father’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Are you okay? I was asking you if you were headed to work, but you look left me without your vehicle.”

“Sorry, thinking about my plans. I don’t need to be here every day, so it’s probably best that I return back to my condo a little more often.” However, I will still have eyes on her. That’s something I’ll make certain to do. My little kitten needs to be watched while I’m away trying to keep my hands off of her.

“Too bad you don’t have time off and a woman. You might enjoy yourself.”

“Yeah, well. I’m on Cat duty,” I say, meaning his daughter.

“Oh yeah, when does your mom come back?” he asks.

“In a month and a half.” So about the same time as them

“Oh, we’ll see who gets back first. We might decide to linger if we like it.”

“Excuse me. I have to head into work.” I leave without shaking his hand because he actually gives me the creeps. It’s not his lifestyle so much as his interest in me. I’m not interested in anyone other than his little girl, even though I need to fight the lust.

By the end of the day, I have the equipment to install small cameras in her room and the entryways. The only one with sound will be her room because I’m not trying to invade the family’s privacy. Cat’s safety is my priority, even if that means protecting her from other men. With her parents gone again, she needs someone looking after her. Neither her brother nor I can be here all the time, and a guard would be too noticeable. Although, I will post one at the corners should she drive off anywhere, just in case she’s in danger. Yes, that’s the reason I’m doing it. I’m looking out for her protection.

Chapter Five

Catherine

“Where the hell is his mom’s cat?” Charlie hisses, looking under everything and calling out for the fuzzy little guy. Tomorrow’s the Fourth of July so it gets a little loud around here tonight which is perfect for Charlie’s strategy to get Gabriel’s attention on me. Still, I’m nervous about getting caught.

“I don’t know, but we shouldn’t linger. What if he comes back home?” I grit my teeth and wave her to the upstairs bedroom. It’s bad enough we’ve just snuck into my neighbor’s house, but we’re killing time.

“It’s too late for him to come back from work. You know that. He doesn’t come back on nights like this, and he stays at his place. If he sticks to his routine, he’ll be here tomorrow to feed Felix.” We learned a lot about him over the past month he’s been here, but we still know nothing. He could be with his lover, which makes this plan stupid as hell. I should give up on my crush.

“Quit the self-doubt I see in your eyes. You want him, and I know he wants you. You told me what he did. Maybe he just needs that extra push over the edge. If this doesn’t work, perhaps you could accept a date, and we’ll make sure he knows about it.”

“I don’t want to play childish games. If the man doesn’t want me, then I should move on.”

“Some men are just stubborn. Come on. We’re already here, and you’ve finished all the other shots. This one is the pièce de resistance. Let’s get to work.”

“Fine.” We get to work, and I get into position. I might have taken a couple of shots of tequila to build up the nerve to do this, but hey, I’m not bold.

“These are perfect. We’ll pick our favorite and give them to Jen and have her do her thing. Come on. Let’s get out before he shows up.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t coming,” I squeal, jumping off the bed.

“Well, I mean, it’s not likely, but he can change his plans for any reason.”

“Ugh, let’s hurry.” We lift our hoodies over our heads and make a dash out of the house and into my backyard.

We are just inside the door when my brother’s standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. “Catherine, Charlotte, what were you two troublemakers up to?” Callahan asks, snarling in Charlotte’s direction. I turn pale as a ghost, hoping he doesn’t snatch her bag from her. “I just saw you roaming the backyard.”