Page 51 of The P*ssy Next Door

The bell above the door jingled again, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Hayes walk in, a big palm in a pot under his arm. Why did I just know he'd done the research to know that ponytail palms were cat safe before bringing it on cat day at the café?

He caught my eye across the room, his smile brighter than the sun.But before I could make my way over to him, Xander intercepted me, the kitten still nestled in his arms. “Willa, you've got to see this little guy's trick. I think I've found my new best friend.”

I laughed, indulging my brother as he showed off the kitten's ability to give a tiny high-five. It was adorable, sure, but I had a twinge of impatience. Hayes was here, and all I wanted was to be in his arms.

Xander kept on chattering about the cats, the shop, and everything in between. “You think I'd make a good cat dad, don't you, Beanie?”

“Sure. Why don't you adopt this one and name it Dragon or Mustang?” I tried to step away to go greet Hayes, but Xan didn't seem to notice I was trying to end our conversation.

“He looks more like a Dragon to me, don't you, little guy?” Xan bopped the kitten on the nose, and it mewed at him. “See how fierce he is already?”

I looked and scratched the spot between my eyes. “I think that one is a girl.”

“Ooh, Dragon Slayer then. Killer of men's hearts everywhere.”

Was Xan having girl problems? I wasn't going to ask.From the corner of my eye, I saw Hayes waiting patiently near the counter. He could have just come over here, but somehow, I knew he was trying not to engage with Xan. I didn't blame him.

“Mommy, look, an orange kitty. It matches daddy's hair. Can we get this one?” Xander's attention was diverted by this little girl who clearly had her heart set on his Dragon Slayer. When he knelt to show the kitten to her, I took my chance, slipping away and making a beeline for Hayes.

“Hey, you,” I murmured, rising up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. “I'm so sorry about that. Xander's weirdly enamored with the cats.”

Hayes shook his head, his smile understanding. “It's okay, Willa. I get it. He's your brother, and he wants to spend time with you.”

I sighed, taking the plant from him, and carrying it to the sink behind the counter. “Yeah, you're right but... I feel like I've hardly gotten to spend time with you at all this week.”

He pulled me close, his arms wrapping around my waist. “We've got all the time in the world, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere.”

I leaned into him, breathing in his familiar scent. How did he always know just what to say?

Over Hayes's shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Xander watching us, his expression unreadable. Please let him finally be happy for me for once.

“Hey, boss,” Javier, my most reliable employee who'd actually volunteered to work the cat rescue shift with me, stuck his head out from behind the espresso machine. “It's doing that thing again. I think it's gonna blow.”

“Shit.” I dashed over to the backline and hurried to examine the machine. The repair guy had given me a couple of tricks to do if it started acting up again. I went through a few of them, but in the end, I gave it a swift smack to the side, and the rattling it was making stopped.

“Phew. Crisis averted.” Javier snorted at me. “I don't think it's used to working this hard.”

I helped him catch up on the orders for the waiting customers, and while I was putting the fancy cat foam topper on a latte, I noticed Hayes and Xander standing near the door talking.

Xan said something to Hayes, too low for me to hear, but I saw Hayes's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly. When he didn't reply, my brother slapped him on the arm and walked out the door, without so much as a goodbye wave to me.

After I got Javi caught up, I made my way over to Hayes. “What was that about?”

Hayes shrugged, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “Nothing important. Just guy stuff.”

I didn't believe that for a second. These two were the most important men in my life and I was going to sit on one or the other to find out what had just happened between them. One I was going to smack around in the way only a younger sister can, and the other... I decided I'd start with Hayes, because sitting on certain parts of him would be a lot of fun.

Starting with his face.

SO ALIVE, SO DEAD

HAYES

My girl was a force of nature, and watching her in her element, charming people, and cats for that matter, making her dreams come true, only made me fall deeper in love with her.

But what the fuck was I going to do about Xan? He may have Willa fooled that he was trying to be a good guy, and I did not want to hurt their relationship, but I loved her, and I wasn't going to let anyone stand in the way of our happiness.

After the last customer left with their brand new cat in a carrier under their arm and a tea latte to go, I locked the door behind them and pulled the cord on the neon open sign. Willa looked beat. Happy, but exhausted.

---