Page 27 of Meow

“Those neighbors of yours won’t be bothering you about the cats anymore, and the city won’t either.”

“What?”

He brushes my hair back. “Sometimes, you’re just going to have to not ask questions, kitten. Just know, they are putting their house on the market tomorrow and there will never be an ordinance in the city with a limit on how many cats someone can have. Now, just leave it be. I know people and I know how to get people to do what I want. Let’s just say, it’s a gift. You’re right, cats aren’t like humans. Sometimes, us humans can get pretty protective, especially when someone tries to hurt our pets.”

He carries me to his waiting car, my bag of salvaged goods slung over his massive shoulder. Once inside, he pulls me onto his lap rather than letting me sit beside him. He takes the next ten minutes to explain who he is. All the niggling doubts I had are answered, maybe not the way I wanted, but with truth and honesty. And the rest, I can learn to live with.

He’s a mobster. He’s had plenty of blood on his hands. But I’m the only one that knows his heart, and it’s in the right place.

Right enough for me at least.

“I have a construction crew meeting with Nana in the morning to discuss the renovations on her house as well. No budget. She took it better than I expected. I only took about five minutes of her tirade before she gave in.”

“Mr. Big Dog Daddy riding in to the rescue.”

"I thought I'd lost you," he murmurs against my hair. "When I couldn't find you, I went crazy. No one disappears from me."

"I just went dumpster diving. I do it all the time."

His arms tighten. "Not anymore.”

I pull back to look at him. "That's not the point. I'm independent. I don't need rescuing."

"Everyone needs rescuing sometimes."

"Even you, Big Dog?" I trace his jaw, feeling the tension there.

His eyes darken. "Only from you."

Before I can respond, his mouth claims mine with desperate hunger. I taste his fear—fear of losing what he's only just found. My body melts against him, responding to his need with my own.

"Don't disappear," he growls between kisses, hands sliding beneath my shirt to grip my waist. "I can't handle not knowing where you are."

"You don't own me," I remind him, even as my fingers tangle in his hair.

"No. But I need you." The raw honesty in his voice shivers through me. "Need you safe. Need you mine."

His confession breaks something open inside me. I've never been needed—not like this. Wanted, yes. But needed? That's new territory.

I tug his hair, forcing him to meet my eyes. "I'm not giving up who I am. Not even for you."

"I wouldn't want you to." His massive hands cradle my face. "Your wildness is what I love most."

My heart stutters at that word again—love. It’s too soon, too fast, too everything. But it felt right before and it feels right now.

"Show me," I challenge, pressing against him where he's already hard.

The car stops. We've reached my house, but neither of us moves to exit.

"Here?" His eyebrow raises, a smirk playing at his lips.

I answer by straddling him properly, my hands working at his belt. "Cats take what they want, when they want it."

He groans as my fingers find him, hot and rigid. "And what do you want, kitten?"

"You." I bite his earlobe, relishing his sharp intake of breath. "All of you."

His control snaps. In one fluid motion, he reclines my seat and moves over me, his weight deliciously pinning me down. The car's tinted windows shield us from prying eyes as his hands push my shirt up, exposing my skin to the cool air.

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