Page 47 of Flirty Thirty

I shake my head. “Cats are a great source of healing power.”

He tilts an eyebrow at me, and I push his legs so that I can snag Kat before she runs away. She’s not the best cuddle-bug, but she’s less of a butthole than Tom. With Cooper’s trepidation, I’m going with the nice one, because they both have claws.

The orange ball of fur flinches with surprise when I wrap my hand around her belly and cradle her to my chest. She goes from sleepy to tense in my arms the closer I get to Cooper, and I sense that she’s only matching his emotions. His blue eyes are wide and worried as I settle the kitten in his lap.

She’s there for less than a second before she takes off and hides.

“I’m cured!” Cooper teases, and I wrinkle my nose at him before reaching for the large cat I have to use two hands to get up off the floor. Tom lets out a low growl as I move him from his sunny spot, but he’s otherwise still just as lazy as he was before I disturbed him.

“Try this one.”

“That one will kill me.”

I level Cooper with a look and plop Tom down a little harder than I planned. After getting the wind knocked out of him from the weight, Cooper makes a sound similar to Tom’s growling as the old cat curls up for a nap.

“Pet him,” I instruct, stroking down Tom’s hot black fur. “The purring starts the healing process.”

“You read this on the internet or something?” he asks, that skeptical eyebrow still raised sky high at me.

“Yes.”

“Oh!” he says just as my pocket vibrates. “I get it. You’re crazy.”

“Pet him,” I say again, seeing Holland’s name on my screen. “I’ll be right back.”

I hold in a laugh as a look of panic flashes in Cooper’s blue irises. His fists stay firmly at his sides while he doesn’t move a muscle underneath Tom’s weight. I wickedly wiggle my eyebrows as I leave the room and answer my phone.

“Hey,” I say through a laugh to Holland on the other line.

“Hey.”

My amusement is gone, my heart stopping mid-beat at the wetness in her voice. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is Warren all right?”

She sniffs. “I’m fine. Just disappointed. I don’t think a swim is a good idea tonight.”

“Sick again?”

“Oh yeah.” She gulps. “Sorry. I really needed it, and then…” She drifts off, groaning.

“Do you need me to come to you?” I offer. I really don’t mind it, though the thought of leaving Cooper on one of the few nights I have left with him is a little more gut-wrenching than I thought it’d be.

“It’s not pretty, Maya.”

“I’ve seen you puke before.”

“Don’t remind me.” Her soft laugh floats through the phone. “I’ll be fine. Just want to sleep and be alone for a bit to wallow in my misery.”

“You sure?”

“Uh huh.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I won’t. Enjoy spending time with that sex god you’re staying with. Seriously. I’d like to live vicariously through you.”

I bite away a grin, my cheeks warming at the reminder of Cooper’s very capable hands all over my body. Sex god, indeed.

“Feel better. Love you.”

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