Page 5 of Pretty Little Kitty

Suero would bury anyone who touched his baby.

“Stick close.” He mounted his bike and started it up, then moved so slowly that horns blared behind him. Suero gestured for the traffic to maneuver around him.

It should’ve been obvious he wasn’t going any faster since his feet were still touching the ground, moving slower than a granny with a walker.

Kia kept glancing his way, cheeks flushed. “I can’t believe you’re actually holding up traffic.”

“Yeah, well, nobody ever said I was the sharpest furball.” Especially when it comes to you. The guy had played him dirty, yet Suero’s wolf hadn’t stopped softly growling since spotting the kitten on the sidewalk.

When Matias had ordered him to the hardware store, Suero hadn’t known what to expect. The six pack members had left Sin & Steel just fifteen minutes earlier.

His mind had raced with all sorts of scenarios, from hyenas to Deputy Gilmore. But the last thing he’d expected was to find Kia standing there, looking so vulnerable that Suero had wanted to pull the man into his arms.

By the time they reached Suero’s place, his thighs were killing him. He’d never sat on his bike and walked it before. They circled to the back of the house where he finally parked.

The duplex served mostly as storage for his belongings since he spent most of his time at the tavern. His landlord had informed him two days ago that the unit above him had been rented out. Not that Suero expected to ever meet whoever moved in upstairs.

After unlocking the back door, he waved Kia inside. Suero headed straight to the living room, peering out the window to see if anyone was parked outside or lingering on the sidewalk.

Matias was definitely going to kill him for disobeying a direct order. So why had he done it?

Because you want to spend time with Kia. Suero couldn’t deny the longing he’d felt for weeks, reading their exchanged texts so many times he’d memorized every damn word. His pride had been the only thing that had stopped him from reaching out.

And now, the kitty cat stood in his living room, glancing around like he might bolt at any second.

“Nice place,” he commented. “Do you live here alone?”

Moving away from the window, Suero dropped onto the couch, casually draping an arm over the back. “Are you asking if I’m involved with someone else?”

He’d tried to move on. There were plenty of guys in Blackthorn who would have happily shared his bed. But every time he tried to close a deal, he lost interest.

It was as if Kia was living rent-free in his head. More like the cat had moved all of his belongings in, kicked his feet up, and was sipping a fruity drink.

Suero felt like an idiot for letting someone he’d only dated for a few weeks affect him so deeply.

For fuck’s sake, they hadn’t even kissed yet, and here he was, defying his alpha like some love-sick puppy willing to suffer the consequences.

Pull your shit together. You’re not that lonely guy anymore. You’re a member of the Salvador pack now. Part of a brotherhood.

“No. That’s not what I was asking.” Kia settled at the other end of the couch, hands tucked between his knees.

Suero had every right to be pissed at him, to drop him at the territory line and never look back. Yet, the guy appeared so damn lost that Suero’s resolve was weakening.

“So tell me what happened,” he said, his voice firm, unwilling to let the man off the hook so easily.

“Reality set in,” Kia confessed, running a hand down the front of his jeans. “The look of disgust on my uncle’s face when I asked about interspecies dating.” Kia’s captivating green eyes met his, causing another crack in Suero’s defenses.

“So, instead of talking to me about your fears, you thought cutting off all contact was the better option?” Suero nodded, lips pursed. “I got the answer I was looking for.”

He needed to get Kia out of there. The longer he spent time with the kitty cat, the more he wanted him to stay. Suero had already gone against Matias’s order. He didn’t want to dig a deeper hole for himself.

“You think it was easy for me?” Kia stared at him like Suero was being unreasonable.

“Gee, I wouldn’t know since you shut me out,” he replied sharply. “You had me thinking—” He paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “Me hiciste pensar que lo que compartimos no significaba nada para ti.” You made me think that what we shared meant nothing to you.

“Significó todo para mí.” It meant everything to me.

Suero was taken aback, unsure if he was more surprised by Kia speaking Spanish or his confession. “You never mentioned you spoke my language.”

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