Page 21 of Romanced By the Rat
“Ramsay!” They both exclaim wistfully, rushing toward me.
“You realize I can’t be an equal member of this, right? I’m a rat.”
Their smiles fade. “Maybe not equal, but we could each have our part,” Charlotte says, her brown eyes full of hope. It hurts to see.
“You could be the leader, commanding us to your will. I’d be your vessel, playing out your desires,” Jeremy says, stepping closer to me.
I prance around the table, paws behind my back. “And that’s it?” I’m being greedy. I should devour this offer. What other chance will I have at being part of any relationship as a rat? I can’t help that I want more. I want all of them.
“It wouldn’t be just sex,” Charlotte says. “You’d be a member of this. Hold your own conversations, share your own thoughts and dreams, not through Jeremy this time.”
“Why would you want that?” My heart pounds.
She steps forward, standing above me. “I like you, on the inside.”
“But you barely know me.”
“But I’d like to know more. You see me more than anyone has ever cared to. You know what I like, and you’re confident in yourself, even as a rat. You’re someone I want in my life.”
I can’t form words. I almost wish I had a smaller rat on the top of my head telling me what to do and say next.
Jeremy steps next to Charlotte. “She’s not the only one who feels this way. I like you, Ramsay. More than a friend, more than a human should like a rat. If this situation is all we can have, I don’t want to be without it.”
Tears cloud my vision. Maybe I’m dreaming. None of this feels real. They want me even in my tiny, furry form. Ever since I woke up in the body of a rat, I thought my life was over, but now I see a new—strange—but wonderful beginning for myself. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Jeremy asks, hope filling the lines of his face.
I chuckle. “Yes, okay. If you guys don’t mind me hanging around, I’ll be part of this. Whatever that looks like.”
“Oh, Ramsay,” Charlotte leans over, kissing me on my furry cheek. It’s the first time someone’s touched me with affection in God knows how long. My body heats. It’s nice, but it immediately drops a heavy stone into my gut. This is it for me.Soft kisses, awkward cuddles, it will be all I’ll get from them. But it’s good enough, because they’re so damned special.
We stare at each other, grinning ear to ear.
“So, now what?” Jeremy asks, and it’s so refreshing to see him look to me for his next steps again.
I shrug, the whiff of the food behind me catching my attention. “Let’s have a meal together.”
“I’d love that,” Charlotte says.
Jeremy runs to the other side of the table, taking his seat. They each make themself a plate of the ratatouille, and Jeremy makes a smaller plate for me. It’s warm in here, but only from the happiness radiating off us. It’s quiet but not like before when it was just the two of them. Now it has a purpose. I take a bite, my mood heightening by the delicious herby taste, but my stomach quickly sours, and my vision blurs until there’s nothing but blackness. The last thing I hear is Charlotte and Jeremy calling my name.
Chapter fifteen
Ramsay
My consciousness blinks. The world opens to me like I’m cracking from a shell. I’m somewhere foreign, lying on a bed and staring up at a popcorn ceiling, a fan blowing cool air on my face. I groan, rubbing my face. My stubble pricks my fingers. Odd since I’m always so well-shaven. Well, except as a rat, of course, there’d be no point.
I jerk up. My heart beats wildly as I bring my hands to my line of vision—my human hands. This must be a dream, or maybe I’m dead and returned to my true form in heaven.
I look around the room. I’ve been here before. It’s a simple, clean space, and a picture of a field of wildflowers hangs next to the door. I hung that picture. It took me forever as a rat.
“Charlotte!” I call, throwing my legs over the bed to stand. I look down. Shit, I’m naked. I grab a pillow from the top of the bed, using it to shield my manhood. Charlotte barges through the door, followed by Jeremy. “Oh my God!” She covers her mouth.
“It’s me, Ramsay,” I say. She doesn’t seem confused by who I am, but how would she know? A disturbing thought pops intomy head, and I turn to the floor-length mirror to my side. I take in my reflection, running my hands down my jaw and over my chest. My anxiety deflates. I’m not some rat-human creature. I’m completely back to my normal self. “What happened?” I ask, not looking away from the me I missed so much.
Jeremy clears his throat, stepping into the room. “You passed out at Ratcliff’s. We didn’t know why, but we could tell you were still breathing.”
Charlotte finishes. “We rushed you here and were looking up the hours for Birds of a Feather Chicken Rescue.”
