Page 19 of Noble Neighbor
Lucky cat,Oliver thought.
The tabby’s rumbling purr filled the room, and Oliver almost missed the whispered words when Sunny finished her sentence, rubbing her chin against Tabitha’s head.“We’ll stick together 'cause we both know whatit’s like to be desperate to protect our family.” She placed the cat down and grunted in disgust. “Seriously?”
Oliver followed the direction of her scowling gaze. He figured it wise to not laugh this time. Bending, he scooped the kitten as it balanced on the edge of the box. Holding it firmly in his palm, fingers clasped around the tiny body, he gave it a serious look. “You’ve caused us enough grief today, Lucifer.”
He walked over to the feline high-rise and placed it on the very top level. “Next time you’re up on the roof, you’re on your own. Better start practicing your jumping skills.”
Sunny chuckled. “Lucifer?”
Oliver turned, lifting his brows. “You mean that’s not his name?”
She shook her head. “It’s Earl Grey,” she deadpanned.
He couldn’t help the grunted snort.
Sunny’s laughter filled the room. “I know. Lucifer is so much more appropriate.”
“You named them?”
“The girls did. Smokey, Pepper, and Cinders. And now Lucifer.”
“Uh, uh.”
“We’renotkeeping them.” She shook her head emphatically as they started out the room. “Tabitha, yes. Her offspring? No way. Don’t suppose Clement wants a kitten?”
“Nice try. But no. We do not want a cat. Nala and Harvey will object.”
Sunny paused in a doorway. Oliver looked past her shoulder and gulped. Her bedroom. Maybe he should beat a hasty retreat. Now. Before the image of where she slept burned into his mind. The rumpled bed, Sunny — a very naked Sunny, of course — spread upon it, smiling at him, calling him to—
Fingers snapped in front of his face, and he swung his gaze back to meet hers. Her eyes had narrowed to slits. “Speaking of … your dog was the cause of me ending up stranded on the roof.”
He blinked away his X-rated thoughts and frowned. “Nala? How?”
Sunny turned and proceeded to walk through her bedroom. Oliver kept his sight fixed on her. It wasn’t any better than looking at the inviting bed. Lush temptation, that’s what the woman was. Just like her bed.
“She’s been visiting me regularly. I think she misses Clement. She alerted me to Lucifer’s escape but was not happy when I climbed up the roof. She kept jumping against the ladder, barking, and knocked the dammed thing over. Then she took off, deserting me.” Sunny exhaled a resigned sigh. “Hindsight, I should’ve seen it coming.”
“You should’ve stayed off the roof. Period,” he grumbled.
She retrieved the bulky white container from the walk-in closet and gave him an amused glance. “I won’t argue you on that point.”
Oliver scanned the area. Interesting. Her clothes only occupied a small portion of the large space, a sharp contrast to his wife who never had enough cupboards. He counted five pairs of shoes. What woman only had five pairs of shoes? Six, counting the flexible footwear on her feet. Oliver recognized the brand. She wasn’t hurting for money. He shook his head at the mystery of Sunny Jones and joined her in the bathroom.
“Hop onto the counter,” he instructed.
“You know I’m perfectly capable of doing this myself. It’s my stomach, not my back.”
Oliver ignored her, rummaging in her kit, selecting antibiotic cream and gauze.
With a huff, she wriggled onto the basin unit and leaned back on her arms. “Have at it,” she snipped.
He lifted his head. And stared. Now he had another image to torture himself with. Sunny, breasts thrust forward, yards of exposed creamy skin, waiting for his touch. Hands, lips, tongue. He’d use them all as he explored. She was a veritable feast. And that was only her chest. His eyes shot to her left side. A delicate dragonfly wing, shaded in deep blues and pinks, peeked out from the top of her yoga pants.
His mouth watered, and he swallowed back the intense desire to lower the band and his head, trace the pattern with his mouth.
“Oliver?”
His name, whispered with hesitance and loaded with desire, hung between them.
