Page 73 of Rescued By the Beast
I meow again, feeling my own heart being tested by his words.
It misses a beat. It skips a beat. It speeds up.
"There's no escape, I've decided I'm going to keep you all to myself." He tilts his face and kisses my head, the touch affectionate. "You testing the limits of my heart is something I'm going to have to get used to."
Mark crosses the street with me in his arms, opens the car door with one hand and settles me into the pet basket before starting the engine.
A comfortable silence settles in, only the sound of the engine filling the space as he drives the few metres to the cabin.
I'm looking at his face in the rear-view mirror, completely dazed, still in a trance from everything he said. I think I'm in shock. I need to remind myself that he was talking about Kitten, not me, Sandra.
"Sandra..." My heart skips a beat the moment he says my name. His voice is low, soft, but it hits me like lightning, running through every nerve in my body. "Whenever I'm near her, I forget how to breathe... Her beauty takes my breath away."
My shock is so great that I am left speechless.
He thinks I'm beautiful.
I see his reflection in the mirror. A blush takes over his cheeks, rising in a warm gradient. For a brief second, his eyes meet mine, and my heart falters.
I need to remind myself, once again, that I am now a cat. To him, I am just an animal, a harmless observer. That is why he opens up so easily, without reservation. Little does he know that the cat and the woman are the same person, and that his every word affects me more than it should.
I meow softly, wanting him to continue, to say more.
He looks away to the street, clenching his fingers around the steering wheel.
"Will I see her again?" Mark sighs, and unless I'm imagining things, there's a note of longing in his voice.
My heart screams yes.
Yes, Mark, you will see me again!
If it were up to me, I would never disappear.
But all I can do is meow, unable to tell the truth.
And then we reach the gate to the cottage, he types in the access code and enters. When he turns off the engine, he opens the door and holds me carefully as he gets out. His warmth dissipates a little when the cool afternoon breeze envelops us, but he keeps me close to his chest, sheltered. He walks to the cottage with steady steps, his strong arms around me. His scent surrounds me, woody and masculine, and for a moment I feel protected from everything. As if nothing could touch me while I am with him.
If I could, I would stay here forever.
In another reality, it would be me, Sandra the woman, in his arms, returning to our home...
He unlocks the front door and enters, his eyes scanning the room, checking the screened windows to make sure they are still secure.
"How did you get out, huh?" he says quietly, glancing at me quickly, and I swear I see a flash of amusement in his eyes.
Mark walks through the living room and then, as he passes the kitchen, he stops in his tracks, his attention drawn to the back door I left open.
He approaches it with a frown.
"Strange..." he murmurs. "I don't remember leaving that door open."
My breath catches and my body shrinks into his arms.
Damn it!
He's going to suspect me.
He'll realise something's wrong.
