Page 24 of Me and My Christmas Familiar
Kit entered and closed the door to the bedroom. The tears fell. He could hear the voices on the other side of the door. He heard his name.
He stared at their bed, where he and Lachlan had slept together so many times. Then he stared at Jack’s bed. Lachlan would probably sleep there again. Kit thought of crawling into Jack’s bed so Lachlan would sleep with him. But that wouldn’t work. Lachlan would just sleep in his own bed.
Sighing, he removed his clothes. Then, naked, he slid into Lachlan’s bed. He inhaled the pillow and sheets deeply, drawing in as much of Lachlan’s scent as he could. If only he were a cat, then his sense of smell would be so much stronger. He pulled the blankets around his body, trying to imagine that it was Lachlan holding him tight and that Lachlan was in the bed with him.
But the sheets felt cool against his bare skin, and he could sense Lachlan in the next room, along with all the sadness and confusion Lachlan felt.
Kit squeezed his eyes tight. He was alone, completely and absolutely alone, as if he had never found his witch in the first place.
The distance between them felt insurmountable.
Still, he had not slept the previous night, and exhaustion quickly dragged him under.
At some point, he woke.
Lachlan’s deep, even breaths filled the space. Kit inhaled deeply, bringing as much air as he could into his lungs. The air he breathed might have been in Lachlan’s lungs.
He inched closer across the bed until Kit hung off the edge of the mattress. As quietly as he could, he slipped from the bed and onto the floor. He crawled. He shivered, the air in the room so much cooler than beneath the blankets. But he needed to be nearer to his witch.
He knelt by Jack’s bed, staring down at Lachlan’s face. Even in sleep, Lachlan’s face puckered with worry. The urge to reach out and stroke his furrowed brow was strong. The need to climb into bed with Lachlan was all-consuming.
Kit dropped his head. Lachlan would not want that. His hands clenched open and shut. He whined. He should go back to bed and try to get more sleep. But he couldn’t get himself to budge.
So Kit lay down on the floor and curled in on himself beside the bed.
Listening to Lachlan breathe, Kit fell back asleep.
CHAPTER 14
Gentle snores penetrated Lachlan’s sleep. He turned to gaze at the other bed.
Empty. Lachlan frowned. He leaned forward and looked at the floor by the side of his bed.
Kit lay curled on his side, arms wrapped around himself, knees tucked to his chest. He snored softly in his sleep. His cat ears twitched. His half tail curled around his naked hip.
A small sound escaped him, almost like a cat’s whimper.
Lachlan’s heart ached.
Kit had slept on the cold floor just to be near him. Lachlan squeezed his eyes shut and let out a breath. Then he rose, careful to avoid Kit’s prone form. He got the blankets from the other bed and laid them carefully over Kit before climbing back into bed.
He peered down at Kit, letting himself stare. He never got to properly look at Kit. Kit always watched him with such sad eyes full of yearning. Lachlan couldn’t bear to see the pain he caused. So he never looked at Kit.
But now he could look freely. He still couldn’t get over how beautiful Kit was, with his rich long dark hair caressing his brown skin. Long eyelashes rested against high cheek bones. Plump lips parted in sleep.
The blankets covered Kit’s form, but Kit had a lovely body, tall and toned, albeit a bit thin. Lachlan had noticed a few scars, lines of faded white that marked Kit’s skin, which must have been hidden beneath the fur. Although, the scars did nothing to detract from his stunning beauty.
A man like this would never look twice at me.
And now a man like this seemed to look nowhere else but at him.
Minutes ticked by. Lachlan stared. Slowly his body relaxed. The fear and anxiety that had coiled so tightly in his chest released. He still didn’t really know Kit, but with him like this, resting in sleep, Lachlan found it easier to be at ease near Kit. He seemed less scary. Less intimidating.
After a few more moments, Kit’s eyes fluttered open. Lachlan considered pulling away and pretending he hadn’t been staring. But he was tired. And he didn’t want to avoid Kit right now.
A smile stretched across Kit’s lips, and his green eyes sparkled with joy at the sight of Lachlan.
Then all of a sudden, as if remembering yesterday, his eyes dimmed. His smile fell. He bit his lip as uncertainty clouded his features.
