Page 10 of Jilted Jock
I snorted, put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter before I rubbed the peppermint-scented soap on my face. “I’m perfectly safe. You’re the one who’s always saying you don’t like me living alone.”
“I meant I wanted to be there, not that I wanted you to invite strange men to stay over.”
I bit back a smile. Jealous wasn’t a side of Richard I’d ever seen and as misguided as it was, I appreciated his concern. “He’s not a stranger. He’s a friend of my brother’s. I’m getting ready for bed and I’m sure he’ll be gone by the time I get off work tomorrow.”
“Lock your bedroom door just in case.”
“You’re not serious?” I giggled, but he stayed silent until I relented. “I highly doubt Finn McCash is going to try and slip inside my bedroom tonight, but if it makes you feel better, I’m locking the door right now,” I spoke flippantly over my shoulder toward the phone as I padded across the floor.
But as the lock clicked into place, my heart raced at just the idea of Finn on the other side – no matter how ridiculous.
The next morning, I tiptoed through the house. I did my morning gratitude list while I drank my coffee and all the while a nervous energy hummed in my veins knowing Finn was just down the hall.
I was rinsing my mug when I heard a quiet meow. I walked toward the spare room, pausing a few steps away and waited for the sound again. When it came, much louder this time, I winced and quietly shushed her.
An adorable white paw appeared under the door. She stretched as far as she could and felt around on the wood floor and then did the same with the other paw, all while meowing at me at an increasingly loud volume.
Caught between invading Finn’s privacy and stopping the kitten from waking him, I finally opened the door just enough to let her slip out. She showed her appreciation by rubbing against my leg and I picked her up and headed to the kitchen.
“Good morning,” I cooed at her.
I grabbed a bowl and filled it with water and then set it and kitty on the floor. Last night when I’d texted Aubrey to check on CJ, I’d learned that kitty was supposed to be a wedding present to his fiancée. I felt a little guilty about not agreeing to take the cat initially and letting Finn forget about her. A constant reminder of his ex as a pet – yeah, that was hard even for me to swallow.
I hadn’t told Aubrey that I’d brought Finn and kitty to my place. After the way Richard reacted, I figured telling them in person was best. The people in my life were always worrying about me, and while I appreciated it, I could take care of myself.
I crouched down next to kitty to pet her. “Did you sleep well?”
“She didn’t sleep at all. She spent the entire night terrorizing me instead.”
When you’re expecting a gentle purr and a gruff male voice answers instead, it’s unnerving. Which is the only excuse for the words that came out of my mouth.
“Holy fucking shit.” I stood lightning fast and spun around to find Finn – hair mussed, shirtless, gray sweatpants – basically every woman’s fantasy. “You scared me.”
“Surprising since you just came into my room and woke me up.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder toward the spare room.
His morning voice sounded like sex and my body reacted of her own accord. Long-distance relationships were hard. It’d been too long since I’d heard a husky, male voice only seconds after waking up.
“I didn’t come into your room. I opened the door so kitty could get out. I was trying to keep her from waking you up.”
“Same difference.”
How two words could annoy me, I didn’t know. “She was meowing something awful. I think she’s hungry. Do you have her on a feeding schedule?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, the movement making all sorts of muscles in his upper body stretch and flex. The blank expression told me he either didn’t know what I was talking about or thought I was bananas.
“Have you ever owned a cat?”
He shook his head.
“A dog? Fish? Any pet?”
“No.” He bristled. “But I’m sure I can manage for a day or two.”
“I didn’t mean to imply…” I stopped myself because that’s exactly what I’d been implying, and it was completely unfair of me. I grabbed my purse and gave kitty one last pet. I think I was sadder about him getting rid of her than he was. Then again, I hadn’t bought her for someone that had betrayed me. “I’ve gotta get to work.”
“It’s still dark outside.”
“Yep,” I said without bothering to glance out the window.
