But our chemistry in the bedroom, her beauty, and curves are not the only things that have me down bad for her.
It’s…her.
She bought me flowers and took me on a surprise picnic for fuck’s sake. And as the tabby cat saunters into my bedroom, like she owns it, I remember that she’s kind enough to save the cat’s feral ass, too.
The creature climbs onto Andie’s side of the bed, and when she sighs in her sleep, her breath coming out in soft puffs from her pouty lips, I lean over her, grab the fur of the cat, and pick her up.
Bringing her to meet my eyes as she hangs in the air, I whisper, “I didn’t open the door for your unclean and unhygienic ass to lay anywhere near my Andie.”
Her beady eyes narrow at me, and I mirror her expression. When she thinks that my face is in her reach, she throws her sharp talons at me, attempting to scratch me.
Thanks to the years I spent honing my reflexes, I pull back before she can do any damage, then Iget up and walk out of the room to bathe this hellion. But not before dropping a kiss on Andie’s forehead, as she sleeps with the blanket bunched under her chin.
* * *
The ringing of the phone rouses me from my sleep.
After bathing the cat, I slid back in and let myself doze off beside Andie. Some of the tension, which is now a permanent fixture at this point, releases from my shoulders when Andie snuggles in closer and swings her arm and leg over me.
I haven’t slept like that in God knows how long—no nightmare, no sweat or shallow breathing.
But of course, the universe had to wake me up. The phone rings again, and I curse under my breath, stretching out my hand blindly as I pat the side table for my phone, with the other hand now numb under Andie’s head. Lookslike we’ve been in the same position all night.
Grabbing the phone, I squint at the screen, and the caller ID has my eyes alert; my heart begins to pound, my hands turning clammy as my grip on the phone becomes slippery.
Why is he calling me?
What does he want from me? I transferred the usual amount of money to his bank account after his last call. Then why the fuck does he keep bothering me?
My breathing turns shallow as I stare at the phone like it’ll tell me the reason behind his call. The darkness creeping back.
A hand moves across my chest, and I grab it tight, startled, looking at the owner of the limb.
“Hey, hey, it’s me,” Andie’s voice penetrates the fog and makes itself known. My breathing becomes a bit easier knowing it’s her.
The cat hops off the bed from beside Andie’s feet, where she made herself comfortable after I bathed her.
The phone rings once again. “You’re not gonna pick it up? Your dad’s calling,” she questions, peeking at the screen as she pulls the sheets up her body, shifting closer to me as we both sit up.
I instantly decline the call. Andie can’t knowthis, can’t knowhim. What the fuck was I thinking, sleeping with her, having her around me?
She’s only here because she doesn’t know how pathetic I really am. I’m getting a panic attack from just a phone call in her presence, for fuck’s sake.
The phone doesn’t ring again. But my choppy breaths and sweaty skin have Andie troubled.
She cups the side of my face, scared for a loser like me. “Hey, you’re okay. You’re with me. Come on, Noah, breathe with me,” she urges, taking a deep breath, asking me to imitate her.
Her palm comes back to my chest as she gently rubs it in a soothing motion over my heart. “Now, let it out,” she guides me. “Take in a breath once more.”
When I finally feel my heart beating at a normal pace and breath coming easy to me, Andie coos, “That’s good. I’m right here.”
I sit back properly, leaning against the headboard as I rub my hands over my face and into my hair, the blanket covering my hips.
Fuck!
Andie adjusts herself, too, blanket tucked under her arms to hold it across her chest as she leansagainst the bedrest beside me. “Want to tell me what that was?” She lets her words hang in the air.
“Not particularly, no,” I say, my words still gravelly from the sleep as we both stare off at the wall in front of us. The sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling window casting a shadow on the curtains of the city outside.