Chapter Nineteen
At a littleafter two in the afternoon, a barking dog roused Autumn from her nap. A car door slammed just as she pushed up from the couch. The barking drew closer and she shuffled over to the window to see what all the ruckus was about, and her heart did a flip-flop when she saw Chains swaggering up the sidewalk to her house with Thor in tow.
Autumn quickly fluffed her hair, then glanced down at Cinder.
“Be nice to Thor, okay?” Bending down, she scratched Cinder under her chin, then scooped the cat up in her arms and walked to the front door.
She flung it open before Chains rang the bell, and Thor barked excitedly upon seeing her, his white tail wagging a mile a minute. Chains stood there for a moment, his gaze sweeping over her.
“You look real good, Autumn.”
The way Chains said her name in his deep voice sent shivers all the way to the pit of her stomach, releasing a slew of butterflies. She bit her inner cheek and shifted in place.
“It’s amazing what concealer can do.”
He stared intently at her, his gaze disarming in its fervency. “Come here, woman.”
Autumn put Cinder down and the cat quickly scampered away, then she stepped on the porch and closed the screen door behind her. Chains gripped her arms and pulled her flush against him, crushing his mouth to hers. It was a messy, wonderful frenzy-of-a-kiss that rocked her to the core.Incredible.
Autumn pulled slightly away and smiled. “We’re giving my neighbors a good show.” She glanced over at Mrs. Hawley who stood on the front porch, staring. The woman was the cul-de-sac’s busybody, but Autumn didn’t want to give her any more fodder for gossip.
“It’s good to give the neighborhood a shake up every once in a while.” Chains snapped his fingers and Thor bounded over.
“Cinder’s already run away to hide.” Autumn opened the screen door and went inside.
Thor dashed around and sniffed everywhere while Autumn searched for her cat. She wanted to reassure Cinder that everything was okay. The cat had never had a dog in her space before, so she wasn’t quite sure how her pet would react to a Siberian bursting with energy.
“It’ll take some time for them to get used to each other.”
Autumn nodded, then bent on one knee and stroked Thor’s fur before wrapping her arms around him.
“How’re you doing, boy?” When Thor licked her arm, she laughed and then stood up.
“He’s crazy about his doc, just like I am,” Chains said, his voice thick.
Heading into the kitchen, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “That’s good to know.
I’ll get our lunch so we can head out.”
While Chains packed the SUV, Autumn ran upstairs and went into the walk-in closet in the master bedroom. Sure enough, Cinder was curled up in the corner, big eyes staring intently at the door. Autumn dropped to her knees and petted the soft fur.
“It’s okay, honey. There’s no danger,” she murmured as she continued stroking her cat.
“Are you coming?” Chains’s voice boomed from the bottom of the stairs and filtered into the closet.
“I’ll be right down,” she replied while scratching Cinder under the chin. She planted a quick kiss on top of the cat’s head. “I’ll be back later,” she said before standing. She placed a paper bag in the middle of the bedroom, then headed down the stairs.
Three more bags strategically placed around the first floor had Chains laughing.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Autumn smiled. “It’s for Cinder. She loves stumbling across these and cardboard boxes, but I’m fresh out of those. She pounces in and out of them and tears holes to use as tunnels. It’s a fun distraction and makes her world feel safe again.”
“Never would’ve thought that, but I don’t know much about cats.”
“Each pet is different and an owner gets to know what makes her animal tick.” She picked up the picnic basket and laced her fingers through his. “I’m really looking forward to this. I work so many hours that I rarely find time to get out of Alina.”
“I’m aiming to change that. The next trip out, you’ll be on the back of my bike.” He lowered his head and kissed her. “You pressed behind me on my Harley makes me hard, woman.”