Tank
Page 28
While I’m not an animal lover the way she is, it would take a heart of stone not to be moved by some of these little balls of fluff.
Poochie follows us as we move around the room.
“Come on, cat. It’s time to go.” I try to coax her back to me but she seems to sense it’s a trick. She gives me a mournful look and then retreats to the other side of the room. She presses herself against the wall, looking like she’d rather disappear than get back in the crate.
“She’s not coming. Not that I blame her.”
Emma makes a soft cooing sound. Poochie’s ears twitch but she doesn’t come any closer.
Brett waves a hand. “It’s okay. You can go. Once you leave, I’ll put her back. Thanks for the help today.”
“Of course. See you next week, Brett. Good luck with your exam.” She gives him a quick hug and then retrieves our coats. He watches her movements a little too closely for my taste. I grit my teeth and then shrug into my leather jacket.
There’s a mournful cry from across the room. It’s eerie, like the sound of a wailing ghost. Poochie yowls again when I step out of the room.
Emma doesn’t move. She looks horrified. “Aw, Tank. She’s upset that you’re leaving. Look at her.”
Against my better judgment, I poke my head back in the room and look at the meddlesome cat. She’s still doing that horrendous howling and trying to kamikaze dive against the wall.
“Okay, okay. Come here.” I crouch down and she immediately comes to me. I scratch behind her ears and she emits a rumbling purr. Brett walks up behind us. Poochie opens one eye and hisses at him.
“Good girl,“ I mutter under my breath.
I stand again and Poochie rubs against my leg.
“Wow, I’ve never seen her take to anyone like this.” Brett sounds amazed.
Emma looks up at me, her gray eyes soft. “She obviously has very high standards.”
Before I know what I’m doing, I grab the clipboard. “This is a bad idea.”
It takes a little while to complete the paperwork, pay the fees and then get Poochie into the car. Every few moments, I stop and look over at the cat in question. She looks like someone’s wrinkled grandfather. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking when I started this but it’s too late to back down now.
We stop at the store so I can purchase a cat carrier, food, bowls and a collar. Emma stays in the car while I navigate the pet supply aisle on my own. After I spend more money on cat crap than I’ve spent on myself in a while, I carry the bags back to the car. It takes a minute to coax Poochie over so I can put her in the carrier but she finally gives in. Then I slide back into the passenger side seat.
Emma starts the car. “Thank you for your help today. I know that wasn’t what you were expecting when you came to see me earlier.”
“I had fun.” Shockingly, I’m telling the truth. I enjoyed the experience far more than I’d expected to. I look into the backseat. The cat carrier is made partially of mesh so I can see Poochie in there leaning against the walls of the carrier.
“I even got an attack cat out of the deal.”
A wide grin stretches across her face. “Clearly you got the best end of this bargain.” She glances over at me. “So what now? I can take you home or you could come over for a while. No one is even home.”
There’s a soft invitation in her eyes. She’s never seemed particularly open to spending this much time with me. Spending time with the cats must have softened her up a bit.
“Sure. I can come over.”
All I know is that I’m not ready to go home yet. Being around Emma brings me the most profound peace. Everything inside me seems to settle down into an uncomplicated stillness. I’m not ready to let go of that just yet.
Emma pulls up to her house and turns off the car, leaving us in silence. Lightning streaks across the sky and she jumps. “Okay, we need to get inside the house.”
“You don’t like storms.”
She shakes her head. “I like them best when I’m safe, warm and dry inside.”
Emma climbs out of the car and then leans into the backseat to grab the cat carrier. She’s talking to the cat, telling her where we are and where we’re going.
I follow her up the walkway and wait while she wrestles with the door. There is a sudden boom of thunder that sounds extremely close. Then the skies open up and the rain falls in heavy sheets, the wind splattering the rain in an angry gush across the porch. Emma curses as we’re both instantly drenched.
“Finally,” Emma announces as the key slides into the lock. We stumble across the threshold in a wet heap. Our legs tangle together and I have to twist myself so that when we fall, I take the brunt of the force.
“I’m really glad I didn’t go to your place first, otherwise I would have been driving home in this!”
She pushes up from my chest but goes still when she ends up half-straddling me. There’s no way she’s missing the unmistakable press of my erection beneath her. Her gaze lifts to mine and her cheeks flush pink. But she doesn’t move.
We stay just like that, lost in each other’s eyes until another boom of thunder rends the air, breaking the spell.
I set her to the side gently and stand up. “Well, I’ve never had to go to such lengths to get a woman on top of me before.” She laughs and takes the hand I extend to her and pulls herself up.
She looks out the open door at the storm. “I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain until later tonight.”
Poochie follows us as we move around the room.
“Come on, cat. It’s time to go.” I try to coax her back to me but she seems to sense it’s a trick. She gives me a mournful look and then retreats to the other side of the room. She presses herself against the wall, looking like she’d rather disappear than get back in the crate.
“She’s not coming. Not that I blame her.”
Emma makes a soft cooing sound. Poochie’s ears twitch but she doesn’t come any closer.
Brett waves a hand. “It’s okay. You can go. Once you leave, I’ll put her back. Thanks for the help today.”
“Of course. See you next week, Brett. Good luck with your exam.” She gives him a quick hug and then retrieves our coats. He watches her movements a little too closely for my taste. I grit my teeth and then shrug into my leather jacket.
There’s a mournful cry from across the room. It’s eerie, like the sound of a wailing ghost. Poochie yowls again when I step out of the room.
Emma doesn’t move. She looks horrified. “Aw, Tank. She’s upset that you’re leaving. Look at her.”
Against my better judgment, I poke my head back in the room and look at the meddlesome cat. She’s still doing that horrendous howling and trying to kamikaze dive against the wall.
“Okay, okay. Come here.” I crouch down and she immediately comes to me. I scratch behind her ears and she emits a rumbling purr. Brett walks up behind us. Poochie opens one eye and hisses at him.
“Good girl,“ I mutter under my breath.
I stand again and Poochie rubs against my leg.
“Wow, I’ve never seen her take to anyone like this.” Brett sounds amazed.
Emma looks up at me, her gray eyes soft. “She obviously has very high standards.”
Before I know what I’m doing, I grab the clipboard. “This is a bad idea.”
It takes a little while to complete the paperwork, pay the fees and then get Poochie into the car. Every few moments, I stop and look over at the cat in question. She looks like someone’s wrinkled grandfather. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking when I started this but it’s too late to back down now.
We stop at the store so I can purchase a cat carrier, food, bowls and a collar. Emma stays in the car while I navigate the pet supply aisle on my own. After I spend more money on cat crap than I’ve spent on myself in a while, I carry the bags back to the car. It takes a minute to coax Poochie over so I can put her in the carrier but she finally gives in. Then I slide back into the passenger side seat.
Emma starts the car. “Thank you for your help today. I know that wasn’t what you were expecting when you came to see me earlier.”
“I had fun.” Shockingly, I’m telling the truth. I enjoyed the experience far more than I’d expected to. I look into the backseat. The cat carrier is made partially of mesh so I can see Poochie in there leaning against the walls of the carrier.
“I even got an attack cat out of the deal.”
A wide grin stretches across her face. “Clearly you got the best end of this bargain.” She glances over at me. “So what now? I can take you home or you could come over for a while. No one is even home.”
There’s a soft invitation in her eyes. She’s never seemed particularly open to spending this much time with me. Spending time with the cats must have softened her up a bit.
“Sure. I can come over.”
All I know is that I’m not ready to go home yet. Being around Emma brings me the most profound peace. Everything inside me seems to settle down into an uncomplicated stillness. I’m not ready to let go of that just yet.
Emma pulls up to her house and turns off the car, leaving us in silence. Lightning streaks across the sky and she jumps. “Okay, we need to get inside the house.”
“You don’t like storms.”
She shakes her head. “I like them best when I’m safe, warm and dry inside.”
Emma climbs out of the car and then leans into the backseat to grab the cat carrier. She’s talking to the cat, telling her where we are and where we’re going.
I follow her up the walkway and wait while she wrestles with the door. There is a sudden boom of thunder that sounds extremely close. Then the skies open up and the rain falls in heavy sheets, the wind splattering the rain in an angry gush across the porch. Emma curses as we’re both instantly drenched.
“Finally,” Emma announces as the key slides into the lock. We stumble across the threshold in a wet heap. Our legs tangle together and I have to twist myself so that when we fall, I take the brunt of the force.
“I’m really glad I didn’t go to your place first, otherwise I would have been driving home in this!”
She pushes up from my chest but goes still when she ends up half-straddling me. There’s no way she’s missing the unmistakable press of my erection beneath her. Her gaze lifts to mine and her cheeks flush pink. But she doesn’t move.
We stay just like that, lost in each other’s eyes until another boom of thunder rends the air, breaking the spell.
I set her to the side gently and stand up. “Well, I’ve never had to go to such lengths to get a woman on top of me before.” She laughs and takes the hand I extend to her and pulls herself up.
She looks out the open door at the storm. “I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain until later tonight.”
