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"I’an, Emily, and Paul leave the area and close the curtain I turn ot?" I ask I pull my ponytail to the side so his view is unobstructed

"Woah," he says "That’s fking fantastic," he says His fingertips tickle across ie has been ian drew her, didn’t he?" he asks

"Yeah, but I did the shading, and Paul drew the flower and stuff"

"I can tell his work from a mile away," Pete says

Suddenly, there’s a ? "Seriously, Pete," I say "This is not the place" He chuckles and drops onto a sofa The hand war up and down

"Why don’t you co his eyebrows

A laugh escapes h I say, "That is so not funny"

"Coirl," he taunts "Come and see what’s in , and there’s soo sit beside him, and he arches his hps toward ," he says His voice is suddenly hoarse

I reach into the side of the pocket and feel a cold nose sniff e and look down "What’s that?" I ask, but I’

"That’s your present," he says He’s still sot deflead and deworot tested for kitty diseases She’s healthy" He pulls her out, and she’s so tiny she fits in the palot a litter box and sofor

She’s teeny weenie, and she has orange hair "What’s her naer," I say "She’s a Ginger" I lift her to my cheek, and she nuzzles , "If I wanted some puy of my own, I would just ask for some"

I startle But then I realize what he said is so freaking ludicrous that I start to laugh It’s a deep belly laugh, and I can barely catch my breath I lean over and kiss hirowls low in his throat and pulls me in so he can kiss me

I pull back when I’m breathless "Later?" I ask

His brow arches He nods, but he avoids an likes the kitten, I can tell She likes her a lot She hasn’t stopped cooing to her since we cah to take a shower, and now she’s lying inover her shoulders, and she’s wrapped around that little no-account kitten The thing only cost me ten dollars, but I would have paid a lot more than that just to see her smile

I come out of the bathroom with a torapped around my hps and close the door behind me She looks up from my bed, and her eyelids drop as her eyes roaets hard ih to put on a pair of boxers and run the towel back and forth across my closely cropped hair

"Thank you for the kitten," she says quietly Then I hear the bed squeak as she gets up and coertips touch ht babysit so we can spend soether?" Her voice is soft and quiet, like her footsteps and the touch of her fingertips Her voice quivers just like her hands do

"I can wait," I blurt out I’m a pussy I know it I don’t want her to feel like she has to do anything And in all honesty, I’ between us What if I can’t meet her needs? She needs to be loved calet too caught up in the ? What if Isx with ain after this?

She scoops up the kitten and puts her in my arms "I don’t want to wait," she says She pulls her shirt over her head, and she’s not wearing a bra My breath leaves my body All I can see is her perfect rack and her pert, pink nipples, which are tight and pushing toward les when I squeeze her too hard I look down and force an hooks her thumbs in the waistband of her sleep shorts and pulls theht back," I grunt I turn and slide out the door, stopping to press ainst it once I’m outside, and take deep breaths until my junk realizes it’s not in the room with her anymore

When I can finally catchroo a o, his eyes ri to hi So, I let it be I walk over and hit the "pause" button on the TV They both look up, scowling But I ht, because they are suddenly concerned "What’s wrong?" Paul asks

"Nothing," I gasp out I drop onto the sofa and put Ginger in Matt’s lap He srins and nuzzles his face into her I drop my face inhate it when he does this It’s like he’s psychic He knoe’re thinking before we even say anything and he always has We couldn’t get aith shit, unless Saet arrested

"She’s ready," I gasp out "But… But… But… But…" I shut up, because I can’t find the right words I groan and flop back against the couch "What if I fk it all up?" I ask

"How do you think you’d do that?" Matt asks The kitten has nuzzled into the collar of his shirt and sits there, soaking up his heat "It’s not like you’re a fking virgin, dummy," he says

I don’t even kno to articulate what I’irls"

Matt takes a sip of his beer and stares at me "But you love this one" It’s not a question It’s a statement And it’s a fact

"Yeah"

"You need a lesson on the birds and the bees?" Paul asks "You put tab A into slot B" He ers "Or tab A into slot C" He grins "Or Tab A into slot D But soht even save that for a birthday or special occasion Yours Not hers"

I pick up a pillow and throw it at his head He laughs and catches it

Finally, he says softly "Stop psyching yourself out"

"She’s been through so much," I say I look toward the closed door