Connor moved carefully as he hooked his hands underneath the cat’s arms and lifted her up so that she was eye level. I knew instantly when his eyes met mine that I was right. My smile could have met my ears it was so wide.
He glowered at my gloating but didn’t point it out. “I found her over by your wheel, but I noticed earlier she was following you.”
“You did! When?” I asked trying my hand at reaching toward her again. Connor just batted me away.
“Before self-defense class.”
“And you didn't tell me!”
“I thought it was just a stray walking around. How was I supposed to know she knew you?”
“She knows me?” I asked again, liking the idea of that. Looking down at the sweet little creature, I realized she was still looking at me with the biggest baby eyes. I melted right on the spot. I wanted her. Ineededher.
“Looks like it,” he said slowly. He was watching me, and as I reluctantly tore my eyes away from the kitty and met his, I think he could tell that I was going to have her, too. “Any idea why?”
Looking up to the sky I thought about it for a second before shaking my head. “No—Oh well…Nah, never mind.”
“Well, what?” he asked skeptically, eyeing me from the corner of slitted lids.
I screwed my mouth to the side, thinking. “Well, I did notice some wet paw prints a few weeks ago. So I’ve been leaving little treats in that spot whenever I come by. But I’ve never actually seen an animal around I thought maybe the rats were getting them or something.”
He grunted. “You shouldn’t feed stray things, you know. They tend to get attached. Trust me, I would know from experience.”
“Are you talking about me?” I blinked, voice low.
He smiled sarcastically, “The pinnacle of wit and charm aren’t you, gorgeous?”
Pang!Again, I ignored the butterflies the “G” word gave me and glared.
“If you weren’t holding my cat, I would show you the pinnacle of my fist to your face.”
“She isn’t your cat, Ceci. You can’t keep it,” he said.
“The hell I can’t. She needs us!” I argued. He gave me a look so I carried on. “I can’t just leave her. Not like I did that other cat.”
He raised two scrunched eyebrows, his face working its way into a tight frown. “Othercat?”
“Yeah, the one I met outside my apartment.”
“Explain,” he demanded.
Geez, someone needed a nap. “Well, I never fed this one. He always had his own food. And I only see him at night when I take out the trash.”
“Uh huh…” I don’t know why he looked so skeptical, but he had started petting my cat on the head absently as he fixed that horrified look on my face. “Go on.”
“He’s kind of gray and he’s got these small black eyes and brown circles around them. Like a cute little mask.”
Connor was just staring at me now, his expression blank. Or maybe that was disbelief, I'm not sure, I couldn’t place it. Maybe he still wanted me to explain? I went on.
“He’s got a funny tail too…” I trailed off, peeking at him to see if he was still interested.
“Yeah? Tell me about it,” he said. I side eyed him, not quite liking his smart-ass tone.
His attitude really starting to work my last nerve. “It’s pretty bushy for a cat and it’s got black stripes. Anyway, I'm pretty sure he has to be somebody’s because he’s too fat to be a stray and—”
“Cee?” Connor cut me off.
“Yeah?”
