Xandra had returned to her window ledge, watching something outside with a flick of her plumy tail.
Chili eyed me.
“I promise I’ll be back, okay?” I wanted to make the ridiculous promise that I’d never leave her again—but I didn’t have the right. Arthur was coming back to my place as much to protect Cheyenne as to be with me. Had our situations been reversed, and he had a sister in need of protection, I’d have been by his side as well.
But him returning couldn’t mean as much as I wanted it to mean. We barely knew each other. Basically, we’d bonded over gunshots, dogs, and head trauma. Not exactly the promising makings of something permanent. Too soon my head told me. Exactly right my heart rejoined.
After a long moment, I gestured to Chili’s bed.
She eyed me, obviously making certain I meant it.
I nodded.
Finally, she headed toward the bed and flopped.
Taking that for the win it was, I hurried down the hall and found the third door on the left. I stood at the doorway of the large room and whistled. “Wow, nice place you have here.”
Arthur, who had his suitcase on the settee and was filling it, chuckled. “Yeah, and this is just the guest bedroom. Biggest of the bunch, but?—”
“I can’t even imagine the primary bedroom.”
“Well, it’s spectacular. I’d offer to give you a tour…” His voice trailed off.
I grinned. “We have better things to do.”
Slowly, I entered the room. Then, telegraphing my movements, I made my intentions clear as I closed the door. “So we don’t get any four-legged visitors.”
He eyed me. “Before we begin, I should probably point out I don’t have condoms. I mean, I know I’m negative…tested after, well, and it’s been a while…”
“I’m negative as well. Also tested recently. But I hooked up with a guy last month for a hot minute. We used protection, but I’d still prefer to get a retest before…you know…” We go bareback. Jesus, are we already having this discussion, even though we haven’t had sex?
“Thanks.”
I yanked my wallet out of my back pocket and dropped two condoms on the bed. “From my private stash in my bathroom. Unless I’m reading this wrong?—”
“Oh, you’re not. Hell, even Cheyenne knows how much I want you. Want this—” He gestured to the bed.
“Damn girl sees too much. Knows too much. She’s so intuitive—so sensitive. Keeping my feelings from her is difficult.”
“Do you have to?”
I blinked. “Do I have to what?”
“Keep this from her. I don’t let people into my private life easily, but I’d never ask you not to be honest with her.”
“There are some things she doesn’t need to know.”
He reached over to finger a condom wrapper. “Well, you do have an expressive face.”
“And she gave us her blessing. But we need to, uh, move things along. I don’t like leaving her alone.”
“We could go back?—”
I strode over to him. Likely cutting off his words with my speed and clear vehemence. I grasped his bearded cheeks in my hands, lowered my mouth, and kissed him like I’d been wanting to do for two fucking, insane, overly-long days. Our tongues clashed as we pushed for dominance.
The kiss drugged me, intoxicated me, and yet was wildly intimate—all at the same time.
He grasped my biceps, urging me closer. Even as he did, though, he swayed.
