Page 22 of Plaything

“You’ve been drunk before, haven’t you?” Aiden questioned.

Her expression changed to amused, and she giggled. “No,” she responded. Her tone sounded obvious like his question was silly. “I’ve never drank before. I only had two glasses; I wasn’t expecting the world to start spinning,” she admitted.

I wasn’t surprised. She was thin and tall—it wouldn’t take much alcohol to get her drunk.

I stood up, making my way to the kitchen. “Take some painkillers before bed. You might have a headache in the morning, but this should help,” I informed, grabbing two tablets and handing them to her with water.

She placed the two pills in her mouth but struggled to open the bottle of water. I grinned, holding my hand out to help her. “Thank you,” she looked up at me, her intoxicated gaze making my skin prick with goosebumps.

I handed her the water back, and she looked away, taking a drink and swallowing the pills. “I’m going to go to bed,” she decided.

Her eyes roamed the area, looking for something. “Um,” she hummed before her eyes landed on Dominic. She slowly walked to the back of the couch he was sitting on. She kept her distance from him, standing on the opposite end as she looked down at Cat. He was sitting on the blanket next to Dominic.

She looked conflicted, looking between Cat and Dominic. I wanted to tell her if she wanted something, all she had to do was ask. Dominic intimidated her; that was clear. She bit her lip, nervously leaning over the couch. “Dominic?” She said in a whisper.

He was still grading papers or pretending to. I knew he noticed her; he probably knew she wanted to take Cat with her, too.

He glanced up at her. “Yes?” He responded.

She pointed to the ball of fur. “Can I take him?” She asked hesitantly.

“You can always take Cat. You don’t have to ask,” he answered before returning to his work.

Odette grabbed Cat, holding his large, sleeping body in her arms. “Hello,” she greeted softly.

The beast started purring in her arms, looking all too happy to see his new favorite person.

“Awe, I missed you too,” she cooed, beginning to walk away.

“Don’t emasculate him; he’s supposed to be a feral barn cat. Not some fat house Cat,” Aiden called after her.

She giggled, “Too late.”

Chapter Five

Odette

“Cat, stop,” I mumbled, feeling his whiskers brush against my face again. I peeked my eyes open, giving him a glare. I sat up, knowing he probably had to go to the bathroom or was hungry. I was awake now and couldn’t fall back asleep, no matter how early it was. “You’re high maintenance, you know?” I gave him a quick pet before getting out of bed.

My body quickly pricked with goosebumps at the chill in the house. I showered last night, only slipping once from my disoriented, drunken state. Instead of torturing myself in the cold water again, I just brushed my teeth and washed my face, deciding showering twice a day was overrated anyways.

My plan for the day was to get all my homework done for the upcoming week. I liked to be ahead of schedule; luckily, most of my professors had assignments outlined in the syllabus. I dressed in leggings and a crop top that ended a few inches above my belly button. I threw a fluffy cardigan over it, not wanting to freeze.

I quickly made my bed, then grabbed Cat to go downstairs. It was just past six in the morning, and I doubt anyone would be up yet. Niko was wrong; I didn’t have a hangover, although I was parched.

Once I got to the bottom of the stairs, I put Cat down and he ran off to do his business. Entering the kitchen, I was surprised to see Aiden standing behind the counter. He was cracking a few eggs into a bowl, making breakfast, I assumed.

Eyeing his shirtless torso and chest, I came to a halt. What was it with him and not wearing a shirt? Wasn’t he cold? I shouldn’t complain, especially because I didn’t mind one bit.

I couldn’t help but think ‘eye candy’ wasn’t suitable enough for how scrumptious he looked. Maybe eye cake or eye flaming hot Cheetos? I smirked, letting my polluted thoughts cloud my mind. Definitely flaming hot.

“Good morning,” his raspy voice broke me out of my trance. He was staring at me, his hooded eyes calm and calculating.

Knowing he caught me staring, I felt heat kiss my face. “Hey,” I responded quickly, averting my eyes away from him and stepping further into the room. “What are you making?” I asked casually, wanting to play off my obvious ogling.

Aiden watched me as I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Chocolate cupcakes,” he answered.

I raised my eyebrows and looked back at him, just now realizing the sugar and flour on the counter. “For what?” I asked.

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