Page 43 of The Step Don't

My heart does this strange stumbling thing. “Me too.I also really, really like what we did.”

Ash leans against the hood. “Did you like it for you or more for me?”

I ponder his question. I can see why he’d ask. So many of my thoughts have always circled around Ash. “I liked it because of both of us. It’s hot. You’re hot. I keep wanting more of you. I think you’re underestimating the effect you’ve had on me since I watched you jerk off. Doing it where we could get caught gave it an extra layer of naughtiness, and while I might not have known this about myself before, I really get off on it. But I must admit that a part of me gets off on itmorebecause I know what it does to you. You’re my new sexual fantasy.”

Ash laughs, nudges me with his arm, then leans his head on my shoulder. “I felt like I could get you to do anything I wanted today. Like there’s nothing you won’t do to make me feel good, and that’s an incredible rush.”

“That’s because there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make you feel good. I guess it’s a good thing we both get off on that.”

“I guess so.”

We’re quiet for a moment, resting against the car, when I hear a softmeow.

“Do you hear that?” I move toward the bushes at the side of the frat, Ash right behind me.

Meow.A soft, broken sound.

“It’s tiny,” Ash says while I get on my knees and crawl under the bushes, where I find an orange kitten tucked inside. It tries to hiss when I wrap my hand around it, baby kitten paws scratching at me.

“Shh. It’s okay. I got you.” I pull him close to my chest. Ash kneels beside me.

The kitty is dirty, too skinny, and he’s got goop around his eyes. It’s a fighter, though, tearing up my hands as I hold on to it.

“It doesn’t look good, Col.”

Fuck. Hearing that is like he drop-kicked my stomach, though all it takes is looking at the kitten to know that.

I’ve always had a thing for animals. I can’t say how many times I’ve brought home a stray or injured one. Most of the time, Dad and Lauren didn’t let me keep them. I could nurse them back to health, or we would bring them to the vet and they’d pay for them to get taken care of, and then I’d never see it again.

“I think he’s alone. I need to check if there are any others.” I try to still hold him while bending down to look, but Ash stops me.

“I’ll look for others. You just take care of him.”

I love that he doesn’t treat me like I’m silly, that he doesn’t mind getting messy and climbing into bushes to look for stray kittens for me.

“Shh,” I tell the kitty again while Ash looks.

“There’s nothing else here. I even did a bug sweep.” I know he says the last part to make me smile, and it works.

“I can’t believe I didn’t make you do that first.”

“Yeah, well, you’re all heart, so it makes sense that when you heard something in need, you forgot about yourself.”

Meow.

He doesn’t fight as much this time, just curls against my chest.

Ash sighs. “Come on. I’ll drive you to the emergency vet.”

“Thank you. Frat Cat says thank you too.”

“Oh fuck. You already named him?”

“Of course I did.”

We head back to the car, Ash in the driver’s seat while I hold the kitten.

“Don’t get too attached, Col. You don’t know what might be wrong with him.”

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