Page 46 of Temptation and Tyranny

“I’ll take care of it.” I pulled out my phone and texted Mario again, giving him instructions to go get her cat. I didn’t want the beast at my place, but since it was my fault that Allegra was in this situation, I had to make concessions. “My guy is going to pick her up and then have a crew install a new door to your apartment. State of the art.”

She nodded, finally seeming to relax.

I looked down at my phone, sending a few emails to try and get to the bottom of who was tailing Allegra. It had to be Viktor or Rousseau—either one was equally as likely. I contemplated contacting Steele to see if hehad heard anything, but I refrained. If I called him, I’d have to explain what happened, and he’d give me shit for allowing myself to get into this situation, and then he’d give me even more shit about Allegra. It wasn’t worth it. I’d put my guys on it, have them tail both factions and see what they could find out. As I sent out instructions, I glanced over at Allegra.

She was sound asleep. I let out a quiet chuckle, looking up from my phone to really look at her. Her eyes, the fiercest thing about her besides her mouthy lips, were closed lightly, and her chest moved up and down rhythmically. I set my phone down on the marble coffee table and slid over to her side of the couch. Her chestnut hair was tangled around her necklace. She wore a gold chain with the letter ‘a’ in a small, fancy script. I pushed her hair away, smoothing it down.

Before I knew what was happening, I put my arm around her. She shifted slightly in her sleep, just on the verge of waking. Her eyelids fluttered briefly.

“Come here, sweetheart.” I pulled her into my chest, and she closed her eyes again, the allure of sleep too great. Her hair smelled of jasmine, and for a moment, I contemplated waking her up for a round of sex. It took everything in my power to banish the thought, especially as I took in her plump lips and the slight bit of cleavage I could see from my angle and the scooped neck of her top.

Instead, I rested my head on the top of hers and closed my eyes.

The buzz from my phone woke me up. I shifted Allegra off my chest, moving her to the armrest of the couch.

“What is it?” she instantly asked, sitting up with a start.

“Nothing, just our food. And your cat.” I tried not to groan at the word ‘cat.’ I didn’t really want that damn thing in my home.

Allegra’s face brightened at my words. She scrambled to her feet, and then winced slightly. I was there in a second.

“What’s wrong?”

“My feet, I left my heels behind during the chase and I had to run barefoot—”

“Allegra, sit back down.” I sighed, rubbing my jaw. Pulling out my phone, I texted Mario to leave the cat and takeout on the main level. “I’ll be right back. You’re not going to leave the couch.” I gave her a stern look, and she flipped me off. I couldn’t help but grin as I turned my back to her and hobbled to the elevator. My mind was spinning as I rode down to the first level. What was happening to me? If I was the type of guy to believe in the supernatural, I would have thought that someone had cast some kind of curse or spell on me. I found myself caring about Allegra Prescott far more than I should. And what was even worse—I liked it.

The thought was mind-altering.

The elevator doors opened, and I walked over to the large side table in the entryway. Several takeout bags were lined up, but directly underneath the table was a cat carrier, along with a large bag that I could only presume were the supplies to care for said feline. I groaned, picking up the food and tucking it under my arm, then grabbing the cat carrier and supplies with my other hand. As I trudged to the elevator, I could hear the cat sputter and hiss.

“I’m no happier than you are about this situation,” I grumbled, setting the carrier down to place my hand on the elevator panel.

The second the elevator doors opened to the top level, Allegra was in front of them. I was going to yell at her for moving, but she seemed so excited to see the damn cat. She wrenched the carrier away, taking it to the couch and working the front bars loose. I groaned internally, not wanting the thing roaming freely in my home, but what choice did I have?

Allegra cooed as she let the cat out. I’d seen it before at her place, but really hadn’t cared enough to really look at it. It was solid white.Perfect for leaving its hair behind on all my black clothing, I thought. It was fluffy, and it seemed to be more fur than anything else. But Allegra seemed utterly smitten with the creature, so I kept my disdain to myself.

The cat wandered around the living room, meowing at Allegra. Then it jumped up on the sofa, and Allegra sat next to it. Within seconds it had curled up in her lap. Allegra looked up at me and smiled at me as if I was her hero, just for sending someone to get her cat.

I liked the look a lot more than I cared to admit.

“Do you want to eat now?” I asked, holding up the bags of takeout.

“Yes, I’m famished!” She sat a bit straighter on the couch. I put my hand up.

“But only if you allow me to look at your feet afterwards.”

“Fine, just pass over the pasta.”

I moved to the couch and set the bags on the coffee table. I should have set up plates and utensils in the dining room, but I didn’t want her to have towalk downstairs until I managed to look at her feet. We sat together, just barely touching, as I unwrapped the food. Soon she was devouring her bowl, making happy noises as she absentmindedly stroked her cat, who was purring with its eyes shut.

I picked at my food, more interested in Allegra rather than the meal in front of me. “So what’s its name?” I nodded towards the creature.

“Hername is Bianca.” She made sure to put emphasis on the word ‘her,’ and I figured out that she didn’t like me referring to her pet as an ‘it.’ I filed that away, figuring out that this cat—she—was important to Allegra.

“How long have you had her?”

“Several years. She was wild, living on my grandparents’ vineyard. One night something attacked her, and I found her the next morning, lying on the patio. I nursed her back to health.” She patted the cat’s head affectionately, and the cat looked at me with smug eyes.

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