Page 138 of Kiss the Villain

I chuckle and grab the cat, and it hisses, then meows in one long high-pitched sound. “Hard life this young?”

When I stand up again, holding the cat in the palm of my hand, Gareth pulls away a little, eyeing it as if it’s a bomb. “Just put it down or something.”

“It’ll die in this rain.”

“Then let’s drop it off at a shelter.”

“They’re closed this late. We’ll take it home and figure something out tomorrow.”

He says nothing and slides into his precious car that I kind of dislike now. What? He treats it better than me.

The cat, a girl, is shivering in my lap as I slide into the passenger seat.

She burrows into the scarf I’ve wrapped around her as we drive to a nearby pet store. Gareth parks, grumbling under his breath while I head inside to grab the essentials. The shopkeeper gives me a crash course in kitten care and recommends a visit to a 24-hour vet just to be safe.

My moms have two dogs and I’ve never had a cat, or a pet, for that matter—Dad would’ve never allowed such nonsense, so this is new territory for me.

When I return, Gareth eyes the bag suspiciously but doesn’t comment as we head to the vet. He stays near the door while I take care of everything, his posture stiff and defensive, like he’s preparing for a fight.

When I come back with the kitten in a carrier, bundled in my scarf and fast asleep after her checkup, Gareth grimaces.

“Can’t you leave her here?” he asks, already halfway to the car.

“It’s a vet, not a shelter. And she’s fine now—just starving and in need of a few routine treatments.”

“Great.” He casts a wary glance at the tiny creature as he starts the car.

“You never had pets?”

“Not exactly. Mom had this fat cat when I was a kid. Evil bastard scratched me and Kill every chance he got. Even Dad wasn’t safe. He only liked Mom. The rest of us avoided him like the plague.”

“Aw, traumatized?”

“No.” He scowls. “That thing better not scratch me.”

I laugh, unable to help myself. “So youarescared of cats.”

“I’m not scared,” he snaps, his tone sounding almost offended.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

“Kayden!”

“What? I believe you.”

“But you’re laughing. Is this funny to you?”

“Very. Your weakness is harmless little animals.”

“They’re not harmless. Those buggers are unpredictable.”

I laugh again and he gives me a murderous look, but, truly, I only see it as cute now.

At least he’s not in a bad mood like when I found him at the range. I’ll still need to learn everything about that, though. But for now, I’ll just enjoy teasing the hell out of him.

23

KAYDEN

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