Page 171 of Patching Over

Kracken

I shake my head as I watch my woman on the rug in front of the fireplace. When the rescue group found out we were adopting the two little black kittens, they offered to follow us back to the cabin since we were on my bike. They brought everything we needed, from two carriers, to a litter box and litter, to kitten food, and some toys.

Right now, Moira is giggling, the sound so free and pure, I can’t help the grin that crosses my face. She’s using a wand with a toy at the end, wiggling it across the floor as the kittens chase it.

“Have you decided on names, honey?” I ask, sipping on a beer.

She looks at me, her face open and happy, and replies, “Either Archie and Atlas, or Sushi and Timmy.”

The diversity of her choices has me bursting into laughter, which startles both the kittens, who immediately run under the huge chair in the corner, hissing and spitting.

“Did the rescue name them already?” I question, once I’ve gotten myself under control.

“Well,” she drawls out, “apparently, they allowed one of their grandkids to name all the kitties, but because the child is young, they only ‘saw’ one black kitten, since the other one would hide. So, they named it Tiny Tim because it’s so small. It’s just that I don’t remember any of the other characters from the movie.”

“What movie, babe?”

“The Muppet Christmas Carol. It’s a take on the Ebenezer Scrooge story,” she replies.

Once again, I start laughing, barely managing to choke out, “The Muppet Christmas Carol? Really, Moira?”

She starts snickering while she nods. “Yeah, I knew the story, of course, but that first Christmas at college with Belle, she had me watchingallthe movies, and that was one of my favorites, Kracken.”

“Okay, so Tiny Tim is a good one, then. What’s the story with Sushi?” I ask.

“Well, it’s Belle again, Kracken. She introduced me to it and it’s one of my favorite things to eat. Not all of it, of course, but some of it is pretty tasty.”

“Timmy and Sushi sounds good, roisin,” he states. “Because judging from the size of their paws, they’re both gonna be decent sizes when they fully mature.”

“Then that’s what we’ll call them.” Turning, she crawls over to where both kittens are still peeking out and coos at them. “Come here, babies, let momma tell you your names, okay?” They slowly crawl out and she picks up the one wearing a blue collar and says, “Hey, Timmy. How’s my sweet boy?”

I watch in amazement as the kitten nuzzles against her, his purrs getting so loud I can hear him across the room. She then cuddles the other one and he snuggles against her neck. “They look content, babe,” I tell her.

“Yeah,” she says, her voice soft.

Suddenly, I can see her looking like that after she comes, and I feel my dick harden beneath my jeans. My growing attraction to her has been difficult to hide, but like I told her, she sets the pace, not me. I’ll just grab another shower and rub one out. No one ever died from jerking off, did they?

“Gonna grab a shower, honey. Do you want anything before I head in there?” I ask.

“I’m good, Kracken. Thank you for today. It’s been the best day I’ve had in a very long time. Not since before Belle and I were abducted. Do you know how long we’ll be staying here?” she questions, her eyes on me.

“Not sure, Brick said they’d let us know when Lynchburg was dealt with,” I reply.

By the time I get done with my shower, Moira is in bed, the kittens curled up onmypillow as she giggles over something playing on the television. “I see you’ve replaced me,” I tease, moving toward my side of the bed. “Seems these scamps are living their best lives, huh?”

“No more cages,” she whispers, “for any of us.”

She scoops them off the pillow and after a bit of hissing, they resettle at the foot of the bed on her calves. I slide in between the sheets, very aware that she’s lying next to me. Her scent envelopes me, pulling me into her universe. Not that she had to try all that hard, if I’m being completely honest with myself.

Rolling to my side, I keep my eyes on her face and ask, “Are you doing okay with all of this, Moira?”

I watch her eyes get a little glassy and know she’s fighting back tears. Reaching out my hand, I take hers in mine and startrubbing my thumb across the top of her hand. She takes a few deep, shuddering breaths, and then closes her eyes.

“I think one of the things I regret the most is you won’t be my first,” she whispers, glancing at me.

I move closer and cup her face in my hands. “Baby, I need you to hear me when I say this, okay? First of all, what happened to you wasn’t consensual, roisin. So, regardless of if there was one time or a hundred times, when we decide to take us to that level, itwillbe your first time, becauseyou’rechoosing to have sex. Do you understand the difference?”

“I… I think so, Kracken. It’s just one of those stupid things rattling around in my head. I wish I could forget all the things they did to me,” she whispers.

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