Page 15 of Instinct & New Identity

“The wrinkled, alien thing hiding behind your chair?”Inoted.

“Oh!”Cat’sface changed from one of concern to one of happiness.Hersmile made her look even more beautiful. “That’sHarry, our cat.”

She leaned back behind the chair to pick him up and hold him in her arms.

“That doesn’t look like a cat,”Itold her, noting it had no hair and looked like a large, bald, wrinkled rat.

“He’s aSphinxcat, so he looks hairless, but he actually has peach fuzz all over his body,”Catstated.

I blinked before replying. “Younamed your hairless catHarry?”

“I picked the name,”Valretorted. “Admitit…it’s a great name.”

She was grinning, soIknew she was half joking.Igrinned back and watched as he cuddled into her as she petted him.

Val clapped her hands, breaking me of my thoughts on the weird-looking cat.

“I say we move toAtlanta;Vincehere has a private security business, soI’msure he could help us find a nice secure place to live and could check it all out and make sure there are no boogeymen hiding in our closets, rightVince?”Valsaid, smiling at me, and then turned back to her sister. “Iknow you,Cat, and right now, you’re feeling antsy thatVincewas able to find us because if he did it, someone else could, so let’s run with that fear and paranoia and move.Idon’t want to live here, and now you’re scared too.Admitit.”

“Even ifIwanted to, it takes time, and you know that,”Catsaid back. “Wedon’t have the resources theMarshalsdid, soIhave to look up a safe place for us to live and scope everything out ahead of time.”

“Move in with me,”Isaid immediately and then wondered where the hell that had come from.EventhoughIwas surprisedI’dsaid it, the reality of it didn’t scare me or even make me the least bit uncomfortable.

“What?”Catsaid and looked at me likeIwas an alien from outer space.

“You said you need time to scope a place out.Youcan both live with me temporarily—Ihave two extra bedrooms—until you can find a place you feel comfortable with.Ican even help you look for places sinceIgrew up there and know the area really well.”

The moreIthought about this idea, the moreIreally liked it.BeforeIcould press the issue more or hear the sisters’ reactions, there was a knock at the door.

“We seem to be really popular today,”Valsaid as she went to the door, then cursed as she looked out the peephole. “It’sCreepyMcCreepersonagain.”

She turned back to her sister and rolled her eyes asCatsighed and bowed her head.

“Let theHulkhere answer the door and tell him he’s your boyfriend.Thatmight scare him away.”Valpointed at me but was talking to her sister.

“No,I’lldeal with him.”Catsighed again but walked to the door.

“Whatever,”Valsaid but then turned to me. “Getready for the most awkward train wreck where our tone-deaf neighbor repeatedly asksCatout.She’stold him ‘no’ at least six different ways, and yet he continues to ask like it’s not the most cringeworthy conversation ever.”

Cat opened the door with the chain still latched, and confirmed my earlier conclusion thatIdidn’t like this guy.Sure,Ididn’t like him because any guy like that needed to take a hint, but also,Ifound that the thought of anyone askingCatout made me irrationally angry.IknewIwasn’t her keeper, butIfelt a strong sense of protection when it came to her and realizedIwasn’t going to let this guy make her uncomfortable in any way.Igot up from my seat slowly and made my way to the door.

“Steve.”Cat’svoice was full of impatience.

“HeyCatherine.Ijust wanted to check on you girls becauseIheard you yelling and a man’s voice, andIwanted to make sure you guys were okay,” the guy said, andIinstantly liked him even less.

Cat and her sister may have raised their voices while they were speakingSpanish, butInever did, so the only way for him to have heard my voice was if he was pressed against the door likeIsaw him do earlier.Shemay not appreciate it, butIdecided to intervene and shut this guy down once and for all.

I moved around to stand behind the door soIwas hidden.Iput my hand overCat’son the doorknob and pushed the door closed, unlatched the chain, and then opened the door again.AsIopened it,Ipressed the front of my body up against the back ofCat’sand put my left arm on the door handle, holding it in place.

“CanIhelp you?”Iasked, but definitely not in a friendly voice.

“Who are you?”Stevequestioned in return, trying to sound confident, thoughIcould see some fear in his eyes.

I was a few inches over six feet, and this man was only an inch or two shorter than me, putting him close to six feet, butIeasily had a good twenty extra pounds on him, and all of it muscle.

“None of your business.Whyare you here?”Irepeated asIslipped my right arm aroundCat’swaist and pulled her back to be completely flush against my body.

I did it mostly for show, but damn, did she feel good up against me.Iwas going to have to stay focused on the creep in front of me instead of my dick, which was very much liking this close position withCat.

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