Page 45 of Raising the Sun

“They are generally very upbeat and… musical.”

“Enlightening,” he drawled, donning a bland stare. “Tell me, are you a complete troglodyte or have you been to the theatre?”

I hummed. “I do rather enjoy the theatre, I’ll have you know. Especially the tragedies. They are invigorating.”

“Well then, you should have liked this because that ending was absolutelytragic.”

One word for it. “Yes.”

“And it was eccentric.”

My eyes narrowed. “I’m sensing that you are trying to make a connection here that I am failing to pick up on.”

“Maybe.”

“Brat.”

He smiled, his eyes lowering to his fingers as they fiddled in his lap. “Thank you for indulging me. I needed it.”

“Of course. I enjoy your company immensely, my dear, even if it involves the ambience of awful singing.” He huffed a laugh through his nose, and the attitude behind such a simple gesture was enough to reignite the hunger I’d felt before. “Now, though…” I peeled the blanket off my legs, proppingmyself on my knees with the intent of straddling him. “The delicious jealousy you displayed an hour ago, I would very much like to revisit it.”

He sputtered indignantly. “I wasn’t jealous. When was I—”

“Hush.” I touched a finger to his lips before bringing our faces closer. “Don’t ruin my vision.”

I descended, my mouth capturing his in a bruising lock that was more passion than skill. My arousal twitched with renewed interest, my belly heating with want as his musky scent filled my nose, his hands grabbing at me wherever he could reach. The throaty little noises he made against my lips had me palming myself through my trousers, shivering into the pressure yet hoping to stave off the worst of the ache. At least until I had us both naked.

Isaac tugged at my shirt, wordlessly steering me towards his lap, not once parting, even for air. However, just as I was about to heed his demand, and get the show in motion, a small black shadow bobbed in my periphery, barging into the space between us and taking up residence beside my human.

I jerked back with an instinctive hiss, hackles raised. “Hades’ sacred taint, what is—”

It was a cat.

The pitch-black spherical shadow… was acat.

How had it crossed through my wards? Only Isaac, his family, and I should have been able to access and egress the apartment. All other beings, alive or dead, would hit a brick wall if they attempted it.

Unless it had been hiding here when I’d set them.

I waved a hand, but it was entirely unbothered. Or stupid. One of the two. “Away, creature,” I commanded. “There is nothing for you here.”

It didn’t budge.

“Aw, leave her be,” Isaac said, batting my hand away and cooing softly at the little beast when it nudged against him for more pets. I glared at it. “How have you not met her? She belongs to the neighbour you want to kill. I think. She sneaks in sometimes to sleep on my bed. I honestly don’t know how, but she’s such a sweetie pie. Her name’s Moxie.”

I should’ve known that the blasted neighbour had something to do with it.

“Well met,” I deadpanned, baring fang as the interruption to our activities warranted. “But we werebusy, so shoo…”

I prodded its belly pooch, but instead of scampering off as I’d hoped, the beast took my touch as an invitation and tiptoed into my lap. So bewildering was its impertinence that I froze with my hands up as it balanced on hind legs to brush a furry cheek against my chin, tail swishing under my nose and making me sputter. Bold as brass, the pest decided then to curl itself into a ball across my knees, making the most irritating kneading motions, and vibrating.

I blinked in confusion.

There must have been an expression on my face that Isaac found hilarious, because he doubled over, laughing until tears poured from his eyes.

“I can’t breathe,” he wheezed, clutching at his stomach. “It hurts.”

“Pleased you find it amusing,dear.” I huffed giving the pet name the same inflection I would a curse. Though, despite the hair now sticking to my clothes like mould on fresh fruit, the sound of his joy was heart-warming, so I resigned myself to letting it happen.

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