Page 24 of Heart Strain

I snort. “Did not.”

“Wow, you’re in a bratty mood today.”

Like the mature adult I am, I stick my tongue out at him, and he laughs.

After letting Peanut out and eating a quick lunch, we arrive at House of Paws and Claws, and it’s hard to miss the excitement on Jameson’s face. It makes me smile because I think these cats are not only going to be spoiled rotten by him, but will help him out like Peanut’s been helping me since the day I met him.

“Hello! Welcome to House of Paws and Claws,” the young girl at the desk says. “How can I help you today?”

I grin at her and say, “Hello. I’m Holden. We’re here to pick up his new kittens, but is Laura in? She should be expecting us.”

“Sure thing,” she says before going in the back to grab Laura.

A minute later, Laura comes out and grabs me in a hug, then turns to Jameson and hugs him, which seems to surprise him. When she releases him from her clutches, she says, “It’s good to see you. Kelly is getting the kittens now, so she’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Jameson says. He still looks excited, but I can tell he’s a little nervous.

“Jameson’s going to name them Simba and Nala,” I blurt to her to get his mind off his nerves, and he shoots me a glare like I’ve betrayed him.

Laura gasps. “You’re not keeping the names we gave them?”

Poor Jameson looks like he’s about to panic, so I snort and say, “She’s messing with you, Foxy. A lot of people change names after they adopt.”

Laura chuckles. “I’m sorry, I’m only joking. Those are sweet names.”

Jameson blows out a little breath, and luckily, the Kelly girl walks out with the new kittens in a carrier. As she sets the carrier on top of the desk, Jameson peeks inside and I see him light up. It makes his already handsome face so fucking gorgeous, it’s hard to tear my eyes away from him. Laura smiles at him, then winks at me before going through everything and having Jameson sign something saying he picked them up. And after one more hug from Laura, Jameson and I get into his car and head over to his house, only I ride in the back seat with the carrier.

After he glances back at me for what has to be the fiftieth time, I laugh and mutter, “You’re adorable.”

“What?”

I hadn’t meant for him to hear, but I find myself repeating, “You’re adorable,” and I instantly regret it because who the hell says something like that to another guy?

I watch in amazement as Jameson’s cheeks pinken, and I realize that my stupid mouth has successfully embarrassed both of us. Dumbass.

Jameson clears his throat, and murmurs, “Thanks… I think.”

And because I don’t want him thinking I’m being mean, I say, “I meant it.”

He makes eye contact with me in the rearview mirror for a second, then nods once. I’m pretty sure he’s still embarrassed, but at least he knows I wasn’t making fun of him.

When we walk inside his house, he says, “I’m supposed to just set the carrier down and open the door, right?”

“Yes. Let them come out when they’re ready. They might be worked up from the car ride.”

“Okay.” He leads me into his living room, then sets the carrier on the floor near the loveseat. Then he gets some water and food for them, sets it close to the carrier, and sits down on the couch, so I sit beside him. “Should I get out some treats?”

“I’m sure they’ll come out to explore soon. Wanna watch TV for a bit?”

“Yeah, okay.”

When he doesn’t stop staring at the carrier, I grab the remote and flip the television on, leaving it at a low volume so I don’t scare the cats. After ten minutes of him looking sad, I flip the TV off and tug on his arm. “Let’s sit on the floor. Maybe they’ll come to us.”

He nods and we move closer, then sit in front of the kittens. And okay, maybe I sit way closer to him than I need to, but I can’t seem to help myself. Only my knee touches his thigh, and even that small amount of touch makes me shiver. Shit, I can’t imagine how it would feel if it was skin on skin. The thought alone makes my dick twitch, and I have to discreetly readjust the half-hard cock in my pants.

It only takes a minute for the little orange fluffball I liked to peek her head out. So I shake off my ridiculous bout of lust, then I click my tongue at her and hold my hand out, and she slowly comes over and sniffs me. After a few seconds, she rubs her face against my hand, so I pet her, then scoop her into my lap. I give her a good scratch before kissing her head and passing her to Jameson. He looks so happy when she—Nala—starts purring. It’s not long before the little black and white boy—Simba—comes over and joins Nala in Jameson’s lap. And it’s like he’s in heaven.

We spend the rest of the day hanging out with his new kittens, eating food, and watching movies. And despite the situation, it’s a pretty great day. When Jameson drops me off at my parents’ old house, I find myself wishing I could’ve stayed at his place.

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