Page 98 of Catnip, Claws, and Chaos

She nods. “And?”

“Your brother's right outside the door. You can't leave without running right into him.”

“Not true!” she exclaims, running to the window. She pulls back the curtain, revealing a small ledge outside. “Here's our escape route!”

“You're insane.” The thought of a pregnant Emily climbing out of a second-story window is enough to send my heart into overdrive. I'd like to keep arguing with her, but Ben's obviously losing his patience outside the door. The pounding has increased in intensity.

“You killed them all! My precious fish, you killed every one of them!” he sobs. “I knew you would, I knew it!”

I can't help but feel sorry for the kid. He seems really upset. “Emily, what did you do?” I ask, suddenly understanding the empty aquarium downstairs.

“I didn't do anything!” she blurts, throwing her arms in the air. “It was Demon! She ate them!”

The image of that tiny black cat fishing in the aquarium is both disturbing and oddly hilarious.

I can't hold back my laughter. Ben's devastated, and Emily appears to feel genuinely sorry for her brother, but this whole situation is just plain ridiculous. Just when I think my life can't get any more surreal, Emily Baker proves me wrong once again. “Why don't you apologize to him and explain what really happened?”

“Well, um...” She bites her lower lip like she always does when nervous. “I might, just might, be a little bit guilty in this.” She looks like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Okay, go on.” I cross my arms over my chest and try to look stern, though a smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.

“I took the cover off the aquarium to feed them,” she says, rushing out the words, “but then I forgot to put it back on, and well, you know the rest.” She looks up at me through her lashes, clearly hoping for sympathy.

“Emily!” I say in a reproachful tone, though I can't quite keep the laughter out of my voice. It's so typically Emily, chaotic, well-intentioned, and absolutely disastrous.

She lifts her arms, palms faceup, and shrugs, giving me that impish grin that never fails to make my heart skip a beat.

And in that moment, watching her standing there with her hair disheveled, her cheeks flushed, and that mischievous sparkle in her eyes, I know with absolute certainty that I made the right decision. Life with Emily will never be boring or predictable, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

EPILOGUE

Emily

Six and a half months later...

Logan's warm hand slides across my hip, and his body heats up my back like a furnace. Sunlight sneaks through the gap in our curtains, turning our bedroom all golden and cozy.

“Mmm,” I mumble, brain still foggy with sleep. “Time's it?”

“Still early,” he whispers right against my ear, sending goose bumps all over. “We got plenty of time.”

His hand keeps moving up under my sleep shirt to grab my boob. I gasp when he touches me. Being pregnant has turned my breasts into these super-sensitive zones where every little touch feels like grabbing a live wire.

“This okay?” Logan asks, all cautious like he's been since my belly started growing. It's both sweet and kinda annoying how protective he gets.

Instead of bothering with words, I just push my butt back against his morning wood. “Way better than okay.”

His thumb circles my nipple, and I moan like I'm in one of those cheesy movies. God, it feels amazing, though, and it's almost too good to handle.

“Damn,” he mumbles against my ear, voice all gravelly. “Love those sounds.”

“Blame the baby.” I twist around to face him. “Everything's like... cranked to eleven.”

His eyes go dark, and his pupils get so big that there's barely any green left. “Everything?”

“Oh yeah.” I nod, reaching down to grab his hard-on through his boxers. “Especially this bad boy right here.”

He makes this growly noise, pushing against my hand. Then his mouth is on mine. He's not gentle at all, but hungry and demanding, while his tongue slides against mine in a way that makes me think about what I want him doing between my legs.

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