Number Neighbors - Emma Hart Page 0,54
ate anything between us.
We laughed.
Our feet touched under the table.
He touched my hand more times than I could count.
I told him stories about growing up with Grandma Jen and the book club, and he told me stories about growing up in England and spending all his school breaks on a farm.
I lapped up every word. Every single time he smiled at me it was confirmed that I was here for more than the sex, for more than just the physical connection we so obviously shared.
My feelings for him were very real. Maybe they were based on lust, maybe they were based on my heart, or maybe it was a mix.
I didn’t know. Maybe I would never know.
The only thing I was sure of was that Isaac Cooper was worming his way into my heart, and I was completely powerless to stop it.
And I was more than a little okay with it all.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN – ISAAC
Cats Everywhere
“Stop looking at me like I’m going to hurt him.”
Hannah pouted, clutching Lucifer to her chest. “You’re holding a needle. That’s going to hurt.”
I sighed, setting the capped vaccination down. “I’ve told you this. It’s like a human getting a vaccination. It’s sore for all of two seconds and then it’s over.”
She looked down at the kitten before she put him back on the exam table. “If you hurt him, you’re in trouble.”
“Duly noted. Can you hold him? One hand at the front, the other at the back. Bum down, make sure he doesn’t move.”
I could swear she whimpered, but she did as I asked.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, pinching the scruff of his neck gently. “Such a good boy.”
I pushed the needle into his skin. Lucifer cried out, but by the time Hannah was done gasping, I’d already injected him and was removing the needle from him.
“You said it would be like a human!” She glared at me.
“That was like a human,” I said, capping the needle and disposing of it safely. “You inject a ten-week-old baby and they cry, too.”
“I’m mad at you now.”
“I’ll survive. It’s a necessary evil.” I washed my hands and fetched two treats from my jar before putting them down in front of Lucifer. I already knew he was a fan of these, and I wasn’t shocked at all when he hoovered them up in seconds. “See?” I said to Hannah. “He doesn’t care.”
“Mmph,” she responded.
I ignored her. “Now, he might get a little lump where he’s been injected. Some cats have a mild allergic reaction to it. It’s nothing to worry about. If you’re concerned, I’ll just come take a look at him.”
“Are you kidding? After what you just did?”
“One week ago he wasn’t even your cat, now you’re mad at me?”
She blinked. “You’re right. It’s slightly irrational when you say it like that.”
“Slightly?” I fought a smile and turned to my computer. “I’ll book him in for three weeks for his next set, that way there’s a little time if you need to cancel. Ten-thirty on the twentieth okay?”
“Fine.” She was still pouting.
I booked him in and printed off the appointment card. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” She put it in her pocket and bent down to see Lucifer. “Poor baby.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine once you’ve fed him that salmon in your fridge you’ve been telling me is yours,” I said dryly.
“It is mine. I never said I was eating it.” She sniffed and put Lucifer back in his carrier. “Anything else I should know?”
“Yes.” I grinned and rested on the exam table on my forearms. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
“Oh, God. Is it me? What did Grandma do now?”
“Yes, but not specifically, and nothing,” I answered. “I think I want a cat.”
“Why are you asking me? I’m hardly the best judge of such a thing.”
I laughed. “I think I want to go to the rescue and see what they’ve got. I don’t want a kitten because I work too much to be able to look after one, but I think an older one might help.”
Her brow furrowed a little. “Help with what?”
“It gets a little lonely,” I admitted. “Until recently—”
“Until we sexted,” she said.
“Until we sexted,” I repeated, trying not to smile too much. “I didn’t really have anyone here and I was lonely. You and I are still at the beginning of our relationship, and while I’m going for a beer with Mason and Maya’s stepdad this week, I think I need a cat.”
“You know they’re assholes, don’t you?”
“Ah, you’re learning the way of the cat.