Number Neighbors - Emma Hart Page 0,59
I’ll catch you kids in the hood.”
What the—
I wasn’t even going to ask, to be honest.
“Put her down,” I said to Isaac. “You can let her out if you want. Lucifer is actually asleep on the sofa.”
“I don’t know if introducing her to another cat is the right choice,” he said slowly.
“But you can introduce me as your girlfriend to strangers?” I clapped my hand over my mouth the moment I said it. “Ignore that.”
He put Spring on the floor and looked at me. “You’ve been holding that one inside, haven’t you?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Let the poor baby out.”
He undid the door to the carrier and faced it toward the living room, then walked over to me. “Hannah, you know why I did that, didn’t you?”
“Of course I do. I’m a woman, Isaac. Alesha clearly had a crush on you, and you used me to shut her down, then you had to keep the ruse up for Audrey.”
“I wish you were wrong.” He pulled me against him, wrapping one arm around my waist. “I did. I turned her down several weeks ago, and I didn’t know how to introduce you, so I said the first thing that came to mind. Is that so bad?”
“No, but I reserve the right to be petty.”
“You absolutely do.” He grinned, and I knew he was so fucking amused by me right now. “I encourage the petty. Let’s face it, you’re only being petty because I said you were my girlfriend before I asked you to be.”
“I… Shut up, Isaac.”
He grinned, pulling my face toward his. His lips brushed across mine in the barest of touches. “Hannah, will you be my girlfriend?”
“You’re a dork.” I pushed at his chest, but it was futile. He was so much stronger than I was. “I think we know I already am.”
“Thank God. I was thirty seconds away from needing to go wank in the shower.”
“Have you done that?”
“Oh, sure. All the British words, and ‘wank’ is the one you know.”
I grinned. “I know the important ones.”
He laughed against my mouth. “I’ll let you think that one through. I need to check on my pussy.”
Groaning, I pulled away from him. “Oh, God. That’s going to be a running joke isn’t it?”
“Depends. Do you touch your pussy?”
“Isaac.”
“Hannah.”
I shivered and looked at the empty cage. “Your pussy escaped its cage.”
He stared at me for a second because his eyes widened. “Shit!” He pushed off the kitchen island and froze when he reached the living room door.
It wasn’t far. Like six steps. He was so dramatic.
I stepped up next to him. Spring was on the sofa already, right where Lucifer was sleeping. My breath caught; I didn’t want them to hate each other, and Lucifer was so tiny compared to her.
I stepped forward, but Isaac stretched out his arm.
“Wait,” he whispered. “I wonder…”
“Wonder what?” I hissed. “If she kills my cat, I’m gonna kill you.”
“Fair trade,” he whispered again. “Just, a second, okay?”
I blew out a long breath and waited. Spring gently reached out with her front paw. She patted Lucifer several times, and Lucifer rolled onto his side. His eyes were fixated on her, but his were pinned to his head, too.
“Isaac,” I breathed.
“He can’t hurt her.” He wrapped one arm around me from the front, pulling me into his body. “Hold on, okay?”
I fisted his shirt in my hands and watched.
Lucifer stretched out his paws and batted at her several times. Spring responded with a swipe of her own larger paw, and my throat swelled with apprehension.
Lucifer hit her one last time, and Spring swatted him in the face.
I took a step forward.
And she licked his head.
Isaac tightened his hold on me. “This is what I wanted to try,” he whispered. “She lost her babies. I have a feeling she may adopt him as her own.”
“I’m not looking after two cats,” I warned him.
“We’ll co-parent,” he replied without blinking. “It’s fine.”
“Hey, buddy. I didn’t want one cat, let alone two.”
“Well, that sucks.” He grinned down at me. “I think this is the root of her behavior, Han. I think it’s because she misses her babies and she thinks the humans took them from her.”
I softened. “That’s so sad.”
He nodded. “I know. But look at her. She’s taken to him right away. She’s a mum, for sure.”
He was right. Spring was sitting over him, her bright white fur a stark contrast against Lucifer’s pitch-black coat. She was licking his fur like her life depended on it, and for his part,