Queen Takes Rose (Wicked Villains #6) - Katee Robert Page 0,69
is over. Consider it a tip.” I finally land on a black, oversized knit sweater that’s long enough to be considered a dress—barely. I pull it off the shelf and toss it to Aurora.
“A tip, huh?” Her lips curve the tiniest bit. “It wouldn’t be a way for you to mark your territory the same way your demon cat does?”
Truth be told, I do like the idea of Aurora wearing clothing that I personally picked out. It satisfies something deep and dark inside me that I mostly refuse to acknowledge. “Stop calling Rogue a demon. You’ll hurt his feelings.”
“That creature doesn’t have feelings. All he has is spite.”
I arch an eyebrow. “He simply sees you as an intruder and took the steps to rectify the situation.”
“Uh-huh.” Aurora makes a face. “How many pieces of furniture have you replaced because that animal destroyed them?”
“In the last year or since I’ve had him?”
She blinks. “How old is that cat?”
“Ten. He was among a litter left in a box by my building. The kittens were so young, not all of them made it, but Luna has his sister.” I frown. “That cat is a demon.”
“I’m going to ignore that statement, since you are obviously biased.” She shakes her head. “How many pieces of furniture has he destroyed in the last year? I’m afraid of the lifetime answer.”
I do a quick count, realizing halfway through that I’m going to lose this particular argument. “Eight, not including the mattress.” When she stares, I cross my arms over my chest. “As I said, the mattress was a territory dispute and so is completely justified.”
Aurora looks at me like she’s never seen me before. “You love that cat.”
My face heats under her intense gaze, and even as I try to muscle down the reaction, I have a feeling that a tinge of pink colors my cheeks. “We have a mutual understanding.”
“Right. Sure. A pair made in heaven.”
“I’m taking that as a compliment, rather than the insult you intended. Rogue is particular with people.” I turn away before she can keep pressing. The truth is that the cat barely tolerates me, let alone anyone else, but I like that about him. Some days he feels like my own personal dragon, guarding our castle of a penthouse. A fanciful thought, but Rogue has the tendency to attack unwanted guests at his whim. The fact that he hasn’t touched Aurora, marking his territory aside, is moderately shocking.
“As I said, a pair made in heaven.”
I lead the way into the kitchen and head to the fridge. As promised, there’s an entire meal waiting with a note about reheating instructions on the top. I double-check them and then preheat the oven. When I turn around, Aurora has an expression on her face like she’s trying not to laugh. “What?”
“When I saw how stocked your fridge is, I thought you cooked. But you don’t, do you?”
“No.” I’m capable of putting together a simple meal in a pinch, but when a person is as busy as I am, they learn to delegate. I can’t do that with many of my business responsibilities, so I farm out as much personally as possible. “I have a chef who usually preps a week’s worth of meals on Sundays.”
Aurora moves closer into the fridge. “That’s not a week’s worth of meals.”
“No, I had her do something special tonight.” I realize how that sounds, but I don’t take the words back. They’re the truth. “She’ll come around this Sunday and get back into the swing of things, but this week was irregular.”
“I see.” Aurora peers at the food containers. “Interesting.”
“Are you allergic to anything?” Something I should have asked before, but I didn’t even think of it.
She shakes her head. “No.”
I bring out a bottle of wine and pour us each a glass. We drink in what’s almost a comfortable silence as we wait for the oven to preheat. It dings its readiness, and I put the container into the oven and set the timer. Then I motion for her to follow. “We’ll wait in here.” I lead the way into the living room and sink onto the couch.
After the briefest of hesitations, Aurora sinks down next to me. Does she realize that, even a few days ago, she would have chosen another seat, would have put as much distance between us as possible? I don’t comment on it, though. A patient hunter gives the prey plenty of time to settle in before making their move. It doesn’t matter