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My head snaps up when Mom lets out a scream. I follow the direction she’s frantically pointing in and my heart stops. I’m pretty sure I just saw Andrew disappear under the buffet table.
“He’s going to eat all the shellfish,” Mom wails, covering her face with her hands.
Shellfish? Oh fuck.
I run over to the buffet and dive underneath the table, clutching onto Andrew’s tail just as he tries to scale up the inside of the tablecloth. My heart pumps faster as I yank him against my chest and wrap my arms tightly around him. He struggles free, but only for a second, before I grab hold of him again.
Only this time, his claws are attached to the tablecloth. Still under the table, I spin around, gasping when I hear the crash. It’s deafening. The noise sends Andrew into panic mode, but I hold onto him for dear life, my grip on him not easing until he finally calms down enough to stop clawing me.
Shit. That was close.
Silence. That’s all I hear—aside from my shallow breathing.
I crawl out, careful to keep Andrew as far away from the shellfish as possible. When I get to my feet, I look around at the sea of shocked and annoyed faces and I frown, because even my parents look upset.
I just saved this cat from certain death. I wasn’t expecting a standing ovation but a smile or a thank you would’ve been nice. This was ridiculous.
“Okay then,” I whisper.
Andrew howls, desperately trying to struggle free. I hold him a little tighter, ignoring the pain as his claws pierce my breasts.
“Rebecca…” Mom shakes her head and glances at Dad. I’ve never seen my mother lost for words, or my father look so disappointed in me.
“He’s Grammy’s cat,” I speak quietly. She looks from Andrew, to me, her frown not faltering. “He’s the most important thing in the world to her and he is severely allergic to shellfish.”
She glances at him again, this time with concern.
“Is he okay?”
“I think so. I’ll have Liam check him over.”
“Wow, Becca. You saved his life.” Tears well in her eyes. I laugh as she wraps her arms around me, nearly squashing a very displeased Andrew. “Go. Take him to Liam,” she says, ushering me away.
I smile at her.
“I’ll be right back.”Chapter FourteenBeccaI knock furiously on Liam’s door first, and then Grammy’s. When neither answer, I stalk to my room and shut the door and let Andrew roam free. I don’t want to lock him in the bathroom, because I need to be able to see that he’s okay. I sit down on the end of the bed and watch him explore my room. I shake my head, still in shock over what just happened. Thank God for late check outs, because we’ll be here all night at this rate.
I wince as my breasts sting and carefully peel down my dress far enough to examine my wounds. Tiny raised claw marks pepper my breasts like freckles. I jump up when someone knocks on the door, fixing my dress on the way over to answer it. I keep an eye on Andrew as I open it. My heart races when I find Liam, looking very stressed and concerned.
“Your Mom told me. Are you okay?”
I nod, but then I shake my head. I feel all dizzy and lightheaded, like I might collapse. I let him lead me over to the bed and accept the bottle of water he offers me. He picks Andrew up and examines him closely.
“I tried knocking on your door and then Grammy’s…”
“I came up to check on her and she was gone,” he explains. “I panicked, but she was just outside in the garden. So, what happened?”
“He was headed straight for the shellfish buffet until I tackled him,” I explain.
“Are you serious?” he shakes his head. “Holy shit. He must have a death wish or something.”
“Where’s Grammy now?” It dawns on me that he’s left her alone. I hope she doesn’t notice Andrew is missing and panic.
“She’s taking a nap. When the hearing aids are out, she hears nothing.”
“Nothing?”
He raises his eyebrows, his gaze burning through me.
“She’ll be out like a light for hours.”
He rubs his jaw while I fight the urge to kiss the fuck out of his face.
Wait. Why am I resisting? I should be making the most of this.
I pull him closer and let my lips do the talking—or the kissing, in this case.
He lifts his hand to my cheek and touches it, then slides his fingers around the back of my neck, cradling my head. I stare into his eyes, and then close mine when his mouth touches my lips. I shiver, all the tension of the last few days slowly leaving my body. As we kiss, it’s just him and I. Nothing else in the world can touch us—
