Chapter twelve
Jakeleanedagainstthedoor to the bathroom and searched for nearby brunch places on his phone “How do you feel about IHOP?”
“I love their stuffed French toast!”
“You should try some of the seasonal pancakes they have right now. Or do you not like pumpkin?”
“Ooh. I’ll see what I feel like.”
“Are you free after that?”
She licked her lips and glanced at him from the reflection of the bathroom mirror as she brushed her hair into a high ponytail. “I should just come back here and clean up. The towels all need washed, along with my clothes, and I need to do dishes.”
“I can help. We can watch something between loads.” She raised an eyebrow. Yes, he could be domesticandgive her orgasms. He had many facets.
“You don’t need to do that. It’s my mess,” she added.
Jake shrugged. “It’s partly my fault. I would have left the bedroom door open last night when we went to sleep if I’d realized Kusanagi would be upset.”
She hesitated. “Youreallywant to come back and do chores with me?”
“I just want to spend time with you, whatever that looks like.” He looked over his shoulder at the cat curled up on the bed. “And clearly Kusanagi can’t be trusted.” Okay, so he hadn’t done anything so domestic with a woman before. His last relationship had been in college, after all. But he was eager to explore this connection that she had been so reluctant to admit.
“I only filled her water dish half-full, so she shouldn’t make another mess. But that’d be nice, if you’re sure.” She finished with her hair and grabbed her purse. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Even in a casual, relaxed Sunday outfit, she was beautiful. Jake smiled down at her, swimming in her crystal eyes so long she tugged at his hand. Her stomach growled again, and he tore his gaze away as his cheeks heated in embarrassment. “We’ll be back soon, kitty.” He reached out to pet the ball of fur on the bed, but quickly withdrew his hand when Kusanagi erupted in a low growl.
“She’s sure in a mood.” Olivia laughed and shook her head. “Let’s get out of here.”
While Olivia devoured a plate of pancakes and sausage, Jake used the time to study the way her eyes lit up whenever she talked about her cat. He learned she had Kusanagi since she’d moved to Baltimore after college, adopting her from a cat shelter.
“I was wearing aGhost in the Shellshirt and she came right over to me and started rubbing her face over the Major’s picture.”
“So, that’s how she got her name.” He spread some butter on his toast. “Maybe she’s lonely. Would getting another cat help?”
“It’s not loneliness. She just doesn’t like being caged in and wants the run of the apartment.” Olivia ate another bite of her pancakes before continuing. “She can’t stand other cats because she comes from a hoarding situation.” His breath caught in his chest. “The other cats picked on her something fierce. She freaks out around them. The shelter told me she’d have to be an only cat. Which is fine, my place is too small for two of them.”
“How did you find her?”
“I saw photos from the cats picked up at the hoarder’s house and I justhadto go to the shelter. They were all so dirty and miserable-looking.” She stared at her plate like she was embarrassed. “I had been thinking about adopting a cat anyway, so I thought maybe that was a sign. I wish I could have taken more.” She raised her face and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “But so many of them had gone feral. It was a wonder they didn’t have to euthanize more of them.”
Jake silently added “caring” to the long list of attractive qualities he was discovering about Olivia. Her heart was laying on the table, bleeding for these animals. He reached over and took her hand, lifting it to press a kiss to her palm. “You saved Kusanagi, though. Not many people would take on a cat coming from a situation like that.” He wasn’t sure he would. “Did you have cats growing up?”
“No way,” she answered. “My parents couldn’t stand animals. Still can’t. What about you?”
“I wanted a dog, but Mom said it was too much responsibility, and our apartments never allowed dogs. Then when I got older, I realized how expensive dog food was, and I knew we couldn’t swing it.”
“What’s stopping you now?”
“I live in a condo. There’s nowhere for a dog to run.”
She nodded in between sips of orange juice. “That makes sense.”
“Why a cat?”
“That’s all the landlord allows. And if he knew how much trouble Kus-kus caused today he might change his mind.” She shook her head, returning to the dwindling food on her plate. “What did your dad say about getting a dog?”
“I never knew my father.”
