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I smacked his shoulder gently. “Oh shut up, you. I’m not stroking anything like that tonight. I just need to chill.”
“That’s a great idea,” a voice said from behind us. “And I have a much better choice for stroking.”
Wesley walked around the sofa, followed by Austin. Austin lowered the bags of takeaway onto the coffee table and then sat down next to them, watching me. Wesley was carrying something in his arms, and he bent down slowly, depositing his bundle into my arms. I gasped with delight. A fat black, white, and ginger cat stared up at me and miaowed. I looked at Wesley.
“Oh, Wes, how did you know? He’s perfect.”
Wes blushed, then smiled. “As much as I’d like to take the credit, it was West’s idea. There was a shelter around the corner from the Chinese place, and he suggested popping in to find you one.”
My face grew warm, and I looked over at Austin, who suddenly seemed a little shy. “Thank you,” I murmured.
He shrugged. “Not enough cats around here, that’s all, but you might not thank Wes for his choice, and he takes full responsibility for that.”
“Oh no, he’s gorgeous.” I stroked the cat gently, trying not to startle him. Strays or adopted cats could be funny with strangers, and I wanted him to know he was safe. He turned around a couple of times then settled down on my knee and started purring. I looked at my priests, delighted. “Look, he likes me!”
“He’s a cat,” Jack muttered. “Big surprise there. All cats like you.”
“And he’s a she,” Wesley said. “The shelter thought she’d been a pet once, but she’s been living on the streets for a while. The thing is... well...”
“What?” I asked, running my hand over her back and dipping my fingers down over her rounded belly to tickle her stomach.
“Well, um... she’s pregnant,” Wes muttered.
“What?” I looked down at her and tickled her tummy again. “We’re going to have kittens?”
Wesley nodded. “I thought it might be a quicker way to get your clowder numbers up.”
“What on earth is a clowder?” Zayn asked as I picked my new cat up and rubbed my cheek against the top of her head. She purred loudly.
“A clowder is the collective noun for a group of cats,” Wesley stated, cleaning his glasses. “Another term could be cluster or clutter, but clowder is the most common.”
“Show off,” Zayn muttered, and Wesley grinned.
“I also thought... well, the shelter we went to is small, and it’s closing down in a few weeks. There are only a few cats left there now, but no one wanted to adopt her because of the kittens. I guess no one wanted to take on the responsibility.”
“Oh, that’s sad. Maybe we could go back and look at the ones they still have left,” I suggested, glancing over at Austin. He shook his head, but I could see the start of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
“There are four more,” he said, starting to unpack the food. “And they are getting dropped off tomorrow morning. We could only carry one.”
I placed the cat gently on Jasper’s shoulder and slid off the sofa. I moved over to Austin and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He froze for a minute, and then I felt his powerful arms come around me. “You’re amazing,” I whispered.
He tightened his hold a little. “Yeah, well, can’t live with you for long and not know you’d have wanted them all.”
“Keep this up, and you’ll be dangerously close to getting in my good books,” I murmured in his ear. I pulled back then leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed me back, and I could feel the smile on his lips. The others burst into cheers, and the kiss ended with us both laughing.
“Come on, I’m starving,” Wesley complained. “And there’s a portion of prawns in there for our new little pride member.”
We dug into the food like starving animals. After she polished off her portion, the new cat, whom I decided to name Izzy, took up residence on my lap and complained loudly if I stopped stroking her, so we switched to the guys taking turns feeding me so I could continue to spoil her. Wesley got his laptop out, and we shopped online for cat beds and bowls and toys, chatting until the small hours.
I was practically asleep by the time Jack picked me up and carried me upstairs to my room. Zayn and Jasper said goodnight and disappeared together, while Wesley said goodnight and went off to his own room. Austin closed the curtains, and I slipped into some gorgeous pale blue silk pyjamas in the bathroom. Walking back into the room, I saw Jack already in bed. He was still wearing his T-shirt, and I smiled in relief. I was exhausted, and I just wanted to sleep. He pulled back the covers and opened his arms. I slid into them, and he cuddled me close. Austin placed Izzy gently on the bed, and she climbed up my body, snuggling into the dip where my hip was.
“Well, goodnight,” Austin murmured quietly and turned away.
I reached out and caught his hand. “There’s plenty of room... if you want to stay?”
He looked down at me, the expression in his icy blue eyes unreadable.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked.
