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Before his knees make impact, Matty has my hand, and we’re running through the rain toward his SUV as a flock of black vehicles with tinted windows peel around the side of the warehouse.
“The CIA?” I shout as we near the vehicle.
“The FBI,” Matty says over his shoulder. “Rex and Wimpy crossed state lines with people this time. A lot easier to get action on a human kidnapping than a feline one.”
I start to smile, but then I remember Bear and the kitties and try to turn back. Thanks to the torrential downpour, however, I don’t stop, I simply go sliding along on my heels in the water as Matty pulls me the last few inches to the still-running SUV.
He must have jumped out without even bothering to shut off the engine.
I crash into him with an, “oof,” and wrap my arms around his neck when he turns to steady me. “Bear was hurt when the door flew off the hinges,” I say, holding onto him after I have my balance. He feels too good to let him go a second before I absolutely have to. “I think his kneecap might be shattered. He’s in the hallway with Clyde and the kittens. Luckily, they weren’t hurt. I was holding them when the truck hit, and we were back far enough away from the door to be safe.”
Matty nods, hugging me tight. “Stay here, I’ll go tell them. Don’t move. I don’t want you anywhere near that truck until we know it’s not going to blow.”
“Promise me,” I say, clinging to his neck for another beat. “You, too. Promise me. Nowhere near the truck. I need to hear you tell me you love me again.”
His expression softening, he says, “I love you. I’ve loved you since I helped you off that kissing booth at the Ren Faire, and you told me I was your hero.”
“Youaremy hero,” I say. “And I’m yours.”
“You sure are.” He bends, pressing a kiss to my forehead before he whispers, “Now get in the car and warm up. You feel like a Nora-shaped ice sculpture.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” I say, reaching for the passenger’s side door. Now that the adrenaline rush is starting to fade, my body is doing its best to remind me how cold I am.
Inside the car, I turn the heat up all the way and huddle in front of it, but it barely takes the edge off. What I really need is a hot shower, some dry clothes, and Matty on top of me—preferably naked.
I feel a little guilty for thinking about Matty naked while two men are being arrested, the newly arrived fire department puts out a fire, and a team of EMTs carry Bear out on a stretcher with the box of cats balanced on his belly, but not too bad. In those few moments while I was fighting bad guys in front of the burning engine, when my life flashed before my eyes, I only regretted a few things and one of them was not having more excellent sex—especially with Matty.
Gram was right. Sex is one of the great gifts of being in a human body, just like lemon gelato and cupcakes with extra icing, and from now on, I’m not skipping dessert.
Not in any of its forms…
But I’m also not going to be such a sex-pervert that I don’t know when to stop thinking about Matty going down on me while he squeezes my ass tight in both hands and step in for a friend in need.
As Bear’s stretcher is carried past the SUV, I swing out, shouting to be heard over the storm, “Wait! I’ll take the cats!”
The two beefy EMTs stop, blinking in the pounding rain as I hurry over to meet them.
“Thank you,” Bear says, relief flooding his features. “I’m not sure if they’ll let me keep them at the hospital. And Clyde’s upset, and I’m starting to feel dizzy.”
“Of course, you poor thing,” I say, brushing his hair from his forehead before gathering the box containing a belching and yowling Clyde from his lap. “I’ll take care of everything, don’t worry. Is there anyone you want me to call for you? Your parents? A friend? Someone who can meet you at the hospital?”
“I’ll call my friend Jace when I get there,” he says, looking sleepier now that the stress of the cats’ fate is off his shoulders. “But thank you. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.”
“Matty and I will call and check on you,” I assure him as the EMTs resume their course toward the waiting ambulance and Matty comes striding back toward me through the downpour under a large black umbrella he’s acquired somewhere along the way. I call after Bear, “Don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of our little mama and her babies!”
Matty stands beside me, shielding the cats and I from the worst of the rain. “Al’s going to be here in five minutes. He’ll take you back to the hotel, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
My brows pinch together. “No. You have to come with me. No more danger, no more mission, no more CIA. You’re done.”
“Almost. I promise.” He sighs, looking tired, but determined and in love with me. The last part is the only thing that keeps me from crumpling into a puddle on the ground with all the other puddles when he adds, “But I have to finish this. Now. Before the Sweetwaters get wind of the fact that Rex and Wimpy were arrested. I’ll get down to Bad Dog, get the information we need, and get back to you as quickly as I can. The good news is, once I meet you at the hotel tonight, I’ll be done. For good. The rest of the team can finish everything else.”
I want to argue. I want to ask why they can’t do the lurking and sneaking in Bad Dog, too, but his mind is made up. I can see it in his face. And it seems Al is already here. The man with the weathered face and battered ball cap emerging from a nondescript beige sedan a few yards away just looks like an Al.
He also has kind eyes and seems to care about Matty.
His voice is brusque as he says, “Get going, kid. No rest for the wicked tonight,” but his gaze is filled with compassion. He claps Matty on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.”
“And the cats,” Matty murmurs. “Bear was hurt, so we’re back on cat duty.”
