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“I’ve got eyes on him,” I say to Adam, and he nods, letting me know he’s seen him too. I know he’s keeping an eye on Kylo and I’m glad because I don’t want to be turning my back on anything.
I hit the surface of the water and pull back… nothing, so I do it again. Before I do it again, Mr. Tickles launches out of the water onto land, and I quickly back up to put some more distance between us. He takes the meat and swallows it whole, his tail trashing in the water. I grab some more meat and maneuver him to the left, away from the gate, and he rushes us.
“Adam, don’t move!” I shout as he helps me corral the fucker back to the water edge.
“Don’t be a fuckwit,” I growl at him, my eyes focused. “Come on now, play nice, will you.”
Once he’s had his feed, and we’ve been able to get a full visual to make sure he’s in good health, I watch as he goes back into the water. I smile as I hear the panicked breathing behind me. Adam ushers Kylo out first then he goes next, I’m the last one out of the gate, clicking the padlock into place. We had to add them since someone broke into the enclosures three years ago and let a couple of the animals out.
“You have a fucking gator as a pet?!” He screeches as I turn to face them. He pulls me into his body and I can feel his heart beating frantically in his chest. “What possessed you to get that as a pet?”
“Whoa, chill out with the screeching,” I say with a wince. “You’re going to burst my eardrums!”
“Well, what the fuck? You could have warned me what he was,” he bellows, looking back into the enclosure. “Why the hell is he called Mr. Tickles?”
“Because I thought it was hilarious to call him that. I bet you thought he was some cute and cuddly Koala or something?” I say with a smirk as I get to work helping Adam back up the AV. My gaze keeps going to Kylo as he looks at me like I’m nuts and when he glances back to the water, I can see him chewing on his bottom lip.
“I did, yeah, but c’mon, Shadow, who in their right mind has a gator for a pet?” he demands, folding his arms across his chest. My eyes are drawn to his with the movement and I have to bite my lip. He must know the way my mind went because he smirks at me, running his tongue across his bottom lip.
“So there’s no chance of you letting me have him in an enclosure in the back yard then?” I ask with a smirk.
“Hell fucking no,” he booms. “Shadow, I love you, but like fuck do I want that anywhere near my house.” My bottom lip quivers and I look to my feet. I hear him blow out a breath as his boots come into view, but I don’t look up. “Fine if you want him in the yard, we’ll have to see what we can do, but if he eats me. I’m haunting your ass.”
I burst out laughing, looking up at him and laughing harder at the confusion on his face. I knew when my stuff was dropped off and the guy mentioned Mr. Tickles that there was no way in hell Kylo would let me have him at the house.
“Stop being such a drama queen,” I laugh, shoving him. “I already contacted a couple of places and someone is coming out to get him at the end of the week.”
He visibly relaxes, and I laugh harder. I didn’t think he would be so freaked out by this considering he told me some of the stuff he’s done. But then again, he’s right, it’s not a normal sort of pet to have.
“You ready?” he asks, twining his fingers with mine and pulling me close.
“Yeah, you think we’ll be waiting ages for them to get back?” I ask, because if that’s the case, I have some ideas on how we can kill time.
“Well, I was thinking, what do you think about getting some ice cream from Demaines?” he asks as we walk through to the front. I take us through the shortcuts of the zoo to get there quicker, because he had me invested as soon as he mentioned Demaines.
“Last one to the car has to pay,” I bellow, taking off like a bat out of hell. I weave my way through the last of the enclosures, his footsteps echoing behind me.
I laugh as I make it out of the zoo, the car in my sights. I throw a look over my shoulder as I pump my arms and legs to keep my lead, and my eyes widen when I find him closer than I thought he would be. We both slide across the gravel, breathing heavily as we touch the car at the same time.
“Dammit!” I yell. “I thought I had you.”
He pulls me in with a smirk on his face, his eyes dancing in the dusk light. He drops a soft kiss to my lips, and I lean forward, trying to get lost in the sensation when he swats me on the ass. I growl as he pulls away and opens my door for me. I climb in and watch him and his nice ass as he walks around the front of the car and gets in. He turns on the car and we’re on our way. I watch the house start to disappear in my mirror the further we get down the drive.
It doesn’t feel weird for me, it’s almost like the door is finally closing on a shitty part of my life. He turns right and heads in the direction of Demaines, the roads are quiet this time of night and I find it relaxing. Music plays through the stereo, and I reach over and rest my hand against his leg. He looks at me in surprise and I smile.
My thoughts turn to what it’s going to be like for us, and then the self-doubt rears her head again. I have to mentally smack myself to get rid of the thoughts. This is good! I think we could be something and that both excites and terrifies me.
The light turns red, and he slows to a stop. I look over to him, our eyes connecting, and the butterflies flap in my stomach, the connection that’s always been there between us sparking to life as he brings our hands up to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles and I smile at how cute it is. He mirrors my smile, placing my hand on his thigh again as he pulls out. I’ve never felt this happy, ever.
Bright lights split the darkness, and I watch his eyes widen in horror, terror filling me.
“Kylo! Look out.”
