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“I’m yours? Says who?”
“Says me.” When his hand slides up my leg, he leaves me torn between knowing I should shove him away and shivering as my insides turn molten. “Stop kidding yourself. Isn’t it much better when you give in? We have fun together—dressed and undressed. I appreciate you. I’d even put up with your cat even though he obviously wants me dead. We could adopt a hundred more if it makes you happy.”
My eyes close as he leans in, brushing his lips against my jaw before whispering in my ear. “You can’t fight what’s meant to be, Ainsley. There’s a reason we were brought together, and I’m not letting you go.”
The worst part is how much sense he’s making. He shouldn’t. Nothing about this should make sense. Especially how I’m melting under the spell of his touch and his words combined.
“We’ll see,” I finally whisper as what’s left of my resolve vanishes.
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Why are we doing this?”
“Because you made me a promise.”
“When did I do that?”
“Two months ago.” Since it doesn’t seem like Talon is going to follow me into the shelter, I turn to him with my hands on my hips. “Remember? When you said I could get another cat?”
“I said that?”
“If I remember correctly…” I step up to him until the toes of our shoes touch. “You said something about me getting all the cats I want if it makes me happy.”
His eyes narrow when he scowls. “That doesn’t sound like me.”
“I know it’s been a whole eight weeks, but believe me, you said it. And Klaus wants a sister.”
“Oh? He told you that?” He can pretend all he wants to be stern and against the idea, but I know better. I see it in the way his lips twitch at the corners.
“Sure, he did. He gets lonely now that we’re always spending time together. It’s been a lot for him to adjust to, having you living with us.”
“Right, of course.” He nods slowly. “And the two of you are a package deal.”
“We always have been.”
He eyes the shelter door. “I rarely go through a day without a scratch from that cat. This is going to make it better?”
“You’ll see. It’ll be great.”
Finally, he drops the act. “Okay. Let’s see if she’s still here, waiting for you.”
“I swear. If somebody came in and swooped her up while we were out here having this pointless argument…”
“You think anybody else would be as crazy over a hairless cat as you are?” I have to bite my tongue since I know he wouldn’t love knowing I’ve overheard him having whispered conversations with Klaus, the same way he has with Bob and Marley when he thinks I can’t hear him.
He has a soft heart, no matter what he wants anybody to believe. No matter what he does for a living.
I try not to think about that. It’s something we keep between ourselves, and I don’t ask questions. When he’s deep in research for a new job, I stay out of his way and let him do his thing. There’s only one rule I insist on: he will never use a girl again to get to his target. I don’t want him falling for another girl like he did for me.
Sometimes, I take a step back and think about that. I’m more worried about him falling for someone else than I am about the fact that when he goes out, he may or may not be on his way to murder somebody. It’s the sort of thing I can’t help thinking about. Who could?
But at the end of the day, he’s never treated me any differently than he did that first day. When he picked me up for the wedding and changed my world— and the way I looked at myself. He changed everything. He was who he is now—nothing about him has changed. The version of Talon I started falling in love with that night is the same man who follows me into the animal shelter, who made breakfast this morning, who picks me up from the library every night to make sure I get home safe.
He’s also the man who got into an argument with the landlord when he had new locks installed on the door. I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the losing end of that fight. I was just grateful I didn’t end up evicted.
In the end, doesn’t everybody want to feel safe and protected? I’ve never felt that way before, not even in my own family. I’ve never felt like my happiness and my preferences were anybody’s priority—even now, after a couple of months, I catch myself putting myself last. He always calls me out on it, too.
