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The one she’ll have to convince to like Maleficent in the first place.
“Relax,” Python pipes up from one of the sectionals, unfazed by Razor’s annoyance. “It was a gift. A nice one, wouldn’t you say?”
Razor takes in a deep breath and looks at Oakleigh. “It doesn’t matter if it was a gift. I don’t want any cats in here.”
Python cracks up, and Razor whips his head around to face him. “What’s so funny?”
He smirks and playfully tells him, “You don’t want cats in here, but there’s gonna be plenty of pussy around sooner or later.”
Oakleigh rolls her eyes at Razor. “Maleficent is a thoughtful gift Astra brought for me. Isn’t that nice? She owns the café that doubles as the art gallery.”
Oakleigh widens her eyes, almost in a way that’s telling her man to shut up.
Razor mutters something under his breath before storming off, leaving me on the couch with Oakleigh as Python comes over.
“I’m sorry about that. He didn’t mean anything by it,” Oakleigh immediately tells me.
I shrug, unsure of how to respond. “It’s no big deal, so don’t sweat it.”
Python speaks up. “Honestly, Razor gets in moods. He’ll come around to her, though. Might be nice having an animal around here.”
Maleficent leaves Oakleigh’s arms and jumps down, rubbing up against Python’s legs.
“Cats really do like you.” I laugh.
Python lifts his gaze to meet mine. “I told you, I’ve never met a pussy that doesn’t like me.”
I shake my head and try to hold back my smile, but it peeks through.
There’s undeniable sexual tension between me and him, but I’m not diving back into those waters.
It would be too complicated, and that’s that.
Hell, I remind myself of my history with men—how it never seems to work out in my favor.
Every single time something bad happened, I thought Tony was the exception, but I was wrong.
Looking back now, I think he was love bombing me, which is a form of abuse.
The love bombing was used as a way to hide who he really was underneath the front he was putting up.
I was just lucky enough to be able to walk away before the abuse got any worse.
Oakleigh clears her throat, interrupting my thoughts. “Listen, I better go take these upstairs. Are you okay here for a minute?”
I nod, and she walks away, leaving me alone with Python.
He takes a step closer to me, his blue eyes boring into mine. “So, Astra,” he says softly, “what do you think about all this?”
I know there’s an underlying objective behind this friendly chitchat.
I swallow hard, mentally preparing myself for whatever comes next. “It’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever been to before.”
He laughs, the sound low and dangerous. “That’s one way to put it, I guess. I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s our home.”
I nod. “Yeah, and um, thanks for defending Maleficent. That was kind of you.”
Python smirks and takes a seat beside me, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ll be damned if anyone pisses on a gift you’ve given someone, especially a thoughtful one like this. Oakleigh has been through a lot, and a pet might help her even more.”
