“I know what you meant.” He chuckles, and I feel his hand on my knee. I remove my hands from my face and look at him, shaking my head.

“Let me just clean this stuff up,” I mutter, standing and grabbing my plate.

“I’ll help,” he says, picking up his plate and taking mine from me, so I pick up his beer bottle and follow him into the kitchen, watching the way his ass moves as he walks. “Are you checking out my ass?”

“Definitely.” I smile, walking past him to the garbage can.

“Pain in the ass,” he mutters, but I hear the smile in his voice. “You kept the bird,” he says, standing in front of Taser’s cage.

“Yeah, he probably won’t be able to fly again. His wing didn’t heal like it was supposed to.” I smile when Taser tweets at Wes as he sticks his finger into the cage. “Do you want another beer?”

“Sure.” He nods, and I open one for him and another for myself then lead him back into my bedroom. I set my beer on my nightstand before climbing up on my bed. I watch as he walks around to the other side, his presence making my room feel small. My insides start to twist thinking about how my ex-boyfriend was allergic to cats, so we always spent time at his house, and the only guys who have been in my room since I moved here are my cousins.

I try to see what he sees as he takes in my room. I painted the walls a light blue that matches an antique chair I set in the corner of the room. My dressers and night stands are all antiques, as well as being all different in design, the old cream paint chipping and peeling, giving them character. My bedding is ruffled white duvet that covers the large down comforter I have inside it. You can tell it’s a girl’s room, but it isn’t covered in pink flowers.

I watch as he slips off his boots then slides onto the bed, sitting back against the headboard and crossing his ankles. I let out a breath and flipped on the TV, and Juice decides to come out of hiding, jumping up on the bed and climbing into my lap.

“Do you like cats?” I ask Wes while running my fingers through Juice’s soft fur.

His eyes come to me, and I see something flash within their green depths before he replies, “I love pussy.”

I start to giggle and bury my face in Juice’s fur. I hear Wes chuckle, and I shake my head and hand him the remote, not knowing what he likes to watch. “You can pick whatever,” I tell him, curling up on my side with Juice curled into my belly.

He flips through the channels for a few minutes then stops on the movie Back to the Future. He leans back farther, putting his hand behind his head and resting the one holding the remote on his abs. The urge to scoot closer to him is almost painful, but I keep myself still, making sure to keep my breathing normal.

“So…can we at least cuddle?” he asks, and I tilt my head back to look at him then without thinking I move Juice and scoot over to him, and his eyes get wide. He shakes his head and holds his arm up, and I lay my head on his chest. Both my hands pillow under my cheek while I pull my knees up, tucking them against his side.

“That was easy,” he mumbles, wrapping his arm around me.

What can I say? I’m a girl; I like to cuddle. And no one in their right mind would turn him down if he asked them.

“Babe.” I hear Wes say but I’m so comfy that I don’t want to open my eyes or move.

“Hmm?” I mumble.

“I gotta head out.”

“Later,” I mutter.

“Babe.”

“What?” I whine, and he starts to laugh.

“You gotta come lock up.”

“It’s fine. I don’t need to lock up,” I grumble.

“Baby.” I open one eye and look at him. “Come on.” He pulls me out of bed and sets me on my feet.

“I’m up.” I yawn, stumbling out of the room and to the front door. I open it for him while he goes to the kitchen, gets his cut, and slips it on over his shirt then comes toward me and I cover my mouth, making him smile.

“I stole a kiss while you were sleeping.”

“Liar.” I say as he stops in front of me.

“I told you I won’t kiss you until you beg me to.” I pull my hand away from my mouth, and bite my lip when my eyes drop to his mouth.

“Thanks for the pizza, Wes,” I tell him as my gaze travels back up to his.

“I’ll call you, baby.”

“Sure.” I nod, and he leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead that catches me off-guard.

“Lock the door,” he says over his shoulder, and I roll my eyes then open them wide when something I hadn’t even thought about clicks into place.

I have grown up around crazy-ass alpha men my whole life, men like my dad and uncles, and as I watch Wes walk to his bike, I know the kind of man he is.

“Babe, lock up,” he shouts, swinging onto his bike. I slam the door shut, lock both locks, go to the blinds, and peek out as he pulls away.

“What have I done?” I whisper as he drives out of sight.

Chapter 3

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask Jax as I open the front door.

“I need to use your shower.”

“Why?” I ask, seeing that he’s carrying a large bag in his hand.

“Water heater went out and I don’t have time to wait for the repair guy to come look at it before I have to be somewhere.”

“Oh, well you know where it is.” I swing my arm out for him to enter, and then I go to my kitchen and start a pot of coffee, set out food for Juice, and clean Taser’s cage. Once my coffee is done, I take my cup out to my back deck along with my Kindle and start to read.