Together they walked up to the house. At the door, Sassie paused. “I can’t offer you a bed to sleep in, sorry. I’m on the sleeping bag until I get more furniture.”
Riley shrugged. “Probably not a good idea to stay all night anyway. Neither of us would get any sleep.” He kissed her chastely on the lips. “Until later, Red.”
“Red? Could you not be more imaginative than that? Sheesh, the boys at school used that nickname from the time I was in kindergarten.”
“Bet the boys at school never knew how hot you would be in bed though, or out of it. Red suits you.” He brushed his thumb over her lip, and she was tempted to pull him inside the house and keep him busy for the rest of the night.
Feigning disinterest, she shrugged. Nobody had bothered to give her a nickname since she’d left school, But this wasn’t part of the sex-only rules. There wasn’t room for a man in her life, and this seemed to cross into that gray area between casual and not-so-casual. “Goodnight, R.P. Thanks for scratching my itch.”
“My pleasure. I think this will work for both of us.” He turned to leave and then paused. “Don’t forget to get in touch with me if you want to know the rules and regulations for opening a B&B. I can help you out so that when you come to get your license, things go a lot smoother and quicker for you. No strings attached, I promise.”
She smiled. “Thank you, I will. See you around.” Sassie closed the door and leaned against it, a smile curving her lips. It seemed a shame to sleep alone on her floor after what they’d just shared. In her bedroom, she pulled on a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top and slipped under the covers of her temporary bed to dream about the best sex she’d had in ages.
The next morning, the pounding on the back door woke her from a very pleasant dream where she fell asleep in Riley’s arms. She jammed the pillow over her head to block out the unwelcome interruption. But the pounding started again, and for a moment, given her state of arousal, she thought it might be the man of her dreams. She threw back the blankets and hurried to the door, ready to pull him inside and tear off another shirt.
Lara stood with a cat box in her hand and a surprised look on her face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up. It is kind of early but not that early.”
“Oh, heck, sorry. Don’t mind me; I guess I slept really well last night.” Sassie brushed the hair out of her eyes and noticed her nipples pert against the tank top. She crossed her arms and groaned in embarrassment, hoping Lara hadn’t noticed. But that hope was dashed when she looked into the vet’s eyes.
“Bloody hell.”
“Hey, don’t mind me. We’ve all been there and he is pretty hot. All the Cooper men are.”
“How did you know?”
“Um, well I guess it’s because I know Riley and his reputation. And it’s all over the place that you two had dinner last night. Apparently, you ate faster than most people do when faced with such awesome food, and even made out in the parking lot before you left.” Lara laughed at the groan that escaped Sassies lips. “Small-town syndrome. You’ll get used to it. Anyway, I didn’t come around this early to bust your chops about that. I got a call to say Mrs. Beetson suffered a stroke last night and I needed to pick up Tinker Bell early.” She lifted the cage to show the scared ginger cat trying to claw her way out of the temporary prison.
“I know I said you had until the weekend, but I wonder if you could take her, even just for a few days, until I can find a forever home for her. I brought food so you won’t be out of pocket or anything.”
“Don’t fesh yourself over it, Lara. The poor wee thing. Come in, come in.” She lifted the cage to eyeball the bundle of fluff inside. “You poor, homeless, little thing. I’ll take care of you now, don’t you worry.” Sassie let the cat sniff her through the door before putting it on the ground.
Lara held out a bag. “She hasn’t been fed this morning or last night, for that matter. If you get food out before we release her she might be a bit happier.”
Sassie spilled the contents of the bag on her temporary workbench. Small tins of food and a box of cat treats along with two bowls clattered on the surface. “Well now, this is very kind of you to supply the food. Let me get it organized and then I’ll make you a cup of tea and we can watch to see if dear Tinker Bell is happy here before you go.” She looked up. “That’s if you have time?”
“Of course I do. I’ll make myself coffee while you sort it out. Never been one for tea myself, but if you tell me what to do, I’ll make you one.”
“I’ve only got tea, sorry. It’s an Irish thing.” Sassie gave Lara instructions and then tore open a can of tuna cat food, pouring it into one of the bowls. She placed it on the floor near the window and then filled the other bowl with dry treats before crouching at the cage. “Oh, you poor mite you.” The cat sniffed her fingers through the bars of the cage, meowing plaintively.
“Let’s get you out, sweet girl.” The door opened easily enough, and Sassie stood back to let the cat slink out to inspect her new surroundings. She looked around, and warily walked over to the food. After giving it a good sniff, she crouched down and ate hungrily.
Lara
