by Cerys du Lys
Turning back from the sink to face him, Gabby smiled as she looked down at Oscar then back up at Colin. “See, you two have bonded already. You don’t even need me anymore.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true.” Colin watched her put on her shoes and helped her into her jacket. The summer was beginning to give way to fall and the feel of autumn was in the evening air. “If you don’t recall, less than an hour ago I was attacked by two cats.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but grinned. “I’d hardly call that attacking. They smelled delicious food and came running.”
As Colin placed the chain over Oscar’s neck, Gabriella’s phone began buzzing.
“It’s work, I gotta take this.”
Colin shrugged. “Be my guest.”
She chatted briefly with the person on the other end of the phone, a frown creasing her forehead and her smile fading as she listened. She sighed. “All right. I’ll be right there.”
“What’s going on?”
“I gotta go. It’s work. They’re calling us in to clear out a house.”
“Clear out a house?”
Gabriella gave him an apologetic smile. “Yeah. An animal hoarder. We just got permission to go in and seize the animals.”
“How many animals? Like cats?”
“Yeah. From what I was told there’s upward of a hundred in the house and they’ve got to go while we have a chance to get them out.”
A soft meowing alerted Colin to his little hellions. He glanced down to see all four at his feet. He couldn’t even begin to get his mind around the idea of a hundred cats. He could barely get over being stuck with four.
“Will it take long?”
Gabby grimaced. “A hundred cats. Maybe all evening… part of the night… hard to say. Depends on how wild they are.”
“How about I go with you and help out?” The words came out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. He was about to take it back when the look of relief that settled onto her features made it impossible for him to retract the offer.
“If you’re sure?”
“Would love to.”
Not.
~*~*~*~*~*~
As he pulled on a biohazard suit, for at least the tenth time in the past hour Colin asked himself what in the hell he had signed up for. Several workers had already entered the two-story house and nine cats had already been removed and placed in the back of the shelter’s van.
“Ready?” Gabriella asked, placing a respirator over her mouth.
Colin took a step back and gave her a look over and grinned. “That’s a really sexy look on you.”
She laughed. “Asshole.”
Colin put his respirator on and followed her into the house. He’d seen a lot of fucked up shit in his years with the CIA, but what he encountered in the house was toward the top of the list when it came to shocking. Perhaps it was because he was usually briefed on what to expect when it came to shocking situations, but he doubted Gabby could have prepared him for the house.
The smell was unbelievable. A mixture of dirt, piss and shit assaulted his nose, and the sight of the house was equally as appalling. Cats everywhere. Aside from the kitchen and living room, which only rated as filthy, the remainder of the rooms were straight up disgusting. Filthy didn’t even come close to really describing the situation. He could barely take a step into the bedrooms without stepping on either a sickly cat or kitten or a pile of shit – some of it new, some of it he was sure had been there for weeks.
How could someone live like this?
Cats rushed between and round his feet, becoming more frantic as the shelter workers became more aggressive catching them. One screeched, jumped from the top of the fridge, over his shoulder and rushed down the hallway. He managed to duck just in time to keep from getting a set of cat claws across his face.
This. Was. Insanity. He’d died and been thrown into hell; that had to be it.
“Here, you’re on crate duty. I’ll catch them and you lock them down.”
Accepting the crate, he opened it and watched as Gabriella cornered a wild-looking grey cat on the kitchen counter, grasped it around the neck with what was called a “cat claw” and inserted it into the crate.
“Close it in!” she ordered, releasing the cat. He sprang into action securing the crate, trapping the wild cat inside. The cat hissed and attempted to claw his gloved hand.
Hours went by with workers trapping and loading the cats into the van. The revolting state of the house became less shocking and he became more efficient in trapping the animals. By midnight the group decided they’d gotten as many cats as they could and set live traps for the stragglers – there were eighty-two cats caged and ready to be transferred back to the shelter for examination in the awaiting vans. They’d also found three dead cats. It was a travesty.
Exiting the house, Colin had no idea what to touch first. His yellow suit was stained with cat feces and the smell of the house lingered on him. He thanked God he had a strong stomach. Gabriella pulled her respirator off first and began to remove the soiled suit, keeping her gloves on until the very end.
Well, I guess that answers how I get out of this thing. Colin mirrored her getting out of the stinky suit. Even with the suit long gone, he could still smell the scent of the house on him. He’d have to have a long, hot shower when he got home. Maybe two… or three.
“Did someone actually live there?”
“Yup, up until today.”
“How did it ever get like that?”
“According to the people who own the house, they started to take in strays. They didn’t have the money to get the cats fixed. The cats bred and bred and in a matter of a few years,” she motioned toward the house, “it got to that point.”
“Why wouldn’t they call the shelter?”
“They got in over their heads. If you don’t take care of, or have the means of taking care of your pets then it can get out of control pretty fast.”
“So the moral of the story is to get those kittens to the vet and have them fixed as soon as possible.”
“Exactly.” She walked over to him and gave him a friendly jab to the shoulder. “See, I knew you’d be the perfect owner to those kittens.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Quite a date you had,” Tonya commented as she removed one of the rescued cats from the examination table and placed it back into a carrier.
“I’m shocked he offered. That’s gotta say something, right?”
Tonya laughed. “Any man who’d go through that is one of two things.”
Gabriella grinned, raising a brow at her friend. “Oh?”
“Either he’s head over heels for you or he’s so hard up he’d endure whatever you put him through just to get lucky.”
“Ha! I don’t think it’s either. He hasn’t even kissed me yet.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I think it’s more of a matter of him not knowing what he was getting into and foolishly playing knight in shining armour before he really had all the information.”
“Does he want to see you again?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Wow. Three nights in a row. Must be love.”
Gabby gave her head a shake, her grin widening. “We have an understanding.”
“What’s that?”
“I think he’s arrogant and he thinks I’m a tease.”
Tonya took a deep breath in and nodded, releasing her breath slowly. “Sounds about right to me. You’re a perfect match.”
Gabriella laughed. She supposed Tonya was right. They were.
Chapter 6
Sitting in her car outside of Colin’s house, Gabriella reapplied her peach-coloured lip gloss, making her lips shine. Kissable lips she was sure. That was the plan anyhow. Her mind had been swimming with thoughts of him the entire day. She’d gone to bed exhausted at 3am that morning and even her dreams featured him. Despite how insanely crazy it had been the entire day due to all the additional cats and kittens at the shelter,
she found herself constantly glancing at the clock, willing the minutes and hours away.
“You planning on spending the evening in your car or are ya coming in?”
Gabriella jumped in her seat, her gaze shifting from her compact to the front door of the house to see Colin standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and reclining against the door jamb. She felt the heat rushing to her cheeks at being discovered fussing over her appearance.
Give the guy more ammo to be cocky, she chastised herself.
Exiting the car, she patted down the front of her blue sundress – the rich blue cotton matched her eyes beautifully. The past two days she’d dressed down, in jeans and t-shirts. She wanted to look good for him today – not because it was part of the little teasing game they’d seemed to establish the past couple of days, but because she was beginning to really like him.
“Wow. Looking at how gorgeous you look, I think we may need to have a change in plans.”
She ran a hand through her hair as she ascended the stairs and smiled, her cheeks growing redder. “Thank you, but that’s hardly necessary.”
Colin stepped out of the way and ushered her inside. “I think it is. Besides, I need some time away from the little bundles of joy that are wreaking havoc on my house.”
“Didn’t you go to work today?”
“Nah. Worked from home today.”
As she entered, Oscar came waddling into the kitchen. He took one look at Gabriella, snorted and exited the room. Apparently, he no longer had any use for her – he had Colin now. She glanced over her shoulder at Colin and smiled; she had a feeling Colin was getting to become a little more of a pet lover than he was letting on.
“He’s had his walk. His stomach is full. He has no use for people right now,” Colin explained. “He’s not the most excitable dog.”
“Right.”
“I’m going to go change and I’ll be right back. Hang tight. Ten minutes tops. Make yourself at home.” He placed a hand at the small of her back as he walked past her, his fingers lingering at her hips a moment longer than necessary before dropping from her.
“Colin, it’s not necessary. Really.”
Colin seemed to be having none of her protests, exiting the kitchen and proceeding up the stairs to the bedrooms.
“Well.” She made her way into the living room where Oscar was curled up on the chair that he seemed to be claiming as his. A laugh escaped her when she noticed the large dog bed sitting next to the chair – Colin’s failed attempt to persuade the dog to stay off the furniture.
Walking over to the sofa, she sat down and noticed his laptop was still on. Email open. She tried to keep her eyes diverted, tempted to close the cover so her curiosity wouldn’t get the best of her, but knowing if she did she may inadvertently lose information he wanted.
She was able to manage three minutes before her eyes drifted over to the screen on the computer and the emails. She frowned as she saw the list of emails all from one person – Felicity Long. Who was Felicity Long? She searched her brain trying to place the name, but came up with nothing. He hadn’t mentioned anyone by that name before. He had three sisters, but none by that name.
She glanced at the subject lines and the final one read, Tomorrow. Our Spot. Usual Time.
Her finger was itching to press the enter button and open the email. It wouldn’t be the first time a guy who was interested in her had a girlfriend and she was just a pastime. It was part of the reason why she was so guarded with men; she didn’t trust her judgment a lot of the time.
Her mother told her on numerous occasions that she was a loser magnet. Too trusting for her own good. And it didn’t help that she had a weakness for the hot, charming guys. Guys like Colin. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to help herself if the email stayed at her fingertips a moment longer she closed the cover down on the laptop. She’d find a better way to find out about this Felicity person – snooping wasn’t an option.
“You ready?”
Gabriella yelped and jumped to her feet, feeling her cheeks grow warm with guilt. She looked up at him, down at the closed laptop and back to him, smiling weakly. “Yeah. Of course.”
Colin chuckled. “Jumpy?”
“I ummmm.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, released it and flashed him her patented sexy smile. “Was just thinking.”
She allowed her eyes to scan him, from head to toe and back up again and her face flushed a second time, but for an entirely different reason. He’d changed into a pair of black pants, pale blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black tie that hung loosely around his neck.
“What?”
Gabriella cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowing. “What, what?”
“The look you’re giving me. Not sure if it’s turning me on or freaking me out.”
Laughing, Gabriella rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve never met a man so…”
“So…”
“How do I put this tactfully?”
He shrugged.
“Neat. And anal about his appearance. The only men I’ve ever met who were so put together have all been gay.” Despite her making the comment in a flippant way, Colin’s smile faded and his jaw went momentarily slack.
“Not that I’m saying I think you are…” she hurried to explain.
His expression remained blank, increasing her anxiety over putting her foot into her mouth. She rushed across the room to his side in the doorway.
She placed a hand on his upper arm. “I’m really sorry. I have this –”
With lightning speed he slid a hand around her waist and pulled her tight to him. Taken by surprise, she gasped peering up at him, her blue eyes wide, seconds before his lips came crashing down on hers.
His lips claimed hers aggressively, his tongue slipping past her parted lips to greet hers. A jolt of electric pleasure rushed through her entire body, to ignite the yearning between her legs as their tongues danced. She clutched desperately at the front of his shirt, her body demanding she rip the clothing from his body and feel the hard, warm flesh underneath; something she’d been longing to do from the moment she’d met him.
She’d barely had a moment to bask in the touch, feel, smell and taste of him when he ended the kiss as abruptly as it began and stepped back from her, leaving her breathless and feeling weak in the knees. A mischievously sexy grin touched his lips, one she was beginning to both love and hate.
“Is that a kiss you’d get from a gay man, Gabby?”
Hell no! She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, tasting spearmint on her lips due to his kiss. She was tempted to throw herself back into his arms, but that cocky grin of his kept her rooted where she was.
“If you’d like I can demonstrate a whole lot more intimately.”
Ballsy little bugger! She was about to put him in his place when his laughter stopped her.
“I’m just fucking with ya, Gabby.” Hooking his index finger under her chin he leaned down and kissed her quickly. “Come on, I made reservations at a great little Italian place while I was changing.”
Gabriella hesitated a moment as she digested what had just happened. She’d never had someone make her angry, jealous, anxious, and embarrassed and a slew of other emotions – both good and bad – in the span of two minutes in all her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Colin grinned as he looked over at the flustered Gabriella sitting in the passenger seat of his Mercedes. She was so self-assured. No lack of confidence in that one so it felt like a small win each time he was able to throw her off balance. Not that he’d ever want to change her feisty nature; it was what made him want her so badly.
“So where’s this Italian restaurant anyhow? We’ve been driving for over a half-hour.”
“Manhattan.”
“Manhattan! But that’s another half-hour away and I have to be to work in the morning.”
“It’s only eight, Gabriella. Even with dinner we’ll be back long before midnight.”
She
looked down at her dress then back up at him. “This isn’t some insanely fancy place is it? I’m in a sundress, hardly what you’d wear –”
He reached across the gearbox and placed a hand on her knee, just under the hem of her dress. “You look amazing.”
Her body tensed under his touch, but quickly relaxed. He was tempted to slip his hand higher on her leg, but stopped himself. By the way she’d responded to his kiss he suspected he’d be seeing and feeling more of her stunning body soon enough. He was leaving for a week, starting tomorrow and he didn’t want to start something and take off on her. She seemed different than most women he’d dated in the past, but no matter how independent she seemed, no woman wanted a guy to fuck her and take off the next day.
“I need to tell you something while we have a chance to talk.”
“Oh?”
“Well, tell and ask I suppose. I need to take you up on that offer to care for Oscar and the kittens. I’m going away for a week, leaving tomorrow.”
She didn’t speak, but when he glanced over at her there was a dark look in her blue eyes. “You okay?”
She shrugged and gave him a forced smile. “Of course. Where are you going?”
“Oh, just work.” He gave her a wide smile and a nonchalant shrug. “Might not be as long as a week. But I can call you with the details midweek next week.”
“Busting into some basement apartment, looking for an internet pirate, huh?”
“Pretty much. Standard stuff, but I gotta be there. Lots of paperwork to fill out. Interviewing. Ya know?” Despite the teasing he could sense an underlying hint of suspicion in her tone. What the fuck was up with that? True, he was lying through his teeth, but it wasn’t a choice that was his to make. If only it were as simple as some loser uploading pirated videos.
“Yeah. I get it. I’ll watch Oscar. You’ll have to make me a spare key if you don’t have one already.”
Colin looked over at her again, and clucked his tongue off the roof of his mouth in consideration. What he had said to put her out was beyond him.
