“I BET that was really popular with the neighbors.”
Molly pulled herself together. “Very funny. Sammi did mention something about a sign needing to be painted over.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? You could start a little side business of your own.”
She leveled a glare at him. “Did you know this was here?” If so, he could have at least warned her. Maybe that was why he’d acted so funny at Jed’s house.
“No, I’ve never had the pleasu—” He stopped when he saw the look on her face. “No. I had no idea.”
He must have realized she wasn’t finding any of this amusing, because he squeezed the hand that lay between them on the seat. “I’m sure it’s fine. Sammi said the inside was nice, right?”
“I hope so.” She pulled the key out of the envelope. “Do you want to stay here while I take a look?” Part of her hoped he would, afraid she might find something other than essential oils and innocent massage items inside.
“This is a nice neighborhood, but I’ll go with you, just in case.”
They made their way to the door and Molly unlocked it. She then moved aside to let Blake go first, praying he was right and there was nothing kinky inside. A painfully normal foyer met her eyes.
Thank you.
No oils with suggestive names. No “personal” massagers standing at attention.
In fact, the place was nice. Really nice. The living room had creamy white paneling and soft taupe carpet that looked and smelled freshly cleaned. White roman shades were all at half-mast, allowing her to see how bright and airy the place would be during the day.
“This is wonderful. Far better than I imagined.”
“Looks like you’re hitting a home run at every turn today.” The wry tone made her glance up quickly, wondering if he was making a crack about her date with Mark. Nothing in his face seemed to indicate he was making fun of her, though. “It’s not always easy to find a decent place to rent. Housing is tight on the islands.”
“Oh.” She started to move to the next room when a slapping sound came from somewhere in the back of the house. She sucked in a breath, gooseflesh prickling along her arms. “Did you hear that?”
“Stay here.” The low words slid past her ear, sending another shiver over her.
Before he could move, a white furry head peered around the corner. Her brain didn’t have a chance to process what it was. She automatically cringed sideways, knocking into Blake, who grabbed her to keep her from dragging both of them to the floor.
“Easy, it’s just a cat.”
A cat. Not a mouse or other creepy-crawly.
She shuddered. “Thank God.” Her breath rattled in her chest as she tried to find her composure. Problem was, it was nowhere in sight. Something touched the top of her head, and she realized her side was still pressed tight against Blake’s front, his arms wrapped around her, warm breath ruffling her hair—breath that sounded almost as unsteady as her own. The world tilted slightly as he murmured, “You okay?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out, her mind zeroing in on each contact point between their bodies and trying to decipher body parts. Chin against top of head. Check. Hard chest wall touching right shoulder blade. Check. Her right hip against his… Yikes.
Clearing her throat and using it as an excuse to pull away, she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket, looking anywhere but at him. “I’m fine. It just startled me.”
Blake was right. A cat with dusty white fur and a blue collar inched farther into the room, staring at them with wary eyes. She was surprised the animal hadn’t turned around and run away
“Poor thing. I wonder how it got in?” She knelt and called to it softly, holding out her hand.
“I don’t know.” Blake moved through to the area they’d heard the sound. “There’s a pet door back here,” he called. He reappeared a minute later.
“Do you think the previous tenant left her behind?” The cat rubbed against her hand, purring softly. “Surely not.”
“She knows how to get in.” The cat gave a little meow. “She looks well fed, too. Maybe the landlord knows how to contact the people who used to live here.”
“I’m supposed to give him an answer tomorrow, but I’m not sure what to do with her until then. I suppose I could keep her as long as the landlord is okay with it. The house doesn’t smell bad, so hopefully she’s litter trained.” She scrubbed under the cat’s chin and laughed when the animal tilted its head back a little farther.
The softness of Molly’s face as she stroked the cat caused his heart to give a couple of hard thumps in his chest. He stiffened, remembering his lapse a few minutes earlier. When she’d stumbled against him, his instinctual reaction had been to keep her from falling. That primal urge to protect had been short-lived and followed by something else entirely. The scent of her hair had intoxicated him and he hadn’t been able to resist leaning closer, his chin coming in for a landing on the top of her head. And those soft curves.
He tried to throw off the sensations, but they hung around the periphery, waiting to pounce on him when he least expected it.
She’s going out with Mark. She’s made her choice.
As if he were even in the running. No way. He’d taken himself out of that particular race long ago. So why had he allowed himself to get close enough to settle his head against hers? Because it was what he used to do with Sharon? An instinctive reaction?
Maybe, except Molly was a brunette, not a blonde. And her warm scent didn’t fill him with memories of shouting matches followed by bitter periods of silence.
Her voice was nothing like Sharon’s either. Molly’s low, breathy tones turned his gut completely inside out and wiped out any higher cortical activity. Right now, it was brainstem all the way. That made her dangerous. And, oh, so tempting all at the same time.
“She’s so sweet.” Molly had picked the cat up by this time, holding her in her arms. The cat rubbed the top of her head against Molly’s chin. “She’s definitely not afraid of me.”
Blake, on the other hand, was shaking in his boots. “Maybe we should finish looking at the house.” He needed a good reason to get out of this building before he did anything stupid. Like he’d almost done at Jed’s. He was a thread away from repeating that mistake, Mark or no Mark.
“Okay.” Setting the cat on the floor, they waited to see what she would do. She just stood there twisting her head from side to side as she looked from one to the other. “I guess she’s not going anywhere for the moment.”
They quickly toured the rest of the house, which Molly liked as much as the living room. “I think I’m going to take it.”
“Cat and all?”
“I can’t very well kick her out, if she’s used to being here. Maybe I can find her owner.” She put her hands on her hips. “Or at least a litter box.”
She wanted the cat to stay. He could hear it in her voice. Something inside him melted. He clenched his teeth, willing himself not to say the words, but they came out anyway. “I could always put her up at my place until you get your furniture and things settled. At least you’d know she was fed and safe.”
“Are you serious?”
What the hell was wrong with him? He should have let Mark offer to take the thing in. He was the one interested in Molly, not him.
Except his friend was allergic to cats…had sneezed every time he’d come face-to-face with his mom’s cat when he’d come over to the house. A slow smile came over his face.
“Definitely.”
Her hand touched his. “Thank you. Maybe we’ll find her owner.”
“Maybe. I’ll bring a crate over later and take her home and feed her. Once you get settled, you can come by and get her.”
Her fingers curled around his. “You won’t regret this.”
He should regret it. He should make an effort to dredge up some semblance of that elusive emotion. Instead, all he wanted to do was kiss Molly until she couldn’t breathe. And that was impossible. Not only because it wasn’t a smart thing to do.
But because Mark had already made his move and had, in effect, snatched Molly right out of his hands.