13. Chapter 13

D erek: Just a heads up. I couldn't leave O'Malley in the bathroom again; he was too sad. So be careful when you open the front door.

I couldn't help but smile at the text. For someone as strong and independent as Derek seemed, that little kitten already had him wrapped around his finger. And it was endearing as hell. I only wished I'd been there to see him snuggle with the orange cat the night before. There was no counting how many times I had stared at the photo he'd sent me of O'Malley sleeping on his chest. I mean, it was absolutely adorable, but it really did make him hotter, too. There was something about men with animals that turned me to goo.

The date we'd had played on repeat in my head all night and all day at work. That magical kiss at the duck pond was the stuff of legends. But my heart totally melted with the image of him on the bathroom floor in his nice clothes, with the kitten curled up between his legs. Derek gave off this protective, paternal vibe that made my knees weak.

After I got done at work, I made a quick stop and drove to his place, still not entirely sure about being in his house without him. Things were so new between us, but already he'd offered this to me with the utmost trust. And damn , if that didn't make my heart all aflutter, too.

Looking over my shoulder, feeling like I was going to be caught doing something I shouldn't, I quickly entered the code on the keypad by his door. The light turned green, and I opened the door carefully, prepared to block the exit with my foot if an orange blur tried to escape.

No blur in sight, so I hurried inside and closed the door behind me. A thief, I am not. I was already sweating over the stress of being caught. One look at me and they would see the guilt written all over my face.

Now that I was inside, I forced myself to relax. "O'Malley? Kitty? Psp, psp, psp ."

Looking around, I got my first real look at Derek's place. Yes, I'd been here the night before, but my focus had been singular, and the walls and furniture weren't more than vague shapes and colors in the backgrounds. Though, now that I was more present, the colors were no less vague. Gray. Tones of gray on the walls. The furniture was black faux leather with wooden frames. No colorful knick-knacks, no greenery. It was all very classy and masculine, but lacked any sort of personal touch. It seemed… sad. But then, from what I'd heard, it didn't sound like Derek spent all that much time at home anyway, so it was more functional than fun.

I placed the cat grass that I'd bought on his coffee table, putting a plastic pot tray under it to protect the table. Standing back, my head bobbed in approval. I hoped Derek wouldn't mind the addition. Enough gawking. I had a kitten to find.

I kept calling for him as I walked around. The kitchen and living room were empty, as was the bathroom with all his stuff. The door next to the bathroom led to what might have been a guest room, except there was no furniture, just a treadmill and a home gym. He was the type that probably actually used his exercise equipment, not just for the first few months before the novelty wore off. Derek didn't seem like the sort to keep stuff around just to keep it. No kitten in here, though. I went to the room across the hall and peered in.

Derek's bedroom. As wrong as it felt to be in his home without him, it felt even wrong-er to go into his room. In the middle of his king-sized bed was a curled-up ball of fur that compelled me to come closer.

"There you are!"

His head popped up and he let out a little chirp.

"Hi there, O'Malley. Do you remember me?" I stepped closer to the bed, hoping I wouldn't spook him. He seemed pretty content on the bed, though, and it didn't look like he was going anywhere. Can't say I blame him ; the bed did look pretty comfortable. I sat on the very edge, already feeling like I was intruding.

Patting the mattress beside me, I talked to the kitten. "Come here, come to papa."

Wiggling my fingers got his attention, and he darted over to attack. I played with him on the bed, moving my hand back and forth for him to chase. Finally, I picked him up and he started purring.

"Such a sweet little boy, aren't you? No wonder you have your daddy already under your spell. He even gave you a name."

O'Malley, the alley cat . It made me smile thinking of the strong, bold, maybe a little reserved, leader that Derek was, and yet he'd picked out a name from an old Disney movie. Somewhere inside that intimidating professional exterior was a happy, cartoon-loving child.

"You like him, too, don't you?" I asked the cat as I walked toward the kitchen, where I'd seen a bag of treats. I took it and the cat with me to the bathroom, leaving the door open, and I put a couple treats on the ground, setting O'Malley down. He crunched them loudly, and I put a couple more leading to his food bowl to remind him where it was .

I'd texted Derek to let him know I was at his house, and he replied, telling me to make myself at home and I was welcome to anything in the fridge.

Playing with a kitten isn't something one can easily walk away from, not when knowing that my house was tragically kitten-free. While I loved all my plants and flowers, it wasn't the same as something that could run, chase, and be adorable simply by existing.

Convincing myself that Derek didn't mind me being here, I stayed longer than I intended to. I found a frozen teriyaki bowl in his freezer and heated that up, before taking O'Malley over to show him the cat grass. He started gnawing on the ends right away. When I sat on the couch with my food, little mister made a big leap from the table to the couch, his new grass instantly forgotten at the smell of the bowl.

With a chuckle at the way he tried to climb me to get to my food, I tore off a tiny piece of chicken and gave it to him. By his size, I would guess he was between ten and twelve weeks old, but he was skinny, so it was hard to tell. Even so, a little bit of real food shouldn't hurt him. He chowed it down and came back, ready for more. I'd forgotten how hard it could be to eat with a cat around. Growing up, I'd only ever had them long enough to either return them to their owners or hand them over to the animal shelter .

Watching the ginger kitty, I shook my head. "How the hell am I supposed to let you go?"

Before I sunk too deeply into that thought, I forced it away. That was a problem for another day. At least for now, this little guy would be fostered with love and care.

After dinner, O'Malley had been exploring the house, and I lost sight of him. I called his name as I walked around, curious to see what he was up to. When I found him on Derek's bed again, my heart went all swoopy.

Crossing the room, this time I didn't sit on the edge of the bed. I kicked off my shoes and climbed on top, carefully settling myself around the kitten and laying my head on a pillow. Intrusive? Probably. The cuteness overload that happened when O'Malley snuggled up to me made me not care at all. Resting sounded nice. The bed was comfy. Maybe I could close my eyes… just for a few minutes.

"Fuck me!" A voice boomed in the distance, making my eyes spring open in panic as I tried to figure out where I was.

"You don't have to get up."

My eyes focused on the figure looming in the doorway. A man in a suit stared down at me. It took a second for recognition to kick in for my tired brain.

"Derek?"

"Hi, Sunshine. This is a pleasant surprise." His voice sounded rough and had my dick perking up. Apparently, its brain was a lot quicker to wake than mine .

Looking around, I saw O'Malley tucked against my side, making me feel torn. I needed to sit up and make this less awkward with Derek walking in to find me sleeping in his bed, but I also couldn't bring myself to disturb the sweet kitty or pull away from him.

"I'm sorry. O'Malley looked so cozy, so I decided to lie down with him for a few minutes. But I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?"

Derek crossed the room and brushed the side of my face gently, making my heart stir. "It's almost ten. And don't be sorry. This is a pretty great sight to come home to." He bent down, giving me a quick kiss, and my mouth chased his lips when he pulled away, wishing for more.

" Mmm . Hi."

Derek chuckled. "Hi, Marley. I'm glad you were comfortable enough to stay."

I carefully sat up, trying hard not to bother the kitten, but his head popped up and he let out a little mew when he saw Derek. The man—who didn't seem to care that I was in his bed—walked around, sitting on the other side of it.

"Hi, O'Malley. Did Marley take good care of you?" He held his hand out, and the kitten rubbed his head on his fingers.

"I did. I brought him some cat grass since it can help with his digestion, and he got a little chicken. But I think he missed his daddy. "

"I missed him, too." His gaze flicked up to meet mine. "And you. I've been thinking about you all day."

"You have?"

"Yes. It was a long day, but thinking of you made it go by easier. And now, finding you here? This is the perfect way to end the day."

I stretched and yawned. "That's really nice to hear. I thought about you a lot, too. I really didn't mean to fall asleep like this, though. I probably should get going since it's market day tomorrow."

Derek placed a hand on my thigh. "Stay. Just a few more minutes."

With him looking at me the way he did, I was ready to do whatever he asked. "Okay. A few minutes. Let me get up."

His hand squeezed my thigh. "No. Stay there. I'll be right back."

I did as he said, my heart beating rapidly. Derek went to his large walk-in closet and hung up his jacket. I tried not to watch as he undid the buttons on his dress shirt—tried, but failed. Each button was enticing. He walked back over in his slacks and a white undershirt and got in the bed, laying down beside me, with O'Malley in between us.

Damn, there was never a more perfect sight. Well, it might have been more perfect with less clothing, but it was pretty amazing as it was. O'Malley crawled up Derek's body until he could rub against the same stubble I longed to rub all over. The man beside me laughed and scratched the cat under his chin, making him purr loudly.

"So damn cute," I exclaimed with awe.

"You were right. A cat is a pretty good accessory, because you looked really fucking good when I came in. Or maybe I just like the way you look in my bed."

Our eyes locked, even as Derek absentmindedly continued petting the kitten. "You don't mind?"

"Not even a little." He picked up the cat, setting him down on the floor, before closing the distance between us. His eyes glinted with interest, making my heart rate kick up even more. "You know what I've been thinking about?"

I swallowed hard, my body heating and my dick thickening under his intense stare. "What?"

"I've thought about how soft your lips were, and how good you tasted, and how I couldn't wait to kiss you again. And here you were, like a present, waiting for me."

"Then I think you should show me what you've been wanting to do." My voice came out thick with desire. I didn't think I'd get to see him again so soon, and certainly not like this.

"Can I touch you?" Derek asked.

"Yes. Anytime, Derek. Yes." I appreciated his care and making sure I was comfortable, but I was dying for his hands on me.

He scooted closer until his hand was on my side, and he leaned in, nosing my nose, making me gasp with anticipation. A gasp that he swallowed when his lips pressed to mine. He didn't taste like the dinner we'd eaten like the night before; it was only him. And he was fucking delicious. Derek's hand gripped my waist before pushing me to my back. He leaned over me until his leg was pressed between mine and he was propped up on his arms, holding himself over me.

The kiss deepened, and we both moaned as our tongues danced together. My hands went to Derek's back, pulling him closer until his chest rested on mine. I felt something hard on one side of his chest, but was too preoccupied to worry about it.

Derek pushed against me, rubbing against my cock, making me hard. If we didn't stop soon, I was going to lose it, and in my pants wasn't how I wanted things to end the first time with him. He withdrew slightly until he nipped my lip and pulled back. I whined when his mouth left mine, but couldn't stay mad when he smiled down at me. An actual smile.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Reaching up, I rubbed my hand over his short hair. "I am not complaining. You can ravage me anytime."

"Mmm. Tempting. But not tonight. I'm too exhausted to give you the attention you deserve."

A yawn escaped me. "Yeah, I really need to head home. Though, with that kiss, whew, I am going to be thinking about that in bed later. "

"You're in bed now ."

I laughed. "Yeah, but I'm not staying in it, am I?"

Derek sighed. "No, I suppose not. Maybe another time."

I pushed up to give him a quick peck. "Don't think I won't take you up on that."

"Please do," Derek said before letting out a little shout and stiffened. O'Malley walked up Derek's back and peeked over his shoulder at me, making both of us laugh.

"We've been found," I snickered.

With careful maneuvering, Derek shifted off of me and rolled until O'Malley clambered onto his chest.

"Looks like you're stuck. I'm going to let myself out. I'll see you soon." I kissed his cheek before getting out of bed, a move that I found really hard with the devastatingly handsome man in his white tee and slacks in bed with the orange kitten. "Damn!"

He winked at me. "Have a good night, Sunshine."

"Thanks, you too."