“Why don’t you just crash here?”

He said it as if he were offering lunch, not something as important as staying the night. Although, was it important? We weren’t dating, the slow dancing of earlier the full extent of our physical relationship. We were friends, or almost friends, or I didn’t know what, but I did know there was no sexual heat infusing his words, just a polite offer of a place to sleep.

The cost of a taxi wasn’t a thing for me, not that he knew it, and I never let anyone realize that. I could have made the argument that when you download the app, your first ride is free, which was true, even if that first ride had been years past. It was sweet of him to offer to drive, but leaving the animals alone was an absolute no go. They seemed to get along fine, but that didn’t mean they would stay that way. I had a feeling they were going to get along well, though, which meant the little plan I had brewing in the back of my mind to move to a pet friendly, more expensive place, screw appearances, was moot. Princess Buttercup belonged here, even if I was already in love with her.

“You sure you don’t mind?” The words stumbled out of my mouth.

I had never stayed the night at someone’s house before. I mean, someone I was interested in. I wasn’t a prude. I had kissed, sucked, and frotted with the best of them, but staying the night and full on sex was something I always intended to save for my mate. Not that Killian was offering more than a bed to sleep in… or a couch. I didn’t even know.

“Sure. It would be easier, and if I have problems with Princess you can go all cat whisperer for me.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, which were filled with… was that nerves? Was big, tough, sexy Killian nervous I was going to say no? Or worse, was he worried I was going to say yes when he didn’t want that from me? Ugh.

Sally rushed in, her tail still on super speed. She plopped herself in front of Killian, looking up all beggy. It was adorable. Dogs weren’t my thing. I mean, I liked them well enough, but I was a cat person. Seeing Killian melt before his dog almost made me wish I was a dog person.

“Does my girl need to go out?” he cooed, the dog visibly fighting the urge to jump up on him. “Door,” he commanded, and she grabbed the leash off the side table and took it to the front, sitting impatiently with it in her mouth, her tail slapping the floor.

“She’s really smart.” I was in awe. I mean, I knew dogs could be trained, but this trick was useful, unlike play dead and most of the other dumb stuff I’d seen people subject their dog to.

“She really is. You want to come, or do you think someone should stay here with Princess?” He hooked the leash to Sally’s collar.

There was a crash in the kitchen. Of course.

“I guess that is Princess Buttercup asking me to pay her some mind. You go, I’ll take care of her.” Nothing had sounded shattery-ish, and I crossed my fingers she hadn’t broken anything just yet. I was fairly confident Killian had already come to terms with his new role as cat daddy, but I didn’t want to test that theory.

“If you’re sure.”

Sally lost her ability to contain her enthusiasm and tried to push the door open with her head.

I nodded with a laugh. That dog had Killian wrapped around her paw. There was something so freaking hot about that. A vision of him snuggling a baby flashed before me and I shut that sucker down. He was not mine, and thinking babies was bad bad bad.

Stupid biological clock had been riding me hard for over a year now, but I wasn’t going to let my internal baby pressure lead me to a bad alpha decision. If I wanted a sucky life with a horrid alpha, I could’ve had that long ago.

The crash had only been the plastic food bowl he’d bought Princess Buttercup landing on the floor, and had seemingly been still half-full of food. I had put it on the utility counter thinking it would prevent Sally from eating it all and making herself sick. I had misjudged the destructive force nature that was cats. I needed to figure out a solution for the food problem after I cleaned up.

“You need to behave, Princess Buttercup. This is a good home, you don’t want to lose it by being destructive,” I scolded in the most sickeningly sweet voice ever, making the reprimand less than effective. If any reprimand was ever affective against cats.

The kibble was everywhere, but I finished cleaning it up just as Killian came back. Sally immediately found three more pieces.

“I thought I had that all cleaned up.” I settled the broom on its hook.

“Sally is quality control for food clean up.” Killian scratched behind her ears. “Anything break?”

“Naw. She just decided to play hockey with her dish. Little rascal.”

“So the counter isn’t going to work?”

“No. I was trying to think of a better place to put it where Sally couldn’t get at it. Do you have any rooms that are closed off to her?”

“I could put a cat door in the basement.”

I refrained from voicing the awws that were forming in my mouth.

“Sally never goes down there. It houses the laundry machine, and that’s about it.”

“Perfect.” Because I was beginning to think he was. The idea was perfect too, but that was my secondary reaction.

“You’re tired.” He caught me trying to hide a yawn. “I’m such a bad host. Let’s get you a place to sleep.”

“Okay?” It came out as more of a question than I intended.

Killian lead me to the bedroom, his bedroom. I stiffened slightly. Maybe I had read the entire thing wrong. But he’d yet to kiss me, and he seemed the kiss before… anything… type. Or at least I wanted him to be. Nibbling his lips was a fantasy I had far more often than I cared admit to even myself.

“Here you go.” He pointed to the bed. “I’ll take the couch. Oh, and don’t worry, the sheets are clean. Laundry day. So there’s nothing gross. Not that I’m gross. Or do anything gross. In the bed.”

He was babbling. I liked this side of Killian, the unguarded side. But there was one problem with his plan…

“By couch you mean the loveseat?” I quirked my eyebrow. That thing he called a couch was tiny. I had assumed it was for guests, and that the ginormous recliner was his seat of choice. There was no way he’s fit on that loveseat comfortably enough to sleep.

“Yeah.”

I gave him my best really? look.

“I’ll be fine,” he scoffed as Sally pushed between his legs and jumped on the bed.

“You will be mushed into a tiny ball and wake up with a sore back.”

“It’s fine, really.” He tried to argue, but there no fire in his voice. He knew I was right.

“I can sleep there.” I grabbed the first pillow I saw, sad that he had just washed it. I would’ve loved to sleep with his maple scent enveloping me.

“You are not that much shorter than me.” His point was valid. “I’d offer you the spare room, but you saw it.”

“We could share,” I offered before I realized what I inadvertently implied. “I mean, Sally’s already decided I wasn’t sleeping alone, with or without you, so what’s one more?” No, that sounded just as bad. “I wasn’t offering sex or anything—I mean same place sleeping.” Now who was babbling?

Killian was as expressive as his dog, and seeing him utilizing all his self-control not to laugh made a giggle bubble up in my chest, finally escaping in a full laugh.

“I’ll stop now,” I assured him.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’m fine in the living room.”

“No. I trust you.”

As we turned down each side of the bed, Sally watching us warily from her place at the foot of the bed, I realized that was the scariest part of all of this.