“What are you going to do with them?”

He shrugged. “Find them homes when they get old enough. Get her fixed. Maybe keep one.” He gave her a sheepish look. “I’m becoming addicted to cats.”

And because that was the perfect thing to say, she stood on her tiptoes, ignoring the flare of her knee, and pressed her mouth to his. “I love you.”

Magnus groaned, pressing kisses to her mouth. “I love you, too. Come back to me. We’ll fill the apartment with cats and frighten everyone we know with our pet hoarding.”

She giggled. “That’s too many cats for one apartment.”

“I’ll buy them an apartment,” he said, kissing along her jaw, to her ear. “Whatever. Just come back to me.”

She sobered. “Promise you’ll never hurt me again?”

His hands fisted in her hair, holding her close. “I can’t promise you that,” he murmured. “Because I’ll always do something boneheaded, I imagine. But I won’t hold something like that from you again.” When she hesitated, he licked her earlobe, sending shivers down her spine. “I can’t make it better for you, baby. I can’t change the past. But . . . I can show you the kind of future we can have together, if you’ll let me.”

He was asking her to trust. To take a chance on him. Edie looked up into Magnus’s face, at the blunt features that didn’t seem special until he smiled, and his whole face lit up. At the beautiful eyes framed by thick lashes. She thought of his humor, his cleverness, his determination. The way he held her at night. The way he thought of her knee without ever making her feel like an invalid . . . like Bianca did.

He was nothing like Bianca, she realized.

She put her hand in his. “Take me home?”

“Only if you promise to stay there.”

Edie chuckled. “I’m going to have to go pick up my cats from Gretchen’s in time for their meds.”

“You’ll be mine until then?” His arm went around her waist, pressing her body against his.

“Until then,” she agreed. “And then the hours after that. And the days after that. And the months . . .”

“Sounds like I’m going to be getting a lot of pussy.”

She smacked his arm.

He just grinned at her. “And I think this means we need a bigger place if we’re going to have that many cats. Something in the city okay, so you can help me manage my chain of cat cafés?”

“City’s fine.” Her fingers trailed down his shirt. “Anywhere I’m with you, I’m fine.”

He pulled her in for another intense kiss, his tongue tracing along her lips until she was breathless with need. “I wish we were home right now, so I could bend you over this desk and make you mine again.”

Edie shivered, titillated at the visual. “Can you leave? Or do you have to stay?”

“I think I can manage to escape for a few hours,” he said, his hand sliding up to cup her breast.

“Only a few hours?” She mock pouted.

“Have mercy on a man’s penis, woman,” Magnus teased. “I’m only human.”

“Not according to your game proportions. You forget, I’ve seen your Warrior Shop alter ego.”

“It’s made you quite the lusty wench, has it?”

“First, never say the words ‘lusty wench’ again. Second, the only thing I want is you. Just you. Regular, old Big Magnus.” Her hand slid down to fondle the bulge in his pants. “With his impressive, magnificent Little Magnus.”

He groaned. “Please tell me we’re going home right now for some lusty make-up sex.”

“There’s that ‘lusty’ word again.”

“Tawdry, filthy, nasty make-up sex.”

She nibbled on his jaw. “Better.”

Chapter Nineteen

They managed to escape from the cat café without attracting too much attention. Then, laughing like naughty schoolchildren, they linked hands and took a taxi back to Brooklyn. Edie felt light with happiness, giddy with joy. The way Magnus looked at her took her breath away—a mixture of hunger, desire, and affection. As they sat in the back of the taxi, he took her hand in his and began to play with her fingers, lightly stroking the pads of them.

She felt every movement as if he were dragging his fingertips over her skin. By the time they got to the Park Slope apartment, her breasts were aching, her nipples were erect, and her pulse was thrumming steadily between her thighs. Her entire body was alive with joy and with Magnus’s presence. For the first time in weeks, Edie felt completely, utterly happy.

As soon as they got out of the cab and into the apartment, Magnus cupped her face and began to kiss her mouth again. “I’ve missed you. So much.” His mouth stroked over hers, lips pressing to her own in firm, quick kisses that only whetted the appetite for more. “Feels like it’s been forever since I’ve tasted these pretty lips.”

Edie trembled at his words. She knew just how he felt. Her fingers rubbed along his jaw, feeling the bristle of his unshaven face. “I missed you, too.”

“You sure you’re not here just to peek at my cats and leave?” His thumbs stroked over her cheeks, his tongue flicking over her lips in a sensual kiss. “Because I don’t think I could stand that.”

“Oh, I want to see your cats,” she told him breathlessly. But she didn’t pull away from him. She couldn’t. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

“I’ll show them to you, on one condition,” he said, then caught her lower lip between his teeth and tugged at it.

Edie had to stifle a moan. “Condition?”

“I get to play with your breasts while you look at them.”

“Seems fair,” she said, dazed at his touch.

“Then follow me,” he said, nipping at her lip. He gave her a mischievous grin and gestured at the apartment.

In a breathless haze, Edie realized they were still in the entryway of the flat, and the entire apartment was different than the last time she’d seen it. New, comfortable, normal furniture decorated the room. There was a comfy couch in front of a TV, a dining room table with four plain chairs, and end tables that were not shaped like objets d’art but like end tables. Framed Warrior Shop posters hung on the walls, and in several corners of the cozy living room, she spotted cat furniture. “You redecorated.”

“I went for livable this time instead of ‘weird but impressive,’” he agreed. “I think I actually prefer it. Go figure.”

“Go figure,” she said with a laugh. “Can I see the bedroom?”

“Of course. I’m guessing that’s where everyone’s hiding. Though sometimes Lady D likes the windowsill in the office because of the sunlight. We can check there first.”

Magnus’s new office was set up in one of the bedrooms facing the back of the flat. A large window looked out on the tiny patio, and sure enough, on a window seat, the fluffy form of Lady D was curled up. She lifted her head as they entered, her nostrils flaring at the scents, but didn’t get up from her perch.

“She looks good,” Edie said, not moving forward toward the blind cat. She didn’t want to startle her. “Is Lady C giving her any trouble?”

“Not at all,” Magnus said, moving to stand behind her. His hands went to her breasts and casually cupped them over her clothing, his chin resting on her shoulder. “I think Lady C treats her like another kitten. I catch her grooming D all the time.”

Edie smiled. She looked around the rest of the small office. Between cat furniture and a nearby treadmill, Magnus had a heavy oak desk set up along one wall. Another wall was bare of furniture, and instead, it was covered with world maps of different time periods, pushpins and strings and Post-it notes slapped all over the maps. “Still working on, um, The World?” It was getting harder to concentrate with those big, warm hands just casually cupping her breasts. She wished he’d play with her nipples, but he seemed content to hold her.

“Yeah. I was derailed over the last few weeks by a different project.” He nuzzled her neck, pressing his mouth against her skin. “I missed my original deadline so I rescheduled my pitches for spring of next year.”