He lifted his head to stare at me. "Suspicious how?"

"That salad better be for you," I said as he left a see-through container full of lettuce beside the bag. To be sure, I pulled the white Styrofoam container toward me. I'd been eating at the diner my entire life. This was the size they used for a turkey club.

"Yes," Broadrick said, giving me an eye roll.

I checked the bag for my side of mayo and yanked the top off to set the tiny container next to my sandwich. "They forgot your dressing."

From the looks of his clear container, the diner didn't apply dressing to the salad already. The leafy greens were clean.

"I don't like their dressing."

"So you're basically a rabbit?" Great, I was dating a rabbit.

Wait. Was I dating Broadrick? We had the big talk, but I also told him I wasn't sure if I was ready.

So not dating.

Thinking about dating.

Great, I was thinking about dating a rabbit.

"I have a vinaigrette in the fridge that I like," he said and left the salad on the coffee table.

"Yeah, you are not helping your case." I tracked him as he walked to the kitchen, so I had a magnificent view of his ass. A black and white tail twitched on top of the fridge. "Broadrick, wait!"

He didn't listen.

Broadrick jerked open the fridge door, the ketchup and mustard condiments rattled, and a puffy black and white ball of fur fell at him. From instinct he reached out to catch the falling item, but Spencer landed claws out and tried to climb up Broadrick's chest. Broadrick grunted, stepped back, got into a weird stance, and then gave a hearty karate chop at thin air.

Spencer cleared Broadrick's head and scaled down this back, hitting the floor with a thud but landing on all four paws. He dashed off into the hallway and NB yipped from the bedroom.

A silence fell over the room, but it didn't last. They never did. Broadrick turned to me with wide eyes and pursed lips. His eyes were shooting rage, and if I believed someone could kill you with their gaze, I'd be dead.

"Tell me you did not bring that hell spawn here," he said.

I could lie. In cases like this, lying was my normal go to. Except he'd obviously seen the cat. A clump of black hair was hanging out on his right shoulder. There was too much evidence to pull off a successful denial.

Plus, it's not like the cat drove himself here. This wasn't a Homeward Bound situation.

If I couldn't lie, I'd at least try evasion.

"B, he's a kitten. He's not even full grown."

Broadrick closed the fridge door with a clatter. "That's worse. Think what he'll be like as an adult cat, and don't pretend with me that you like him."

I dipped my sandwich in the cup of mayo. "We bonded tonight."

"I heard you," he said, waving his fork at me as he sat on the couch and covered his lettuce leaves with a bright red sauce. "You hate him too."

"I was delirious from my cold." I bit into the sandwich and moaned. So much better than meatloaf and brick dinner rolls.

Broadrick paused from nibbling his rabbit food dinner. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better." I really was. My nose was barely sniffly anymore and my eyes didn't feel like they were puffy. Even my head had cleared up.

He nodded, but something in his eye had mischief written in it. "Good."

"Why?" I chewed fast and swallowed.

"So I won't feel bad when I smack your ass about the cat."

I dropped my sandwich container on the table and tried to bolt from the couch, but he was on top of me before I made it past the seat. With one hand Broadrick held me down and the other he gently-like I wasn't trying to squirm and get away-deposited his salad beside my sandwich.

"There's no use running," he said and then pushed my back against the armrest and kissed me hard. His hand slid up my leg, and even through my thick jeans, his touch lit my skin on fire.

I moaned into his mouth as Broadrick's tongue swept against my teeth. "Fuck, I missed this. No more getting sick ever again."

I nodded the best I could with us so close and jerked on his shirt. "Done."

His hand caressed my jaw, and he tilted my head to get a better angle and deeper into our kiss. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Sometimes my brain asked why I put up with it-the breakups, the bossiness-but my heart understood. Broadrick was the only man who'd ever made me have butterflies.

His hand slipped under my shirt, and his fingertips tailed a line of goosebumps up my side until he found the bottom of my bra.

My mother always said it took someone strong to handle a strong Vines woman, and Broadrick didn't just handle me. He helped me soar. Together we completed each other. Even when I spent six months angry as fuck at him for breaking up with me, my heart missed him with every beat.

"Promise me you'll never dump me again. That you'll stay and work it out." I pulled back from our kiss as I spoke.

His gaze met mine, just as determined. "Promise that you can handle whatever this life throws at you. I'm not an accountant, Vonnie, and even after I leave the military, I never will be."

"Neither am I."

That's what made us perfect for one another. When he pushed, I pulled. We were a team even when we didn't want to be. I'd handle whatever he threw my way as long as he stuck it out with me.

"Just shut up and kiss me," I said when he didn't return his lips to mine.

Broadrick had a smile when he kissed me again, and I tugged on his shirt, wanting him close. I liked it best when we were chest to chest, so I felt his heartbeat against mine.

"Holy shit," Broadrick yelled and jerked away from me. He tore at my shirt and fumbled to get away on the couch.

I sat up quickly too. "What's wrong?"

He stood in front of the couch and moved his leg into my viewing range. Attached to his jeans about knee high, Spencer had his claws stabbed into the material and hung on for dear life. B shook his pants to free himself, but Spencer didn't budge.

"Aww, he likes you," I said, fixing my shirt and settling back into place.

Broadrick sneezed and shook his leg again. "I can't believe you did this to me."

**

Hours later, the comforter rustled next to me. I rolled over, not bothering to open my eyes, and tugged the sheets around my shoulder tighter. If Broadrick thought he was going to steal my covers, he had a fight on his hands.

His feet twitched, and I fought against waking up more. The sun wasn't cutting through the windows, meaning it was much too early.

Something pounced behind me, and Broadrick screamed. He shot up in bed, ripping the covers with him and reached under the bed to grab something.

"What the hell is happening?" I asked as I rolled off the bed and took cover. I had to force my eyes to open and they only made it to small slits which didn't let me see enough in the room.

He drew a gun and aimed it at a spot on the bed. "We're under attack!"