Chapter Sixteen
Bounty Hunter Language
I pedaled up the lane to Raiden’s den and saw him, arms and ankles crossed, leaning against the side of his Jeep.
At the sight, my thrill went wild.
I smiled huge and came to a stop behind his Jeep. He grinned back at me, his shades moving over me, Spot and my bike before he started to shake his head and pushed away from the car.
I shoved down the kickstand and hopped off. I started skipping to him, but stopped, dashed back and wagged my finger an inch from Spot’s kitty nose.
“Be good.”
He made a kitty face at me, which said clearly he would be whatever the heck he wanted to be.
I ignored him, turned and saw that Raiden had almost made it to me. There wasn’t a lot of room, but still, I ran it, took a leap and landed in his arms.
They closed tight around me.
I returned the favor with all four limbs then dropped my head to his that he’d kindly tilted back and laid a hot, heavy, wet one on him.
One of his hands slid to my behind and he let me.
I broke the kiss, smiled down at him and said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Raid said back.
I battled a shiver that one syllable, said in his deep voice, shot through me and went on, “Welcome home.”
“Yeah, baby. You’re absolutely f**kin’ right. That was a welcome home.”
I didn’t bother battling the shiver that time and gave him a four limbed squeeze.
He returned the favor with two arms and a hand tightening on my booty.
“Right. Put me down,” I ordered. “We’ve got to get Spot and go inside.”
His mouth twitched before he dropped me to my feet and let me go.
I skipped back to Spot and hoisted him out of the basket.
“Meow,” he protested.
“Quiet, we have to show Raid his surprise.”
“Meow.” Spot, like most cats, wasn’t big on surprises.
“Shut it, buddy,” I ordered, walking up to Raiden, whereupon Spot made a break for it, a successful one, amassing his considerable kitty bulk and launching it at Raid.
Raiden caught him. Spot shoved his way up Raid’s chest, planted his paws in Raid’s shoulder and started purring.
“Crazy cat,” I muttered.
Raiden chuckled, one arm under Spot. His other hand came out and tagged mine.
“You got a surprise?” he prompted.
“Right,” I replied and bounced in my flip-flops. “Let’s go.”
Up the stairs we went, Raiden in front of me, Spot glaring at me over his shoulder, still purring.
When we got to the top, I shoved onto the landing, took the keys from Raiden’s hand and said, “Let me.”
I didn’t give him a choice.
So excited, I was again bouncing on my flip-flopped feet. I unlocked his door, threw it wide, took a huge step in and cried, “Voila!”
Raiden and Spot followed me. Raid lifting a hand to push his shades back on his head, he shut the door and looked around.
I danced around.
“Right!” I cried. “Starting here!”
I danced to the bed, stopped and looked back at him.
“Your sheets and comforter were nice, honey, but they didn’t match my afghan so I got this!” I motioned to his bed on the floor, the box springs now covered in a gray sheet, the mattress and pillowcases too. The comforter on top was black and gray, and there were two more pillows and some (not too many, only three) masculine but cool toss pillows scattered across the top.
I moved to the head of the bed.
“Mrs. Bartholomew was talking and said her grandson needed a project for Wood Shop. I got an idea, got the measurements and he made this!” I exclaimed, touching my hand to the black painted, low wood shelves that now ran the length of the head of the bed. Raiden’s paperbacks were shoved in the shelves, two attractive lamps on top at either side.
“I got the lamps,” I went on. “And Barry came in and wired an outlet in the floor under the shelves, so no more extension cords.”
Still holding Spot and standing just inside the door, Raiden stared at the bed, but I was so wired, I didn’t take that in and skipped to the kitchen.
“This, I found in an antique shop up Harborough Road. Killer sale,” I shared, running my arm down the front of a tall, wide cupboard against the wall like I was a game show hostess. “Up top, on the shelves, as you can see, cereal, protein powder and foodstuffs.” I bent and opened a cabinet door at the bottom of the cupboard. “Dishes down below.”
I straightened and sideways skipped to touch the range.
“As you know, Rachelle is redoing her kitchen at home and this is her old stove, but it’s only two years old and she’s a cook so she only gets the best, so even used it’s still awesome,” I announced.
More sideways skipping to the fridge.
“Same with the fridge, and look!” I pointed at the water and ice dispensers in the front door. “Hugh came around and plumbed it so it works!”
I threw open the doors, but turned to him, forcing my face to mock grave.
“Now, I hesitate to share with you that I disposed of the lab experiments you were conducting, but Grams got you all this food and all of it is actually edible.”
I was so into my show, I didn’t notice that he still hadn’t moved as I closed the fridge doors, did more skipping toward the table and I threw an arm out to indicate the wardrobe.
“Barry and Hugh fixed that to the wall so it’s sturdier and not in danger of collapsing, and I WD-40’ed the hinges and the hinges on the bathroom doors so no more haunted house sounds.”
Winding it up, I threw my hand wide toward the floors that now had a scattering of rugs.
“More sale items from the antique store,” I grinned at him, “from me. They don’t cover a lot, but they’re better than wood, especially when it starts to get cold.”
I leaned a hand onto the back of one of his kitchen table chairs and kept right on babbling.
“They have a kitchen table at the antique shop I hope won’t sell, seeing as I kinda ran out of money, but it would be great in here, and bonus: no padding on the chairs so none of it can come out. They’re also having a furniture sale at this place in Denver that has fabulous stuff. I almost bought you a couch, but I figured a man is usually one with his couch, so you’ll have to go with me.”
I threw my arms wide and finished.
“What do you think?”
Slowly, Raiden bent, dropped Spot to his feet which caused an audible “thump” when the cat’s weight hit floor. Spot instantly waddled away to start exploring as Raiden slowly straightened again, put his hands on his h*ps and locked eyes with me.