Page 106 of Desert Rain
“I like just you,” she said quietly.
The words landed between us like a match on dry grass.
I wrung the shirt out hard, water splashing into the sink.
“I pulled back because I don’t do half-measures, Sienna. And you’re not a club girl. You’re not someone who knows how to walk away clean when this blows up. Regan’s got you under her wing now. Tank’s old lady. That makes you family whether you like it or not. I won’t be the reason you wake up tomorrow regretting me. Regan would kill me if we did a one nighter.”
“Who said anything about one night? What happened to staying quiet. Like it never happened?” She walks closer. Fingers lightly back on my body.
I snorted. “Sienna I get why an engaged man would lose his head over you—damn baby you’re hot as fuck. Confident. Sexy. Too tempting to walk away from…”
She watched me, eyes wide, like she hadn’t expected me to give her anything back. I brushed by her, electricity sparking from just that alight touch as I crossed to the small balcony door, yanked it open, and draped the wet Henley over the railing to dry. Cool night air hit my bare chest.
“Shit! No! Bandit!”
The damn cat shot past my legs faster than a bullet. One gray blur, claws clicking on the concrete, and he was gone—over the railing, down the stairs, disappearing into the night like he’d been planning his escape for weeks.
“Shit, Sienna, I’m sorry?—”
She was already moving.
She flew out the front door without a word, keys still on the counter, shoes still by the couch. I didn’t think. Just chased after her—shirtless, boots still on, heart hammering like an idiot—down the hallway, down the stairs, into the dark parking lot.
“Sienna!”
She didn’t slow down.
I kept running after her like a damn fool, the cool night air hitting my bare chest, the taste of her still on my tongue, and the whole messy night spinning faster than I could catch up.
“Shit, Sienna, I’m sorry?—”
She was already moving.
She flew out the front door without a word, keys still on the counter, shoes still by the couch. I didn’t think. Just chased after her—shirtless, boots still on, heart hammering like an idiot—down the hallway, down the stairs, into the dark parking lot.
“Sienna!”
She didn’t slow down.
“Bandit!” she yelled, voice cracking as she scanned the shadows. “Bandit, you little shit—come back!”
I caught up to her at the edge of the lot, gravel crunching under my boots. “Sienna, wait—he’s probably just?—”
“Bandit!” She took off again, cutting between two buildings into the narrow alley that ran behind the complex. I followed, lungs already burning, the cool night air slapping my bare chest.
We ran alley after alley.
She darted left at the first cross-street, calling his name over and over. I stayed right behind her, boots pounding pavement, eyes sweeping every dumpster, every parked car, every patch of scrub brush.
“You seen a gray cat?” I barked at a guy taking out his trash. “Little asshole with a bell on his collar?”
The man shook his head. Sienna didn’t even wait for the answer. She was already jogging deeper into the next alley, voice getting hoarse. “Bandit! Come on, you furry traitor—Bandit!”
I caught her arm at the next corner, both of us breathing hard. “He can’t have gone far. We’ll find him.”
She shook me off, eyes wild. “He’s an outdoor cat, Mason. He hates being locked up. This is my fault. I never should’ve?—”
Another alley. Another stranger.
