“Why do you care?” she murmured in that dulcet voice, and he had to adjust his seating again.
“Maybe I’m just passing the time with you. Trying to shoot the shit and all.”
“You don’t have to shoot anything with me.” The cat leaned into her hand, much like his dick wanted to. Christ, his dick especially wanted to when that made Edie’s mouth curl into a soft, pleased little smile. How had he not noticed that her lips were full and plump, her upper lip slightly larger than her lower one? Her mouth was perfection, what so many women injected to try and get theirs to look like. Edie didn’t seem like the type to fuss over her appearance, which meant that those pillowy lips were probably all natural . . . and would feel amazing around his dick.
And why he was suddenly thinking about his dick when she was around, he had no fucking idea, but now he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. He shifted in his seat again, drawing up a knee to hide the fact that he was getting an erection.
At his small movement, Cujo hissed and darted back under the curtain again, and Edie shot him an irritated look.
“Sorry.”
She gave her head a little shake, as if to say Whatever, and slowly, painfully got to her feet. When she was standing again, she leaned over and gave her knee a little rub, and as she did, her collar swung low, exposing her impressive cleavage to his gaze.
Aw, damn. She had a rocking bod under all those clothes. Maybe Levi was trying to nail the wrong sister after all.
But a moment later she straightened, and fixed an imperious look on him. “All right. I have a to-do list for you to handle over the next few days.”
“What? A to-do list? Why?”
She looked surprised. “Because it’s your cat, of course.” She gestured at his room. “This isn’t going to work at all, just so you know.”
Forget his stupid dick. Now he was just getting annoyed. “What do you mean, ‘this’ isn’t going to work?” He mimicked her gesture, flinging his hand in the air.
Edie gave him another one of those quelling looks. “He’s frightened—”
“So now it’s a he?”
“I don’t know what it is until I get a chance to lift his or her tail to see—”
“I just find it a little ironic that when you get pissy, the cat’s a ‘he’ but when you’re all lovey-dovey on it, it’s a ‘she.’”
He watched her small nostrils flare with irritation and he was fascinated despite himself. “Fine, we’ll go with ‘it’ then. I want it to stay in this room for the time being. Your house is enormous—”
“Why thank you. I love it when ladies admire the size of my . . . house.”
“Would you fucking shut up for two seconds?”
He was getting under Miss Prickly’s skin, was he? Funny how entertaining that was. Magnus grinned and gestured that she continue.
“As I was saying, dickface, don’t let it out into the rest of the house. Cats need a small area to become accustomed to before you expand their territory. Keep your door shut and keep Cujo in this room. Also,” she said, and gestured at his furniture. “You need to add some places for Cujo to hide. Get rid of the storage under the bed. Put a few cat trees in here with hiding spots. Even a few deep cardboard boxes placed in strategic areas will help. Right now Cujo has no place to hide and is feeling vulnerable. You need to give it safe places to retreat to.”
“I don’t want all that shit in here. I like my room the way it is,” he told her, his irritation rising at her high-handed comments. “It’s minimalist.”
“It’s ugly,” she said bluntly. “And it’s unwelcoming.”
“I’m not trying to make you welcome,” he lashed back.
“For the cat, you fool. And get that litterbox unless you want the cat to stake out your bed as the place to go to the bathroom.” Her bitter little smile at him became wicked. “Though I’m sure your bed is used to seeing pieces of shit.”
Talking to her was like petting a scorpion. “Are you done here?”
“That’s my consultation,” she said, voice cloyingly sweet. “Also, try to spend a few hours a day with Cujo. No sudden movements. Let the cat come to you. Pet only when Cujo seems to want it. Don’t reach for the face when you do, reach around the cat’s side because some cats get nervous when you go for the face.”
“Anything else?” he asked sarcastically.
“Yes. I’d like to be paid now.”
***
A short time later, the check was handed to Bianca, who left with grumpy Edie. By that time, Magnus was grumpy as fuck, too, and his irritation was directed at his brother, Levi, who seemed to be over the moon at the moment. Levi had a blissful look on his face, and his hair was a mess, as if someone had been running her hands through it.
Once the women were out of the house, Magnus turned to his brother. “Did you nail her? Can we be done with this shit now?”
Levi linked his fingers behind his head and just gave his brother a happy smile. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?”
“Actually, she’s kind of a beat down,” Magnus said. “Edie, that is. Which is why I want to be done with this.”
“We can’t,” Levi said. He yawned and padded to the kitchen and opened the door to the fridge. “I’ve barely gotten to know Bianca. Two hours wasn’t enough time with her.”
“It was enough time to fuck her.”
Levi gave his brother a tight-lipped stare. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
Jesus. Not this again. “So . . . you didn’t fuck her.”
“She’s not that kind of girl. We talked. I got to know her a bit more.” Levi picked up the milk and began to drink straight from the carton.
Magnus stormed up to his brother and swiped the milk out of his hand. “First of all, don’t do that, because it’s disgusting. Second of all, this wasn’t about getting to know the girl. This was about getting her out of your system.”
Levi didn’t even look hurt at Magnus’s pissy mood. He just gave his brother a beatific smile. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to get Bianca out of my system. She’s special.”
“You say that about every girl you fall for.”
“This one’s different.”
“You also say that about every girl you fall for.” Magnus closed the milk carton and reached past his brother to put it back into the fridge. “Except instead of just getting this one out of your system, you’ve decided to be her friend, and meanwhile, I get stuck with a wildcat and a pissy cat whisperer.”
“You should woo her,” Levi said.
“The cat?”
“The cat lady.”
Magnus gritted his teeth through his smile. “I don’t want to woo anyone. I want to push forward on our goddamn project. You know, the one you promised to work on with me?”
“And once Bianca and I are settled, I will.”
Settled? What the fuck did that mean? Magnus fought his anger, since it was useless when it came to Levi. His younger brother had selective amnesia when it came to anything that didn’t pertain to his current interests. “How long do you think that’s going to be?”
“I don’t know,” Levi said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I need to see her again outside of the house. Away from her sister.” He looked over at Magnus. “You should ask Edie out on a date.”
“On a date,” Magnus repeated flatly. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you want to work on The World and you can’t without me?”
Magnus gritted his teeth. It wasn’t that he couldn’t work without Levi—it was that out of the two of them, Levi was the creative thinker. Magnus was the doer, the details man. He could get a lot done on his own, but without Levi’s ideas, he was rudderless. “You’re fucking killing me here, man.”
Levi turned to his brother and put his hands on Magnus’s shoulders, his expression contrite. �
�I know. And I really am sorry. I promise once we get Bianca out from under Edie’s control, we’ll get back to working on the game. But for now . . . I really do think you need to ask Edie out on a date. Take her out for several hours so that’ll give me alone time with Bianca.”
“She’s not twelve, you know. She can go out on her own without her sister being involved.”
But Levi shook his head and patted Magnus on the shoulder as if he were a child. “Bianca’s very devoted. She won’t leave Edie if she thinks Edie needs help.”
“Edie seems pretty capable, if you ask me. She’s got a limp. That’s it. It’s not as if she’s missing her arms and legs.” Even if she was, he was pretty sure Edie would still find a way to cut him down to size. “I’ve never met anyone more capable than her.”
“Did you want that IP or not?”
Magnus threw his hands up. “I give up. Fine. Fuck. Whatever. I’ll ask the cat lady out for a goddamn date. Just shut the hell up about Bianca, all right?” He stormed up the stairs, because if he saw Levi’s smug little smile, he was going to punch someone out. He automatically headed up to the fourth floor for the office, and then paused at the door. He couldn’t work—he was stuck until Levi sat down and worked out some of the basic kinks of the program with him. Damn it. Swearing, he jogged back down the stairs to his own room. Might as well run on his treadmill for a bit.
When he opened the door to his room, though, he saw the cat taking another shit on his bed. It looked over at him and hissed furiously.
Magnus hissed back at it. Damn cat. Damn brother. Damn Edie. Why was everyone determined to make him lose his mind? Why was he the only sane person in this circle? Why was it that he was the only one who wanted to work?
Scratch that. Edie worked, too. At least they had that in common.
He dragged his jeans off and tossed them into a corner, then pulled on workout shorts. As he climbed onto his treadmill and began to jog, he picked up his phone and voice-texted Jenna, the assistant. “I need several cardboard boxes, two cat trees, some wet cat food, and a litterbox. Tonight.” He looked over at his bed, now with two piles of shit on it, and added, “And a blanket.”
At least five hundred million could buy a lot of damn blankets. He began to run, pumping up the treadmill to a breakneck speed. Maybe he’d buy one and smother Levi’s smug face with it.
***
“What’s your day look like today?” Bianca said, frowning as a cat nudged her hand over breakfast two days later. “Can’t you make these cats behave?”
“That is behaving,” Edie said, reaching out to pet Sleepy before pulling him down off the table. “I’m actually pretty impressed he’s so spry considering he’s missing a leg and has arthritis. Besides, you know downstairs is cat territory.” Their shared apartment was split into two territories—Bianca had the entire upstairs, and Edie claimed the downstairs. It suited them both just fine most of the time, because Bianca got the deluxe bathroom with the tub and Edie only had the guest bathroom with the teeny tiny shower. The kitchen was downstairs, though, and meals were always a bit contentious, because Edie’s seven cats tended to be underfoot.
“I’d prefer for him to be less spry around meals,” Bianca said, tossing her hair. “It’s unsanitary.”
No more unsanitary than Bianca constantly flinging her hair everywhere. “Cats are clean. It’s because you have cereal. He smells the milk.”
“Forget the cat. We’ve been asked to go back to New York for another round of coaching with Cujo.” Bianca gave Edie her prettiest smile. “Get ready to make more money!”
Edie blinked. “Really? Back to New York already? Magnus has barely had time to get the things I suggested.” She thought of his stark room and frowned. “Actually, I’d almost bet he didn’t get that stuff. He didn’t seem to care much. That’s so weird.”
Bianca gave her a coy little smile. “I don’t think it’s so weird.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s clear the man was flirting with you.”
Edie paused, spoon midway to her mouth. “You’re . . . kidding, right?”
“Not kidding.”
“He can’t stand me!”
“Mmhmm.” Bianca gave her a knowing look.
“I—no! Seriously. He hated every suggestion I gave him. Didn’t want to listen to any of it. I can assure you, the man does not like me.” It was weird to even think about it.
“Oh, Edie, you’re so blind to these sorts of things,” Bianca said in a pitying voice. She arched an eyebrow at her sister. “Let’s analyze this, shall we? Here we have a man who you met at a party and sat next to all night—”
“Neither of us speaking to the other, I should point out.”
“—and a few days later, this man acquires a random cat he knows nothing about.” Bianca extended a finger, counting off. “This man immediately contacts you to come and work with his cat, even offering to pay extra so you’ll come despite the long drive.”
“Oh, but—”
“Did he leave the room while you were there?”
“No, but—”
“Did you notice that I disappeared? His brother kept me busy with questions about the business and our billing. You don’t think he was seriously that interested in it, do you?”
This time, Edie had no excuse. She had wondered where her sister had run off to.
“Did he ask about you when you two were alone? Things like what made you who you are? Personal things?”
“Of course not,” Edie said, flustered. It was ridiculous to think about—
So what made you decide to become a cat expert? Her brain reminded her using Magnus’s voice.
Edie’s eyes widened. Surely not. “I . . . Uh, are you sure, Bianca?”
“I think I know what it looks like when a man is trying to let a woman know he’s interested. And I’m pretty sure he was interested in you.” Her smile became encouraging. “It’s obvious he got the cat as a means to get closer to you.”
That was so . . . strange. Edie thought back to the party at Gretchen’s house. She’d overheard their boorish male conversation in the kitchens, and both she and Magnus had been dismayed to see they were sitting together. They’d taken a seemingly instant dislike to each other, one that had carried through all night.
And yet . . . everything Bianca pointed out had a grain of truth in it. Pieced together like that, Bianca’s suggestion made sense. It was a weird situation and there was no logical explanation for it, unless it was that Magnus really was trying to get Edie’s attention.
But . . . why go for Edie when Bianca was right there? Edie knew she wasn’t the pretty sister. She wasn’t dog-ugly, of course, but she wasn’t as into hair and makeup as Bianca was. She wore jeans and T-shirts when Bianca wore skirts and blouses. Edie’s brown wavy hair was chopped at the shoulders and usually kept in two short braids tucked out of the way behind her ears. Bianca had perfect, smooth hair the color of champagne and cut in a heavy fringe across her forehead that made her big brown eyes look even bigger. They had the same heart-shaped face, but Bianca had a tiny, sweet mouth, whereas Edie just had a normal-sized one that was never sweet.
And Bianca didn’t limp. She was graceful and delicate, unlike Edie.
And Bianca wasn’t a raging bitch to everyone, unlike Edie.
“I . . . Are you sure he doesn’t like you instead of me?” Edie asked, completely puzzled. She’d called the man dickface. She’d insulted his house, his looks, and shot down every friendly word he sent in her direction.
“Please,” Bianca said daintily. “He barely spent two seconds in my presence. He was too busy focused on someone else.” Her mouth curved into another tiny, knowing smile. “And he asked you back today.”
Edie squirmed in her seat. “We should tell him we’re busy.”
“We”—Bianca emphasized the word—“should say nothi
ng of the sort. I can drop you off at his house and—”
“Wait, what?”
“—and run a few errands in the city. Take some extra supplies to the cat shelters. Look for special-project cats you might need to save.” Bianca blinked wide, guileless eyes at her sister. “It’ll give you some time alone.”
“Bianca, no,” Edie said. “If we go over there again, I—we—he’ll—”
“He’ll what? Think you’re interested?” Again, Bianca gave her that coy smile. “Is that such a bad thing? He’s decent-looking, right?”
“Decent enough,” Edie agreed. She thought of his bright greenish-gold eyes with the thick fringe of lashes, his blunt face that seemed to transform when he smiled. His big arms that indicated strength, and his powerful build. She felt her face getting hot. Dear lord, why was she even considering his attractiveness? She was as crazy as Bianca!
“He’s got money,” Bianca pointed out. “And he likes cats enough to get one, and enough to not be scared off by the fact that you own lots of them. What other criteria do you need?”
Wordlessly, Edie sloshed her spoon through her bowl of cereal. “I just . . . I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated anyone.”
“Six years,” Bianca pointed out. “Ever since the knee. You and Drake—”
“Yes,” Edie snapped. “Thank you for that scintillating recap.” She didn’t like to be reminded of Drake. Fuck him. Fuck him a lot. He’d hurt the crap out of her when she was at her lowest. “You can see why I’m not eager to leap back into the pool.”
“I think this guy is different,” Bianca said. “I also think you will absolutely turn into a crazy cat lady if you don’t at least try to date someone. One of your clients is an ideal candidate for a boyfriend, isn’t it? You already have a common bond.” She smiled brightly. “So should I tell his assistant you’ll go today?”
Edie’s brows furrowed. “Wait. His assistant is the one who called? Doesn’t that seem a little weird to you? That his assistant is calling mine instead of him talking to me?”
“You’re reading too much into it,” Bianca said, getting up from the breakfast table and putting her bowl in the sink. “That’s how these things work. Assistants contact assistants.”