How to Tame a Cat (ManxMan)

Chapter Twenty: Cat Burrito

~Chapter Twenty: Cat Burrito~

My eyelids feel as heavy as lead, but I still manage to pry them open with the sheer strength of will alone. It takes a few minutes, but I gradually become aware of my surroundings. Or, at least, semi-aware. What I am most aware of is how soft and warm my bed is. Vibrating pillows are the best...

What the hell?

I shove away from the 'vibrating pillow' – which also goes by the name of Ryland – and try to roll off the foot of the bed, which is somewhat hard to do from my position. However, what I failed to notice is the five foot drop to the floor. Only a hand gripping my shirt keeps me from falling over the edge. "Where the hell are we?" I demand immediately, ignoring the fact that Ryland has yet to pull me back to the bed and I am still precariously perched over the edge. If I were to step back, I could reach a platform, but I am not sure if it is meant to be stepped on or if it is a poorly-placed bookshelf.

"Con calma," Ryland murmurs, seemingly still half asleep despite being able to act quickly enough that I did not fall on my head. I might be a cat, but it is hard to land on your feet when sleepy, confused, and there is only five feet to properly recover from the initial fall. "We are in my apartment."

"And why, pray tell, are we in your apartment?" I ask, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. It clearly did not work, as my voice is not as steady as I would like it to be, but I am not used to waking up in strange places. With Dylan, it was a little different because I spent some time at the pack house and slept there often. "I thought we agreed to go back to my cabin."

In fact, the last thing I remember is talking about going back to the cabin. How tired would I have to be to pass out in Ryland's truck?

"Actually, you came to that conclusion yourself. I intended to drop you off, but then you fell asleep and I figured it would be better if you did not wake up alone," Ryland says matter-of-factly, before tugging me back onto the bed and releasing my shirt in favor of lying back down. It might be a sturdy place, but it is definitely not safe. Nothing would be safe with a lion in poking distance.

"Better for me or for you?" I growl in annoyance as I sit back on my heels. He might look relaxed, lying sprawled out on the left side of the bed, but he still turns into a four-hundred-pound lion when it pleases him and that does not inspire any confidence.

Ryland smiles up at me, placing his hands behind his head, broadcasting his lack of concern. His relaxed attitude starts to eat away at the tension in the air, slowly destroying my rather irrational concerns. As the lion already said, he has no intention of hurting or doing anything I do not ask for. And my guess is that even if I accidentally say something with my body language, he is the type who would want verbal communication or some kind of official confirmation. Sadly, I do not have proof of this theory.

Though, I have been sleeping here for who-knows-how-long in the same bed as Ryland, in his apartment, and he has not tried anything. Well, okay, I have no way of knowing that he did not do anything. I will just have to trust him on that one.

"For both of us," he finally answers. I open my mouth to reply, only to snap it closed. With no proper reply coming to mind, I settle for glaring at him out of annoyance. My glaring warrants an exasperated sigh from the lion. "I do not know why you ask questions if you do not like my answers, amore mio."

The fact that he has a point only annoys me more. My attention goes to the wall and I sit down completely now, no longer feeling the need to flee. If something happens, I can jump off the bed again, this time intentionally aiming for the floor below. However, this bed is too comfortable to leave without a reason. And right now, I cannot think of a good one.