I tighten my grip around her waist. “Was wondering how long it’d take before you started bossing me around.”
“Bossy? Me?” She bats her lashes. “I prefer delightfully assertive.”
“Royal pain in my ass is more like it,” I shoot back playfully.
She lightly swats my shoulder. “That’sMrs.Pain in the Ass, thank you very much.”
“All right, Mrs.Halstead,let’s get you inside before we have to buy out the entire antihistamine section at the pharmacy.”
I step around the cat who’s battling my shoelaces. He trots right after us, refusing to be left behind. I make a mental note to bring him some food later.
I grunt softly as I shift Charlie higher in my arms, adjusting my grip on my duffel.
“Did you just grunt while carrying your pregnant wife?” She gasps. “How rude! That second slice of peach pie at the diner was essential for the baby’s development.”
I let out a dry chuckle. “You’re going to give me a run for my money, aren’t you?”
“Count on it,” she says proudly. “Just remember, you willingly married me of your own free will. So you only have yourself to blame for whatever comes next.”
I sidestep another pile of boxes outside the area by the store’s back entrance. “Technically, we got hitched becauseyouproposed, and I couldn’t refuse the mother of my child.”
She gives my cheek a patronizing pat. “Cute story. Whatever helps you sleep at night,husband.”
Fuck. This woman can challenge me all she wants, but if she keeps calling me that, I’ll challenge her right back. I love how it sounds rolling off her tongue, even when it’s dripping with sarcasm.
I stop at the back door. “You got a key?”
Charlie shakes her head. “No need. It’s unlocked.”
I frown when the knob turns easily in my hand.
Goddammit.
It’s obvious she has no regard for her own safety. That’s going to change now that I’m here.
First thing on the list: floodlights for the alley. As for the stray cat, I’ll have to come up with a solution that works for them both. I suspect Charlie doesn’t dislike him nearly as much as she claims, considering she keeps feeding him and she mentioned having him relocated. So I’ll hold off unless I’m sure that’s what she really wants.
Luckily, the cat is distracted by a crumpled receipt rolling around on the ground, giving me the chance to slip inside without him following. Once the door is bolted shut, I carefully set Charlie down.
The door opens into a small mudroom with a stackable washer and dryer. And a staircase on the left leads up to her apartment.
I start toward the stairs, but Charlie stops me. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
I blink. “What?”
“You’re covered in cat hair, remember? That little furball was all over you.”
“Right. Sorry.”
I drop my duffel and start undoing my belt. I’m halfway out of my pants when Charlie grabs my wrist.
“What are you doing?” she squeaks, eyes wide.
“Trying not to track cat hair upstairs,” I reply, kicking my pants off and tossing them in the washer. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” I’d rather not spend our first night as newlyweds in the ER.
“Uh, yeah… but I figured you’d wait for me to leave before stripping,” she stammers.
I pause with my thumbs on my shirt buttons. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”