by J. T. Marie
That messes Dayla up. Easier to do the half hour calculations. “Every thirty minutes for four kittens would take…what, two an hour? So two hours?”
“Three if there are six.” Keri rests her head on Dayla’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I know you were on your way home. I just thought maybe you’d want to be here for this.”
Dayla nods. “Definitely. Thanks for calling me.”
Snuggling closer to her, Keri says, “I’ve actually heard of some cats in labor for twenty-four hours. Like they have a few kittens at first and then nothing for a few hours, then out pops some more. Did you know a female cat can get impregnated by more than one male? All the kittens in a litter don’t have to have the same father.”
Now Dayla has to pull away so she can give Keri an incredulous look. “You’re shitting me. How’s that even possible?”
Keri’s smile says she’s enjoying this moment, and Dayla has to agree. She didn’t realize how badly she wanted Keri’s arms around her again until she found herself back in their span. It’s going to be harder than ever to go home now.
Setting her chin on Dayla’s shoulder, Keri blows softly into her ear. “Did you know a cat penis has barbs on it?”
“What?” Dayla laughs. “Now you’re just making shit up.”
“I promise I’m not.” Keri plants a quick kiss on Dayla’s earlobe. “You know, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
Dayla leans into her embrace. “Are you kidding? Mama’s just getting started. I’m not going anywhere tonight.”
Chapter 10
Baby number four comes, then five, then six. Every thirty-five minutes, like clockwork. Keri and Dayla camp out on the floor of the cat room, Keri propped up against one of the cat trees and Dayla lying down, her head in Keri’s lap. Forty minutes later, there’s still only six. “I think that’s it,” Keri says, but she doesn’t make a move to stand.
Dayla yawns, then snuggles in closer to Keri. “What time is it?” She doesn’t feel like reaching for her phone. She’s too comfortable right where she is.
“Um, one something?” Keri doesn’t know, either.
The thought of driving home now only makes Dayla sleepier. “Thank goodness I have off tomor—”
“Wait.”
Mama cat’s moving again, and before Keri and Dayla manage to get to their feet, she gives one last push. “Seven!” Dayla laughs.
Keri moves closer, a slight frown marring her pretty face. “I think it’s eight.”
“What?” Dayla grips Keri’s arm with both hands.
“Twins,” Keri confirms as mama cleans off the newborns. “They’re pretty much runts, but she’s fussing with them, so that’s a good sign.”
Keri waits another few minutes, watching the litter to make sure all the babies are able to latch onto the mother for sustenance. Then she tiptoes up to the cardboard box. The sound of mama’s purring fills the room. In a half-whisper, Keri murmurs, “So small. So perfect! Come look.”
Dayla’s seen kittens before, of course, but never any this helpless, this tiny. “My God,” she breathes. Most of the kittens all look about the same, little damp balls of gray fluff, but there’s one with peach spots, and one that’s completely orange. “How are you going to be able to tell them apart?”
“Once they get older, their personalities will come out,” Keri says.
Doubtful, Dayla asks, “And until then?”
Keri grins. “Colored collars.”
Now that all the excitement is over, Dayla finds she isn’t in a rush to leave. “So is that it, do you think?”
With a nod, Keri steps back away from the box. “Yeah, probably. I’ll wait up another half hour just to make sure, but I think she’s done. Good job, Missy. Look at all your pretty little kitties!”
Dayla’s phone is on the floor, not far from where they sat earlier. She stretches her hamstrings as she bends at the waist to pick it up, feeling the burn in the muscles down the back of her thighs. The thought of driving anywhere now exhausts her. Then she turns on her screen and sees it’s quarter to three in the morning. “Shit, it’s late. Almost three o’clock. No wonder I’m so tired.”
“You can stay here,” Keri offers. “I know we said not tonight, but we’re both worn out now.”
Dayla shrugs. “I don’t know. I can sleep on the couch, if you want.”
Crossing the room, Keri wraps her arms around Dayla’s waist. “You can sleep with me.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“Positive.” Keri gives her a little kiss in the corner of her mouth. “My bed’s more than big enough for both of us.”
“Sold.” Dayla turns to catch Keri’s next kiss on the lips. We might be too tired to do anything more than sleep tonight, though.
But waking up beside Keri will be the perfect start to tomorrow.
THE END
ABOUT J.T. MARIE
J.T. Marie is a pseudonym for author J.M. Snyder, who publishes gay erotic and romantic fiction under her full name. A graduate of George Mason University, Marie worked as Fantasy Editor of the school’s sci-fi and fantasy journal, The Fractal, for two years. After college, she created and maintained an online webzine, Disenchanted, to further a love of fantasy fiction. For more information on her non-gay fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, please visit jtmarie.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!