Thursday Thirst Trap: Painted Love...Kitties and Ferrets and Fireman oh my!

 

Painted Love

“Hey Mouse, I’m home!” Garrett called as he opened the door and stepped into an apartment filled with laughter. He followed the sound of it to the kitchen and found a sight that warmed his heart and chased away some of the more unsettling memories of the afternoon.

There would be time enough to make peace with them later, but right now, the only thing he was interested in was Mouse and Cas rolling dough and pressing balls of it on the cookie sheet.

“You’re home!” Mouse cheered and rushed to hug him, flour and food coloring coated hands and all. Not that Garrett minded, he was just glad to have his pet in his arms and see him looking so happy. Sighing contently, he nuzzled Mouse’s neck and inhaled the scent of his body wash, Summer Rain unless Garrett missed his guess, though there was a hint of pineapple lingering there too. Mouse giggled as Garrett peppered him with kisses and a sharp nip to the skin behind his ear, making him squeal and wiggle.

“I missed you,” Mouse whispered, snuggling in his embrace.

“I missed you too, Mousy.”

For several heartbeats they just stayed like that, lost in their own little world, until Garrett glanced up and saw Cas still working on the cookies, clearly giving them a bit of privacy.

“No hug for me?” Garrett asked, gaining Cas’s attention when he let go of Mouse and crowded into Cas’s space.

“Of course you can have one,” Cas said, setting down the rainbow-colored dough he’d been edging with a mixture of several colors of sugar crystals.

Garrett tugged him close the moment his hands were free, hugged him, and rested his chin on the top of Cas’s head. “You both smell so good.”

“It’s the cookies.”

“I don’t think so. I think some of it is you.”

“Does it make you want to eat us up?” Mouse asked cheekily.

“It sure does, but I’d better let you finish with these first. Wouldn’t want all of your hard work to go to waste. How did you come up with these?"

“I saw some pictures of Pride cookies online and shared them with Mouse,” Cas explained. “He started talking about making some, which wound up making me hungry. He said if I wanted a taste of them so badly I’d have to come over to help him, so here I am.”

“Yes, here you are, and my question is, how long can you stay?”

“As long as you both want me to.”

“Even if that means all night?” Mouse asked sweetly.

Garrett held his breath while waiting to see if Cas would say yes, his heart giving a little flutter when that was exactly the response the other man gave.

“I’d love to,” Cas replied, flashing a smile.

“Are you hungry?” Mouse asked. “We ordered pizza from Rotini’s.”

“Famished,” Garrett remarked, noticing the pizza box on the far counter for the first time since coming in.

“Help yourself, we’ve already eaten,” Mouse told him as he rejoined Cas and the dough. Garrett tugged one of the high-backed barstools up to the counter, so he’d have the most ideal view of them working, chuckling to himself at the smudges and smears they each had on their clothes. Garrett could only imagine the tickling, teasing, and pawing that had taken place to leave some of those flour fingerprints, like the one on the back pocket of Cas’s jeans. From the looks of it, Mouse had slipped a hand into the denim to pull Cas close, leaving Garrett with little doubt that they’d shared their first kiss already.

That was perfectly alright with Garrett as long as Cas still had some kisses left to share with him.

Cas' ferret suit is a patchwork collection of stitched-together fur, but he's earnest, honest, and just wants to prove that he can be a good pet.

Mouse is a pet, he's a kitty with a fantastic Daddy and they've been looking for someone to join them in their playtime and perhaps even a whole lot more. Meeting Cas offers a wealth of possibilities. The more time they spend together, the more they bond. But will an arsonist bring all their plans crashing down around them before they ever have the chance to see them realized?

Pride Pet Play 2023 is a multi-author series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not check them all out? If you like playful pets who are sometimes naughty, Pride parades, and Daddy’s who love their boys unconditionally you’ll fall in love with our pack!