Taming Beasts | MxM | Petshop

Part 9

"Moondrop!"

Ross sounded agitated, so I suspected that he had noticed the precarious condition of the kitchen counter. Purring to myself, I stayed afloat in the whirlpool. This day of comfort had made me careless, which wasn't surprising given that I had never been allowed to enjoy the perks of civilization to this degree before. Mainly, I had spent the day engulfed by steaming water.

When Ross appeared in the doorway, I instantly sat up straight, ears flat against my scalp. I snarled, matching his discontent stare. His piercing blue eyes were attempting to root me to the spot. I shifted uncomfortably when he rolled up his sleeves, exposing his very muscular arms.

"You'll get out of that tub right now and clean up your mess, or I swear I'll drag your sorry ass out and make you lick up every last drop off piss until my floor is sterilized," he said slowly and utterly serious.

My fur was standing on end, and my instincts were inclined to follow his command. After all, he seemed physically capable to follow through with his threat – unless I wanted to engage in a death match, which I was likely to win but only likely.

"Moondrop."

I growled defiantly.

"On three. One."

I ducked beneath the water so that I was covered up to my nose.

"Two."

I growled beneath the surface, causing my voice to resound inside the pool.

"Three."

Ross approached with purposeful strides, and I stared in awe at his blank expression. Only when he reached for me did it sink it that he was about to enforce his prior directive, and my body reacted on its own. I jumped outside the tub with a start, but he caught hold of my leg. It slipped from his grip, yet I still fell onto the tiles, quickly scrambling back to my feet.

I got onto my hind legs, whirling around to keep an eye on him. The sick bastard was enjoying is, I could fucking smell it again. He was enjoying pushing me around.

"I'm now going to grab you by the neck, and then drag you into the kitchen, and then you'll clean up your mess. Got it?"

Baring my fangs, I dared him to try. He was as unfazed as always. Despite my reluctance to fight him, my paw lashed out reflexively when he went for my neck, fuelled by the adrenaline pumping in my veins. My claws broke skin on his forearm, drawing blood.

Ross hissed in pain, then frowned at the red droplets travelling towards his elbow. His lips pulled back into a cruel smirk. "Now you've done it."

My flight response kicked in, causing me to turn on my heels and dart towards my cage, but he was faster than expected – or maybe I had been slow to react, surprised by his malicious intent. He grabbed my arms, and before I could scratch him again, he had them pinned behind my back, holding my wrists in a single, large hand.

I struggle against him, trying to wriggle free while I was snapping at the air. He kept my body slightly bend forwards though, so only my rear was brushing his body. When I felt his physical reaction to my struggle, I flinched, immediately ceasing any movement.

My ass was resting against his erection, and his breathing was ragged.

"You sick bastard," I snapped.

Ross chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh, look who's talking."

"Pervert!"

"Well, maybe you should think about that next time you fucking piss on my furniture," he said amused and thrust his hip forward, rubbing his hard member against me.

I tried to jerk away but failed miserably. "I'll clean it up! I'll clean it up, okay? Just let go of me."

He didn't, though. Of course, he didn't. Instead, he leaned closer, sliding the tip of his nose down my spine, beginning at my neck. My body melted at the touch, already prepared for mating by the heavy scent of his arousal lingering all around me. The only thing keeping my libido at bay was my panic, which was dying down as the heat seeped through my body.

"Stop," I panted, suddenly breathless though I didn't know why. Just like I didn't understand why my body was reacting to him in such a way. While I knew about the so-called perks of my genetic make-up, I still didn't get why this was out of my control.

He took my fur between his teeth, pulling softly.

I mewled desperately. "Please."

Air hissed up his nose as he took a deep breath, and his fingers tightened around my wrists.

"Fucking shit," he cursed, then pushed me away. I stumbled a couple of steps, mainly because my legs were still weak from dread and arousal alike. Panting, I stared at the floor, eyes widened. My body trembled.

"Clean the fucking kitchen," Ross said brusquely, already brushing past me. I quickly stepped aside, afraid of the proximity, and watched his broad shoulders as he left. When I was certain that he was out of earshot, I sank to the floor, snarling weakling.

The sound turned into a whimper. I wasn't feeling sad, but I had been incredibly frightened, and now that the fear had dropped from my chest, the elation was overwhelming. I needed a moment of slow breathing to collect myself before I went into the kitchen and actually cleaned up the mess I'd created.

I was wringing out the rag when Ross entered the kitchen. My breath caught in my throat, forcing me to stare at him for another moment before I was able to get oxygen inside my lungs again and think clearly enough to know better. I averted my gaze, then went back to mopping up my urine.

He sighed and opened the fridge, tossing groceries onto the counter.

"System, activate the cook. - Activate program for steamed vegetables."

A moment later, the device came to life, and I heard it work on the food Ross was putting in. I didn't think much of what he was doing until he opened the package of meat. My stomach growled, totally uncalled for.

"Yes, this is your dinner. Buffalo ribeye, in case you're interested."

I didn't know what ribeye was, but he made it sound delicious. I hadn't eaten buffalo before either, so I was definitely interested – and also filled with conflicted feelings. A part of me didn't want him to be nice to me, even if nice merely referred to giving me food.

Once I was done with cleaning, I disappeared into the guest room, the only place that wasn't drowning in his prominent odour. Curled up in the sheets, I didn't move even when Ross entered, holding my bowl in his hands.

"I guess this is nicer than the cage." He sighed and approached the bed, only stopping when I hissed at him.

"Seriously?" he asked, pointedly lifting the bowl. I growled quietly, but Ross stepped towards the bed anyway, though very slowly. He placed the bowl next to my head.

"There you go. That's all. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."