Page 79 of Cat’s Guide To Romance

His eyes narrow before he finally takes my hand. The purple ribbon tied near the end of his tail makes something thump hard in my chest. He’s been doing that to me a lot lately. Existing. Looking cute. Making my insides feel like they’re trying to crawl out and hand themselves to him.

Sparkle pulls up an address and holds the screen toward me, keeping his hand carefully positioned so I can’t see anything besides the location. Kentucky. Easy enough.

“You planned a date that requires me to provide transportation?” I ask, glancing at him.

“I planned everything else. You have magic. Seems silly not to use it.”

I curl my arm around his waist, mostly because I like holding him when we teleport. Sparkle immediately presses closer, one hand settling against my chest. He doesn’t need the help anymore. I know that. He knows that. We both keep our traps closed about it.

I snap my fingers, and the world folds around us. A parking lot replaces Sparkle’s living room. Cool air brushes over my face as my boots hit pavement, and I keep my arm around Sparkle while I take in our surroundings. The first thing I see is the building.

The second is Sparkle watching me instead of wherever the fuck he brought me.

The third is a giant fake mosasaurus. It’s like a giant Loch Ness monster if Nessie were real. I slowly tip my head back. And farther back.

My mouth drops open as I take in the enormous creature looming over us. Its jaws are spread wide, displaying rows of massive teeth, and someone has apparently decided this magnificent monstrosity belongs in Kentucky because humans are fucking incredible.

I release Sparkle and walk closer, craning my neck as I take in every detail of the enormous creature. “This is incredible.”

Sparkle trails after me, and his smile softens as he watches me circle around for a better view.

“Why is it here?”

“Dunno.” He shrugs. “But it’s pretty cool, right?”

That makes it even better. I turn in a slow circle beneath the massive creature, trying to imagine the thought process that led to its existence. Someone had to design it. Build it. Pay for the fucking thing.

“Isn’t it magnificent?” I spread my arms toward it and turn back to Sparkle. “Someone woke up one morning and decided this needed to exist. Then other people apparently agreed with them enough to actually make it happen.”

Sparkle’s smile grows as he watches me.

I pause. “What?”

His tail sways innocently behind him. “Lars was right.”

My eyes narrow. “You consulted the wolf?”

“I needed information.” Sparkle shoves his hands into his pockets, but his cheeks are already turning pink.

“About me?” My tail gives one hard wag before I can stop it.

Sparkle notices immediately, and his smile turns smug. I should probably be embarrassed that my tail betrayed me. I’m too busy realizing my kitty cat apparently conducted research to plan my date.

“You asked Lars what I like?”

“I also asked Ryan.” Sparkle rocks back on his heels, looking increasingly pleased with himself. “You spent weeks figuring out what I like. It seemed fair.”

I close the space between us, wrap both arms around his waist, and pull him against me. Sparkle laughs as his hands land against my chest. I kiss him before he can say anything else, and his tail curls around my leg while mine wraps around his waist.

For a few seconds, I forget entirely about the enormous prehistoric creature behind us.

Sparkle eventually pulls back and pats my chest. “There’s more.”

I stare down at him. “More than the giant mosasaurus?”

“There’s a real mosasaurus skull inside. And rocks and fossils and stuff.” His smile turns downright devious before he adds, “And something called the Mystery House.”

I glance toward the building again. “What kind of mystery?”