24. Dallas
24
DALLAS
I didn’t actually expect her to stay.
I thought she’d laugh in my face, give me her reasons for why this is the very last thing we should be doing and leave me to my own devices.
She’s not wrong about this being a terrible idea.
I’m currently lying on a bed, with the most gorgeous woman to ever exist beside me and I’m not wearing any pants.
Ditching the jeans was not smart.
As she settles beside me, I readjust my position on the bed, rolling onto my side to hide my reaction to her proximity.
“How’s the arm?” she asks, reaching out to trace a finger along the crisp white bandage Clarissa Sheridan applied before we left the hospital. Her touch tickles and is electric, sending both sparks and shivers through my body.
“Hurts like a bitch,” I say.
“I can imagine. ”
I trap her fingers under mine before she can run them down the bandage again. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” She glances up at me, then quickly away. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Clarissa. I’m assuming you weren’t expecting to see her today?”
Katie lets out a long breath and rolls onto her back, away from me. “No, I wasn’t. I haven’t seen her since Toby’s funeral.”
I watch her carefully. She’s blinking rapidly as she stares at the ceiling. “She seemed happy to see you,” I say.
Katie shrugs, then covers her face with her hands. “I thought she’d hate me too,” she says, her voice muffled behind her hands.
I don’t know if I should ask the question sitting on the tip of my tongue. It could see Katie break down some of her walls, or it could cause her to build them back up.
I throw caution to the wind, because I need to know everything possible about this woman, and the words slide free. “Why would she hate you?”
Katie’s hands fall back to the mattress and I reach over to entwine my fingers with hers. The movement just happens now, without my conscious thought, but the feeling of her hand in mine hasn’t lost its novelty yet. It probably never will, no matter how often I’m allowed to do it.
“Max blames me for making Toby leave town. He thinks it was my idea, but it wasn’t. I didn’t want to go. I loved it here.” She takes a shaky breath. “I hadn’t felt like I ever had a home before. When I was with my mum we moved around all the time and nothing was ever stable. Moving here to live with my grandma … I hated it at first, but I made friends and I was happy here. It was home. I didn’t want to leave.” She rubs her hand over her face again.
“Toby decided he wanted to go and I didn’t feel like I had a choice but to go with him —” She breaks off.
“You don’t seem like the kind of girl to just go along with what a guy says,” I say, wary that I might be throwing gas on the fire.
She snorts. “I’m not. I wasn’t then either.” She takes a steadying breath and rolls back onto her side. Her grey eyes meet mine and I can clearly see the tears shining there. “I was pregnant,” she whispers. “I thought we’d be a family. I didn’t realise eventually I’d lose everything. The baby, Toby, my job. Everything.”
My breath catches at her admission, and my heart breaks for her. I couldn’t imagine losing a baby. As much of a surprise that Sadie was, I wanted her from the second I knew about her.
A tear spills over and rolls down Katie’s cheek. “I didn’t think I’d end up here again, especially not after Max screamed at me after the funeral. That’s when I decided I’d never come back.”
I reach out and wipe away her tears with my thumb. She lets out another shuddering breath and presses her face into my hand. “But you did come back,” I say, voice quiet in the mid-afternoon hush.
“Yeah. I lost my job. I was running out of money and Livvie needed the help. My grandma left me the house after she passed, but I’m not allowed to sell it until I turn twenty-five, so coming back here seemed like the best option. I thought I could do it. Maybe try and make my life here again … but Max has had years to convince people to hate me. I can’t live in a town where everyone does.”
“Princess,” I say, my fingers sliding down to caress her neck. “The only person in this town who has the slightest problem with you is Max. Every other person you’ve seen has loved you. Max doesn’t deserve that power. Don’t give it to him.”
She’s silent for long moments, just lying there staring at me as my fingers stray further and further. They brush against her throat, trail along her jaw, trace the gentle curve of her cheek. When she doesn’t move, doesn’t stop me, my fingers continue exploring: the arch of her brow, the line of her nose, the full, luscious swoop of her lips.
“I’m scared of giving anyone any power over me anymore,” she whispers as my palm finally comes to rest, cupping her face.
“I can understand that,” I say, thinking about the horse she got me on this morning. “But maybe today is a good day for getting past some of our biggest fears.”
Her eyes widen and she grins. It’s a complete shift in her demeanour. “You rode a horse today, cowboy.”
“I did, yes.”
She reaches out, her hand coming to rest against my face, mirroring my own position. “I’m so proud of you,” she says, sincerity in her eyes. None of the cheeky mocking she’s usually giving me.
“I meant what I said too. I want you to teach Sadie.”
“I’d love to.” Her voice is husky and I’m hit with a wave of longing so strong I can barely give her a chance to get her next words out. “But I understand if you want to put a hold on it for now.”
“Absolutely not. I want you?—”
Then I cut myself off, and close the minimal gap between us.
I press my mouth to hers, feeling her tiny gasp of surprise. My hand slides into her hair as her fingers find their way to the back of my neck. After a second of shock passes between us, Katie opens her mouth and shifts closer to me.
A rough sound comes from the back of my throat as I angle my head to deepen the kiss. Katie’s tongue runs along my bottom lip, then slips inside my mouth, brushing against my own. I make that noise again and roll, attempting to push her back into the mattress.
I come up short though, when I crush my injured arm underneath me.
“Fuuuuck,” I grit out, breaking off the kiss.
Katie is on her back, staring up at me with eyes wide, cheeks flushed, damp hair spread across the pillow, looking a little stunned at the abrupt end to the kiss. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“What? Why?” I readjust my position, so my injured arm is clear of any colliding bodies.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Princess, I started it.”
She blinks up at me again, opening her mouth as if to argue. I lean in and cover it with my own again. This time I’m gentle when I taste her.
When I pull back, I gently disengage, then smooth a stray lock of hair back from her face. “And I don’t regret it for a second.”
“I thought you didn’t want this,” she whispers, her fingers tracing over my face. My stomach swoops and a pulsing need shoots through me.
“Oh, I want this, princess.”
Her eyes flutter closed at the stupid name. “Even if I can’t commit to anything?”
I stroke my fingers through her hair, wondering how to answer that. Because I’ve already told her I don’t want a once off. She opens her eyes and peers up at me, uncertainty written across her face.
I press my lips against hers again. A brief moment of bliss. “Will you give me a chance to change your mind?” Another kiss. Her fingers trail down my neck, tracing the shape of my collarbone. “Give me a chance to replace the old memories with new ones?” I swipe my tongue across her bottom lip and she groans. I want to devour the sound. Devour her. “Let me prove to you that you can be happy here.”
I kiss her once more, then pull back and stare down at her. Her eyes are glassy and cheeks flushed. I prop myself on the elbow of my injured arm, ignore the throbbing pain and trail my fingers through her hair. “Can you do that?” I whisper.
Her eyes close as my fingers stroke across her scalp, then slowly open again. “Yes,” she says, her voice hoarse. “Okay. I can try.”
“That’s all I need,” I say, then fit my hand against her neck and capture my mouth with hers.
It’s a solid kiss, sure and slow. Then her hand runs down my bare chest, along my side, and slides around my waist.
I groan and press myself into her, like I’ve wanted to since I first kissed her. One of my legs is over hers and the feel of her thigh between mine makes my eyes blur and the world spin.
The sound I make, and the pressure against her leg switches something in her. She makes a hoarse gasping noise and pushes her hips into me. One moment, she’s underneath me, the next, she’s rolled us so I’m flat on my back, her leg hooked over my body.
“Holy shit,” I say, dazed. I blink a few times as I readjust to the new position.
Katie laughs and pushes off the bed. Next thing I know, she’s straddling me. She swirls her hips in the most sensual way, grinding down on my cock. It’s been hard since she lay down beside me but now it’s rock solid and aching.
“God, I’ve missed this feeling,” she murmurs, looking down on me.
My hands land on her hips, helping to guide her motion. I’m incapable of words, but another breathy sound escapes me.
She laughs again, the sound light and breezy. “I’ve been thinking about it since the night we met.” She stops circling and thrusts her hips forward in a sharp motion.
“Fuck.” The word leaves me riding another guttural cry and Katie grins down at me, all of her caution and wariness gone. “Come here,” I say as I snake one hand up her body and grasp the nape of her neck, pulling her down into another searing kiss. “You’re going to kill me.”
“You can take it,” she says, smiling against my mouth. “I however, might not be able to take it much longer if you don’t touch me.”
“I am touching you.” I press a kiss to her jaw, then trail a line of open mouthed kisses down her neck. She shivers and shudders against me.
“Properly,” she hisses, then follows up the word with another thrust of her hips. She’s only wearing leggings and I’m only in my underwear so I can feel everything . “Touch me,” she utters the command on a moan, which takes away some of the authority but not my desire to do as she says.
I trace my fingers across her hips, holding her lightly, then gently sweeping my hands higher. Katie growls and yanks the worn t-shirt off over her head.
She’s wearing another sports bra, this time bright pink. It pushes her breasts together, a soft swell spilling over the top of the low-cut neckline as she heaves in a deep breath. I just about lose my head right then and there.
Her shirt removal tactic did exactly what she wanted it to. I push myself to sitting, remembering not to use my injured arm at the last second, then reverently run my hands over the pink fabric. I cup her tits in my hands and run my thumbs across the velvety smooth skin. I lower my head and press a kiss to the exposed skin, then trail my tongue along the edge of the bra.
“This is so fucking hot,” I murmur, unable to lift my mouth from her flesh.
“Hotter than the first time?” She asks, her voice teasing as she threads her fingers into my hair, holding my face against her chest.
The memory slams into me. The one of Katie pushing me down onto her bed, then stepping back and staring down at me for a long moment. I propped myself up on my elbows and watched as she trailed her gaze over my body, pausing when she reached the fly of my jeans and slowly licked her bottom lip.
She pulled her sweater off and dropped it to the floor, then tugged her silky tank top over her head and tossed it onto my chest. She popped the button and lowered the zipper of her jeans, letting me see enough to know that her underwear matched the skimpy white lace bra she was wearing.
She watched me take in the sight, then stepped forward and popped the button of my own jeans as she dropped to her knees between my thighs.
Katie’s fingers tug at my hair, bringing me back to this moment. I lick across her breast again, then press my open mouth over the cup of the bra. She arches back, pushing her hips into mine and her chest forward. Her hair spills down her back and I tangle my hand in it, holding her in that position.
“Yeah,” I mutter. “Hotter than the last time.” She utters an unintelligible sound. “I know who you are now.” I use my free hand to tug down the front of the bra. It’s too rigid to move far, but I catch a glimpse of the dusky edge of her nipple. I press my mouth as close as I can to it and suck her skin into my mouth, rolling it between my lips and tongue.
Katie arches back even further with a hiss of pleasure. The sound shoots straight to my groin where my throbbing cock is still pressed against her. “You like putting in the work, huh, cowboy?”
“Only if it’s worth it.” I tug her hair to expose her neck further, so I can tease the skin there with my mouth. I slide my other hand down and grip her ass, admiring the gorgeous curve and how well it fits into my palm.
“Oh, I’ll make sure it’s worth it.” Another groan and a flurry of shivers ripples through her. She pushes her ass back into my hand, trying to change the angle so my fingers brush the inside of her thighs. I’m just beginning to slide them forward when a sharp sound cuts through the room.
Katie’s head jerks up as I slam my eyes closed and press my face into the curve where her neck meets her shoulder. “What’s that?” she asks.
“My alarm,” I say into her neck as I settle both my hands on her waist. She’s stopped grinding down on me and we sit with her across my lap, her fingers in my hair as we pant together. “I set it before in case I fell asleep. I didn’t want to sleep through school pick up.”
“Well, it’s probably a good thing you set it, because we would definitely have missed pick up otherwise.”
I huff a laugh and lift my head, reaching for my phone on the mattress beside me to shut off the alarm.
Katie threads her fingers into my hair and stares at me, her gaze soft as it meets mine. Her confidence from a moment ago seems to have evaporated.
I close the tiny space between us and press my lips against hers in a sweet, chaste kiss. “We’ll resume this another time,” I whisper in the quiet between us.
She nods. “We should probably discuss what all this means at some point too.” She chews her lip, looking nervous and uncertain .
I kiss her again. “We will. Soon. I promise. But, for now, can we be careful around Sadie? I don’t want to confuse her.”
“Of course,” Katie says. She pushes back and slowly climbs off my lap. “Come on, cowboy.” She reaches for my hand and helps pull me off the bed. “Let’s go get your girl.”
I reach for my jeans and laugh as she eyes what’s going on in my underwear. “Your fault, princess.”
She smirks and looks far too pleased with herself.