I run the pads of my fingers over my swollen lips and love the way they feel. The man really did fuck me silent. The ache between my legs should be non-existent, but it’s not. I want him again, forever. Staring into the mirror, I smile back at my flushed cheeks. He saved me once again. Katch refused to let me spiral downward into a blackout.

I can’t believe my mother is alive. I have to find her. Get to her and make sure she’s going to be okay. It’s a miracle, and I’m not sure if I can fully believe it until I touch her. Here I thought the life of power, money, and corruption my father led me to believe was delivered to me out of guilt and shame, because I believed him when he came to that party to pick me up that she really came looking for me. He has lied to me my entire life. He took her from me. I know he did.

“Babe.” Katch steps up behind me, still naked as the day he was born. “Curtis is on his way over. Hop in the shower.”

“Join me?” I ask.

He smiles into the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck. His beard deliciously tickles me, reminding me how fucking good it felt between my thighs. I will ride that beard one day.

“Don’t think it would be a good idea if he saw me fucking his baby cousin when he comes over.”

“Quick?” I ask.

“Nothing I do to you will be quick.” He backs away, stepping out of his master bathroom.

I fight to ignore the chills racing up my spine and the new-forming dampness between my legs. This asshole has my number, and for the first time since I lost my mother, I feel my shield slowly slipping away.

“Don’t you need a shower?” I point to his cock, which is still hard, beautiful, big, and mine.

He plants his hands high on the doorframe, not the least bit embarrassed to stand there naked. Jesus Christ, this man. I know he’s about to hit me with a fucking bomb when a signature Katch crooked grin covers his face.

“Fuck, no. Need to smell my woman all fucking day.” Holy hell. This man.

I wrinkle my nose, doing my best to feign disgust, but the smile on my face gives it away. The sound of being his woman rolling off that talented tongue sends me soaring to the clouds.

“Gross. Now, get that sex machine out of my sight so I can focus on cleaning up.”

He steps back, dropping his arms, and I mourn the loss of the sight. His expression turns from smug to serious.

“I’ll get tested to prove to you I’m clean.”

“Think I don’t trust you, Katch?” I raise a brow.

“My track record isn’t the best.”

“You never promised me anything before, but now you have, so don’t make me regret it. I’ve been hurt enough in my lifetime.” I can’t believe I’m still standing, to be honest.

“What about getting pregnant?”

I shrug. “Guess time will tell.”

He turns and walks away without a care in the world, while I admire his perfect ass.

I don’t tamp down the giggle escaping me. I never said I’d play fair with him. Katch is the type of man who needs to be on his toes at every sharp angle. I reach into the drawer where I keep my birth control pills. By some act of God, they were in my purse when I fled. I haven’t missed a day since and even had Rachel get me a new prescription. Babies have never been on my agenda for several reasons, but Katch doesn’t need to know that. I can only imagine the delicious spankings I’ll get when he finds out there was no pregnancy scare at all.

I’ve come a long damn way, but when I step under the hot shower, the apple-scented shampoo is too much to bare this time. The horror in my mother’s eyes flashes back to me, threatening to take me under. This has to be a sick and twisted fucking joke. I’d chalk it up to a wishful dream, but I still feel Katch between my legs bringing me back to reality.

I reach for his body wash and shampoo to clean up, making it a quick shower, knowing Curtis will be over here in a matter of minutes.

I lotion up, dress in another pair of these damn leggings and a t-shirt, and my body shakes, my fingers start to tremble when I walk down the hallway hearing voices. I was right. Curtis is already here.

“Oh, Caitlin.” Rachel flies into me, wrapping me up in a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

It’s so damn wrong that I let Katch fuck me at a time like this.

I must be truly numb everywhere besides where Katch is concerned. I’m sure it’s a fact one’s mind can only handle so much shit bundled in a short amount of time.

“Sit,” Katch growls.

Everyone listens but me. I edge near the table but refuse to sit down like it’s going to make the problem disappear.

“It was her, Curtis,” I whisper.

He nods once. “It is her.”

My head spins in a cloud of dizziness and confusion.

“How? Where was she?” My vision starts to go black.

“Oh no, you don’t.” Katch grabs me by the waist, curling me up in his lap.

His touch and scent envelope me. My heart slows down and my racing thoughts lull. He’s catching me again.

Curtis clears his throat, sending his disapproval through his stare. I peer up to see Katch staring right at him, not backing down.

“Got a problem, Curtis?” he asks, gripping his arm tight around me.

“A big fucking problem,” Curtis replies.

“Then we take it outside.”

“You assholes aren’t going to the ring right now. Not like this. Not when the most important thing is sitting in his lap. No damn way will I allow either one of you to hurt her.” Rachel slaps Curtis on the shoulder.

“You may be able to talk to him that way. You don’t have the right to tell me what I can and can’t do. If he has a problem with it, he can man the fuck up,” Katch says, not dropping his stare.

“What the hell do you think I’m doing, asshole? We’re all she’s got. My wife has every fucking right. So do I. Caitlin has been through hell. She’s going to be living there for a long damn time, and you, my friend, will shove her into the darkest corner from where we’ll never get her back. A man like you doesn’t settle, Katch. So, yeah, I got a fucking problem.”

“Stop.” I stand abruptly. “Curtis, I love you, but I’m not a child. Both you and Rachel of all people should know that when two people are attracted to one another, then you act on it or regret it. I chose to act on it. We’ve talked. It’s our business. And you”—I turn to Katch—“need to have more respect for women. You don’t go around talking to people that way. Especially someone I care about. Now, will someone please tell me if they know anything about my mother? It seems I’m not able to call my resources in, so any advice would be helpful.” I sit back on his lap. His body turns stiff and is probably full of anger. I don’t care. They both need to settle down. I look up to Rachel, who has the most beautiful look on her face. It mirrors my own, I hope. It’s respect for me. I’ve changed.

Brick comes into the room with a burst, and we all turn our heads.

There’s a file clutched in his hand. “Got it, Prez.”

I choke down my fear as the thick file slides across the top of the table with a few papers coming loose. He has pictures of my family. I pick one of them up, my fingers running across my mother’s delicate features. I was so young in this photo as I peered up at my father with love. Both my parents are smiling into the camera. My mother’s smile was true, beautiful like her, and my father’s, fake. Fake and a liar, a deceiver to his wife and his daughter. If only he weren’t dead so I could kill him myself. Oh, the irony of the all-American family. Classic, with so many deathly secrets buried in the depth of the hollows.

“We need to find her. I have to go,” I say, trying to move from his lap.

Katch’s hold on my thigh tightens. Not enough to inflict pain but enough to tell me to wait.

“Out!” Curtis yells at Brick, opens the file, and starts shuffling through papers.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“To see if my contact found out where she is,” Curtis replies without looking up. “They’ve taken her to UCLA Medical.”

He hands me a paper with her name and hospital room on it. Of course, my first instinct is to ask him how he got this information. Right now, I don’t care if it fell from the sky.

“You need to fucking listen to me, Caitlin. We still have no clue who’s after you. If they know she’s alive, then they’ll find out where she is. We need to be smart about this. The way I see it going down is, I’m her nephew. I have every right to see her. I’m going to her. I’m going to find out how stable she is, both physically and mentally. If she’s capable of talking, eating, standing on her own. All that imperative shit. I’m going to find out everything I know. I’ll get her to you.”

“Are you saying that I have to wait longer to be able to see my mother? I don’t care about those men who are after me right now. I care about her and what she’s been through. She’s been gone for years. Possibly trapped, held hostage, beaten, and God only knows what else. She has no clue if I’m dead, alive, nothing. I’m going.” I stand. This is something I will not back down from. No way in hell they can make me stay here.

“Hollywood,” Katch says in warning.

“No. Do not patronize me. Neither one of you has the right to do that. I get why the both of you want to protect me. I do, but God, don’t make me sit here and wait one more second to see my mother.”

“You listen to me, Goddamn it. I know she’s your mother. I had one myself until she decided there was a better life for her out there and left me. My point is, I care too much about you to let you waltz in there and make yourself known. You may never walk back out of there again, and I’m not losing you, too. It ain’t happening,” Curtis replies with his memories that I had forgotten about because I was too involved in what was best for me.

Jesus, my mind is at war with itself.

“I need a drink,” I say, because I do. My nerves are severed.

“Go, take the Camaro. Call my phone as soon as you can,” Katch says, nods his head to the display case on the wall where all of the keys hang in a nice little row.

“Right.” Curtis nabs a set, turns to Rachel, and kisses her wildly.

Speaking of cars, Katch has a collection of old, refurbished sports cars in a garage behind his house. Brick took me out there one day when I started crying after telling him about my mother. He thought it might make me feel better knowing that someone else has a love for older cars like she did. It made me appreciate Katch all the more, even if I kept telling myself I hated his guts at the time. It’s all part of this connection between us that has my mind warped.

“I’ll call you as soon as I get in to see her,” Curtis assures me.

“Will you tell her I love her and I’m okay?” I ask, knowing he will but needing to be sure.

“That’s the first thing I’ll say.”

* * *

I don’t know how long I’ve sat in this wooden chair while Katch went into his office to catch up on things and start moving along in my case.

“My case,” I blurt out loud.

That’s my tagline when one of my associates and I fight over a new client. I’ve always won, thrown my name at them, my authority, and everything else. It’s no wonder they all hate my guts and talk about me behind my back. It might be the Macallan scotch I’m drinking to numb my pain, but as I sit here trying to keep my mind off things, it’s all hitting me like a two-ton whack to the head.

“I’m changing my ways,” I say, tip back the bitter taste, and swallow it down.

“I sure the fuck hope not.” Katch stands in the doorway, his colorful, muscular arms stretched above his head, gripping tight to the top of the doorframe.

“Not when it comes to you,” I reply softly.

Long gone is the idea of showing him my mad skills at giving a blowjob in one of his cars. I’m doing it right here. Simply because I can.

I stand, take a few steps, and drop to my knees before him. My hands slide up his powerful jean-clad thighs until I reach the giant bulge in between just begging to come out.

“Trust is a big issue for me. I’ve only trusted my cousin. I want you to know I trust you,” I say, unzip his jeans, and die a heavenly death when his huge cock springs free.

“You drunk?” he asks, those edible lips hiding behind his mustache and beard quirking up.

“Tipsy,” I answer, lean in, and lick the underside of his cock. “I wanted you to know you can trust me, too. I’m on the pill. That didn’t seem to matter to you, though, did it?”

“Saw them in your purse, baby. Knew you would tell me. Now, I don’t think you need to be talking right now. Not when my dick is begging to fuck your mouth.”

I keep my eyes locked on this brooding man with the dark eyes as I wrap my finger and thumb around his shaft. I may be on my knees in front of him with his dick in my mouth, but I have never seen him look at me with as much admiration as he is right now. He’s empowering, giving me a piece of himself that I’m sure nobody else has had.

“All of it,” he says gruffly, that look still in his eyes edging me on.

He eases down his jeans to give me the room needed to deep-throat his magnificent cock, where I take all of him in; now, there are men who are endowed, and then there’s Katch. Thick, long, and greedy, and there’s me, who will shove those gag reflexes aside to please her man.

He grips my hair in both of his hands, his hips thrust, and he fucks my mouth, while I suck his cock. I lick, swirl, and taste both him and me. My lips sting from being heavily parted, and my eyes burn. I’m savoring his taste in my mouth, the way he grunts when he drives forward. It’s not enough, and yet it’s too much. He’s gentle, and then he’s not. He’s swearing, and then he’s telling me I’m beautiful. My nails dig into his thigh; my heart is pounding in my chest. My head is on fire from him pulling my hair.

He stills, eyes going soft as he allows me to take over.

I grip his balls and squeeze. Every muscle in his stomach contracts, his breath labored, his eyes open wide. Then my curiosity takes over. I want to devour every single inch of this man. My fingers lazily slip back until they’re pressing against the entrance of his ass.

Katch gasps, and then his eyes roll back in his head. He’s liking this and giving me his permission to carry on. I suck him hard, adding a bit of tooth as I sink into him. Then lick him again and again. I suck him and fuck him with my mouth, while my finger toys with his ass. My thighs rub together, and I find myself moving my hips back and forth to relieve some of the ache.

Again and again, I repeat until the first spurt of warmth hits my throat, causing me to go deeper. I ache to be fucked by this man. To feel him inside me.

“Fuck, Hollywood. I have never seen anything so Goddamn erotically beautiful in all my life.” He pushes a strand of my hair from my face. “Just know that turnabout is fair play. Your beautiful ass will have my cock deep inside of it.”

His words cause me to pool into a heated mess. The ache between my legs grows, causing me to become a desperate mess.

“Katch…” I don’t get out the rest of the words before he has me pulled up against his chest.

The next thing I know, he’s placing me on the couch. My pants are gone, and his eyes gleam with pride when he spots there are no panties in his way. He quickly kneels between my legs. His fingers linger between my folds.

“So fucking wet, Hollywood.”

“Now,” I growl.

He chuckles and then dips his head between my legs. Oh God, his beard is going to be the death of me. His tongue is on me, working its magic. My legs tremble and my hands go to his shaggy hair, urging him to go faster, deeper, and just to give me more.

He gives everything I beg for. Two fingers sink deep inside me, sending me right over the fucking edge. My screams fill his house. When I finally melt back into the couch cushion, Katch is covering my body with his. His hard cock pushing against my entrance. I let my legs fall wide open until he’s settled between them. My ankles cross and lock around his back, urging him to push inside me.

“I’ve never done this before.” Katch places a tender kiss on my forehead.

“Do what? Fucked twice in the same day?” I can’t possibly think of anything that has to do with sex that Katch hasn’t done before. It makes me hate every woman before me, but none of that matters.

“No, I’ve fucked hundreds of women, but I’ve never made love to one.” He sinks into me until I feel his balls slap against my skin. “I promise you I’ll bring her home.” I don’t care what he says. Katch Sterling has a way with words.

He begins to move in and out of me. It’s not sweet, because nothing this man does is. It’s raw and guttural, moving me to heights I never thought possible. Katch drops his head in the nook of my neck with his lips pressing into my skin. I cradle his head in mine, holding on to him with everything I have.

How in the hell did I get here?

On a lonely highway, hopeless and stepping into a stranger’s car.

Katch grinds deeper inside of me, hitting the spot I’m certain has never been touched. With that one touch, I explode on his cock, unable to hold back my cries and screams. It sets him off right after me. I milk his cock, needing everything he offers. I’ve found the real me who is willing to fight for what is important in life. Katch is the reason.

His limp body collapses on top of me. His heavy breathing is my newfound solace.