Caitlin

Family dinners are not my thing. A foreign concept, actually, but it’s something my mother and Trent have been doing for the last six months. The only perk of this dinner is watching Katch get all jittery and break out in hives over it.

He’d rather be at home with his feet kicked up, a full glass of whiskey, and his dick inside me. It’s his lucky day, since this month’s get-together is brunch on a lazy Sunday. The poor man is being held hostage in the living room, watching football with Trent. His only response is an occasional growl here or there.

“How long on the timer, Mom?”

“Forty-five.”

I toss in the egg sausage casserole, whirl around, and swipe some of the whipped cream she made for a cobbler. I should see it coming, but I don’t. My mother nails me with a quick lash of the towel to the side.

“That’s gross. Knock it off.”

Giggles boil up in me, and I repeat the action and then take off for the living room before she has time to catch me again. Many days and several memories ago, I used to do the same thing. At first, I was a clear lover of food, but then it was fun getting my mom all fired up.

I dart for Katch’s lap and land right in the middle of it. He’s my big, bad guy, always by my side to protect me.

“Don’t think that little stunt will be helping you, young lady.” My mother swats her towel at my head.

Katch growls in my defense then receives his own swat to the back of the head.

“I’m not afraid of you, Katch,” she replies.

He growls again, just like the wild beast he is, then wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. I’m able to lay my head on his shoulder with no reservations or the fear of the future, all because of him. In moments of silence the what if thoughts assault me. What if we had beat the devil himself to the punch? What if Katch had never picked me up? What if I had never opened my heart to the greatest adventure of my life?

I let those thoughts fly out the window as fast as they threaten to attack my soul. The saving grace is in the way he holds me, his scent that fills my nostrils, and his taste; they are all my anchors in life. I do all three of those things right now to ground myself in the moment.

Our awkward family situations are just that, awkward as fuck. Katch doesn’t do family, but he does for me, even if it comes in the form of growls and grunts. He suddenly stands up and begins walking down the hall to the bathroom.

“Oh no, you two don’t!” My mom’s voice flows down the hallway. “I know what you two do in there during these meals.”

My face falls to the crook of Katch’s neck, flushed with embarrassment. The heat burns the apples of my cheeks. He’s giving me all my stolen moments of my younger years back tenfold and making sure my parents are at my side the whole time.

“Busted,” he growls, palming my ass. “I’m so fucking hard it hurts.”

I lean back to taunt him. “I was going to suck you off, too.”

“Fuck being busted.” He takes long strides to the bathroom.

The ringing of the doorbell stops us dead in our tracks.

“I’ll get it,” Trent hollers.

Katch sets me down, tugging me behind him. There’s a familiar sight at the front door. A police officer. Trent stands guard in front of my mother like he always does. There’ve been several visits from the local police department checking in on the status of my mother and if she has any further information she could share with them.

“Ma’am.” The officer nods.

By the way Trent’s shoulders tense up, I can tell he knows this officer on a close basis. He still works on the force.

“Just checking in to see how everything has been.”

My mom tucks herself into Trent’s side, not shy about the fact she’s found her true love and never letting it go. The best role model a woman can have. She gives her typical reply of not remembering anything more. That there hasn’t been any contact whatsoever from the kidnappers, convincing the shit out of the officer.

“Looks like this will be my last visit. The case is cold and being shelved unless any further information comes forward.”

“Thanks for the information. If we hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.” Trent shuts the door with no further formalities.

We enjoy a brunch with no worries and full hearts. Katch’s boner must still be live and active, since he does his best to rush us out. It’s natural to hug my mom and tell her that I love her. Trent, on the other hand, is more complicated. The saying ‘time heals all wounds’ has true meaning behind it. And the time has come.

“Dad.” I hold up my arms. The look on his face is priceless and one I’ll never forget. He remains rigid during the hug, but it doesn’t stop me. “Love you, Dad.”

“Those words,” he lightly whispers. “I never thought they’d come.”

“It’s time.”

“I love you so much, Caitlin.”

I refuse to let tears control me any longer. I’m choosing to live free and happy.

* * *

“Will that tide you over, baby?” I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, while Katch tucks his dick in his pants.

“Fuck no. Need that pussy.” He remains staring at the open road ahead of us. “Meeting will be quick, and when I get home, you’d better be lying naked in our bed with those legs spread wide open for me.”

I clench my legs together, growing wet and needy. Licking my lips, I decide I could use a bit of release and waiting isn’t going to cut it. I slide my hands down the front of my pants. The car swerves and Katch punches the steering wheel. He glares at me to stop. My fingers find the delicious ache and begin to move slowly. I throw my head back as I work to get myself off.

The car accelerates, as does my release. I’m playing with fire and loving it. The car slams to a stop in front of the house with my hand still down the front of my pants. There’s no warning when he rips it from my pants. His mouth sinks around my fingers with his tongue lapping all of my juices from it. His teeth sink down, flashing a bit of pain before he releases.

“You’ll be paying for that little stunt. Now, get your ass out of here before I decide to whip it.” His eyes shine with darkness and a hunger that could destroy anyone.

“Hurry back.” I wink at him and then hop from the car before he does spank my ass for disobeying just because he can.

Katch revs the engine then hollers out my name.

“Naked in bed. Be back in twenty minutes.”

“Maybe.” I twirl my hair around a finger, baiting him even further. Playing with fire can be so fun with a delicious outcome.

“Code.” He stares me down. “The fucking code, Hollywood.”

“0109112316.”

“Good girl. Now, go get naked.”

“No promise, big guy.” I turn and walk in with a huge grin on my face.

After Katch cleared the memory away from me by putting me back together, he forced me to sit down and memorize a code. It’s a combination of special days and years in my life that I’m unable to forget. He’s still insistent on the house being alarmed around the clock because of his job. I never thought he’d send Brick and Snake away, but he has.

I don’t care for his job, but know it’s something that makes his blood pump through his body, and I’d never take that away from him. Crawling into bed with a killer every night isn’t something to take lightly and can wear on the best of people. But he’s my killer, my man, love, and life, and all of that erases everything else. Clean slate.

Naked will have to take a backseat right now. Katch needs some brownies. He’s going to be wound up tight when he gets home; between family time, my stunt in the car, and business on his mind, he’ll need to relax. I put my new shiny iPhone on the speaker dock and crank the tunes. I lose bits of clothing as I mix up the batter, just in case Katch walks in while I’m still baking. At least I’ll be naked or on the way to being so.

Once the brownies are baking and the kitchen is cleaned, I pick up one of the several bad habits I’ve picked up from Katch. In my bra and panties, I waltz out to the back patio and light up a cigarette. The smoke billows from the seam of my lips. My body relaxes, and my mind floats. The sun warms my skin while I zone out for a moment.

I giggle when a John Mellencamp song fills our house. Entering the kitchen, I unclasp my bra and toss it on the floor. One step closer. Katch should be walking in anytime. I begin singing the words to the “Authority Song.” An automatic smile graces my lips every time I sing about fighting the law and it always winning. Not in my case…I beat the system.

The timer goes off, the brownies slide from the oven, and then off go the panties. Damn, I’m on the road to being one hell of a housewife. I sing louder in excitement. I don’t hear him come in until I’m pulled back into his body. My ass colliding with his jean-clad straining cock.

“What do we have here?” His growl is deep. It would come across as a threat to anyone else.

I spin in his arms, placing my arms around his neck and then gently swaying to the song. He remains still with a deadly stare. I finish singing the final words and then am hoisted up onto the counter. My bare ass meets the cold surface. Katch rips the cord of the speaker dock from the wall.

“Brownies?” He cocks an eyebrow.

My legs spread to allow him room. He takes advantage of it, leaning in close enough to kiss me, but turns his head. I watch him pick up a knife, slicing into the brownies with ease. When I lean up to lick his neck, he pulls back, punishing me. His sexy lips sink into the first bite of the brownie. He repeats the action over and over until he has my core dripping wet.

“Share?” I finally ask.

This gets his attention. He places a bite of brownie on my bottom lip then feeds me. My eyes flutter closed, enjoying the taste and his scent controlling me.

“I ain’t the kind of guy for you.”

This causes me to shoot upright, frantically searching for meaning in the depths of his whiskey eyes.

“And I’m also a greedy motherfucker, Hollywood.” His fingers dig into my flesh, then his head dips to nibble a crumb off the swell of my breasts. “You aren’t living with his last name one more day.”

He reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a silver band. “Marry me.”

I shove hard against his chest. “Asshole! First off, you just scared the shit out of me.”

Katch tries to push my arm away, but I keep the resistance strong.

“And two, I don’t even know your name, big guy. I’ve searched Katch Sterling on every single database possible, and no hits. You, my mystery man, DO NOT EXIST!”

He grins slyly.

“There’s no way in hell I’m marrying a man whose first name I don’t even know. So spill.”

“You got in my car, then my bed. Your lips have been around my cock, and I’ve fucked you every which way,” he counters.

“Name.”

“No.” He steps back, running his hands through his hair, leaving it standing up on end.

I hop from the counter and close the distance between us. My palms rest on his chest, and I refuse to back down.

“You are going to give me a new last name, erasing the remnants of the nasty past.” I rise on my tiptoes until our lips are mere inches apart. “Let me wipe your slate clean, so you have nothing left behind haunting you.”

He’s silent for several long beats before letting out a pained exhale. I don’t quite catch it the first time he says it.

“Come again?” I let my lips linger on his, giving him the courage to tell me the name his parents gave him.

His birth name. The one he carried for years throughout the abuse and heartache. The one that shaped the man I’m wildly in love with.

“Ernie.” It’s barely a whisper.

“Ernie,” I reply.

He nods.

“Ernie.” I bite my bottom lip, stifling the laughter. “My big badass is named Ernie, as in Bert and Ernie.”

He slaps my ass, only causing me to roll into a fit of hysterics. This man who could snap a person’s neck with his bare hands is named Ernie. I shouldn’t be laughing, and that fact only makes me laugh harder, nearing the edge of peeing myself.

Katch apparently doesn’t appreciate my laughter, even though he has a grin on his face. In a flash, I’m whirled around, pressed into the counter. The sound of his zipper flying down is the last thing I recall before he’s trying to fuck the laughter out of me. Thrust after thrust doesn’t do anything to tame down the laughter. It’s not until Katch reaches around to pinch each of my nipples that the laughter dies and the passion takes over. It’s a coil of tension that threatens to slice me in half. I scream out then collapse on the counter.

Katch isn’t finished. He uses my body until he’s growling and throbbing inside of me. I’m confused when he stops, pulling himself from my body and spraying his hot cum all over my ass. He runs his dick through the wetness, working himself all the way.

“Shower, and then we’re leaving.”

“Uh? What? Where?” I have no energy to stand up.

“Vegas.”

“You don’t even know if I said yes or no.”

“Don’t have to.”

“Now, Ernie, this is supposed to be all romantic and shit.”

Katch reaches down between my legs, cupping my pussy. “I’ll Ernie your ass, Nadine. Now, fucking shower and get dressed.”

And that’s how my happily ever after started. My own fairytale comprised in this large world full of opposites. It just so happens our opposites collided in the best possible way.