Harrison
AFTER MY MORNING SHOWER, I run my palm across my buzzed head to swipe away the wetness, and then throw on a pair of jeans, my black Doc Marten boots, and a T-shirt. I snag my gray hoodie and am pulling it on when I hear arguing from down the hallway. Walking down the hall, I see that Cat’s door is ajar and I can hear Theo’s whiney voice begging for her to forgive him. Forgive him for what? Both irritation at him doing something to piss her off and satisfaction that she’s mad at him are warring inside me.
“Now the whole school will know you want to fuck your cousin,” she snaps grumpily.
I bite on my fist to keep a laugh from bubbling out. Asshole is on her shit list.
“Anne won’t tell anyone,” he assures her. “It was a mistake.”
“A mistake that could cost us our reputations. If anyone finds out that you called out my name while—”
“No one will find out,” he stresses. “She promised me. I told her it was a kinky thing. It wasn’t real.”
They both are quiet for a moment.
“We’re cousins,” she reminds him.
“It’s stupid,” he remarks. The floorboards creak and I imagine he’s pacing the floor, upset that he can’t fuck his cousin.
“Is that all?” she asks. “I need to get ready.”
“I’m sorry,” he says lamely.
“So you’ve said.”
I love that she doesn’t roll over and let the brat get his way. If he’s anything like his dickhead father, he’s used to getting his way. To be told no must drive him insane.
“Cat,” he murmurs.
I step in the doorway and take in his sulking frame. She sits up in bed, her dark hair in disarray, with the blanket wrapped around her. Her frown melts away when she sees me and I’m rewarded a breathtaking smile. A smile I’d love to kiss once more.
“You ready?” I ask.
Theo jerks around and glares at me. He’s standing in a pair of boxers and nothing else. It annoys me that he’s in here half dressed, begging her to forgive him. Did he think she’d invite him into her bed and they could fuck away their problems? My hands fist at my sides.
Cat nods happily and climbs out of the bed, abandoning her blanket. Both Theo and I rake our gazes down her body. She’s wearing a T-shirt and not much else. I can see her nipples through her shirt and it makes me want to give them a little bite. Theo lets out a pained groan and adjusts his cock in his boxers, then leaves his hands in front of him, hiding his erection.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he demands.
She stops and puts her hands on her hips to scowl at him. Of course she’d look hot as hell doing it too. Cat Lincoln is prettiest when she’s fired up and angry. “I’m going out.”
“With him?” he sneers, gesturing with one of his hands at me.
Her head turns my way and I love the way she takes in my appearance in an appreciative way. She lets her eyes roam up my body to my lips. When I smile, she mirrors my grin. “With him,” she says breathily.
Take that, motherfucker.
Theo lets out a sound of disbelief before storming from her room, clipping my shoulder on the way out the door. He stomps back to his room and the door slams shut. I prowl over to Cat and finger a strand of her hair while looking down at her.
“It’s cool out today. Wear something warm.”
Her cheeks blaze crimson and she bites on her bottom lip, nodding. “Okay.”
I hold her gaze and stare at her smattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks. Usually, she wears makeup and hides them. They’re cute and I like that I’m finally getting to see them.
“I’m sorry your cousin wants to fuck you,” I say, grinning.
She rolls her eyes and goes to shove me away, but I grip both her wrists. Leaning in, I brush my lips over the shell of her ear over her hair.
“Harrison,” she breathes, her voice sounding slightly strained.
“I can’t say I blame him,” I murmur before pulling away.
She flutters her lashes at me and smiles shyly. Shy is cute on her too. I release her hands and step back.
“Make it quick. Don’t bother fixing your hair because the wind will fuck it all up. You look good the way you are too, so forget about the makeup,” I grunt.
Her green eyes light up at my words. “Yeah?”
“Fuck yeah,” I say and then turn on my heel. “I’ll meet you out front in half an hour.”
I leave her room and head back to mine to grab my wallet and keys. When I glance toward Theo’s room, the door is open and he’s no longer in it. I grab my stuff and head downstairs. The house smells like bacon and my stomach grumbles. I’m just about to go grab something to eat when I hear voices coming from Heath’s office. Curious, I walk over to the door that stands wide-open but don’t let my presence be known.
“Dad, I want her.”
Fucking Theo.
“Of course you do,” Heath says coolly. As though that’s the order of the world.
Theo lets out a frustrated huff. “I want her to be mine. Not as my cousin, but as my girl.”
“I already told you she was yours,” Heath bites out. “You need it in writing too?”
Theo grumbles. “You’re saying she’s mine and yet she keeps telling me we can’t be together.”
I clench my jaw, remembering how Heath blandly told me that Theo was going to marry Cat. All part of his stupid revenge plan. This is ridiculous. She’s a fucking woman who can make her own goddamn decisions. I hate that that fucker lives like he’s some evil king and can control every single person around him.
He doesn’t control me.
And, clearly, he can’t control Cat either, no matter how much he wants to.
“Theo,” Heath says in a bored tone. “She is yours. She will come to learn this. Even if I have to tie her to a chair in the basement and keep her there. Understood?”
Theo laughs and I grind my teeth to dust. Theo thinks Heath is joking. That fucker never jokes about anything.
“But,” Theo says, his humor fading. “She’s going on a date with him.” The way he refers to me has my stomach hollowing out. As though I’m the fucking filth under his feet.
“Who?” Heath sneers.
I step into the doorway and lock eyes with Heath. He blinks rapidly for a moment as he connects the dots. Then, his upper lip curls in distaste.
“The orphan,” Heath bites out, narrowing his eyes at me. He snaps his gaze to his son. “Cat is a Lincoln. The Lincolns only care about one thing. Money. And you, my dear boy, have lots of it. Upon your eighteenth birthday, you’ll be granted access to millions. What you do with it is up to you. If you want to lavish the spoiled vixen with cars and homes and trips to fucking France, so be it. Until then, you know where my checkbook is. Do what you have to do. If anyone knows, it’s me. Money buys anything. Especially the girl.”
I swallow and cross my arms over my chest. My features remain impassive. I refuse to let these rich fuckers intimidate me.
“Cat’s not some captive,” I say lowly.
Theo winces at my words. Heath simply shrugs.
“The Lincolns were always a slave to money.” Heath’s features are icy. “You know nothing, orphan. Go scamper back to your pantry and eat the breadcrumbs I’ve allowed you to have.”
I try not to let his comment affect me. When my stomach growls, Theo laughs. Ignoring them, I storm out of the room and head straight for the kitchen. Helen is fussing over the waffle iron. I steal a handful of bacon and an apple before heading out the door. After I inhale the bacon, I pocket the apple and call my boss. Once I make arrangements to have him pick up Cat’s Mustang, I mess around with my bike to take my mind off Heath and his dickhead son.
Leave.
I could. I should. I will.
Hell, I’d been ready to. I’ve saved enough to stay someplace cheap and just have my job with Damian at the shop. But then she showed up. And now, I don’t want to leave her alone with them. I’ll stay until Heath forces me out. It’s only a matter of time.
As if my thoughts of her have summoned her, she exits the house. Her sleek brown hair has been pulled into a low ponytail at her nape. I can see she’s added some mascara and lip gloss to her pretty face, but other than that, she’s still the fresh-faced girl who rolled out of bed not long ago. She dons a royal blue Heights Academy hoodie and a pair of skinny jeans that hug her slender legs. I’m happy to see she wears practical shoes—a pair of black Chucks.
“Did you eat?” I ask.
“I’m not hungry,” she says, shrugging.
I pull the apple from my pocket and toss it to her. Despite not being hungry, she starts munching on it while I pick up the helmet and place it on her head. This time, her head doesn’t wobble as much and she seems pleased, grinning at me. I find myself staring and have to look away.
“Where do you want to go?” I ask, looking off down the road in the distance.
“The lake, maybe,” she says through a mouthful of apple bits. “The city. I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”
Someplace far, far away from here.
“I know of a place,” I tell her, straddling my bike and turning over the engine. The loud, rumbling blast cuts through the quiet morning and I love it.
She tosses the half-eaten apple to the ground and climbs on behind me. The heat of her slight body warms me. It’s as though her body was meant to mold against mine because with her tits pressed against my back, she feels good there. When her hands slide inside my hoodie pocket and settle on my lower abs, I chuckle because she seems like she’s a fan of me too.
“Hold on,” I tell her, revving the engine before taking off, kicking up gravel behind us.
She squeals, but it’s the delightful, happy kind of sound that makes my heart clench in my chest. She squeezes my middle and hugs her thighs against the outside of mine. I reach down and give her a pat on her thigh before gassing it.
We ride through the hilly countryside for hours. I point out places of interest along the way. She’s all smiles, even when I take her to a shitty diner for lunch. It’s nearing late afternoon and the clouds are becoming ominous, so I decide to take her to my favorite place so we can rest for a bit. We turn off the main road and I drive along a tree-lined gravel road called The Moors, going slow as not to fishtail. It opens up to a marshy bog. I like it here because there’s a lot of tree cover and it’s quiet.
After shutting off the bike, the sounds of nature take over. Frogs croaking. Crickets chirping. Birds squawking. The soft pattering of the occasional raindrop on the leaves around us.
“Wow,” she says as she pulls off the helmet and hands it to me. “It’s pretty out here.”
The bog is covered in a bright green layer of algae. Not a place you want to swim, but it’s pretty to look out at. Something disturbs the water and Cat shivers.
“Alligator?” she asks.
I laugh. “This far north? I doubt it. Probably a snake.”
“Ew,” she groans, clearly not happy with that answer either.
I grab her cold hand and guide her through some trees to a spot I like to sit at. It’s under a canopy of trees, but the giant rocks covering the ground are mossy and smooth. In my boots, I’m sure-footed, but she slips upon stepping on a rock, and I have to pull her to me to keep her from falling. Her cheeks turn pink as she looks up at me, her smile never waning.
“I like this smile,” I tell her softly. “You don’t smile much and I like it when you do.”
She looks away and the smile fades. “I’m not speaking to my father because of the lies he told and the secrets he kept from me. My cousin wants to bone me. And I live with a psycho hell-bent on making my life a living nightmare. Not much to smile about.”
I slide my palms to her cold cheeks and turn her to look up at me. “But you smile for me.”
Her grin returns. Perfect and fucking beautiful. “I do.”
“I like that,” I grunt. “Know what else I like?”
She bites on her bottom lip and shakes her head.
“You.”
Dipping down, I nuzzle her cold nose with mine until she lets out a breathy gasp, freeing her lip. Then, I press my mouth to hers, eager to taste her again. She parts her lips, allowing my tongue to sweep out and brush against hers. The small, needy moan she gives me is all the encouragement I need. I slip one palm to her ass and pull her against me, squeezing her ass cheek. Her hands fist the front of my hoodie as she kisses me frantically. Our sweet kiss quickly becomes not so sweet at all.
“Harrison,” she murmurs against my mouth. She pulls away and my eyes fall to her red, swollen lips.
“Yeah?” My voice is husky and raw.
“Are you going to blow me off after this kiss and avoid me?” Pain flashes in her eyes, sending a flare of guilt ravaging through me.
I groan and pull her tighter to me. “No. I can’t stay away from you for some fucking reason. You get under my skin, mustang girl. And I kind of like it.” I smirk at her playfully.
She smiles again and stands on her toes, bringing her closer to my height. “Good, I kind of like it too.” Her kiss is soft and quick this time.
I release her to sit on my favorite rock that hangs over a ledge, overlooking the marshy bog. My legs dangle over the side and I pat my lap. Her gaze darts past me to the green waters and panic flares in her eyes.
“I’ll keep you safe,” I vow.
My words have her relaxing. She starts to sit in my lap with her back to me, but I manhandle her until she’s straddling me. I stare at her up close. So fucking pretty. Reaching up, I wind a strand of her dark hair in her ponytail around my finger. When I tug it slightly, she giggles.
“I like looking at you,” I admit with a crooked grin.
Her tense body turns to liquid in my arms as she melts against me. She scratches her fingernails along my buzzed scalp as she explores me closely. When her lips press to my nose, I let out a contented sigh.
For so many years, I’ve drifted along not really feeling connected to this world. But right here, right now, with her in my arms, I feel tethered. Every soft drop of rain against the treetop canopy, every whisper of wind, each croaking frog—it all feels more real. As though I’ve woken up from a foggy dream. Everything’s so clear.
Her eyes flutter closed as her cold hands settle on my jaw. She leans forward and kisses my mouth sweetly. I let her control the pace. My palms roam her ass and when they slide beneath her hoodie under her shirt, she lets out a hiss.
“Cold hands,” she groans, arching closer to me. Her tits are pressed against my chest and I want to spend days sucking on them. Not here, though. Here, I settle for what we have.
“Thanks for keeping them warm,” I tease, stealing another kiss.
Once she gets used to my hands on her bare back, she cuddles closer. Our kissing is slow and unrushed. Nipping and sucking. Tasting and teasing. My dick is hard as stone. And she’s so innocent, she doesn’t do anything to taunt me. She is simply happy with just kissing.
I’ve been with many women over the years. It’s always a quick tearing of clothes and savage fucking. Nothing this sweet. Even after I emptied my dick into those condoms, I felt cold and alone, despite the warm naked body I’d been with.
But this?
She’s real and she makes my chest ache.
“I like you,” I mutter, nipping at her bottom lip. “You make me feel not so alone.”
As though my words have shocked her, she pulls away to regard me with sad eyes. “You feel alone too?”
“Not right now. Right now, I’m fucking happy.”
Her smile is breathtaking. “I’m happy too.”
With my gaze smoldering into her, I slide my palm slowly to her front, between us. Her nostrils flare, but she doesn’t stop me. I trail her flesh with my fingertips, loving the way she wiggles.
“That tickles,” she rasps, her cheeks bright red.
“My bad,” I say and then slide my palm to cup her over her bra.
She blinks at me rapidly and her breathing is heavier. I could have her right now if I wanted. She’d probably let me strip her down and fuck her on the cold, mossy rock. But then would she become one of the nameless others? I sure as hell don’t want that. If taking it slow means I get to keep her longer, that’s what I’ll do.
I pull my palm away and she lets out a growl.
“Harrison,” she complains.
Chuckling, I slide the eager hand back to her spine and caress the flesh there. “Yeah, babe?”
“You’re teasing me on purpose.” Her bottom lip juts out and her green eyes flare with annoyance.
I laugh at how adorable she is. “I like teasing you.”
Her palms find my shoulders and she grinds against my aching dick, making me growl. My fingers bite into the flesh on her back as our hot stares burn into each other.
“It’s not nice, is it?” she asks breathily.
When she grinds on me again, I close my eyes and tilt my head back. “Feels fucking nice to me.”
She giggles and stops her torture to kiss my mouth again. I lie back on the rock, pulling her with me. We kiss and rub and tease until it starts to grow dark. We’re both wet from the rain droplets that have snuck their way past the canopy of trees. I reach up and tug her hood over her head. She mimics my action with mine and then kisses me again. With our hoods over our heads, it’s like we’re in our own little world.
“Can we stay here forever?” she asks. I don’t think she’s joking.
“I wish,” I mutter.
It’s getting dark and I don’t want to drive her around in the woods at night. I pat her ass with both hands.
“We better go, Cat.”
She groans but stands up. I get to my feet and wrap an arm around her waist to keep her from sliding off the ledge and into the water. We make it out of the immediate cover of the trees and the rain comes down harder on us. She shivers and her teeth chatter.
I hate how fucking sad she looks.
“Time to go home,” she utters bitterly.
I grip her hips and turn her to face me. Staring down at her, I memorize her pretty features. Widest green eyes I’ve ever seen. Plump pink lips. Perfect nose.
“We’ll do this again soon,” I promise. “I’ll distract you until you graduate. Then, you won’t have to deal with that asshole.”
She kisses me hard and desperately. If she keeps it up, judging by the state of my throbbing dick, I might never take her home. I might just fuck her against the nearest tree and keep her.
Eventually she pulls away, a frown marring her beautiful face. “I’m ready.”
I’m not.
And yet I let out a sigh and hand her the helmet.
I run my knuckles over her chilled cheekbone as I make a promise to her. “Things will get better.”
I’ll make sure of it.
I’m graced with one of her sweet smiles.
And she believes me.