Cat
WE ARRIVE BACK TO THE house, and after parking his bike, Harrison takes the helmet from me and hangs it up in the garage next to his. We enter the house through the mud room. The lights are all off and it’s unusually quiet. Not that the house is usually hopping, but at the very least there’s usually a kitchen light or television on. Taking my hand in his, Harrison guides us through the kitchen toward the stairs. My stomach sinks at the thought that our day is over. We’ve spent the last twelve hours together, yet it doesn’t feel like enough. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Sure, I’ve had boyfriends, but nothing serious, and nobody I spent hours with and at the end of the day craved more.
Just as we’re about to ascend the stairs, someone clears their throat and we turn in our place to see who it is. Leaning against the kitchen door is Helen with a huge knowing smirk splayed across her lips. She’s in a long robe and holding a tea cup in her hands. Feeling like we’ve just been caught doing something bad, my face heats up in embarrassment. It’s weird having a mother figure around, but at the same time it feels like this is a rite of passage. The mom who catches her daughter sneaking in late.
“I hope you two are behaving,” she murmurs, raising one brow.
Harrison nods and mumbles out a, “Yes, ma’am,” which causes me to let out a giggle. I love how he can be such a hard ass, and then one word from Helen and he crumples.
“Good night, Helen,” I whisper, and she gives me a playful wink.
“Good night, dear.”
Harrison pulls me up the stairs and when we get to my door, we both stop in our place. Our hands remain linked together.
“I had a nice time today,” I tell him honestly.
“Me too.” He smiles a boyish grin that has me wanting to beg him to come into my room with me so we can continue our day. As if he can hear my thoughts, he groans softly and shakes his head. He dips down slightly and gives me a gentle kiss to my lips. Then one to my nose. When my face scrunches up at his sweet gesture, he laughs softly and the sound reverberates through my body.
“Sweet dreams, mustang girl,” he murmurs. Then he reaches past me and turns the knob to my door, opening it for me. For a second I think maybe he’s going to come in, but then he backs up, and with one curt nod turns his back on me, walking down the hall to his room without looking back.
The sun shines through my window, telling me it’s late into the morning and time to get up, but my exhausted brain and body are telling me I need more sleep. Pulling my blanket over my shoulders, I snuggle into my pillow and close my eyes when my phone begins to ring.
“Ugh!” I groan out loud as I grab the offending device. When I see it’s my dad calling, I sit up. It’s been over two weeks since I’ve seen him. I tried to go over to his new apartment last weekend, but he told me he needed to work. I don’t understand why he’s pushing me away. He’s the one who lied and caused this entire situation, yet he’s acting like I’m in the wrong.
I hit answer. “Dad.”
“Baby girl.” My heart expands at his nickname for me. I hate that we’re living separately my last year of school.
“How are you?” I ask, willing the tears that are threatening to fall to stay put.
“I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come over for lunch. I miss you, Cat.”
“Oh, Daddy.” I choke out a sob, allowing the tears to spill over. “I miss you too.”
“Don’t cry, sweetie,” he begs. “What time can you come over?”
“I’ll get ready now.” I throw my covers off me and scamper off the bed. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
We hang up, and I quickly jump into the shower then get dressed, throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and an off the shoulder top. I find my UGG boots in the back of my closet and pull them on as well. Not wanting to waste a minute I could be with my dad, I throw my damp hair up into a messy bun and run down the stairs. I’m sending a text to my dad to let him know I’m on my way when my feet hit the hardwood floor and I crash into a warm body. I look up to find Theo glaring daggers at me.
“Going somewhere?” He crosses his arms over his chest and I stifle a giggle at how ridiculous he looks in this position compared to Harrison. Unlike Harrison’s muscular and strong biceps and forearms, Theo’s are lanky and long-limbed.
“Actually, I’m going to see my dad,” I say, pushing past him.
“I looked for you yesterday, but you were gone all day without your phone.”
“Yeah, I went riding with Harrison. Sorry.”
He tenses and his eyes search mine. A mixture of fury and hurt. I hate that he’s upset with my being with Harrison, but it’s not like Theo can date me anyway. His mother is my father’s sister. At the end of the day, we just can’t be. I always knew it, but he still seems to have trouble understanding that concept.
“We need to talk about Friday night,” he says, following behind me into the kitchen. I grab a peach, rinse it off, and take a bite into the juicy goodness.
“I don’t have time.” I shrug. “Tonight?”
Theo groans, but nods okay. Taking another bite of my fruit, I head out the garage door when I remember I have no car. Damn it!
I spot Harrison kneeling next to his bike and an idea sparks.
Coming around the side of his bike, I press my elbows into the seat. “Hey there, biker boy.” Harrison’s fiery gaze meets mine and then his eyes dart to my cleavage. When I look down, I see in this position, my breasts are spilling out of my shirt. I’ve never been one to flaunt my assets, but when he looks at me like he wants to devour me, it has me wanting to walk around naked just so he’ll keep looking at me like he is right now.
Hungry.
Feral.
Like he’s about to strike.
Maybe I’d let him bite me…
“You got the biker part right.” He smirks devilishly. “But the boy part…you’re way off there. All fucking man here.” He bites on his bottom lip as he rakes his gaze over me appreciatively.
“That’s yet to be proven,” I taunt.
“I’m pretty sure it was yesterday when you were grinding your hot cunt against my manly dick.”
His words cause heat to flood through me. “Could’ve been a sock.” I shrug with a breathy laugh.
Harrison’s gaze turns smoldering. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“Kind of hard to prove anything when you won’t even step foot in my room.” I raise an irritated brow.
“I was trying to be a gentleman,” he says.
“Maybe I’d prefer you to not be one.”
“Be careful what you wish for, mustang girl.” Harrison grins wickedly as he stands, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. I throw my leg over the side of his bike and sit, my hands holding on to the handlebars.
“And to what do I owe the pleasure of a pretty girl sitting on my bike?”
“I need a ride.”
His blue eyes are blazing with lust and become predatory as he steps closer, his legs hugging the front tire of his bike. His hands rest on top of mine. “Oh, I can give you a ride,” he whispers. Chills run up my spine and I visibly shiver.
“To my dad’s,” I add with a grin, and his eyes dance with laughter.
“Sure, let me just wash my hands and then we can go.”
Twenty minutes later, we pull up to my dad’s apartment complex, and after five minutes of begging Harrison to join me, he agrees and parks his bike.
“Baby girl!” My dad pulls me into a tight hug and kisses me on my cheek. It’s when we step inside and close the door, he realizes I’m not alone. He takes a long look at Harrison and smiles softly.
“You must be Harrison.” He puts his hand out to shake Harrison’s hand. “I’m Elliot.” Harrison shakes his hand.
“I’m sorry,” Harrison says, his brows furrowing together in confusion, “but I don’t think we’ve met.”
“No, you wouldn’t remember me. You must’ve been no more than three when your father passed away. Many years too late, but I am sorry for your loss. I lost my Catrina the same night.”
“You knew my dad?” Harrison asks. “Did you know my mom?”
“I did. I grew up with Catrina and Hunter. I only met Francesca a few times, but I could tell she loved you very much.”
“Yeah, so much she left me.” Harrison snorts in disbelief. His features remain cool and impassive, as though he doesn’t care about his mother. But the tick in his jaw and the way his dark brows pull together tells me it does bother him. Dad may say that Francesca loved him, but Harrison clearly doesn’t believe it. It’s plain to see that he’s still hurting, all these years later, from being left by his mother.
“It was a tough time. Heath had just come back and taken the company from your father. We all lost a lot, some more than others.”
Harrison’s eyes go wide in shock. “The company Heath runs was my dad’s?”
“No.” Dad shakes his head with a frown. “He took it and dismantled it.”
“Why would he do that?” I ask. “Wouldn’t he want to use the company he took to turn a profit?”
If possible, his features become even more crestfallen. “Heath’s entire life is about one thing: revenge.” He smiles sadly at the two of us, then says, “Enough about Heath. Come sit and tell me how you’ve been. How’s school and cheerleading?”
Dad sits on the couch and Harrison and I sit across from him on the love seat. “School and cheer are both good. Just taking it one day at a time, I guess. It’s weird living in a new place.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, Cat. I hate that I’ve failed you.”
“You didn’t fail me, Dad,” I insist.
“Yes, I did. I made horrible choices that led us to lose our company. I have no savings left. I can’t even afford to pay for your college.”
Standing, I walk over to my father and sit next to him. “Listen to me, please.” I take his hands in mine. “I don’t care if we’re rich or poor. I don’t care what I drive or where I live or if you can afford my college. All I want is for you to be happy and for us to be a family again. Find another job, Dad, please. I’ll defer from college a year and work too. We can live here together. Don’t allow Heath to control us.”
Dad looks me in the eyes and tears trickle down his face. “How did I get so lucky to end up with such an amazing daughter?” He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead. “I love you, baby girl. I promise. I will get out.”
The rest of the visit goes smoothly. We focus on the positive, which means Heath isn’t mentioned again. We order in Chinese for lunch and the three of us watch a movie. When it’s dinner time, Helen sends a text asking if we will be home for dinner.
“How is Helen?” Dad asks. “I haven’t seen her since your mom passed away.”
“She’s really sweet,” I tell him. “She makes it more bearable to be there.”
Dad smiles. “I bet, and she can cook like no other.” We all laugh. Then Dad turns his attention to Harrison. “Are you close with her?”
“I am. She might as well have raised me.” I see the fondness in his eyes when he speaks of Helen. So different from the way my mom used to describe her in her journals. I don’t think there were many people my mom actually liked or could stand to be around.
“Good. That makes me happy. After Catrina passed away, Helen offered to stay on to help raise Cat, but when we found out your father had died and Heath was going to keep you, we felt it was best for her to work for Heath. He offered to pay her double what she was already getting paid, so that helped.” He chuckles.
“I don’t know.” Harrison laughs. “I don’t think you could pay me ten times the amount to willingly work for Heath.”
“Well, Helen is an angel, that’s for sure. And if there’s anyone who can deal with Heath’s shit, it’s Helen.”
After we talk for a few more minutes, Dad says he has work to get done before tomorrow, so I text Helen to let her know we will be there for dinner and then we say our goodbyes. My dad makes Harrison promise to come back with me the next time I visit.
Dinner is enjoyable since Heath is out of town on business and Theo isn’t home. It’s just Helen, Harrison, and me.
“This roast was delicious,” I tell Helen when I bring the dishes to the sink.
“Thank you, dear,” she says with a soft smile. “If you’d like, I can show you how to make it next time.”
“I would love that!” I fill up the sink with hot, soapy water and begin to rinse the dishes off. “You know, I went to see my father today.”
“Did you have a good visit?” Helen asks, taking the dishes from me and placing them into the dishwasher.
“I did. He said he misses you and your cooking.”
Helen smiles sweetly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Well, the next time you go over, I’ll send you with some of his favorites.”
“Or you can join me.” I shrug nonchalantly.
“Maybe,” she says softly.
“Are you playing matchmaker?” Harrison whispers into my ear, and I giggle.
“Shh…” I say, handing him the sponge. “Make yourself useful and wipe down the table.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies. And with a swat of his hand to my backside, he walks away, laughing out loud.
I notice Helen watching us. “What?” I ask shyly.
“Nothing, dear. Just nice to see you both smiling.”
Once the dishes are done and the table has been wiped down, Harrison excuses himself to shower. Needing to rinse off as well, I follow him up the stairs.
“You know, we could shower together,” I say when we’re standing in front of my door, once again. “Save the water and all that.”
Harrison laughs, his blue eyes glimmering with delight. “If I got you naked in the shower, we would waste even more water because I wouldn’t let you out until I fucked you against every damn wall and in every position possible.”
He grips my ass cheeks and pulls me into him for a kiss. “Think of me while you’re scrubbing down this sexy body,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Only if you promise to think of me.”
“That’s a fucking given.”