Page 9 of Forbidden Romeo

“There you go,” Katherine said and I blinked at her smiling face. “That’s better.”

I registered Jill’s eyes, locked onto where Meg still clutched my fingers and I quickly tugged my hand free from Meg’s grasp.

Duncan took the potted plant from Katherine and set it on the kitchen counter. “What the hell was all that heavy breathing?”

Katherine shrugged and reached over to fiddle with the petal of the peace lily. “Just something we learned in our theater class, right Holden?”

I nodded, grateful for her help. Always.

“Damn, I thought you were going into labor or something!” Duncan said, laughing. I knew him well enough to recognize when he was trying to diffuse tension.

I rolled my eyes at Duncan, ignoring him and gave Katherine’s hand a squeeze. “Wait… what about the show? Shouldn’t you be at the opening?—”

“McCay postponed our opening,” she said quickly.

McCay postponed our opening weekend… because of me.

“I’m sorry,” I said to her. “I know how much that show meant to you.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Katherine said. “No one wanted to do the show without you. It was unanimous.”

It might have been an entire class decision, but I had no doubt it was Katherine leading that charge. Emotion rose in my chest and for the first time all day, I felt the exhaustion bone deep. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Beside us, Meg scoffed. I might have cared about the guttural sound except with Katherine there in front of me, she was all that mattered.

I felt for Meg… I did. She was unfortunate collateral damage in my dad’s selfish games.

But it didn’t change the fact that I didn’t feel half as strongly for her as I did for Katherine.

Katherine, who didn’t seem the least bit phased by Meg’s frustrated scowl or the way her arms were folded across her chest, guarded and seemingly ready for a fight.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Katherine said to Meg.

Before Katherine or Meg could finish a proper introduction, my dad’s voice boomed from behind our group. “Duncan,” he said. “Why don’t you show Holden’s friends the basement.”

My glare was almost as icy as his. Except Dad had decades over me to perfect his scowl.

“I can show them–” I started to say.

“You can join them in a minute.”

With a gulp, Katherine slid her hand away from mine, but not before I felt the trembling shiver rock through her.

I tried to offer her a reassuring smile as Duncan guided her, Jill, and Meg downstairs.

Dad clasped his meaty hands around my shoulders and practically shoved me into his study, shutting the door behind him.

“What the hell?” I hissed, stumbling into his dark brown Chesterfield sofa.

“Why is that girl here?”

I snorted. “Why don’t you ask your friend, Mrs. Lawrence, why Meg came tonight?”

“That’s not who I’m talking about and you know it.”

The corners of my mouth twitched even though I tried everything I could to keep my face still. “Katherine came with Duncan.”

His fist slammed onto the cherry wood of his desk, causing the files to jostle on top. “Don’t fuck with me, boy! I thought I made myself perfectly clear before. She is not Dorsey material.”

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