Page 55 of Catch You

“Turns out you can’t run away from problems or nightmares. They follow you wherever you go.”

I may not have moved all that far from when I was a child, but I still know exactly what he means. “It doesn’t matter how much you try to drown them out, either. They’re always there.”

He looks down at me, and I’m powerless but to turn to him.

He searches my eyes as if he’s trying to find something. “You know. How do you know?”

“A lifetime of mistakes.”

“Tell me about it,” he says sadly, dropping back onto the blanket and resting his arm on my stomach. Together, we stare at the sky as it darkens, and the twinkling stars appear.

“Harlow?” he whispers so quietly I almost think I imagined it.

“Yeah?”

He twists so he’s on his side and staring down at me once more.

He bites down on his bottom lip as he considers his question, and I want to release it and bite on it myself. Lust shoots down my body as I remember what those lips are capable of. Of how alive he made me feel.

“Spend the night with me?”

My lips part to answer, but no words come out. Instead, my mind goes crazy.

He’s already admitted he doesn’t do forever. Is this just a fancy hook-up? Was this date just a way to ensure I’d get in his bed?

“It’s okay. Forget it. Let’s just take you home.”

The thought of leaving him is worse than any of my previous concerns. If I go home, I get to climb into my cold bed and let my mind run crazy with thoughts of what could be. Or I could go with him and take a chance. The kind of chance Brooke has been begging for me to take for years.

“No. I want to stay with you.”

The muscles in his neck ripple as he swallows.

Leaning forward, he captures my lips, proving just how right my decision is.

14

COREY

I glance over at her as I drive the camper back to my flat. She says she’s no princess, and she’s right. She’s a fucking angel.

She should have run at the first hint of the darkness that follows me around, yet she’s here, holding my hand as I drive and agreeing to spend the night with me.

Going back to my place could be a mistake. All my shit is in boxes. It’s nowhere near a home. But I can’t bring myself to go back to her house, knowing that we’ll have company. I need this woman all to myself. I need her in my bed.

We pull up outside my building, and I park in my allotted space, which is a novelty.

“Stay there,” I warn, jumping from the camper and jogging around to her side.

I pull her door open and step up to her.

“Last chance to change your mind.”

She shakes her head, a shy smile playing on her lips. My cock swells, knowing just how those full lips feel wrapped around it.

“Argh, Corey,” she squeals as I lift her from the seat and throw her over my shoulder.

Slamming the camper door, I march toward the building.

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