Page 41 of Catch You

“What if I’m a terrible driver?”

“Only time will tell.”

I rev the engine and back out of the space.

I navigate us out of town before pulling onto the freeway and gunning it.

“Holy shit,” she squeals, her fingers wrapping around the edge of the seat, her nails digging into the leather.

I put the windows down and breathe in the fresh ocean air as we head towards the shore and bark out a laugh. I’ve been dying to do this since I arrived, but it’s kinda hard without a vehicle.

I feel her stare. It burns into the side of my face, but I keep my eyes on the road, not wanting to kill us both before we’ve managed this date.

“What?” I ask when her attention stays on me.

“Nothing. Just watching you enjoying yourself.”

I fill my lungs with air once more and appreciate everything I’ve got here. So what, I can’t afford this month’s—or last month’s—rent? I’ve got a perfectly good studio to sleep in. It’ll get better once Mum and my sisters are sorted. I’m meant to be here. It feels more like home than London, or England, for that matter, has done in a very long time.

“You like seafood?”

“Love it.”

“Good. I know the most incredible place.”

I turn her radio up—not because I don’t want to talk, but because I want to relax and enjoy the moment. I’m not sure I’m going to feel this free again for some time, so I need to make the most of it.

11

HARLOW

I might only be able to see him in profile, but it’s enough to know that the smile on his face would knock the wind out of me if I were to see it face-on.

We’re only in the car for a short time, but it’s enough to know that he really needed it. By the time he pulls off the highway and into the parking lot of a small surf shack, the muscles in his shoulders have relaxed and he has a totally different aura about him. Yeah, he’s still the cocky Brit I first met, but it’s like the ocean breeze coming from the windows blew down a couple of his walls—or at least I hope that’s the case, because I’m dying to find out more about this man.

“They do the best seafood in all of LA.”

“Is that right?” I ask, climbing from the car and looking out over the bright blue ocean beyond. It’s a sight I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.

“I don’t know,” he laughs. “I’ve not been here long enough to test out all the competition, but it’s pretty bloody fantastic.”

He jogs around the car to meet me, and, to my surprise, he laces his fingers through mine.

Was Brooke right? Is he in this for more than just a good time?

After opening the door, he gestures for me to enter. My eyes widen as I step inside.

“Oh wow, this was not what I was expecting,” I breathe as I take in all the sports memorabilia covering the walls. All of LA’s teams are represented, but none more so than the LA Vipers.

“It’s a surf shack with a difference,” Corey says, standing close enough behind me that his breath rushes over my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

I’m still distracted with the decoration when a woman approaches. I don’t pay her much mind until she speaks.

“Corey! I was beginning to think you’d abandoned us,” she says with a friendly smile on her face, her eyes fully focused on his.

Something stirs deep in my belly. Something I don’t like, and something I certainly shouldn’t be feeling.

“Just been busy—you know how it is,” he says nonchalantly, although his attention remains firmly on hers.

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