Page 54 of Catch You

“I could sure use you getting something else off your chest.” His voice is low, and it causes all kinds of flutters to erupt down below.

“Eat up. If you’re lucky, you might need your stamina later.”

His eyes fly back up to mine, a smirk spreading across his lips. Placing his food onto the picnic blanket, he leans over, resting a palm beside my hip and forcing me to lower my plate as he closes the space between us.

The fingers of his other hand gently brush against my cheek, sending a shiver down my spine. His eyes stare deep into mine. It’s like he sees me—the real me, cracks, dents, regrets and all—despite the fact that he’s barely scratched the surface of my life.

“You’re incredible,” he muses, his eyes bouncing between mine. “I’ve never had a first date before.” His admission hits me right in the chest. How? How is that possible? “So, rest assured that if I didn’t want to be here right now, if I had any doubts about you, then I wouldn’t be.”

“Y-you’ve never had a date before?” I ask, utterly astounded.

He shakes his head.

“Why?”

He opens his mouth to respond but must change his mind at the last minute because he closes it again.

“It’s okay,” I encourage, desperate for him to open up just a little. It’s totally hypocritical of me, because I’m not exactly an open book.

He sits back, sucking in a fortifying breath. “I’m not looking for forever, Harlow,” he admits as he stares out to ocean, his voice a little colder than before. “I’m not some kind of Prince Charming that you’re going to be able to gallop off into the sunset with.”

“But—”

“No. No buts. It’s who I am. I can’t be tied down.”

“Why?”

He closes his eyes and drags in a deep breath. For a moment, I don’t think he’s going to respond, but then his lips part and he confesses, “Bad shit happens to those around me. I’m like afucking curse that doesn’t stop striking. I refuse to drag anyone else into my fucked-up life.”

He pulls his knees up and rests his arms across the top as he focuses on the waves crashing.

“I’m no princess, Corey.”

The silence hanging between us is heavy, yet the pull I feel toward him never dissipates as he loses himself in his own head.

Pushing my plate aside, I do the only thing I can think of to drag him back from wherever he’s gone: I gently lift his arms and nudge his legs down before straddling his lap.

I take his cheeks in my hands. “Did you hear me?” I lean forward, the tip of my nose brushing his. “I said I’m no fucking princess.” I squeal as his hands grab onto my ass. He flips me over and stares into my eyes for a beat before crushing his lips to mine.

His kiss is hard, passionate, frantic, as if he just can’t get enough of me. I take everything he gives as my fingers grip tightly to the fabric at his back.

Our tongues duel and our teeth clash. I completely forget that we’re in a public place where everyone can see, and I lose myself to this tormented man.

He might think he’s a curse, but he has no idea that I’m the true poison here. But I fear that now I’ve had a taste of him, I’m not going to be able to release him.

When he eventually pulls back, both our chests heave for air as our breaths mingle. He stares down at me from his position with his hands either side of my head.

“Fuck,” he barks. “Why are you so fucking tempting?” I expect him to kiss me again, but I’m disappointed, because, after running his thumb along my bottom lip, he falls to the side and pulls me into his body.

His fingers trail around the softness of my stomach as we lie in silence. It’s not like it was earlier; it’s now comfortable withdesire crackling between us. That kiss was amazing, but it was nowhere near what either of us needed.

“This is why I moved here,” he suddenly says, breaking the silence. He nods towards the empty beach and the orange and yellow sky. “I craved this kind of peace. This solitude. I had to get away, and here seemed like paradise.”

“And how’s it working out for you?”

“Good and bad.”

“How’s that?”

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