Page 68 of Catch You

“Nah, maybe just a little battered. Memories and people never leave us, Corey, not really. And wounds heal. You just have to be brave enough to move forward.”

I climb to my feet, suddenly knowing exactly where I should be right now. “You heading home to grovel?”

His smile grows. “I’ll sit here for a while longer before I go back and apologize for being an asshole.”

I laugh as I walk away. I’m just about to descend the first step when Fletch calling my name stops me.

“Yeah.”

“Say hi to Harlow for me.”

I shake my head as I descend the stairs. Of course, he fucking knew.

I have a car heading my way before I even get to the bottom of the stairs, my need for her now stronger than ever.

She’s like the little bit of light I need to make everything feel more bearable. And unlike many that have come before, when she looks into my eyes, she doesn’t see someone who’s broken and fighting his way through life. She just sees me, and as unnerving as it is, she gets it. She’s lost the most importantpeople in her life; she understands the hell I’ve lived through without me even having to explain to her the reality of it all.

My feet crunch up the gravel on her driveway seconds after I step from the car. The house is in darkness. I hesitate as I lift my finger to ring the bell. She’s probably asleep; I have no idea how early I woke her this morning, but she deserves her rest after having to deal with me.

Being the selfish arsehole that I am, though, my need is stronger right now.

I press my finger to the button and listen to the ring as it cuts through the silence of the night.

I don’t hear any movement, and I begin to think she either isn’t in, slept through it, or just doesn’t want to see me.

Taking a step back, I look to the upstairs windows in the hope of finding my answer. The curtain twitches, and there she is. Our eyes lock for a beat, and something slams into my chest.

I’ve needed her all day. It’s only now I’ve seen her that I realise just how desperate I am.

When I’m with her, everything falls away. It’s just us, two broken souls trying to deal with our losses and fighting to carve ourselves the lives we deserve. I might not have the details about her family, but she has the same pain in her eyes. The same daily fight.

Coldness washes through me when she slips back inside the room, but it only lasts a few seconds. A light comes on behind the door before I see her move down the stairs through the small piece of frosted glass.

My heart pounds and my fists curl in my need to pull her into my arms, and my cock stirs just at the thought of it.

Hesitantly, she pulls the door open.

“Corey, what are you?—”

I don’t give her a chance to finish her question or even bother with a verbal answer. Instead, my hand lands on her duck egg–blue door, and I push it wider before stepping inside the house.

Her hair is a mess from where she’s been in bed, and she’s wearing a white, almost-see-through tank with a tiny pair of shorts that I’m sure wouldn’t actually cover her arse should she turn around.

I’m a selfish prick, turning up here and waking her to take what I need to make all the noise in my head go away, but I’m powerless to resist. I kick the door closed behind me, the slam echoing through the house as I take her cheeks in my hands and slam my lips down on hers.

She gives herself over to me immediately, and the second I seek entrance, her lips part and she hungrily sucks my tongue into her mouth, her arms wrapping around my neck to hold me close.

My little goddess.

A growl rumbles up my throat, and I lose all control.

My mouth claims and my hands take everything she’s offering to me, the escape only she understands.

The distraction.

My fingers pull at the hem of her tank, and our lips part for the two seconds it takes for me to tug it over her head.

Throwing it to the floor behind me, I retake her mouth, my hand dropping to her breast, palming the softness and pinching her nipple until she groans.

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