Page 153 of Always: A Legacy Novel

Catherine stretched her arms high, and then fixed her thong and dress. “A little wetter than I should be, but hey.”

He laughed. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“I’m aware.” She side-eyed him. “This is a one-time thing, though. I’m not the hookup kind of girl, Cross.”

That was on her.

He wasn’t offering anything else.

He wasn’t ready.

She did that, too.

“Call me if that changes,” he said, reaching for the backdoor.

“For you, it might,” she murmured. “Still friends?”

Cross swallowed hard, and pushed the door open. “Yeah, definitely friends.”

Now.

He stepped out of the back of the SUV just as he shrugged his leather jacket back on overtop his hoodie. He ignored the way the ground felt weak under his Doc Martens—fucking Catherine always left him a little stupid in the head.

Two cars down, Andino’s gaze caught Cross’s, though he was in conversation with someone else. Cross figured he should probably apologize, given the Cadillac was Andino’s to begin with. Whatever conversation Andino was having couldn’t be too important because he dropped it without warning and came Cross’s way.

“Sorry,” Cross said.

He didn’t sound very apologetic.

Andino smirked. “Didn’t see a thing, man.”

Well, then …

“I owe you one.”

“I will cash it in someday, Cross.”

Yeah.

Marcellos always did.

“Since when did you start dating Derik again?” Liliana asked.

Catherine made a face, and sipped from the wine in her red solo cup. “Since school started, but we’re not really dating. We’ve gone out like twice in three weeks.”

“Okay, then why?” Her cousin gave the footballer in question a look from across the room, but Derik didn’t notice. “Because I remember you telling me he was a jerk, and he is.”

“And a pig,” Catherine agreed.

Those details hadn’t really changed much.

Derik was slightly better, but mostly, he was a way out of her house on weekends without one of her older cousins demanding they follow behind. Catherine didn’t regret her choice to start dealing with Andino, and under John’s direction, she simply wished they gave her a bit more leeway. Michel had been able to do whatever in the hell he wanted, with no watchers.

Catherine wasn’t given that benefit at all.

Except when she went out with Derik.

Her parents never seemed to question when she went out with her cousins, though. Usually just Andino. Sometimes Catherine didn’t tell them where or with whom she was going at all. She still wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to continue dealing, or if she wanted to let her parents in on what she was doing.