Page 46 of Always: A Legacy Novel

Oh, Cross would smile.

The bastard …

Catherine must have seen the promise of quick violence in Cross’s eye because she grabbed his jaw turned his head toward her, and kissed him one more time. She always seemed to do that—see his annoyance flare and quickly tamper it down when even he couldn’t. Her kiss was far more than enough to soothe his irritation for the moment.

Until Zeke spoke again.

It wasn’t even bad this time.

“Are we ready or what?”

Cross weaved his fingers into Catherine’s loosely French braided hair, and tugged her close enough to smell the cherry blossom perfume she liked so much. At the same time, he reached into the front driver’s seat and smacked Zeke in the back of the head.

“Drive,” he muttered.

“You’re such an ass,” Zeke said, rubbing at his head and putting the car in gear.

Amanda threw a magazine back at Cross with a half-hearted glare. “Be nice, you.”

“He earned it.”

“Where are we going?” Catherine asked.

“Queens,” Zeke answered.

“That tells me nothing.”

“Jacob Riis Park,” Cross told her.

“The beach?” Catherine’s smile brightened even more, and she tossed her hands up in the air. “Yes.”

Cross laughed at her excitement.

She was fourteen, all sun-kissed bronze, smooth skin, and painted toes.

Fucking right she loved the beach.

“I should have brought a bathing suit,” Catherine mused.

“That water is cold.”

“So? You would warm me up.”

Cross shrugged. “Of course.”

Did she expect anything different?

Catherine squinted out at the water where Zeke was currently throwing Amanda into the waves. Amanda’s friend wasn’t very far behind, nor the other guy that Zeke had stopped to pick up on their way to Queens. Their laughter melted into the sounds of the other people at the beach and the splashing. The beach wasn’t filled with people, but there was enough.

Leaning back on the blanket and using his elbows to keep himself propped up, Cross stared up at the bright sky from behind his aviator sunglasses. Catherine laid back, too, rolled to her side, and rested her head in her hands on top of his stomach. He fiddled with the few stray waves of her hair that had escaped from the loose braids.

“Your parents don’t mind that you constantly run around with older kids doing whatever you want?” Catherine asked quietly, still watching his friends.

“I mean … no.”

It wasn’t the first time she asked that.

He didn’t know if she was expecting a different answer, or what.