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“Only if you’ll promise to be careful. She deserves that much, don’t you think?”
“The only thing I can promise is that before she goes back to Georgia I’ll have my answers.”
“Answers? Is that what this was all about?” The questions hadn’t come from his sister. Dean cursed under his breath and turned to find Catherine standing on the other side of the room, dressed in her wrinkled dress and staring at him as if he’d kicked her puppy. Fuck. He started for her, but she put up a hand, green fire shooting from her eyes. Damn, if looks could kill he’d be a dead man.
“Don’t,” she said, her voice a little unsteady. She dismissed him altogether and looked toward his sister. “Can you please take me back to my hotel?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Catherine,” Dean growled.
To Dean’s horror, Catherine’s lower lip quivered. “Please, you’ve said enough.”
Dean felt like someone was ripping his heart out of his chest when Catherine left the kitchen. He watched as she pulled on her coat and waited for Deanna by the door. His sister pulled him down for a hug and whispered, “I’ll talk to her.”
He shook his head. “My mess,” he said around the rock suddenly lodged in his throat.
“My fault,” she whispered right back.
When Deanna released him and went to pull her coat on, Dean started across the room. He couldn’t let Catherine leave. Not like this. But damn if he wasn’t quick enough. Catherine made it out the door and partway down the sidewalk, hell bent on getting away from him, before he could reach the living room. Deanna looked at him and shook her head in sympathy, then took off after her.
Dean was forced to stand by and watch as they pulled away. He willed Catherine to look back at him. She didn’t. Damn, he’d screwed up royally this time, and he desperately needed to fix it. He wouldn’t let her walk away that easily. If she didn’t listen to reason on her own accord, then he’d just have to tie her pretty ass to the bed and force her to listen.
Catherine waited until she was inside her hotel suite before she let the tears fall. Her purse dropped to the floor by the door, and her legs shook as she headed to the couch. God, she’d been such a fool thinking Dean might’ve actually wanted her. The entire time he’d only been working her, hoping to get under her defenses so he could learn all her deep, dark secrets. If only he could see the truth, that there weren’t any damn secrets.
Deanna had tried talking to her in the car on the way back to the hotel, but Catherine hadn’t heard half of what she’d said. Her ears were still ringing from Dean’s vow to get answers. Catherine’s stomach knotted as she recalled the way she’d hurried to get dressed. She’d been so anxious to get back to Dean. Her body had burned and her insides felt scorched by the sinful promises he’d spoken before leaving her next to his bed. Her mind had taken a pretty X-rated turn as she’d imagined what other sexual adventures Dean might have in store for her. Catherine had conjured up all sorts of things as she’d slipped into her badly wrinkled dress and uncomfortable shoes. As she’d stepped into the kitchen, overhearing Dean talking about her as if they hadn’t just spent the entire night loving each other, Catherine’s libido had all but shriveled and died.
“I’m such a pathetic fool,” she groaned as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Several deep inhales and exhales later, she felt more in control and less like she would shatter at any given moment.
“Get hold of yourself,” she gritted out. “He’s just a man and it was one night. You’ve managed worse situations.” When she opened her eyes and stood, she became aware that she still wore her coat. She tossed it onto the couch before kicking her shoes off. She thought about calling Mary. She was always good for a shoulder to cry on, but Catherine didn’t really want to talk to anyone about Dean. The pain was too sharp at the moment.
As she went into the bathroom, Catherine turned on the light and got a good look at herself in the mirror. “God, I look like . . . sex. Messy, frantic, lust-filled sex.” It had been fantastic, too, right up until the bubb
le had burst thanks to Dean’s big mouth. “Distrustful Neanderthal,” she muttered as anger finally took the place of pain. Dean had been great, but it was over. Time to move on. What she really needed was a long, hot shower, then she’d call Gracie. Her sister was the reason she’d come to Ohio in the first place. Dean didn’t have a thing to do with it.
Having given herself that pep talk, Catherine stripped out of her clothes and stepped into a hot shower. In her mind, she heard Dean’s last words, though, and she felt the stab to her heart all over again.
The water went cold before Catherine’s second crying jag was over. She got out and wrapped a towel around her body. As she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, Catherine heard a knock on the door. She frowned and left the bathroom, wondering who it could be.
When she looked through the peephole, she frowned and pulled the door open. Gracie and Wade stood in the hallway. Catherine easily saw the worry on Gracie’s face. “Deanna called you, huh?”
Gracie nodded. Catherine let them in and closed the door behind them. She wanted to reassure them, but before she got the chance, Gracie was pulling her into her arms and giving her a big hug. Catherine had to force back the emotion clogging her throat. When Gracie pulled back she said, “I could kick Dean for this, I swear.”
“No need,” Wade chimed in. “I’ll beat the crap out of him and solve all our problems.”
Catherine’s heart swelled at the way the pair rallied around her. She smiled, hoping to keep the conversation light. “It’s fine, really.” She looked down at her towel-clad body and said, “Let me just get dressed, then we can go see that movie.”
“Are you sure you still want to go? We don’t have to if you aren’t up to it, I mean.”
“I definitely want to,” Catherine said, and meant it. Dean wasn’t going to spoil the little bit of time she had with her sister. Catherine quickly left the room. As she entered the bedroom she closed the double doors and went about getting dressed. By the time she had on jeans and a brown scoop neck blouse, Catherine’s hair was nearly dry. She decided a ponytail would be the quickest fix. Within minutes she reentered the living room. “Ready?”
Wade and Gracie’s gaze landed on her, and she knew they weren’t quite buying her act. “Catherine, we can both see you aren’t fine.”
She waved a hand in the air. “He said some hurtful things, but it doesn’t matter. Dean didn’t make me any promises. I knew what I was doing when I went home with him. I’m a big girl. I can handle a little rejection.” God, please let them believe me. Catherine had zero desire to dig around in her bruised heart at the moment. She’d had enough crying for one day.
“I don’t know what Dean’s problem is,” Wade bit out, “but I’m putting a stop to it.”
Catherine heard the severity in Wade’s tone and it shook her. “I don’t want you and Dean fighting because of me. Please, I couldn’t stand it if I was the cause of some family feud.” She’d never been a weak woman. In fact, she was usually pretty confident, but with Wade ready to fight her battles and Gracie’s need to shelter and protect, Catherine was more than a little shaken. She’d never experienced that sort of loving devotion. She’d always known a parent’s love, but it had been different. This made her feel cherished, even though she hadn’t known either of them for very long.
