Two Halves (Cate & Kian Book 2)

by Louise Hall

  By this time, Liv and Thom had joined them. “Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you,” Liv warned.

  Jenna called to the barman. “Where’s your manager? These freaks are threatening me.”

  “That would be me,” Luke stepped between the two groups. “Ladies, is there a problem?”

  Jenna started to speak but Luke put his hand up in front of her face. “Excuse me, I was asking the ladies.”

  He arranged for security to escort Jenna and her friends out of the bar. When they got back to the booth, there was a bottle of chilled champagne waiting for them at the table. “We didn’t order this,” Vanessa said.

  “Compliments of the management,” the waitress nodded to Luke.

  Cate didn’t normally drink but after seeing Jenna, she just wanted to get out of her head.

  “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Liv warned as Cate poured herself another glass of champagne.

  “Pot calling kettle,” Cate snapped back. “I’m going to the ladies.”

  She tottered over to the stairs, which led down to the ladies’ room. As she got to the bottom, she saw Luke coming out of one of the offices.

  “Hi,” she waved. God, she was really drunk.

  “Hello again,” he smiled warmly.

  The alcohol made her braver. “You were kinda hitting on me before?”

  “Yeah, I think I kinda was.”

  “I wonder what it would feel like to kiss you.” Crap, had she actually said those words out loud?

  Luke looked amused. He opened the office door and stepped to one side. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  Cate looked at Luke and then at the open door. She thought about Kian and Emily and how bloody happy he’d looked.

  Ugh, she followed Luke into the office and watched as he shut the door behind them.

  The office was dark, there was a just a single bare bulb above their heads which buzzed noisily. Luke came towards her and she wondered if he was going to kiss her straight away but instead he put his hands on her waist, lifted her up and put her down on his desk.

  He pushed her knees apart and stepped between them. His aftershave was so strong it made Cate want to gag. He slid her towards him so her bottom was on the edge of the desk. She felt him stiffen against her inner thigh.

  They were moving too fast. His thumb circled the single button on her jacket. If Kian had been touching her like this, she would have been unashamedly begging him to rip it open. Her nipples would have been aching for him to touch them, to taste them. With Luke, she found herself shifting away from him, each brush of his fingers made her skin crawl a little bit more.

  He grabbed the back of her head roughly and smashed his lips against hers. His lips were thin and dry. His tongue plunged inside her mouth. All Cate could think about was how much she missed Kian. How she wished it was him kissing her instead. She opened her eyes and looked at Luke. He wasn’t what she wanted. This wasn’t what she wanted. If anything she felt worse. She felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes.

  “Stop,” Cate said, pushing back his shoulders. “I can’t do this.”

  He stepped back and she quickly pressed her legs together.

  “Get out,” he said angrily. “Fucking tease.”

  Cate stumbled towards the door. Damn you, Kian, you were supposed to save me from all of this.

  CHAPTER 24

  “Are you done?” Kian demanded angrily.

  He’d just turned the corner, having come through the back entrance to Revenge, when he’d seen Cate disappear inside Luke’s office. He’d been pacing back and forth outside ever since.

  He’d been contemplating breaking the fucking door down when it swung open and Cate stumbled out. Kian felt his bollocks tighten; she looked too fucking sexy in those stilettos.

  Cate’s head shot up. “What are you doing here?” She frantically rubbed at her lips.

  Kian looked so angry, Cate was a little bit afraid of him. “I said are you done?”

  “And I said what are you doing here? Are you following me?”

  Kian grabbed her wrist and tugged her down the corridor to the ladies’ toilets. He followed her inside and flipped the lock, fortunately they were empty.

  He grabbed a handful of toilet paper and ran it under the cold tap. “Come here.” He gripped her chin, holding her still as he removed the lipstick smeared around her mouth.

  “Ouch,” Cate yelped, the water was freezing cold.

  After he’d finished, he tossed the used up toilet paper on the sink and pushed her back against the wall. “What the fuck were you doing in there?”

  Cate was mortified that he’d caught her going in the back office with Luke. “It’s none of your business. Where’s Emily?”

  “What?” Kian’s nostrils flared. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “I said, where’s Emily? She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

  Kian slammed his fists on the tiles. “Emily is not my fucking girlfriend.”

  “Really?” Cate tried pushing him back but he wouldn’t budge. “Because you looked really close in the photos I saw.”

  “She’s Dave’s assistant, she stumbled on the fucking cobbles outside the restaurant. Fuck, she’s married with a kid.”

  “That doesn’t normally stop people,” Cate raised an eyebrow. “You know, being married with a kid.”

  Somebody knocked on the door. “We should go.”

  “We’re not going anywhere until you answer me.”

  “What does it matter?” Cate sagged back against the wall. “He kissed me, OK? I didn’t like it so I pushed him away and he called me an effing tease. You happy now?”

  Kian took a step closer, trapping her against the wall with his hips. She felt the thick bulge of his erection against her thigh and damn, it made her wet. “My wife just kissed another bloke. Happy? I’m fucking ecstatic, can’t you tell?”

  He reached for the button at the front of her jacket. “Kian?” Cate protested, trying to push him away.

  Kian ignored her. He popped open the button, letting her jacket fall wide open. Her breasts looked majestic even under the harsh lighting; her nipples stiffened in the cool air.

  He covered her breasts with his hands, rubbing his thumbs back and forth over her nipples. “Stop,” Cate protested half-heartedly.

  “Is that really what you want?” he asked, licking up the side of her neck. Her skin was pebbled with bumps.

  “You’re mine, Cate,” Kian grunted, kissing along her jawline. “Your lips are mine.” He slanted his lips over hers, pushing his tongue inside her mouth. “Ah,” she cried, her head slamming back against the tiles.

  “These tits are mine.” He roughly grabbed her breasts, digging his fingers into her soft, warm flesh.

  “Ah,” she yelped, sliding up the wall until she was on the tips of her toes.

  He reached for the zip at the front of her trousers and pulled it down, sliding his hand inside her panties. “This,” he growled, “this is definitely mine.”

  “Kian,” Cate shivered as he stroked his fingers through her dark curls. “Please.”

  “I need you.” His eyes burned into hers, seeking her permission.

  “Take me,” Cate whimpered, leaning her head back against the wall. He shoved her jeans down around her knees. He wrapped his hand around the crotch of her panties and ripped them off her body. Cate felt the cold air smack against her pussy. Kian pushed a hand between her legs, parting the lips of her pussy and shoved two fingers inside her. “Ah,” Cate screamed, sliding further up the wall. Her thighs clamped tightly around his hand. He grinned, kissing her forehead. “Does that feel good, angel?”

  “You know it does,” Cate panted. She could smell her musky arousal heavy in the air.

  He unzipped his jeans, his hard cock springing free from his boxers. Kian grabbed Cate’s thigh and hooked it around his waist. He pushed the blunt head of his cock against her entrance. Cate dug her fingernails into his shoulders. “Fuck,�
�� Kian cried, surging upwards into his wife’s tight pussy. He grabbed her other thigh and lifted her up so she was pinned between him and the wall. With one hand under her butt and the other on the back of her head, he slammed into her repeatedly, taking out every ounce of the frustration he’d felt watching her walk into the back office with that jerk. He felt her butt clench beneath his palm, her thighs tighten around his waist, her head push back against his hand.

  “Kian,” Cate screamed, her cries ricocheting off the tiled walls as she quaked with orgasm. As her pussy shamelessly milked his cock, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, grunting her name over and over again as his cock pumped deep between her legs.

  Afterwards, Kian sank to the floor and held Cate in his lap. “Fuck,” he groaned, as he gently stroked his fingers up and down her spine. He’d forgotten how mind-blowingly good it was, being with Cate. He tilted her head back so he could see her face. She always looked so soft after she’d come. Her lips were so tender, he couldn’t resist another taste. He leaned forward and ran the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip. Her hands tightened on his shoulders. “Mm,” as he moved closer, her soft breasts pillowed against his chest. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her hard, swollen nipple.

  Cate’s phone buzzed at the side of them so he reached across and took it out of her clutch bag. “What are you doing?” she asked groggily.

  “I’ve texted Liv,” Kian kissed her forehead, “you’re not feeling good so you’re getting a taxi home.”

  “You can’t just do that,” Cate protested.

  Kian got up and quickly cleaned himself up. He knelt back down in front of her. “Open your legs.”

  “Not a chance,” Cate fumed, folding her arms across her chest.

  He pushed her thighs apart. “Kian?”

  “I’m just going to clean you up, that’s all.” He held up the damp paper towels. “So we can get dressed and get out of here.”

  “Fine,” Cate said, “but I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “So fucking stubborn,” Kian grumbled as he threw the paper towels in the bin. When he got back, Cate had already pulled up her jeans and was fastening her blazer. She winced as she looked down at the stilettos.

  “Don’t bother, you won’t need them.” Kian grabbed them and held them above his head.

  “You can take my shoes but I’m still not going home with you. I’ll go barefoot. I’ll probably cut my feet really badly on broken glass and get some sort of infection, which will mean they’ll have to cut off both my feet but I’d still rather risk that than go home with you. At least I’ll save money on nail polish remover.”

  “Good to know,” Kian grinned. “But I am taking you home. You’ve proved by going in that office with that… jerk that your judgment has been impaired so I’m taking you home.”

  “Ugh,” Cate gritted her teeth in frustration. “You didn’t worry about my judgement when you were… you know, with me against that wall.”

  “Nah, that was you coming to your senses,” Kian laughed. “Well, coming anyway.”

  “I hate you,” Cate stormed. Not now, she said to her lady bits which had started throbbing again. “I want my shoes.”

  Kian picked her up and held her against his chest. “Put me down.”

  “Not happening.”

  “I’ll bite you.”

  Cate reached up and sunk her teeth into his neck. “Put me down.”

  Kian laughed, “not a chance angel, besides I quite enjoyed that, do it again.”

  When they got outside, his car was already waiting for them with the engine running. “Thanks,” Kian said. He put Cate on the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. He made sure to stay with his back pressed against the passenger door while he retrieved his keys and tipped the valet.

  Cate was surprised when they pulled up outside Irene’s house and Kian switched off the engine. “I thought you’d want to be here when Lola woke up.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “Can I have my shoes back now?”

  “Nope,” Kian picked her up again and carried her down the driveway.

  When they got to the bottom, Irene opened the front door. “Hi,” Kian said.

  Irene just rolled her eyes. She’d given up trying to understand her children’s relationships a long time ago.

  Kian continued carrying Cate all the way up to her attic bedroom. “Ugh,” she said, when he eventually put her down on the floor, “I stink. I need a shower.”

  “Me too,” Kian grinned, stripping off his shirt.

  Cate looked up at the ceiling. “Good, you can have a shower at your house. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Nope, I’m staying here.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “You’ve had a lot to drink; I don’t want you to choke on your own vomit.”

  “I had 1 glass of champagne,” Cate protested, “that is not a lot to drink.”

  “Come on” he chivvied, “the sooner we shower, the sooner we can get in bed and go to sleep.”

  “I’m keeping my underwear on.”

  “I hate to break it to you, angel,” Kian unzipped his trousers, “but I don’t think you’re wearing any.”

  Cate unzipped her jeans and peeked inside, “where are my panties?”

  “If you haven’t got them on, they’re probably still on that bathroom floor.”

  “Nooo,” Cate was mortified, “I’m such a slut.”

  Kian laughed. “You’re not a slut, angel. It’s not like you had sex with some random stranger, I’m your husband.”

  Cate narrowed her eyes, “I’m so glad you find this funny.”

  She climbed into the shower and tried to ignore the fact that Kian was laughing so hard he was almost bent double on the other side of the shower curtain.

  She’d just about managed to block him out when the curtain was pulled back and Kian stepped in. “I’m sorry.” He put his hands gently on her shoulders.

  “So you keep saying,” Cate grumbled, “can you pass me the shower gel?”

  She held her hand out waiting for him to pass the bottle but instead she felt a trickle of warmth between her shoulder blades. Kian’s magic hands began to massage the thick knots of tension in her shoulders.

  “You don’t play fair,” Cate said as she felt her body start to relax.

  “I just want to be with you, Cate,” Kian sighed. “Is that such a bad thing?”

  After they’d showered and got changed, Cate stood in front of the sink brushing her teeth.

  Kian came up behind her and kissed the top of her head, “I wish I’d brought the tassels with me, you look like you need a dance.”

  Cate burst out laughing, spitting toothpaste all over the mirror. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

  “It was the last time we stayed here, right?” Kian asked. “The Christmas before Lo was born.”

  “Fuck,” he said, rubbing his hands over his face. “What happened to us?”

  “I think,” Cate said, reaching for his hand. She led him back into the bedroom. “We stopped talking about the things that really matter.”

  “Can I stay with you tonight?” Kian asked.

  Cate pulled back the duvet and scooted across the narrow, single bed until her back was against the wall. “I’d like that.”

  CHAPTER 25

  “Thanks for saving me a spot,” Vanessa plonked herself down on the floor next to Cate. Office hours weren’t for another 45 minutes but already most of the offices had a crowd of students waiting outside. Today was the 1st day that they could sign up one of the lecturers to supervise their dissertation next year and each lecturer only had a certain number of slots. Cate and Vanessa both wanted Dr. Fairfax and Cate had been queuing for an hour already.

  “No problem,” Cate scooched over a bit to give them both more room. She gladly took the cup of coffee Vanessa had brought up from the refectory. “I’m so tired.”

  “Didn’t get much sleep?” Vanessa
wiggled her eyebrows, “I don’t blame you. I know he’s your husband and all but he is freaking hot.”

  Cate blushed, “we’re separated.”

  “So you didn’t ditch girls’ night and go home with him?”

  “How did you know?” Cate clapped a hand over her mouth. “Ugh, I’m going to kill Liv.”

  “She also said that he’s stayed over every night since. So, are you two back together then?”

  “No,” Cate stammered. “I don’t know. It’s complicated. Anyway, that’s not why I’m tired.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Vanessa smirked.

  “It’s not,” Cate protested. “He didn’t stay over last night. He was with the team at a hotel. Rovers are away at Southampton tonight. If you don’t believe me, ask Thom.”

  “Speaking of Thom, have you seen him yet?” Vanessa looked around anxiously.

  “No,” Cate said, relieved that the conversation had moved on from her sex life. “But there was already quite a queue outside Dr. Rogan’s office when I got here.”

  “Ooh, I hope he gets a slot,” Vanessa opened a bag of Skittles. “Want one?”

  Cate and Vanessa both got slots with Dr. Fairfax and when they met up with Thom in the refectory afterwards, they were delighted that he’d got the slot he wanted with Dr. Rogan.

  “Have you got any plans for the weekend?” Vanessa asked as she sat down at the table.

  “Nope,” Cate said, “Lola’s going to the match with her Dad on Sunday.”

  “Is she going on the pitch at the end?” Thom asked.

  Cate nodded.

  “Why aren’t you going?” Vanessa asked.

  “I’ve never been to any of Kian’s games,” Cate shrugged her shoulders.

  “That’s bullshit,” Vanessa said. “I think you should go, we all should.”

  “Thanks Ness but it’s sold out.”

  Vanessa turned to Thom, “what about your uncle?”

  “What about him?”

  “Doesn’t he work for the club?” Vanessa pressed, “call him and see if he can get us tickets.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Cate said, putting her hand on Thom’s arm, “it’s fine, really.”