My First Half (Cate & Kian Book 1)

by Louise Hall

  Kian stripped off his clothes and joined her on the bed. “I’m not going to be doing any work this afternoon, you can do it all.”

  He lifted her up so she was straddling him. “Hey,” Cate swatted him, “this was your idea.”

  Kian ran his eyes up and down her naked body. “I know, I think it’s one of my best.”

  Cate made to climb off him. “I’ve got food to put away and a frozen bra to retrieve.”

  Kian caught her, picked her up and threw her back down on the bed. He straddled her, pinning her wrists above her head. “I win,” Cate said cheekily.

  “You didn’t play fair,” Kian pouted, parting her legs with his knee.

  Afterwards, they lay tangled up on the bed, sweaty and out of breath. “A pleasure as always, Mrs Warner.”

  Cate swatted him on the chest. “You’re weird.”

  “So,” he said, more seriously. “There’s this thing on Thursday night, it’s this team bonding dinner. It’s bullshit but the gaffer thinks it’s a good idea so…”

  “I’m supposed to work Thursday night,” Cate frowned. “I can ask Nick if I can change shifts?”

  “No, don’t do that,” Kian said. “It’ll be really boring. Sara’s not going.”

  “If you want me to go, I’ll go,” Cate said. Although, the idea of going out with Kian’s teammates and their wives and girlfriends brought her out in a cold sweat.

  “Nah, it’s cool,” Kian said, trying to hide his relief.

  Kian followed Yoakey across King Street to the restaurant where the “team bonding” meal was being held. As they got nearer the door, a couple of photographers jumped out in front of them. Kian hated this part of his job.

  “Where’s Alice?” they shouted, still thinking that he was dating Alice Devereux.

  Kian just ignored them.

  A car pulled up to the kerb just outside the restaurant – Stephen Locke, the Rovers’ team captain and his wife, Kelly got out. The photographers quickly turned their attention to the new arrivals. “Kelly, is there any truth you’re going on Big Brother?”

  “Aw, they don’t love me anymore?” Yoakey joked, pulling open the door.

  “You’re too ugly,” Kian jabbed.

  “Maybe if I got my tits out?” Yoakey looked across at Kelly; her silicone breasts were barely covered by the plunging neckline of her J-Lo style peach dress.

  “Ste might as well get his money’s worth?” Kian said, turning his back.

  “Do you think it was his idea?” Yoakey mused. “Sara would cut off my balls so fast if I even suggested it. Not that I’m complaining, I told her any more than a handful is a waste.” He ran his tongue over his lips. “Mm.”

  “Shut up,” Kian laughed. “I don’t want to hear about your fucking sex life.”

  “Aw,” Yoakey grinned. “Is poor Kian not getting any?”

  “I’m very happy with what I’ve got,” Kian smiled, thinking about his wife. “Very happy.”

  “What are you two boys grinning about?” Kelly asked, linking her arms through theirs.

  “It’s guy stuff,” Yoakey shrugged. He tried really hard not to look at Kelly’s boobs, fuck they were big.

  “Oh,” Kelly sagged with disappointment. “Where’s Alice? I was looking forward to catching up with her tonight.”

  Before Kian could answer, he heard someone call Kelly’s name from the front door. It can’t be. He spun around quickly, coming face to face with his sister. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Sinead smiled sweetly. “Kelly invited me.”

  “What a small world,” Kelly smiled, showing off her expensive dental work. “Sinead and I met at Cut. I didn’t know she was your sister, Kian. Really, you look nothing alike. She’s an absolute godsend though; she has the best taste in clothes. She found this dress for me, isn’t it fabulous? Now Sinead darling, where’s Fabrizio gone? I want to introduce the two of you?”

  Kian managed to avoid Sinead while they had drinks but when they sat down for the meal, he was seated right across from her. Yoakey was at the other end of the table.

  After the waiters had cleared away the plates from the entrees, the table fell quiet for a moment. “So Kian,” Sinead said, ensuring that her voice could be heard by everybody at the table. “Where’s your wife?”

  “Your wife?” Kelly’s ears pricked up. “I didn’t know you were married, Kian.”

  “Shh,” Sinead giggled, “he doesn’t like to talk about it. It was a shotgun wedding. He had sex with this girl, a friend of the family and a month later she tells him she’s pregnant. He married her in Vegas.”

  Kelly giggled, “men are so stupid, why do they keep falling for that trick?”

  “Who knows?” Sinead shrugged. “Some girls will do anything to snare a footballer.”

  Kelly put her hand on Kian’s arm. “Sweetie, please tell me you’re going to do a paternity test?”

  Kian quickly shrugged her away and looked daggers at his sister, “I need to speak to you outside.”

  “I haven’t finished my drink yet,” Sinead smiled back at him.

  Kian stormed outside. He wanted to fucking kill his sister. “Hey,” Yoakey said quietly. “You OK, man?”

  “No,” Kian growled. “I’m going to fucking kill her.”

  “I hate to say I told you so,” Yoakey grinned widely, “but I told you so. They’re piranhas, man and I’m afraid to say you’re sister’s becoming one of them.”

  “I’m just glad Cate’s not here,” Kian winced. “She doesn’t need to hear that shit.”

  “Again man, I told you so,” Yoakey laughed. “You think they don’t say shit about Sara cause she’s black? Of course they do. That’s the whole reason why I don’t bring her to things like this. This isn’t my life, it’s my job. At the end of the day, I go home to Sara, my life is with her.”

  “Who’d have thought, relationship advice from Mr Yoakam?”

  “Don’t knock it,” Yoakey laughed. “You coming back inside?”

  “Do you think the gaffer would notice if I snuck off early?”

  Yoakey checked his watch. “Unfortunately, I think he would. Give it another 15 minutes?”

  As they walked back inside, Yoakey said quietly to Kian. “It could be worse, you know. Imagine waking up to that every morning.” He gestured towards Kelly.

  Kian laughed. “Ugh, think I just lost my appetite.”

  “The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get the hell out of here.”

  Cate was asleep on the sofa when Kian got home, her Kindle on standby on the floor. He picked it up and switched it off and then scooped Cate up in his arms. “Hey,” she said sleepily, as he lifted her up. “Did you have a good time?”

  “It was work,” Kian shrugged.

  “Wait,” Cate blinked open her eyes. “We need to christen the lounge.”

  “That can wait,” Kian smiled. “Tonight, I want to make love to you in our bed.”

  “Mm,” Cate kissed the side of his neck, “I like the sound of that.”

  As he carried her up the stairs, he pressed his lips to hers. “So fucking glad you’re not a piranha.”

  Cate shook her head. “You’re weird.”

  CHAPTER 30

  The night before the 1st match of the new Premier League season, Kian was cold and distant. Cate felt as though they were on opposite sides of a glass window. She didn’t like the feeling.

  “Are you hungry?” Cate asked gently, when they passed in the hallway. After he’d picked her up from work, Kian had holed up in his office with the door shut.

  “No,” Kian replied, bristling with tension. Then as if he remembered who he was talking to, he added, “thanks though. I’ll have something later. I’m going to finish up watching these game tapes.”

  Cate knew tomorrow was a big match; they were at home to United. They weren’t just Rovers’ local rivals; they were also the team that had won the Premier League and Champions League double last season.

  “OK,” Cate said. “Why don
’t you watch them in the lounge? I’ll be upstairs.”

  She showered and got dressed for bed. It was still early but she was tired. Kian thought she was working tomorrow and the guilt of lying to him was weighing heavily on her mind. She could have asked Nick for an extra shift but it was embarrassing that her husband didn’t want her there for such an important match.

  Cate climbed into bed in the guest room, figuring that Kian would want space. As the sun set in the sky, her eyes were drooping so she switched off her Kindle and put it on the bedside table.

  When Kian went upstairs to bed, he was still thinking about what he’d seen on the game tapes. His stomach was churning; the way it always did before a big game. After years as a professional footballer, he’d got used to the feeling. In a way, he liked it; it kept him focused. If he didn’t feel like shit the night before a game, he usually didn’t play very well.

  When he looked down at their bed, he was surprised to find it empty. He found Cate already asleep, curled up in the guest bedroom. Kian watched her for a minute, not wanting to disturb her. She looked so beautiful. Fuck, she took his breath away. He bent down, pressing his lips to her soft skin. “Love you,” he murmured, almost silently. Then he gently pulled back the duvet and slid his arms under her back and thighs, lifting her up off the mattress.

  “What are you doing?” Cate woke up as he walked down the hallway.

  “Are you angry with me?” Kian asked, as he walked into their bedroom.

  “No,” Cate shook her head.

  “Then you sleep in our bed.”

  Kian placed her down gently on her side of the bed and pulled the duvet up to her shoulders. “I was giving you space,” Cate protested. “Where are you going to sleep?”

  “I don’t want space,” Kian replied, changing into a grey t-shirt and pair of pyjama bottoms. “I’m going to sleep here, with you, in our bed.”

  He went to the wardrobe and pulled out several plump pillows. “What are those?”

  Cate watched as Kian laid them down the centre of the bed, like a barrier. “I never have sex the night before a match.”

  Cate frowned. “I don’t need a barrier.”

  Kian climbed into bed, on the other side of the barrier. “It’s not that,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “I have very little willpower when it comes to you. The barrier is for me, not for you.”

  Cate smiled. “You don’t trust yourself with me.”

  Kian shook his head, “even lying next to you like this is torturing me.”

  Cate sat up, “then why don’t I sleep in the guest room, I don’t mind.”

  “Even though it tortures me, I want you here. This is our bed, where you belong.”

  “So is Bobby going to share our bed every night before a match?” Cate asked, lying back down.

  “Bobby?”

  “It’s a song. You, Me and Bobby McGee.” She patted the row of pillows. “Bobby McGee.”

  Kian turned out the light and they settled into their respective sides of the bed. “I’m fairly sure I read somewhere that George Best used to have sex right before a match, not even the night before.”

  “Unfortunately,” Kian groaned. “George Best was a much better player than I am.”

  “Perhaps,” Cate said, “that’s because he had sex before a match. Night Kian.”

  When Cate woke up the following morning, Kian had already showered and was getting dressed in his club suit. “Morning,” he smiled, leaning over to give her a kiss. “How did you sleep?”

  “Really well,” Cate grinned, stroking her fingers through his damp hair. “Bobby’s a much better cuddler than you are.”

  “Really,” Kian raised his eyebrows. “We’ll see about that.”

  “Yep,” Cate giggled. “I really enjoyed my first ménage a trois.”

  “Don’t get used to it,” Kian frowned. “Bobby can sleep in the wardrobe tonight.”

  When he went downstairs, Cate put on her robe and followed him. “What time do you have to be at work?”

  “Not until later,” Cate lied. “It’s just a couple of hours; I’ll be back before you get home.”

  Cate walked him to the front door. “Remember our deal,” he grinned, pulling her against him. “I want you in our bed, naked.”

  “Like I said before,” Cate smiled. She wrapped her hand around his club tie. She needed to feel his lips against hers. A horn sounded outside, ending the kiss far too quickly. “Score a goal and we’ll see.”

  Cate watched from the doorstep as Kian got into Ben’s car and they drove off. The day stretched out emptily in front of her, like the days when Kian had been on tour in the US.

  She tidied up the kitchen and then went upstairs, intending to take a shower and get dressed. But as she passed by their bed, the sheets were still rumpled. She lay down on Kian’s side of the bed and buried her face in his pillow. The lingering scent of his aftershave just made her feel even more alone. It was scary to love someone this much. Last night, she’d lain awake, tortured by the idea of him just inches away from her. She missed the feel of him wrapped around her body, how his hand would sneak up the front of her vest to touch her bump.

  Cate forced herself to get out of their bed and before she could change her mind, she quickly made the bed. “Sorry Bobby,” she smiled, putting the pillows back in the top of the wardrobe.

  She had just come out of the shower when the doorbell rang. “Just a second,” Cate called, quickly grabbing her robe.

  Erin was on the other side of the front door, with Monty on a lead by her side. “We’re just going for a walk; do you want to come with us?”

  Cate thought about how Ben couldn’t bear to be around her right now, because of the baby growing in her stomach. Surely if he felt like that, Erin would too. Cate was a reminder of what they’d lost.

  “You don’t have to…” Cate said awkwardly.

  When Erin realised Cate knew about the miscarriage, her face darkened. “They weren’t supposed to tell you. I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cate stuttered. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “I keep telling myself that it wasn’t the right time. We’d only just got married…”

  Erin quickly covered her mouth when she realised what she was saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

  “It’s OK. Can you give me five minutes to get changed?”

  When she came back downstairs, Erin and Monty were waiting for her.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Cate said to Erin as they walked along Cooper Lane.

  “Sure,” Erin shrugged.

  “Have you ever lied to Ben?”

  Erin narrowed her eyes at Cate, “what’s this about?”

  Cate shifted awkwardly. “Kian thinks I’m working at the Tavern today.”

  “Nick, that’s my boss – he um… he found out that I’m Kian’s wife so he arranged it that I wouldn’t have shifts when Rovers have home games. He thought I’d want to be there to support Kian.”

  “That’s nice?” Erin offered.

  “It is,” Cate agreed. “It’s just… After what happened to you and Ben at Elland Road, Kian doesn’t want me to go to any of his games. It’s awkward, I can’t admit to Nick that Kian doesn’t want me to go to his games and I can’t admit to Kian that I didn’t have a shift today. I don’t want him to feel guilty.”

  “I won’t say anything,” Erin squeezed her hand.

  “How can you stand to be around me?” Cate asked. “Ben can hardly even look at me.”

  Erin thought about it for a minute. “I don’t think that there are a finite number of babies up there. It doesn’t mean that just because you’re having a baby, it stops me from having one. It just means that it was the right time for you and Kian and it wasn’t the right time, not yet for me and Ben. We’ll have a baby when it’s right, I really believe that.”

  “I wish I could be more like you,” Cate said. “Do you really think it’s the right time for me and Kian?
Everybody else seems to think that we’re this colossal mistake, that there’s no way we’ll stay together.”

  “It was a big shock to them.”

  “But not to you?” Cate asked, curiously.

  Erin blushed, “I, um, I saw the two of you sneaking into Kian’s house one night.”

  “When?” Cate gasped.

  “It was a few months ago. I’d just come back from a late shift and I can never fall asleep straight away so I was doing the washing up.”

  “After the Ryders concert,” Cate remembered. “You didn’t tell anybody what you’d seen?”

  “It wasn’t my business,” Erin said. “I remember the two of you were giggling at something, it was sweet. You’re usually so serious.”

  At the end of Cooper Lane, they stopped outside the Black Horse pub. Cate saw a board advertising that they were showing the Rovers match that day live on TV. “I thought it wasn’t on TV,” Cate said. She’d looked at the TV listings and it wasn’t on any of the Sports channels.

  “It’s on one of those foreign channels,” Erin said, kneeling down to pick up after Monty.

  At 2pm, Cate walked across the courtyard to Ben and Erin’s house and knocked on their front door. “Did you want to come to the pub with me?” Cate asked Erin when she opened the door. “I’ll buy you lunch.”

  They walked back down Cooper Lane to the Black Horse. “I’m glad you’ve moved in with Kian,” Erin said. “It’s so isolated around here; it’s nice to have company.”

  When they got inside the Black Horse, it was busier than Cate had expected. Erin had been there before and so she told Cate to go find a table and she’d get them some menus. Cate found a table nestled in the corner with a good enough view of the main TV screen.

  As kick-off approached, more and more people crowded into the pub and the landlord switched on another couple of TV screens. Cate and Erin both had the ploughman’s lunches.

  After the match, the pub started to empty out and they knew they couldn’t stay too long if they wanted to be back home before Kian and Ben got back. As they were leaving, they picked up their plates and cutlery and handed them to the landlady behind the bar.