by Nikki Ash
Finn: Are you okay? Do you need anything? I can bring you soup and hold you.
Emily lets out a shuddering breath that makes it sound as though she really is ill even though he can’t hear her.
Emily: I just need rest. Alone.
Then, she taps out a text to Porter.
Emily: Come hang out with me at my house.
She waits a long five minutes where Porter doesn’t respond. Finn sends her a few selfies of himself that makes her smile despite her stubbornness.
“Okay, let’s hear the rest of the story,” she says finally.
“It’s not an exaggeration,” I snip out. “Let’s get to it before your mom comes in and gives you the quick, boring version.”
Cat
Eighteen years after her mother’s death…
THE SUN IS SHINING BRIGHTLY up in the cloudless sky. I haven’t checked the heat index, but I wouldn’t doubt if it’s hitting some kind of record high. The summers in New York get hot, but this heat is almost unbearable. Needing to rinse off the stickiness my sweat has created, I remove my Chanel glasses—a gift from my dad last Christmas—and place them on the table next to my lounge chair. I walk over to the deep end of the pool, and raising my arms, dive in. The cold water immediately cools my body temperature down several degrees. Putting to use my years of swim lessons, I swim to the other end, and staying under the water, flip off the wall and swim back to the deep end. When I come up for air, I look toward the chairs and see Theo is missing.
“Theo?” I call out, turning every which way, not seeing him anywhere. He was just sitting next to me a minute ago. Where could he have gone? “Theo!” I call out again. That’s when I feel something grip my ankle. I let out a loud shriek, kicking my foot out to force whatever is holding my leg hostage to let go.
Looking down, I see it’s Theo under the water. He swims to the top and shakes his curly dirty blond hair out like a damn dog. Water spraying everywhere.
“Seriously?” I laugh and splash two handfuls of water his way to get him back.
“Jesus, Cat!” Theo groans. “You kicked me straight in the chest.” He pouts like a little boy, and I laugh harder.
“Serves you right!” I scold. “That’ll teach you not to scare a woman in the water.”
“We’re in the pool, not the ocean!” He chuckles with a shake of his head. “What did you think was grabbing hold of your leg?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, not bothering to say my first thought was that it was indeed a shark. I’m aware it’s impossible, but it didn’t stop me from thinking it. “I just felt something grab my leg and I reacted.”
Theo swims closer and backs me up against the pool wall, his arms bracketing my body.
“Were you afraid it was the Loch Ness monster?” He grins wide.
“No.” I roll my eyes and attempt to break free of the confines of his arms, but when I do, he only cages me in tighter. His knee separates my thighs and rubs up against my sex. I stifle a moan. This isn’t right…
“Does that feel good?” he asks, his brown eyes locking with my green ones.
“Theo.” His name releases from my lips with a squeak.
“We’ve been dancing around each other all summer, Cat. Don’t fight this.” His knee continues to move back and forth, hitting my clit oh-so perfectly. I need to stop this. Stop him. His lips are now close to mine. Too close. And I swallow thickly, praying he doesn’t do what I think he’s going to do.
“Theo, please.” And even to my own ears, the words are breathless, like even though I’m trying to tell him to stop, I really want him to keep going. And in a way I do. I’ve never had an orgasm before. I want to know how it feels. But not with him.
When Theo first arrived straight from boarding school at the beginning of the summer I was excited to finally meet my aunt Isabel’s son. After all, she was my father’s only sister. It was sad when she died last year from cancer. Even though we weren’t close, she and Theo were the only family we had left. My grandparents both died several years ago. Now it’s just my dad, Theo, and me.
Theo and I became fast friends and have spent the entire summer together. His flirting at first was innocent enough. I chalked it up to his personality. Maybe it’s a European thing. He is from Paris. But lately, his flirting has become anything but innocent. Little touches here and there, sexual innuendos that he laughs off but still have me wondering if he’s serious. But right now, this is the boldest he’s ever been.
“The—” I begin to say his name again, stronger and more determined to stop him. But before I can finish, his mouth crashes against mine, his tongue pushing through the seam of my lips. My hands come up to his chest to push him away, but he’s too strong. I can feel something inside of me building. I need to stop him. I can’t do this. We can’t do this. If we do, there’s no going back.
Instead of attempting to push at his chest, my hand goes into the water. I grip his knee and push it away from my body. He tries to grab my hand, but I bite down on his lip and he pulls back in shock.
Before he can say a word, my hand comes up and my palm meets his cheek with a loud smack.
“What the hell, Cat!” His tongue runs along his bottom lip, swiping at the blood dripping from where my teeth connected with his flesh.
“I told you to stop.”
“No, you said, ‘Theo, please.’”
“You know what I meant!” I push against his chest, and this time he backs up, allowing me to swim away. “We can’t do this.” I shake my head and step out of the water. “It’s wrong.”
“It doesn’t feel wrong,” he insists, following me out of the pool.
I grab my towel and wrap it around my body.
“Your mother is my father’s—”
Theo cuts me off. “Who cares!” He throws his arms up in the air. “Our parents haven’t seen each other in years. Hell, they’ve only spoken a handful of times since I was born.”
“It doesn’t change the facts.” I step toward Theo, who now has his towel wrapped around his waist. “You’ve become one of my best friends. Please don’t ruin our friendship,” I beg. “That’s all that will happen. I’m not in any place to be with anyone. We’re about to start our senior year. I need to focus on my grades, so I can get a scholarship. My dream is to go to Yale, and even if I get in, I can’t afford the tuition without them offering to pay.”
“Okay.” Theo’s palms come up in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” I grab my glasses and put them back on to block out the sun. “I think I’m going to shower and go for a ride on Copper.” Copper is an American Quarter horse my father had purchased for my mother when she was still alive. He’s too old to be ridden often, but every once in a while I like to take him for a ride. It helps me feel closer to my mom. Because she died when giving birth to me, I never got to meet her.
“I’ll join you,” Theo says.
“Are you sure?” I ask. I know how much he hates to ride, which is why I mentioned it. I was hoping to have some time to myself.
“I’m sure.”
“Fine,” I agree. “Meet me in the barn in twenty minutes.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re both showered and dressed. Titus, the ranch hand, has Copper and Shorty—my five-year-old Thoroughbred my father bought for me for my thirteenth birthday—ready to go. I prefer to ride bareback, but Theo requires a saddle. He’s scared he’ll fall off, again. I laugh to myself at the memory of the first time we went riding. Shorty started to trot and Theo wasn’t ready. He slid right off, falling to the ground. Now, he insists on only riding with a saddle in place.
We ride along the trail in silence. The only sound coming from the horses’ hooves as they clack against the hard ground. When we make our way around the lake, I pull back on Copper’s reins to stop him.
“We need to turn around,” I say to Theo as Shorty steps up next to my horse.
“Let’s keep going.” He nods in front of us. “Check out what’s on the other
side of the lake.”
“I already know what’s on the other side. It’s the Windy Hills Estate.” Since as far as I can remember, my father’s only rule when riding is that I’m not allowed to go any farther than halfway around the lake. The other half is owned by an angry asshole, and while my father won’t say much about him, it’s obvious the two of them don’t get along.
“What is it, like haunted or something?” He chuckles.
“What are you, ten?” I roll my eyes. “Of course it’s not haunted.”
“Then let’s go check it out.”
“I’m not allowed. I’ll get in trouble if my father finds out.”
Theo throws my words back in my face. “What are you, ten? Let’s go! I’m bored. Plus, he’s not going to find out.” Before I can argue, he kicks the side of Shorty’s belly and takes off in a gallop toward the other side.
“This is a bad idea!” I yell, tapping the side of Copper, who takes off after Shorty. We make it to the other side of the lake in less than five minutes. There’s a barn similar to ours. But that’s all we can see. If there’s a house there, it’s not visible through the overgrown shrubs and trees lining the property.
“Okay, you’ve seen the other side. Can we head back now?”
“Yeah, okay,” Theo says, but he keeps riding closer to the barn.
I’m about to yell at him when I hear a rustling of the trees and a few seconds later, an older woman who is riding along the trail in a golf cart, in what looks like a maid’s outfit, makes her presence known.
“May I help you?” she asks.
“I’m sorry,” I say, “we were riding around the lake and didn’t realize how far we went.” I shoot a glare at Theo, who just grins.
“Oh, dear.” The woman eyes us up and down. “Are you…are you Catrina Lincoln?” She steps out of her golf cart, so to be polite, I jump off Copper, so we’re at eye level and extend my hand.
“I am.” The woman takes my hand in hers and delicately shakes it. “And this here, is Theo Lincoln, my cousin.”
At my words, the woman’s face whips around to look at Theo, who drops down off Shorty and makes his way over to us.
“Nice to meet you,” he says to her.
“Yo-you’re Theo Lincoln.” Her hand stays in Theo’s for a beat too long, and he shoots me a what the hell look before pulling his hand back.
“I am, and you are?”
“My name is Helen. I’m the housekeeper for Mr. Heath and Mr. Harrison.”
“Mr. Heath?” Theo questions. His brows are furrowed in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him.
“Nothing. I’ve just heard my mother mention that name before.”
“And who is your mother?” Helen asks.
“Was. She passed away last year, but she grew up across the lake over at Low Valley Estate,” Lincoln says. “Have you worked for Mr. Heath for long?”
I could be wrong, but Helen looks as if she’s been spooked. Maybe the house is haunted… It takes her a few seconds to answer, but she finally does. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve worked at the Windy Hills Estate since I was a young girl.” Her eyes shift away and I wonder if there’s more she isn’t telling us.
“Maybe you knew her then,” I say. “Isabel Lincoln. She’s my father’s sister.”
“I did know her. I also knew your mother.” She smiles softly.
“Really?” I ask. “I don’t know anyone who knew my mother besides my father, and he’ll barely speak about her.” My heart clenches in my chest. “She was the love of his life, but she died giving birth to me.”
“I knew your mother well,” Helen admits. “I was the housemaid for her family and her for many years. I was actually there the night you were born.” Tears fill her lids, but she quickly swipes them away. “I’m sorry. That night was…emotional. You look just like her, you know: brown hair, green eyes, beautiful.”
“Thank you. I’ve only seen a couple photos of her. My father said he doesn’t have any.”
“No, he probably doesn’t. She grew up here.” Helen points back toward Windy Hills Estate. “Would you like to see some pictures?”
My heart picks up speed at the thought of finally being able to learn about my mother, but then I remember my father. “I would love to, but I would have to ask my father first.”
“Of course, dear. Any time. It’s an open invitation.”
“Helen!” a masculine voice calls out. “Helen!”
“Over here,” Helen yells back, and a minute later, a gentleman appears—if he can even be called that.
My eyes rake down his body starting with his shaved head, making their way farther to his shirtless front, which is dripping in sweat. I watch as the droplets of water run down his tattooed chest and over his six pack of abs, which are also inked, continuing their descent through a thick trail of hair that leads toward his…
“Ahem.” My eyes dart back up to his face and lock with his piercing blue eyes. “My eyes are up here, sweetheart.” His hand runs over his shaved head and I wonder what it would feel like. Is it smooth or maybe prickly? He smirks mischievously like he knows exactly where my mind was going, and my cheeks heat up.
Needing to break our stare down, I avert my eyes back over to Helen, who is grinning widely.
“This is Harrison,” she says. “Harrison, this is Catrina and her cousin, Theo Lincoln.”
“I go by Cat,” I say.
“You’re Catrina’s daughter?” Harrison confirms.
“I am. Did you know my mother too?” I ask curiously
“No, I’ve just heard of her.” Harrison’s gaze shoots over to Helen, who is no longer smiling.
Okay then…
“We really should be going,” I say to no one in particular. “We’ve been gone for a while, and my father might be looking for me. It was nice to meet you both.” I walk back toward my horse and, pulling myself up, climb onto his back.
“It was nice to meet you too,” Helen says. “And my offer stands. Please come over any time.”
“Thank you. School starts next week, so I imagine it will be hectic, but I’ll ask my dad if maybe I can come by this weekend.” My attention turns to Harrison. “Will you be attending Heights Academy?”
Harrison snorts. “The stuck-up snobby high school in town? No.”
“Okay…you don’t have to be so rude. Does that mean you go to public school?”
“I don’t go to school.” He glares daggers my way. “I work at Heights Automotive.” His hand comes up and rubs the side of his neck, and that’s when I notice the tattoos cover all of his body, not just his chest and torso. Both of his arms and even part of his neck are also covered in ink. Before seeing him, I would’ve said that many tattoos on a single person’s body is uncalled for, maybe even trashy. But as I take in the art all over his body, I can’t help but think it looks beautiful. It’s almost as if it belongs on him, like without the tattoos, his body isn’t complete.
“Up here, sweetheart,” Harrison says dryly, once again catching me checking out his body.
“Sorry.” I shake my head to calm myself. What is going on with me? I’ve never been this affected by the sight of a guy before… “It was nice to meet you.”
“I believe you already said that.” Harrison laughs.
“Be nice,” Helen scolds.
“Right, okay…well, bye,” I say, and I’m about to take off when I remember Theo is with me. I look over at him and if looks could kill, Harrison would be dead. “Theo, you ready?” I ask.
“Yeah, let’s go.” And it doesn’t go unnoticed he doesn’t even bother to say goodbye to Helen or Harrison before taking off.
Harrison
“DEAR HEAVENS,” HELEN SAYS, HER voice shaking.
I’m not paying much attention to her because I’m watching Cat. Cat Lincoln. The wind blows her wet hair free from the bun she was wearing and her chocolate-colored locks bounce behind her as her horse runs. Her idiot cousin struggles to stay on his horse. He lo
oks sorely out of place.
But her?
She looks free. One with the wild. Beautiful.
With a sigh, I tear my gaze from her. People like her don’t date people like me. Heath likes to remind me of that shit daily. Bitterness creeps up inside me, but I swallow it down. If I let it bother me, he’ll sniff it out. The fucker will play with my annoyance like a kid with a ball. He’ll pound it into my forehead until I’m ready to scream with rage. So, I’ll tuck my little attraction away and keep it for later. Something to jerk my dick off to.
“We have to tell him,” Helen utters, killing all fantasies of Cat naked in bed with me.
“What the fuck?” I groan.
She swats my arm. “Language, young man.”
I tower over this older woman, but I don’t correct her. Once, when I was around ten, I thought I could smart off to her. Called her every dirty name in the book. While Heath laughed and encouraged my bad behavior, Helen dragged me over to the sink and washed my mouth out with soap. It was disgusting as hell. And later that night, when I cried all alone, it was Helen who came to me and stroked my hair. She’s the closest thing I’ve had to a mother, so I try not to piss her off if I can help it.
“Why do we have to tell him?” I ask, turning to regard her, giving her my best puppy dog eyes that used to get me cookies before dinner.
She purses her lips together. “He needs to know.”
“That we met a beautiful girl and her goofy-ass cousin from down the road?” I rub at the back of my neck and groan. “Hardly seems like Heath would care.” But even as I say the words, I know that’s not exactly true. According to the dozens of journals I found years ago hidden in a closet, Catrina and Heath were in love. Telling him we ran into her daughter—the baby she had with the man she chose over him—will only serve to piss him off. He’s going to care, but not in a good way.
The only things Heath truly cares about in this world is his stupid company and making money. Money he keeps greedily squandered away. Money he refuses to use to update the house we all live in. Money he doesn’t touch even though the barn is falling apart. Money that would have been useful when I begged him to loan it to me for college.
