Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series)

by Michelle Maness

“Yes, you are,” he smiled.

  Katherine hopped off the counter and grabbed her plate before following Adam to the living room where they seated themselves in front of the TV.

  “This is really good,” Katherine noted as she ate.

  “Thank you,” he smiled at her.

  After she had finished eating, she carried her plate to the sink and returned to curl against the arm the couch.

  Adam looked over to find her asleep and shook his head. He would leave her for a little while but he would have to wake her and send her home at some point. After the late night news went off, Adam stood and gently shook Kaitlyn.

  “Kaitlyn, you need to go home, sweetie.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she sat up and blinked at the room around her.

  “You’re tired, go home and get some sleep.”

  “My bag is still in your Durango,” she reminded him.

  “I’ll get it and bring it to you; go on and start getting ready for bed,” he encouraged.

  “Thanks, Adam,” she smiled at him.

  Katherine and Adam rode down together on the elevator; he stayed when she got off. She let herself in her apartment and tried not to trip over Cleo who was circling her legs. She had started to grab her luggage when she brought Cleo up but had decided she would simply bring it up after they returned from eating. It hadn’t worked that way. She went ahead and changed into her sleep pants and t-shirt and yawned as she plodded back into her living room. When Adam knocked she let him in.

  “Thanks, Adam,” she took her bag from him and watched his gaze slide over her and his brow quirk. Katherine felt heat climb into her cheeks as she glanced down at his t-shirt. “It kind of became habit,” she muttered.

  “Good night, Kaitlyn,” Adam turned to go.

  “Good night,” she returned and closed the door before sinking against it. She needed to go and buy some proper gowns and pajamas, she mused. She shook her head and stood. What she needed right now was sleep.

  ***

  Derrick lay awake well into the night; his thoughts kept chasing themselves in circles. A part of him was ready to cut Katherine loose; he was so angry and hurt he couldn’t see straight. The trouble was she really was an ideal partner for him, especially with a little grooming. He also refused to lose out to a man like Adam; the man was a nobody without his angry music. No, he would fight for her and he would do it by reminding her how charming and attentive he was capable of being. He would start tomorrow with flowers and an apology for his anger today. He would then take her out for a nice quiet dinner; it had been a while since they had done that. He knew how to court a woman; he had simply become distracted, that was why Katherine was spending time with Adam.

  Derrick was through being distracted. Things were slowing at work, meaning he wouldn’t be out of town nearly as often; that would give him a chance to insure Katherine remained his. That decided, he settled in to sleep only to be haunted by thoughts of Katherine with Adam. He’d close his eyes and see the image from the picture in his head only Adam would lean into the image, kiss her and lay her back on the bed to make love to her. Derrick finally stood, moved into his kitchen, poured himself a glass of milk and drained it. He could not erase that image from his mind and the jealousy that it evoked was about to eat him alive!

  ***

  Katherine found herself caught up in a sudden whirlwind; between Annelise and Derrick, she barely had time to eat and sleep. Annelise came to “take her under her wing” and Katherine found herself buying new clothes and make up. She once again found herself seated in a salon chair while Annelise stood over her and told a stylist to straighten Katherine’s hair and lighten it. Katherine once again drew the line at having her hair permanently altered.

  Thanks to Adam’s constantly feeding her, she was nearly back up to her college weight, a fact Annelise did not let go unnoticed or un-chastised. Derrick had started pushing for a Christmas wedding and Katherine considered it just to have it over with. She had a dress picked out and had even gone to buy it on three different occasions, each time she had left without purchasing it, not even certain why she didn’t.

  Tonight, Derrick was taking her to dinner and to a new movie she had asked to see. She had dressed in a pair of her new slacks and a pale blue top Annelise had sworn did wonders for her eyes. Her hair was perfectly straightened and her make-up subtle and neutral as Annelise said it should be. When a knock sounded on her door, Katherine knew it would be Derrick. She grabbed her purse and opened the door; she watched Derrick smile.

  “You look amazing!” Derrick informed her.

  “Thank you,” she smiled.

  “Are we ready?”

  “We are,” she nodded.

  Derrick was charming over dinner, making her laugh, and didn’t even make fun of the sappy romantic comedy she had chosen. He escorted her to her apartment and settled onto the couch beside her; a lamp softly lit the room.

  “I love you, Katherine,” he reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I love you too, Derrick,” she smiled at him.

  “Mom says you backed out of having your hair straightened; I have to say, you look great with it straight,” he told her.

  “That’s a big step,” she shrugged. “She also wanted me to lighten it and I can’t imagine that looking too great with my complexion.”

  “A little lighter would probably be great.”

  “Maybe,” she hedged.

  “Come here,” Derrick pulled her close and kissed her.

  Snuggling closer, Katherine kissed him back. She and Derrick had never shared great passion but he kissed very nicely. When Derrick deepened the kiss and tugged Katherine even closer, she hesitated. Derrick was usually very in control of himself when they kissed. She relaxed; perhaps she should find out if they were capable of real passion. Derrick broke their kiss and started trailing kisses along her jaw and neck. Katherine frowned, it wasn’t repulsive but it was exactly pleasant either, more awkward.

  “You smell amazing,” he informed her.

  “Derrick,” she pulled away slightly.

  “What?” his gaze was direct.

  “We should probably cool it,” she suggested.

  “You’re right,” he nodded. “I have to say I am looking really forward to our honeymoon,” he grinned.

  Katherine smiled.

  “I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he gave her one more quick kiss.

  Katherine saw him to the door and was frowning as she went to dress for bed. She by passed her new gowns in favor of her sleep pants and t-shirt and went to brush her teeth. She had thought very little about their honeymoon. She had known, of course, that it would follow the wedding and that they would have sex but she had looked forward to it with neither excitement nor dread. Shouldn’t she be anticipating it though? If she loved the man she should be anxious to share that with him, right?

  She washed the makeup from her face and frowned at her reflection. She wasn’t excited about sleeping with Derrick on their wedding night. Maybe now that she had considered it she would be. After all, Derrick was an attractive man and she knew she was capable of passion. She winced slightly at that thought; she had anticipated sex before, she knew she definitely was capable of doing so. So she would allow herself to contemplate it, look forward to it even. She nodded at herself and finished her nightly routine before climbing into bed. Maybe the next time they kissed she would encourage things to go just a little further; build the anticipation. Yes, that’s what she would do.

  Katherine got her opportunity the very next night when Derrick took her to his apartment after dinner in downtown. They settled onto the couch to talk about wedding plans.

  “I had Mom go ahead and order those invitations with the red that you liked. We can’t wait any longer if we’re going to pull this together by Christmas, Katherine. I told her to expect about a hundred to a hundred and fifty from your side. She’s also going to go over some menu options and will give u
s a chance to go over it before she finalizes it. She’s done this kind of thing so many times and I figured you wouldn’t mind having a little stress taken off of you. I know how busy you’ve been at work.”

  “Derrick, I haven’t agreed to a Christmas wedding,” she reminded him.

  “February fourteenth then; that’s romantic. I don’t want to wait until June to marry you, Katherine; I love you.”

  “I love you too, Derrick.”

  “I’ll give you until next Sunday when we have dinner with Mom and Dad to decide between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I’ll have her call and put a hold on the invitation order until then.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled; her sarcasm was totally lost on him. “Oh, and I recall what you said about not wanting to honeymoon in the mountains and I know how much you love old houses so I am looking into arrangements to take you to Charleston; you’ve never been right?”

  “No, I haven’t,” she acknowledged.

  “Good. I can’t wait, sweetheart; we’re going to be amazing together,” he smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her.

  Katherine wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. When his hand settled on her leg, she almost jumped. As he slid his hand up her leg it was all she could do not to reach down and stop him. Relax, she ordered herself. Derrick’s kisses grew heated and Katherine allowed him to kiss her neck and shoulder where the straps of her dress didn’t cover for a moment before putting the brakes on.

  “It’s getting late,” she informed him.

  “It is,” he cleared his throat.

  Katherine stood, smoothed her skirt and grabbed her purse. She was quiet on the ride home, though Derrick didn’t seem to mind. Derrick walked her to her door and kissed her good night; he lingered a moment before releasing her.

  “Goodnight, Katherine.”

  “Goodnight, Derrick.”

  Derrick watched the door shut behind Katherine and turned to go. He could not believe how much he wanted to sleep with Katherine; it consumed his thoughts lately. He also wanted her settled as his wife. His mother had worked an amazing transformation with her appearance and was likely to accomplish more before the wedding. Derrick already knew what a talented individual she was at work, because his boss had commented on it. They were going to be great together!

  Maybe he should go ahead and seduce her; it wasn’t as if the two of them had lily white pasts to begin with and were about to marry anyway. He had always promised himself that when he met the woman he was going to marry he would do things the right way but he was beginning to think they should go ahead and share that. Just the thought of doing so made his heart race. His mother had informed him that Katherine had just recently gone on birth control in preparation for the upcoming wedding, so there were no concerns there either. He also figured that once she had slept with him she wasn’t likely to walk away. Granted she hadn’t married Adam, but then the jerk had walked away. It ate at him that Adam had been with Katherine and he hadn’t. It made him feel insecure and that was a new feeling for him; one he didn’t like.

  ***

  Katherine was exhausted and she missed Adam. It had been a week since her last official date with Derrick but he kept showing up and coming up with appointments she needed to be at. Derrick was pushing hard for a Christmas wedding and had kept her so busy that she had barely seen Adam. If she agreed to move this wedding up she was only going to get busier. She shook her head at herself, delaying her wedding so she could hang out with a friend was the silliest notion she’d ever had. Katherine showered and carefully straightened her hair before she dressed in a black skirt and a cream button down. Once her makeup was carefully applied, she went to wait for Derrick.

  “Hi,” she smiled when he arrived.

  “You look great,” he noted.

  “Thanks, you look nice too,” she returned.

  They made the short drive to the restaurant and talked and laughed over dinner. Near the end of the meal, Derrick stared at her intently.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “Can we skip the play?” he requested. “I would like to just hang out with you tonight,” he told her.

  “Fine by me,” she assured him. “Your place or mine?”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yours.”

  “Okay,” she smiled.

  Once at her apartment, Katherine kicked off her shoes and seated herself on the couch. Derrick sat down beside her and sat watching her.

  “What’s with you tonight, Derrick?” she asked.

  “You have been in my thoughts all day,” he admitted.

  “Good,” she smiled.

  Derrick kissed her and she knew immediately that he wanted more. His kiss started hard and demanding and only grew more so. Maybe they should sleep together and be done with it. He certainly seemed fixated enough as of recent and it would put her fears that she wasn’t attracted to Derrick from her mind.

  “Katherine,” he whispered her name against her ear. “I want to make love to you so bad.”

  Katherine swallowed hard; should she? She let his hand wander under her shirt and frowned. She was sure whatever he was doing was supposed to feel nice but it was annoying her. He kept squeezing her breast until she was starting to feel like a milk cow. She had never done this, hand under clothes while a man tried convincing her to sleep with him. As close as she had come was Adam’s affinity for playing with her hips when they had kissed; that had sent shivers up and down her spine. Okay, unfair comparison, Adam was an experienced man, apparently Derrick not so much. They would learn together, she told herself; unless he kept squeezing her!

  Katherine shifted, Derrick decided to run his hand down her side to her waist now; at least he wasn’t trying to milk her anymore. He was kissing along her collar bone, the first two buttons of her shirt undone; the hand at her waist slipping around to slide down her zipper. He was certainly going for it, she mused. She stared at the ceiling and grimaced as he reached to unfasten her bra.

  “Derrick,” she leaned further back into the couch.

  “Hmmm?” he kissed her breast at the edge of her bra.

  Katherine shuddered in distaste but he obviously thought she was shivering from pleasure.

  “Stop!” she insisted.

  “Is something wrong?” Derrick’s eyes were hooded.

  Katherine closed her eyes.

  “I can’t do this,” she admitted.

  “I’m sorry, Katherine, I didn’t mean to rush you,” he sat up.

  Katherine blew out a relieved breath.

  “I know,” she tried to smile as she buttoned her shirt and zipped her skirt. She was freaking out; what if she really couldn’t do this with Derrick? Not just tonight, but ever?

  “I guess I should go,” Derrick stood. “I really am sorry I rushed you, Katherine.”

  She walked him to the door and accepted his kiss before shutting the door and leaning against it while Cleo circled her feet. This was not good! What was she going to do? The kisses she and Derrick had previously shared had always been reserved. She had never found them unpleasant and had assumed when the day came the passion would be there.

  Katherine pushed off the door only to stop short and study her reflection in the entry mirror. Her hair hung perfectly straight to past her shoulder blades, her face was perfectly made up, and her clothing very subtle. Who was this person? She leaned closer, her eyes the only thing that struck her as familiar and they were inquisitive of what they saw. She grabbed her purse, flipped off the lights, and went to the elevators. A moment later she knocked on Adam’s door; she hoped he was home.

  Twenty

  “Kaitlyn, hi,” Adam blinked at her when he opened his door. “I thought you had a date tonight,” he stepped aside so she could enter.

  “That was a nightmare. Tell me something, Adam?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Was I a cold fish? I don’t remember being but then what do I know, right?”

 
; Katherine watched Adam frown at her and knew she had lost him.

  “In what way, Kaitlyn?”

  “In bed!” she blurted impatiently and watched him shake his head, his expression bemused.

  “I thought we didn’t discuss this, Kaitlyn.”

  “Well, I need to know, was I?”

  “No,” he shook his head and seated himself on his couch.

  “I didn’t think so,” she admitted.

  “Did Derrick accuse you of being a cold fish?” Adam still looked slightly lost.

  Considering the way she had come barreling in here, she could understand why.

  “No,” she admitted as she paced the room. “Our last two dates he has been different and tonight he just flat out let me know what he wanted. I was already worried after our previous two dates but it was worse than I feared,” she admitted.

  “I’m not sure I want to hear this,” Adam’s voice was low.

  “I couldn’t do it! He’s kissing me and touching me and all I can think is how awkward it is. And then whatever he thought he was doing with my breast felt more like he was trying to milk me!”

  “Shouldn’t you call your mom or Kristen for this?” Adam’s expression suggested he found the entire conversation surreal.

  “Maybe I should try calling Kristen; I wonder if he tried milking her too,” she muttered.

  “You could call, Tessa,” Adam suggested.

  “It’s too late to call Tessa,” she informed him.

  “Right,” he nodded.

  “Adam, I am supposed to marry him in a few months, sooner if he gets his way, and I can’t stand for him to touch me!”

  “That is a problem,” he acknowledged. “Are you sure you aren’t over thinking this? Maybe you’ve worried about it until you’ve psyched yourself out.”

  “Ha! If I was going to over think one it would have been you. No, Adam, I can’t stand for the man to touch me.”

  Katherine shook her head and sighed. “You remember the way you liked to play with my hips when we were kissing? Even that small touch drove me crazy!”

  “Really?” Adam asked.

  “Tonight my fiancé has his hands all over me trying to undress me and I wanted to run. It was awful! And look at me! Me with my straight hair and my perfect make up and clothes; Adam, I don’t know who the person in the mirror is anymore,” her tears spilled over. “I don’t know me anymore.”