Kiss Hard, page 23
Catie knew he’d pull away as soon as he found his feet, and oh, it would hurt. But so be it. Danny needed this, and she found she couldn’t say no. Not to this man who never asked for anything.
“Family’s going to figure it out,” Danny murmured. “About us.” A question in his eyes.
“I know.” Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his, the promise within the touch a thing of dazzling hope that hid the panic in her heart.
27
GOODBYE, HOTSHOT
Things seemed to move at the speed of light after that, though Catie knew that was in her head. It took time to set everything up, arrange what was effectively a limited-time transfer. But with Catie away at international meets during large segments of that period and Danny in training at other points, they didn’t have much time together.
It felt as if the string that had begun to tie them together was fraying with every day that passed, until by the time she stood at the airport with his family, ready to wave him off for his flight to Japan, she thought it would snap with only a little more pressure.
Ísa slipped her arm through Catie’s, squeezed. “Hey.” Soft eyes. “The Bishop-Esera men? They hold on tight. And you’re unforgettable. It’ll be fine.”
Catie wasn’t even mad that her sister had figured out the truth. Leaning her body slightly into Ísa’s, she said, “We’re so new, Issie.” It was a hard thing to admit even to herself just how much Danny meant to her. “And he’s getting to experience a part of life that he’s never before done. I’m going to come a far distant second to all the new experiences he’s about to have.”
Issie gave her a searching look. “Oh, baby girl.” Rising on tiptoe, she stroked back Catie’s hair. “Danny’s not the kind of man to forget or to make empty promises.” In her eyes was the knowledge of another man, the one who’d made Catie so many promises—and broken all of them. “Trust him.”
Catie swallowed. She didn’t know if she had the ability to trust any man in so deep a way, and she knew full well that made her seriously screwed up. But when Danny turned to give her a shaky smile, she said to hell with it and went into his arms to squeeze him tight. “Fly safe,” she whispered huskily against his ear.
“I’ll message you when I land,” he promised, holding on for a long, long breath, all warmth and a scent so familiar she ached at the thought of it fading from her apartment.
Then he was letting her go and turning to head toward the departure gate. He looked back right before he disappeared around the corner, his eyes meeting hers for a long second that felt like an unspoken promise… or maybe a request. To trust in him. To trust in them.
As her demons howled, Catie clung fiercely to the memories of the time they’d spent together since everything changed. The problem was, they’d changed so recently that the memories felt far too few… but what she did have were all the years and years of memories of her number one nemesis.
Perhaps it would be all right. Perhaps they’d make it.
But as she went through the rest of her day, doubt began to creep in like a tiny insect. Danny had always liked women, and women liked him right back. And now he’d be far from the girl who’d annoyed him for half his life and with none of the softness and urgency of the physical fire between them.
Long-distance relationships were tough to begin with, and she was trying to have one with a sexy young sports star who had a legion of admirers. Many of whom would be more than happy to jump in his bed.
“What’s gotten into you today?” her coach asked when she jogged back after zipping past him a few seconds earlier. “You’re putting in stellar times.” He patted her on the shoulder, the two of them having been together so long that he was like an uncle to her—a stern and tough-talking uncle who never let her get away with any crap.
“Just in the zone,” she said with a grin that hid the panic beneath.
The panic enraged her. She’d made it a point to never let any man get into her head. Never again would she allow someone else’s thoughtlessness to destroy her days and her life. How dare Danny do this to her?
“Catie, you’re sounding insane even to yourself,” she muttered as she put in an hour on the weights that evening. She’d already done enough for the day, but she was antsy and this would take the edge off. “Danny’s still in the air, and he’s not responsible for your clingy dependence.”
She closed her eyes even as she muttered those last words. She knew she wasn’t clingy or dependent, could actually be independent to a stupid fault. But her father’s throwaway words haunted her. Clive wasn’t evil or abusive or mean. He was just… thoughtless.
All those times he’d said, “You’ll be fine, doll. You don’t need to be dependent on your dad.” Or when he’d smiled and patted her on the cheek. “Men don’t like women who cling, kiddo.”
She hadn’t even been a teenager at the time! And her crime had been wanting her dad to show up to one or two of her school athletics meets or even to a parent-teacher conference. She’d have taken anything. Of course it was Ísa who’d come. Always Ísa. Catie’s one rock in life.
Having laid off the weights before she did herself an injury, she was in her pajamas when her doorbell rang at nine that night. The timing and the fact security had buzzed up the person meant it could only be a neighbor—or one of a very short list of people she’d cleared for automatic access.
And since she had no messages on her phone alerting her to a visit or asking for a place to crash, that narrowed things down even further. Ninety percent chance it was one specific visitor. It wasn’t that her other friends or family didn’t ever show up unannounced—but only one person in her life always turned up without warning and with no regard to the time.
“Hi, Dad,” she said when she opened the door.
Clive River smiled that big and slightly goofy smile that went perfectly with his mop of silvery-blond hair and square-jawed face. His shirt was sage green, open slightly at the throat and tucked into faded blue jeans that hung on lean hips. He looked like an aging surfer dude—but one who’d aged well, complete with a flat belly, muscled arms, silver that glinted in his hair, and lines that flared out from around the edges of his eyes.
Not a man who’d fought the march of time—both because he didn’t have to and because Clive wasn’t vain. Strange how of all she knew of him, that had always surprised her the most. Or maybe it was no surprise—why be vain when you’d been genetically blessed?
One of her friends had recently called him a “silver fox,” and while everyone else had laughed and told the friend to shut it before Catie threw up, all Catie had felt was a bone-deep sadness. Picking up younger women was just up Clive’s alley—he’d see no problem with hooking up with a friend of Catie’s should the opportunity come up.
“My Kit-Cat,” he said and hauled her into a huge hug.
Her eyes prickled because at this moment, she could almost believe he was the father she’d always needed. A man with strong arms to hold her tight against the ravages of the world, protect her in his warmth.
She’d blinked back that emotion by the time they drew apart. That single second of weakness was all she ever allowed herself around Clive. She knew him too well to permit any other vulnerability.
“I didn’t know you were in the city.” Half the time, she didn’t even know which country he was in.
“Yeah, Gloria and I are in town tonight. I thought I’d take my baby girl out for dinner.” Another huge smile filled with Clive’s brand of love. “What do you say, Kit-Cat? Date with your old dad?”
Danny’s flight wouldn’t land for an hour yet; after that, he’d have to go through customs and immigration. It might be two hours before he called her… if he remembered. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t; he’d traveled a lot, but this was different. It was the start of an adventure.
Her stomach all twisted up, she dug up a smile. “Sure, Dad. Just let me pull on some proper clothes. Where are we going?”
Clive wandered in after her. “That fancy restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower. Gloria was so excited about it she booked it in advance.”
Catie didn’t ask which one of them would be paying. If Clive was flush, he’d splash out. Otherwise Catie would pick up the check. She never expected him to pay—life was far less stressful that way.
“When did you and Gloria meet?” she asked from behind her bedroom door. It seemed to have escaped his notice that she had no idea who this woman was beyond being Clive’s latest hookup.
“Oh, it’s been two months,” Clive called back. “She’s the sweetest thing. You’ll love her, Cat, you really will.”
“I’m sure I will,” Catie said, having every intention of being polite to the woman. Some of her father’s lady friends were sadly actually in love with him and believed his protestations of love, while others were just out for a good time—same as Clive.
No matter the category into which Gloria fell, Catie wouldn’t interfere. She’d learned her lesson a long time ago when she’d tried to warn one particularly lovelorn woman that her father was fickle and that she should be careful how much of herself she invested in him. The woman had immediately put Catie into the role of “evil future stepchild” and was horrid to her whenever Clive’s back was turned.
Catie had borne it without complaint because she’d known the woman would soon be out. And she was—within the month, when Clive was “no longer feeling it.”
“Don’t ever hang on to a relationship when you’re no longer feeling it, sugar girl,” Clive had said with the air of a man giving sage advice. “Life’s too short to waste on anything less than total and absolute passion.”
As Catie considered what to wear, she decided she was in no mood to answer questions from a stranger who’d vanish as quickly as she’d appeared. With that in mind, she chose wide-legged black pants in a flowy material, pairing them with ankle boots and a slinky black top with long sleeves that held a fine silvery glitter. She threw on a necklace with a dangly charm on it that landed just below her breasts, brushed out her hair, flicked on a bit of mascara and lipstick, and was done.
Her father was looking at the photos Danny had printed out and left for her on the kitchen bench—a surprise she’d found when she returned home and one that had made the lump in her chest expand until it threatened to fill her. All the pics were either of the two of them… or just of her. Photos that made her look beautiful and strong and full of laughter.
Was that how Danny saw her?
“That’s one of Ísa’s brothers-in-law, right?” A sudden sharpness to Clive’s eyes. “You two hooking up?”
Taking the photos from him, she put them aside. “Too late to play the concerned father now, Dad.” She softened the rebuke with a kiss on his cheek. “Tell me more about Gloria. She sounds lovely.”
Chuckling, Clive allowed her to distract him, and they went off to join his latest paramour. It turned out that he and Gloria were staying at the hotel directly across from the Sky Tower, so Gloria met them in the lobby of the iconic tower that speared into Auckland’s night sky and was visible from all over the city.
“Oh, I’m so happy to meet Clive’s baby girl at last!” Gloria beamed.
Tiny and dark-haired with bronzed skin and bright eyes, Gloria looked surprisingly close to Clive in age. Her hug was as warm as her smile. Catie swallowed a sigh. Oh dear, she was one of the nice ones, the ones who believed in Clive’s spiel about finally finding “the one.”
He meant it every time; that was the thing of it. He conned everyone—including himself. In fact, Gloria was so nice and sweet through the ride up to the restaurant that Catie was seriously tempted to break her “no interference” rule when Clive left for the restroom after they’d been seated.
“You really love him,” she ventured as they looked at their menus.
Gloria gave her a soft glance. “So much.” A pause. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I know who and what he is.” Smile fading into a quiet sadness. “We used to date when we were younger. He broke my heart then too.”
Catie blinked, put down her menu. This was the one type of conversation she’d never had with one of her father’s girlfriends. “If you know, why would you subject yourself to this?”
A lopsided smile that put the sparkle back in Gloria’s eyes. “Love makes us stupid,” she said, then laughed. “I’m divorced now with two adult children. I got married to the son of a family friend at twenty-three, was a good, faithful, and loving wife—and my ex traded me in for a younger model who dresses him in purple shirts and tight jeans that make him look like an overstuffed eggplant.”
Catie was glad she hadn’t taken a sip of her water. She’d surely have snorted it all over the table. “That bad?”
“Oh honey, you have no idea.” The way she waved a hand as if swatting a fly said she was long past the pain and could afford to be amused. “Now that I’m free, if I want to have a wild fling with a man who’s all wrong? I figure I’ve earned it.”
Catie had caught more than a hint of steel in Gloria. “I think my dad might have met his match.”
Gloria lifted one delicate shoulder. “Whatever happens, your charmer of a father will never see me cry—don’t you worry about that. If anything, I intend to leave him crying.” A wink.
Catie shook her head in mingled amusement and admiration. This should be interesting. “You know he hasn’t changed at all?”
“Sweetheart, we’ve been hitting casinos both in Australia and here. I know.” Gloria took a sip of her wine. “But like I said, it’s my time to be wild and make terrible mistakes.”
Catie liked her. She had a “no fucks given” quality about her. It would all end in tears one way or the other, but she silently wished Gloria luck. At least she was going into the situation open-eyed.
As had Catie.
Into a love affair with a sports star who was the favorite of women around the world. If it were acceptable to throw underwear onto a rugby pitch, Danny’s position on the field would be festooned with them.
Gloria shifted her hand as she put down the menu, and Catie couldn’t help spotting the time on the woman’s delicate gold wristwatch.
Danny’s plane would’ve just landed.
Her phone, which she’d put into a slender clutch that she had on the table beside her, vibrated at that second. Her heart thudded even though she knew it was stupid. There was no way he’d be messaging her right now. He was probably still on the tarmac.
Clive returned to the table while she was still arguing with herself, and he and Gloria began to talk about the menu. Glad for the cover, Catie slipped out her phone, telling herself to expect a message from Jacqueline. The Dragon had a way of messaging at late hours.
Catie had a sneaking suspicion that Jacqueline had actually put Catie on her schedule so she didn’t forget to stay in touch—but that didn’t bother Catie. It wasn’t the greatest that her mother needed to put her in her diary to remember her, but then again, Jacqueline only put important things on the schedule.
Taking a deep breath, she touched her screen to bring up the message. The message ID said: Hotshot
And her heart, it went boom.
28
THERE MIGHT BE A SEX SHOW
After quickly using her face to unlock the screen, Catie read what Danny had written: Landed. Time zones aren’t that far apart, but I still feel like a zombie after sitting that long.
A zombie emoji that made her grin.
Sun hasn’t set yet, but captain said it’s cold out. Meant to be picked up by someone from the club, but if he’s not there, I’m planning to book myself into a love hotel and play with all the erotic gadgets.
Catie stifled a giggle before quickly typing back a message: I’ve always wanted to try a love hotel. I saw one online that has a slide down to the bed. I mean, I could do a lot for a man who took me to a hotel where you literally slide in to bed.
Done, came the reply. I am now on the hunt for the slide. Gotta go, princess. They’re gonna let us off soon, so I better sort myself out. (They gave us free socks. I’m saving them for you to use to protect your stumps when you don’t want to wear your legs—they’re nowhere close to the proper type you usually order, but they’re seamless and kinda soft and stretchy, so might be good for lounging around. I know, I know, big spender.) xx
Catie rubbed a fisted hand over her heart and put down her phone. When she looked up, it was to see that Clive and Gloria hadn’t noticed her lack of engagement. She was glad of it, quite sure her face was the epitome of goofy right then. For Danny to not only remember her but to make her a priority?
Yeah, it meant something.
* * *
This wasn’t Danny’s first time in Japan, or even in Tokyo, but the city still hit like an adrenaline shot. All energy and huge skyscrapers and glimpses of ancient temples around unexpected corners.
The rep from the club, Takuro, was a junior medic attached to the team. His haircut was so edgy it was a razor blade, his handshake firm, and his grin wide.
The two of them hit it off straightaway.
Takuro pointed out various clubs and other hot spots as he drove them to Danny’s accommodation. “You’re not in the city,” he said in his flawless American-accented English. “Too disruptive for players here. But it’s less than thirty minutes on the express train, so you can visit anytime.”
“That’s fine.” Danny took a long pull of the pink sports drink he’d grabbed at the airport; he couldn’t figure out the flavor, but it was good. “I’m not planning on clubbing until my girlfriend gets here for a visit.” Yes, he was going to call Catie his girlfriend, and she could take it up with him when she arrived. “I actually want to see a lot of the older stuff—the temples and castles.”
Takuro shot him a startled look. “Really?”
“Yeah? Why?”
The other man shrugged. “Other guys your age who come to play, they want to go out and party. Tokyo has a big club scene.”
