Julian’s POV
I kissed her without thinking. The second my mouth touched hers, everything in me snapped loose. Catherine’s breath hitched against my lips, her fingers curling into the front of my shirt, making me lose whatever self-control I thought I had left.
I deepened the kiss, one hand coming up to the side of her jaw, with my thumb stroking her cheekbone.
God, I was starving for her. I didn’t care about anything else.
My hands pressed the back of her head, pushing her forward like it could help to have enough of her, that was her phone rang in an unforgiving tone.
She jerked back like she’d been shocked. I was breathing hard, my forehead still close to hers, while trying to pull her back into another kiss before the moment shattered completely.
"Don’t take it," I breathed, leaning in but she turned her face away. "It’s Gabriel," she whispered, glancing at the screen. Her voice was unsteady, like she was trying to recover from the kiss too. "I— I should pick up."
"No." I said it too quickly. I didn’t want us getting distracted, not right now. "Ignore it please."
She bit her lip and I immediately dipped my head and kissed her again. For a second she let me, her lips parting and her breath trembling but just as I brushed her mouth, my own phone rang.
What the fuck! Of course. The universe hated me to not let me have her for even five damn minutes.
I wanted to ignore it but stubborn Catherine forced her way into checking who it was. "It’s Gabriel calling you too."
She pushed a shaky hand through her hair. "Julian, we should get back home. He must’ve figured out we’re not around and is probably worried."
I watched the rise and fall of her chest, the way her lips were still slightly swollen from kissing me. My entire body felt tight. I wanted to pull her back into me, crush my mouth to hers and finish what we started.
But she was right.
I leaned back, swallowed down the frustration, and gripped the steering wheel so tight. "Fine."
I put the car in drive and pulled onto the road.
The entire ride back was silent, not the calm type but the charged silence.
Her breath was shallow beside me. I could still feel the imprint of her mouth on mine and underneath all of that, there was a throbbing ache that had been building since forever.
I tried to breathe normally, but every inhale felt like fire.
Fuck, I wanted her more than I needed air.
I forced my eyes to stay on the road, but even that didn’t help. It was like she was everywhere, her scent, her lips, her touch, the way she had trembled against me.
I was losing my mind.
You know what? Fuck this! Maybe Ethan was right about me going for her, if I really wanted her.
We were ten minutes from home and so, I did the stupidest thing. I stopped the car again.
Catherine turned to me. "Why are you stopping this time?" Her voice came out soft. "We’re almost home."
I didn’t look at her at first. I just stared straight through the windshield, trying to swallow the words before they came out but I couldn’t.
I turned my head and let my eyes rest on her. Her hair was still damp from the rain, a lock clinging to her cheek. Her hoodie swallowed her frame, making her look way smaller.
"I don’t want to walk into that house," I said quietly, "without kissing you like you’re mine."
The second the words left my mouth, she paused.
Her lips parted, her breath hitched while she stared at me like I was insane.
Shit. Did I say too much?
With a sharp exhale, I pulled my gaze away and tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "Forget it," I muttered with a clenched jaw. "I shouldn’t have said that. I’m not— I didn’t mean to make this weird. If you don’t want—"
I couldn’t even finish the sentence. The embarrassment felt like heat crawling up my neck. I put the gear into drive again.
"Julian?"
I turned my head just enough to see her, prepared for the rejection I knew was coming but she looked right into my eyes, like she was trying to gather courage, and then she swallowed hard and whispered: "I want it too."
I didn’t move at all.
I just stared at her, letting her words sink into my bloodstream, letting them burn through all the self-control I had been holding onto with both hands.
She wanted it too.
"Come here," I breathed, my voice lower than I intended.
She leaned toward me slowly, hesitantly, her breathing uneven, and everything inside me tightened. My hand lifted on its own, brushing her jaw, sliding to the back of her neck, guiding her the last inch toward me.
And when her lips touched mine again... I lost myself.
Everything I’d been holding back crashed all at once, weeks of wanting her, fighting it, denying it, lying to myself, all of it tore free. My fingers slid into her damp hair. She slipped one hand onto my chest. I pulled her closer, kissing her deeper, like I was trying to fuse her to me.
She made a soft sound in her throat and I nearly groaned in response.
This girl was going to ruin me.
Her breath hitched as I tugged her onto my lap, straddling me, her hoodie brushing my chest, her warm thighs bracketing me. My hands slid down to her waist, then to her butt, I was squeezing it hard, tempted to take the fucking shorts off.
I pulled back just enough to rest my forehead against hers, both of us breathing hard.
"Catherine," I whispered, shutting my eyes.
She didn’t move away.
She stayed right there, her breath mingling with mine.
I swallowed. "If we keep going... I’m not going to be able to control myself."
Her fingers trembled against my shirt.
"I don’t want you to have control," she whispered back. "Do what you want with me."
My control snapped again for a moment, I kissed her once, deep and rough, my hand tightening at her waist.
But then I forced myself to breathe.
"We should go inside," I said with a thick and strained voice. I noticed how her eyes turned sad and bit my lips. She really meant what she said about wanting me.
"Don’t worry, Wildcat. This car is a bit too discomforting for all I want to do to you tonight."