Despite growing up together, Catherine Simmons and Mattis Reed were never close.
Cat was inseparable from Mattis' younger sister, Chloé, while he was busy running around on the football field.
But when Cat's new dream drags her across the country du...
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I leave the room while Cat tidies up in the bathroom. I'm floating downstairs in a post-orgasm haze, satisfied and fucking happy.
Being with Cat makes me happy.
It's like I'm wearing rose-colored glasses, and suddenly the twins commandeering my house to throw a rager isn't the worst thing in the world. I might even be pleased for the excuse it gave my smoking hot girlfriend to dress up.
Fucking her against my door while she looked like that, the music downstairs drowning out her sexy noises will forever be seared into my brain.
I'll be fucking my hand to that image at every away game from now on.
I'm a little preoccupied, so I don't realize someone is standing beside the staircase as I turn to the left, running smack into them. Instinctively I reach out, securing the person - woman - with a hand on her hip.
I'm on cloud fucking nine, and it's a miles-long crash back to reality when I discover that the woman I just saved from falling on her face is Daniella.
Of fucking course.
"Reed." She smiles brightly, taking a step back, a faint blush creeping up her neck. She tugs a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hi."
I rub my neck, kicking myself internally for not keeping a better lookout. I could have told myself that Dani would come tonight. And I could have told myself she'd be extra persistent after my little declaration in the kitchen earlier.
"Dani."
Her smile falters at my flat tone. I'm a dick, I'm aware, but I don't want to stand here and talk to her. I don't want to have to reject her - again. We had a thing that ended months ago. She should have moved on.
"Nice, um, party," she says, shifting on her feet. "I really appreciate-"
"Listen," I cut her off. "I gotta run, but you know, I'll probably see you around."
I'm halfway turned, already mentally checked out of the conversation, when Dani sighs behind me.
"Is it because of that girl?"
"What?" I whirl back.
"The redhead." Dani blushes, hand flailing by her side, and she stutters, "I- I mean Cat. Your... girlfriend. She shows up, and suddenly you're ignoring me."
"I haven't been ignoring you, Dani."
It's the truth. I haven't been paying her enough attention to put effort into staying clear of her. She just pops up wherever I go, and yeah, I've been flippant, but what did she expect?
Her lips tug up in a smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes, and suddenly she looks more like the old Dani. The one hardened by years of being told cheerleading isn't a real sport. The one who had to learn to play dirty from an early age because her seven older brothers never made allowances for her, just because she was a girl. The Dani I was initially attracted to because she could stand up for herself.
