Welcome Home, Kitty: Little Kitten

The heatwave of 1955 didn't just bring cracked roads and heavy air to Maple Hill, it brought Kitty O'Callaghan. Instead of the quiet start she hoped for with her mother, Kitty finds herself trapped under the roof of her stepbrother Johnny - a brooding mechanic who sees in her every trace of the woman he resents.

What begins as aggression soon turns to desire. Johnny soon wants more than her fear. He wants her softness, her trust, her heart. And nothing will stand in his way. Not her tears. Not her defiance. Not even her hate.

~

He lowered himself to the edge of the bed, the quilt dipping beneath the weight of his knee. His hand lifted, brushing the stray curl aside, fingertips grazing the smooth line of her cheek. Then he leaned in, his breath warm at her ear.

"Kitten..." His voice slipped through the quiet. "Wake up."

At first she only stirred, a small sound catching in her throat as her brow drew tight.

"C'mon now. Look at me." His hand lingered near her face. Fingertips brushing her cheek once more in a slow movement.

Her lashes fluttered once, twice. Then her eyes opened, heavy with sleep. For a second she only stared, unseeing, then the blur sharpened landing seeing his face so close to hers.

Her whole body jolted, shoulders driving into the pillow as if to put distance where there was none. Her legs kicked under the blanket, the sheets twisting around her ankles. Her mouth opened, dragging in a sharp, startled breath as a scream began to claw its way up from her chest.

But it never made it out, he was ready.

His hand clamped down hard over her mouth. Her eyes filled with instant panic.

She froze.

Then fought.