She shrank down a bit. His gaze softened. He didn’t want to frighten her.
“She’s not my girl,” Evan grumbled. He searched for the words and finally stammered, “You shouldn’t be touching her like that.” What the hell was he doing? The crowd opened up around them like they anticipated a fistfight. Evan glanced over his shoulder for a moment, catching the image of a pissed off Devi, who scowled at him and looked pointedly at Catalina. He was a man in trouble.
Catalina wasn’t his girl. What right did he have to bust in and punch this guy in the face? Aw, man. I fucked up big time.
“Maybe you should let her decide who should be touching her in what way.” The guy smiled at Catalina and cracked his knuckles.
Evan squared his shoulders. He didn’t turn toward Catalina, but he knew her eyes were on him.
“Evan?” she said quietly. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m fine here. We were dancing—” He pushed her hand off of his shoulder. Her touch was hot; he couldn’t fight off the urge to grab her and hold her to him.
“Look, man, we were having fun, and it looks like she wants to be with me anyway. I get it. She’s a pretty girl—” Oh, this douchebag doesn’t know when to quit. Catalina was just a friend, but the cocky ass smile on the guy and the way he chuckled just came off like an asshole. The solid crunch of Evan’s fist against the guy’s face was satisfying in the best of ways. His hand stung, but it was amazing to see the guy sprawled out on his back on the dirty bar floor.
“Evan!” Devi yelled.
“What the hell?” Gillian’s voice rose over the ruckus.
Marie and Devi’s hands pulled him away from the guy as he scrambled to his feet.
Blood poured out of the stranger’s nose. Evan shook his head. This wasn’t something he did a lot. Apparently, punching guys for Catalina came easily to him.
She makes me fucking crazy.
The women pulled Evan off and he rushed through the crowd and toward the door.
“Come on, Kitty. We gotta get out of here,” he heard Gillian say.
The air was cold when he hit the door, Devi right on his heels. Someone had managed to grab their coats and had wrapped Catalina’s around her shoulders, he noticed, as that group caught up with him on the flight away from the bar.
Devi started screeching when they got through the crowd.
“What the hell was that, Evan?” Devi pushed his shoulder and got in his face. “We just got here.” He shook his head. He didn’t even know how to start explaining it. She was cracking her chewing gum and pulling down her short dress around her legs. Evan kept stomping forward.
“Who is this bimbo?” Gillian yelled, pushing them apart.
“I’m Devi. Who the shit are you?” Marie had to pull Gillian away from Devi when she lunged to hit her. Devi wasn’t the kind of girl Evan wanted to introduce. He wasn’t in the business of introducing his friends with benefits to actual friends.
“Ladies! Ladies! You need to calm down. We need to figure out what’s going on.” Bonnie was the voice of reason.
Evan ran a hand over his smoothed back hair. Devi was all wrong. He shouldn’t have been there, especially with her. He shouldn’t have punched that guy, but the dude had his hands all over Catalina, grabbing at her. Evan paced back and forth on the sidewalk, his hands resting on the back of his head, his elbows jutted out to his sides.
“So, what happened?” Bonnie asked Catalina, bending down to her eye level. Catalina’s legs were wobbly from the heels and the alcohol. Evan wanted to scoop her up into his arms, carry her home, and make sure that she was safe, but he was pretty sure she didn’t want anything to do with him.
“I was dancing with Jason and then…I don’t really know. Evan punched him, I guess,” Catalina murmured. Oh God, when she said it like that he sounded like such an ass.
“Yeah. What was that shit about, Evan?” Devi smacked her pink, glossed lips. Her boobs were threatening to fall out of her dress.
Gillian almost spat at the girl.
Evan eyed Gillian for a moment. Down, girl. I can handle this.
“He was all over her. I was—” he started. His teeth started to ache from grinding them together so tightly.
“We were having a good time.” Marie laughed and shook her head. “I think Cat can handle herself.”
Gillian snorted.
“Evan, you totally ruined our night, and I’m so angry at you for that.” Devi pointed at Catalina.
“Me? Mad at me? You guys interrupted my night out, and you’re mad at me?” Catalina’s mouth hung open.
“Who is this slutbag?” Gillian said, getting into Devi’s face. He’d hand it to her, Gillian couldn’t stand it when someone spoke harshly to any of her friends. She was tiny but fierce.
“What did you call me?” Devi pushed Gillian away from her.
“If it looks like a duck and acts like a duck…,” Gillian taunted.
Marie held her back.
Evan stepped between Gillian and Devi, blocking Gillian with his body. Around his head, Devi was trying to claw her way at Gillian.
“Guys! Stop it,” Bonnie yelled. They were making a big scene. They’d left a guy bloody in the bar, and Bonnie looked worried that they’d be hauled off to jail at any time. Catalina shivered and pulled her arms through the sleeves in her coat.
Evan was still carrying his leather coat in his hand. His skin was starting to feel the biting cold of the breeze around them, but his blood was still boiling. His hands were shaking from the adrenaline. Hudson probably would have given him a high five for the good punch, but Evan tried not to smile thinking of his friend’s reaction. Hell, if Hudson were still alive, Catalina wouldn’t have been at the bar dancing with someone else, or Hudson would’ve broken the guy’s nose himself.
Devi huffed and tugged her short coat around her. Her bare legs looked red from the cold even in the dim light of the streetlamps.
Evan started pacing again.
“Pretty boy, you got one hell of a right hook, but I think you have to work on the company you keep,” Gillian said, pointing a finger at his scantily clad date.
Evan messed with the zipper of his leather jacket. They were right. Devi wasn’t the kind of girl he really wanted, but she wanted him and they had a good time together.
“We need to go home,” Marie said as she started walking toward where the car was parked. Gillian and Bonnie followed. Catalina started to shuffle after them on her uneasy feet.
Devi and Evan stood on opposite sides of the sidewalk, letting the women walk through them. The tension tightened around Evan’s shoulders. He fought his body’s response while he was so close to Catalina. He flexed his jaw.
He wanted to reach out, grab her arm, and spin her around. He didn’t care that Devi was there, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He needed to forget about all of this. He needed to forget about Catalina.
Hudson would be pissed if he knew.
Catalina kept her eyes toward the ground. She ignored Devi, surprisingly. Catalina wasn’t one to keep her mouth shut whenever an opinion struck her. Usually, she could be just as spunky as Gillian. Evan never took his eyes off of her as her feet shuffled and her arms curled around her stomach. Her cheeks quivered in the cold.
Catalina stumbled after a high heel caught on the sidewalk. Evan’s arms quickly moved out and around her body. His large hands gripped her back and held her up. She smelled like vanilla and hairspray. He was sure he still smelled like the bakery, a thought that made him a little ashamed.
She tilted her face up at him. Her mouth was so close to his face that he couldn’t breathe. It was too much, and he felt himself get hard at the feeling of her in his arms.
“You okay?” he whispered. His shoulders relaxed with her touch. She was so light, he could hold her all night long. With the slinky dress she was wearing, the thought crossed his mind about what was under the silver material. Her lean, strong legs, the cusp of her ass, that little tattoo she kept hidden
from the world. All the parts of her that he daydreamed about for all those years.
“Yes. I’m okay,” she said so quietly that Evan could barely hear her. “I’m okay,” she said again after clearing her throat.
“You’ve been drinking,” he said as she was set to rights. He remembered what happened last time. The mistaken kiss. It was all a mistake, he had to remind himself.
“Yes. It was a girl’s night. Gillian bought us some drinks,” Catalina said.
Duh, dumbass. Of course they were drinking. They were at a bar.
Devi stomped her foot impatiently and started digging into her bag. She fished out a pack of Camel cigarettes, clicking her lighter over and over until it finally lit and she took a deep drag. Devi blew the smoke up toward Catalina’s face.
Catalina coughed and waved away the smoke before she wrinkled her nose at Evan. He shrugged.
“Come on, Kitty. Don’t catch a cold or get too close to that skank-face and catch anything else contagious!” Gillian yelled out into the night. Catalina turned to catch up with Bonnie, Marie, and Gillian.
When they reached the car and started piling in, Evan ran after her. His feet moved without him thinking about it. He knew he should keep his distance. Far away was safer. He couldn’t mess up and drop his guard if she was across town. Out of sight. Out of mind. But it never worked that way for Evan. She still crept into his head, into his dreams and fantasies.
He wanted to be close to her for a moment longer.
“Wait, Cat.” She stilled but didn’t turn her head. “Please. Can you wait?”
He didn’t want to beg, but something about her warm green eyes and dark eyelashes drew him in and made him weak. They made him feel warm despite the chilly April night around them.
“Hold on. I’ll be right in.” Catalina waved Bonnie into the car. Bonnie got behind the wheel and started the engine. The girls rubbed their hands together as the car heater turned on.
“What do you want?” Catalina looked at her feet. Was the booze or the anger from the fight that made her so unsteady? He should have walked away. He should have kept his distance and kept on with the silent treatment, but she needed to know that he didn’t hate her. In fact, he was pretty sure he could never hate her.
“I wanted to talk to you real quick,” he said.
“You didn’t want to talk the other day,” she said stiffly.
Damn, that stung.
“I’m sorry about that, and I’m sorry about tonight in the bar with that guy. I…lost my head. I know that wasn’t cool of me.”
“It wasn’t cool. You kinda ruined my date,” Catalina murmured.
“That guy was your date?” he yelled. He saw red, and his blood boiled under his skin. He wanted to punch the guy’s face in a second time, but he took a deep breath instead. Catalina was a single woman now. She deserved to be happy.
“Shush. You’re going to make a scene again,” she scolded him.
“God, you’re so frustrating,” he said. He turned around quickly and put his hands on his hips. With his back turned to her, he tried to calm down. She’d drunk dialed him, kissed him, and all he wanted was to kiss her more. It wasn’t right. Hudson was his best friend. She was grieving, dealing, and he couldn’t take advantage of that.
“I’m frustrating? I’m the one who is frustrating?” Catalina started talking to his back. She was trying to keep her voice low. “You’re the one who’s frustrating, asshole. You kissed me back. I know you did. You didn’t stop me right away, and the next day, you acted like I had the plague. Then I try to help you at the bank and you freak out for no reason at all. And tonight, you bust in on my date and break his freaking nose. Who do you think you are?”
Evan turned on her quickly. He gripped her shoulders tightly. His face was so close to her own. His lungs were tight in his chest.
“You are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever known in my whole life.”
“You are the one who is acting like an asshole,” she stage-whispered.
She was right. He was an ass, but she had to understand. It was for everyone’s good for him to stay away.
He wanted to lean forward so badly. He could touch her lips to his so easily. The girls were in the car, a few feet from them, watching closely. He could feel their eyes. He was certain Devi was waiting nearby as well. The thought of an audience stopped him. His eyebrows drew close together and his eyes bore into her green ones.
She reached out her tongue to wet her lips quickly. His breath hitched in his throat. This woman might kill him. He let his eyes linger for a moment on the curve of her chin, the crest of her lips.
“If that’s all you have to say, maybe you should go back to your date,” Catalina spat the words at him. Evan turned his head away. She might as well have slapped him. But she was right. He had a date. He had no business with her, despite his feelings to the contrary.
His shoulders relaxed slightly. He hung his head and pushed away from Catalina.
“I’m sorry about the other day. We need to forget it. And I’m sorry about your date. Hopefully, I didn’t mess anything up for you,” he said quietly.
“You ever think that I don’t want to forget? I don’t want to forget what happened because I liked it. I really liked it, and for a moment, I think you liked it too.” She pointed her finger at his chest. “Because you didn’t push me away. You kissed me back. You. Kissed. Me. Back.” She punctuated each word with a point of her finger into his chest. He wanted to grab her finger in his hand and pull her into him. Damn whoever was watching.
Her words echoed in his head for a moment. She liked kissing him, and damned if he didn’t love it too. He watched her eyes, so fierce with the fire that he remembered from when they were younger. He smiled at her a little, but he couldn’t give in. She deserved better than him. She’d see that in time.
He gently wrapped his hand around her finger and hand. Her hand was cold, but Evan was boiling hot. He wanted to take her home. He wanted to kiss her until her limbs were loose and her smile came back.
“I don’t want to fight with you, Cat. I don’t like to see you upset.”
“Oh really? It sure didn’t look like you didn’t want to fight in the bar when you bloodied my date’s face for no reason other than he was dancing with me.”
“He had his hands all over you!” He took a deep breath and steadied himself. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, he looked straight into Catalina. He had to pretend like he didn’t love her. Stuff that feeling right down deep, Bowers. “The kiss was a mistake. It was a mistake, Cat. I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t mean it.”
He lied. He lied and lied and hoped that she would believe it. He had to push her away. He didn’t deserve her. In a few months, she would see that she only was lonely and missing Hudson. It would be for the best, even though turning her down made him sick to his stomach.
She had admitted that she wanted him, that she liked kissing him and he had to turn her down. She started to tear up and a blush crept up over her neck.
“Fine. It’s forgotten.” She pushed his hand out of hers to turn away quickly. She closed the car door behind her with a bang. When she slumped down into her seat, her hair hung in her face and shielded her eyes. The car was gone into the night.
Devi was tapping her foot nearby. “What the hell, Evan?”
He sighed. Would he ever see Catalina again?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next day, Bonnie dropped off Olivia after she spent the night at her and Gene’s house.
“Thanks for the coffee, Bon. How was she this morning?”
“She was great. Thanks for letting her sleep over. Gene had a heck of a time putting them both down for the night, but I told him it was good practice for when we have two.” Bonnie pointed at the burgeoning bump of her stomach. “I swear, I’m showing so much faster this time.”
“You look great! You went dancing last night. You still got it.”
“Yeah. You’re a g
reat liar, Cat.”
“I swear, no lies. Scout’s honor.” Catalina put her three fingers in the air next to her head and suppressed a small laugh.
“Yeah, yeah. I gave Olivia a hot chocolate. I hope that’s okay.” Bonnie pointed at the small cup Olivia had placed on the coffee table before sprinting off to bring toys to show Asa.
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
Asa crawled around on the living room rug, exploring the space as Olivia showed him toy after toy.
“She’s really great with him, you know.” Bonnie tilted her head toward the playing children.
“I know. She’s a pretty awesome kid. Sit down. Stay a while.” Catalina gestured to the couch and took a sip of her hot coffee. Her mouth was still dry from the night before, but the caffeine helped her small headache almost instantly.
“So, have you been driving yet?” Bonnie sat down, already out of breath from the walk from the car.
“No, I’ve been relying on Marie or Gil still. I haven’t been…very comfortable,” Catalina said.
“Yeah, I get that. No pressure. Just curious.”
“Don’t worry, Bon. I’m not going to break or anything. I’m just dealing with stuff in my own time. I’ll get to it soon.”
“You don’t have to defend yourself to me. I understand. Plus, even if I was going to lecture you or pressure you, you certainly aren’t the type to do what I told you anyway.”
Catalina snorted and took another swig of her drink. “That’s an understatement.”
“So, what was going on with you last night?” Bonnie twirled the ends of her auburn hair between her fingers. She avoided Catalina’s eyes, instead looking toward the children as they played.
“Nothing. What do you mean?”
“I mean, at first you seemed really uncomfortable, but then you started opening up. It was nice. I haven’t seen you like that in a long time.”
She squinted at Bonnie. “Are you talking about that guy?”
Recovery Road Page 9