Two Halves (Cate & Kian Book 2)

by Louise Hall

  What choice do you have? He cheated on you.

  It was all starting to make sense. The bleeding knuckles when he came back from the World Cup. It was him that had trashed that hotel room. He’d probably been kicked out of the hotel and that’s why he’d come back earlier than the rest of the squad. Ha, it wasn’t that he’d missed her.

  She thought about all the top-secret phone calls he’d taken when they were on holiday in Italy. It felt like a cold finger was stroking down her spine. She pulled the dusty fleece blanket across her goose-bump riddled skin. Was it Her he was calling?

  Cate forced herself back to that time and place, trying to recall what he’d looked like when he was on the phone. Was he happy? Was he… Cate felt the knife twist in her gut, was he wishing that he was with Her instead of Cate?

  She could picture the Villa Castillo vividly but at night, not during the day. The inky blackness of the sky, the fairy lights strung through the trees, the heady scent of citrus fruits. She could feel the smooth tiles against her bare skin and swishing her feet through the water. The indent of his fingers on her hips, the scratch of his stubble against her inner thighs. Cate opened her eyes and quickly sat up; she could feel herself getting turned on. But how could he do it? How could he touch her so intimately knowing that he’d cheated on her just a few days before?

  That was the last time they’d been intimate.

  Cate thought back to that Sunday night; even though it was weeks ago, she still burned with humiliation. He’d had a match on the Saturday and the next one wasn’t until the following Saturday so he couldn’t use the excuse that he was tired. Cate had arranged for Lola to spend the night at Jean’s.

  She’d worried that he was getting bored with her so she’d gone lingerie shopping.

  Cut was an invitation-only boutique but Cate still had a membership card from being Sinead’s sister-in-law. It intimidated the heck out of her so she dawdled in front of the boutique next door, trying to summon up the courage to ring the bell. There were other stores that sold lingerie but she needed the wow factor that she could only get from Cut.

  You’re a grown woman; Cate cursed herself, wiping her sweaty palms on the front of her skinny jeans. All you’ve got to do is ring the flipping bell.

  “Cate?” she turned around. Darn, it was Sinead. “Were you going to Cut?”

  “No,” Cate laughed. “Well, maybe. Yeah.”

  Sinead laughed too, it seemed genuine. “Which is it?”

  “Yes,” Cate blushed.

  “I wouldn’t bother,” Sinead linked her arm through Cate’s and guided her away. “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s really gone downhill.”

  She knows, Cate thought now. Is there anyone in this family not trying to protect Kian at my expense?

  That night, Cate stripped out of her clothes and put on the new lingerie she’d bought. She’d known as soon as she’d seen this set that she had to have them – the chemise was white satin edged with black lace and clung sinfully to her modest breasts. It came with a matching thong and reminded Cate of the lingerie she’d worn on their wedding night.

  If anything was going to bring Kian back to her, it was this. She dried her sweaty palms on a towel and took a deep breath; this had to work. She ached with how much she missed her husband.

  When she came out, Kian was texting on his phone. “Hey,” she said, trying to look sexy.

  “Hey,” he said, without looking up. “Can you get the light?”

  “Kian?” Cate said, walking around to his side of the bed. With each step, she felt more and more ridiculous.

  “Yeah?” Kian still didn’t look up from his phone.

  “Kian.” Something in her tone of voice this time made him look up.

  He looked at her all dressed up in her new lingerie and he frowned. “Cate, not tonight, I’m tired.”

  She scurried back to the bathroom, hot tears stinging her eyes. She pulled off the new lingerie and stuffed it back in the bag. She checked the bathroom door was locked and sank down on the floor of the shower, letting the lukewarm water – she couldn’t summon the energy to get up and adjust it – wash over her. She hugged her knees to her chest and let the tears flow freely; knowing that nobody could hear her like this. She felt so rejected, humiliated, lonely.

  When she was all cried out, she got out and changed into an old t-shirt and pyjama bottoms. The bedroom was shrouded in darkness when she walked back in; Kian was asleep with his back to her. Cate climbed into bed, mirroring him; the cold strip of mattress intact between them.

  A little while later, Cate felt the bed dip as Kian got up and went into the bathroom. She waited for him to come back but then she heard the shower running. With her curiosity piqued, she got up and silently tiptoed towards the bathroom. The door wasn’t fully closed so it was easy to push it open a little bit more. Kian was in the shower. She gulped, feeling desperately aroused as she watched the water drip down his naked body. He grunted and she quickly stepped back, thinking he’d caught her watching him. Then she noticed his fist tugging frantically at his heavy cock. He was jerking off.

  Cate slid her hand up the front of her t-shirt, stroking her tingling nipples. She missed Kian so, so much. She pushed her other hand inside her pyjama bottoms. Leaning back against the wall, she watched Kian as she rubbed her thumb over her swollen, tender clit. As his hips thrust forward, Cate pinched and twisted her nipples, opening her mouth in a silent scream. Her breath was coming out in short pants now; she needed this. Kian slammed his fist against the tiles; he was close, she could see his buttocks were tightly clenched. She ached with how much she wanted to touch him. Her own orgasm was moving in tandem, she felt fire burn up the backs of her legs.

  “Cate,” he grunted, throwing his head back as his cock pumped furiously, spraying ribbons of semen up the wall. Hearing him call her name like that pushed her over the edge, the orgasm ripped through her body, leaving her breathless and spent.

  She forced herself to get back into bed before Kian realised what she’d seen/done. Sliding between the cold covers, the orgasm seeping out of her body, Cate felt dirty and ashamed. When he’d climaxed, he’d grunted out her name. If it was her he was thinking about, why did he need to jerk off in the shower in the middle of the night? She was right there, craving him. She’d offered herself to him tonight, trussed up in satin and lace and he’d rejected her.

  Cate lay back on the beanbag; her head was heavy with questions. If he’d wanted to be with Her, why was it Cate’s name he’d grunted when he’d come?

  “Cate?” her sister, Liv called from the bottom of the stairs.

  She quickly dried her eyes, got up from the beanbag and switched off the fairy lights. “Yeah?”

  “Hey, what are you doing up here? Kian’s been looking everywhere for you.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. He just asked me to tell you that he’s waiting outside for you.”

  “Okay,” Cate sat down on her old bed.

  “Come downstairs to the party,” Liv said.

  She shook her head, “I’ll be down in a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay,” Liv started to go downstairs and then turned back, “you sure you’re okay, sis?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Cate lied.

  When she was certain that Liv had gone back downstairs and she was alone again; she pulled the sheets of paper out of her handbag and looked at them. She traced her finger over Kian’s signature. Why?

  Ever since she’d found out, she’d tried to shrink-wrap her poor heart in plastic. The plastic held the broken pieces together and protected it from any further damage. But those three letters, one word – Why - disguised as thick shards of glass with rough, jagged edges were stabbing the plastic, piercing the numbness. Her heart wasn’t protected anymore, it was broken and bloody and she’d never known pain like it before. It felt as if she was literally being ripped to shreds.

  She slunk off the bed, on to the carpet and curled up in a tiny ball. Lying there, sh
e prayed to God for the strength she needed to get through until Boxing Day. She prayed with everything she had that he would patch up the plastic around her heart, restoring the numbness so that she could somehow get through the next 36 hours. She couldn’t, wouldn’t ruin Christmas for Lola. Please, she asked the darkness, please just get me through tonight and tomorrow and then on Boxing Day while he’s at the match, I’ll leave him. 36 hours and my marriage will be over.

  The pain receded a little and Cate looked up at the ceiling. “Thank you,” she mouthed silently.

  The party was almost over when Cate went downstairs. She bumped into Remy in the play room; she was picking up a sleepy Luca. “If you wake him up, I’ll have to kill you.”

  “Where’s Lo?” Cate whispered.

  “She’s with Kian, he came to get her a few minutes ago,” Remy said. “I’d better get this one to bed.”

  Cate carried on downstairs. Kian was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, with her coat in his hands. “Where were you?” he asked softly.

  She shrugged, taking her coat from him. She didn’t want him to touch her.

  His eyes locked on to hers. “I waited for you.”

  Cate shrugged her shoulders. “I’m tired, Kian, let’s just go home.”

  In the car on the way home, she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.

  When they got back to the house, she yawned and stretched, pretending to wake up. “Mummy, has Father Christmas been yet?” Lola asked excitedly as Kian unlocked the front door.

  Cate smiled, “no sweetie, you’ve got to go to sleep before Father Christmas can come.”

  She carried Lola upstairs and waited while she brushed her teeth and put her pyjamas on. “He’s definitely coming though, isn’t he?” Lola asked, as she climbed into bed. “He won’t forget us, will he?”

  “That depends,” Cate said, pulling the covers up. “Have you been a good girl this year?”

  “Yes,” Lola nodded with a serious look on her face. “I’ve tried.”

  Kian was waiting for Cate in the bedroom; he’d undone his shirt and kicked off his shoes. “Is she asleep?”

  “Almost,” Cate opened up her jewellery box and took off her earrings. She felt Kian come up behind her; he reached up and began to unzip her dress. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s Christmas,” Kian kissed her bare shoulder. “I want to make love to you.”

  Cate felt sick. How could he touch her like that knowing what he’d done? “I’m going to get changed.”

  “Wait,” Kian grabbed her arm. “I can do that.”

  His touch made her skin crawl. “Don’t,” Cate struggled to free herself from his grasp. Holding up the front of her dress with one hand, she grabbed her pyjamas and rushed into the bathroom. Why now? Why did he want her now?

  “Angel?” Kian walked into the bathroom to find Cate crouched over the toilet bowl. “Cate?” He was immediately by her side, gently rubbing his hand over the small of her back.

  “Please go away,” she croaked. She didn’t want him to see her like this.

  Kian ran a cloth under the cold tap and gently wiped her forehead. He thought the tears streaking down her cheeks were because she’d been so sick. “Was it something you ate?”

  Cate pulled away from him and lurched over the toilet bowl again but there was nothing left inside her stomach.

  “I’m going to call the doctor,” Kian started to get up.

  “No,” Cate protested. “I’ll be OK.”

  She flushed the toilet and leaned back, wincing as her bare skin met the cold tiles. Goose bumps raced across her skin and her nipples poked through her cotton t-shirt. Her stomach muscles were so sore; she rubbed a hand across her middle.

  Kian watched her closely. “Shit, are you pregnant?”

  Cate quickly pulled her hand away from her stomach. “We haven’t been intimate for months.”

  Despite her protests, Kian lifted her up on to his lap. He kissed her skin, which was coated with sweat, not caring that she’d just been sick. “No,” Cate said as he pressed his lips against hers. “I’ve been sick; I need to brush my teeth.” “I don’t care,” he said, tilting her head back. He licked and nibbled at her dry lips, waiting for her to open up to him. As much as she tried to fight it, Cate couldn’t stop herself from giving in. Her lips parted and his tongue thrust hungrily inside.

  Did he kiss Jenna like this? The thought lit Cate on fire with jealousy. She kissed him back fiercely, spurred on by the thought of another woman’s tongue in his mouth. She needed to make him forget, to make her forget. She shifted so she was straddling him. In less than 48 hours she was going to leave him. She couldn’t help it; she needed him to fill her up once more. “Cate,” Kian hissed. Gratified that she could still get him hard, she rubbed herself possessively over his thick cock.

  Cate ripped open his shirt and pressed her breasts against his muscled chest. Feeling the hard peaks of her nipples, barely restrained by her t-shirt made his cock strain even harder against his trousers.

  She dragged her fingernails down his chest, hard enough to leave marks in the morning. “I want you,” she whispered, nipping his earlobe. “Inside me right now.”

  He’s mine, Cate thought as she reached for his belt buckle. Kian lifted her up so he could kick off his trousers and boxer shorts. He needed to be with his wife.

  Cate tugged off her t-shirt and Kian went straight for her breasts, roughly kneading one while he sucked the other into his mouth, licking and teasing her tender, aching nipple. Cate reached down and wrapped her hand around his heavy cock, rubbing her thumb over the leaking tip. She brought her thumb up to her lips and sucked. She hated that other women had tasted him, that they knew what his skin, his release tasted like.

  “Tell me you’re wet,” Kian groaned, flipping Cate over so she was lying on her back.

  He peeled her panties down her legs and pushed two fingers inside her. “I’m wet,” Cate cried.

  Kian settled between her thighs and eased the tip of his cock inside her. Cate quickly lifted her hips, taking him deeper. Her hands slid down his back to his buttocks and she tried to push him the rest of the way in. It turned him on so fucking much. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the tiles above her head.

  He pulled back and then surged forward, screwing her so deeply she felt him at her very end. “Ah,” Cate cried, the pain was just what she needed. She fought to free her hands. As if he could sense what she needed but not why, Kian kept up the pounding rhythm. Cate didn’t think she’d be able to come knowing that he’d betrayed her but she felt the orgasm build in the pit of her stomach. The intensity was frightening; she felt like she was going to shatter into a million pieces. She sunk her nails into his skin, her thighs wrapped tightly around his waist.

  “Harder,” Cate cried, not caring as her body was thrown back and forth across the bathroom floor. She was so close. He changed position slightly, taking her even deeper and she felt him hit that spot. Cate came so violently all she could do was cling on to Kian like a life raft. She felt the metallic taste of blood and when she looked down, she realised she’d bitten through the skin on Kian’s shoulder. She dropped her head back down on the cold tiles and closed her eyes. She could feel Kian’s release leaking down her thighs. She wanted to just disappear.

  Cate felt Kian climb off her. She prayed that he’d leave her alone but then she felt him softly clean between her legs. The little bit of tenderness almost broke her. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut to stop the tears from leaking out.

  Kian picked her up off the bathroom floor and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the mattress and grabbed a pair of clean panties and one of his old t-shirts from the dresser in case Lola came running into them early the next morning. Kian knelt down next to Cate, who’d buried her face in the pillow. As he pulled her panties up her legs, he was intoxicated by the feel of her soft skin glistening with perspiration. She looked so fucking beautiful. Although he’d cleaned them both
up, he could still smell sex. As he reached for her t-shirt, Cate kicked her legs and he got a glimpse of the crotch of her panties. All he could think about was his junk coating her insides; reminding him that he’d marked the most private part of her.

  “Angel,” Kian said softly. As he tugged the t-shirt down over her breasts, his hand brushed against her nipple, which was still erect post-orgasm.

  Ignoring his stiff cock, which was aching for Round 2, he pulled on a pair of boxers and climbed into bed with his wife. She felt different. He slid her across the mattress, fitting her body to his. Her black hair still smelled like blackberries and her feet were freezing cold but there was something… he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. She hadn’t come to their place tonight even though it was their anniversary. He wanted to believe it was because she hadn’t been feeling well. For a split second, Kian wondered if she’d somehow found out about him and Jenna. But she wouldn’t still be there if she had, would she…? Nah, Kian shook his head.

  CHAPTER 10

  “For me?” Lola’s eyes were wide as she took in all of the shiny parcels under the Christmas tree. “Really?” She looked so cute in her navy-blue Manchester Rovers pyjamas, her black hair all tangled up from sleep.

  Cate grinned; she was so pleased that despite Kian’s wealth and status, their little girl wasn’t spoilt. “Remember, you can choose one to open now and then when we get back from Granny Reen’s tonight, you can open the rest, okay?”

  Lola knelt down on the carpet and chewing on her lip, carefully examined each of the parcels before she decided which one she wanted to open first.

  “Here you go,” Kian handed Cate a mug of coffee.

  “Can I open this one?” Lola asked, holding up a big square box.

  “Are you sure that’s the one?” Kian chuckled. It was her 1st adult football. Kian had never been as proud as when he saw that Lola had asked for a football from Father Christmas.

  Cate stepped away from Kian, ostensibly so that she could help Lola put the other presents back under the tree.