Catch

by S. Poirier

  “Marina talked me into it. She said that we were only going to be going about a block down. She bribed me with shoes,” I say, feeling like a complete idiot. “Before I knew it we were blocks from the house and I noticed someone watching me. And not in that ‘wow, she’s hot’ kind of way. It set off all kinds of warning bells.” I’m so involved in Sage, that I completely forgot about Marina. I look over my shoulder out the window. “Shit, Marina is still out there.”

  I try to pull away but he tightens his arms around me. “She’s fine. Trust me she can take care of herself. And I’ll deal with her when we get back to the house,” he grinds out.

  “Catch, it’s not her fault. She was just trying to help,” I say defending her.

  Catch shakes his head. “Let’s just get out of here.” He pulls the hat down lower over my face before he kisses me again. “Hold on tight to my hand, and be on alert. If someone is tailing you once we hit the deserted streets they may advance on us.”

  He pulls me out of the bar and through the people on the street. He’s walking at a normal pace acting as if he is just out enjoying the city. He doesn’t speak, but when I look up into his eyes they are constantly darting from side to side, and his entire body is hard and rigid against mine. He’s on full alert.

  We walk a couple of blocks and then turn onto a street that looks a lot like an old western right before some epic showdown, save for the dirt road. It’s empty and quiet. I half expect a tumble weed to roll across the street.

  It’s when we hit this street that Sage breaks out into a run. I’m following behind him holding tightly to his hand. We’re almost at the corner we need to turn onto to get back to the house when Sage comes to a stop and I slam into the back of him. Before I can speak he reaches around his back and pulls me up against him.

  “The famous Catch. I honestly couldn’t believe it when I was told that you didn’t follow through with an assignment. Timer’s favorite never fails him,” I can hear the other assassin say.

  I press my head to Catch’s back and inhale deeply. It’s all I can do to keep my composure.

  “Yeah, well things change,” he says as he pulls his gun.

  “Hey, no need to shoot. I’m not going to kill your assignment. I have to bring her in alive. They want to know what she knows. Now whatever happens to her after will be the client’s choice.” Catch takes a step back pressing himself closer to me, his gun still aimed at the other guy.

  I hear something being placed on the ground. “I’m unarmed. Now you put yours down and let’s do this with our hands. Because clearly I can see that you’re not going to give the girl up easily. Also, I’m no sniper. I don’t want her to accidentally be shot. She’s worth a hell of a lot of money.”

  “Catch,” I whisper as I fist the back of his shirt. He bends down to place his gun on the pavement. And that’s when the guy gets his first good look at me.

  “Whoa, she’s a pretty one,” he chuckles. “I never thought Catch could be swayed by some pretty whore.”

  That’s all he needs to say to set Catch off. He launches forward and nails the guy in the side of the head. He staggers backwards, a look of shock on his face. But he recovers quickly and comes at Catch with everything he has. Catch is able to dodge most of his blows, but a few times he is able to get a hit in, which only results in Catch flashing him a grin. In a matter of seconds they have both thrown close to a dozen punches.

  He moves with an ease that I’ve never seen before, dancing around the other guy and throwing calculated punches. Catch is beautiful, even when he’s in full on beast mode. I guess then I would add hot to his description.

  Catch nails him in the ribs and he staggers back. At that moment he whistles a tune. Catch doesn’t seem fazed, but I’m completely thrown for a loop. When my defense falters two arms wrap tight around me.

  Not wanting to distract Catch I decide to just deal with this the best I can. They have no idea what I’m capable of, so I throw my head back nailing, what I assume is a guy, in the nose. Now I’m glad that I have the Yankee’s cap on. It saved me from getting any blood in my hair. I smile inwardly at the thought of this stupid cap being ruined.

  The arms around me loosen and I throw my elbow back into his ribs. Then I spin around and throw two punches, one to the right cheek and the other landing under his chin. The guy staggers backwards surprised at the fact that I can indeed fight. I can hear Catch and that other guy grunting behind me.

  I narrow my eyes at this man standing in front of me, blood running from his nose. I bring my hand up and crook my finger at him. “Come on, big boy,” I taunt.

  Behind me I hear a body hit the ground, and the guy advances. Two strong arms wrap around my waist and I kick off the ground throwing my weight into it and hitting the guy in the nose with the heel of my boot. This time he hits the ground with a loud groan. Catch puts me back down on the ground and takes a tight hold of my hand. As he pulls me to the corner of the street I see that the other guy is sprawled out on his belly moaning in pain.

  “Holy shit! What the hell happened to you?” Marina exclaims when we walk through the front door. Catch has a busted, bloody bottom lip, and a purple bruise starting to shadow on his left cheek.

  “Nothing,” he barks as he pulls me up the stairs and into our room. The moment the door is locked he spins around and looks at me. “Are you okay?” He tips the hat off my head setting my wavy hair free. Next he takes my face in his hands and tilts it in different directions looking for any signs of injury.

  I take hold of his wrists. “Sage, I’m fine. I may end up with a headache because of that amazing head-butt I landed, but other than that I’m fine. He was shocked that I didn’t convert to the normal panic mode that most women do when someone grabs them.”

  He’s staring at me breathing heavily, and I can see his jaw working. After a few moments he pulls me to him and I exhale the breath I didn’t know I was holding. His heart is pounding and he’s squeezing me so tight I can hardly breathe.

  “Sage. Can’t…breathe,” I say against his chest.

  He loosens his arms but doesn’t let me go. “That was close, Max. They know we’re here. Goddammit! Max, promise me that you won’t leave the house without me again.”

  He isn’t coming out and saying it, but I know what just happened scared him. I can hear it in his voice. In the way he says my name, in the way he’s holding so tightly to me. And I could tell by the way he kissed me when he pulled me into that bar. This man cares for me, deeply. And all I can do is stand here speechless because I don’t have the slightest idea as to what to say to him. So, I go for a subject change.

  “Let me get you cleaned up and you can tell me all about what you and Snitch discussed,” I say as I pull away from him so I can feather my fingers over his purple cheek. “You smiled when that assassin was able to get a hit by you. Why?”

  “Because he hit’s like a girl,” he replies with a cocky smirk.

  “Hey!” I punch his arm and he winces.

  “Okay, I take it back. He hits like a pussy.”

  “Well, I guess that’s better. They are soft after all,” I say while I pull him into the bathroom. He plops down on the toilet seat while I get a rag to clean his face. I get down on my knees and nestle myself between his thighs. I have this insatiable need to be as close to him as possible. I wipe the blood from his lip. “Now tell me what Snitch said.”

  I clean his wound and his face as he tells me word for word everything Snitch had found out. It felt like part of the weight bearing down on me was lifted. Now we just need to get Timer to call of his dogs.

  “No I’m not going to let you pay him off. I’ll give him whatever money I might still have, and then I’ll do whatever favor he needs. This isn’t your fault, Sage. I won’t let you do that for me.” I press my hand against his chest and feel his steady beating heart.

  He takes my hand and presses his lips to my fingers. “I’m going to pay him off, and I’m going to do whatever favor he wants. And, Max,
there is nothing you can do to stop me.” There’s finality in his tone, and I know there’s probably nothing I can say to convince him otherwise.

  But I take a stupid shot anyway. “What if I walk away from you and deal with this on my own?” I whisper as I look down at the way my hips are pressed against his crotch. I can’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. The idea of walking away from him is like a sucker punch to my chest, and slowly all the air is leaving my lungs while I wait for his answer.

  Sage lifts my chin. His steely grey eyes are focused on me. They’re hard with worry as he searches my face to see if I’m being serious. “Is that what you really want, Max? Do you want to leave?”

  I swallow down the fit of emotions that are rising in my throat. The way he’s looking at me is causing that pain my chest to turn ice cold. I was trying to give him a way out, give him permission to let me go. Let all of this go. But by the look on his face and in his eyes I know that I was wrong for saying those words. I suddenly feel like a complete idiot, and the only thing I can think to do is kiss him, deeply.

  I can taste the lingering mint of toothpaste mixed with the sweat from the fight, and the metallic taste from his busted lip. His hands come up to tangle in the back of my hair, pulling me closer and forcing my lips even further apart, our tongues press together in a frenzied almost frantic kiss. And all I can do to his demand is to pour every amount of emotion I’m feeling into it. No matter how much it tears down those walls he already scaled so many days ago.

  He tries to pull my shirt over my head, but I pull away from him and take his shirt with me instead. Placing my hand on the center of his chest I press him back so his long body is stretched out in front of me. Then I unbuckle his belt, unzip his pants, and yank the front of his boxer briefs down. When he’s finally free my fingers curl around him, he’s hard, and the skin is tight and hot. His body jerks as a groan sounds deep in his chest.

  I stroke him slowly from base to tip until I see a bead of glistening wetness on the tip. Bring my lips down I kiss the head, lick the tip tasting the salty bead. I grip the base as I slowly lick up the underneath of his shaft before circling the head with the tip of my tongue. He’s gripping the bathroom counter with one hand and moaning as I tease him, making him want more.

  Reaching up I grab his hips and dig my nails into his skin as I take him in my mouth. He gasps my name and I look up to see him watching through thick lashes. His fingers come up to tangle in my hair as he indicates the rhythm he wants. He tries to raise his hips to go deeper but I dig my nails in again holding him in place, teasing him, making him wait.

  Sage jerks, moans, and flexes under my fingers as they travel over the hard muscles of his abs and thighs. I draw away from him and smile.

  “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” I say in a husky voice.

  “Babe, are you trying to kill me?” he pants. I run my tongue over the hard contours of his lower abs and his body shudders. “God, Max, please…” It’s exactly what I was looking for. I wanted him to beg this time. Upon hearing those words I take him deep in my mouth bringing my hand up to grip the base of his cock that I can’t swallow. He groans and tugs on the back of my hair, as I increase my strokes bringing him closer.

  When his knees start pressing into my ribs I know he’s reached his peak.

  “Max, I…” he says trying to warm me. He puts his hand on my shoulder to try and push me back, but I slap it away and keep going. Seconds later a ripple of pleasure passes through him, he releases a loud moan and I feel the warm spurt of liquid hitting the back of my throat, swallowing everything he has to give me.

  Pulling away I look up at him. His eyes are closed and he’s wearing the expression of a completely and utterly satisfied man. He’s spent, relaxed, and covered in a thin layer of sweat.

  “Fuck. Max, I can’t believe I just survived that,” he says between breaths. I give him a smug grin.

  Knowing how good I made him feel has me feeling accomplished, proud, and very turned on.

  16

  Catch

  “Max Nora Brady, get your cute little ass out here. I’m starving. Do you want me to go get some food and bring it up here?” I call through the door. I hear a muffled ‘yes’ through the running water.

  After returning the favor with her stretched out on the bathroom floor we showered, and she decided to stay in a little longer. Since we were staying in I decided to put on my pajama pants and a grey cotton T-shirt. I slipped on some socks and padded my way down the stairs. Dinner was over and Marina had already cleaned the kitchen. The house was quiet.

  I pulled open the fridge and started rummaging through the leftovers. As I was doing a tremendous job of balancing fruit, bread, and cheese in my arms someone cleared their throat. If I wasn’t so familiar with the sound it probably would have taken me by surprise.

  “Marina, after that stunt you pulled today with Max I really don’t want to look at you right now,” I say in a flat tone. “You’re the last person I want to deal with at the moment.”

  “So, Max made it out okay? I had no idea since neither of you came down for dinner,” she says smugly. A twinge of unease spreads through my chest as a realization that I don’t want to believe sets in.

  I close the fridge door and look her directly in the eyes. Something in the way I was looking at her must have scared her because her smug look fell away and she took a step back.

  “You brought her out with some purpose other than buying shoes. You got her out of the house because you wanted one of Timer’s men to find her,” I say, my throat tight. All I want to do is yell at her, and if she was a man I would have already started using her as a punching bag.

  “Catch, look after what you said that morning…I don’t know.” She shrugs her shoulders and tries her best to look innocent. “I don’t understand what she has that I don’t. We’ve known each other for almost twelve years, yet you keep denying something that I know you feel. I figured if she just went away…”

  “Stop. Just stop talking right now, Marina. I feel nothing for you. You have always only been a friend to me, and you are giving me plenty of reason to rethink that. Max isn’t just some girl. I care about her more than anyone I’ve ever cared about in my entire life. You have to let it go.”

  She takes the few steps to close the distance between us. Reaching up she tries to touch my busted lip, but I yank my head back. She tries again and this time I grab her wrist squeezing just enough to get my point across.

  “Catch, come on, please don’t do this. If you would just turn her over this could all be over. And then maybe…”

  “Maybe what?” I hear Max growl.

  Marina turns around and that’s when I notice she’s only wearing a small tank top and boy short undies.

  “Max…” I began, but she cuts me off.

  “Shut up, Catch. I have a little something to say to Marina,” she says never taking her eyes off her target. Max starts to slowly circle her like a lion stalking its prey. I place the snacks on the counter and boost myself up to watch. Marina stepped in it, now she has to deal with the mess.

  “So how much did you hear?” Marina asks. Then she chuckles and shakes her head. “Oh who am I kidding? I don’t give a shit how much you heard.”

  “You brought me out of the house with the intent of getting rid of me. You were ready to hand me over to Timer, or whoever, without even knowing what they plan on doing to me. And you were going to do this just to get me away from Catch?”

  Marina twists her lips, tilts her head as if she’s considering Max’s words, and then nods. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”

  Max clears her throat and flexes her neck from side to side. “Well, of all those things the only thing that pisses me off is that you’re trying to sink your claws into something that is mine. Catch. Is. Mine. And you keep pursuing him. Today you tried to take someone from him that he cares about and that doesn’t sit well with me.” She stops circling and her cute little hands ball into fists.
“Since I know Catch won’t hit a woman, I’ll fucking do it for him.”

  Before all of the words leave her mouth Max throws a mean right hook and connects with the side of Marina’s face. She hits the floor and balls into the fetal position.

  Max turns to me and shrugs. “Well, that was easier than I thought.” She nudges Marina with her foot. “For the rest of our time here you will stay away from Catch, or I’ll introduce you to my left hook.” She turns to smile at me. “Oh cheese!”

  ****

  Max

  Catch fixes me an ice pack, and just because he’s a good man he makes one for Marina too, leaving it on the counter for her. When we’re back in our room with our snacks I turn to face him.

  “You should have told me, Sage. I’m staying in a house with a woman who is obviously in love with you, and it’s not anything healthy if after twelve years she still hasn’t taken a hint.” I tilt my head considering something. “That is unless…”

  “No, Max, never, and I’ve never given her any reason to think otherwise. I told her our first morning here when pigs fly,” he replies.

  “Ah, so that’s why she threw our food across the table,” I say. “Anyway, you should have told me.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t think I needed to tell you because I thought maybe she got the message. I’m sorry, if you want to find somewhere else to stay I can call Snitch and…”

  “No. Here is fine. Although I do think I might have to use that left hook since I could tell that everything you said to her was true.”

  We ate and then he showed me just how true every single word he said to her was. I went to sleep knowing that Marina wasn’t a threat to me when it came to Sage. Now when it came to her giving me up to Timer, I had no idea where she stood when it came to that. I had no idea if she had any way of contacting him.

  I wake up to the sounds of Sage whispering. I open my eyes to see that it’s still dark outside. The only light is coming from the dim light on the night stand. Rolling over I sit up and see him sitting at the desk with only his boxer briefs on, the light from the moon streaming through the window highlighting his beauty. He’s a vision and I could sit here all night and just stare at him. But I know that he’s on the phone with Snitch, and it must be important if he called in the middle of the night.