CHAPTER 26: KISS

Julian’s POV

The moment the door clicked shut, I turned to look at Catherine, who was standing there with her arms crossed, looking like she could set me on fire just by glaring hard enough. Her chin lifted slightly, and her jaw was tight. She didn’t even have to say a word for me to know she was furious.

Then she stormed toward me and shoved me hard. I barely moved, but she lost her balance and started to fall. My reflexes kicked in fast enough and I caught her by the waist, steadying her.

She jerked free immediately, staring daggers at me. "Why the hell did you pick me? You know how these people are. They will start spreading fake rumors!"

I smirked, enjoying how worried and worked up she was, coupled with the fact that her anger made her prettier. "Don’t you think it’s better they think that than think you’re with Collins?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Wait... did you pick me because of your stupid, one-sided rivalry with him?"

I almost laughed, but it wasn’t hilarious. One-sided? What lies has that bastard been feeding her?

"You seriously think this is funny?" she snapped.

I looked away for a second, exhaling through my nose.

My jaw clenched. "No. It’s punishment for going against me."

"Punishment?" she scoffed.

I avoided her eyes, getting angry as I suddenly remembered how she’d let Collins touch her, how she’d smiled at him, how she’d looked at him like he was worth her time.

"Who the hell do you think you are to punish me? My dad? My boyfriend? Someone who gets to tell me who to be with?"

Her tone hit harder than I expected. She didn’t realize that every word she threw at me only made me want her more, it made me want to shut her up, to make her feel what I felt when I saw her with Collins.

I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. "Enough of the back and forth," my fingers started playing with her wavy hair. "We’ve got a few minutes left. I think we should make good use of them."

I gave her a wink and she shot back, incredulous. "Have you gone nuts?!" She pushed past me and sat on the couch, crossing her legs.

I followed, crouching in front of her, and placing my palm on the back of hers.

She looked into my eyes and for a second, they didn’t have the usual fire in them.

"Julian?" She called my name like a warning. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, unless you think otherwise. About the question I asked you at the game," I began, but she cut me short, her expression faltering for a second. "What about it?"

"Did you lie?" I asked and her breath hitched. "I mean... Catherine, are you a virgin?"

She masked it fast, quickly folding her arms. "You’ve got some nerve asking me that and expecting an answer."

While she ranted, I was lost, staring at those lips of hers that felt like they were calling out to me for a kiss. Then I noticed a few strands of hair had fallen into her face, and before I realized it, I was brushing them back, tucking them behind her ear.

In no time, my fingers began to trail her face, till my thumb found its way to her lips, caressing them.

The urge to kiss those lips increased and it made my muscles pull tight like a wire about to snap. My jaw flexed on its own, as I drew in a long breath through my nose and let it out slowly, the kind of breath you take when you’re trying not to lose control.

"What are you doing?" She whispered and my tongue brushed the corner of my mouth before I caught myself, biting down on my lower lip hard.

I lifted her chin gently until her eyes met mine. She began to breathe a little too hard. "Answer me. You’ve never had sex before, right?"

She opened her mouth to speak and shut it immediately, before looking down and giving a tiny nod.

Whoa! I bit my lower lip, trying to rein in the thoughts crowding my mind.

Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that CATHERINE BROWN was a virgin.

"So with your previous boyfriends?" I probed further. "It was just kisses and smooches?"

Her reaction came fast, she rose to her feet, almost like she’d been caught doing something shameful. Her cheeks flushed, and she turned her back to me.

"There are no boyfriends," she said flatly. I was trying to understand what she meant, when her second sentence came. "I’ve never been in a relationship."

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My mind went blank. She looked like temptation personified to be this innocent. It made no sense.

Then she spoke again, her voice trembling slightly. "I have never actually been kissed. Go ahead and make fun of me, laugh."

Laugh? Hell no! That was the last thing I wanted to do. I felt something raw and dangerous stir inside me. Relief, possessiveness, hunger, all tangled up until I didn’t know which was which.

I took a slow step toward her and stopped directly behind her.

The minute my breath hit against her neck, she flinched.

"Julian?"

I leaned closer with a low, husky voice. "Do you want to know what it feels like to be touched by a man?" I could feel my bulge pressing against her buttocks.

Her heartbeat was loud enough to fill the words she didn’t say. I could feel her trembling, caught between defiance and something else she didn’t want to admit.

Before I could stop myself, I turned her around and backed her gently against the wall. My eyes fell on her lips again.

Gosh! What would it feel like kissing them till she was out of breath?

I noticed she was looking at my lips too like she wanted them, so I brought my face closer to her and she shut her eyes tight, leaning forward while waiting for my lips to cover hers.

Instead of doing that, I stepped back, sniffing hard like it was a means of control.

Catherine’s eyes shut open and she blinked, searching my face like she wanted an explanation. I forced a small, cold smile.

"You’re too easy," I said quietly. "That’s your problem."

And before she could reply, I opened the door and walked out, leaving her standing there, staring after me.