Bound to Her - Deborah Pin (books for 9th graders .TXT) 📗

like a heating pad.”

“And?”

“And you can cuddle it like Cat.”

“Kitty. And you don’t like Kitty and why, just out of curiosity, would

I want to cuddle a hot beanbag?”

“Well I don’t know. I use it for cramps but I just thought…” Katrina’s

lips started pulling up as she tucked the warm beanbag to her neck and

cuddled it. “That-a girl. Try to get some rest while I make breakfast. You

finally look awake again and you need to stock up on that for a while.”

Imogen left and Katrina drifted back to sleep.

* * * * *

“And you dated how long?” He was fighting the desire to punch the

man. It was Monday and he’d managed to avoid his tempting witness over the weekend. No more messages, no more break-ins and she was still staying with her friend Imogen. It all left him relieved—until he was

forced to endure her ex-lover. The man was a douche bag and while he

was handsome, he was smug, arrogant and he eyed every woman who

walked past his office as though he’d fucked every last one of them. He

couldn’t stand the idea that this man’s cock had been inside her body. It

was a painful combination of absolute fury and damn debilitating

jealousy.

He shrugged casually as he leaned back in his desk chair. The fucker

was a corporate lawyer with a view for miles that Dillon was now forced

to stare out, behind the asshole’s head. Hatred was definitely what he felt

for this man but only half of it was actually warranted. The man was a schmuck—there was no doubt about it. But he wasn’t a threat to Katrina.

At least not the kind of threat Dillon was allowed to worry about.

“A few months. We had our fun but you know, plenty of fish in the

sea and all that bullshit.” He chuckled, looking at Dillon as though he expected some show of camaraderie. Fat fucking chance. Dillon tried to kill the man with his eyes but the guy was oblivious to the hatred.

“I’d like to know where you were two Sundays ago.”

“Out of town. I was in San Francisco on business. I’m sure you want

verification. I’ll have our travel coordinator get it for you very soon.”

Saying thank you was a struggle and not lunging across the man’s

desk and punching him was difficult but he somehow managed.

“So what happened to my Kat, hmm?”

He stood, shaking his head and turning for the door. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”

“Been meaning to call her. You’ve seen her. Incredible ass, tight

pussy, perky as hell tits. I wouldn’t mind another run at it with her.

Maybe she’ll appreciate the distraction at the moment.”

Dillon’s limit hit a brick wall and disintegrated. “You’re a fucking asshole, you know that? Get confirmation of your travel to me before the

end of the week or I’ll be paying you another visit.” And then he left before Mr. Asshole could piss him off even more.

He should be happy the man was such an obvious dickhead but he

knew even dickheads could turn on the charm when they wanted—how

else would Katrina have ever fallen for a prick like him?

Dillon was suddenly glad he’d waited to talk to the man until the end

of his day. His tires nearly screeched into his driveway and he didn’t even bother walking in his own house before he stomped down to

Molly’s, grabbed a beer from her fridge and flopped down at the dining

room table. The boys were in the living room scrambling to get their homework done so they could disappear into Xbox world as soon as

possible.

“What’s got your panties in a bunch, little bro?” Molly was wiping down counters as she eyed him curiously.

“Nothing.”

She snorted. “Yeah. I believe that.” She tossed the rag at him, hitting

him square in the face. “Wipe that table clean. Pizza’s gonna be here soon.”

He wiped down the table as she grabbed her own beer and joined

him. “Okay.” He sighed deeply, trying to let go of the day. “I’m having a

problem with a witness.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Girl problem.”

“Oh. You’re not really allowed to have girl problems with witnesses.”

“And there’s the problem.”

Molly stared at him. He watched as the gears turned in her head and

her mouth screwed up before she shook her head in confusion. “Wait. I

could have sworn you kind of had a thing for Ms. Page. I mean, I don’t

know…the way you kind of wanted to hate her after parent-teacher

conferences but you weren’t really very convincing and the way you were with her at the baseball game…I don’t know. I just really thought

maybe there was something there.”

He stared at her. He was trying to speak to her telepathically but it

wasn’t working, given the confusion evident on her face. So he raised his brow and cocked his head to the side and he waited and waited…

“Oh! Oh oh oh oh… Well talk about a small world. She’s obviously okay but is she, I don’t know, okay? Is she in danger or hurt or…” Molly

knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t talk to her about this so he returned to staring at her. “Well shit. Now you’ve got me all worried. I like her.”

“Yeah, well I do too.” She gave him her best big-sister sympathetic face.

“Then tell me about that part of it.”

“Well it goes a little something like this. I like her, she likes me. I’m

not allowed to like her but she comes on to me anyway, naturally because I’m a man and can’t quite get my body to do what my brain is

telling me to do, I allow it to happen just a bit too long, then I hurt her

feelings by putting a stop to it. And now…I can’t stop thinking about her.

Or worrying about her for that matter. And she grabbed my crotch. That

was nice.”

“Ohhhh. Like a reverse box grab. Nice.” He cocked his head to the side in confusion. “I don’t know. Jake came home saying it the other day.

Where do they get this stuff?”

His phone started buzzing across the table and he snatched it up.

“Adler.”

“Hi Detective. It’s Officer Anderson. You said you wanted to be called

first if there was any activity at Ms. Page’s house?” He shot to his feet just a bit too quick to appear casual and Molly joined him with a worried

expression on her face.

“Yeah.” His heart started hammering.

“Well it’s actually her. I mean—Ms. Page is here. She was carrying a

bag with her and she looks like she intends to stay. I mean I don’t think

she just showed up like she usually does to feed the cat.”

Shit. “Okay, she’s allowed to be at her own home. It’s not a crime for her to come home.” He sounded annoyed with the man, but in truth he’d

be livid if the man hadn’t called. He was just annoyed in general and he

didn’t want her there alone.

“Well, that’s…not all.” Anderson was starting to sound nervous.

“She’s not alone. Some guy showed up driving a Lexus. Rich-looking

guy in a suit with blond hair.” The ex. “She just let him in so she must know him but I’m going to go up and check on her. Just thought you’d

want to know.”

He thanked the man before disconnecting and grabbing his coat off

the back of his chair. “Gotta go. I’ll be back in a while.”

His anxiety level was getting a workout today and as he took off toward her place he gripped the steering wheel hard until his knuckles turned white. His fury, his jealously, his roiling emotions which he couldn’t even seem to put a name to were inappropriate given his

position but he failed to care in any way.

He had no real business going over there at the moment but he just couldn’t seem to make the rational decision he knew he should make. He

should still be sitting at Molly’s table eating pizza but instead he was speeding toward her house with no real purpose except her douche bag-ex was with her and his heart felt like it was going to explode.

His composure promised to be a challenge.

Chapter Ten

 

“What are you doing here, Jason?”

“Oh come on, Kat. I’m worried about my girl. A cop shows up today

asking questions about our relationship. I mean I’m a lawyer, for fuck’s

sake. I’m not stupid. You were obviously involved in something.” He looked worried. She knew better but she held the door open and let him

in.

He moved instantly to her couch and planted himself there as she

stared at him. She really didn’t want him there. At the same time she wasn’t sure she was ready to be alone there either. She’d not been at her

home alone since the butt crack of Saturday’s dawn. Imogen had begged

her to stay but Katrina just wasn’t capable of being so dependent on her.

Besides that, she was starting to think maybe the whole thing had just

gotten blown out of proportion. He’d broken in and then he’d called and

threatened her. Maybe that was all he wanted to do, scare her. Maybe the

police activity had scared him off. Maybe nothing would ever happen again with this creep. But the maybes didn’t really help when she stepped into her home alone and the fear set in.

She stayed in the kitchen getting Kitty’s food ready for her as the old

cat staggered her drunk self out from the spare bedroom. Poor old girl.

“Well you can see I’m fine, Jason.” She set the cat food dish on the floor

and moved to refill her water dish as Kitty attacked the food dish like it

was a living rodent.

“I miss you, Kat. What can I say? When the cop showed up today I got scared and it just reminded me of how much I care about you.” He

was driveling on, his bullshit literally slipping past his lips like verbal vomit. She really did hate this man now that she could see him for the jackass he truly was.

“You said a cop came to visit? Who was it?”

“How the fuck should I know? Just some detective. Tall, dark hair, mid-thirties. Why does it matter? The guy was a dick. So can I take you

out Friday? Help take your mind off all this nonsense?” Her lips pulled

up in a small smile at the thought—not of going out with Jason—ick—

but of Dillon. If Dillon was rude to him Jason had deserved it and given

their conversation was without doubt about her, she couldn’t help but feel a trill of warmth coursing through her. Dillon had defended her in some way. She was certain of it.

When there was a knock on her side door, she jumped a mile and

dropped the lid of the cat food can she’d just picked up. Officer Anderson was standing there, waiting patiently for her to open the door.

“Hi, Officer.” She was hoping he’d want to come in.

“Hi. Everything okay, Ms. Page?”

“Yes. Jason is an acquaintance of mine. I’m fine but thank you for checking. Would you like to come in?” Her face fell when he declined the

offer and she was once again stuck with Jason and his proposition for a

date. Maybe she should agree. She could use the distraction for sure.

Jason thought he was far better in bed than he actually was but who

was she to complain? It had been months since she’d gotten laid and since Dillon had made it clear they wouldn’t be going there she was now

just as sexually frustrated as she was just plain frustrated.

But could she really stomach dealing with the ass just to get laid? Was

she capable of doing that? Normally she’d say no. Right now she was hurting thanks to Dillon’s rejection and she was just desperate for something, anything, to give her some relief from the constant worry that

was plaguing her. But Jason? Ugh.

Instead of answering she changed the subject. “How are you, Jason?”

That would throw him off. If there was one thing Jason liked to do it was

talk about himself.

“You know how busy I am. It’s why things didn’t work out for us the

first time around.”

She snorted and nearly lost the swig of beer she’d just taken out through her nose. “It is not!”

“I miss you, Kat. I’ve been thinking about you for so long.”

“Like since this afternoon?” She really wasn’t