Page 23 of Eye of the Hurricane
Katherine stops at every single tank, even the smallest.Every one brings her to a standstill. She’s silent with big, focused eyes. That is, until she turns and faces me, standing much closer than I’m used to.
“It’s so beautiful here, thank you for bringing me,” she gushes.
“Anytime.” I give her a wink. If I ever stop hitting on Katherine Graeves, check my pulse.
“I have to be honest, these don’t really feel like dates.” The comment catches me off guard but I can’t quite disagree. I’m not sure why. I’ve brought flowers, complimented her, talked for hours, opened the doors, all of it.
“No?” I counter, hoping she’ll elaborate.
“It just feels like we’re hanging out and you’re being extra nice to me. I’m having fun, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t know that this is getting us any closer to where we need to be for the wedding,” she explains. I could get on my knees right here and start praying to every higher power that she means what I think she does.
Certainly, there’s no hiding the smirk creeping up on my face. I don’t let her off easy, either. I make her spell it out for me.
“What’s missing for you?” I ask.
“You never touch me,” she murmurs.
The smirk has grown into a full-on wicked grin. “Is that what you want, Kat? You want me to touch you?” I taunt, pushing her hair out of her face and inching closer to her. Her breath is heavy and she’s looking at me like someone who wants to be kissed.
“Yes,” she breathes out. I let my gaze linger for a moment on her perfect, full lips. Then, I slip a hand between us and take her hand in mine, interlocking our fingers.
The only thing better than fucking with Katherine is the look on her face for the thirty seconds it takes her to recover from that moment. She adjusts her fingers slightly in my hand to find her natural position.
“Can I tell you something silly?” she asks.
“You can tell me anything you’d like, I’ve told you this.”
“This is the first time I’ve held hands with someone.” I scrunch my brows and turn my head to face her.
“That can’t be true.”
“It is. No time for dating means no time for hand-holding, I guess,” she laughs. I can’t join her because I’m too busy trying to make sense of this new information in my head.
Katherine, the prettiest girl I’ve ever met—the prettiest girl most people have met—has never held hands with another person. Something possessive and ugly rears its head inside mine.
“You’re looking at me like I have three heads. You’re making me regret telling you.”
“It’s just hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it,” she retorts. She pulls me by my hand to the next exhibit.
I can see the next few months of my future looking a lot like this. Her grabbing my hand and dragging me anywhere she wants to go and me following close behind with a smile on my face.
We’re walkingout of the gift shop and she’s hugging a four-foot, hot pink sea turtle in her arms. One that sheinsisted she buy for herself but ultimately, that I bought for her.
I walk around to the driver’s side and open the back door first for her to throw the turtle in. Then I grab the door to the driver’s seat for her. She shakes her head and pushes the keys out to me.
“You can drive.” She shrugs. I mentally note the win of her letting me take the reins.
“You sure?” I test.
“Positive,” she says, rounding out the other side of the car and getting in.
“This next part isn’t really part of the date, it’s just something I want to show you.”
“Okay.” She doesn’t ask where I’m taking her. She just says okay. It’s a simple act but it’s enough that I tuck it into my mind along with every other moment I don’t want to forget with her. Which, just so happens to be all of them.
I drive her about as far as Doves Harbor goes. It’s not a large town, only a couple of minutes until you’re in the next one over. I pull into the driveway of a light green house on stilts.
