Cole stayed quiet.
I looked at him anyway. “I’ll have her home safely.”
His mouth twisted. “She’s not sixteen.”
“No,” I said. “She’s not.”
Something passed between us. A reminder. Catherine was a grown woman, and she was choosing me.
Holland muttered, “I need wine.”
Catherine tugged me toward the door before anyone could say anything worse. Once we stepped into the hallway and the door closed behind us, she exhaled hard. “That was mortifying.”
“It needed to be done. They need to get used to an us,” I explained. “They’re all important to both of us.”
“You’re right.”
I stopped in front of the elevator and turned toward her. “You’re gorgeous.” I kissed her properly.
“You look pretty hot yourself,” she said once the kiss ended. “We’re going to have a hard time keeping these clothes on.”
The elevator doors opened. “You aren’t wrong,” I said, adjusting my semi-hard cock. We stepped inside together, hands still linked. She leaned in and kissed my neck.
“Did you just smell me?” I asked.
“You smell so good, Hunter,” she said in the voice that told me she needed me to take care of business.
“Catherine, we aren’t going to make it far if you keep that up,” I warned.
She stepped closer. “I thought you liked me dangerous.”
“I do, but I owe this night to us,” I explained.
The elevator slid downward. I should’ve behaved. Instead, I gave her ass a nice hard smack. Just once.
She moaned. “I think that just got me wet.”
I groaned. A promise of everything I wanted but was trying not to take in an elevator that probably had cameras. When I pulled back, her eyes were darker. She smiled, and I kissed her knuckles instead because self-control was still allegedly part of my personality. The doors opened to the lobby.
The driver waited outside beside the black Escalade. He opened the door as we approached, and I helped Catherine in before sliding in beside her. The second the door closed, she glanced over. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Hunter.”
“Don’t give me that look, Catherine. I’m one breath away from wanting to take you in this back seat.”
Her breathing picked up. Fuck me. I loved the way she reacted to me. She smiled and looked out the window as the car pulled away from the building. She was quiet for a few minutes, which gave me time to calm myself down.
“How’s Isla?” she asked.
“Excited. She packed like she was moving into my parents’ house permanently.”
Catherine’s smile softened. “She’s really okay sleeping there tonight?”
“She’s thrilled. My father lets her put chocolate chips in pancakes, and my mother pretends she doesn’t notice.”
“I feel bad,” she said, looking down at our joined hands. “I don’t want her staying out because of me.”