Chapter 119
Catherine’s POV
The walk to my bedroom door felt like a retreat from a battlefield. Julian walked beside me, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
“Go to bed, Catherine,” he whispered when we reached my door. He reached out, his thumb brushing my cheek with a tenderness that made my heart ache. “You’ve had enough for one night. You need to sleep p>
“I will,” I promised, leaning into his touch for a brief second. “Goodnight, Julian p>
“Goodnight, Wildcat p>
I stepped inside and locked the door, leaning against it until I heard his footsteps fade down the hall. My mind was still spinning from everything. I needed a distraction. I needed to talk to someone who wasn’t a Vaughn.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Kiera. It rang and rang, but I got no answer. I looked at the clock: 1:04 AM.
“Duh,” I muttered to myself, tossing the phone onto the duvet. “She’s a normal person with a normal life. She’s probably asleep now p>
I felt a sudden, desperate urge to scrub the night off my skin. I peeled off the violet satin dress, and the necklace, throwing them all onto a chair. I didn’t even bother with a robe. I just walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand it.
The steam filled the room, blurring the edges of reality. I stayed under the spray for a long time, washing away the scent of perfume, the memory of Richard’s hand on my shoulder, and the dread from the Gala. By the time I stepped out, wrapped in nothing but a cloud of steam, I felt almost human again.
I opened the bathroom door, expecting to see my room bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamps I’d left on but instead, it was pitch black.
I froze, the dampness of my skin turning to ice. I knew I’d left the lights on. I knew it. My heart began to hammer against my ribs. What happened to the light? Did someone come into my room and switch it off?
I reached out, feeling along the wall for the switch, my breath coming in shallow gasps. Just as my fingers found the plastic, a pair of strong, warm hands wrapped around my naked waist from behind.
I opened my mouth to let out a blood-curdling scream, but a palm instantly covered my mouth, and a familiar, husky voice whispered into my ear.
“It’s me, Wildcat. Relax p>
The panic didn’t subside instantly. I went limp against him, my chest heaving. Julian realized I was actually terrified and hurriedly reached past me to flip the light switch. He quickly guided me over to the bed, his face etched with genuine concern.
“Hey, hey… I’m sorry,” he said, his hands moving to my shoulders as I sat on the edge of the bed, still breathing like I’d just run a marathon. “I didn’t mean to scare you that bad. Hey, Catherine? Look at me p>
I didn’t respond. I kept my head down, my breath coming in jagged, wheezing hitches. I let my shoulders shake, my hands trembling in my lap as if I were in the middle of a full-blown panic attack.
“Oh god,” Julian muttered, his voice rising in panic. “Catherine, breathe. Come on, follow my lead. In and out p>
I didn’t move. I squeezed my eyes shut, playing the part of the traumatized victim perfectly.
“Catherine, I’m so fucking scared and I have no idea what to do. Please say something p>
No words came out of my mouth, just the fast breathing.
“You are having a panic attack. Should I call the doctor? Shit p>
“You know what? I’m calling the doctor,” Julian said, his voice frantic now. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the speed dial for the family physician. “I’m so sorry, I’m such an idiot p>
Smack!
I reached out and swatted his hand away, hitting him right on the side of the head.
“You’re a moron!” I shouted, a huge grin breaking across my face as I burst into laughter.
Julian froze, his phone halfway to his ear, staring at me in total disbelief. It took him a second to process the shift from “panic” to “hilarity p>
“You… you were faking it?” he rasped, his eyes wide.
“You should have seen your face!” I wheezed, clutching my stomach as I flopped back onto the pillows. ” ’Follow my lead, Catherine! In and out!’ You looked like you were about to faint p>
Julian shook his head, relief and annoyance crossing his features. He tossed his phone onto the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, letting out a long, huffing breath. “Why would you do that to me? I thought I’d actually hurt you p>
“You’re the one who snuck into my room and turned off the lights like a serial killer!” I countered, sitting back up, my hair damp and messy around my shoulders. “I was the one who was supposed to be asking questions p>
Julian raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, a small, sheepish smirk tugging at his lips. “Guilty but you must know, my lady, that my main aim was to surprise you, not send you into cardiac arrest. I wanted to make sure you were okay after… well, after everything p>
We both sat there for a moment, the laughter dying down into a comfortable, warm silence. It was the first time all day the tension had truly broken. Suddenly, the room turned silent, the air changing.
I noticed Julian’s eyes move. They weren’t on my face anymore. They were traveling down, taking in the fact that I was sitting there completely naked, the light from the lamps highlighting every curve of my body.
“Pervert,” I whispered, though there was no heat in the insult. I felt a flush that had nothing to do with the shower creeping up my neck. I pushed him hard in the chest, trying to scramble off the bed toward my closet. “Stop staring at me like I’m a five-course meal p>
Julian was faster. Before I could even stand up, his hand shot out, catching my wrist and pulling me back toward him. He spun me around, pinning me against his chest, his breath hot against the shell of my ear.
“You are,” he whispered, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register that made my toes curl. “And I’ve been starving all night p>
I felt the hard lines of his body through his shirt, the contrast of his cool clothes against my warm skin sending a jolt of electricity through me.
“Julian,” I breathed, my hand fluttering up to his neck. “You know we can’t. What if Richard p>
“I don’t care,” he rasped, his lips grazing my jawline. “I don’t care if Richard walks through that door right now. I don’t care if the whole world finds out. I’m going to fuck you so hard tonight that you won’t remember your own name, let alone his p>