Catia (Starkis Family #6)

• Prologue
  
• Chapter One
  
• Chapter Two
  
• Chapter Three
  
• Chapter Four
  
• Chapter Five
  
• Chapter Six
  
• Chapter Seven
  
• Chapter Eight
  
• Chapter Nine
  
• Chapter Ten
  
• Chapter Eleven
  
• Chapter Twelve
  
• Chapter Thirteen
  
• Chapter Fourteen
  
• Chapter Fifteen
  
• Chapter Sixteen
  
• Chapter Seventeen
  
• Chapter Eighteen
  
• Chapter Nineteen
  
• Epilogue
  
• About the Author
  
• Other Books by Cheryl Douglas
  
• Coming Soon
  

Catia

Book Six in the Starkis Family Series

Cheryl Douglas

Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.

Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to:
[email protected]

Catia © 2015 Cheryl Douglas

Catia

I was falling in love with Chase.
As that realization hit me, my first impulse was to bolt, but with his arms wrapped snuggly around me, his hard body spooning mine, that wasn’t an option.

“Can’t sleep?” he whispered, kissing my neck.

After two rounds of the most unforgettable sex of my life, I should have been spent, not lying awake and plotting my escape. Since we were in a hotel room with only a bed and bath, getting space from him was out of the question. “Maybe we should talk, Chase.”

After months of working together to build my father’s newest restaurant, I knew Chase appreciated one thing above all else: honesty.

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” he said, rolling onto his back as though he was preparing for the worst.

We hadn’t intended to sleep together. He was a guest, visiting the Hamptons to celebrate my sister’s engagement. We’d gone into town so I could show him around. We’d planned to have dinner and head back to my parents’ place for a nightcap. Instead, dinner was followed by a drink at a hotel bar and a series of passionate kisses that led us upstairs before we could question whether it was a good idea.

“You know how I feel about you,” I said, trying to soften the blow. “I consider you a really good friend.”

He shook his head, looking disgusted. “Don’t you dare think you can placate me with the friend speech.” The bitterness was obvious when he said, “What’s next, Cat? You gonna tell me it’s not me, it’s you?”

I
was
the problem. I had to be. Any woman in her right mind would have been planning the next date, not trying to figure out how to let the man of her dreams down gently. “I don’t want you to hate me. And I sure as hell don’t want to wind up hating you. But I’m afraid that’s what’ll happen if we try to make this work.”

Looking resigned, he said, “You don’t know that.”

“You’re a part of my world now. You’re friends with Dustin, Kara, and Darius.” I knew I would get an earful from my brother and sister when they found out about my night with Chase. They’d warned me about hurting him, and now, no matter what happened, I would wind up looking like the villain. “Even when this project wraps up, we can’t avoid seeing each other again. There’ll be the wedding and—”

“I want to know why you’re so convinced it couldn’t work.”

“I’m not good at relationships.”

I was an expert at dating, the quintessential good-time girl, but I sucked at relationships. It hadn’t always been that way. When I’d been young and naïve, I believed that guys wouldn’t care that my father was a billionaire. But I learned my lesson the hard way. Not that I thought Chase was an opportunist, but he was a man with a lot of baggage. Baggage that included two adorable little girls he hoped to get full custody of.

“I don’t even think you’ve given it a chance.”

I didn’t know if he was talking about us or my track record with relationships. Either way, it didn’t matter. The outcome would be the same. “You can’t deny this is the worst possible time for you to get involved with someone. All of your attention should be focused on getting custody of your daughters.”

Since the divorce, Chase’s ex-wife had apparently made partying with her friends more of a priority than raising her girls, and Chase was determined to intervene and give them a stable home with at least one parent they could count on. I admired his dedication to his kids, but that was just another reminder we were worlds apart. I couldn’t even keep a house plant alive, much less a little person. Truth be told, I was probably a lot more like Chase’s ex-wife than I wanted to admit. The only difference was I hadn’t been irresponsible enough to bring children into the world.

“I will get custody of them,” he said, sounding determined. “No doubt in my mind about that.”

It was time to lay my cards on the table, as hard as that would be. “Chase, did it ever occur to you that maybe the same qualities that attracted you to your ex-wife attracted you to me too?”

He shifted his head, glaring at me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You said she was the life of the party back in high school. She reminded you how to have fun, and that’s why you fell in love with her, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“You also said that you thought she’d grow up when you got married and had kids. You expected her to change, but she didn’t. She was still a party girl who loved to have a good time. That’s what ended your marriage, isn’t it?”

“She cheated on me,” he said, clenching his teeth. “That’s what ended my marriage.”

“Yeah, when she was drunk.” I’d never cheated on anyone, but I sure as hell had tied one on and flirted with strangers enough times to understand how it could happen when you put yourself into compromising situations often enough. “Chase, you know me. I love going out clubbing. I love going to parties. My sister is the sweet, shy homebody. I’m… well, the opposite of that.”

“If you’re trying to deter me—”

“I’m trying to be honest with you,” I said, resting my hand on his chest. “You deserve that. I would hate myself if I got involved with you only to disappoint you the way she did.” When he would have interjected, I placed a finger over his lips. “You married her thinking she would change. She didn’t. And honestly, I don’t think I can either.”

He grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand away from his mouth. “So what are you telling me? That one man isn’t enough for you, that I’m not enough for you?”

He was more than enough for me, which he’d just proven, but sex wasn’t enough to build a lasting relationship. “I’m telling you that I don’t want to see you make the same mistake twice. You may not see the similarities between me and your ex-wife, but they’re painfully obvious to me.”

He closed his eyes, and I could tell he was in denial. “You can’t say that. You don’t even know her. She’s a selfish and manipulative bit—” He sighed. “I’ve seen you with your family and friends, Cat. I know how much you care.”

I would have donated an organ to someone I loved, but that didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t ready for the kind of relationship he seemed to want. “Maybe if the timing had been different…”

But I knew in my heart that wasn’t true. Even if I’d met Chase with another five years of life experience under my belt, I didn’t think I’d be the kind of woman he’d want as a stepmother for his girls.

“So that’s it then? We’re supposed to just go on working together as though this night never happened?”

I knew that wouldn’t be possible. Every time I looked at him, I’d remember. “No, I’m thinking I should talk to my father about getting transferred back to the home office.”

“Even better,” he said, rolling his eyes. “You’re gonna run away.”

Seeing and feeling his disgust hurt more than I could have imagined, but nothing could hurt more than one or both of us walking away from this relationship with a broken heart. Better to end it before we got in too deep.
Liar!
My conscience knew we were already in too deep. Either of us walking away from this unscathed would be impossible.

“I’m going to walk away,” I said, trying desperately to make him see reason, “because it’s the right thing to do. What kind of person would I be if I entered into this, knowing there are children involved, if I didn’t think I could give you what you want and need?”

Our friendship had been built on plenty of honest conversations about our lives over the past few months, and he’d made no secret of the fact he missed having a stable home. He’d enjoyed being married, and he lived for bedtime stories and cuddle dates on the couch with his girls. The kind of man any woman with marriage on her mind would have given a pint of blood for a chance with. But I didn’t have marriage on my mind and couldn’t imagine a time when I would.

“So we’re at a crossroads?” he asked, sounding despondent.

I had already crossed the road. Alone. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m doing this because I care about you too much to be dishonest with you.”

“Then why sleep with me?”

I could have lied and told him it had been a mistake, but sleeping with Chase had been the highlight of the past year for me, which was saying a lot. All in all, it had been a pretty great year. “Because I’m attracted to you. You’re attracted to me. Sometimes two consenting adults have sex just for the sake of having sex.”

“I didn’t sleep with you tonight because I needed to take the edge off,” he said, sounding angrier and more resentful. “I slept with you because I care about you, because I saw a future with you. Goddammit, I’m falling in love with you! I thought you felt the same way. If I’d known this was some one-night stand…”

He sat up, throwing his legs over the edge of the mattress. “Forget it. I’m not gonna do this. If you don’t want me, if you wanna run away like a coward, be my guest.” He stood, glaring at me as I forced myself to meet his eyes. “But you’ll regret it one day. And when you do, it’ll be too late.”

I watched him walk away, and I cringed when he slammed the bathroom door with enough force to rattle my teeth. As difficult as it was to admit, because I still believed I was doing the right thing, I suspected regret and I were about to become inescapable bedfellows.

Catia

One Year Later

My very pregnant sister gaped at me as I stood on her doorstep, waiting to be invited in. I’d wanted to surprise her, but given her state, I questioned whether I’d made the right decision. Maybe I should have given her a heads-up to let her know I was coming to town.

“Oh my God!” Kara squealed, finally dragging me inside. “I can’t believe you’re here! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” There were a lot of surprises coming and not just for Kara. “Is Dustin home?”

“No, he’s still at the office.” She wrinkled her nose. “I would be too, but he’s only letting me work half days now.” She rubbed her belly. “Says he doesn’t want to take any chances.”

Since Kara getting pregnant at all had been a long shot, I couldn’t say I blamed her husband for being cautious. “That’s okay, right? It’ll give you more time to get ready for the baby.”

She’d been decorating the nursery for months and traveling into the city every other week to stock up on baby essentials, including frilly pink dresses and furry coats to keep their little princess warm this winter.

“There’s nothing left to do but wait,” Kara said, throwing her arms in the air. “And I have to admit the waiting is killing me. I want to meet her already.”

I smiled, brushing Kara’s hair over her shoulder. She’d never looked more beautiful or radiant, and I knew her handsome husband had as much to do with that as the baby she was carrying. “I bet Dustin is just as anxious as you, isn’t he?”

Kara laughed, linking her arm through mine as she led me into the sunken family room. “More so, if you can believe that.”

“I can.” I sat next to Kara on the sofa. “You’re making all of his dreams come true, you know.” I’d known Kara’s husband all my life, and I couldn’t have picked a better man for my sister and best friend.

“It goes both ways.” She glanced at their wedding photo on the mantel. “I’ve never been happier.”