Hi everyone. Thanks again for the comments and reviews.
I have a few quick things to say:
First, this isn't a "Catherine was raped and it's going to throw a wrench into her relationship with Steve" story. Catherine's experience when she was young is not the main premise of this little tale. It is merely a catalyst for a larger plot point.
With that said – it is not my intention to minimize the subject matter in any way, as it deserves the utmost respect and care when being presented – because technically, due to her age when it happened, what she experienced was, by definition, statutory rape.
I have tried to remain as true to the character's personalities as I can and I hope you all feel I have done both the subject and the characters justice.
Some of what is discussed in this chapter may make people uncomfortable. I recognize that not all of you will like or agree with what I've written and how I've written it, but I welcome all comments and criticism as long as they are constructive and not nasty.
Second, when I started this story I rated it as T (Teen) and I personally still feel it falls under that category. But in my past life as a fan fiction writer years ago, I must admit most of my stories were rated M (Mature) and above… and I deliberately did not post on this site because of what I felt was their arbitrary removal of material they did not feel was appropriate, while allowing other material that would be considered more explicit to remain.
I feel I have mellowed with age and have kept this story as chaste as I am able to. I left out the truly juicy parts because honestly they weren't necessary to move the story forward. It would have just been a fun little indulgence. However, some may feel the second half of this chapter is a little too explicit for the T rating. If anyone feels that way, please feel free to say so and I will consider upping the rating. But let me assure you it started out far more risqué than it ended up. ;-)
It's now time we hear from Cath.
Enjoy!
Secrets – Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the show or characters of Hawaii 5-0. I'm only borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Catherine's past collides with her present. Is the love she and Steve share strong enough to survive it?
Catherine watched Steve as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. She had been simultaneously dreading and waiting for this moment all day. She knew this was the last possible thing he ever expected her to say and she knew it could go either way with him.
Steve's hand dropped from her face and she saw him counting on his fingers, his lips moving silently as he counted. She decided to put him out of his misery before he started hyperventilating, so she lifted her hand to his face to get his attention.
"No Steve. There's no physical way she's a product of our one night stand when I was seventeen."
Steve expelled a short breath. "That's not why I'm counting. But Cath. Kelsey's twenty." Catherine nodded her head as he once again counted silently with his fingers. Catherine dropped her hand back to her lap and interlaced her fingers with his, stopping his movements. "That means you were-" he started.
"Thirteen when I had her. Yes, almost fourteen actually," she finished for him.
The look in his eyes was pure anguish. "How? Were you-?" he started but couldn't get the word past his tongue.
"Was I what? Raped?" Catherine shrugged softly. "According to the technical definition, yes, it was statutory rape because of my age. But I wasn't brutalized or forced, Steve. I'd define it more as coerced."
"Coerced?" Steve choked, his eyes blazing with anger now. "Forced is the definition of coerced Catherine."
"Okay," she relented softly. She had a feeling he wouldn't like her choice of words. "Maybe coerced isn't the right word either. Maybe taken advantage of is a better way to describe it."
Steve's low growl expressed his disagreement. "Who was it?" he demanded.
"He was Ethan's best friend," she answered honestly. She wasn't going to lie to him about any of this. No matter what it cost.
"Not the friend I met that Christmas at your house?" he grabbed her arms. She flinched at his tight grasp.
"Steve," she gasped surprised and he immediately released her. She could tell he was as shocked as she was with his aggression. He moved back and put some distance between them.
Her heart broke a little to see the pain that flashed on his face. She got to her knees and crawled closer to him, reaching for his hand again. She sighed gratefully when he didn't pull away.
"No. You met David at Christmas. Craig and Ethan are no longer friends. None of us have seen him since the day he was sentenced in court."
Catherine watched Steve relax imperceptibly. She was expecting his anger and frustration all through this conversation so she sat quietly and let him process what she'd told him, knowing they were only at the beginning.
"How could something like this happen, Cath?" he asked in an agonized tone.
Catherine sighed. How could she make him understand?
"Steve, I was young and had a crush on my older brother's best friend. He knew it and took advantage of it. And me. But I let him Steve. I said no at first, but ultimately I let the fake promises he whispered in my ear break down my resistance. And I didn't stop him."
"That doesn't matter Cath," he spat angrily. "You were a child. Only a year older than Grace is right now, for Christ's sakes."
"You're right," she agreed. "But it also doesn't change how any of it happened."
Catherine watched as the big strong former Navy SEAL she loved crumbled in front of her. She wanted to wrap him in her arms, comfort him, and assure him that she was okay; but she wasn't sure if he would be willing or able to accept anything like that right now.
Steve needed to work through his emotions and Catherine always instinctively knew when to push him and when to let him do it alone. Now was one of those times.
A part of her had always feared that telling him would break them, but now she wondered if it would just break him. His fingers clung to hers like a lifeline and she watched him breathe through it. He didn't take his eyes off hers and she forced herself to keep eye contact, but the grief she saw was killing her.
"Will you tell me what happened?" Steve asked after a while. "I don't need the details," he added quickly. "Just the highlights I guess."
She nodded. "Of course."
"Will you let me hold you while you do?" he asked tentatively.
She smiled, loving him more in that moment than she ever had. "I'd like that."
He removed his gun and badge from his belt and sat back, spreading his legs. He pulled her into the cradle between them and into his arms. She settled against him and felt him relax as he buried his face in her neck. She sank into him and put her arms over his, sliding her fingers between his as they lay on her stomach.
She took a deep breath.
"From the time I was ten to almost fourteen my dad was based at the Office of Naval Intelligence in DC. Craig and Ethan became instant friends from the very first day we started school there." Catherine felt Steve still as she said Craig's name again.
"Craig was a bit of a bad boy, always getting Ethan into trouble with him. Finally our second summer there my dad took a month leave and took Ethan and Craig away. He was determined to put Craig on the straight and narrow. My parents really liked him and thought he was just troubled. He didn't have the best home life and my dad just thought he needed someone to care about him and show him there was more out there for him. Whatever happened on that trip, Ethan and Craig came home and were like new boys. Both of them would talk nonstop about how they were going to join the Navy when they turned eighteen. How they were going to become SEALS."
"Ethan isn't a SEAL," Steve interrupted as he lifted his head.
"No. After everything that happened he decided he wanted to be a Naval Pilot instead. Sometimes I think he just changed his mind because he didn't want me to look at him as a SEAL and think of Craig." She shook her head ruefully. "He asked me once, after he heard about us, what the hell I was thinking by dating a SEAL. Like the fact that Craig had wanted to become one would make me hate them."
"Craig didn't become a SEAL, did he?" Steve asked his voice eerily quiet.
"No. I overheard my dad tell my mom that he tried to enlist after he was released. Even though he was a minor and the records were sealed, my dad made sure the enlistment officers were made aware of his conviction. "
"I knew I liked your father for more than just being the man who created you." Steve's voice was full of admiration.
She turned slightly in his arms to look at him. "Steve, revealing the sealed court records of a minor is illegal."
"So?" Steve raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Catherine shook her head and turned around to face forward again. "Craig requested a waiver but was denied because his conviction fell under two categories, not just one."
"Two?" Steve questioned.
"Rape and carnal knowledge of a female under 16," Catherine informed him.
She could hear Steve grind his teeth and she brushed her thumb over the back of his hand to try to calm him. "Are you sure you want me to keep going?"
"Yes," he ground out then took a deep breath. She felt some of the tension leave his body and she pressed closer to him as he buried his face in her neck again.
"Anyway, I had a crush on Craig from the second I saw him." Steve growled lowly against her neck and Catherine couldn't help the smile that curled on her lips. For a guy who always claimed he wasn't jealous, Steve sure did have those tendencies sometimes. "He was very handsome and I hung on his every word. It drove Ethan nuts but Craig didn't seem to mind. He actually seemed to get a kick out of it."
Catherine shifted slightly in his embrace. She was now getting to the tough stuff.
"Because I skipped eighth grade I was in my freshman year when I turned thirteen. Ethan and Craig were sophomores. All of a sudden Craig started talking to me more. I don't know if it was just because I was in high school with them or because I'd just sprouted boobs. I don't know what it was. But I didn't care. All I knew is he was interested in talking to me. Ethan had just gotten his first girlfriend so he was wrapped up in that and didn't notice Craig paying more attention to me."
Catherine was looking over her shoulder at him but Steve was doing a good job of keeping his face impassive.
"One night just before Valentine's Day my parents were at some White House dinner. I went to the movies with my friend Mandy and Ethan was there with some friends too, his new girlfriend, Craig and a couple of other friends. He was supposed to drive me home but they wanted to go to some party so Craig offered to drop me off then meet them at the party later.
"He went to a party and left you alone with that monster?" Steve asked shocked.
"He didn't know Craig had designs on me at that point. I don't blame him Steve," Catherine insisted. "Ethan blamed himself for years but it wasn't his fault."
Steve just grunted but didn't say any more. "I was so thrilled Craig was driving me home, I was beside myself. When he dropped me off he asked me if he could use the bathroom before he left. I let him in and even offered him a soda to try to prolong my time with him.
She could feel Steve stiffen behind her. "No details I promise," she assured him. "Once he got what he wanted he thanked me for a great time and off to his party he went. I think I was too shocked to truly understand the implications of what happened that night. Shocked but part of me thought maybe we were a couple now." Catherine rolled her eyes. "I was really naïve. I tried talking to him at school the following week but he just went back to ignoring me like I didn't exist. It broke my heart. I felt used and dirty and I never told anyone about it, not even Mandy."
"Cath," Steve choked and he tightened his arms around her
She tilted her head to look up at him. "It's okay Steve. It really is."
"No it's not Catherine," he insisted. "There is nothing okay about what he did to you."
"Steve, do you know how many girls look back on their first times and can say they actually enjoyed it?" She asked him curiously. He just frowned at her.
"Not many," she continued. "It hurts and it's messy and it's over way too quick or not quick enough. Do I regret that's the way I lost my virginity? Yes. Have I let it define and ruin sex for me? Hell no," Catherine said emphatically.
Catherine smiled as she saw Steve's lips curl involuntarily. "I don't carry any residual negative feelings because of it. You know better than anyone how much I enjoy sex. I had a crappy first time and I ended up pregnant. I'm not the first or the last girl it will happen to. I just happened to be younger than most, at least in those days."
"When did you find out you were pregnant?" Steve asked hesitantly.
"I'd only just started my period a few months earlier." Steve squirmed a little behind her and she laughed softly at his reaction. "Hey you asked."
"Yeah, but you said you were going to go easy on the details."
She chuckled again. "What is it with guys and women's menstrual cycles? Just wait until Danny comes to you white as a ghost once Grace starts. I've already walked her through the basics and taken her shopping but I don't know how you and Danny are going to survive it when it finally happens."
"You've helped her with that?" Steve asked a little awed.
She nodded and smiled. "Yeah. She came to me a while ago. Since Rachel is in Vegas, Grace needed someone to talk to. I was really touched she picked me. I figured she would have asked Kono but-"
Steve hugged her tighter and pressed his lips to her ear. "I'm glad she picked you too."
Catherine lifted his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his palm as a silent thank you.
"Anyway," she continued as she lowered Steve's hand back to her waist. "My cycle hadn't regulated itself yet so there were some months I didn't get it even before Craig. So I didn't think much about it. Not until four months went by and all of a sudden my pants started getting tighter. I didn't know what to do so I finally confided in Mandy, who ratted me out to her mother, who in turn ratted me out to my mother."
Steve cringed. "Oh, that couldn't have gone well."
"It was not one of my mother's finest moments, I'll tell you that. Then when the Admiral found out, let's just say that was one time I wished my father had actually been on deployment on the other side of the world."
Steve nodded in agreement.
"Lying to them wasn't an option so I told them what happened. I thought they were going to send me away to try to keep it quiet. But my dad did the exact opposite." Catherine sighed. "Of course Craig said I was lying and that nothing ever happened between us. So my parents had a paternity test done and sure enough, as soon as the results came back, my dad had him prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"Good," Catherine heard Steve mumble under his breath.
"Craig was sentenced to a juvenile detention center until he turned eighteen. That's the last I saw him. We moved almost immediately after the trial was finished."
"He never tried to contact you or find out about the baby after he got out?"
She shook her head. "No. Not to my knowledge. I don't know what my father did but whatever it was he made sure Craig would never legally be able to have anything to do with Kelsey or me again.
"So your parents decided to raise her as their own?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Catherine saw Steve shift and lean down so he could look at her face as she spoke.
"That wasn't the original plan. Originally she was going to be put up for adoption. I was only thirteen and in no way ready to become a mother. But at the last minute my parents couldn't go through with it. Said they couldn't give their own flesh and blood away."
Steve lifted one of her hands to his cheek and held it there. She turned her face and nuzzled his other cheek.
"They didn't want me to carry the burden or stigmatism of being a teen mother so they sat me down and told me they were going to legally adopt her. I didn't have a choice. They didn't give me one. I fought them for a few days but eventually gave in. That's when I made them promise that Kelsey would never be told. With adoption paperwork, there was always the chance that she would find out someday so instead my father had her birth certificate replaced."
"That's also illegal," Steve pointed out.
"Yeah," Catherine agreed. "What I don't understand is where she got a copy of that original birth certificate. My father paid a lot of money to have a new one made up and filed, listing them as her parents. The only one, that I know still exists, is in my safe deposit box. I kept one but I never told anyone."
"Is there any way someone could have gotten into your box?"
"No," Catherine frowned still troubled where that birth certificate came from.
"Did you ask her where she got it?"
She nodded. "Yes. But she wouldn't tell me. She's so angry and hurt. She wouldn't even listen to anything I said. She hates me Steve." Catherine's voice hitched softly for the first time since she started her story.
"She doesn't hate you Cath."
"She said some really horrible things to me. Not that blame her for feeling them, but God it hurt more than I thought it would." Catherine shrunk a little in his arms as she blinked back tears. "I've always tried to forget I gave birth to her, to just think of her as my sister. It was impossible when I saw her every day. That's why I joined the Navy at seventeen and why I hardly ever go home. Every time I went home I was so happy to see her but it was heaven and hell at the same time. It hurt too much so I never stayed too long. God, I feel like an awful person."
"Don't Cath," Steve warned her. "Don't you dare feel like a bad person! You did the best thing you could have done for her."
"Did I?" she asked harshly. "I lied to her and abandoned her to join the Navy because I couldn't handle her constant presence in my life. I don't think she'll ever forgive me. I wouldn't if I was her."
Steve pushed her forward a little then turned her to face him. She sat cross legged between his thighs. He cupped her face in his hands and urged her to look at him.
"Catherine, listen to me. You gave her a mother and father. It's not easy growing up without one of your parents. I know my situation was different but the loss or absence of a parent can never be filled. You gave her two of the best parents on the planet. And you've been a better sister than you give yourself credit for. She worships you. I saw that very clearly the time I was at your house. She just needs time to come to terms with all of this. Once she understands everything she'll forgive you."
"Thank you," she whispered over the lump in her throat and leaned forward to kiss him.
The kiss was soft and cathartic, for both of them she could tell. Catherine broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his chin. They both sat in silence for a while. She could tell he was lost inside his head the way he sometimes got.
"Are you angry I never told you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No. Cath, I could never be angry with you for that."
"I've wanted to tell you for so long but I wondered what you'd think of me," she admitted honestly.
"I could never think badly of you Catherine. No matter what." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You are the best person I know."
She pulled back and looked at him. "I promised you I'd never keep anything from you again. I would have told you before-"
"Before what?" he asked curiously.
"Before things got more serious between us, I guess," she shrugged.
"Are things not serious between us now?" he wondered.
"You know what I mean."
"No I don't," he looked at her with a confused expression. "As far as I'm concerned we're pretty damned serious, Cath. You practically live here, which reminds me we need to talk about that. But not tonight. I think tonight has enough to deal with."
She looked at him curiously, wondering where he was going with that. She was about to ask but decided he was right. She was just about talked out anyway.
Catherine looked out at the water and sighed. After a few minutes she could still feel him watching her.
"What? Why are you just looking at me?"
He smirked. "I can't just look at you?"
"No," she laughed.
"But I like looking at you."
"Steve," she complained and shoved him gently.
His eyes softened. "You really amaze me you know that?"
"Why?" she looked at him like he had three heads.
"Because you are just so… you."
She raised an eyebrow at him quizzically.
"I mean you are just so well adjusted considering what you've been through."
"That's only how it looks on the outside."
He frowned softly so she elbowed him gently. "I'm just kidding. Seriously though, it was a long time ago. My parents got me help and they never once blamed me. I'm one of the most well adjusted people you'll ever meet Steve."
"Thank God," he sighed dramatically. "How else would you be able to deal with me and all my issues?"
"This is true." She teased then chuckled as she felt him pinch her side in retaliation for her words. She leaned back in his embrace again. "I just hope she can eventually forgive me. If she doesn't, that is something I won't get over."
"She will," he assured her.
They were quiet again for a while but then she could feel him fidgeting.
"What is it Steve? Just ask me already."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She shot him a look as she sat up and turned around again. "I mean I know you. You're fidgeting. When you fidget you have something you want to say or ask, so just out with it already."
"It's really none of my business."
"Oh please. Give me a break already," she scoffed good-naturedly. "My entire life is an open book to you now. I'll tell you what," she added as an afterthought. "I'm giving you a totally free pass tonight. Nothing is off limits so you best take advantage of it because once the sun comes up tomorrow all bets are off."
He bit his lip nervously and she found it so endearing she leaned forward and kissed him again.
He smiled goofily at her. "What was that for?"
"You're just adorable. Now just ask me."
He chewed his lip for another minute before he spoke. "Had you ever had any other sexual experiences after Craig?" Steve said his name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Before me, I mean."
Catherine smirked. "Yes, Steve. You know I had a boyfriend my senior year of high school. I told you about Warren."
"I didn't really pay attention when you talked about him," he admitted guiltily.
"Apparently."
He grinned. "It's just the first time we were together, I was so in awe of you. You were so young but yet you were so comfortable with yourself and your body. It was obvious you were comfortable with your sexuality."
"I spent a lot of time in psychologists' offices when I was a teen. But Warren, he's the one you can thank for teaching me to like sex."
Steve's smile vanished. "Is there any chance I'll come across Warren in my lifetime?"
Catherine choked out a short laugh at his question. "If you ever accompany me to a high school reunion, maybe."
"I'll have to be busy that night then," he scowled like a surly teen.
"Okay," she patted his hand, indulging him in his sulk. "Did you ever wonder why I wasn't a virgin?"
"Not really," he answered. "I was surprised at first. I expected you to be. But then I was really glad you weren't."
"Me too." She tilted her head and smiled softly.
Steve sighed and his eyes saddened. "I'm so sorry any of this happened to you Cath."
Catherine stopped smiling. "Don't look at me like that Steve. I'm not broken."
"I'm not," he defended, surprised by her words. "What do you mean? I don't think you're broken."
"Then what's the look for?"
"Can't I feel bad for the young girl who had her innocence taken from her too soon?"
She pushed herself up to her knees. "No. Not if it means you're going to look at me differently. I don't carry any baggage about this Steve. I don't want you to either."
"Cath," he started but she held up a hand to stop him.
"No Steve. I've just bared my soul to you. If anything I've told you changes your feelings for me, you need to tell me now.
Couldn't she see? Didn't she know? Nothing would change how he felt about her.
Steve looked at Catherine, struggling for the words. They were stuck on his tongue and he didn't know why. What was so hard about telling her he loved her?
He could tell Grace. He could tell Danny and everyone else on the team – even though it was always in a lighthearted casual manner. Hell, he could even say it to Doris.
Why couldn't he say it to Catherine?
She continued to glare at him with her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing with hurt. And in that moment it hit him like a freight train. That was why….
Because she was the most important one. Once he said it to her it would be forever and that both terrified and thrilled him. He was a man of action, not words, and he believed he showed her every day how he felt.
But maybe he didn't do it adequately. Maybe he was doing a damn bad job of it. He had to be if she thought for one second that anything she told him today could ever change his feelings.
Cursing himself silently for once again being a dickhead and a coward, Steve decided that action would just have to suffice tonight. So he leaned forward and kissed her, like he wanted to all damn day.
Catherine froze for a second then he watched her eyes flutter closed and he smiled against her lips. She moaned softly as she opened her mouth to him. Steve groaned, closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his body.
Catherine gripped his shirt with her fingers and tugged him down over her as she laid back.
He kissed her long and soft and deep, trying to convey his feeling for her in that one kiss.
"Wait, just wait a second.," Steve panted against her lips. "We need a blanket or something. Or we're gonna get sand in unmentionable places."
"I don't care," she breathed into his mouth and his entire body shuddered as her fingers slid down his chest and then tugged at the top button of his jeans.
He grabbed her hand to stop her and pulled his lips away from hers. He rested his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. "Just give me a second. There's one on the porch."
He jumped up and heard her groan as she threw her arms above her head. He chuckled as she lay there also trying to catch her breath. He ran to the porch, grabbing the blanket off the lounge chair.
He was back in less than half a minute, spreading out the plaid blanket on the sand. He kicked off his shoes and dropped to his knees. He reached for her hand and tugged her onto the blanket with him, laying her back again.
"Now where were we," he murmured as he leaned down and kissed her again.
"Right here I think," she smiled against his lips and reached down to the waistband of his jeans again.
"Uh uh, patience," he murmured into her mouth, pulling her hands away and lifting them above her head again. He trapped both wrists with one hand while the other slid up the outside of her thigh.
Catherine arched her back and hooked her leg around his calf. "Steve," she moaned his name as his lips slid down over her cheek to her ear. He swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear before slowly kissing a path down the side of her neck.
"Let go of my hands," she begged as she bucked gently beneath him.
Steve chuckled against her neck and shook his head as he swirled his tongue over her clavicle to the other side of her neck.
He lowered his body onto hers, settling into the cradle between her thighs. Steve felt her tremble beneath him and he pressed against her, letting her feel his desire for her.
Catherine turned her face into the side of his and nipped his ear gently. It was now Steve's turn to tremble.
"Cath," he breathed as turned and took her lips again. She rocked beneath him and wrapped her other leg around him.
Steve felt like he could just kiss her forever, but her gentle mewls into his mouth went straight to his groin and he knew just kissing her was not going be enough for very long at all.
He released her hands and reached to tug her shirt out of the waistband of her pants. Catherine's fingers slid into his hair and tugged and their kisses grew longer and wetter and deeper. She tasted like heaven and he never wanted to stop.
Steve grunted when she tugged a little bit too hard and she just chuckled against his lips. Catherine released his hair though and reached between them. She pulled hard and ripped the front of his shirt open, sending buttons flying onto the blanket around them.
Steve slid one hand up beneath her shirt and over the warm soft skin of her belly.
"God, get this damn shirt off," Catherine groaned as she struggled to push his now open shirt down his arms.
Steve released her lips and they both gasped for air again. He rose up and smirked down at her as he quickly divested himself of his shirt. Catherine grinned up at him and whipped her own shirt off, then tossed her bra away almost in all one move.
She lay bare before him and Steve's eyes darkened. Catherine whimpered softly in response. He loved when she whimpered like that.
Steve watched her bare breasts rise and fall as she tried to catch her breath. When he didn't immediately lean down again to her, Catherine reached one hand out to him and fluttered her fingers over his abdomen above the open button of his jeans.
"What are you waiting for?" she asked
His hips bucked instinctively at her soft touch. "I just want to look at you a minute," he murmured. "You're so beautiful Catherine."
Catherine smiled softly, her eyes shining in the moonlight. She stretched both arms above her head and arched her back, tightening her calf behind his thigh, teasing him. "Well then look all you want, Sailor."
After a minute, Steve reached for her waistband. In one swift move, that amazed even him, he tugged her pants down, yanking them and her shoes off her feet. He threw them into the water beside them, leaving her in only the smallest pair of black lace panties he'd ever seen.
"Those are my favorite pants, you know," Catherine laughed at his theatrics. "If they float away you're buying me new ones."
"Fine, "Steve growled and grabbed her hips gently. He pulled until she was upright and pressed flush against his body. Catherine's head fell back in surrender as Steve's lips clamped onto her neck before slowly moving south. The scent and taste of her surrounded him and he groaned again as the taste of her assaulted his tongue.
Catherine's hands scrambled between then and she managed to get his jeans open and pushed halfway down his hips before he nipped the soft skin between her breasts. Catherine lifted her hands and gripped the back of head. She leaned up and pulled Steve's head up until their lips fused together again.
She whispered his name against his lips as they fell back to the blanket. There was some twisting and squirming and laughing as they got rid of the last of their clothes, but when he finally sank into her, their laughs quickly turned to gasps and then moans of pleasure.
It was a long time later when Steve rolled onto his back, panting and sweating and sated. She never ceased to amaze him. Even after the emotional roller coaster of a day she'd had, she still managed to rock his world.
Steve pulled her against his side and sighed happily.
"See… no baggage," Catherine smiled against his chest as they both caught their breath.
"I'll say," he agreed, then groaned as her fingers fluttered down his abdomen. He grasped her hand to stop its descent. "Good god woman, you need to give me a few minutes, at least, to recover."
Catherine chuckled and pressed a kiss over his heart before resting her cheek on his chest again.
Steve's stomached chose that moment to rumble and they both laughed. "We should probably head inside and get some dinner."
"Just a few more minutes," Catherine asked softly and he could deny her nothing at that moment. Not when she was laying so soft and content in his arms.
As Steve held her close, listening to her soft breathing, he couldn't help thinking that the woman he loved shared a child with a man who wasn't him.
To be continued…