Thank you for all the input on Steve and Catherine's relationship going forward. As it stands right now, they will stay together. I appreciate all the notes and compliments on this story and one of my resolutions for 2020 is to stay more on top of this story and my other one. I'm hoping for two updates a week, but I'm also working on reading more. Your patience is greatly appreciated. I hope everyone had safe and wonderful holiday! ~Avy73

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It took about a week of adjustment, but life with three people in the house fell into a simple rhythm. Azucena and Steve continued their morning runs, Catherine occasionally joined them or did yoga on the beach my herself. She knew the morning runs were important to Steve and his sister. It was their time to catch up with each other's crazy schedules.

Steve tried to keep normal hours, as much as possible. When Azucena wasn't working the evening shift, she and Catherine would cook dinner together, and they became quite close. Tommy continued to stay the night once a week, and on those nights, dinner was quite lively.

With the arrival of Catherine, Azucena saw a change in Steve. He seemed slightly less on edge, almost more relaxed. She could only assume it was because all the people important to him were on the island and he knew they were safe. He didn't have to worry about Catherine being on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. He knew where exactly she was, and she was out of harm's way. He could come home to her every night and Azucena could see that brought a sense of contentment and relief to him.

Now, occasionally there were a few moments of awkwardness. On weekend mornings, Azucena made it a point to spend more time outside in the garden after waking up or reading on the beach. She wanted Steve and Catherine to have time to themselves without having to be concerned about her presence. It went unsaid, but she knew Steve was thankful for the weekend mornings of an empty house.

Although, there were times when Steve got too comfortable with the rhythm of life and it bit him in the ass.

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It had been a long day, Azucena was exhausted and honestly, she wanted to take a hot shower, curl up in her pajamas, watch a movie, and fall asleep. It was only Wednesday. She had spent a good chunk of her weekend studying for a massive mid-term exam. Between studying, dance, running, and work she was absolutely drained.

With the upcoming Easter holiday, the restaurant had overbooked the pastry kitchen and after two hours of work, they sent a handful of employees home. Azucena wouldn't normally volunteer to leave, it just wasn't in her nature, but she was exhausted. As she sat on the bus, waiting for her stop, she struggled to keep her eyes open. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the news to stay awake.

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Steve had been cooped up in his office all day, reviewing cold cases. It had driven him out of his mind with boredom. The traffic on the drive home had grated on his nerves. He had a load of pent up energy and was looking forward to an evening with his fiancé. He knew Azucena's was working late tonight and planned to have a romantic evening with Catherine, followed by steaks grilled on the beach.

He opened the door to the house, to see Catherine in her camouflage fatigues, sorting through the mail at the kitchen island. He found her sexy in most any attire, but for some reason, these really had him turned on. As she turned to him, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss and ran his fingers through her loose hair. He knew the first thing she did when she came home was undo the bun her hair had been pulled up in. He loved her hair loose and flowy, more for him to run his fingers through.

Catherine wasn't complaining. Her day had been long and stressful. This was the perfect stress release in her opinion and fully embraced the man who was zealously assaulting her lips. She felt the fire build in her person as she pulled off his loose outer shirt and then began undoing his belt.

His hands tugged at her top and the buttons popped open to reveal her lacy bra. He let his thumb grace her nipple through the lace and heard her breath catch in the back of her throat. His lips started kissing their way down her throat as she worked his pants off his hips. He took one moment to pull his t-shirt off and went back to kissing her neck and collar bone.

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Azucena trudged up the driveway, and spied Steve's truck and Catherine's old corvette. Everyone was home, that hopefully meant they had made dinner and she could just collapse this evening.

She didn't even bother searching for her keys, she knew the front door would be unlocked. She opened the door to the sight of Steve in his underwear and Catherine perched on the island in her camo pants and lacy bra. They were both so caught up in one another, they hadn't noticed her arrival. In her moment of surprise, Azucena threw her hands over her eyes and called out "Oh God, so sorry."

Steve and Catherine were pulled from their moment of passion and saw Azucena at the front door of the house. Her hands covering her face and she turned around towards the door and yelled over her shoulder, "Coffee shop, two hours. So sorry!"

The two watched the door close and Catherine burst out laughing, while Steve stood in his underwear with his pants around his ankles mortified. His sister had walked in on him and his fiancé starting to get it on in the kitchen. Steve looked to Catherine, as he quickly pulled his pants up from around his ankles and let them rest on his hips, "I'm glad you can laugh at this."

"Oh, come on, it was bound to happen sooner or later." She responded with a giggle in her voice, knowing they needed to be a little more careful. "We've been getting a little too comfortable with having the house to ourselves."

"I thought she was supposed to work until seven tonight." He said, as he rubbed the back of his neck in frustration and embarrassment.

"Maybe she traded shifts with someone. She's been really focused on her mid-term exam today." Offered Catherine, as she ran her fingers across Steve's chest. She knew he was embarrassed and there was nothing they could do to change what just happened. She wrapped her arms around Steve's waist and tugged him closer to her, "She gave us two more hours, perhaps we should utilize it?"

Steve smiled at her and tried to push what just happened to the back of his mind and focus on the gorgeous woman in front of him. He allowed himself to fall back into the moment of passion with Catherine and forget that his kid sister had seen him in such a compromising situation.

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Azucena all but ran out the front door and down the driveway. She didn't expect to come home to that but wasn't surprised either. She knew they were in love and she tried to be respectful of their relationship, but the kitchen? Really?

She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she said she would give them two hours. She didn't want to go to any coffeeshop, but what other options did she have? As she walked down the street, back to the bus stop, she texted Mary, Mind if I crash on your sofa?

She didn't wait for an answer. She knew Mary was either in the air or busy with work. She grabbed the bus towards Mary's house and didn't have to try too hard to keep her eyes open. The image from the kitchen was burned into her brain.

Halfway to Mary's, Azucena received a text back from Mary, Of course. Make yourself at home.

Upon reaching Mary's, Azucena let herself into the house, grabbed her spare pair of pajamas she normally left at Mary's, took a hot shower, and passed out on the sofa.

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Steve and Catherine had finished what they started and got cleaned up. As they cooked dinner together, Catherine could tell Steve was still embarrassed by what happened. She took the moment to hopefully calm him down, "It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? How would you feel if your brother walked in on us having sex?"

"Well, I don't have a brother, but your sister is like my sister. And we weren't technically having sex. We were getting ready to have sex."

"Semantics." Steve replied, as pulled plates from the cabinet. It had been almost two and a half hours since the incident.

"She was just as horrified as you were." Replied Catherine, trying to help ease his stress. She doubted his sister was even going to say anything about what she had walked in on. Knowing the siblings, they would pretend it never happened. "Why don't you check your phone and see where she is. If she's close to home, we can hold dinner for her."

Steve wasn't certain he wanted to eat dinner as a family tonight. However, that's what he got for being careless. He had gotten too comfortable, but it was his house. He reminded himself that he couldn't think that way. She was his sister, and this was the family house. He was just mortified and angry with himself.

He clicked the tracking option on his phone and found his sister's blinking icon at Mary's house. He knew Mary was traveling for work, so he assumed she went over there to kill time. He texted Azucena, Want us to hold dinner for you?

"She's at Mary's. I asked if she wanted us to hold dinner for her."

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Azucena awoke to the beeping of her phone, indicating an incoming message. She looked at the text from Steve. She was exhausted and honestly couldn't imagine staying awake long enough to ride the bus to the house, she texted him back. Sleeping at Mary's. No need to hold dinner. Catch up tomorrow.

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Steve read the incoming message and felt a sense of relief flood over him. He looked to Catherine, "She's crashing at Mary's tonight."

Catherine could see Steve's shoulders relax the instant he read the text message. She knew this was a slight bump in the road, and they would get over it, but Steve acted like it was Defcon 1. She laughed internally to herself, and people think women are dramatic.