A/N: An ickle bit of smut in Chapter 10 :)
Chapter Nine:
She had to admit that she was beginning to enjoy her life at Harbor High. The curriculum was better than she thought it would be, and who would've thought that there would have such an excellent music program? She'd fitted right in and it was her favourite class by far. Ryan teased her about loving it but then he would tell her that he thought it was kind of cool, that she had a talent that deserved to be recognised. She still blushed a little when she remembered those words and the sincerity in his eyes when he said it. He was still her closest friend at Harbor. Sure, the other guys had more or less accepted her as part of the scene, cynically Kate decided that it was the fact that she wasn't really like them, that her interests lay in more thought provoking ideals and projects such as her music than shopping and facials and getting a sun tan. A curiosity, that was it, Kate Carpenter was a curiosity. Summer was still a little unsure of her, didn't know how to really take her and most of all whether she was interested in her boyfriend or not, which was a big resounding no. Marissa, Kate realised, still had a thing for Ryan. Seth had filled her in on the whole Ryan and Marissa story and it made Romeo and Juliet look a little on the tame side. Once in a while Kate caught a wistful expression in Marissa's eyes that she was quick to hide from the others.
Kate parked her car in front of the huge pink monstrosity that her Stepfather had paid an obscene amount of money to construct. The Cooper-Nichol residence was further along the road and of course Marshall Cole wouldn't be outdone. The Cole Residence made the Cooper-Nichol residence look like a pool house. Marissa, her younger sister and parents still lived there after the death of Marissa's stepfather who also happened to be Seth's grandfather. Kate shook her head at the family triangles, glad there was nothing like that in hers. She had her mother and her step father and that was that and if she could, she'd leave them far, far behind to drown in their millions…well, Marshall Cole's millions, her mother just had access to it. Kate picked up her bag and slung it across her shoulders, gathering her textbooks from the trunk. She wanted to get her homework done before considering anything else, at least then she could begin to plan her set list for Saturday night's performance. Excitement bubbled in her stomach at the thought of getting up on that stage and singing again. She glanced up as the main door opened and mentally she sighed when she saw her mother standing there. She looked absolutely flawless in her couture outfit, not a hair out of place. Nowadays it was only the best for Vivian Carpenter-Cole but right at this moment she looked ready to rip somebody's head off; namely hers.
"What have I done now?" Kate drawled as she approached her. Vivian's blue eyes were glacial.
"You had a phone call. From The Bait Shop?" Kate frowned.
"Damn, I must have forgotten to switch on my cell after school," she rummaged around in her shoulder bag and quickly discovered that she had indeed forgotten. She switched it on. Then she looked at her mom.
"Did they say what they wanted?"
"Apparently they're confirming Saturday night, whatever that may be!" she spat and Kate rolled her eyes.
"The Bait Shop is a place where the local kids hang out," she stopped in front of her mother and looked at her. She had the advantage over her by three inches.
"Are you going to move so I can come in or are we having this conversation here where anyone can eavesdrop?" she demanded. Vivian glared at her before standing aside. Kate slipped past her and across the black and white marble lobby to the staircase.
"You're not going there on Saturday, do you hear me?" her mother shrieked. Kate winced as her shrill voice echoed around the cavernous lobby. She paused half way up the stairs.
"I was kind of expecting you to say that mother. You're not going to stop me from having some fun around here. You know I like to sing and it's a great place to be and my friends are there" Vivian clattered across the lobby.
"If you want to sing, I'm sure your father could arrange for you to perform at his next big party" Kate gripped the balustrade tightly to try and control her rising temper.
"And sing show tunes? No thanks. And for your information, he isn't my father as much as he'd like to think that he is. You may not know who my biological dad is, but it's not him" Vivian's eyes widened as the dart hit home.
"You will apologise right this moment for that remark young lady!" she yelled. Kate regarded her steadily.
"I'm going to do my homework now" and with her mother's ensuing threats and protestations ringing in her ears she hurried the rest of the way up the stairs to her room.
Fury warred with absolute misery once she got into her room and closed the door. Fury at her mother's attitude, misery at having to put up with it. She straightened up and strode over to her bed, dumping her bag and books onto it. She sat down and sighed. Only a few more months left and she'd be legally free of all of this. She could graduate and then leave and never have to live through this hell again. She flinched as her cell began to ring and she had to scramble through her bag again to find it. She smiled to herself when the caller ID revealed it to be Ryan. She paused as it shrilled for her attention and waited til the threat of angry tears abated and she could talk to him. She flicked it open and made herself smile.
"Hey Ryan…" she greeted cheerfully.
"Hey. You took your time" his voice was warm and this time the smile was genuine.
"Phone was at the bottom of my bag. What's up?"
"Just wondering whether you'd like to come over and hang out for a while?"
"I would love to, but I want to get my homework out of the way, another time?" there was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
"You okay?" Kate swallowed.
"Absolutely fine, why?"
"You just sound…never mind. If you change your mind, you know where I am," She nodded.
"I do. Talk to you later" and she disconnected before he could speak again.
She avoided her mother til breakfast the following morning. As she appeared in the kitchen she momentarily paused when she saw Marshall at the table with her. Great. She'd hoped to avoid him as she usually did most mornings. Marshall Cole's eyes were on her instantly and she tried not to physically squirm under his examination. Kate poured herself some coffee, sipping it as she leaned against one of the Italian marble kitchen counters.
"Aren't you going to join us Katherine?" Marshall enquired smoothly and her skin crawled at the way he said her name.
"Not hungry," she replied.
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it'd be a crime to miss it," he continued. Kate shrugged.
"Coffee will do for now thanks,"
"SIT!" Marshall suddenly roared and Kate flinched. A tense silence ensued. Presently she took a seat opposite them both, placing her coffee cup down in front of her. She looked at him and her mother in turn. Her stomach churned and resentment boiled in her veins.
"Your mother tells me that you have a…gig… at some establishment in Newport Beach this evening," Kate glared at her mother before returning her attention to her stepfather.
"I'm going to The Bait Shop tonight, that's the plan," she replied carefully. Marshall stared at her, his light blue eyes icy.
"No you're not Katherine. You're not going near that place do you understand me?" she sat back in her chair.
"You can't stop me" she retorted angrily. Marshall just shrugged.
"I'm responsible for you and your mother, this is my house, my rules,"
"My free will!" she retaliated. Their gazes clashed and held.
"Consider yourself grounded until further notice," he stood up.
"For now, you won't leave this house unless it's to go to school and come back or if you're accompanying your mother and I to a function, understood?" Kate stared up at him. Beneath the table, her fists were clenched tightly. She watched him walk out of the kitchen before looking at her mother.
"Bitch" she hissed and got to her feet. The chair clattered back onto the floor, the sound like a gunshot around the room. She ran out.
Chapter Ten:
Kate could only look at him. He swallowed and she watched the movement of his throat. Every fibre of her soul was attuned to him. All of a sudden just kisses weren't enough and she wanted more of him. She didn't know what to do, did she wait til he made the first move or was he waiting for her to do the same? She took a deep breath and walked towards him. Her heart was hammering in her breast; felt a fine perspiration prickling her skin. As soon as she was within reach, Ryan reached out and slipped an arm across her back, dragging her the rest of the way to him. They seemed to melt into each other, trading kisses. Aggressive and wanting, her hands roved the length of his body, sliding beneath his t-shirt and feeling the smooth hot skin underneath. A sigh hissed from him as she grasped the hem of the t-shirt and pulled it upwards and he momentarily released his hold on her to lift his arms as she tugged it over his head and dropped it on the floor. Wide shoulders, well-muscled biceps…well some things hadn't changed over the intervening years. His stomach was flat, ridged with muscle and dusted with fine dark blond hair. She smoothed her hand over it and felt the muscle quiver. Different scents assaulted her at the same time. He tasted mildly of beer, he smelled of soap, of the sea and faintly of shaving foam. It made her feel slightly light headed as it all blended together in her mind and became essentially Ryan.
She had no memory of them making it to the bed. But here they were, beneath the covers and both naked, their clothing scattered across the floor like confetti. She looked up at him. His navy blue eyes searched her eyes, one hand smoothing strands of her hair away from her face.
"Are you sure about this?" he murmured. Her eyes became wide. She lifted her head from the pillow and kissed him again, her hands slipping down the length of him.
"I'm sure," she whispered. He didn't need any more reassurances.
He filled her and stretched her and the breath hissed out of her at the sensation of him hard inside of her. The friction was exquisite as she held him close, his hair soft against her cheek. She flexed her hips and heard him groan quietly. A smile flitted across her face and she wondered what she could do to make the normally buttoned up Ryan Atwood lose control. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes as he slowly began to move.
Quietly Kirsten opened the door to the pool house. Ryan was the lightest sleeper that she knew, the slightest sound could wake him and she didn't want to disturb him if he was sleeping. It was still early. They'd left Ryan and Kate talking by the pool late the night before, they were so enveloped in each other's company that neither had noticed they'd left. She knew that Ryan would just crash in the pool house like old times, no doubt Kate would've gotten a cab back to her hotel. She peeped her head around the door and saw him fast asleep. Her eyes widened when she realised that he wasn't alone. Kate lay beside him, sleeping on her stomach, facing away from her. Their clothes were tossed around the floor. Kirsten beat a hasty but silent retreat, closing the door behind her. She paused for a moment, her mind rewinding back to seeing Kate in Ryan's bed. She smiled to herself and returned to the main house.
Kate was awake later in the morning. She was alone and for a second wondered where Ryan had gone. She sat up and listened but was greeted by silence instead. She glanced at the small clock on the bedside table closest to her and saw that it was a little after eight. She started as the door to the pool house began to open and presently Ryan appeared. He wore his jeans from last night and that was it. As he turned towards her, she was rewarded by a view of his very flat abs. A memory of kissing those same muscles flashed through her brain from the night before, remembering how the muscles had quivered beneath her lips and the husky sound of his laughter as she'd done so made her cheeks pinken slightly. Back to the present, he smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach.
"Hey. Sleep okay?" she watched him put the coffee mugs that he'd brought onto the same bedside cabinet that housed the clock and then lean over to kiss her.
"I did. Eventually" she replied and saw his sheepish smile. And was almost tempted to tack on 'when you finally let me' but decided against it.
"I brought coffee. You still like it the same, right?" she nodded and as he straightened up, she grabbed his belt buckle. He looked at her semi-quizzically but soon got the message.
"I like you even more," she replied and pulled him down to her. He went willingly.
As he lay on top of her, her fingers splayed and worked the muscles that she decided she could definitely get off on. He kissed her, the touch of him sending kamikaze thrills through her body. He'd told her that he still did the occasional construction job, and she could tell by the slight roughness of his fingertips as they rasped against sensitised skin, had felt the calluses on the palms of his hands for herself. Her hands moved around to caress his chest and she heard his whispered acquiesce. She trailed her hands down to the button fly of his jeans. One by one she released them, feeling the strength of his erection strain against the softened denim fabric. It was then that she realised that he wore no underwear.
The coffee was warm, on the verge of being cold but neither of them took any notice of that. Ryan watched her sit on the side of his bed; the sheet tucked under her arms, her back to him and take a mouthful.
"I could make you some more coffee if you want?" she turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. She smiled softly.
"It's okay, I'm used to cold coffee," she responded and there was an awkward pause.
"That didn't come out like I expected it to. What I mean is when I'm writing, I tend to block everything out. I've lost count of how many cups of cold coffee I've drunk over the last few years," Ryan rolled onto his stomach and looked at her.
"You don't have to explain yourself to me," she turned more fully and looked at him.
"But I think I do. So much has been written about me in the past, so many lies and misconceptions. I don't want you thinking the worst of me,"
"And I've never judged you Katie. I know you, or I knew you back in High School and you haven't changed much from then,"
"Just a bit older and a little more grown up," she teased and Ryan smiled.
"What I'm saying is that you've never judged me and with you I've done the same,"