Page 119 of Henry & Kate
We’re Worried About Henry Darlington!
Is Kate Dragging Him into the Drug Scene?
OK! Magazineheadline
Henry
The reports about Kate kept coming. Although the interview with Randell had been offline for a while, dozens of new articles about her appeared every day, most of them spreading false information. And it wasn’t just the media—my parents’ snobby friends also had plenty to say. I had received at least two dozen calls asking indignantly whether the rumours were true. All they were concerned about was how it made them look, as if Kate’s past would somehow turn the hotel into the nexus of a drug ring.
It was far from ideal, so close to the Pearl Gala. The charity event was taking place in three weeks, and the details hadn’t been completely hammered out yet. Usually, I could take a back seat at this stage of the planning and let Rakesh handle the final arrangements. But this year, everything was different. There were dozens of unanswered questions, and ever since Randell’s interview, the cancellations kept rolling in. Initially, I had been worried, but nowit just made me angry. Some people were willing to turn a blind eye to my dad’s wrongdoings, but not to Kate’s minor transgressions. My dad had committed crimes just because he had wanted to, whereas Kate had stolen to survive. Besides, she hadn’t destroyed anyone’s life—she’d just stolen a few pounds.
A knock pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced up. According to my laptop, it was already after 11 p.m. Shit. I had lost all sense of time again.
There was another knock.
“Come in!”
Kate slipped into the office wearing an old Black Sabbath T-shirt I’d given her a while ago, paired with the black trousers that were part of her Darlington uniform. She wore boots, though the laces were undone, as if she had dressed in a rush.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Just checking in on my favourite person,” Kate replied, pulling the door shut behind her. Her short, dark hair was slightly damp, curling at the ends. “I messaged you earlier, but you didn’t reply.”
“Sorry, I must have missed it.” I glanced at my phone. Sure enough, I had several unread messages from her.
With her eyes on mine, Kate came around the desk to me. It had grown warm, so I’d taken off my jacket, loosened my tie, and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt. My hair was a mess from nervously running my fingers through it for hours.
“How was your day?”
Kate settled onto my lap and wrapped an arm around my neck. I instinctively placed a hand on her waist to steady her and slid my fingers under her T-shirt. I wanted to feel her skin against mine. She was soft and warm—she was everything I had missed today.
“Not bad. I had coffee with Olivia.”
“Did you have fun?” I asked. I hadn’t seen Olivia since Halloween. I was usually only free in the evenings after work, while her schedule was crammed with evening events—galas, receptions, and art gallery openings.
“I did. I can see why you like her. She told some pretty wild stories about you,” Kate answered with a grin that spelt trouble. “Is it true that you dyed your hair pink when you were sixteen, and your dad forced you to shave it off?”
“I think I have to end my friendship with Olivia.”
Kate laughed. “Please don’t. I like her.”
“I’m glad.” I really was. I didn’t really care about most people, but I cared about Olivia. She was my best and oldest friend, and it boded well that she and Kate got along. “Is she still dating Marko?”
“She mentioned him a few times, so probably.”
I groaned. Olivia deserved so much more than that arrogant loser. Why couldn’t she see that? She must have heard the rumours about him—why didn’t they put her off?
“How was your day?” Kate asked. She ran her fingers through my hair in an unsuccessful attempt to tame it. The feeling of her nails on my scalp sent a shiver down my spine.
“Terrible, but it got better about five minutes ago.”
A bashful smile crossed her face, as if she still couldn’t quite believe how much better she made my life. “Oh, really?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, burying my face into the crook of her neck and taking a deep breath. She smelled fresh, of lavender. I gave a satisfied moan and pressed my lips to the skin of her throat, savouring her.
With a sigh, Kate tilted her head back. I took up her silent invitation, trailing a path of kisses from her neck up to her chin and, finally, to her lips. Our mouths met, and my tension immediatelymelted away. When I was with Kate, my world shrank until it revolved solely around her—her sweet scent and warm body, the delicious taste of her. Everything else faded into the background. She was like an oasis in the desert, and I was parched. My burning desire to be close to her was more consuming than anything I’d ever experienced. I’d never felt for anyone the way I did for Kate.
She drew in a sharp breath as I cautiously slid my hand upward beneath the fabric of her T-shirt. Until now, Kate had kept a certain physical distance between us, but right now, I felt no resistance. The closer my fingers inched to her breasts, the deeper her nails dug into my shoulders and the more her body arched towards me. I ran my finger over her soft curves, where the skin seemed warmer than the rest of her body, and I felt a heat rising in me too. Kate moaned into my mouth as I ran my thumb over a hard nipple. I cupped her breast, kneading it gently, and a surge of blood flooded down my body. There was no way to hide from Kate how aroused I was, as my erection pressed against her bum.
