Chapter Six: No More Denial

not holding back

Katie stretched feeling her muscles protest in a Delicious way, her hands knocking against something soft yet hard making her still in a moment of panic. She looks over and notices that she was still in the safety of Han's embrace. In his sleep his face looked so young and peaceful his lips slightly opened letting in air. Sometime in the night he must have gotten up and gotten a shirt because there was now a black tank top hiding the muscles she had noticed last night. Whispering his name softly her only answer was a little grunt and a shift of his body. He rolled onto his back, his arm still pinned under her head. with hesitant and gentle movements Katie curled up to his side, putting her head on his chest and her leg tangled up with his. When she was sure that he wouldn't wake up easily she slides her hand under the helm of his shirt, gliding her hand up the hard muscles of his stomach to rest over his heart. IN responce to her touch she can feel his heart rate pick up and an involuntary shudder run through him, incoherent mummers of satisfaction escape him. His arm comes around and pulls her close, his legs trapping hers, pinning her flush against the side of his body. Her breath stops as he whispers her name in his sleep. Unable to help herself she leans forward and places a kiss on his chest on the exposed skin between his neck and the top of the tank top. A moan of desire rumbles through him making her look up at his face to see his eyes slowly blinking awake.

 

"Katie? What-" He says his voice so thick and deep with sleep her breath leaves her at its sexiness. Suddenly panic and realization replaces the sleep in his eyes as he becomes aware at how they were laying. Before he can say anything Katie jumps up, grabs her rob and heads for the door.

 

"I'll make us some breakfast OK?" She says in a rush and heads out of the room before he can respond. Han just lays there, too stunned to move his mind reeling. What the hell just happened? Last night he had woken up and had gone back to his room, But no sooner did he lay down did he hear her whimpering in fear again, he had rushed back to her room, remembering to put a shirt ton this time and had held her once again. Figuring that if he left her nightmares would return he gave up and just settled in her bed and fell asleep. Now he was waking up to her snuggled up to him and the scary part was, he didn't mind. It felt natural it felt right. He gets up and stretches shaking his head. It wasn't right. It was wrong, very very wrong. It was inappropriate and disrespectful to his friend. He keeps telling himself that as he heads to the bathroom for a quick shower.

 

The sounds of feet coming down the stairs makes Katie look up from her Sizzling Bacon, she couldn't cook them just like Mia but she came close. Han walks into the Kitchen in black jeans and a green shirt that was just a shade lighter then her eyes, his hair was still wet and dripped onto the shirt making patches of wet spots on it. He stops, closing his eyes he smells the intoxicating smells coming from the stove. Opening them back up he looks around the kitchen and its various stages of breakfast making.

 

"Coffee?" Katie asks nodding to the coffee maker that was still hot. Muttering a sleepy thanks Han rubs his eyes and trudges over to pour himself a cup. Katie watches as he stretches up to grab a cup, his shirt liftly slightly to show off his lower back. Katie practically drools when she spies two small back dimples. The sting of grease on her hand snaps her out of her stare and she turns her attention back to her bacon, realizing that grease was starting to fly out of the pan, she quickly puts a cover on it and goes over to the hotpan where she had put the already cooked eggs and corn beef hash. "Hungry?" She says lifting the cover of the hotpan, the smells of potatoes and eggs waifing out reaching Han's nose.

 

"let me guess, Mia's teachings?" He says sliding onto a stool. Katie blushes and shakes her head. She makes him a plate and slides it across the bar to him.

 

"Well, kind of. I already knew how to cook from when I was younger, My parents didn't pay attention to me that much unless it was to hurt me or yell at me. So I learned at an early age to cook. Mia just helped me perfect it." She says helping herself to some food. She goes over to check the bacon to find it perfectly done. Turning off the burner she drains the grease into a cup and places them on a plate with paper towels. She sits down next to Han and puts the bacon between them. "Help yourself." She says. Eating slowly she watches Han form the corner of her eye him taste her food. A moan escapes his lips as he closes his eyes and chews. She smiles as Pride swells in her chest. "Any good?" She asks. Han nods his head eagerly.

 

"Don't tell Mia but I think the student has surpassed the teacher." He says in a whisper like they were conspiring against Mia together. She giggles a sweet Innocent giggle earning one of Han's genuine smiles that she loved so much. the two eat the remained of their food in comfortable silence. Han's tastes buds were dancing in pleasure at her cooking. Who knew that this punky little chick could cook this amazing! Then again nothing she did really surprised him anymore, he knew there was more to her then met the eye, and he was determined to figure out just who she was. After finishing every little morsel on his plate he pushes his plate away and pats his stomach. "Oh man that was amazing! Thanks angel." he says calling her that without even thinking. It wasn't until he heard her gasp and saw her staring at him in bewilderment that he realized that he called her that out loud. "Um I mean, Thank you Katie.' He says failing at trying to cover up his mistake. A deep red blush spread across her face as she tries to recover from her shock. She quickly stands up and grabs their plates bringing them over to the dishwasher. With her back to him she rapidly blinks her eyes trying to keep the tears from falling. She KNEW IT! He didn't like her, he was just sorry for her and tried to make her feel better. What else could explain the hot and cold treatment he was always giving her?  Han mental groans in his head. S**T! He didn't mean to call her that to her face! He called her that in his head but never out loud. He could tell by the way she was moving so stiffly that she was trying not to cry.

 

"Katie I-" He never gets to finish because at that moment she turned around, tears falling down her face.

 

"Just Don't OK? I know You don't like me! you're just being sorry for me. I get it OK? Lets just forget it all happened and go back to normal? OK? OK" She says her voice trembling. Not able to be int he same room as him any longer she turns on her heels and dashes out the back door that was, to her advantage, off the kitchen. Once outside she stops not knowing what to do she spies the old rusted swingset  Dom put up for her when she was younger. She drops onto one of the swings hearing it squeak in protest after going so long being unused. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore and let them wash over her like a sheet of sorrow.

 

From his seat at the bar he could see Katie sitting on the swingset from the small window above the sink. Even though he couldn't hear her he could see her crying. At the sight of her pain his breath fails him and his chest tightens. She was crying because of him! He was the reason that sweet loving girl was heart broken. In trying to do the right thing he had crushed her, and now that he thought about it, he crushed himself too. SCREW IT! he thinks. He couldn't take it anymore, He couldn't deny the fact that he had strong feelings for her, not just strong feelings but genuine real feelings. He was falling hard for her. Groaning in torment he puts his face in his hands. He knew what he had to do but he knew that doing it would be going so far over the line that once he crossed it he could never go back. Composing himself he gets up and heads outside to confront her.