Mister Distraction (Distraction #2) by Stephanie Jean

feature I could see. There was nothing fake. She was beautifully made, like the finest car.
    I watched her eyes shift to a man behind the coffee counter as she gave him a small wave. He gave her a wide smile and she returned it. I felt rage towards the man she was smiling at. I wanted to kick his ass over a smile.
    My rage ended as I noticed a young man approach the table, just like I did the day before. I wanted to stop him. I wasn’t done observing this beauty yet. I heard him open his mouth, and she frantically packed her things and ran just like the day before. The young man stood there confused for too long, and then his buddies, who were laughing, pulled him to their table.
    I closed my eyes, going over every contour of her face in my mind. I could see her ballet dancing in my head, when it came to me. I had watched her dance on stage for three years as a variety of dance princesses. That was Katarina Covington. She was the granddaughter of the man who killed Jacy. I pondered in silence while a mix of emotions crossed over me. I had lost my only love. Sadness hit, and then anger. I had tried to get close to Katarina after that day, but she always had bodyguards around. Today was the closest I had been since the ice cream parlor. Yesterday, I thought she looked familiar because I had studied this girl during the hardest time in my life. I attended all of her recitals and enjoyed watching her dance. It was erotic and hypnotizing. She was good. The best I had ever seen years ago. Katarina was cute then, but now she was drop dead gorgeous. She appeared so different off stage from when she was younger. It had been nine years since the night I first met her. After that, it was bizarre how every longhaired women or girl looked like her. I stopped looking at faces because my mind would blend her face with others. I would convince myself they were related. But this time, I was certain it was Katarina. I grinned at how close we just sat.
Shit…what the heck’s wrong with me?
    I left the coffeehouse and sat in my Jeep. Bo’s head bobbled with his breathing as he glanced over at me, his tongue hanging out. He appeared to be smiling. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found William Ronald. I called him right away and he answered immediately.
    “Hey, William, this is Jason.” He was silent for a second, and then greeted me back.
    “So I found Katarina in the coffeehouse today.” I was trying to keep the conversation short. William was known for being longwinded, always telling me too much when all I wanted was to get a little info.
    “Right, Katarina, well, I heard on the news her grandfather died a few days ago.” His voice went silent, and I heard shuffling in the background. “Are you still planning revenge for my sister’s death?” I was immediately taken aback by what he said. It might still be in the back of my mind, but the way he said it just made it sound juvenile. I never trusted William. I talked to him, kept in touch out of respect for his sister, but friends that I talked with daily or yearly, we were not.
    “No, I was just wondering…she’s here by herself with no guards.” I completely forgot my mission for the call after his last statement.
    “She probably ran away. She’s kind of known for that. Remember she ran away the night before her dance show and wasn’t found until a few days later. After that I think they shipped her off to live with him, the grandfather.”
    “Thanks, William. How is everything?” I opened a can of worms with that question and found out a little more than I wanted to know. I hung up as quickly as I could and headed to work.
    The day went by fast. At lunch, Dad and I played basketball off the back of the office door. I won, which meant he bought lunch next time. He was a great dad, and I valued our relationship. He was the reason I became a veterinarian, and I spent years following him around trying to be exactly like him.
    On my way home, I