Desiring an Angel, page 10
part #1 of Missing Link 3 Series
14
Skylar
Seagulls cried nearby, pulling me from a delicious dream of warm skin and sleepy kisses…
Or maybe I didn’t dream.
I jerked my eyes open—and found myself alone in Ashton and Rhett’s guest bed.
“Damn,” I muttered, stretching life into my muscles and joints.
Indirect sunbeams flooded the west-facing bedroom with light, the beach-themed bedding and walls muted blues and greens. The sand-colored rug I’d dug my toes into the night before greeted my bare feet as I slid from the satiny sheets.
Massive windows overlooked the Pacific directly in front of me, the cry of another seabird begging me to join him outdoors.
A whole day to myself, and while I’d rather have had Ashton and Rhett there with me, excitement for the hours ahead made my feet itch to move.
Ashton had told me to explore—so I did.
Flitting from room to room, I grinned like a little kid. I squealed over the library packed full of shelves lined with books and trailed my fingertips over spines, wondering if Rhett too enjoyed romance books as his guilty pleasure like Ashton and me.
My focus paused on a spine I recognized. “No. Way.” I pulled the book from its place and squealed again.
Annie Kelly. Ashton had claimed to have read her latest release, but to see he’d ordered a paperback?
Clutching the book to my chest, I gave the rest of the room heart eyes, that too-good-to-be-true thought fluttering through my head on repeat.
“They can’t be perfect.” I slid the book home and hurried back into the hallway, finding an office next.
Dark, heavy furniture—two desks as though the men shared the space. A picture of Ashton and Rhett sat on the closest table, and a quick glance at the other revealed a second one. I grabbed both photographs and stared, swooning at the sweetness of the partners.
Rhett didn’t smile in the first but had his arms wrapped around Ashton, his nose against his cheek and eyes closed while Ashton grinned at the camera. Definitely a selfie and achingly precious.
How Rhett leaned into Ashton, clutched him close spoke volumes. He adored the man.
The second image showed them both laughing, and the sparkle in Rhett’s dark eyes swooped through me, taking my heart to my toes. Ashton had stated Rhett was gorgeous, but Jiminy Cricket on a cracker.
I swallowed a rush of saliva and pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t still dreaming.
Pain radiated from the skin I abused.
“This is real,” I muttered to myself, hoping to see that carefree smile in real life. That sort of happiness he portrayed in the picture meant he wasn’t a complete grump like my sister. “This is happening.”
Jitters skittered through me, and I quickly replaced the pictures, traipsing around the office to see what else I could find.
College degrees for business hung on the walls.
Leather chairs hugged the desks.
The air smelled of cologne, coffee, and something rich and earthy. I filled my lungs over and over, sucking the scent in until I memorized its deliciousness.
Coffee…
My gaze flitted over the desk…files. Papers on one along with strewn pencils. The other sat cleared except for a closed laptop of sorts.
A sticky notepad lay beside it, I noted while moving closer.
Three rainbow-colored intertwined hearts printed along the top of the first piece of paper.
The Missing Link logo.
Grinning, I picked it up and ran my fingers over the edge like the pad was a deck of cards, the soft flicking of papers loud in the silence around me. The app had possibly given me the one thing I dreamed about, and I bit my lip, trailing my fingertips over the edges again.
I wanted to tuck the treasure away…
Ashton would tell me where they’d gotten it, and I would find a way to land some notepads of my own.
But I had no job. No money. And I still had my sister’s cell phone.
I should have left that behind, I thought while leaving the office and heading toward the kitchen, realizing I’d yet to have a sip of caffeine. With the state-of-the-art-space I’d taken in the night before, I expected some newfangled coffee machine with gadgets and gizmos galore.
They had a Keurig.
I squealed and started looking in cabinets and drawers until I found a mug, sugar, and spoon. “Hurry up,” I poked at the machine as it gurgled slowly into my cup. “I need you in my belly.”
Snickering at myself, I threw open the double doors of the huge fridge, and my jaw dropped. It was packed full of heathy food—cuts of meat, fresh veggies, and fruit. Organic milk and creamer, eggs, and yogurt. Non-nitrate bacon, sprouted grain bread, and orange juice.
The same type of items Nora had always put on her grocery list for me to buy.
I pushed aside thoughts of my sister, determined to move forward on the path I’d chosen, chasing squirrels and nuts for as long as I could.
Still grinning like a dork, I loaded up my arms, ready to fill my stomach. For the following half hour, I enjoyed having the house to myself so I could sing at the top of my lungs and not make faces cringe.
A songbird I was not, but that didn’t keep me from twittering my happiness to the stainless steel six-burner stove and wine fridge that held more bottles than I could count.
I moaned at the first sip of coffee. Rolled my eyes at the crunch of bacon between my teeth. Bit into the toast with its slather of pure Irish butter and whimpered.
A girl could get used to this…
My cell jangled from the pocket of my sleep shorts I’d pulled on before exploring, my pulse picking up. Ashton had already left a good morning text I’d found after rolling from bed but hadn’t replied to my response.
The grin on my face faded at the name on the screen.
Mom.
“Ugh.” I grimaced, the toast turning to a rock in my stomach. Not answering wasn’t an option. She would ring relentlessly until I picked up. Turning off the phone…nope. I needed to be available for when Ashton finally called me back to tell me about his flight and how Rhett was doing like I’d asked him to do.
I swiped to answer. “Hi, Mom.”
“Skylar Anne Larsen.”
My eyelids slammed shut, and I braced myself.
“What have you done!” She didn’t ask a question, so I didn’t bother with answering. Not that she gave me time for one anyway. “I just got off the phone with Nora…”
I started to clean up the breakfast mess I’d made even though I hadn’t finished while Mom ranted at me about my impulsiveness and poor, inappropriate choices just like Nora had told her.
“Where is your mind at?” Mom finally ran out of steam, and I realized she waited for a response.
In the clouds, I wanted to snark, but that would only lead to more lectures.
“Ashton is a good man. He’s sweet and kind.”
“Nora told me you’ve known him less than a day!”
I rolled my eyes. “A bit longer than that, Mom, but he’s genuine. Doesn’t play games or try to manipulate me—”
“Did you sleep in his bed last night?”
“Mom,” I groaned, slumping back onto the kitchen chair I’d vacated to pretty up the room.
“Did you allow that stranger to put his hands on you? Take what doesn’t belong to him like you did with that last boy you dated?”
My stomach knotted, raising the reckless side of my nature I hadn’t dealt with for months.
“What if I want to belong to him, Mom?” I shot back, my voice hard.
“Nora said he’s married!”
“They’re partners—not married,” I explained, not that it would make a difference. My parents tended toward the straitlaced way of life and wouldn’t ever understand.
“Bad enough they’re gay, but to pull you into this type of relationship—”
“They’re bisexual,” I muttered, but she didn’t stop.
Slumping, I thumped my forehead onto the table as she went off again on how unnatural poly relationships were.
I held in a snort on that one. Mom obviously hadn’t read Annie Kelly’s latest. What an eye-opener that would be! Giggles rose up my throat, and I swallowed them down, choking.
“I’m serious, young lady,” Mom chided, having heard me fight the snickering wanting to bubble from me. “I knew sending you off to California was a mistake, but your father insisted you needed to spread your wings a bit and learn how to fly on your own. Make something of yourself like Nora has done.”
My eyes rolled so damn hard back into my head that I sat fully upright. “I’ll never ‘make something of myself’’,” I quoted and emphasized my words, the snark taking the lead, “because Nora set the bar too damn high. I’ll never measure up—ever. What’s the point of trying?”
“Making decisions after thinking them through would be a good start!”
Again with the lecture.
Mom and Dad hadn’t ever outright put me down, called me less than or too much—that shit all came from Nora—but reality was, I was nothing like her and never would be.
I tuned Mom out. Put her on speaker and got back up to clean the kitchen, muttering agreement noises here and there so she knew I semi-listened.
If Mom saw the house I would call home until I got my feet beneath me, she’d shut up real quick. Ashton and Rhett were loaded, no doubt about it. They made a lot more than Nora, and in my parents’ minds, she was a millionaire who’d reached the top.
But I kept my thoughts to myself, not wanting to share the good state—the lucky place—I’d landed in all thanks to one little app.
My cell pinged, alerting me that the battery ran low.
“Mom,” I interrupted, picking up the phone, “my cell is about to die. I have to go.”
“I expect you to head back to Nora’s immediately. Your father and I will find a way to fly you home.”
Yeah, no thanks.
“I love you, Mom, but Dad told me to spread my wings—and I plan on it. I gotta go,” I repeated and hung up without another word.
I breathed in a deep breath, glorying in the freedom even though I had almost nothing to my name.
A chance lay at the end of my path, one that could bring the type of love and happiness I craved. Children. Affection. Appreciation.
If my nature didn’t curl Rhett’s nose like it did most people.
Sudden tears stung my eyes, and I went in search of a phone charger I could borrow since I hadn’t brought mine.
Hopefully, Ashton texted soon, letting me know how Rhett fared and when they would be home.
Home.
I stood in their bedroom doorway, eyeing the massive bed with its navy coverlet and countless pillows. Longing to be in its center, surrounded by hard muscle and warm skin rushed through me like a prairie-swept storm.
I leapt into action, my feet taking me across the room before the thought made sense in my head.
“Oomph!” My breath left in a rush as I landed face-first on a pile of fluff, feathers, and comfort.
Oh yes, I could definitely get used to this.
As long as two men bookended me like I was the most precious book in their library.
Like me, I whispered in my head, recalling the image of Rhett’s smiling face in that picture on the desk. Please.
15
Ashton
Rhett’s father had already set plans in place prior to our arrival at their home midmorning.
A cremation had already been ordered—no services would be held.
Nothing public for friends to show their respects and offer condolences. While that choice hurt my heart, Rhett breathed easier. No wake or funeral meant a lack of people in his face, looking to soothe his grief. It meant no vulnerability, no need for indifference that I wondered about.
But Rhett didn’t appear or seem broken over the death of his mother. They hadn’t ever been close like me and my mom, and not for the first time, I wanted to pull him into my arms and give him all the love and affection he’d missed out on as a child.
The same I felt sure Skylar would offer ours. While she hadn’t been super handsy with me, those fingers of hers had twitched enough I wondered if she’d kept from reaching out for simple touches more often than she’d given during our short hours together.
I wondered how she fared back at our house—and I hadn’t yet told Rhett about the choice I’d made without him. He had enough to deal with.
We planned to fly home the next day, and I shot off a quick text to Skylar to expect our arrival. We ate an early dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, and I downed two glasses of wine, which soured my stomach, or perhaps it was my nerves over the impeding conversation I’d procrastinated in starting.
We both collapsed onto the hotel bed, our bodies finding each other as natural as breathing. Dark circles still clung beneath Rhett’s closed eyes, but half the lines he’d had on his face the night before had smoothed away.
I expected him to pass the fuck out—
“Tell me about your date,” he murmured, his quiet words fluttering anxiety through my chest and churning my stomach even more.
“It was perfect.” Until it wasn’t—then it was again. I closed my eyes while remembering the light in Sky’s expressive eyes, the softness of her touch. How she’d insisted on helping me quickly pack for my red-eye flight across the country.
The softest of kisses we shared before I’d left for the airport.
Obsession seemed the right word for what I felt. I definitely hadn’t done a good job of guarding my heart like Rhett had insisted upon.
“She’s even more beautiful in person,” I said, needing him to want her in the same way I did. “There’s an innocence about her, and it’s sexy as hell.”
Rhett tensed slightly, which tightened my own stomach again. “Did you kiss her?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“Zing.”
He snorted at the word Skylar had used—the same I’d told him after the first time our lips had met all those years ago. His eyelids lifted, allowing his dark orbs to peer into mine. “You like her.”
Rhett hadn’t asked a question, but I nodded.
“She’s truly amazing—but her twin doesn’t understand that fact.”
“Skylar has a twin?”
“Yes.” The truth of the statement made me smile, but the memory of the snob who’d shared the womb with Sky caused the happiness to fade from my face.
“What?” Rhett pushed, reading me as easily as he always did.
“Her sister is a bitch. She came home while we were eating dinner and lit into Sky over inviting a stranger into her house, accusing me of being a sick stalker and rapist and calling Sky stupid…”
I clenched my jaw shut, my still-churning stomach hardening at the memory of Nora’s hurtful words. “She kicked Sky out of the house right then and there.”
Rhett’s brow furrowed, and I could hear his mind working. “What did you do, Ash?”
I inhaled deeply and glanced at his chin since I couldn’t hold his gaze. “I told her she could stay in our guest room until we helped her figure something else out.”
Rhett tensed against me. “I really wish you had discussed it with me first,” he stated, annoyance more than leaking from his words.
“I know I should have, but I had to make a decision on the spot and didn’t want to burden you with another person’s issues when you have enough going on. With how hurtful Sky’s sister had been, I couldn’t allow her to stay there another minute. I was going to call you to explain the situation after I got Sky settled but then I got your text and could only think about getting here to be with you.”
“You don’t know this woman—”
“I do!” I insisted, lifting my gaze back to his. His dark eyes had closed off completely. “We have a connection I can’t explain any more than I can mine with you.”
“You have one with me because of the twenty-three years we’ve spent attached at the hip,” he snipped.
“What we have is more than being close for so long, and you know it. It’s always been more. Fate intended us to be together, same as she did for Skylar to complete us.”
A hint of vulnerability flitted across his face and disappeared just as quickly. “I never felt we lacked in any way.”
“Neither did I,” I assured him, cupping his scruffy cheek, “until I met her. Trust me, Rhett. She’s going to change our lives for the better. We’ll be happier than we’ve ever been.”
“I’m already happy.”
I searched his face, wishing I could sift through the emotions he kept buried deep inside. “She’s delicious, Rhett. Smells like coconuts.”
A frown furrowed his brow, but I settled in against him and pushed on, desperate to change his mind toward a woman he’d yet to meet and had already judged.
“Sweet and addictive—but you don’t have to be afraid I’ll leave you—”
“I fear no such thing,” Rhett muttered, but his scowl remained.
“Then keep an open mind,” I urged, running my hands over his back. “Please.”
The displeasure in Rhett’s gaze faded the longer the silence stretched between us. I’d have given a million dollars to know his feelings.
“She is sunshine,” I promised, believing he just had to meet her and his mind would be set at rest. “Bright and energizing.”
“How flighty is she, Ash?” Rhett asked, his tone stern.
A smile broke over my face as I imagined her in my mind, flitting around Nora’s kitchen and chattering like a tweety bird.
“Shit,” Rhett muttered and exhaled loudly, finally relaxing against me. “You’re already half in love, aren’t you?”
“She’s a kind, generous creature.” I grinned, recognizing the signs of his relenting. “And you’re going to love her too.”
“You mentioned coconuts.”
Leave it to Rhett to latch onto the one redeeming quality he’d heard and would approve of.
“She claims to make a mean coconut cream pie too,” I told him, my smile fixed firmly in place as excitement replaced the concern I’d felt moments earlier.
