Desiring an Angel, page 12
part #1 of Missing Link 3 Series
18
Ashton
The whole flight then car ride home from the airport, I’d dealt with lingering nausea from the wine the night before. Or perhaps underlying anxiety had continued to sneak its way through my excitement to see Skylar again.
God knew I was exhausted from all the traveling in such a short time.
I had felt pale, and Rhett had even questioned if I was all right, but I’d waved off his concern, assuring him I was fine.
A tummy bug, probably.
Or indigestion since slight abdominal pain had come with that latest upset stomach after eating a quick breakfast.
The sight of Skylar, having her in my arms had made me forget my discomfort, but the second Rhett and I left her in the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, my insides heaved.
I hugged our toilet, retching and coughing even though I hadn’t eaten much all day.
“Ash.”
“I’m fine.” I spit bile into the toilet bowl and flushed. Pushing to my feet left me a little weak.
Rhett lay his hand on the back of my neck and squeezed, but I turned away to brush my teeth.
“It’s just an upset stomach. I haven’t been right since drinking that second glass of wine last night.”
“Are you feverish? Need a couple Tylenol or something?”
“No.”
“Sure you’re okay, baby?”
“Yep.” I brushed my teeth, and Rhett retreated to our bedroom, leaving me alone.
I peered at myself in the mirror above the sink, noting my paler than usual skin and smudges beneath my eyes. The violent heaves felt like they’d pulled a muscle in my sternum too—similar to what I’d experienced before but definite muscle soreness.
I probably just needed to curl up in our bed and sleep to set myself straight.
Emptied, my stomach seemed better, and that sense of hunger for the dinner Skylar had prepared for us returned.
Rhett pulled me into his arms before I crossed our room for the open door. “Sorry for how I reacted to her, but she’s young and immature…she’s…a lot.”
I grinned. “Refreshing, I think you mean.”
Rhett grunted, but it wasn’t an agreement sound. “She messed up my hair.”
“Gave you my favorite look—like you’d been thoroughly fucked,” I joked, hoping to keep things light.
“She untied my tie like she had the right to touch me.”
“Don’t tell me you weren’t dying to rip it off on your own. Why the hell you wear those damn things while flying, I’ll never understand.”
“It makes me feel put together.”
Because his insides weren’t, he didn’t tack on, but I knew his tics.
“Loosen up a bit, Rhett. That’s all she was impulsively hoping to help you do. It’s been a rough couple of days, but we’re home now. This is a safe place for you to relax.”
“Doesn’t feel too safe right now,” he muttered, and I bit back a smirk.
Skylar threatened him in oh so many good ways.
“Give her a chance.”
“I’ll try, baby, but I’m so damn tired.”
I squeezed him tighter, my heart overflowing with the vulnerability he’d been showing lately.
A soft sigh drew our attention to the doorway.
Skylar stood there staring. She mumbled something about dinner and hurried off.
Rhett scowled at the spot she’d vacated.
“You scared her away—and don’t tell me your frown was an involuntary reaction.”
“It was.”
I rolled my eyes and messed up his hair again before moving toward the hallway. “Let’s go eat, and for the love of fucking my sweet ass, please be kind. Skylar has heard enough negativity and judgment for her personality.”
“You mean immaturity,” Rhett muttered from behind me.
“Her sunshiny attitude,” I corrected him while glancing over my shoulder to find him fixing his hair again. “Give her a chance, Rhett,” I repeated. “Please.”
Lips pressed into a tight line, he nodded and followed me from our bedroom.
Skylar had set the table with precision, flatware aligned on their proper sides, glasses of wine off to the right and closer to the center than the water glass. She even had the dessert fork laying above the plates and cloth napkins folded atop to look like fans.
Surely Rhett would approve.
I lifted an eyebrow his way, but he ignored my unspoken nudge and moved to the head of the table.
Skylar came in from the kitchen, a cut-up chicken on the platter in her shaking hands.
I hurried to take it from her before she dropped it.
“Thanks,” she whispered and eyed the spread as I set the dish down. “That’s everything…”
I pulled out her chair to the left of Rhett and helped settle her before rounding around my lover to sit across from her. My grin stretched my lips even though neither of the people sitting down to dinner with me appeared happy to be there.
My mouth watered regardless of the tense silence, and I picked up the chicken platter, ready to fill my plate.
“So what did you do all day yesterday and today?” I asked Skylar and handed her the chicken.
“Um…walked on the beach? Searched online for job openings?” She made the statements more like questions as though asking if we approved of her actions, and my smile threatened to dissolve.
Talk about fucking baggage. I wanted to pull her into my arms and help her find her fiery confidence I’d caught sight of a few times with how she tilted her chin in small acts of defiance.
“Did you find anything that sounds promising?”
“There’s a grocery store a few miles away hiring baggers.”
I piled some mashed potatoes on my plate while glancing over at Rhett.
He frowned—big surprise.
At least the boy ate his veggies. Half his plate was filled with the roasted broccoli, his favorite.
“What does your resume look like?” Rhett asked, but his tone didn’t sound interested in the least.
“I don’t have one?”
Again with the question.
“That’s alright.” I smiled across the table. “We can make one together tomorrow and then we’ll drive around and fill out applications at wherever you think might be a good fit for you.”
“I used to work in a toy store.”
“Used to?” Rhett asked, and even though I appreciated his trying to converse, I didn’t like his tone or his questions.
“I was late one too many times, and my boss let me go.”
The sounds of clinking silverware on plates sounded loud as I reminded myself Rhett was exhausted and probably internally grieving the loss of his mom even if he wouldn’t acknowledge that truth.
“I saw you made pie,” Rhett surprised me by saying.
Pink flushed Skylar’s cheeks as she glanced at him. “Ashton said coconut cream was your favorite, so…” She shrugged as though what she’d done was no big deal, but her act portrayed how much she wanted to please him.
Warmth filled my chest at the way she gazed shyly at Rhett, and her obvious attraction to him enticed blood to my groin.
Rhett studied her face, and had I not known the man better, I would have thought him unmoved.
He appreciated her beauty as I’d expected he would. The lure of her innocence and lack of pretenses and games like those we surrounded ourselves with intrigued him even if he wouldn’t admit to it.
My dick swelled with optimism.
Perhaps Rhett needed to get out of his head and allow his body to respond to her draw like I expected his instincts suggested.
“Dinner is delicious, a perfect pairing for the pinot noir.” Rhett finally broke their stare off, his voice full of warmth. “Thank you.”
Skylar visibly shivered at his lowered tone, licking over her lip as Rhett’s focus shifted to his plate. She glanced across the table at me, and I winked, deepening her blush.
Hope was a heady thing.
19
Rhett
There was no denying Skylar called out to me like a sexy siren, but she’d entered my line of sight like a wrecking ball, creating havoc in my brain with every word and action.
Delicious dick—why the hell would Ash discuss our sex life with a complete stranger? Sure, how he’d describe my cock made my chest want to puff up in pride, but still.
The rest of her going-ons about how gorgeous she found me swelled my ego too, but the messing my hair? Loosening my tie?
The woman didn’t understand personal space.
You’d like to be all up in hers and bury your face between her thighs.
My jaw ticked, but I wouldn’t refute its truth. Imagining her writhing beneath me, panting against Ash’s neck made me hard.
Add in she’d baked me my favorite pie, and I wanted to cave regardless of her many shortcomings.
Impulsive.
Silly.
Unpolished as they came.
Skylar annoyed and intrigued the hell out of me in equal measure, and I felt like a rope being pulled in two directions.
She’d stirred up a neediness inside me that went beyond desiring her physically—I had a deep urge to hear assurance of Ash’s love. Pulling him against me in our bedroom before dinner had been a reaction of the sense of our foundation rocking.
I hated that she made me sense weakness inside—but it was the way Ash stared at her with longing in his eyes that twisted me up tight.
He wanted her in our bed for more reasons than my body did, and I fought the need to say no and the equally strong desire to give him everything he dreamed about.
I shoved against the barrage of thoughts clamoring for attention in my head and focused on eating the surprisingly good meal Skylar had made. Having grown up on a farm, I expected simple meat and potatoes, but she’d somehow honed her skills.
A hint of rosemary flavored the chicken, and I’d never tasted such creamy, decadent mashed potatoes. The broccoli? To fucking die for with the perfect amount of garlic that hadn’t burned while roasting, the black pepper just spicy enough to hit the tongue in all the right places.
Having promised to try at giving the ridiculous woman a chance, I asked Skylar about her background, hoping Ash didn’t think I did so merely to examine with my usual critical mind.
She eventually relaxed enough that her smile returned as the three of us talked like any other threesome date Ash and I had gone on. Their connection was as obvious as the air I filled my lungs with, as potent as the rich wine cleaning my palate.
It went beyond both of them having twin siblings, like their souls had already somehow intertwined through intimacy I knew they hadn’t yet shared. He was already besotted with the woman, that much was clear with how he stared at her and gave her his full attention.
I almost walked out a few times as they got caught up speaking to one another, leaving me on what felt like the outskirts of their own little world. My usual self-control had me biting my tongue on more than one occasion to one-up the whirlwind of a girl who’d shaken my life’s footing. I wanted to snarl at her that Ash belonged to me, but being vocally possessive would reveal my weakness.
I couldn’t have that.
The way her fork slid past her lips, the flick of her tongue over the lower…how her mouth lightly touched her wine glass’s rim drew my focus over and over, dissolving my tightened guts time and again.
It would be easy to allow the lust I experienced for her to overrule my better sense.
She didn’t appear or sound manipulative. Like Ash had stated, Skylar seemed genuine and sweet, uninterested in games like some of the money-hungry women we’d interacted with over the previous couple of years.
She also leaned forward and listened intently to every word Ash spoke, validating whatever emotions he so willingly shared.
But I didn’t smile or allowed myself to admit she was a breath of fresh air.
The first bite of the pie she’d made for me wrecked me—enticed a moan from my lungs and brought silence to the table.
I glanced over to find Skylar staring, pupils swelling and pink flushing her unpainted cheeks.
Well fuck.
Clearing my throat, I shifted to ease the sudden ache in my groin. “Best coconut cream pie I’ve ever tasted.”
Her face beamed like a burst of sunlight through the clouds, and I swallowed back another groan attempting to rise from my chest. It physically hurt to pull my focus off her beauty, but pie made it easier.
I stuffed myself until I didn’t want to move.
The three of us cleaned up together, and I refused to admit how easily Skylar fit in our space, flitting around the kitchen while tidying up and putting everything away exactly where she’d found it without fail.
Ash had warned me she had difficulty focusing, but she seemed to have no issues once she set her mind on a task.
I could appreciate that in a woman…
“It’s still early,” Ash said when we finished up. “Want to have another glass of wine and cool off in the pool?”
While I’d have preferred to pass the fuck out, Skylar’s smile lit the goddamn room. She glanced at me, pink once more flushing her cheeks. “Um…sure? If you’re up for it, Rhett? I can imagine you must be exhausted.”
“I’m fine.” A lie, but what else was new?
“Another bottle of pinot noir?” Ash asked, bending to open the wine fridge.
“Riesling,” Skylar and I both replied as one.
My lips twitched, but I fought off the smile, same as the first time we’d agreed on the choice of wine to go with our dinner.
Heat still clung to the air and the pavers of our patio when Ash and I let ourselves outside. We had both changed into swimming trunks even though I had no intention of getting in the water.
I settled into a lounger facing the pool and ocean beyond, enjoying the slight breeze that came with the crashing of waves along the beach while I popped the cork on the riesling.
Three glasses in hand, Ash leaned down, and I tipped back my head, offering my mouth. He kissed me gently, a lingering of lips without intent to take things further.
“Thank you.”
I knew what he meant and simply nodded while pouring into the glasses he held. Not bothering with being skimpy, I filled all three to the brim, emptying the bottle.
“Would you mind if I invited her into our bed tonight?” Ash asked quietly.
“I’m too tired to fuck,” I stated the honest truth even though thoughts of the three of us definitely interested my body.
“How about pleasuring her?”
“I’ll probably pass out the second my head hits the pillow, but if not…” I shrugged, knowing very damn well my bed and his presence would give me the sleep I craved after almost a week of living in a damn hotel room.
Ash hesitated, glancing at the house.
“As long as you’re in the middle,” I said, “I don’t mind what goes down tonight. Just…keep your dick to yourself unless I’m awake and involved.”
Ash leaned over and kissed me again. “Love you.”
“You too.” I sipped my wine, the tangy sweetness slid down my throat, and I sat back, stretching my legs out in front of me.
The French door opened behind us, and Ash grinned at the sight of our houseguest. Heat flushed through me, but it wasn’t arousal—it accompanied that fucking dry throat shit I’d had going on since we got home.
What the fuck?
Frowning, I took a large gulp of my wine.
We needed to have a serious discussion about moving forward outside the sexual draw which I couldn’t deny. Not having a plan set into place for a future relationship or even knowing Skylar’s thoughts on how to get her feet under her didn’t encourage relaxation in my muscles.
She entered my periphery, stealing my breath.
Rather than the itty-bitty bikini I’d expected she would tempt us with, a modest one-piece covered her pale skin. But the moonlight kissed along her curves, making her glow with a radiance that caused me to hunger for a taste.
“Come on.” Ash gave her one glass and laced their free hands together. “We can sit on the seat cut into the pool’s side.”
Skylar glanced at me as though questioning if I wanted to join.
I’d had a long as fuck day and wasn’t in the mood to entertain or flirt even if my dick could easily be persuaded. “Go on.”
I brooded as they settled onto the water-covered seat, giggling quietly about something. They clinked their glasses together and sipped, and I bit back a moan as Ash held Skylar’s wine so she could twist up her hair and reveal her long, slender neck.
My mouth drooled to latch on and mark her delicate skin.
Dick once more swelling, I took a good swallow of my wine, staring as the two angled closer, getting cozy as fuck.
Underwater lights illuminated their bodies, giving me a clear view of Ash’s hand on her thigh and how her nipples hardened at his touch.
I sipped again, turned on as fuck yet thoroughly exhausted.
Skylar Larsen wasn’t exactly the type of woman I wanted in our lives, a seemingly live wire of emotion who unsettled…and I’ll admit scared the hell out of me.
Ash leaned in and whispered in her ear.
Skylar’s gaze shot to me. That luscious shade of pink rose across her cheekbones again before she once more faced Ash.
He looked at me, and I could all but hear his question.
Do you mind if I kiss her?
I nodded, bracing myself for whatever negative feelings attempted to tear me apart from the inside out.
20
Skylar
Ashton touched my cheek and leaned in, erasing all thoughts of anything but the softness of his lips, the sweetness of his exhaled sigh.
I could feel the potency of Rhett’s stare as powerfully as I did Ashton’s tongue when he licked into my mouth. Arousal swept through my blood, thoroughly heating my core, and I whimpered, trying to shift closer when we already touched thigh to thigh.
