Bigger Than the Sky (Serenity Point) (17 page)

“I want you back,” he informs me and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me.

“Aidan, it was over between us before it started since you forgot to inform me that you were married. There’s nowhere this can go anymore.”

He puts his hands on my shoulders and I tense wanting him out of my space. “But we were good together.”

I take a step away from him making his hands drop. “No,” I say shaking my head. “It can only be good if both people are honest with each other. Go fix your marriage, Aidan, and leave me out of it.”

I turn and go out the doors still shaking my head at his audacity.

When I get to my condo, I go inside and instantly notice how quiet it is. This has been my home for the past five years yet I feel like a stranger as I look around at all my things. The furniture’s nice but it’s not anything I really love like my new end tables back at the garage. When I first moved in, I’d picked things out of necessity not really style, but I’d liked it all at the time. Now as I take it all in, it just doesn’t feel right anymore.

I go to my bedroom and pack more clothes, making sure to grab my vibrator because Kade has awakened Amelia 2.0, and I think I’m probably going to need it since I’ll no longer be getting serviced by him because he’s obviously playing the field which I can’t tolerate. Going back through the living room, I unplug a lamp to take with me, and having a last look around, see there’s not much else I need. Weird. I’d once thought of this place as my sanctuary, but now it just feels lonely.

When I leave, I lock the door and go to my car to load everything then frown when I realize that my little apartment at Hale’s feels more like home than my condo does.

~~~

I go on a shopping spree before leaving Richmond, picking up all kinds of unnecessary items with which to decorate my apartment and the garage. I have no earthly idea why I’m doing this since I’ll be leaving soon, but I justify it by thinking that I’ll sleep there when I go back to Serenity Point to check on things. Yeah, that makes sense. And the inside needs a little spicing up for the customers anyway.

I next stop at the mall and buy some new jeans and a couple sweaters and after leaving there, I stop by my favorite lingerie store because you can never have enough lingerie, right? Sexy underwear just makes you feel better about yourself and I’m going to be feeling very good about myself for a while because I think I almost bought the place out.

Before leaving town, I stop to eat at one of my favorite restaurants. I know I’m stalling because I don’t want to get back to Serenity Point too soon and chance running into Kade. Yep. I know I’m being a chicken. Do I care? Can’t say that I do. I just don’t want to be hurt anymore.

As I eat my dinner, I try to think reasonably about everything. I wonder if I’m being too suspicious of him. I mean, the other night I’d thought he’d been kissing Peyton and had been wrong, so could I be wrong about the woman at Mags’? I’ve known him for over twenty years and think I know his character, but the old Kade would never have put up with Peyton’s shit like he is now. Speaking of that situation, it’s just too weird. Did she have something on him? What the hell could it be?

God, my brain is going to explode with all the crap running through it. It was never this friggin’ busy when I was working on accounts. Jeez.

I leave Richmond around nine. On the way, I realize it’s been a relatively quiet day. No one’s called or texted which has been kind of nice. I pull my phone out to call Cassie and see that I’ve got five missed calls, three voicemails and four text messages from Kade. Damn it. I forgot I’d turned the volume off when I went to my office. As I drive, I listen to the voicemails and read the texts, all of them wondering where I am and would I please give him a call.

“Hey,” I say when he answers.

“Where the hell are you?” he asks gruffly which makes me frown.

“Well, if it’s any of your business, I’m on my way back from Richmond,” I reply snippily.

“What were you doing there?”

“How about a little quid pro quo here?” I ask.

“Meaning?”

“You tell me why you put up with Peyton and I’ll tell you what I was doing,” I answer, thinking that’s fair enough.

I hear him sigh into the phone. “Mill, I plan on telling you, just not now.”

Man, it must be something big for him to be holding back so much.

“Fair enough.”

“When will you be back?” he asks.

“In an hour. But I was just about to call Cass and see what she was doing. Maybe stop by her place on my way in.”

“Need to see you when you get into town.”

“Okay. I’ll text you when I get there,” I say and hang up. Yep, he and I are going to have to do some talking because I need answers.

Chapter 15

“Yo,” Cassie answers when I call.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, I may or may not be recovering from an amazing sexual encounter I had last night.”

I squeal. “What? You and Jeremy?”

“No, Henry Cavill showed up in that smokin’ hot Superman suit expressing his undying love for me and I couldn’t resist. He’s my Kryptonite.”

“Smartass,” I say laughing. “So what happened?”

“Well, when a man and a woman like each other…”

“Cass!”

Now she’s laughing. “I had him over for dinner and, well, one thing led to another and we ended up having amazing, fabulous, down and dirty sex. And let me tell you, there’s nothing wrong with that man. No weird fetishes or anything unless you call total alpha dominance weird. God, Mill, he made me come four times.”

“Yay! I’m so happy for you! Hey, I’m about forty minutes out. Wanna have a beer or ten when I get to town?”

“Where’ve you been?”

“Went to Richmond to check on some things.”

“Okay. Yeah, come on by or do you wanna go to Jen’s?” she asks.

“Not sure. I just need a drink. Wait. Do you think I could be like a closet alcoholic? I’ve drunk more since I’ve been back than I have in the last five years.”

Cass snorts. “Seriously? Mill, when’s the last time you took a vacation?”

“Uh…”

“Exactly. God, give yourself a break. You deserve to cut loose and have some fun.”

      
“Best friend ever,” I tell her.

“Ditto,” she returns.

“We’ll have lots of fun together in AA.”

“Hi, my name is Cassie and this bitch turned me into an alcoholic. It works.”

I laugh. “And vice versa. Okay, which do you prefer, your place or Jen’s?”

“Let’s do Jen’s. That way if you get drunk you don’t have to drive,” she explains.

“What about you?”

“Oh, I’ll just call on a certain fireman to see if he can assist me,” she says with a giggle.

I smile and shake my head. “Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Got it. Drive safe!” she says and we hang up.

~~~

I pull up to Hale’s and unload my car, taking everything inside then take a quick shower. I dress in one of my new sweaters, a steel blue cashmere one that hangs off one shoulder, loosely tucking the front into my skinny blue jeans then pull on my gray suede Louboutin ankle boots. I top it all with a black wool mini blazer and feeling playful put my hair into a high ponytail.

I leave to walk to Jen’s and text Kade to tell him where I’ll be but get no answer back. Whatever. He’s probably busy with Lola McBoobrubber. Inside Jen’s, I see that Cassie’s already there, motioning me over.

“Good lord,” I say when I make it to her table shrugging out of my jacket as I take in all the drinks she’s ordered. “Celebrating?”

“Four for you, four for me. Tonight we’re drinking to great sex,” she says with a grin.

“Damn. I feel I must partake of these or I’ll curse myself into never having good sex again.” I laugh.

She points to the drinks picking each one up and doing that hand model thing as she tells me what they are. “Here we have a Sex on the Beach.” She sets it down and picks up another. “Next is a Dirty Redheaded Slut.”

“In honor of you, right?”

“Hey!” She smacks me on the arm making me giggle. “But you’re right. That’s so me.” She also giggles then continues pointing to drinks. “This is a Leg Spreader,” she wiggles her eyebrows at me, “and last is a Blow Job.”

“Nice,” I say, duly impressed.

She picks up the Sex on the Beach as do I, we clink our glasses together and drink.

There’s a band that’s comprised of four older men and a woman all from town who I recognize but can’t place their names and they’re pretty good. Lots of couples are on the floor slow dancing to the jazz they’re playing.

“So tell me about last night,” I say.

“First of all, you must know, he’s huge!” she says and claps her hands excitedly, which makes me laugh.

“No shit?”

“No shit. Biggest I’ve had,” she answers with a nod.

“Good for you. I know they say size doesn’t matter, but in my limited experience, I’d have to disagree with that little adage.”

“Hear fuckin’ hear,” she says downing her drink. “That was good. Which one next?”

I finish mine and say, “Might as well go in order.” I hold up the Dirty Redheaded Slut shooter and make a toast. “Be good. And if you can’t be good, be good at it.” We grin at each other, knock our drinks together then toss them down.

“So, as much as I don’t wanna hear about my brother, tell me what’s going on with you two.” My face flushes and she points at me. “You did it! You were ready for ‘all of him.’” She snorts.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah. We did. Yesterday afternoon. And then he went on a date last night.”

She jerks her head back. “What?”

I huff out a breath. “I ate at Mags’ by myself last night. A woman in the booth behind me got a call from him and she asked him if they were going out. After hanging up with him, she talked to her friend about how it was their third date and how she hoped they’d sleep together.”

Cass narrows her eyes at me. “What’d this woman look like?”

I shrug. “Gorgeous. Blonde. Knockout body. Big tits.”

“Hm.” She purses her lips trying to figure out who it was. “I’ll find out what the asshole’s up to.” She nods and makes me love her even more for always having my back. “Okay. On that cheery bit of news, we need something hard. Leg Spreader it is!” We pick up the cocktails and hold them up. “May all our ups and downs be under the covers!”

We both giggle then take a drink.

“Holy shit. What’s in this? I taste tequila and vodka?” I say shaking my head and making a face, sticking out my tongue.

“Gin and rum too, I think,” she adds making the same face I do.

“I see why these are called Leg Spreaders because they make you want to spread your legs where you’re sitting and puke between them. Ick!” I say and I’m still making the face when Mike walks up to our table.

“Ladies. I see your drinks are tasting great,” he says with a chuckle. Cass holds hers out to him and when he takes a sip, I see he barely keeps from making a face too. “Damn. You two are serious tonight, huh? What’s going on?”

“We’re celebrating great sex,” Cassie explains taking her drink back from him. “Leg Spreader,” she explains, nodding at it before taking another drink and getting a sour look on her face again.

He looks at me, brow raised, and I shrug with a smirk.

“Nice,” he says in approval. “So, can I have this dance?”

I’m taking another sip when Cassie kicks me under the table making me give her a look.

“He’s asking you,” she says, jerking her head toward Mike.

I look at him in surprise and see him waiting for my answer. “Oh. Oh! I thought you were talking to Cassie.”

He shakes his head slowly, grinning at me. “So?”

I look at her in question and she shrugs. “Go for it.” She suddenly grins and winks at me, which makes me narrow my eyes at her wondering what she’s up to.

“Sure,” I tell Mike. I cut my eyes again at her before hopping down off my barstool but she just smirks. Hm. Mike takes my hand as we walk toward the floor and I feel the alcohol kicking in and I can’t say that I hate it. I’d kind of like to dwell in I Don’t Give a Shit Land for a bit tonight instead of thinking myself to death.

The band’s playing “Moonlight in Vermont” and Mike spins me, still holding my left hand in his right one then wraps his other arm around my waist, pulling me in close. Uh, okay. We sway slowly to the music not speaking a word and it’s very intimate, making me a little uncomfortable, but he’s Kade’s friend, so I don’t think anything of it because of “Guy Code” and all that.

Then I remember Sydney and pull back and say, “Oh, yeah! I have a friend I work with in Richmond you might be interested in. That is, if you don’t have a girlfriend.”

He looks down at me with a half grin that’s pretty sexy. “You’re cute.” He then brings me back against him and says low in my ear, “You and Kade don’t work out, gimme a call.”

I move my head back in surprise looking up at him. And it’s at that time that I figure out why Cass was grinning and winking at me before I got out here because I see Kade now standing at the side of the floor, arms crossed, his eyes about to burn a hole through Mike. Oh, boy. The song ends just then so we walk over to him.

“Hey, man, just taking care of your girl,” Mike says, his eyes boring into Kade’s. Well, crap. What the heck’s going on now? They stare at each other for a beat and I’m about to ask them if I should get out the scales to see whose balls weigh the most when Mike finally breaks their stalemate, looks down at me and smiles. “Thank you for the dance, Amelia.”

He walks away and I’m left there with one pissed off man who’s now staring down at me, and I run out of patience. “What?” I ask, crossing my arms too, looking up at him.

The band starts playing “It Never Entered My Mind” by Miles Davis and a pang of sadness suddenly hits me. I know these songs because when I was little Papaw told me I needed to know them, and he’d play them and dance me around the garage telling me, “This is real music, Millie bug.”

Kade must see the sadness on my face because he takes me in his arms and leads me out on the floor then holding my right hand, tucks it against his chest as we move slowly to the music.

“Was worried about you today,” he says quietly as we sway.