Flying in Shadows (The Black Creek Series, Book 2) (10 page)

"Did I hear the Mustang?" Nathan asked.

He meandered into their kitchen and opened the fridge. The solid cherry wood had darkened
with the years. It covered the common vinyl door to blend with the look of the cabinets
he'd made with his own hands. Brie's heart gave a little jump as he twisted the cap
of a beer, then leaned against the wall. Gray had invaded his jet black hair and lines
formed around his eyes. She thought he looked sexier. His bold, blue eyes were presently
locked on her. Standing in bare feet, she wore a tank and cotton shorts with a short
house coat while wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Yes," he said.

She turned and thought about his statement. "He didn't look right."

Nathan meandered over to her and pressed his thumb between her brows, rubbing circles
over the creases. "Candi?"

"He wasn't sad. Not mad." She shrugged. "Different. Well, it's awfully early for him
to be home anyway. Something must have happened."

"Andy's a problem solver. He'll figure it out." Nathan craned his head to look at
her backside in her shorts. "Counter looks comfortable."

"Nathan." She put her palm in the middle of his chest. "The kids could come down."

"Sleeping." He set his beer and her on the counter and pulled her legs around him.

"Not Andy. Put me down." But she locked the tops of her feet behind him and trailed
her hands up his arms.

"Shower?"

She bit her bottom lip. "We should conserve water and share." They kissed long and
hard before chasing each other up the long, arched staircase.

Andy paced his room, hands resting on his head. He heard the shower turn on, looked
at the time and rolled his eyes.

What the hell was
that
? He kept asking himself the same questions. How did this happen? What had he been
thinking? He could still taste her. Feel her skin under his fingers. And what was
that look in her eyes? He couldn't read the expression. He had an entire conversation
with himself trying to justify going over there right then and throwing rocks at her
window. Would she answer?
Nicest person
I know
and then shut the door in his face?

He plopped down on top of his bed in his boxers, moving his linked fingers behind
his head. He would have to study for finals and catch his afternoon plane on little
rest, he realized, because sleep tonight was going to come very slow.

This was Rose, he reminded himself. But, he couldn't quit thinking of her hair, her
eyes. He would just go over there in the morning and straighten everything out. He
rolled over and eventually sleep found him. His dreams were of red silk and painted
toes resting on his dash.

* * *

With coffee in hand, Andy thoughtfully paced the kitchen floor. After looking up at
the clock for the ninth time, his aunt walked in.

She stopped and stared, then mumbled, "Hmm," while walking in front of him and pulling
down a mug. "So, how was it?"

"Stupid." He looked back out the window. The sun was up and the lake looked like glass
from the windless night. Every few seconds a bubble erupted from the depths and caused
a ripple in the calm. That was all this was, he told himself. A ripple. He looked
up at the clock again.

"Stupid?" Brie repeated. "Now you sound like your brother. What was stupid about it?"

"Huh? Oh, high school, I guess. Don't miss it. Candi took up with... with someone
else." He let the mug warm his hands as he lifted it to his mouth.

Brie quickly placed hers on the counter. "That's awful. I'm so sorry."

He stopped mid-sip and looked over the rim at her. "You sure about that, Ma?"

"Well." Brie nodded crookedly in concession. "I've never really cared for her, but
that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt."

"Relieved. Not hurt." He took another sip while looking up at the clock. Was it moving?

Brie walked over and stood next to him, shoulder to shoulder. Overtly with purpose,
she looked up at it with him. "Going somewhere?"

"Hmm? Yeah. Gonna help Rose with the mutt."

"This early? On a Sunday morning?"

"Pup gets up early, sure." He set his mug down on the granite counter with more force
than he'd intended and strode to get his jacket from the coatrack. Distracted, he
left without saying good-bye.

He could hear them in there. So, what was the big deal? It was not too early. He'd
come over a hundred times this early. Much earlier two nights ago.

Rose stirred generic brownie mix with eggs and water. "Holy crap, I'm my mother,"
she said out loud as she nervously mixed the ingredients with a fork. "And what are
you looking at?"

Charcoal sat up straight and tilted his head back and forth watching her.

"It was just a nice minute between friends. He was being thoughtful, like best friends
do." She shook her head. Best friends don't kiss. Not like
that
. She ran her hands over her face. What had she done? He started it, she reminded
herself, then sighed as her shoulders dropped. It didn't matter who started it. She
couldn't bear to lose him.

She gave up on the brownie mix and slid along a base cabinet down to the floor next
to the dog. Charcoal turned a few circles of excitement that she'd come down to his
level, and then flipped on his back for a belly rub. She scratched as she tried to
breathe. "I'm not his type," she spoke to the dog, closed her eyes and rested her
head back against the cabinet. "I just need some time to get my composure back. We'll
be back to normal soon enough."

The knock on the door was quiet, but Charcoal wasn't. A direct contrast stood between
his fierce bark and his clumsy run to the door. She followed him, thinking he was
so funny she almost felt better. When she looked through the peephole, her legs nearly
gave out. Plunking her forehead on the door, she groaned. "This isn't time enough."
More time, she needed more time. Hanging onto the knob, she took a deep breath and
opened it before turning back for the kitchen.

She heard Andy greet the puppy. That was a good sign, she decided. Normal.

He came into the kitchen but stopped at the entrance, leaning along the farthest wall.
Not a good sign. Goose bumps formed on her arms and neck. It was always so easy to
read him before. Now, she had nothing.

"Didn't your mom make brownies last night?"

Pausing for a moment, she continued to spray the pan. "How did you know about...?"
She shook her head. "They went out for breakfast. Charcoal woke everyone up early."

"Okay," he said slowly and stood looking at her. She heard him actually grunt but
was too scared to make eye contact. Instead, she sprayed the stuff for the third time.

"What was that last night?"

"What was what?" She answered his question with a question in a fast, knee-jerk reaction.

"You know what."

Reaching for the bowl, she saw her hands were shaking as she dumped in the batter.

"There was prom. There was dancing. There was you being very kind to step in for Tyler
on my porch. Thanks by the way." Clumsily, she placed the pan in the oven that was
set for five-fifty.

"Why won't you look at me?"

She shut the oven door and set both hands on the counter, elbows locked. Standing
for a long moment, her hair fell over her shoulders, safely concealing her face. It
was at that moment she realized if she answered him truthfully, they would never come
back from this. And by this time, she didn't have the resolve to make the safer decision.

"Because my legs will give out if I do." She closed her eyes as they began to fill,
never remembering feeling so scared. She willed back the tears from falling.

She felt his presence as Andy stepped to her. He tucked her hair behind an ear, leaving
her face exposed and a trail of electrically charged warmth along her cheek, over
her ear and to the tender skin at the side of her neck. His fingers traced her jawline.
She wasn't sure if she was breathing.

He took her arm from the counter by her wrist. She could feel her pulse beat beneath
his thumb. Turning her to face him, he wrapped the fingers from his other hand around
the back of her neck, under her hair.

"I see," he said. It sounded like more of a discovery than a statement. Now, she could
read him. Yes, the look in his familiar caramel eyes was easy to read. Her pulse bolted;
her breath quickened. But every piece of fear left her and was replaced with a solid
punch of anticipation.

"You've held me up enough times; let me take a turn," he whispered.

This wasn't the cautious or gentle Andy from the night before. He was urgent, eager.
Grabbing the sides of her face with his rough hands, he fused their mouths together.
But he kept his word. When her legs staggered, he held her up using his weight without
as much as a hitch in the kiss.

A beehive erupted in her heart and shot outward to every inch of her body. His tongue,
his lips... his hands. It was more than anything she could have imagined and more
than she was ready for. Her reaction to him, this time, surprised both of them. Weak
legs or not, she wrapped one arm around his neck and the other up the back of his
shirt, grasping at muscled flesh, pulling their bodies closer together. Feelings that
were new to her sprang to life as the weight of him pressed against her.

She was perfect and he was drowning. Their bodies fit like staggered bricks on a building,
their mouths like well-oiled gears that moved and worked in absolute sync. Small hums
came deep from Rose's throat. Unbelievable. Andy tightened his grip on her neck and
wrapped his other arm around her narrow waist to the small of her back. They sunk
into each other with sounds of excitement and discovery until they realized Charcoal
was half mad from being left out of the play.

Andy found it hard to kiss and smile at the same time. With the dog on hind legs,
shoving his wet nose between their bodies, Andy broke free, both of them gasping for
air.

"Mmm." Without opening her eyes to him, Rose reached a hand down to scratch Charcoal's
head.

Andy placed both hands on the sides of her face and brushed his thumbs along her jaw.

When she opened her eyes, he saw the same look he had seen the night before. Only
this time, he understood. Everything. He understood.

Charcoal pushed off them and raced for the front door. Rose sighed. "Newspaper...
or family home from breakfast."

He kept hold of her face. "Let's drive to Rochester. Lunch. No, that would still be
breakfast. You could use to be a spectator at your zoo for once."

"You have finals."

"I can study on the plane. Come with me."

A smile erupted. She nodded as they realized Charcoal wasn't barking at the paperboy.
They were still twined together in the kitchen but quickly released as the door opened.

"Brownies again?" Jessica asked as she headed toward the kitchen. "What is it with
this family and brown... oh, sorry, Andy. I didn't know you were here," she said as
she entered. "Are you trying to fast-fry the brownies?"

"Oh crap." Rose reached around him and adjusted the temperature of the oven. She smelled
amazing. It was disconcerting to hear her out of breath and working to appear uninterested.
"Mom," she called out toward the front door. "Andy and I are going to get something
to eat and hit the zoo for a while. Do you need anything while we're out?"

"No, I can't think of anything. You two have fun now."

Rose looked to him. "Ten minutes?" she mouthed.

He nodded and said good-bye to Charcoal and the Nolans before walking home. Cutting
over the creek, he passed the guesthouse his uncle was working on—the guesthouse he'd
promised to help with that weekend. Nathan would take a rain check. He would understand.
What would he say to make Nathan understand?

Shaking his head clear, Andy walked toward the back door. Brie was already in the
yard sprinkling something in the landscaping beds.

He figured he'd better stop and say something. His aunt had a knack for looking through
people. "Hey, Ma. I'm going to Rochester with Rose. I'll be back in time to make my
flight. Tell dad I'll make up for the lost help on the guesthouse, will you?"

Her eyes loosened, one brow lifted and she smiled. "Will you need a ride to the airport,
then?"

"I thought you said you were taking me?" He paused for a minute, thinking about his
plans. "Can I let you know when I get back?"

"Of course. You have awfully dark rings under your eyes. Be careful driving."

He took the deck stairs two at a time.

"It's about time," Brie mumbled as he passed.

* * *

Although the cloudless sky offered promises of warmth, the cool morning air kept Andy
from putting the top down as they drove. He handed Rose a tube of sunblock as he placed
one of her feet onto his lap. The Eighty-Nine North was quiet at this time on a Sunday
morning. Mountains stood in the distance, just then, allowing the sun to peek above
them.

"You're my best friend." Rose rotated her body to him as he drove.