Flying in Shadows (The Black Creek Series, Book 2) (9 page)

He wasn't sure how he felt about it; he guessed mostly happy for her. Rose deserved
it. Worried creases formed low on his forehead. The guys weren't looking at just her
face. The creamy, skin of her face made-up to look like she wasn't made-up. Her hair
fell like red silk around her bare shoulders.

Her legs looked long enough to reach her neck. Maybe it was the dress that hugged
her so tight it shouldn't have been allowed. Maybe it was the heels. How the hell
did she know how to walk in those shoes?

Water.

He decided he needed water and walked out to the hallway in search of a fountain.
The current senior basketball center huddled with a group of his buddies. Good. A
diversion. Time reminiscing with an old teammate would do the trick. Until Andy got
closer and heard what he was saying.

"...fuckin' see Rose Piper, man? Fuck me sideways. I could wrap those legs—"

Andy grabbed him by the throat, then shoved him against the nearest wall. His head
hit and bounced.

"Shit, dude. Sorry. I didn't know you two were—"

"We're not and neither are you." He didn't let go and instead looked around at the
other guys, many of whom he remembered. Through a glaze of red, he realized his fingers
were dug into the dude's throat. Releasing quickly, he turned to warn the others.
"That goes for all of you."

A low stream of disgusted murmurs rumbled as they meandered toward the ballroom. "Bros
before hos, man."

Andy couldn't find it in him to care. Not entirely sure how long he stood there, he
got the drink after all while waiting for his hands to stop shaking and trying to
figure out what to do. Until he admitted there was nothing
to
do.

A former point guard, also in the same take-your-old-high-school-girlfriend-to-prom
rut came as a welcome discovery. They exchanged college stories while Andy watched
Rose from the corner of his eye. Completely out of her element, Rose still beamed
and... flowed. Her dance moves weren't half bad and finally she did take off the shoes.

Rose was right, he thought, he needed to cheer up. Oh, shit, Candi. He looked around.
She wasn't dancing. Assuming she was off pouting, he walked into the hall and found
her wrapped around a blond in a white tux. Ha. How perfect. How truthfully, frigging
perfect. He felt his smile come back. The two of them went at it for a good amount
of time before bothering to see if anyone was watching. Candi looked funny in her
phony
oops
face. But when the guy turned and Andy saw it was Rose's date, he went back to seeing
red.

Tyler looked to have about six inches on him, but Andy could take him, he knew. Using
one hand, he fisted his pretty white jacket and reared back with the other. Candi
took off faster than she'd moved on Tyler, who pretended to cover his face with one
hand while using his other to throw a sucker punch to Andy's ribs.

Dumb ass little slow shit. He grabbed Tyler's fist before it reached him and squeezed
hard enough to hear a pop. "You have two choices." Andy noticed his hand tremble where
he grasped Tyler's jacket.

Tyler, too, darted his eyes down to the trembling fist. He must have had sense enough
to stand down before he came out with broken fingers.

"You can leave now or I can kick your ass. I could really use option two right about
now." He figured Tyler thought his anger came from the toss with Candi. Andy didn't
care what the hell motivation he thought he had as long as Tyler was far away from
Rose.

"Man, she told me—"

Andy let go of Tyler's hand, pulled and gave him one violent shake. "What's it gonna
be? You're not getting laid by either of them."

Realization crossed Tyler's face regarding the source of Andy's temper. He started
to grin, before looking into bulging, red eyes. "All right. All right, man." Tyler
lifted his free hand in surrender.

"I'll take care of the girls. You. Leave. Now." Smart, Andy thought, as he watched
him sprint for the front door. His nerves were fried. It felt as if it was three in
the morning, and he wanted to leave, but not before he got Rose home.

Candi played a convincing broken heart and didn't take long to weep into the arms
of the closest jock.

Andy found an empty table far away from the crowd and situated himself where he could
keep an eye on his best friend. It wasn't long before Rose made her way to him.

Sitting in the folding chair next to him, she rested her chin in the palms of her
hands. "I'm sorry."

"No need," he said.

"I won't say I told you so."

He tilted his head to her and lifted a corner of his mouth. "You just did. Looks like
you're having an all right time."

"I was. The guys are getting tipsy. I think they have flasks in their pockets." She
shrugged. "A little too touchy for me."

He doubted it was flasks she felt and made himself shake off the visual. Odd, he thought,
talking to her as they always did, in such a different setting.

Rose guessed Andy knew all about the flasks as he didn't offer a response. She was
glad she came, but honestly didn't think prom was quite cracked up to be all it was
meant to be. Absentmindedly, she took one of Andy's hands in hers. It was thick, lined
with veins and warm, very warm. He was twitching ever so slightly. That worried her.
It made her think of how the fast-talking, Andy Reed wasn't talking at all. He didn't
dance once that night and she hadn't seen him around anyone really.

She tiled her chin up and looked at him face to face. "So... you're not going to tell
me, are you," she stated.

His eyes matched the color of his caramel hair. They looked at her now with something
she didn't recognize. He offered no response to this statement either.

"You
are
the nicest person I know," she said.

He looked at their joined hands, then up to her eyes. "Tell you?"

"That my date made reservations for us upstairs tonight. Well... until both of our
dates were swallowing each other's tongues in the hallway." Why didn't this bother
her?

Andy closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "He should be glad I didn't know about the
room."

"I can take care of myself," she barked more defensively than she meant to. "I'm a
frigging black belt." She wondered if part of the reason Tyler's plans didn't bother
her was because Andy was here.

Andy shook his head. "I like you better in your Chucks. Then, I don't have to worry
about half the room wanting to bed you."

Holding onto her stomach, she bent over laughing. "Did you really just say, '
bed
me?'" She reared back. "Not screw me or take—"

"Stop!" He ran his hands over his face, then rested them clasped on top of his head.
"I'll give you a ride. I don't mind waiting."

"I'm done here. It was fun. Really. But I'm
not
doing that." She thumbed over her shoulder at the group gyrating on the dance floor.

* * *

They rode with the top down in Andy's classic Mustang convertible. Rose held her hair
around her shoulder. Her bare feet rested on his dash. "Dave will be relieved. Home
just after eleven. You should have seen him when Tyler picked me up."

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"My dad likes you. What's your deal?"

"I'm not talking about your dad."

Interesting, she thought. Looking out into the black, she thought about how she truly
did have a great day. Not the best day. She could think of better: catching her first
fish big enough to fry with Duncan and Andy, rock climbing with Andy at Catskills,
the week in Destin spent with the Reeds. She noticed a pattern and looked over at
him.

He looked so different and yet the same. A five o'clock shadow, sharp planes along
his jaw. And yet, he still had the same comfortable mannerisms. He rested a wrist
on top of his steering wheel, nodding his head slightly to the beat of the music on
the stereo. His neck was too thick for his tux shirt. He'd unbuttoned it at the top
and let his tie dangle. She looked back out at the streetlight-lit yards and convinced
herself to be content with her almost perfect day.

"That's your sad face," Andy commented.

"Not really." Discomfort filled her thoughts. Heat started at her neck and traveled
over her cheeks. She looked out the window, wishing he'd put the top down and trying
to conceal the blush erupting on her face.

At that Andy remembered what she had said about her mission for the night. Well, shit.
"How is Charcoal doing with heeling?" Distraction.

The red faded. Rose blew out a breath before answering. "Great. As long as there's
not a rabbit nearby. Or a blowing leaf. Or as long as his tail doesn't come into view."
They spoke of lost puppy teeth and chewed shoes.

Charcoal must have been sleeping. The porch light was off and the house was quiet
as they strolled up the walk. He loved the way her lips twitched when she was nervous
and thought about why they were at that moment. Reaching the door, he turned to face
her, watching her mouth as she spoke. Without thinking it through, he moved toward
her in one, small step and inhaled. He smelled peaches.

Lifting her sandwich-sized purse close to her face, Rose fumbled for her keys in the
dark. "Thanks for watching out for me tonight, although I didn't need it. And for
the ride, because I
did
need it." With keys in hand and shoes in the other, she looked up. Her blue eyes
opened wide and blinked.

He set his hands on her shoulders. Soft and smooth. The twitching from her lips seemed
to travel through her, making the firm muscles in her shoulders flex beneath his hands.
"When did cute turn into beautiful?" he asked.

With lips pressed firmly together, the twitching changed to trembling.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rose all but squeaked.

His eyes traveled back down to her full lips. Decisions. "You're eighteen." He stepped
forward again, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
"You're not going in without being kissed on your damned prom night, on your damned
porch."

"Oh." She tightened her lips a bit more, then confessed, "I'm nervous."

"Yes," he answered in basic acknowledgement.

Grinding her teeth, her breath quaked before she threatened, "If you laugh, I swear—"

"You'll kick my ass; I know." When he was close enough to feel the cool breeze from
her breath, he whispered, "Chicken." She closed her eyes and tilted her head. Inviting.

Accepting the invitation, he brushed his lips to hers. Testing. An odd mixture of
curiosity and longing twined together as he waited for a discomfort that didn't come.
Andy sunk into those familiar lips that felt as soft and full as they looked. Waves
of heat flowed from where their mouths mingled and from where his hands rested gently
on her shoulders. It encompassed him. He wondered what the hell he
was
doing and why oddly he didn't care.

She was just the right amount of firm, the right amount of moist. The feeling of her
shoulders quaking beneath his hands reminded him not to take her in too quickly.

Moving together as if they'd done this always, he carefully parted her lips with his
and gently dove in. She tasted like Rose. Wild, sassy... fire. She tasted like home.
Easy... familiar. Dizzying. He breathed in her scent as their lips and tongues moved
together. Something warm, yet sharp woke in his heart.

Careful not to startle her, he kept his hands on her shoulders as their heads tilted
and their mouths melted into one another. The bare skin of her arms was as soft and
as firm as her lips. Resisting the urge to run his hands down her bare back, he felt
hers move to rest on his sides. He pulled closer. Her small, toned body fit along
the length of his.

It was like a well-rehearsed dance. Noses and teeth weren't bumped unless they were
meant to. He lost some resolve and ran his hands slowly over her shoulders, gliding
them along her neck. He wasn't sure how long they stood there moving together on her
damned porch. Or when they should come up for air.

First kiss. He forced himself to keep it simple. So many thoughts swirled in his head.
Feelings, needs. So much made sense to him now.

Damn it. Now was definitely the time to pull back.

He opened his eyes with her face in his hands, then kissed her once more gently. She
kept hers closed for a few more staggering moments before looking up at him.

Her face was different. Serious? Scared?

She blinked twice and shook her head.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she raised her shoes and jingled the keys.
Still breathing fast, she rolled her shoulders before looking back up at him. "Nicest
person I know. Thanks, Andy." She turned the lock and stepped inside, before giving
a small wave and shutting the door.

He smelled warm chocolate.

Chapter 8