Learning To Fly

by Melissa Snark

  “I’ll call Doctor Malome to come out and look her over as soon as I get home.” He placed the young bird within the carrier and secured the door. “Ms. Claeys, she’ll have to ride back on your lap. Will that be all right?”

  Cassandra’s gaze flew to his face; she lit with childlike eagerness. “More than all right. I’d love to hold her.”

  Her reaction pleased him more than he wanted to admit though he took care to conceal it. If she suspected the intensity of his interest, then she might return to acting wary about him.

  “Thanks for coming out on such short notice,” Deputy Boggins said, seeing them to the pickup truck. The lawman raised one hand in farewell.

  “My pleasure, Stan. Have a good evening, and say hi to Stella for me.”

  Cassandra waited until they were on the road before she giggled and turned to him. “Stan and Stella?”

  He chuckled. “Sometimes, life is as strange as fiction.”

  ****

  Late evening found Kyle in the outbuilding where he maintained an aviary. A weight bench and various free weights occupied the other half of the building and served as a small home gym. On a usual day, he ran in the morning and worked with weights in the evening as part of his physical fitness regimen.

  “Need a spotter?” Kieran’s voice came from an area outside of Kyle’s field of vision.

  “Nah, I’m good.” He grunted as he pushed the barbell into the air. Sweat beaded his brow and the bare skin of his upper body. The corded muscles of his arms and chest jumped with each repetition, and his abs bunched and tightened as he completed the motion and settled the barbell back on the rack.

  “What’s up?” Kyle sat up and regarded his brother who lounged against the doorframe. From the look of him, Kieran had a purpose. He exuded tension beneath an otherwise casual demeanor. Kyle stood and reached for a towel. He used it to dry off and watched with veiled amusement as Kieran paced the small area between the gym and the aviary.

  “Shelly told me you have a new bird.” Kieran approached the enclosure to get a better look at the injured hawk. The raptor roosted on a stump remnant at the back of the cage. Her feet were wrapped in bandages. At the man’s approach, her eyes opened and she stirred on her perch.

  “A juvenile red-tail hawk. She got entangled in barbed wire. Sal’s already been out to check her over.” Kyle watched his brother instead of the hawk. The skin about Kieran’s eyes pinched, his jaw clenched, and his shoulders tensed.

  Kieran paid the hawk cursory interest; animals didn’t interest him much. Kyle waited, expecting his brother to get around to the reason for his visit in his own time. Kieran never did anything without a reason.

  “You missed dinner,” Kyle said in a clear statement of the obvious. Maybe a conversation starter would prompt Kieran on his way.

  “I had business in town.”

  “How’s Tess doing?”

  Kieran shot a sharp look from beneath a drawn brow. “She’s fine. How the hell did you know I’m still seeing Tess?”

  Kyle smirked. “I have my sources.”

  “Does Shelly know?” The prospect brought beads of perspiration to Kieran’s upper lip.

  Kyle laughed. “No, and you’d better hope she doesn’t find out or she’ll have your wedding planned faster than you can say Jack Robinson.”

  “Marriage isn’t a word, it’s a sentence.”

  Kyle chuckled and let it go. His brother wasn’t the only one who watched his step around Shelly Arthur. The tiny Irish housekeeper had stepped into the role of surrogate mother to the boys when their parents had been killed in a car accident while they were still teenagers.

  Kieran made a deliberate change of topic. “I hear that dinner’s not all I missed.”

  “The new illustrator arrived today,” Kyle said. “Did Shelly give you an earful?”

  “More than I wanted to know.” Kieran’s voice emerged as a throaty grumble, communicating his irritation. “I thought she wasn’t due until next week?”

  “She wasn’t.” Kyle frowned. Cassandra’s jumpy behavior crossed his mind again. There were other incongruities that bothered him—small pieces of a puzzle that added up to a picture of something not quite right.

  A meaningful look passed between the brothers. As always, Kieran read more than Kyle would have chosen to reveal. “What’s wrong?” Kieran asked.

  “Nothing specific I can put a finger on.”

  “Something’s bugging you.”

  Kyle pursed his lips. Whether he wanted to discuss the matter or not, excluding Kieran wasn’t an option. His brother had a reputation for being relentless once he caught a scent. Better to manage the situation than ignore it.

  “Cassandra didn’t bring any bags other than a purse. Not even an overnight bag. The job is going to take at least a month, probably longer.”

  “Sounds like she picked up and left in a hurry from…Where’s she from?”

  “San Francisco.”

  “Anything else?” Someone who didn’t know Kieran might have mistaken his neutral tone for indifference, but it meant the opposite.

  Kyle hesitated. His suspicion strayed from facts into speculation, and possibly a realm that violated Cassandra’s privacy. If her behavior earlier that evening hadn’t disturbed him so much, he would never have divulged as much as he already had to his nosy brother.

  Kieran, ever savvy to emotional nuances, didn’t push. He waited.

  “She seems jumpy,” Kyle said at last. “Nervous.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “No idea.” Kyle shook his head, aware he wore a scowl, uncaring because only his brother witnessed it.

  “Do you want me to check into it?”

  Kyle stared at his brother. “No matter what I say, you’re going to anyway.”

  “Huh.” Amusement glittered in Kieran’s eyes, at odds with his stoic expression.

  “Isn’t it an abuse of company resources to run background checks for your family?”

  Kieran snorted. “I own the company.”

  Kyle clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Right. You’ll let me know what you find out.”

  “Sure.”

  Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He closed tired eyes and tried to dismiss the guilt plaguing him. “Tomorrow then, or will it take longer?”

  “It won’t take long. We can talk again tomorrow.” His brother left as quickly as he’d arrived, but the tension remained.

  ****

  Despite her exhaustion, Cassandra found that unpleasant memories surfaced after dark. As if the stillness of her body permitted her mind to go into overdrive. Her imagination conjured her worst fears and sleep retreated ever farther from her reach.

  Following an hour of tossing and turning, she abandoned the bed and gave up on falling asleep anytime soon. She turned on the table lamp beside the bed and slipped from beneath the covers. Without any changes of clothes, she’d resorted to sleeping in the nude and shivered when the cool air of the room hit her bare skin. She reached for the white terrycloth bathrobe and pulled it on. The robe had appeared in her room while she’d been out with Kyle rescuing the hawk. Shelly, bless her generous heart.

  This was uncomfortable, experiencing insomnia in a strange house. The silence felt louder for the assortment of unknown noises beyond her bedroom walls. She couldn’t very well prowl the hallways, watch television, or raid the fridge like she would have done at home. After some thought, she decided to get some fresh air to clear her head.

  Double French doors connected her room to a wide balcony that wrapped around the second story of the house. She took care to leave one of the doors propped open a couple inches so she couldn’t be locked out. Of all the embarrassing things she could envision trying to explain, that would be worse than being caught wandering the house in the middle of the night.

  Despite the fact that it was a summer evening, the nippy night air caused her to shiver. Cassie drew the robe closer and crossed her arms, bur
ying her hands in the sleeves to form a makeshift muff. Her bare feet were cold, but not cold enough to drive her back inside. A brisk breeze blew in off the ocean. The moon and stars shimmered brilliantly against the black velvet backdrop. She couldn’t see the ocean, but she stargazed for a while and listened to the soothing roar of the waves.

  Curiosity got the better of her and she strolled along the balcony to see how many other rooms connected to it. She passed another set of French doors, closed and blinds drawn, and then two more entrances, also shut but without coverings. She reached the end of the balcony and stopped. For the first time, it occurred to her that the sound of her pacing might reach slumbering ears and disturb the other residents of the house.

  Cassie started back to her room and had made it almost halfway when light spilled through the glass doors of the third room. She froze in her tracks, less than a foot from the white rectangle. Darkness enshrouded her, concealing her presence, but she couldn’t return to her room without passing in front of the doorway and risking discovery.

  Biting her lower lip, she peered into the room, intending to steal a peek just to be sure the coast was clear. Then, a quick dash and she’d be home free, safe to return to her bedroom and the comfortable bed with only her personal demons to keep her company. Her jaw dropped and her gaze caught on the room’s sole inhabitant—Kyle.

  As she watched, he emerged from the bathroom and crossed to the closet. His damp hair was in tousled disarray and moisture glistened on his bare shoulders and chest. His tanned skin shone golden brown in the incandescent light. He walked with a sensuality that drew attention to his killer legs, a sexual confidence that alluded to his skill as a lover. Maybe her imagination had built him up to a level that no mere man could hope to fulfill, but god damn, she would love to give him the opportunity to try.

  Her mouth and throat went dry, and she stopped breathing until the pressure built in her lungs and she gasped for fresh air. Perspiration broke out across her skin. The heat flush made her armpits damp and itchy. She could feel the wet heat between her thighs, and the awareness made her squirm. Her lack of panties and the slide of her bare thighs together worsened her need. Her nipples hardened to buds and brushed against the robe, just begging for attention.

  Even though she knew better, Cassie couldn’t look away. As an artist, her appreciation of his beauty was a simple matter of ascetics; as a woman, it was primal. Kyle’s six-foot frame was beautiful in its proportion. Broad chest and defined pecs, lean hips framed washboard abs. His limbs were lean and athletic. An enticing trail of dark hair bisected his stomach, leading downward from his navel and disappearing into the white fabric swathed about his hips. A simple tuck, or maybe just a miracle defiance of gravity, allowed the strip of cloth to remain on his body.

  Dear God, was that a postage stamp or a towel?

  Her speculation proved irrelevant. He turned to face the closet and opened it. The towel dropped to the floor, revealing the tightest ass she had ever laid eyes on. She could have bounced quarters off those cheeks, and her mouth watered at the image. The man’s buttocks were round and smooth. Perfect.

  He removed a pair of sweats from the closet and pulled them on. Before Cassie recovered her scattered thoughts, he turned back to her. To her vast disappointment, his groin was completely covered. She released an exaggerated sigh. Maybe next time? When he started toward the double French doors, her pulse jumped to overtime. Doe-like, she froze in place, expecting him to yank the doors open and leap out at her with a shouted “Ah-ha!”

  When he pulled the curtains closed, Cassie almost collapsed in relief. She released her held breath with a huff, and then scurried back to her room. She shed her robe, draped it across the foot of the bed, and climbed naked under the covers. Her safe return left her right back where she had started—wide awake. Only her little stroll on the wild side had made matters worse, now horny and restless in addition to being a nervous wreck. Five years of abstinence had taken its toll.

  Determined to find some sort of relief, she rolled over onto her stomach. The crisp sheets created a delicious hint of friction against her nipples and her weight crushed her breasts in a satisfactory way. Almost, but not quite enough. Panting, she slid her hand between her body and the bed and closed her eyes tight.

  Cassie squirmed and gasped at the first brush of her fingers against the outer folds of her pussy. Oohh, cold! She pressed her hand against her stomach and waited for it to warm up. As she lay there, she mellowed a bit, allowing her mind to roam, and some of the stress drained away, though none of the sexual desire. If anything, her arousal grew sharper and heightened her need.

  She had a photographic memory, and she used it to summon the naked image of Kyle to her mind’s eye. She envisioned the beautiful lines of his sublime physique and imagined sketching him nude. What began as a drawing morphed into a more intimate fantasy, and she sculpted the flawless planes and angles of his body. With her hands, she explored and discovered every delicious inch of him.

  Warmed at last, Cassie slipped one finger between her thighs and tested her wetness. She rocked her fingertip against her clit and gasped as her eyelids fluttered open and then shut again. Her initial tentative exploration was too soft to satisfy but it created a promising spark. She thought of Kyle’s hands, large and elegant, the long fingers of an artist, the part of him she found most attractive. She arched her hips to receive her middle finger, imagining his hands between her thighs.

  The penetration of the single digit felt delicious, and the tight folds of her pussy grabbed hold and squeezed. She gasped for breath and her hips bucked. Flickers of light flashed behind her eyelids, but it wasn’t the fire she craved. Her imagination went to Kyle’s mouth, his generous lips, wicked smile, pearly teeth, and strong tongue. She added a second finger and then a third to create an impossible fullness. The pressure within her groin built and she created a rocking motion, small thrusts until her hand slid in and out of her slick core without impediment.

  Still, she craved more. Her hips lifted from the mattress, driving the side of her face against the sheet, but created enough room between her body and the bed to add her other hand. Continuing the rhythm she’d established, Cassie clung to her fantasy. Kyle sprawled across a bed, naked and willing, and hers to do with as she wished. Every stroke of her hands on his flesh was an artistic endeavor, an act of creation. The bright fire burned within her.

  She flickered the finger of her other hand against her clit and the fire burst into an inferno. Her frantic motions begged for relief. Rubbing her clit and plunging her fingers in time with the undulation of her hips, her pussy exploded in heat and a gush of moisture. She turned her face into the mattress to muffle a drawn out moan as she continued to ride the cresting wave. A blaze of pleasure scorched her and then burned down, leaving her sated and lazy.

  Chapter Three

  “You have fifteen messages. Your voicemail is full…” Cassie hit the disconnect button without retrieving her messages. The display showed eighty-three missed calls—all from a number she did not recognize.

  She ground her teeth and stared at the screen before turning the phone off. For good measure, she removed the battery and tossed everything into a drawer. Out of sight, out of mind…On some nutty level, she wanted to back a car over the device, but she recognized the insanity behind such overkill. Besides, she lacked a vehicle with which to do the crushing.

  She performed a quick inspection in the vanity mirror. Nothing could hide the dark circles under her eyes, and she did not even have foundation in her purse. She had not slept the night before. She had lain awake, one grueling hour after another, jumping at every foreign sound and cringing when shadows moved.

  With a sigh, she uncapped a tube of Strawberry Kisses lipstick. She traced the outline of her mouth and blotted with a tissue. Given a choice, she would have selected something less fruity, but her options were limited to the makeup in her purse.

  There, full red kissable lips. Would Kyle notice? After fi
ve years of therapy, was she finally ready to open her arms and her heart to any man? Lord knew, after what she’d seen last night, she had no doubts that her body was ready to welcome Kyle in.

  Cassie peered at her reflection and fluffed her hair, worn loose about her shoulders. In the reflection, her green eyes betrayed her anxiety. “Keep telling yourself that a clean face and some makeup are going to stop people from noticing your clothes…”

  She wore the same thing as the day before, and yesterday’s tumble down the side of the hill hadn’t improved her appearance. She had three small scratches on her cheek and a bruise on her temple. Not to mention the bruises on various parts of her body.

  Last night, she had washed the dirt out of her jeans and hung them to dry in the shower. Her cotton blouse showed streaks on the side and a torn sleeve. Even her white athletic shoes looked dingy.

  With a sigh, she ran a brush through her hair one last time, trying to tame the stubborn curls. Of course, she wasn’t fussing with her appearance to impress Kyle McCleod. Nope, she didn’t give a damn if the man noticed her at all. She had to forget that seductive voice, those bedroom eyes, his delicious body. She thought of him in a professional manner—as her boss.

  Yeah, right.

  “Mom would say, ‘Cassie, my love, never date a man who’s better looking than you.’” She regarded herself in the mirror again. “Mom would also tell me to throw caution to the wind and take a chance…”

  Gathering her things, she descended the stairs and made her way to the kitchen, which was a bright hub of activity and the heart of the house. Yellow curtains contrasted with orange throw rugs. An oval mahogany table that seated six served as the focal point of the room.

  Shelly whirled toward her with a chirped greeting. “Good morning, Cassandra! How did you sleep?”

  “I slept well, thank you. I love the ocean air.”

  The plump, silver-haired housekeeper swooped to pull out a chair at the kitchen table. The choice put Cassie right next to Kyle, an improbable coincidence. At ease with a coffee cup in his hand, he lounged in his chair. He wore tight-fitting blue jeans and a casual pullover. His tanned skin implied that he spent a lot of time outside. His athletic physique confirmed it.