“Mr. Foreman?” she asked when she finally reached him.
“Andie!” he exclaimed, and pulled her into a tight hug. Oddly enough, any sparks she had felt when he touched her had disappeared. “It is so good to see you! You’ve got an excellent gathering here, and all for a good cause. And how many times have I told you to call me Simon? We’re not in high school anymore. I am not your teacher.”
“Right,” she said as a blush touched her face. “Simon.”
He smiled at that and she grinned back.
“Oh, and congratulations on your relationship,” he told her, a genuine spark in his blue eyes. “Is he here?”
“Oh yeah,” Andie said, nodding. “He’s somewhere in the crowd.”
“Andie, I would love to stay and chat,” Simon told her, sincerity making his tone sound almost like velvet, “but I have to get going. Why don’t we catch up sometime next week? Go and grab lunch together or something?”
“Absolutely,” Andie told him. “I would love that.”
When Simon left, Andie maneuvered through the crowd with the sole intent on finding her boyfriend. She didn’t know why, but she had the sudden desire to be close to him, to enjoy his presence before Vanessa took him away from her next week. At least the wretch had to decency not to show up today.
Andie found him still talking to those football players, and without fully comprehending what she was doing, she walked right up to him and pulled him into a kiss midsentence.
Though Jack was surprised, he kissed her back. When she pulled away slightly, he saw something in her eyes that made him pause. A microscopic sparkle that reflected desperation shone in her eyes at that moment. Was this what she was hiding from him? Was this what Beverly meant?
She didn’t know why she was feeling off, but at that moment, she was. “I love you,” she murmured against his lips before pulling back slightly. “I just wanted to tell you that.”
Once Jack and Andie returned home, Beverly already had dinner on the table for the couple. Since both were comfortable in their casual clothing, neither went upstairs to change. Instead, Jack took his usual place at the head of the table, and Andie took a seat at his left.
Dinner was absolutely delicious. Andie usually wasn’t quite fond of chicken, but whatever Beverly cooked, Andie craved. Her lips curled up as she took another bite of her mashed potatoes, and then downed it with a cool glass of milk.
“You did absolutely amazing, Andie,” Jack said, between bites of his own food. He cast a look over at her and gave her a proud smile, causing Andie’s heart to flutter. Though she and Jack had known each other for several months, he still managed to cause her senses to work overtime. “There were so many people there, and many seemed really interested in either adopting or donating.”
Andie smiled warmly before taking another sip of her milk. “I know,” she murmured demurely. “I couldn’t believe how many people were there. I ran into a bunch of people I couldn’t even imagine I would meet there. Gabe came-”
“What kind of name is Gabe anyways?” Jack drawled, giving Andie a lazy look.
“It’s biblical,” Andie retorted, clearly knowing the tone of his voice. “Anyways, a few of my friends from high school were there, along with their families. Actually, I couldn’t believe how many people I knew there had families…” She frowned at this, pushing her brows down. “Anyways, that’s beside the point.” She faltered a bit, not exactly sure if she should go on about running into both Lucas Burr and Simon Foreman and scheduling meetings with both of them next week. She looked down at her nearly empty plate, deciding not to, just yet. She wanted to make sure she said it the right way in hopes to avoid eliciting Jack’s anger. Instead, she tried something else. “I didn’t see Vanessa there.”
Jack’s lips curled up as his eyes flashed in amusement. “I know,” he said, glancing down at her. “I definitely could not see her being there anyways.”
“She doesn’t like me very much, does she?” Andie asked before taking another drink.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jack quickly amended. “Vanessa never really liked big crowds of the general population. She was okay on campus because she figured the students were the elite, you know? She favors expensive places, knowing regular guys and girls can’t afford to be there.” He paused as a frown touched his face. “I don’t think she’s grown out of it.”
Andie pressed her brow high up, and bit back a quick retort. The two just had an amazing day, and she didn’t want to ruin it with her jealousy. However, she was suspecting Jack had no problem to do just that with his, especially if she mentioned Burr and Simon. She knew she had to tell him; it would be worse if she decided not to and go to the meetings, only to have him find out from somebody else. She inhaled deeply, her brain trying to quickly process what, exactly, she should say, and how to say it.
Before she could say anything, however, Jack took a sip of his dry martini, and after swallowing asked, “Were Reese and Carey there?”
“Yeah, we spoke for a bit, but it was too busy for us to socialize, you know?”
Jack pulled Andie closer to him so her head was resting on his chest, her arms coiled around his neck. She reveled in simple moments like these, where they didn’t need to speak. Neither had anything to prove to the other, and both were comfortable in sharing the silence. Sometimes, the eyes and the fingers said much more than the lips could ever say. And since moments like these were so rare, Andie tried to hang on to them as much as possible. Her fingers began tracing random patterns on the back of his neck, without even realizing it.
Jack noticed it, and he knew Andie well enough to know that whenever she did that, something was usually on her mind. It all depended on the environment the two were occupying at the time. The kitchen seemed to be one of those places where he knew she had something bothering her.
“Andie,” Jack murmured, pulling back slightly so he could meet her eyes with his. “What are you thinking about?”
The young woman sighed, knowing she had been caught. He always seemed to know when something was troubling her, and being the Alpha male Jack was, he wanted to fix it as soon as possible.
“I saw Lucas Burr at the Sanctuary today,” she told him in a soft voice, making sure to keep eye contact with him.
“Oh?” Jack asked as he arched a brow. She could tell he was trying to keep his temper in check. He wasn’t mad at her, but he didn’t like the elder Burr whatsoever. “What did he want?”
“He was interested in donating,” Andie told him. “He wanted to set up a meeting with him at Dorsia’s this coming Thursday. I was hoping you would come with me?” She perked her brows slightly, hoping the invitation for him to come along would lessen his anger.
“Yes,” he said, nodding once. “I should go with you.”
Okay, now that one part was over with… But this was different. Andie knew Jack knew she used to have feelings for Simon, though nothing came of it. And there was no way in hell she was inviting Jack to come along only because Carey had told her what Jack had said to Simon once she had disappeared to get ready for his Halloween party. Even now, she was mortified and couldn’t believe Simon was still talking to her.
“I also ran into Simon- ” Andie began, but Jack cut her off.
“Your old high school teacher?” he asked.
Andie gave him a look. There was only one Simon they both knew. He was just giving her a hard time. “Yes,” she told him with emphasis. “We decided to meet up next week and catch up as well.”
“What do you need to catch up on?” Jack asked, arching that same skeptical brow.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Andie said sarcastically. “Let’s see. What has happened to my life since seeing Simon last? Oh, well me and you became a couple. I opened an animal shelter. I got kidnapped by my some crazy rich guy. Don’t you think that calls for some catching up?”
“Not with that guy,” Jack said, his face contorting into a scowl. “What are his intentions, Andie?”
“
He has no intentions, Jack,” Andie replied. “At least he’s not going to drag me to some restaurant where the paparazzi are notorious for camping out, knowing that you’d end up in the tabloids together and that I’d see it.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Jack asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“What do you think it means?” Andie asked. “Simon would never try to break up our relationship, knowing full well that I am in love with you. I don’t think Vanessa has the same decency.”
“Vanessa does not want to get back together with me,” Jack said as though the notion was ridiculous.
“Maybe not,” Andie told him, and Jack could see an unreadable glint in those green orbs, “but she doesn’t want us to be together. She’s trying to drive us apart.”
“That’s ridiculous, Andie,” Jack murmured with a roll of his eyes.
“I hope it turns out to be that way,” Andie said softly, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
17
Reese didn’t like to admit it, but she was avoiding Ollo. She hoped she wasn’t being obvious about it, but it was necessary. She couldn’t look at him without giving something away. Of that, she was certain. And Ollo could read her so well, it would frustrate her to have to lie to him. She couldn’t exactly tell him, could she? Although, she had told him about the vision of them having sex and he had handled that as well as could be expected. But this, this vision was entirely different. She saved Ollo’s life, literally, and Reese didn’t know if she was dead or merely injured once she chose to do so.
It scared her, knowing she loved Ollo that much where she would literally risk her life for him. It was something everyone claimed they would do for a significant other, but she saw herself actually do it. She didn’t even know such a feeling was actually possible. Granted, she was known to indulge in rom-com weekends where she did nothing but watch movies where there were kisses in the rain, huge fights and even bigger makeup scenes, and lines that, if said to anyone but her, would come out sounding nothing short of cheesy. She loved that stuff and wanted to believe in the concept of soul mates, true love, and the like.
But it was so hard to do in today’s day and age, simply because infidelity was so common, and boys her age had no idea how to treat a girl, let alone talk to one. They were too arrogant to be cute, too quiet and awkward to be adorable. They were too smart for their own good, too stupid for any type of conversation not about themselves.
It was probably why it had been so easy for her to fall in love with Ollo. Ignoring the fact that he was a god, he was a real man. Tall, strong, with beautiful eyes and a captivating smile… Arms she could fall into, hands that were warm and gentle but could snap someone’s neck if he so chose to. She knew without a doubt he would protect her from any and everything. He would do anything for her.
And, apparently, she would do anything for him.
It wasn’t such a bad thing, was it, to be in love so completely with someone that she would literally give up her entire being for the guarantee of his safety? Her brother didn’t even get to experience something as certain as she was before he was killed. Her parents had,they had been married for seventeen years before Daphne killed them. Maybe Reese needed to not worry about her feelings and what they caused her to do in spite of logic and rationality and inexperience, and simply enjoy the fact that she was blessed enough to know that she loved Ollo that much. People fall in love all the time, but that didn’t mean they would give up everything for their significant other.
She was scared, certainly. She didn’t want to die. But maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. She knew her family was watching over her. She knew she would be surrounded by them once she reached Heaven – assuming, of course, that was where she would end up. If she knew her time on earth was coming to a close, would she want to waste it by worrying about everything up until the point when she expired, or would she try and enjoy it until it was all over?
She wanted to enjoy it. She wanted to be with him and revel just being around him. She wasn’t yet comfortable admitting it out loud, but she wanted to make love to him once again. And maybe a few times after that. She wanted to hold hands and kiss in the rain and fight and make up and she wanted him to tell her something so ridiculous it was romantic. She wanted to not only feel the love she had for him, she wanted to experience it as well.
Yet, it was important that Reese avoid him for the time being. She wasn’t sure if she should even tell Ollo about the vision in the first place, and she knew, without a doubt, that the minute he asked her what was wrong and she replied with nothing, he would decipher the lie in an instant. He knew her too well to even attempt to pretend nothing was wrong. Until she wrapped her mind around it, until she made a decision regarding the issue one way or the other, she knew she needed to avoid him. It sucked, because she wanted nothing more than to feel the comfort of his arms, the safety that his mere presence provided. But she couldn’t rely on him for everything, and needed to do this on her own. She was supposed to be a savior, after all.
Which led her to the second reason why she needed to avoid Ollo – her injuries from the previous three nights had gotten worse, as all bruises tend to do. Her eyes were puffy, her face was swollen, and she had nasty discolorations on her cheeks and neck. She hadn’t told him what had happened after she got home that night, how she had a vision in the middle of attempting to save a woman from being raped and murdered, and the man had taken advantage of her vulnerable state. She hadn’t told Ollo that she, herself, had almost gotten raped in the process, and if Black Wing hadn’t appeared when he had, she would most likely end up as dead as his first victim.
The thing was, Reese didn’t want Ollo to worry about her. She didn’t want him waiting up until she got home, interrogating her, checking her body for harm and other bodily injuries. She wanted him to think she was fully capable of handling things herself. She wanted him to trust in her abilities.
Reese pushed her lips together. She really needed to talk to Andie about what was going on. Maybe Andie could give Ollo advice on how to handle it, like she did when Jack left and returned every night. If Reese didn’t know about Jack being Black Wing, she never would have guessed Andie was worrying about her boyfriend every night. And it wasn’t silly, petty things such as whether he really loved her or if he went out without her in order to cheat on her; no, Andie worried about Jack returning home at all. A couple scrapes and bruises would be nothing to her as long as he was back.
Andie really was much stronger than people gave her credit for. The tabloids loved her one day, cut her down the next. Cheating rumors popped up at least twice a week, pregnancy rumors every other week. Reese had no idea how Andie managed to keep everything together. She knew she could never date a celebrity, because Reese knew, deep down, she wouldn’t be able to handle it well, not with the sort of grace and dignity Andie did.
And, on top of all of that, Jack was Black Wing.
Andie was fucking crazy.
Reese shook her head just thinking about it.
Maybe she should talk to Jack, too. Surely he would have some advice he could bestow upon her on how to handle Ollo’s worry. Surely he would know how to do a better job at hiding his injuries from Andie than a quick coat of concealer and hiding his winces every time he forgot about a particular injury and touched it in some way.
“Worry about that later, Reese,” she murmured to herself, her grey eyes finally focusing on the soccer ball at her feet. She had come to Onyx Park for a reason, after all, and she didn’t want the day to go to waste. “If you still want to at least attempt to make the varsity soccer team next year, you have to practice.”
The day was a rare overcast summer day, cooler than most that required some form of jacket. It wouldn’t rain, she knew, but the sky was dreary, threatening to open up its floodgates at any moment. It was the perfect weather to practice in because she could run up and down one of the many soccer fields found throughout the park without the sun adding to her exhaus
tion. There was even a light breeze that helped her stay cool, and her iced water bottle would takes its time melting rather than being forced to do so under the rays of the sun.
The park itself was rather empty–it was just after school, after all, and most people were participating in their extra-curricular activities or getting a jumpstart on their homework rather than hang out at a park–save for stay at home moms and dads taking their infants and toddlers to the playground.
It was a nice day. Beautiful, even. Peaceful.
“I know you’re avoiding me, darl.”
Reese’s spine straightened at the strange brogue and she tilted her head cautiously, peering over her shoulder to see if he was right behind her. Ollo’s pointed stare indicated he didn’t have the patience and wanted some kind of explanation from her for her strange behavior.
“You’ve barely said two words to me in the past three days,” he continued, coming closer to her. She couldn’t let him see her bruises, the marks on her neck. Concealer could only do so much, and it definitely wasn’t a match for Ollo’s sharp eyes. “Which is odd for you, since normally I can’t get you to shut up.”
“I have a lot on my mind,” Reese said, turning back to her soccer ball. The excuse sounded flat even to her own ears. Maybe if she started to dribble it down the field, he’d believe she was practicing technique rather than running away from his ever-prying eyes. That would work, wouldn’t it?
“Don’t even think about it,” he said, as if he could read her mind. And maybe he could. He knew her too well. “You know we need to talk, Reese.” At the sound of her name on his lips, she picked her eyes up to look at him fully. “Now, why are you avoiding me?” He paused, his eyes taking in her face. She knew he saw them, the bruises. His eyes narrowed and she could see his jaw lock at the sight of them. “Is this why you’re avoiding me?” He reached out to touch her face and flexed his fingers; she closed her eyes, preparing for the feel of his finger pads against her cheek, but opened them when his touch didn’t come. “What happened to you?”
The Dark Paradise Trilogy Box Set Page 73
