When Skylar turned back to the girl, Destiny thought she might throw up, but her feet were glued to the floor and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Maybe he hadn’t recognized her.
Then she saw him reaching for a bundle of flowers and wondered who they were for. She gulped when Skylar threw some money on the table and glanced up at her. Then he didn’t look away as he approached with steady feet. He stopped when he was a matter of steps away and stared her down with those sexy eyes. She had failed to remember how beautifully dark his lashes were, but she hadn’t forgotten the curve of those lips. The expression on his face was blank, not giving her any indication of what he was thinking.
“Are those for your mother?” Destiny asked. She couldn’t believe how shallow she sounded, but she was desperate to know whether her trip had been a waste.
“No.”
She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. Were they for his girlfriend? Her heart sunk in her chest at the thought, but they hadn’t even discussed whether he was otherwise engaged. She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. Instead, she nodded her head, as it became very awkward for her.
“Funny, running into you here.”
Skylar smiled, and Destiny felt it in her gut. “How did you find me?”
“It wasn’t easy.”
“It really doesn’t matter.” His voice was so stark, she wondered if he meant for her to leave.
“I should probably go. I just wanted to see if Matty was okay. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Skylar titled his head and gazed into her eyes, melting her into a puddle at his feet. “But you came all this way. And I haven’t even had the chance to give you your flowers.” When Skylar reached the roses out to her, Destiny’s tears started to fall.
Dropping the flowers, Skylar crushed her in his arms. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Skylar backed away from their embrace, and clutched her face in both his hands. “How did you know this is what I wanted?”
His kiss was so fiery and passionate, she had to press her hands against his chest to make sure he was real. When she came up for air, she sighed, admitting that coming here today was the right move. Noticing how their public affection was making everyone around them uncomfortable, Destiny smiled. Then she went up on her tippy toes and took another kiss, because it felt that good to be touched by him.
“Have you heard any news? Your mother was with a doctor when I left her.”
Skylar picked up her flowers, placed them in the crook of her arm and pulled her back to the trauma ward with him.
“Sky!” his mother shrieked, as they approached his parents.
“Is it Matty?” Skylar clung to Destiny’s hand like it were his lifeline.
“He’s stable. They said he’s going to make it!”
Skylar smiled at his mother and lifted Destiny up, nearly throwing her into the air. Then he slowly lowered her down until she dropped onto his lips for a celebratory kiss.
His father cleared his throat, suggesting they save it for later, but Skylar continued to kiss her, ignoring everyone else in the room. When he smiled at her, it was like his lips were caressing her heart. And when he stole another kiss, she knew he liked her back. That was all she could have hoped for. He was giving them a chance.
Skylar lowered her to the floor, still smiling, and swept her bangs aside with a gentle hand. He plucked a long-stemmed rose from her bouquet and held it out to her. She couldn’t believe how terribly romantic it was.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When Skylar walked Destiny out to her car, he focused on the length of her legs in that short designer dress and the click of her boots on the salty pavement. The emergency parking lot was filled with vehicles, as Destiny searched for her car. They stayed silent the entire walk, but their hands were latched together with a death grip. It felt to him like she had parked on the other side of the world.
Her steps were slow and practiced, making him wonder if she was hating this moment as much as he was. He had convinced her to spend the night at the hospital with him and they were both sleepy, with depression lingering on the other side of goodbye. He felt like he could hold it together as long as he had her in his arms, but when she was gone, he just didn’t know.
Destiny cleared her throat. “Now’s probably a good time to exchange numbers.”
Skylar had been avoiding this conversation all weekend, but he knew it had to happen. She had kept quiet overnight, giving him a chance to reminisce a little about his good times with Matty. It didn’t really make him feel all that better, with his brother unconscious in a hospital bed, near death, and Destiny could see that. She had sat on his lap and they cuddled for a long while, both secretly mourning their short-lived relationship together.
Destiny had filled the silence over breakfast with warm chatter about her friends and it was a nice relief for him. Just hearing her voice settled his nerves. That realization had his knees knocking. He didn’t want her to go.
But what did he expect? He hadn’t even put any thought to where she lived. Regardless, did he really believe that she was going to drop everything and stay with him? A man could dream.
Having Destiny by his side and in his bed every morning would be a nice change of pace for him. But what man would suggest such a crazy idea to a woman he doesn’t even know?
“This is me,” Destiny said, cutting Skylar out of his own thoughts.
Skylar collected Destiny’s small hand into his and pulled her closer. She curled her arms under his and latched onto him for a hug that battled for his undying love. Then she reached into his pocket and snatched up his phone.
“You’re going to call me, mister.”
Her attempt at lightening the mood was appreciated, but it didn’t work. He scooped the phone out of her hand and pressed in the password before handing it back to her. She managed to get her name and number into the contacts on his phone, but the anxiety rummaging through his stomach remained unchanged.
“This has been a pretty wild weekend. I don’t expect I’ll be forgetting about you any time soon,” he admitted, wanting to give her a piece of his heart to take with her.
She nudged his arm, then settled against his chest. “I sure hope not.”
Skylar swept his hand over her hair and squeezed her against him tighter. He dreamt that if he held on tight enough she would have to stay with him. Then he returned to real life to sort out their reality.
“I live about 45 minutes north of here, in Lyndon Cove. I hope that’s not going to be a problem.”
Her visible shudder told him he had said the wrong thing. From the direction she had been travelling with her friends, he had figured she lived in the opposite direction from him.
“It took me over four hours to get here,” Destiny admitted. “I live a good two hours south of your cabin.”
Skylar rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes. How could they ever make that work?
Destiny was ready to have a mental breakdown. She had wanted this relationship to work so bad, but that wouldn’t make it real. She didn’t have much hope for a long distance relationship, but she would do it if it meant having a chance at a future with Skylar.
When she looked up into those warm translucent eyes, she melted into them. He could have said anything and she would have agreed with him in that moment. She had already felt starved of his love, craving a skin against skin connection that she was sure she couldn’t again have. Her hands were starting to seize up from the cold, as he clutched her in his arms. Then he cupped her cheeks in both of his hands and delivered a long, loving kiss.
Skylar whispered in her ear with a soft growl. “I need more of this in my life.”
And Destiny imagined being brave enough to add, “I need more of you.”
He pressed her back against her car and kissed her again, her hormones screaming yes, despite the fresh
snowfall wetting her hair.
“Why don’t we get in? We can chat more in there.”
“Chat?” he asked.
She knew then that he wanted exactly what she needed.
Destiny let herself in the car and started it, as Skylar rounded the front and settled into the seat next to her. He looked like an ogre in her small car. It made her smile. He reached under the seat for a handle and backed the seat all the way up, to accommodate his long, thick legs, as she pulled off her leather gloves. Then he took her hand in his and tugged on it.
“Come here, sweetheart.”
Though it was awkward in her tight dress, she wanted him so bad that she unzipped her boots and pulled them off. Then she hiked up her skirt and climbed across the console. She straddled his lap, resting on her knees.
“This,” he said; telling her that she had given him exactly what he was looking for. His cold hands lifted her dress higher on her thighs, until the stiff material was wrinkled around her waist.
The windows were already so fogged up that no one would see her even if they tried. The defroster was blasting air at the windshield, but it couldn’t keep up with the heat they were generating together. Skylar pried open her jacket and undid the small zipper on the side of her dress. Then he scooped his hand inside and found her breast. When he growled, it got all of her juices flowing.
Their kiss was heated and his hand explored her body, until it found its way into her panties. He worked his fingers over her, pressing all the right buttons until he was slick with her love. He eased two fingers inside of her, as his tongue stroked her on the outside, sharing all of his passion with his mouth. She gyrated against his palm, her release mounting quickly.
“I want you,” she pleaded, not even a little bit embarrassed by how quickly she was ready to orgasm.
Skylar clearly approved. When she raised onto her knees, he tugged open his fly and jerked down his pants. Then he grabbed onto the thin fabric of her tights and ripped a hole right through the middle. Before she could even respond in shock, he made a grab for her panties, yanked them aside and slammed inside of her.
He brushed his nose, softly over her cheek, in stark contrast to the hardness pulsing inside her. “You’re so soft and warm.” Skylar took her mouth, with gentle, intermittent kisses.
She found herself forcing a harder, more demanding kiss on him, urgently seeking her climax. She was on the brink of something surreal, when Skylar grabbed onto her hips and began to work himself deeper. Within seconds, she was riding him like her life depended on it, thrusting him back against the seat. Her mouth crashed into his, as frenzied as the pulse between her thighs, as she found a quick release in the steamy car.
Skylar groaned, as though he was having a hard time saving himself for the big finish. Destiny gave him an intimate kiss, as she slowed the pace, but continued to rock on him. Skylar’s hands were still gripped firmly on her hips, motioning her body to do what he liked.
Destiny pried his hands off of her and wiggled her way into the driver seat. She pulled off her leggings, that were now shredded, and her panties came off in the process. Skylar watched intently, wondering what she was doing, his glistening arousal more apparent than before.
Then she hinted for him to move over and she slipped beneath him. With one pull on the right lever, Destiny had the passenger seat resting flat into the backseat.
“Your turn.” She had shocked herself with the rawness of her urgency. She needed it again, just as badly as he did.
He didn’t ask questions. He just came over top of her and slid back home. He pressed deep, with his kiss just as profound. She wanted him to move, to take her hard. But he just kissed her, gently, flexing his love muscles inside her. If this wasn’t making love, then she didn’t know what was.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. But I don’t have any protection with me.” His lips brushed over hers and his hand skimmed inside her dress.
“Please,” she begged, wriggling beneath him.
He slid back and jabbed again inside of her. “It’s not that I don’t want to. Trust me, love. I want nothing more.”
When his thumb eased over her aroused nipple, she wished she could dip it in his hot mouth. He wore a look of pain on his handsome face, as he fought his body’s natural response to screw her to the seat. He was being so responsible. So she would do the responsible thing and ease his mind.
She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “I’m on birth control.” Then she traced his earlobe with her tongue. “Now fuck me.”
Destiny hadn’t known whether that would do it, but when she felt him growing inside her, she figured that it had. She wrapped her legs around him, and rested her feet on the dash. And when he started to move again, his lips caressing her neck, his hands devouring her body, she just knew their relationship had to last.
This wasn’t something that she would ordinarily do, but with Skylar it was just different. Sex in a car? Fine. Sex in a car, in a hospital parking lot, without a condom. It wasn’t exactly the love story she planned to share with her grandchildren someday, but she wanted to give Skylar the world; even though hers felt a little off kilter at the moment.
For years now, she had been contemplating whether there was such a thing as true love. She figured if she had followed the rules and played the dating game, she would get there eventually. But she had grown tired of those games, and she had started to wonder if an exchange for companionship was the only way she could be happy.
In her heart though, she had wanted it all, having always dreamt secretly of an affair with true love, in hopes that something good would come along. Something right. Someone real.
Someone like Skylar.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
One month later.
Skylar stalked up the stairs to Destiny’s third floor apartment, taking two stairs at a time. The hydro was out and she wasn’t answering her phone. Something must have been wrong. Not again.
Another blizzard had taken them by surprise and the hydro company was having difficulty getting service to all of its customers. What was with his luck lately?
After a matter of days, Destiny had agreed that she would move up to his City and give it a try. Give them a try. The thought of only seeing her on the occasional weekend had been unbearable. He thought about her every minute of every day he spent away from her. That was new. And he wasn’t even sure he liked it very much.
He had helped her find a vacant apartment and she had already found a job before she even took the one-way trip to see him. On the day she moved into her new place, the elevator was out and they had to take the stairs. With Matty out of commission for an easy six months, if he were to ever find a full recovery, Skylar was on his own.
Destiny had family and friends who helped her load up at her old place, but when she made it to his hometown, there was no one. Mid-day, everyone else was at work. So he wrestled all of her furniture up the stairs himself, with Destiny helping where she could.
They were making memories.
Skylar pounded on her door, his quick fists matching the beat of his thumping heart. “Destiny. Open up.”
A chill skipped over his skin, which he hoped was only from the lack of heat in the building. While he waited quietly, listening by her door, he remembered the day she explained how she was only on a temporary placement. She had told him that at the end of her probation she could decide whether she liked the job, and he knew what she really meant was: did she like him.
There was no sign of life on the other side of her door, while the darkness hounded him to kick it open. He pounded on the door again, and it was a warning that she had better open it up or it was coming down. Then he heard a click and saw the knob start to jiggle. He took what felt like his first breath in minutes, then he backed away from the door and blew out a long breath.
As the door opened, all breathing stopped, as her eyes seared into his. She was wearing a silky red robe, that fell just below her ass and it was tied tightly around her slim
waist, hugging her curves like a soft wave. As if that weren’t a visual treat alone, when she leisurely untied that robe and let it fall off her shoulders and open, he had to grab himself to adjust his swelling cock.
The halls were dark, but light from the windows in her apartment lit her up like an angelic silhouette. It was as though his fantasy was playing out before his very eyes, until her neighbour stepped up beside him.
“Everything okay here, Miss?” When the old man realized how he had found Destiny, his eyes popped open and he promptly turned away. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know.” He couldn’t help but steal another glance before Destiny could completely cover herself, and Skylar couldn’t blame the guy. “Well, I see everything is just fine here. I was heading home.”
Skylar laughed, while Destiny wrapped herself with the dainty fabric. Then she grabbed on to his shirt and tugged him inside, leaving the old man standing there in the shadows.
“Don’t laugh,” she said, completely mortified, as she slid the lock into place. “Now I’m going to have every man in the building checking up on me.”
Skylar laughed again, then grew fiercely jealous at the thought, as he collected her in his arms. “Why weren’t you answering my calls?”
“I guess I left my phone on vibrate. Is it that time already?” She picked up her phone and waited for the date to flash on the screen. “I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”
She placed the phone on the table next to the couch and looked up at him. She looked so small and innocent, but he knew she was a naughty girl underneath all that pale blonde hair and baby soft skin. It was the way she made him feel, in the psychological department, that shocked him most.
“I needed to know that you were okay.”
He wanted to say things that he hadn’t ever said to another woman, other than his mother. He had kept his mouth shut this long, for fear that he’d scare her out of her wits and send her running back to her hometown. But the urge to tell her was growing impatient and so was he.
Finding Destiny Page 8
