His reaction amused Tasha and Cian up to no end. As for Skye, she understood. The two of them had just clicked, like she had with Kiera and Ty. She wasn’t jealous nor did she begrudge them that connection.
Cian turned his silvery gaze on her. Their eyes met. She had no idea how much it tickled him that she looked at him with hostility.
She’d turned him into a masochist, he thought, amused. But that hostility just proved that she considered him a threat to her emotions. And he’d take that any day rather than having no effect on her. He stepped up to her until he was close enough to touch.
Skye wanted to back away but there was no way in hell she was letting him get the upper hand. And he knew it. He knew what it cost her to stand her ground.
“Hello, darling.” Cian leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Heat flared up where his lips had touched her skin. When was she going to stop feeling this way whenever he touched her?
To mask her feelings, she snapped, “Don’t call me ‘darling’.”
Cian only spared her an amused smile. “All right, love.”
She let out a small shriek. Tasha laughed out loud.
“You two—” she clutched at her belly, trying to speak. “You’re still fighting over the name-calling? When are you going to give up on that, Skye? You guys are so damn funny.”
“Yes, when, love?”
“As long as you keep it up, never.” Skye sent a baleful look at Tasha, which only made her laugh harder. Cian’s eyes shifted to something behind her and she turned to find Kiera there, looking pale and lost, like a ghost.
Cian moved past her and took Kiera in his arms. He tucked her head under his chin and rocked her gently. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Kiera shuddered out a breath and hugged him back.
Skye was filled with a sudden blast of warmth and gratitude for this man. In that one moment, seeing the way he comforted Kiera, she tittered over the edge and took that last step, falling headlong in love with him.
Fear and wonder and pain and sorrow all rushed at her. Fear of losing him. Wonder at the emotions he evoked in her. Pain and sorrow at the knowledge that he would leave one day.
Love? This was love? This intense ball of emotion in the pit of her stomach, this intense need for him, this was love? Her breath caught in her throat. If this was love, Skye’d rather do without it.
As if sensing the maelstrom of feelings inside her, Cian looked at her over Kiera’s head. Skye hastily blanked her face and turned away, only to meet Tasha’s eyes. Understanding flashed in them. She knew. She must have seen the truth in her eyes. Skye worried Cian might have too. Then Tasha gave a minute shake of her head. No, she was saying, he didn’t know.
Kiera pulled away from Cian. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He turned to Tasha and Skye. “Ladies, your chariot awaits.”
But Tasha had a different idea. “Actually, I was thinking Kiera and I will take my car. That way, while you two are gone, we’ll have someplace to drop our shopping bags. Call us when you’re done.” Tasha caught Kiera’s hand and tugged her out of the door. It would do those two some good to be alone just now.
Skye sent her a panicked what-the-hell-are-you-up-to look which was blatantly ignored. She didn’t need to be alone with Cian right now!
“Wait, house keys!” Kiera threw the keys at Skye, who deftly caught them. “Be there!”
They heard Tasha’s car as she started it and revved out of the driveway. Then there was silence.
Skye couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t breathe. Shit, shit, say something, stupid, she told herself. She turned to tell him they should go, and his mouth fastened over hers.
Sneaky. He was so sneaky. Always doing that. Catching her off-guard.
Cian folded her in his arms and sank in their kiss, in her. That look earlier, something had happened. She was a damn expert at hiding her feelings. There’d been something in her eyes, something he couldn’t identify. There had also been pain and sorrow in them. It beat at him that something was hurting her. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to coax or browbeat her into divulging her secrets this time. What he could do was hold her and show her that he’d be waiting when she decided to confide in him.
Skye’s heart filled to overflowing with her new discovery. Foolish heart. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back with an almost helpless sense of desperation.
A flare of surprise and yearning blazed in him at her response. Cian lifted her clean off her feet, deepening the kiss. His pulse raced with excitement. He groaned at how good she felt against him. She was perfect for him.
Common sense reared its ugly head. He reluctantly pulled away and reminded himself to go slow with her due to her inexperience. He couldn’t help smiling though when she protested. He stole another kiss before finally setting her down.
It took Skye a moment to come back to her own senses. Color exploded in her cheeks and she pressed her hands against them, trying to will the blush to disappear. He slid a finger under her chin, lifting her face to look at him.
“We better get going,” Cian said softly, somewhat unwillingly.
Skye nodded, unable to speak. She grabbed her purse and followed him outside, wondering how the hell she was supposed to hide her feelings from him when his kisses kept scrambling her thoughts like that.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“You didn’t have to come with me, you know,” Skye told Cian as they stood in front of Ash’s apartment.
“What, let my girlfriend come see Daniels, alone in his apartment? No way.”
“You just used ‘my girlfriend’ to piss me off, didn’t you? You don’t have to make it sound like that. Geez. You get totally unhinged when it comes to Ash.”
“Why shouldn’t I? You are my girlfriend. He’s a playboy.” Cian was glad to see she was back to her old snappy, abrasive self again. He preferred that to the wounded look in her eyes earlier.
“As opposed to you, you mean?”
“I’ve mended my ways.”
Skye gave him a look of disbelief. Then she shook it off. He was just annoying her as usual. She drilled holes with her eyes at the door. Where the hell was Ash? She banged on the door again for good measure. If he thought he could get his beauty sleep after what he put Kiera through last night, he had another think coming.
“Simmer down, tiger. Before you break down the door.”
“I wouldn’t have to, would I? If he’d just open the damn thing.” Skye glared at the damn thing.
Cian couldn’t wait for the show that was coming. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t relish the sight of Skye ripping one into Ash. He was damn glad she’d had the foresight to bring him along. Okay, so he had butted his way along. When she’d told him she wanted to pay Daniels a visit, there was no way he’d have let her go alone. She was going to have to get used to having him by her side. Forever, if it was up to him.
She lifted her hand to bang on the door again when it opened.
“What?” Ash snarled.
Skye’d awoken him she saw. Good. He had on a wrinkled dress shirt and formal black pants. Looked like he’d slept in the same clothes he’d worn for his date with Kiera. To say the guy looked like hell was an understatement. He looked gaunt, disheveled, pale. His reddened eyes had circles the size of giant craters under them. He probably had a headache too from the way he was squinting at them.
If possible, he looked even worse than Kiera. Skye felt a flicker of sympathy for him. Then she ruthlessly squashed the feeling. Stomped on it a few times to make sure it was dead. He had brought this upon himself.
“You look like shit.” Skye pushed past him and entered the apartment. Cian followed. He leaned languorously against a wall, and waited.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ash scowled. He closed the door and strode to his couch
. “She went running to you, didn’t she? Figures. Did she send you over here to plead her case?”
Anger and shock surged in Skye at his attitude. He was acting like an asshole, completely unlike the nice, caring man she knew him to be.
To Cian’s surprise, she crossed over to Ash and bopped him on the head. Ash clutched his head in pain.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I’ll tell you what the fuck is wrong with me. You stupid ass!” Skye yelled. “I told you I’d tear you into pieces if you ever hurt her. You fucking moron!”
Ash’s head pounded at her yelling. “Will you stop shouting, damnit? I know she’s your friend but what happened is between her and me. As in none of your goddamn business.”
Skye bopped him again. Cian moved closer just in case she did it yet again. A guy in pain could easily lash out, uncaring of who got hurt. Ash yelled in pain.
“Damn it, what the fuck! Hit me again one more time, Skye, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
“Just try it,” Cian challenged coldly. He was going to beat the shit out of Daniels if he so much as laid a finger on Skye.
“Get out! Just get out,” Ash said wearily, pressing his fingers against his eyes as if he could dig out the pain lodged there.
“Not happening. Not until you know exactly what a fool you’ve been,” Skye told him derisively. “I entrusted her to you and you broke that trust. You broke her heart.”
Ash looked at her with pain-filled eyes. “She made a fool out of me. She used me and broke my heart. Doesn’t that matter to you? But you can’t see that, can you? I should have known you’d take her side.”
Skye launched herself at him, but Cian was ready for her this time. He caught her around the waist and swung her away from Ash even though he wanted to punch the ass himself. Ash’s jaw dropped at her attack.
“Easy, girl.”
“Let me go, Cian.” Skye struggled against him, fists swinging in the air. “Let me go!”
“A word of advice, man—you’re an idiot,” Cian told Ash. To Skye, he reminded her, “This isn’t why you came here, remember? This won’t help her.”
“You’re right.” Skye stilled in his arms and straightened up. “I’m fine. You can let go. I promise I won’t hit him.” He let her go.
Skye grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Ash. “You are a fucking moron. I can’t believe you’re the same guy who was my friend all this time.” He started to speak but she cut him off. “Shut up. The woman who jumped all over you and Kiera at that restaurant is Rachel Matthews. She and Kiera used to be friends until the freaking bitch decided she was too good for the likes of us. They parted ways. So ask yourself this now, without knowing the rest of what I’m about to tell you, how can a guy who cares so deeply about Kiera, who told me he was in love with her, believe the words of a fucking bitch who isn’t even a friend of hers?”
A flicker of unease was beginning to make itself known inside of Ash. “You said they were friends before, so she knew what she was talking about.”
Skye curled her hands in fists. Cian squeezed her shoulder. “I’m fine,” she snapped even though her eyes blazed with anger.
“Are you even listening to yourself?” she shouted at Ash. Then in a calmer voice, “Alright. The rest of it then. Yes, Kiera loves watching The Vampire Diaries. So do I. Yes, she really likes the actor Ian Somerhalder. What girl doesn’t? I do, too. He’s the epitome for hot bad boy. You told me once that you wished that you could meet someone who wouldn’t see your resemblance to the actor, but who would want you for yourself. The first time you met Kiera, when I first introduced you to her, it was like the two of you could see only each other. That no one else existed anymore. I thought then, that what was between the two of you felt like something special, something worth exploring. Or else I would never have encouraged her to go out with you.”
Skye took a deep breath and continued, “After you left, I asked Kiera if she was so taken with you because of your acute resemblance to the actor. And you know what? She hadn’t even noticed!” She stared at Ash. “Do you understand? She never noticed!”
The flicker of unease turned into a snowball rolling downhill, gathering mass and speed, growing bigger and bigger, smashing the blinders from his eyes. Dread pooled in Ash’s stomach.
“You asked me once how she felt about you. Well, here it is. All those times she spent with you, she only saw you. Not once did she mention your resemblance to the actor. It was like she couldn’t see it. She saw Ash Daniels. Not someone’s lookalike. She saw to the person you were inside, not the face.”
“Oh god, what have I done?” Ash dropped his head in his hands.
“It’s sinking in, isn’t it? The dread and the deep sense of loss over losing the one person in the world who saw you for who you are, not some look-alike. And you threw her away over the words of a fucking bitch. Why was it so easy to believe Rachel over Kiera, Ash?” Skye stood up. Her work here was done. Now he finally knew what a horrible mistake he’d committed. Cian took her hand, squeezed it. His touch comforted her. “Look at me,” she ordered.
Ash lifted agony-filled eyes to meet hers.
“She’s one of the most wonderful persons I’ve ever met. I thought you would see it too, how precious she is. That you would cherish her. Instead you threw her away. She cried herself sick over you last night. But that’s the last time you’ll ever make her cry. She’s strong. She’ll get over this, over you. She’ll be happy again. She’ll go on with her life, only you won’t be in it. She has me and I will make sure she’s happy again. But you won’t ever get the chance to hurt her again. Goodbye, Ash.”
Skye turned to Cian and nodded at him. She had to get out of here before she started feeling sorry for Ash. It was up to him now what he did with the knowledge he’d just been given. She left him to wallow in his misery.
Outside, she took a deep breath. Cian opened his arms to her. Unable to help herself, Skye went and held on.
Cian knew just how hard that had been for her. He couldn’t find it in himself to enjoy Ash’s misery. He sighed. Not when it hurt Skye too.
“Epitome of hot bad boy, uh?” he asked lightly, hoping to make her smile. “So what am I?”
An unexpected laugh slipped out of Skye. Why was it he could always make her laugh when she thought she couldn’t even smile? She looked up at him and grinned. “You already have an ego big enough for two.”
“That’s not true. I have a perfectly healthy ego. It’s not my fault I’m smokin’ hot and free from any flaw.”
Skye snorted. “Oh my god. Free from any flaw. That’s a good one.”
“Thank you, love.”
Spontaneously, she hugged him again and Cian squeezed her back.
“C’mon, let’s get you back to the girls.”
She lifted her eyes to look at him. “Yes, let’s get back to them.”
ASH BARELY felt Skye and Cian leave. Pain battered at him from all sides. There was a hole in his chest where his heart used to be. Last night, after he had dropped Kiera at her house, he had driven home in a haze of pain, anger and betrayal. He had drowned his sorrows in a six pack of beer. He couldn’t remember when he’d finally crashed on the couch until Skye showed up at his door.
Everything Skye had told him, had literally drilled into his head showed him just how badly he’d screwed up. The hangover, added to the pain in his soul, had him wanting to die.
What had he done? How could he have behaved like such an asshole with Kiera? He hadn’t even let her explain. He remembered how she’d implored him to at least hear her out. In the same breath that he’d told her he loved her, he’d broken her heart.
Shit, he’d made her cry. Anguish slammed into him. He’d have given anything to go back to last night and undo what he’d done. But he had to live with how badly he’d fucked up his relationship with Kiera. How b
adly he’d fucked up his own life. Because if she wasn’t in his life, what was the point? Without her, only bleakness and desolation awaited him. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him and like a fucking moron, he’d thrown away that gift.
Skye was right. He was an ass. Something else she had said got through to him.
She’ll be happy again. She’ll go on with her life, only you won’t be in it.
No. No, he couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t lose her. An image flickered in his mind, of Kiera with a faceless man, smiling at him, kissing him, spending her life with him. Panic had him getting up too fast only to fall back down on the couch clutching his head in pain.
He swore. Fucking hangover.
Ash had to get her back. He was prepared to do whatever it took. Grovel on broken glass if he had to. Determination coursed through him. He couldn’t let her go.
He slowly got up and shuffled his way to the bathroom where he downed a couple of pain-killers, hoping the damn things would kick in soon. His reflection in the mirror filled him with revulsion. One day without her and this was what he had turned himself into: a drunkard and an asshole.
Ash owed Skye an apology for the way he’d treated her. Had he threatened to knock her back? It was a miracle Cian hadn’t pulverized him over that. Probably because Ash wouldn’t have been much of a fight.
He swore to himself he was never going to get drunk again. Ever.
Eyes filled with resolve, Ash made another vow to himself—if Kiera forgave him, if she gave him a second chance—please God, let her give him another chance—he would make her so happy, the only tears she ever cried would be of joy.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cian pulled into the parking lot of the mall while Skye called Tasha to ask her where she and Kiera were.
“They’re in the shoe department,” Skye informed Cian. She grabbed her bag and reached for the car door.
Holding Out For Skye Page 19
