Until the Stars Fall (Just the Way You Are Book 1)

by Abigail Kade

  “Well, that’s true. You did always think of everything to make me happy. I’ve missed that about you, Connie.” I just bet he missed me falling all over myself to make him happy when he never once thought about what would make me happy. Selfish bastard.

  “Come on, T. Show me what I’ve been missing.”

  He huffed but started pulling off his t-shirt. “Oh, all right, Connie, but you owe me. Tit for tat sweetie, if I have to show, you do, too.” His smile was meant to be seductive but just managed to look calculating. I cut my eyes over to Rhett at the side, and he nodded that I’d be all right, so I removed my t-shirt also. To distract myself, I started to share. I had never talked much about myself to Troy because he had never been interested, but I really wanted to share myself with Ladd and doing it now would make me feel closer to him while making Troy think I was actually interested.

  I ran my hand over my tattoo on my chest, both Troy and Ladd’s eyes following my hand as I trailed it up and down in a slow rhythm. “I never told you about this tattoo, did I?” I was speaking to Troy, but looking at Ladd.

  “No, you never did.”

  “Slip off your pants, Troy, show me everything, T, and I’ll tell you. Put on a show for me. I’ve missed watching you.” He looked skeptical, so I stroked his ego. “Come on, T, you’re so incredibly beautiful, and I can’t stand not seeing you in ecstasy. You’re so gorgeous when you get hard and love yourself. Make me ache for you, T, and then I’ll put on a show for you, I promise.” The more I complimented him, the bigger his smile got. How in God’s name had I never noticed what a narcissist he was?

  “All right, sweetie, I’ll show you what you’ve been missing.” He stripped without a second thought and in less than a minute, he was sitting naked in full frontal and stroking his cock.

  “Okay, I’m going to talk and don’t stop stroking until I’m done, okay, T?”

  He had his head thrown back and was paying minimal attention to me now, getting lost in the feeling of his own pleasure. He had always been selfish, but now I saw the depths his indifference actually reached. I quit pretending to talk to him anymore and looked at my man.

  “When I was about eight my dad was killed in a car accident in Scotland. My brother and sister were five and two at the time, and life was really hard for us. Money was tight, and we didn’t have much, so I took on the role as man of the family and shouldered that burden for four years. Even though I was young, I felt like I needed to be the one to make sure we were all safe and protected. When I was twelve, Mom met Dean where she was working at a local construction company that was working on his newest building project. It was love at first sight for them both, and lucky for us, he fell in love with us kids, too. He knew we were a package deal. I imagine it’s very close to the same feeling I had when I met you.” I said looking right into Ladd’s deep blue eyes.

  “Connie, you say the sweetest things. God, I’m so hard for you, sweetie.”

  I was doing my best to tune him out, while I shared this part of my life with my man. “Well, every word is true. My mom married Dean and we all moved to the States not too long after that. We had a good life, but I always held onto those protective instincts I had taken on when I was younger. I wanted to keep all the people I loved safe and happy, but sometimes, I put my heart on the line, and I would end up getting hurt in the process. I needed to keep myself, my heart, safe, too, I realized. To remind myself of this, I got this tattoo.”

  Troy was still not looking at me or listening it seemed. He was chasing his pleasure with a single-minded purpose now, so I looked back at Ladd and finished my story.

  “Do you know anything about dragons? They collect treasure, gold, jewels, anything worth anything, they horde someplace safe and protect their treasure with their life. I chose my dragon to protect my greatest treasure, my heart and my love. He sits there and stares down anyone who would steal my happiness or my love and reminds me to protect my heart instead of giving it away.” Ladd was looking at my dragon now, seemingly realizing what it had meant to me when he had kissed the dragon’s tattooed head that first night we made love. He looked me in the eye, and I nodded to him. “That’s right, love, I don’t give my heart lightly anymore. I protect it at all cost until I find that one person who deserves it. You paid homage to it without even knowing it, and it meant everything to me. It was just another example of how perfect you were for me. One of hundreds of things I knew made you my perfect man.”

  Ladd was looking so serious, and I glanced down to see Troy getting close now, his grunts and groans more annoying than anything else. He sounded like a bad porn soundtrack. I really needed this charade to be over, so I looked over at Rhett again. He was staring at Ladd with a slight smile on his face, then when he noticed me looking, he met my eyes and smiled big. “Welcome to the family,” he mouthed with a shit eating grin and gave me a thumbs up and a nod. I noticed some movement behind him and looked over to see Remy frowning at me. He glanced over at Ladd, then back to me and mouthed, “Hurt him and they won’t find the body.” Well, that went well all things considered. I was finished with this charade.

  “Ladd, come here, babe, I need a kiss,” I said loud enough so Troy would hear it over his theatrics.

  The noises stopped almost immediately, and Troy looked at the screen to see what was going on. Ladd walked over and straddled me, giving Troy a view of his back and ass as he leaned into me and kissed me for all he was worth. The reaction was instantaneous.

  “Connie, what the fuck are you doing? Who the hell is that?” He screeched, so upset he didn’t even bother trying to cover up his raging boner.

  “Troy, this is Ladd, my new boyfriend I told you about. I told you to leave me alone. I’m just ensuring that you’ll actually do it. I’ll let my lawyers explain what I need from you.”

  “Your boyfriend? What do you mean your lawyers?” Troy was looking a little green now, and his wood was now officially chipped. “He didn’t say anything about lawyers. He promised me this would be easy. It was supposed to be easy money. God damn it!”

  Rhett and Remy walked out, Remy waving hi, “Yeah, we’re the lawyers. Now, who are you talking about and what money?” Troy looked like he was closing his mouth and Remy continued, “Nope, asshole you don’t get to clam up now. We recorded everything you just did and even had your permission to do it. We can send this to the news agencies, and your dad would be on the nightly news by tomorrow, so I suggest you share, motherfucker, before I get cranky and hit send on the emails I have pulled up and addressed already.”

  Troy swallowed hard. “Okay fine. After I texted Connie the first time and got his snarky reply, I decided to cut my losses and move on.” He looked at me and continued. “But the next day, this guy messaged me online saying he saw I was in a relationship with you and he had information that you were cheating on me. I messaged him back and told him he was mistaken, but he was very insistent that I try to get you back for some reason. He told me your new guy was bad news and that I should want what was best for you. I kept resisting, and then he told me he’d pay me ten thousand dollars if I got you back and away from your new guy. Money was tight after I was kicked out of the house when I broke up with the couple from hell, so I agreed. I thought it would be easy money, but you kept being stubborn.”

  He looked pissed at me now, for not playing along with his manipulation. Fucking asshole.

  “This guy got really mad the longer it was taking, then he started trying to threaten me, but he didn’t really have anything. He started sounding crazy actually. And the only time I talked to him on the phone, he sounded drunk. What am I going to tell him now?”

  Ladd had turned sideways in my lap to watch Troy on the screen, and he asked the million dollar question. “What is the guy’s name?” I think we all had an idea who it might be, but we needed confirmation, and luckily, we were still recording.

  “His name is Parker Radcliff. He said his first and last name like I should know his name for some reason.”
/>   Yep, I’d have bet money on it being that asshole.

  Rhett chimed in now. “Okay, Troy, we’re done. We're keeping this recording, and if you say anything to anyone, especially Parker, we’ll send this recording out to the press, and we’ll send it to your grandparents for good measure. You might not know it, but you have a moral turpitude clause in you trust contract. If you do anything deemed immoral by your grandparents or the executor of the trust before you turn twenty-eight, you’ll forfeit the entire amount which when I checked yesterday was worth in excess of two-point-five million. I suggest you get a boring job and become celibate for the next few years or you'll be a big disappointment to me, boy.”

  Troy for the first time that night, looked serious and sad. I’d never seen him that way before, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he looked sorry for his actions for the first time in his life. He looked towards Rhett and responded, “I got it, sir, and you’re right. Consider me gone, Connor, and for what it’s worth I’m sorry. It looks like you have a good thing going. I’m happy for you, really.” He glanced around at everyone one last time and then said, “Before I go, you need to know, that guy Parker isn’t right. He kept going off about Ladd and the Eldridges which I assume is his family. Anyway, he’s determined to make you guys pay for something he thinks you did to him. The last time he contacted me was the only time we actually talked on the phone. He was drunk and ranting, but he did mention something about fire and a building and something about an inspection. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I realize I’m a selfish asshole, but I’m not an arsonist. I thought you should know.” He gave a little wave, and the connection was lost.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Well, shit, we went from the frying pan into the fire, possibly literally.” I stared at the now black screen of the laptop and thought about the last things Troy had told them about Parker. “Do you think he was serious about what he said about Parker or do you think he was making it up to get back at us?” I got up from Connor’s lap and walked over to the laptop to close the lid.

  “I think he was telling the truth. He would never know Parker’s name on his own, and it sounds just like that asshole to expect everyone to know who he is when he introduces himself. We were together for almost a year, and I never saw Troy serious like that. I think this was sort of a wake-up call for him. I hope he does make some changes. I don’t think he was ever really happy. Maybe he can use the next few years to get himself together and figure out what to do with his trust other than blowing it on parties and shoes.”

  “There is nothing wrong with fashionable footwear if you can afford it.” Taylor chimed in as he packed up one of the cameras. “And I agree with Connor, that guy looked like someone had busted his balloon and dropped his ice cream cone all at once. He was sad and meant what he said. He wanted us to be forewarned. Now, we have to decide what we’re going to do about it because we for damned sure don’t want anyone to get hurt and Parker sounds like he’s going off the rails.” He stood up from the bag he had just packed with equipment. “So now we need a new plan. I for one want a chance to pop Parker in the face, too.”

  “Well, I think we might need to head over to the building and look around to see if there’s anything we can find that could cause a problem,” Rhett suggested.

  James chimed in then, “I agree, but I think we should talk to the inspector first and see what he has to say. Ladd, didn’t you say it was Jeff? Okay, I’ll give him a call in the morning and see what he has to say. Now, if you guys will excuse me, I just got back from New Orleans this afternoon, and I need to get a few things done.” He pulled out his phone and looked down at it for a second. “Hey, I need to ask you guys about something. Do you guys know anything about a new app on my phone?” He held up the screen and showed us the newest dating app that had just come out. “I realized it was on there last night when I had to move a few apps around. Anyone have anything they want to tell me?” He looked at every one of us with his best Uncle James’s I’m serious as fuck, now spill look. Finally one of us caved.

  “I did it,” Remy chimed in, raising his hands like he was under arrest. “But I do have to say I had the best intentions, and Rhett agreed with me.”

  Rhett gave him the evil eye, “Way to throw me under the bus, you bastard.”

  “Guys, what the hell!” Uncle James was pissed, his face was turning red, and his eyes got more gray than blue. “I don’t need an app to get a date, and I don’t need any help. I do all right on my own, thank you very much.”

  “Uncle James, listen for just a second. We’re not trying to say you’re hopeless or that we know better, we just want you to get out there and try. In our own way, Rhett and I are looking for someone. We have wildly different ways of doing it, but we are. Ladd’s found his perfect guy, it looks like. Taylor, well, I’m actually not sure what Taylor’s doing.”

  “I’m doing the hot maintenance guy in my apartment complex actually, thanks for asking.”

  “Alrighty then, thanks for sharing, Taylor.” Remy flipped him off and continued, “What I’m saying is we just want you to be happy, and maybe this app might be a way to go about it, but it’s not the only way. Just, give it a look and see if you find anything interesting.” He winked at Uncle James and then hugged him. “We love you, Uncle James, and want you to be as happy as you’ve made us.” Remy waved to everyone, then left. God, he could be an asshole, but I kept forgetting that beneath all that metal and ink, he was still that sweet kid that was always trying to protect his family from the world. In a way, he and Connor had a lot in common.

  We all agreed to reconvene the next morning to talk to the inspector about Parker, and Connor and I left to go back home. All I wanted was to snuggle up to my dragon, my protective boyfriend, and be thankful that we could finally focus on a future together.

  I was sound asleep, and then I wasn’t. Something had caused me to wake up, but I couldn’t seem to focus, I felt too foggy to figure it out. I rolled over onto my side to see if whatever it was had caused Connor to wake up, too. I could smell something, but I wasn’t sure what it was at first. I tried to open my eyes to see Connor, but it burned when I tried. Then the coughing began, and I finally forced my eyes open and saw hell.

  The bedroom was full of thick smoke, and I could see flames licking up outside the windows. There was a fire against the outside wall of my house!

  I reached over and tried to wake Connor, but he only groaned and tried to roll away from me.

  “Connor! Connor! Connor, please wake up we have to get out of here!”

  He finally opened his eyes, but he wasn’t completely lucid. I slapped his face and pushed him to get him up. “Connor, we have to get out of here. Please! I can’t pick you up, babe, please!” He finally sat up and seemed to get a foggy grasp of reality.

  “Ladd? Ladd, what’s going on?” he asked in a slightly slurred voice. He tried to focus on my face, but then the fire caught his attention, and he looked toward the window. “Holy shit, there’s a fire! Let’s go!” He locked his hand on my wrist and tried to pull me off the bed toward the open bedroom door. He was weak though and lost his grip on me. He was having a hard time standing, falling back onto the bed when his legs gave out. I knew I was going to have to get both of us out of here. He wasn’t making it out by himself, and there was no way in hell I was leaving him. I threw my shoulder under his arm, throwing my other hand around his waist and used all the strength I had to hold him up.

  “Come on, Connor, I’ve got you, big guy, but you need to move with me. We’ve gotta get out of here, now!” I swiped both of our phones off the bedside table and shoved them into the waistband of my sweatpants. I moved us toward the bedroom door, and Connor shuffled with me putting a large part of his weight on my slight shoulders. He was heavy as hell, but the adrenaline rushing through my veins gave me strength enough to support his massive bulk and get him into the hall. As we passed through the bedroom door, I shut the door to keep the smoke limited to the bedroom, at
least for now. The fire was outside my bedroom, so as we got further down the hall toward the front door, the air cleared some and we could breathe easier.

  I located Penny by the front door wailing to get out, and I picked her up on our way out the front door. I gave a longing look toward my library and prayed neither the fire nor the inevitable water would damage my collection. We ran away from the carriage house toward the main house and let ourselves in, putting Penny in one of the guest rooms. I called 911 and made the report. I hoped like hell they got here quick, but I was so relieved I had been able to get us both safely out of the house.

  Uncle James met us on the front porch after Connor had told him the news, and he’d opened the gate for the fire trucks to get in. “My God, Ladd, Connor, what happened? Is Penny safe?” He looked like he was about ready to run over to the house to rescue her.

  “She’s fine, James. I don’t know what happened. All I know is that I owe Ladd my life. He woke me up and had to practically drag me out of there. The smoke was horrible, but it was only around the back of the house. When we got to the front, it was much better.”

  “Whatever caused it, was right outside my bedroom windows. I saw the flames out the window, and it was already eating away the outside walls. If it hadn’t been brick, I don’t know if we would have had time to get out.” My God we could have died. I just found Connor, and I could have lost him in an instant if I hadn’t been able to wake him up. We were safe, but we almost weren’t. Why would fate be so cruel to give me my wish come true and then take it all away in the most horrible way possible? I started to panic at what had almost happened and how horrible this could have been. My breathing sped up, but the smoke in my lungs made me start coughing uncontrollably. Connor held me close as we stood on the front porch watching the flames slowly take over my home, much slower than I would have thought, but faster than I wanted. I felt my anxiety closing in even more as the flames danced up as high as the live oaks surrounding the property. The sky looked like hell on Earth, and I couldn’t get rid of the idea that I had almost lost Connor to that hellfire. I reached for my ring and started counting, but it wasn’t enough this time. I felt a full panic attack creeping up on me, so I chanted in my head over and over that I had absolutely no control over this situation. I was safe, and I was lucky.