Ablaze (15 page)

"Crybaby," he said, then kissed the top of her
head.

"Dylan, come on over. Let's start this party,"
the director called.

Dylan squeezed Angel's side, then whispered, "Be
right back. Stop crying. Your nose is dripping."

"Okay! Go!"

Dylan half-walked and half-ran toward the director while
waving at the crowd. Angel watched with pride as Dylan high-fived the kids in
wheelchairs all lined up, eagerly waiting for the best part of the day--receiving
their trophies.

Dylan was given the job of handing out the trophies to
each player. He gave them high-fives, ruffled their hair, and made them laugh. The
way he interacted with the kids, Angel could tell Dylan would be a great father
someday. His kids would have blue eyes like him, dark hair that she loved to run
fingers through, a charming smile, mischievous, and they'd be spoiled rotten.
She bet Dylan would pamper his daughter or teach his son how to spit like a man
and eat burgers like a man. Angel chuckled at the image of Dylan and his future
kids, laughing, teasing their mother.

Their mother.

Angel's smile disappeared. The imaged joy in her head
was replaced by jealousy so strong it gave her acute pain. She touched her
chest, shocked at the realization that Dylan was more than just a bedmate. She
loved him. Oh, God. Could this be real? She'd known him for only a week. Manfred
was right. It takes only a heartbeat to fall in love. And she'd fallen for
Dylan the moment she had laid her eyes on him.

But what about
him
? When her one-month stay here ended,
would he just wave goodbye and turn his back? God, what in the world had she
gotten herself into? She left North Carolina to forget. But what did she do?
Jump into another pit of pain. This time though, it would be different.

Wrapping her arms around her, Angel walked outside the
fenced court. She slowly followed the paved path shaped like a number eight while
reading the signs, admiring the murals and tiny handprints placed strategically
so people could see them. When she reached the curve, she looked up and saw
Dylan walking toward her. He was smiling, his hands in his pockets. Seeing him
felt like they were here on a rendezvous, like lovers meeting at the park.

He stopped in front of her and took her hand. "You
look gloomy. I told you we're going to a party. I should have been specific.
Were you expecting a different kind of party?

"No. This is great. You're great. I can't believe
you brought this place to life, kept Colton's dream alive. You made a lot of
people happy. I'm so proud of you."

"You are?"

"Yes."

"Every child deserves to enjoy a park like this, to
swing on a tire swing, feel the rush of going down the slide. And every park
should be accessible to someone like Colton. Too bad there's not many parks
like this around."

"This is an amazing park."

"I know. Too bad Hen didn't get to enjoy one like
this."

"What do you mean?"

"Hendrix was born with a severe case of
knock-knees."

"Wow. No one would suspect that he had knee
problems as a child."

"He wore braces and orthopedic shoes all the time.
Kids teased him mercilessly. He had a hard time using the swing or going down
the slide. Most of the time, my brothers and I would help him get on the swing,
but he was a stubborn boy. He would go to the park alone because you know why?"

"He's a Band."

"Exactly."

"After coming home one day with a fat lip because he
fell off the swing andbleeding elbows from scooting on the slide, I promised myself
that one day I'll build a park designed for someone like him."

"And you did."

"I did. So why are you here and not over there enjoying
the brownies and cakes?"

"Since I came here in Seattle, I think I've gained
fifty pounds already. Besides, I'm not a cake and brownie kind of girl,"
she lied. Cakes and brownies were her favorites.

"You know, you're not a very good liar." Dylan
pulled her hand until there was no space between them and then hugged her
tight. "What's up, honey? Do you want to go home now?"

"No. No. I guess I was just melancholy."

"I'm sorry. Anything I can do?"

Angel shook her head. He shouldn't apologize. It was her
fault that she fell in love with him. She wrapped her arms around Dylan's hips
and squeezed tight.

"Hey, look at me." He placed his finger
beneath Angel's chin, forcing her to look at him. "If you want to do
something, go somewhere else, just tell me. I want you to be happy here."

"I am. Dylan, you're amazing. The moment I walked
in Pink Door, you made me feel welcome, special. I am happy and I love…your
brothers. They're amazing, too."

"But why feel sad?"

Angel looked away. How could she tell him that she had
fallen in love with him in such a short time? "I'm going to leave in three
weeks."

Dylan pulled her back in his arms again and then sighed
in her hair. "Honey, three weeks is still a long ways away. Don't talk about
leaving. Not now. Not yet."

Angel stared at the lamppost.
Not yet.
He didn't
say don't go home. Well, what did she expect? That he'd say, stay forever and
marry me? Misery seared her heart. She hurt so badly she couldn't stop a sob
from escaping followed by hot tears.

"Hey, hey. What's this? My sunny Angel is crying?"

She gave a desperate laugh. "Sorry. Must be my
hormones. You're right. No talk of leaving. Not yet."

"I have an idea how to cheer you up."

Chapter Fifteen

It took another half hour before Dylan and Angel finally
were able to leave the parking lot. Angel put on such a happy face when they
said their goodbyes that no one was able to guess that she had been crying. He
didn't like it when he saw her tears. He hated it when she mentioned about
leaving. Was she that miserable here? He thought she was happy.

 For a week, he tried to make her feel at home. He loved
the time they spent together and to think about her leaving not only upset him,
but skewered something deep within him. And it fucking hurt. What happened
earlier that made her cry, he didn't know. He wished to God that it wasn't her
ex that made her feel sad.

"Where are we going? This place doesn't look like
our neighborhood."

"We're in Queen Anne. Houses here will remind you
of houses in North Carolina."

"You think I'm sad because I'm homesick?"

"Aren't you?"

Angel frowned, but her eyes lit up when she saw a
mansion made out of brick. "Look at that house! Oh, wow. Looks so
European."

"Housing styles here include turn-of-the-century
Queen Anne-style architecture. I think that's how this neighborhood received
its name. Queen Anne. I bet houses like that one are all over North Carolina."

"Yeah. I've always wanted to have a house like that."

"I'm sure your house in North Carolina is better
than some of these houses."

"Manfred's house is. Mine is an apartment. Renting
it with my own money although Manfred insisted that he build me my own. Oh,
geez. How about that one?"

"If I'm not mistaken that's Hasselbeck's house."

"The football player married to a wacky woman who
hosts the
View
?"

Dylan laughed. He was happy to see the spark in Angel's
eyes were back. "That one. Would you mind living here?"

"God, I wouldn't mind at all. Why ever not. This is
an awesome neighborhood. I love houses like these. Especially the English architecture."

"If you live here, you'll be away from Manfred and
Minnie."

"True. But I think distance wouldn't be a problem."

He parked in front of a four-level Georgian Colonial
style house. "How about this one?" He couldn't understand it, but he
wanted to hear Angel's approval.

"Oh, God. If I were to start a family, I want to
start in a house like this. Look at the front yard, low fence covered with ivy.
Love the Georgian style windows."

"You know it's Georgian?"

"I'm quite sure. Look at the square, symmetrical
shape, paneled front door and paired chimneys. And check out the five windows
across on the front. Classic sign of a Georgian style. Just love it."

Dylan let out a sigh of relief. "That's not the
most expensive house in the neighborhood though."

"I don't look at the price. Don't care if that's a
cottage. It's the way I feel when I look at the house that matters."

"Tell me what you feel right now."

"I'm home. That house could be mine. Weird, huh?"

Dylan couldn't contain his happiness. He unbuckled his
seatbelt and leaned toward Angel to give her a long arousing kiss. "Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"I--" Damn. He was so close to saying the
three words. What the hell.

"I what?"

"You have no idea how happy you made me to hear you
say you love that house."

"Why?"

"Because that house is mine."

"Really." Angel sighed and looked longingly at
the house.

"Really."

Now what in the heck was wrong with her? She just said
she loved the house, but now that he told her he owned it, she looked sad
again. The hell! He started the car again and drove toward the narrow alley
beside the house where the garage was located. Using the remote control, he opened
the garage and parked inside. "It's nice living in this neighborhood, but there's
a drawback. You have to sign a covenant. There are so many rules. One of which
is no parking on the street."

"I thought you live in Pink Door."

"Practically. I spend most of my time there. Here,
I take my rest when I'm tired of hanging out with my brothers or Tony."

He got out of the car the same time Angel did.

"So do you use this house to party with your
friends?"

"No. Aside from my brothers, no one has ever been
here. You're the first."

Angel looked at him. She looked surprise. "Really?"

Dylan walked over to where Angel stood and then held her
face gently. "True. Cross my heart." He kissed the tip of her index
finger before putting it inside his mouth.

Angel closed her eyes and let out a long tired sounding
sigh.

"How could anyone be so beautiful is beyond me.
Your parents did a great job creating you. I wonder what they did to give you
these beautiful lips." His lips brushed against Angel as he spoke. "Eyes
that I couldn't stop staring at, nose that I love to death, and body that has
made me burn since you walked in the restaurant." There was electricity in
their touch. He felt it strongly and he knew Angel felt it, too.

"I have a pretty good idea how they made me, but I
don't want to think about it right now. Kind of weird."

Dylan laughed, hugged Angel, and kissed the base of her
neck hard. Ah, she'd have a kiss mark there. But so what? He'd cover her with
it if he could. To mark her, to make everyone see that she belonged to him at
least for the rest of the month.

Meeting her eyes again, he shook his head in disbelief. This
woman showed up and made him swallow his rules. And the truth was, he didn't
care. "Oh, honey. Where have you been all my life?"

"North Carolina." She smiled.

He moved his mouth over Angel's, enjoying the feel of
its softness. "Thank God for Manfred. He sent you over to me. I wish I
could tuck you inside me so I could carry you wherever I go." He gently
covered her partly opened mouth and then began to explore. Blood pounded hard
in his brain, heart, and down his throbbing cock. Pressing her against the car,
he rubbed himself against her pubic bone. Ah, he wouldn't get tired of this.

"Why? So you could kiss me, whenever?"

"So you're with me, whenever." Dylan held
Angel's face between his hands while trying to get his emotions under control.
So
you're with me, whenever.
Those words came out of his mouth as natural as
breathing the air. And it felt good. He wanted this woman in his arms whenever…forever.

Reality came too quickly and he wasn't even prepared for
it. But then, no one knew when love would come knocking, right? Man, who would
have thought love at first sight indeed happened in real life and not just in
romance books. But like anything, love will also die fast if not nurtured. He
bet once they part ways, whatever was budding right now, would not bloom. "Will
you take me…" He flattened his palm against Angel's chest where he could
feel her heart beating. "Here. With you."

Angel stared at him. Her eyes dewy and searching his
face. She smiled, but sadness was still evident in her green eyes. "Of
course. I would never forget you. Never."

"Neither do I." Reclaiming her lips, he
thrusts his tongue inside her warm cavity. He tickled the roof of her mouth.
Angel responded by sucking him. Her taste was intoxicating. But they were in
the garage for chrimany sakes. Lifting his mouth from Angel's, he tried to
control his breathing. "Now, let's go inside before I lose my control and
make love with you here."

"Making love in the garage. That doesn't sound bad.
I've never tried it before." Angel wriggled her brows while smiling at him
wickedly.

"Lord, have mercy."

Angel said the most cock-rising thing. And he loved that
about her.