Ablaze (16 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Dylan led Angel inside the house. In awe, she stood in
the middle of the large white foyer. An elongated chandelier with sweeping,
arched-hammered iron held an upright water glass bowls. A round dark mahogany
table with dark leaf sat directly beneath it and on top, a faded red oriental
rug. Angel made a three sixty as she scanned the room.

"This is a great foyer. Anyone who comes in through
that door would feel welcome and probably not want to leave."

"Hmm. No wonder my brothers don't want to leave
whenever they come here. Come on. Living room is this way."

Painted in pale blue, the living room was made for
entertaining guests on a lazy afternoon. She could imagine herself curled up on
a leather couch while sipping her frappuccino or holding her baby while singing
a lullaby. Nice.

"Any thoughts about this room?"

"I love it. It's designed for the whole family to
enjoy, not just visitors. Minnie's living room is full of antiques and
everything breakable. Even her chairs with spindly legs looks so delicate I
hate to sit on them. Not this room."

"Little boys and girls can run around here and we
wouldn't worry about them breaking anything."

Angel stiffened. Did he just say we? As in him and her?
Or was he referring to his future wife? She glanced at Dylan. There was a faint
smile on his lips while looking around the room as if imagining there were
children in here. And then he looked down at her, took hold of her hand, before
kissing her temple.

"Ready to see the rest of the house?"

"Yes. How many bedrooms are there?"

"Hmm. Thinking about bedrooms are we?"

"Just wondering, silly."

"Five bedrooms, six and a half baths, four
fireplaces. You should see the kitchen. There's a fireplace in there, too. Kind
of neat to dine in there while the fire is roaring."

"You mean romantic."

"Well, I used it when my brothers were here. I didn't
think of dining with them as romantic. Chaotic maybe."

Angel chuckled. "They are something else."

After oohing and ahhing at the large kitchen, Dylan showed
her the library that came with old books before he led her to the grand
staircase.

"Wow, climbing up this steps makes me feel like a
princess. This is awesome, Dylan."

"Thank you."

One by one, they peeked inside the guest rooms, which
had beds that weren't made. But when they reached Dylan's bedroom, he opened
the door wide and gently pushed Angel inside.

"Welcome to my den."

Standing inside Dylan's room seemed too personal, too
intimate in her estimation. This room should be shown only to his girlfriend or
future wife. Not to someone like her--friend with benefits. But who was she to
complain.

Dylan's solid wood four-poster bed must have been
customized to accommodate his height. It had matching two nightstands, dresser,
and a mirror. She walked toward the post closest to her. Staring at the firm
looking bed, she imagined Dylan sprawled on top. "That's a huge bed."

"You never know when you're gonna have company."

"You don't need a big bed if you have company. Even
a cot will do. Unless, of course, it's a foursome then--"

"Foursome? My, my. You have such a dirty mind, Miss
McCready."

"Just saying." A double glass door that opened
to a porch with white railing caught her attention. "You have a deck!"

"Yeah." Dylan opened the doors. "Come see
the view."

Angel walked outside and leaned her belly against the
railing. The commanding view of Seattle was spectacular. Downtown skyline dotted
with lights. A ferry ablaze with glittering lights plowing through Elliot Bay
created a majestic view. It seemed like she was staring at a gigantic postcard.
"Wow."

She felt Dylan's presence behind her. Seconds later, his
arms wrapped around her waist.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," she replied, then leaned her head back.

"You can see the industrial area and over there is
the business district, and that's the Capitol hill. Space Needle, you already
know. If you want, we could go there tomorrow. Have dinner at the rotating
restaurant. Up there we could see the whole Seattle area."

"That would be nice. I love looking at the night-lights.
They danced, huh? Like fireflies."

"I agree." Dylan enveloped her in his arms and
then kissed her neck. "Some people would rather have the view of a
mountain or beaches. Me, I'd rather look at the lights, blinking, moving in the
distance. Did you know that this view inspired me to write a poem?"

"Really? Can I see it?"

"No. It's horrible."

Angel tried to turn around to look at Dylan, but he
tightened his hold around her waist and buried his face at the crook of her
neck. "I'm sure it's good. Let's hear it."

"Forget it. It might put you to sleep."

"No!" Angel protested. "I want to hear
it. Promise I won't yawn."

"You're funny, you know that."

"You're changing the topic."

"Okay. It goes like this…No matter what, I will
never forget my past. The things that I've done, things that made me fall, things
that hurt me most. But in time, even the deepest cut will heal, regrets will
fade, pain will dissipate and the past will remain a distant memory. When I
look up in the sky, it's because I'm moving on, taking another step in finding
the brightest one among the stars, of finding someone like you." Dylan
squeezed her hip. "Okay, you can yawn now. Say it, hon. Boring."

Angel didn't say anything. She pointed her eyes on one
particular star that seemed to wink at her and tried to control her tears from
falling. But she couldn't. Only a man hurt so deeply would write something like
that. She thought about Camille. He loved her, but she cut him bad. When she
tried to turn around this time, Dylan didn't stop her.

Combing back Dylan's hair, she stared intently into his
gorgeous eyes. "It's beautiful and sad. I'm sorry you were hurt, but I'm
glad your pain didn't keep you from looking up."

Dylan wiped Angel's tears with the pads of his thumbs. "You're
a crybaby."

"Hallmark card ads make me cry, too. Sorry."

"I should thank Camille. I wouldn't have this
buoyed feeling right now if she didn't cheat. And I am glad your bastard ex is
a perv. Because now I've got you."

I've got you.
Angel
didn't know whether to jump for joy or feel sad. I've got you, she repeated in
her head
.
Sounded so wonderful. But for how long? The remaining of the
month? Letting out a long sigh, she smiled. If she couldn't have him forever at
least take what the present offered.

"You like the lights." Angel shivered when
Dylan's tongue licked the base of her neck while his hand slowly inching inside
her top. "You read romance novels. I'd say you're a romantic."

"Hmm, I guess. You're so soft, hon."

Oh, God. Dylan's erection, pressed against her belly, aroused
her. Heat that churned in her belly spiraled downward until a warm feeling pooled
in between her legs. Dylan must have sensed her reaction. He cupped her butt
and then he ground his hips.

Angel closed her eyes to savor the delicious feeling.

"Honey, you make me think of wicked things."

"Such as?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes." Angel opened her eyes to meet Dylan's. Anticipation
as to what he would say stimulated her even more.

"Like pouring wine on your naked body and then
licking you clean, with you sitting on me while I suck your clit, you on all
fours while I take you from behind, my mouth on your pussy while you suck me."

"Oh, God."

"You asked. I don't know what it is that you did to
me, but the moment I saw you, you set me on fire."

The cool summer air circled around them, fanning the
heat caused by their melded bodies. Angel shivered at currents of hot desire flowing
through her body when Dylan gently sucked her lower lip. He played with it with
his tongue and teeth while his hand deftly unhooked her bra. Gripping her hips,
he slowly backed her up while nibbling on her ear.

"Hon?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to stay here with you."

"All night?"

"For as long as you want."

"What are you saying?" Heart pounding, mind tripping
to all kinds of possibilities one of which was Dylan cared for her, Angel tried
to get a grip. Perhaps she was making something out of nothing really.

"You and me. To spend time here."

"What about the restaurant? And my things?"

"I can be gone for a year and that place will run
smoothly. Tomorrow, we'll go back to get our stuff and my laptop, too. Let's
stay here. Like we're on a vacation."

Or honeymoon.
"I'd
like that." The back of her thighs hit the bed, but Dylan kept his hold on
her.

"It'll be the best vacation ever. I'll show you
every possible way we could use a bed. I'll make you see that you are not the
same person your ex made you think you are."

Angel giggled, high with giddiness. "I'm a quick
learner."

"Shall we start now?"

"Need you ask?"

Dylan's eye twinkled devilishly and he began to undress
Angel.

Chapter
Seventeen

Dylan lay behind Angel, savoring the moment, loving the
feel of her warm and soft body against his. He pressed his lips against her
shoulder, then smiled when Angel moaned and scooted even closer to him. When he
offered that they stay here for as long as she wanted, he was brimming from
insane happiness as if he'd just found what he'd been looking for all these
years and he didn't want to part with it no matter what. Yeah, he didn't want
to part with Angel. He wanted her beside him twenty-four seven, he wanted to
see her all the time, hear her voice, feel her skin. He wanted her with
passion.

He thought about his number one rule--f
lirt,
fuck, but run when feelings started to get involve. At this point, no way he'd
be able to run away from this, from Angel. Not that he'd want to. What he
wanted was the opposite. He wanted Angel where she was--beside him. He
remembered what Fiona had said about giving birth. After the first baby, she
swore never to get pregnant again. The pain was too much to have another one.
But then, only over a year, she was pregnant again because the only thing she
remembered was the joy of having another baby growing inside her, of seeing
whether the next one would be a boy or a girl. Right now, he couldn't remember
the pain his break up with Camille had caused him. All he could feel was joy
and the prospect of having Angel in his arms. However, like Fiona, would he
regret this joy when another pain came along? He hugged Angel tightly.
Ah,
baby. Would you cause me pain tomorrow?

As time
ticked, Dylan began to fall asleep again. He had just closed his eyes when he
remembered his meeting with his agent, Mya.

Damn.
How
could he forget? Careful not to wake Angel up, he left her side and went to the
bathroom. When he went back to check on Angel, she was already sitting up. Her
hair was a mess, her lips were bright red, her exposed shoulders looked flushed.
She looked sleepy and he couldn't imagine anyone more beautiful than her.

"Hey."
In few quick strides, he made it back to Angel's side, cupped her face, and
kissed her hard. He planted kisses all over her face and down at the base of
Angel's neck.

"Hey
back." Angel wrapped her arms around him.

"Good
morning."

"Morning.
Are we leaving?"

"Yeah.
I have to meet a friend in an hour, hon. We'll go back to Pink Door and I'll
leave you there. You can pack while I'm gone. The meeting will take only an
hour or so."

"Okay."
Angel let out a loud yawn that would make Marley proud.

Dylan
smiled and hugged her tight. He just had to. God, he'd never felt this kind of
love fever before. So consuming. Maybe an hour of separation would help clear
his head. Maybe this burning love was due to their closeness. We'll see, he
thought.

Angel
would have gone back to sleep if he didn't pull her up. She didn't put up a
fight, but yawned her way to the bathroom. She moved like a slug so he had to
help her put her sandals on and brush her hair. He would have kept on doing it
if Mya wasn't waiting. Funny how brushing her hair felt as intimate as making
love with her.

Back
inside the car, he noticed that the dark circles around Angel's eyes were gone.
She'd been sleeping good now and hadn't mentioned about her demon. If she were
still sleepy, it wasn't because she couldn't sleep, but because they'd been
staying up late.

As soon
as he closed the garage door, he glanced at Angel. They'd be back here. At that
thought, he drove back to Pink Door.