Fireflies From Heaven (16 page)

Reed’s eyes
never left mine as he reached for the hem of my dress and slipped the material
over my head and tossed it onto the rug leaving me in only my white lace bra
and panties and cowboy boots.
 
His
hungry gaze slid over me slowly like a caress, and I dragged in a ragged breath,
feeling my nipples harden beneath the ravenous look in his eyes.

“Ellie, are you
sure?”

I nodded.

“I want to hear
you say it.” His lips brushed my throat.

I whimpered. “I
want you Reed.”

 
As soon as I’d said his name, he reached
behind me and unclasped my bra, sliding the straps off my shoulders and letting
it fall to the floor, baring me to him. Next he reached behind me, slipping his
hand inside of my panties and cupping my butt before he pushed the panties down
my legs, and I kicked them off leaving me completely naked except for the
boots.

“You’re so
beautiful.”

I could hardly
breathe, and that was before he pulled me against his body and kissed me,
making me excruciatingly aware of the feel of my naked body against his wet
clothes.

I reached up to
unbutton his shirt and he let me.
 
Pushing back the wet material, I revealed the smooth, taut skin that was
stretched over the chiseled muscles of his arms, chest and flat abs that
tightened in an eight pack. My hands shook as I reached for the button of his
jeans and unfastened them before I undid his zipper. Sliding my hands inside
his jeans and briefs at the same time, I pushed them down before I remembered
that he was still wearing boots. My face flamed as I tried to figure out what
to do next.

“Sorry, I guess
I need some practice undressing men.” Lifting my chin, I found his eyes on me
with a steady regard.

“As long as
it’s me you’re practicing on, sweetheart.” In a move that only Reed could do
and still look damn good doing it, he toed off his cowboy boots and kicked off
his jeans and underwear.
 
My heart
pounded in my chest, and my gaze melted over him like warm honey. Naked and
aroused, Reed was a magnificent sight, and I could not look away.
 

“Ellie.”
 
The sound of Reed saying my name in a
deep voice that was thick with need, brushed over my already sensitive skin
like a feathery caress. We both took a step forward and reached for each other
at the same time. He slid a leg between mine, guided me backwards, and we fell
onto the bed in a frenzy of desire.

His hands and mouth
made love to my body, kissing and stroking my neck, breasts and the eager place
between my legs where an unbearable ache was building. Tangled together all
naked, it was like we were one and the sight of us with our bodies entwined sent
a jolt of yearning right through my core.

My body was
hypersensitive, aware of ever stroke, kiss, and lick as if it was magnified, so
when Reed’s watch brushed over my nipple, I flinched at the feel of it and Reed
tensed. His eyes found mine. “Sorry.”

“Reed I need
you,” I said in a trembling voice.

“Ah, Ellie.
Keep saying stuff like that and this will be over way to soon.”

“I’m still
wearing the cowboy boots.”

“Yeah, I like
that,” he replied with a slow smile that made me dissolve like warm butter.

I’d been
careful, but still I glanced down at his leg. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It’s healed.”
He kissed the base of my throat.

Pulling out of
Reed’s arms, I scooted down the bed until I was beside his left leg.
 
I hurt to know the pain he’d suffered. Lowering
my head, I began to kiss each one of his scars.

“Jesus, Ellie.”

I continued
kissing his leg until he reached down and hauled me against his chest. We
stayed like that for several moments, his arms folded around me, and my head snuggled
against his heart.

“Reed, you’re
shaking,” I whispered, surprised.

“I know.”

I looked up at
him quizzically.

“I messed up
our first time together, and I want to make it up to you. I guess I’m nervous,”
he admitted and I saw an uncharacteristic look of vulnerability in his eyes.

“When I
remember that night, all I think of was how perfect it was.”

He took my face
in his hands and looked deeply into my eyes. “Let me show you what it should
have been like.”
 
And then began to
make love to me with his mouth and hands. When I thought I couldn’t bear the
sensual torture any longer, he reached for nightstand drawer, but I placed my
hand on his arm, stopping him.

“We don’t need
a condom,” I told him.

He hesitated,
his eyes on mine. “Is that because you’re on the pill or do you want me to give
you a baby?”

 
The words shot through me, and suddenly
the thought of having Reed’s baby was what I wanted more than anything.
 
I was shaken.
 
Somehow I managed to reply, “I’m on the
pill.”

He nodded, his
expression unreadable.

Moving over me,
bracing his weight on his arms, he carefully positioned himself at my
entrance.
 
My hands slid over the
muscles of his back and he eased inside of me carefully, and I felt my body
stretching for him, savoring every delicious inch.
 
When he was fully inside, he looked down
at me. “Okay?” I could tell the one word was strained, and he was exerting
incredible self-control not to move.

“Please Reed,”
I whispered against his ear and felt him tremble.

He began a
slow, steady rhythm, which I tried to match, but I was awkward and kept messing
it up.
 
When I apologized to Reed,
he gazed down at me with a mixture of tenderness and amusement. “You can’t do
it wrong, you little innocent.”

The rhythm of
our bodies increased, my body eagerly moving with his, until I shattered, and I
felt as if I came apart and was put back together more whole than I’d ever been
before.
 
I realized Reed had been
holding back, waiting for me because as soon as I came, his body jerked and he cried
out my name. Afterward, he pulled the comforter over us and we lay spent
against each other.

“You’re hair is
so soft,” he said some time later, playing with the waves that were spilled out
over his chest.
 
The rain had ruined
the time I’d spent flat ironing the wild locks, but he didn’t seem to care.

“So is yours.”
Reaching up, I slid my fingers through his short dark hair.

This made him
smile. “That’s because I spend all that time conditioning and moussing it.”

“You do not.” I
laughed.

“No, but I comb
it,” he said with a spark in his eyes that clearly revealed he thought he
should get credit for that.

When I told him
about the time I’d spent with the flat iron earlier that evening, he looked at
me with disbelief. “I wanted it to be pretty for tonight,” I explained.

“It was, but
you’re always beautiful and I like the curls.”

I felt a smile
tugging at the corners of my mouth, which happened a lot around him.

“Ellie,” he
breathed. “We’ve got a second chance, and I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

“I’ll never
regret you.
 
I didn’t mean to scare
you before.”

He frowned as
if he didn’t know what I meant.

“When you asked
why we didn’t need a condom and you wondered if I wanted a baby,” I clarified.
“I’m sorry I scared you.”

“You didn’t,”
he replied, his voice sounding strange.

“I thought you
might be worried I wanted to get pregnant,” I told him, searching his face for
signs that I’d freaked him out and finding none.

He tilted my
chin upward, urging me to look into his eyes and what I saw in the blue depths
made my heart beat faster. “I’d want to marry you first.
 
But if it happened the other way around,
I wouldn’t be upset about it. We’d work it out.”

His words sent
a ripple of pleasure inside of me, and it must have shown on my face because
Reed cocked an eyebrow at me. “What, did you think I’d run if I found out you
were pregnant?”

Reed wasn’t the
kind of man that would run from anything, but I hadn’t expected his calm
assurance and his casual mention of marriage either. “I know you wouldn’t do
that.”

His eyes
searched mine. “You’re surprised that I mentioned marriage,” he guessed,
reading me correctly. “You do want to get married someday, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’m going
to have to prove to you that I’m the guy you should marry,” he replied easily.

My stomach
flip-flopped. “You’d want to marry me?”

“I think you already
know the answer to that,” Reed answered, his steady gaze glued to mine. “I’m
not suggesting we get married tomorrow. I don’t want to scare you, but this
isn’t a casual relationship for me. I want more. I’ll take everything you have
and give it back to you a thousand times. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you
happy.”

His lips caught
mine and I came apart in his arms. I was so caught up in the kiss that it took
me several seconds to recognize my ringtone. I glanced toward the sound.

 
Reed reached over and picked up my phone
off of the dresser.

Glancing at the
screen, I saw that it was my dad and a tremor of fear snaked through me. He
wouldn’t call this late unless something was wrong. I touched the screen.
 
“Dad?”

I listened
intently, my eyes flying to Reed.
 
The concern on his face was clear and he knew something was wrong.

“I’ll tell him.
Okay. I’m on my way.”

“What’s
happened?” Reed asked as soon as I hung up.
 
  

“It’s Isabelle,
she’s been arrested.”

We got dressed
quickly.
 
Since my clothes were
still wet, I borrowed a t-shirt and sweats from Reed.
 
Both of them swallowed me so I tied the
t-shirt at the waist and pulled the drawstring on the sweats as tight as they
would go, but still I looked like a kid playing dress-up.

“Why didn’t she
call me?” Reed asked, after checking his phone again.

Isabelle
protected Reed like he was her own child, and she probably didn’t want him to
worry, but in the back of my mind I wondered if her silence had something to do
with me.
 
“She didn’t call me
either. Dad thought I would want to know.”

“I’ll have to
thank him for that. I don’t know what Isabelle was thinking.”

Fifteen minutes
after my dad called we pulled into the parking lot of the Sheriff’s department,
but before we walked through the glass doors Reed took my hand, stopping me. His
eyes slid over me and he frowned.

“Ellie, if we
go in together your dad is going to know what we’ve been doing all night.”

I heard what he
didn’t say aloud, that he would let me go in by myself, and I knew how much it
had cost him to make the offer because Reed was obviously worried about his
sister.

I shook my head.
“You need to see Isabelle. I can let you go in,” I suggested.

“If you don’t
want to go in alone, then we’ll go together,” he told me, taking my hand.

“Ellie, what
are you doing here?” Officer Kate Easton asked, noting the way I was dressed
and that my hand was still firmly clasped in Reed’s.

“Dad called me,”
I explained, as if it was nothing unusual for him to do that at this time of
night. “Is he around, Kate?”

Kate, who was
in her late twenties, was eyeing Reed like he was something she wanted to eat.
 
Tearing her appreciative gaze away from
him, she answered, “He’s in his office. You can go on back.”

“Thanks,” I
said, leading Reed away from Kate’s eager eyes.

My dad was
sitting behind his desk in his worn black leather swivel chair and he’d just
hung up the phone when Reed and I walked in.
 
Taking in the situation and not missing
a single detail, Dad shot up and a flicker of alarm coiled inside of me. I
stepped between them shielding Reed from my dad’s furious gaze.

I couldn’t see
his expression, but Reed’s hands fell on my shoulders, giving me a reassuring
squeeze an instant before he stepped from behind me to face Dad, who looked angrier
than I’d ever seen him.

“Are you okay?”
His softly spoken question revealed none of the seething anger behind it, and
although the question was directed to me, his eyes were pinned on Reed.

“Dad, please,”
I begged, placing my hand on his arm. “Reed means a lot to me.”

“I see
that.”
 
The words were clipped. “He
doesn’t need you to protect him.”

“Sir, I was
with Ellie when you called.
 
I don’t
mean to upset you. I just wanted to see my sister.”

“You better
damn well have remembered what we talked about this evening!” Dad fired the
words at Reed, and they’d have made a lesser man flinch but Reed stood his
ground.

I started to
step between my dad and Reed again, but Reed’s hand on my arm stopped me. Dad
saw and his eyes narrowed warily at Reed.

“I’m in love
with your daughter. I would never do anything to hurt her.”

My heart
skipped a beat, and my gaze flew to Reed.
 
I didn’t blame him for saying whatever it took to soothe my dad.
 
We were here because of Isabelle and
this wasn’t the time to discuss my and Reed’s relationship, but hearing Reed
say that he loved me had a profound affect on me.

Something in
Reed’s tone or maybe what he’d said reassured Dad because I felt some of the
tension ease. My dad nodded curtly. “Your sister was picked up this evening
when the car she was driving was reported stolen.”

“What?” I
cried. “There’s got to be a mistake.”

“That’s exactly
what Isabelle said.”

His jaw clenched,
which was the only show of emotion from Reed. “Have any charges been filed?” he
asked calmly.

“No.” Something
about the way Dad said the one word made me realize that wasn’t exactly good
news. “The car belongs to an ex-boyfriend of Isabelle’s, and she insists she
bought the car from him. She’s being held until this can be cleared up,
hopefully in the morning.”

“She has to
stay in jail?”

Dad took a deep
breath, his expression solemn. “I told the Chief she was a friend of my
daughter’s, and he’s agreed to release her into my custody providing I
guarantee she’ll show up in court tomorrow.”

Reed sighed, obviously
relieved.
 
“Thank you, Sir. Thank
you.”
 
He reached out to shake my
dad’s hand and, I held my breath as I waited to see what Dad would do. He shook
Reed’s hand.

Things weren’t
exactly settled, but Reed and Dad were being civil and Isabelle wasn’t going to
spend the night in jail.

“Can we see
her?” Reed asked.

Dad nodded.
“She’s been in a holding cell,” he explained, picking up the phone and speaking
briefly to someone.

“Isabelle is
claustrophobic,” Reed said worriedly, glancing down at me.

My dad’s eyes
narrowed, and, he too, seemed concerned. “She didn’t mention that to me.”

“She wouldn’t.
Isabelle likes to pretend she’s tough,” I told him. I didn’t think it was
proper police procedure to release prisoners into officer’s custody, but I was
thankful that Isabelle wouldn’t have to spend the night in jail. Dad had stuck
his neck out for Isabelle, and I appreciated it.

 
Dad looked grim. A few minutes later, a
female officer escorted a fragile-looking Isabelle into my dad’s office.
 

Folding my arms
around her, I heard Isabelle’s soft cry but she didn’t hug me back.
 
I thought she might still be upset with
me until I saw Dad move behind her and heard the jingle of a key, and I
realized with shock that she was handcuffed. Once Dad undid the cuffs, Isabelle
wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

I felt Reed
beside us and I let go of Isabelle, but she didn’t release me immediately, and
I wasn’t sure she even knew Reed was there until his hand rubbed her back. The
simple touch was all it took for her to turn and launch herself into his arms.

“I’m sorry,”
Isabelle cried while Reed reassured her. “I don’t want the two of you worrying
about me. It’s just until morning, and I’ll get this straightened out,” she
said bravely, and I realized that Isabelle didn’t know she’d be going home
tonight with my dad.

“You’re being
released in my custody,” I heard Dad tell Isabelle. “They’re not going to worry
because you’ll be spending the night in Ellie’s old room.”

Isabelle’s
teary eyes flew to my dad, and I could feel the relief and gratitude she felt
toward him.

“It’s been a
long night,” Dad told us. “I think it’s time for everyone to go home.” His eyes
slid to Reed, and I and knew he didn’t like the idea of us going home together.

“Sir, I’ll take
Ellie home,” Reed stated, and I could tell he regretted his choice of words as
soon as they were out.

My dad’s eyes
flared.

“I meant I’ll
make sure she gets home safely,” Reed corrected. He left out that it was his
home, but I think Dad already knew that. He wasn’t happy about it, but he
didn’t argue.

Isabelle went
to court the next day and even though Scott insisted that she hadn’t paid him
the full amount for the car, her canceled check was enough to convince the
judge that this was not a criminal matter.
 
The case was dismissed. Scott threatened
to sue Isabelle civilly and since she didn’t have a receipt for the car, Reed
paid him off to settle the matter.

Finally, it was
over and I breathed a sigh of relief that was probably nowhere as great as
Isabelle’s.
 
Reed and I, along with
Dad and Cora had sat in the front just behind where Isabelle was seated, but
when court was dismissed, Amber and her parents came to hug Isabelle and I
realized they’d been seated in the back the whole time.

As usual Amber
was stunning in a sleek black dress that hugged her enviable figure and a sexy
pair of heels with a peek-a-boo toe.
 
Her long, straight blonde hair was pulled back into a sophisticated
ponytail.
 
Amber’s mother, Diana,
was an attractive older version of Amber, with a kind look in her eyes.

Amber and her
dad went to Isabelle first, and then Diana Foster folded her slender arms
around Isabelle, and I watched as she sobbed in the arms of Amber’s mother.
 
Will Foster went over and stretched his
arms around both of the women, motioning for Reed and Amber to join them.
 
Watching the intimate family moment, a
feeling of despair washed over me.
 
This was what Reed had given up to be with me, and even though I wasn’t
sure Amber knew about us I couldn’t squash the doubt that was darkening inside
of me.

“Is that the
ex-girlfriend?” Dad asked me, watching Reed and Isabelle with the Fosters.

“Yes.” I caught
Cora’s look of sympathy, and I forced a smile for my dad’s benefit, but he
wrapped his arm around my shoulders and said softly, “He doesn’t look at her
the way he does you.”

I turned my
head and glanced up at Dad.
 
“I want
to kick his ass because you’re my baby,” Dad said with a half-smile. “But, I
think he loves you so I’m willing to hold off on that. For now.” Left unspoken
was, ‘Let me know if he ever hurts you, and the ass kicking is on’.

“Thanks Dad.” I
smiled, but I knew that Reed had only told my dad he was in love with me to
smooth things over last night, and now I was beginning to wonder if maybe he
didn’t have some lingering feelings for Amber just like Isabelle had said all
along.

The doubt stuck
with me even when Reed took my hand and introduced me as his girlfriend to
Amber and her parents. I wasn’t sure if he noticed the anguish on Amber’s
beautiful face or the disappointment on the faces of her mother and father, but
I was keenly aware of it.

Everyone left
the courtroom and said their goodbyes, but before we left the Fosters invited
us to their house for a celebration in two weeks.
 
They said they’d been thinking of having
a Halloween party and since they had more of a reason to celebrate it would be
fun to go ahead with the party plans.

“You’re upset that
Amber and her parents were here,” Reed said to me as we left the courthouse.

“No. I’d never
begrudge Isabelle any support.”

“I know that.
That’s not what I meant.” He stopped and turned to me. “You’re thinking you
came between Amber and I after all.”

“Maybe,” I
admitted, miserably.

“Don’t do this,
Ellie.” He stepped closer, his body against mine and his eyes hot with emotion.
“I’m where I want to be.” His lips brushed mine. “Give us a chance.”

I wanted that
more than anything. “Okay,” I answered, and Reed kissed me slow and deep.
 
The shivery feeling that danced along my
nerves whenever Reed touched me was in full force, and I wondered if I’d ever
get used to the electric sensation.

We broke apart
slowly as someone cleared a throat from behind us.
 
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Isabelle
apologized, her eyes skating over Reed and I. “I was hoping I could talk to you.”

She seemed
uncertain, glancing down at the ground before looking back at me.
 
My eyes widened in surprise because I
realized that she was speaking to me. “Of course,” I replied.

“That okay,
little brother?”

Reed smiled.
“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Cora said
she’d give us a ride,” Isabelle informed me.

“Great.” I
turned to Reed and caught him watching me and knew he was thinking, ‘I told you
she’d come around’.

 
“I’ll see you tonight,” Reed said,
dropping a kiss on my lips.

Isabelle and I
walked away, but suddenly I stopped and turned to Reed. “Is Jase coming to
Shooters tonight?”

“I think so,”
he answered, cocking a dark brow.

I nodded,
pleased. “Cora will be glad to hear it.”

Reed smiled. “He’s
been asking about her too.”

Not long later Isabelle
and I sat in the living room of my apartment.

“I’m not
listening,” Cora called out as she walked to the kitchen. “Just getting coffee.”

“I told you to
stay Cora.”

“No, I’m giving
the two of you some private time to iron out your crap. I want this settled.
The next time I pass through I expect you to be friends again.”

“We’re still
friends,” Isabelle replied, but her eyes darted worriedly to mine. “We are,
right?”

“Of course we
are,” I assured her.
 

Isabelle looked
at me as if silently asking if I was sure.
 
Then she closed her eyes a moment before saying, “I’m sorry I freaked
out when I found out about you and Reed.
 
I was just hurt that you’d kept it from me.”

“I know. I
shouldn’t have lied to you.” Sometimes I wished that I could get a do over or
hit the pause button like on a DVD player, but life never slowed down even when
you needed a chance to catch up.

“I know why you
did it,” Isabelle told me. “I was obsessed with Reed getting back with Amber,
and that must have been awkward for you. When I think about how you probably
felt all of those times I was talking about Amber and Reed, I want to kick
myself.”