Fireflies From Heaven (17 page)

“It was my
fault for not telling you about us.”

“I think I
knew,” she said with a faraway look in her eyes. “Two years ago when Reed
showed up at the cemetery I saw how he was with you and I had a feeling, but I dismissed
it. I deserve the ‘shittiest friend award’, but I love you and I hope you’ll
forgive me.”

“There’s
nothing to forgive. I couldn’t love you anymore Isabelle if you really were my
sister,” I told her, tears misting in my eyes. I knew how lucky I was to have
such amazing friends.

“I just don’t want
you to get hurt, Ellie,” Isabelle replied.

 
It was the last thing she said to me
before we changed the subject, and it was what lingered in my mind hours later
when I should have been happy that everything was falling into place. Isabelle
didn’t want me to get hurt, which meant she thought there was a chance that
things wouldn’t work out for me.

The idea tugged
at the corners of my mind all night while we were out having fun, and I thought
of it when Amber’s gaze kept sliding to Reed and I at Shooters.

“Let’s go home,”
Reed whispered, his lips brushing my ear.

“Hmm. It’s
early.
 
Is your leg bothering you?”

“No.” His deep
blue eyes locked with mine, and I saw in his eyes what the single word hadn’t
conveyed.

 
My blood raced.
 
My heart pounded.
 
I shivered. “Okay.”

Somehow we made
it to Reed’s place without ripping each other’s clothes off but I wasn’t sure
how because the sexual energy between us was thick and palpable.
 
The first time that night our lovemaking
was fast and punctuated with a sense of urgency that left us breathless and
spent.

 
Later, we made love again taking our time
and making every sensual touch, kiss, lick seem a thousand times hotter. I’d
never felt so complete, so safe and I was suddenly afraid of losing it all.

“What’s wrong?”
Reed breathed against my temple.

We were lying
naked, entwined with one another when I heard Reed’s softly spoken question.
 
I wasn’t sure how to answer him.

“You’ve been
quiet all night. I know something’s bothering you.”

“I’m just
taking everything in,” I told him.

He rubbed my
back in slow, comforting strokes. “Is your dad still upset about the other
night?”

“No, you did a
great job of convincing him to back off.”

“I’m sure he
feels better knowing I’m in love with his daughter and not just having sex with
her.”

I wasn’t aware
I’d tensed until I felt Reed glance down at me. “You didn’t have to tell him
that, Reed.”

“Why would I
keep it a secret?” he asked. Suddenly, I saw the understanding flicker in
Reed’s eyes. “You don’t believe me.”

He stared at me
a moment in silence. “Ellie,” he said finally. “I should have told you first,
but that doesn’t change anything. I love you.
 
If that scares you, I can back off and
give you some time to accept it, but I’m not taking it back.”

My heart
thumped wildly against my chest. “I love you too Reed.” The declaration tumbled
from my lips, and I caught the flash of emotion in his eyes.

“I was afraid
you’d think it was too soon,” he said, pressing his lips to the base of my
throat.

My mind began
to race. I couldn’t think clearly. I loved him so much, but it felt wrong to
take him away from Amber and a family that had practically raised him.

I knew that
Amber loved Reed, but so did I. I just wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

“We don’t have
to go to this party.” Reed roped his arm around my waist and kissed the side of
my neck.

I squirmed at
the ticklish kisses against my skin. “You want to make love again?” I was sure
I sounded surprised. It was Saturday evening and we’d spent the entire day in a
naked splendor, but when I mentioned that to Reed I felt his shoulders shake
with laughter.

“Naked
splendor,” he repeated in a slow, sexy drawl that made my stomach dip. “I like
the sound of that.”

“Should I take
off the costume?” I asked, turning in his arms to face him. My breath hitched
when my nipple brushed against his arm.

I was happy.

Reed and I had
spent as much time as we could together for the last few days, much of it naked
and having sex, but we’d also talked and we had fun together.
 
Reed was an easy person to talk to and
being with him felt like talking with my best friend, which is what he’d
become. I loved Cora and Isabelle and would always treasure our girl time, but
Reed was special to me and I wondered if I’d ever be able to give him up.
 
Anytime that I started to doubt our
relationship, I’d give the traitorous thoughts a mental shove because I wasn’t
ready to face a future that didn’t include Reed.

“Even if we
stay in I want you to leave on that dress.” His eyes raked over me with blatant
appreciation.
 

I could feel my
smile widen. We were dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, and Reed was panty-melting sexy
as the outlaw.

“Got a thing
for Bonnie, do you?” I asked as my approving gaze traveled down Reed’s body.

“I’ve got a
thing for you. Dressed in anything or nothing.” He cocked a brow, his
expression devilish. “But you do look hot in that dress. I don’t know how I’m
going to keep my hands off of you.”

“I prefer your
hands on me,” I replied wickedly, my own hands sliding over his chest.

With a low
growl, Reed picked me up and set me on top of the granite washbasin and moved
between my legs, which I wrapped around his waist. His mouth took mine in a
deep, hungry kiss that I felt all the way to my toes.
 
His hands moved over my body, cupping my
breasts, playing with my nipples, and then he slid a hand beneath my dress and
I felt him groan.

“Ellie.” His
voice was oddly strained. “You’re not wearing panties.”

“Hmm.
 
I am. It’s a thong,” I told him,
thinking what I wore might have a little less material than a thong.
 
It was crazy to blush considering that
Reed knew every inch of my body, had kissed and licked it, but I was still shy
mentioning my racy lingerie.

His eyes were
dark with hunger and I knew he liked the thought of me in a thong.
 
I felt his hand move between my legs, his
fingers searching for the scrap of material, a deep sound escaping him, as he
found it before pushing it aside and sliding his finger into my wet folds. My
body clenched eagerly around his finger, and I heard his sharp intake of
breath.

“We’re already
late,” he said, his fingers still inside of me.

“I don’t care,”
I whispered against his neck.

“When I said we
didn’t have to go to the party, it wasn’t because I wanted to have sex again. I
mean, I always want to have sex with you.” His eyes locked with mine. “I don’t
want to keep you isolated and in my bed all the time.
 
Your friends and your dad are going to
this party.”

“I know what
you meant.” He’d been giving me an easy way to get out of going to the Foster’s
party, and I loved him for the consideration but I couldn’t hide from them
forever. “We can be late to the party,” I suggested, my hands unfastening his
pants. I looked up into his eyes and saw the hunger and something else in the
dark blue depths.

My hands
trembled as I undid his pants. Fumbling with the zipper, I finally was able to
shove his pants and underwear down enough to free his erection, which I clasped
in my hand.
 
Reed tensed and his
fingers began to rub small circles around my sensitive flesh until I was balancing
on the edge of oblivion, and then he pulled away his hand.
 
I cried out softly, and Reed kissed my
temple. “Soon,” he promised.

I grabbed his
arm, feeling bare at the sudden loss of contact. “Shhh,” he whispered against
my temple.
 
Then he reached beneath
me, one hand on each butt cheek, and lifted me enough to push my dress almost
to my waist. His fingers moved aside the thin strip of material that was my
panties and he pulled me to him, entering me in one swift stroke.

We made love
fast and hard, clutching one another, each thrust seeming deeper than the last
until we shattered and I cried out his name, hearing my own coming from him.

He sighed and
pulled back just enough so that he could see my face. “I didn’t hurt you, did
I?”

I was too weak,
too spent to answer so I shook my head, which was against his chest.
 
Reaching down, he gently turned my face
to him. “Ellie?”

“It’s never
been like that,” I whispered over the sound of my pounding heart.

He gazed down
at me as if trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing. “Do I need to
apologize?”

I was sure I
looked satiated, but I said anyway, “You should say ‘your welcome’ because I’m
definitely thankful.”

“You’re
amazing,” he breathed against my neck, nipping it lightly with his teeth.

I gasped. “Will
I ever not feel as if I’ll die if I don’t have you inside of me?” I asked,
gazing up at him.

“God I hope
not.” His eyes heated. “Keep saying stuff like that and you’ll have me inside
of you in the next two seconds.”

I arched a brow
at him, daring him to take me again.

“No. We’re
going to this party,” he insisted. “I don’t want your dad thinking I keep you
handcuffed to my bed all the time,” he replied with a wry smile.

My lips tugged
upward. “I’m sure he’s forgotten all about that.”

“Trust me. He
hasn’t. I know I wouldn’t if I had a daughter.
 
I’d be thinking of ways to kill the son
of a bitch and get away with it,” he said without anger or malice.

“Would you
really?” I asked, thinking of Reed with a daughter, our daughter.

He seemed to
consider it a moment. “I might stop short of murder, but I’d definitely kick
his ass.”

“What if your
daughter loved the guy as much as I love you?” I asked, softly kissing his
mouth.

“As long as he
loves her as much as I love you, we’re good.”
 
Our kiss deepened until Reed suddenly
pulled away.

“You’re wearing
my lipstick,” I said, wiping at the red smudges over his skin.

“We’ll have to
clean up or everyone, including your dad, will know what we’ve been doing.”

Reluctantly, we
did just that, and Bonnie and Clyde left for the party that would change their
lives.
 
They just didn’t know it
yet.

“I can’t
believe Dad came.
 
He’s not usually
into dressing up for Halloween,” I said, watching my dad, dressed as an Old
West sheriff, talking with a group of people, Isabelle included.

Reed’s gaze
followed mine. “I think my sister had something to do with that.”

I nodded,
realizing that he’d also noticed something between my dad and Isabelle.
 
“You don’t think that…” I let the
sentence trail off, curious as to what Reed would say.

He looked at
me, as if trying to determine how I’d feel about my dad and Isabelle together.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Would it be okay with you?”

Although he’d
dated over the years, Dad had never brought women home and had only
occasionally introduced me to them and then probably only because I’d seen them
together.
 
I’d never seen my dad
with another woman the way he was with my mom, and that had almost been like
another lifetime ago. The idea was a little strange.

“It’d be fine
with me,” I answered honestly. “What about you?”

“The same. If
they got married your dad could end up being my brother-in-law and my father-in-law,”
he replied.
 
“You want another
drink?”

I don’t even
think Reed was aware of the significance of what he’d said, but I couldn’t stop
thinking about it, because the only way what he said would happen was if Dad
married Isabelle, and Reed and I were married as well.

“I’m good,” I
said. “I think I’ll go say hi to Cora.”

Reed gave me a
quick kiss before he walked into the crush of people, stopping to talk to
several of them along the way to the bar. He seemed to know almost everyone
here, and I realized it was because these people were like family to him.
 
I willed the doubt from my mine and
started working my way through the crowd when someone caught my arm.
 
I’d started to pull away when I turned
and saw Jase grinning at me. “Wanna dance Bonnie? Or would you rather head for
the bar and do a hold up?”

I pretended to
think about it, my eyes traveling over his hip vampire getup and up to his fake
teeth. “I don’t know, you’re not going try and suck my neck, are you?” Once it
was out the suggestiveness of my question made me wince. “Don’t answer that,” I
said, shaking my head.

Jase laughed.
“Hey, I promise not to tell Reed if you don’t.” He was joking and I smiled.

“Have you seen Cora?”
I asked him.

From the look
on his face, he’d seen her and wasn’t thrilled about something. “She’s around
here somewhere.
 
Last I saw her she
was with some dude dressed like a horror movie victim.”

Since Cora was
wearing an angel’s costume, I figured they’d make an unusually striking couple
and easy to spot, but as I glanced around the clubhouse, that the Fosters had
rented, I didn’t see Cora or the ghastly guy that Jase described.

“So is that guy
her boyfriend?” Jase asked casually, taking a sip of his drink.

“Cora doesn’t
have a boyfriend.”

That caught his
attention. “Hmm. She’s kind of hard to read. I’m not sure if she’s interested
in me or not.”

“She’s
interested, but not in being another of your one night stands.”

Surprisingly, I
think I might have hurt his feelings. He looked offended. “Is that what she
told you?”

“No, but I bet
that’s why she’s giving you hot and cold signs.”

“You could be
right.” Jase looked down at me thoughtfully, and it seemed like he wanted to
talk more about Cora so I was surprised when he changed the subject. “Listen,
Ellie. Reed is really into you,” he told me with uncharacteristic
seriousness.
 
He also used Reed’s
first name, something he rarely did, so I knew that whatever Jase was going to
tell me was important. “Don’t let any of this shit,” he gestured around the
room before he ended with, “fuck it up.
 
Just don’t let this shit fuck it up. Pardon my language.”

I had no clue
what he meant.

His gaze
leveled at someone behind me, and I glanced back to see Amber, dressed as Greek
Goddess.
 
She wore a serene smile on
her beautiful face that somehow made me uneasy.

“Jase, do you
mind if I speak with Ellie a moment?” Amber asked politely.

He hesitated,
and I thought Jase might say that he did mind but after a moment he said, “Sure.”
Jase’s gaze never left mine. “Remember what I said.” Then he turned and walked
away, leaving me to wonder what exactly he meant.
 
I didn’t have long to wait before the
shit that Jase referred to was unveiled.

“I like your
costume,” I told Amber.
 
She didn’t
say anything. “Do you mind if we go outside?”
 

I didn’t really
want to take a walk with Amber, but I wasn’t going to refuse to talk to her
either, so I followed her out toward the deserted pool area, where we sat at
table beside the kiddie pool.
 
My
stomach was sick from the nervous energy knotting inside of it.

“Is something
wrong?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity any longer.

“You and Reed
are what’s wrong,” Amber stated calmly as if we were discussing the weather.

“Excuse me?”

“Reed doesn’t
belong with you,” she continued, almost desperately.
 
“I can see how much you care for him and
I don’t mean to hurt you, but he’s mine.
 
He always has been.”

I felt her pain
and the intensity of it ripped at my resolve. “I’m sorry, Amber. I really am.”

“I don’t want
your apology.
 
Please,” she begged,
her hand reaching out to cover mine. “I’ve been in love with Reed Bentley since
I was five-years-old.
 
I will always
love him, and despite what’s going on with the two of you, Reed will always
love me too.”
 
Tears filled Amber’s
eyes, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

“Amber, I know
you love him,” I said gently. “He loves you too, but maybe the two of you
aren’t
in love
anymore.”

Tears slid down
Amber’s cheeks, and she let out a cry that tore at my heart.
 
“You don’t understand. We’ve always been
in love, even when we weren’t together.
 
Someday Reed will come back to me.
 
If he has to let things with you die a natural death, then I’ll wait for
him,” she announced in a tone of voice that left no doubt that she believed
she’d end up with Reed.

I didn’t know what
to say.

“Or,” Amber
said slowly. “You can give us our chance to finally be happy.”