Summer Star (The Blue Phoenix Series Book 1.5) (11 page)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Did Sky stay? The sun shines through the curtains I never closed, heating the room, but Sky’s warmth isn’t with me. I turn over in the bed and touch the sheets, remembering Sky in my arms last night, her hot breath against my arms as I fought against going down my usual path and screwing the girl in my bed.

Why didn't I? Because I'm scared she'd freak out, pack, and leave? Or that the old Dylan would be resurrected, bored of Sky once I got what I wanted physically? Stretching, I inhale the scent of Sky from the sheets and my body and smugly think how I blew her mind without going that final step, anyway. Slow. See, I can do it but how long for, I don't know.

The door opens and Sky appears dressed in the Ramones t-shirt I wore last night, the black material skimming the top of her thighs. Her blonde hair is tousled and she watches me guardedly.

“You look sexy as fuck in my clothes, especially the way that T-shirt doesn't quite cover your ass far enough,” I say; hiding my thoughts is no longer needed as far as I’m concerned.

Sky tugs the shirt further down and glances back at the door.

“What's wrong?” I ask.

“I'm practically naked and you've still got your jeans on.”

“Yeah, that was needed. It's pretty hard to control myself around you.” Sky wrinkles her nose and doesn’t move. “Don't you believe me?” She crosses to sit on the edge of the bed and I move closer, to touch her. “Sky?”

The look she gives is doubtful but the wariness drops – as does her gaze to my body and she doesn’t move away. Sky can be mine; all I need to do is show her the ball is in her court. I'll do what Sky wants, whenever she wants, until she realises too that this is more than a holiday romance.

“Come back to bed,” I say. “I want to snuggle more.”

“Snuggle?”

“Snuggling, waking in bed with someone and not...”

“Fucking them and leaving?”

For fuck’s sake…
“Don't start that, Sky... Never with you; I told you that the first night I kissed you.”

We share a look that speaks more than words, the open door to each other’s hearts.

“We didn't get that far anyway, so I'll believe you after we do...that.”

I touch her face, amused at her slip. “After we do?”

Sky half-smiles. “If we do, I mean.”

“So you're not sure you want to? That's cool….”

Sky shifts her focus from the topic to my tattoos. “Do any of these mean anything?” She traces a finger along the outline of the blue phoenix on my left arm and I shiver at her gentle fingers as they reach across my bicep to the yellow stars at the edge of my shoulder.

Her cluelessness is cute. “That one's fairly significant, yeah.”

She closes her small hand around my arm, rewinding to Sky clinging to me last night. “You're an ornithologist?”

“No, Sky. It's not a bird.”

“Isn't it an eagle?”

“There're flames?”

“Roast eagle?”

I grab Sky’s face and kiss her hard on the mouth. “Oh, fuck, you're the funniest, most genuine chick I've met. Ever. I like you so fucking much.”

“So you are an ornithologist. If you like chicks.” Her lips purse but Sky’s eyes sparkle with amusement.

“So sharp, I'm gonna cut myself on you one day.”

“What is it then, your tattoo?”

“A phoenix.”

“Oh, nice; I mean, it's a good picture.”

Her attempt to play down the fact she insulted my tattoo artist, and the fact she doesn't put two and two together is hilarious. “You thought the tattoo was an eagle though, so the picture can’t be that good.”

“Big tattoos aren't that nice.”

“So you don't want to inspect the rest of my tattoos?”

“No thanks.”

I love Sky’s brutal honesty and refusal to pander to my ego; finally somebody who doesn’t say or do what I want them to but throws their opinions my way without worrying how I’ll take the truth.

“Come back to bed then, summer Sky who hates tattoos.” I shift over, and pat the sheets.

Sky fixes me with a look I don’t recognise. “Take your jeans off.”

Fuck.
I drag air through my teeth. Feisty Sky can join us in the bedroom any time. “You’re telling me what to do?”

“Might be.”

“Hmm.” No sex is going to be tougher than I thought. My cock hardens at the sudden and intense images of her sitting on top of me, tits bouncing in my face as she tells me what to do some more. Nice but inappropriate, so I unwillingly shove the thoughts away. I stretch and turn a slow smile to this life-changing woman. “Do you want to leave this room today?”

“Yes, because you're taking me on a date,” she says bluntly.

“I'd better get a shower then...” Sky needs to be back in this bed with me so I can show her again how much we can do without fucking. “In a minute...” I say and pull her to me. My hand slips around Sky’s waist toward her ass. “You're naked...,” I whisper into her hair.

“Apart from your T-shirt.”

“That can be fixed.” She giggles as I slide my hands beneath, palming her skin as I struggle to pull the material over her head.

I succeed.

Naked Sky.

Life doesn’t get much more perfect.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” I growl and swirl a tongue around her nipple. When Sky responds by digging her finger into my shoulders, I grab her naked ass and hold her close, fighting against diving my hand between her legs.

“Dylan,” she says and, taking this as a gasp of pleasure, I carry on. “Dylan!"

“What?” I flick her nipple with my tongue.

“We should talk about what's happening... what won't happen.”

“Mmm?” I slide down the bed, lightly stroking my tongue along her stomach, enjoying Sky’s struggle to control the breathy reaction.

She props herself up in her elbows. “Last night when you... When I tried to get you to go further...”

“And I wouldn't,” I murmur against her skin, looking up.

Sky bites her lip and closes her eyes. Is she embarrassed? “Yes. Well, thank you.”

I rest my chin on her belly. “Thank you for what? I mean, I know you enjoyed yourself, but if you tell me which bit I'll do it again.”

I was intending to anyway.

“No, thank you for not... going all the way.”

I snort. “‘Going all the way?’ We're not teenagers.”

Sky pouts. “Don't tease me! I feel like a teen with you because of where we are, on holiday in my teen place.”

Shuffling back up the bed, I stroke Sky’s face and look down. “I get what you're saying. You make me feel like a teen too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, this. It's intense, how I feel. What you do to me.” Her gaze drops to my jeans and the fact I can never hide my erection. “Not just that, Sky. Like that first teen intensity where you think nobody else out there could ever feel the same way, or has ever experienced something like...”

“Like what?”

“I don't know, I can't explain.” The look we exchange explains more because when I look into Sky's eyes, I see myself reflected back. Something in them holds a lost part of me I can only find by being with her. “Like this is unique. I feel I've known you my whole life.”

Sky reaches out and touches my cheek. “This is weird.”

“I could stay here with you forever,” I whisper, and move to kiss her.

Sky turns her head away. “Reality's the problem though. I can only live in a fantasy for so long.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everything's simple, no daily grind of work or everyday stress in the way of us, no day to day mundanity of responsibilities, just me and Dylan Morgan.”

I stiffen and shift away. “What do you mean by that?”

“Me and you. What do you think I...?” She pauses, brow dipping. “Oh. I don't mean because you're him.”

Him
.

“Do you want me to tell you who I am?” I ask hoarsely. “Would that help you see this is real?”

For a long moment, Sky looks into my eyes, my soul. “No, because I want you to be the Dylan I know.”

I sink onto the pillow next to her and stare at the cracked ceiling. “One day you'll know the other one.”

“But it won't matter then. I won't be in your life.”

Her words sting, breaking apart my fantasy. Sky’s may be the fantasy of a holiday romance lost in a different world, mine is taking this mind-bending situation between us and creating more. The fact it’s impossible for Sky to see a future for us hurts. Now I know why she thanked me for not fucking her last night.

“I suppose,” I say.

For a moment, we lie next to each other in silence. “So, we indulge our fantasies, huh?” I ask.

“Within reason...” she says cautiously.

“Sky.” I pull her onto me, hair spilling into my face, surrounding me with the sweetness of strawberry Sky. “Being here, with you, being normal is my fantasy. It's fucking hard to keep my hands off you though.”

Sky buries her face into my neck. “I think I have the same problem.” Her hand sneaks down, tickling my abs as she heads for my jeans. 

I curl my fingers around hers. “I still don't think that's a good idea.”

She shifts to look at me. “No?”

Her cheeks warm beneath my palms as I place my lips softly on hers. “Not yet. Not until I prove to you that I want more from you than sex.”

Her disappointment is clear, but I know what she's thinking, she's said the words before. How can this be more than sex?

Easy. I don't let her go.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I'm not lying when I say I don't date. I hang out with groups of other celebrities, and even when Cressida was with me, we were rarely alone. She was another on the long list of chicks getting a leg-up into the world of rich and famous by ‘dating’ Dylan Morgan. Things broke down fairly quickly due to my inability to see relationships as anything apart from regular sex, but it suited us both for Cressida still to be my girlfriend. By then, I was over every chick I came across wanting their own piece of me and if they think I'm taken, they back off. Problem is, Cressida now wants to move on and will no doubt use my disappearance as an excuse to end our “relationship”.

Is it weird I’m hoping she does in case Sky finds out and gets the wrong idea about who Cressida is? Shit, so much to work out once I take Sky into my world.

If I did date, taking a girl to a sleepy seaside town full of elderly tourists wouldn't be my first choice. Sky's eyes glint as she informs me she wants to trawl around souvenir shops. I happily agree; in Sky's presence, I appear to agree to anything as long as I'm with her. If she thinks this, us, is going to end, every moment is precious and needed for me to work on convincing her otherwise.

What will happen when I tell her who I am? I can't picture Sky in my Blue Phoenix life but isn't that the point? Sky will have to accept that this is part of me; she has the personality to cope with dickheads so she'll be okay. The Sky I know is strong and wouldn’t stand for crap from others. We’ll be fucking awesome together.

One day at a time. No, one hour at a time, because every hour feels like another day with Sky.

I slip my hand into hers as we head from the car park to the town and she halts, staring at where our fingers interlace.

“We're on a date; I get to hold your hand,” I say and pull her closer.

The small town reminds me further of my childhood holidays; cobbled streets, cafés, and tiny shops crammed together with racks of postcards or brightly coloured kids' beach toys in plastic baskets outside. Plenty of souvenir shops full of junk, the kind Sky appears to love. With her, I barely register what's happening around, even forgetting the panic of being spotted. The town isn't busy, save a busload of day tripping old folk wandering slowly around with shopping bags, and none of them look at me twice.

All I can focus on is Sky, the brightness she brings to my darkness with every touch or smile. I crave physical contact with Sky, not just sexual, but to be part of her.

Sky buys a weird collection of crap and spends a frustrating amount of time going through boxes of old paperback books but only buys one. I find a figure made of shells like the one I had as a kid. This amuses Sky and I point out the amount of ugly crap she bought, the relaxed banter drawing us closer. Carrying our prizes through the sunny streets, we head to a bench overlooking the sea.

The branches of the tree above scatter sunlit patterns across the path between us and the edge of the small cliff, adding a magical glow to our world. The summer fights through the clouds of the last couple of days, the bright sky turning the sea a shade of blue instead of grey. As the afternoon heats up, wearing my hoodie becomes increasingly uncomfortable.

“Maybe you should take the jacket off?” Sky says as I unzip and hesitate.

“I don't know...”

“I think people will stare at you more for wearing a jacket on a hot summer’s day.”

“Maybe.” I take Sky's hand again, holding so I can add this to my memories of our day here. Our legs touch, her body moulded against my side as if this is the most natural thing in the world.

Tonight, I'll tell Sky who I am and we can move on to getting to know each other properly. No more secrets, the end of pretending this is a fantasy. Then, I'm staying in bed with her for as long as she'll let me -- I can be very persuasive.

Sky indicates a couple passing by, typical of our fellow tourists today. “Most people here are that age, not your audience, I suspect.”

The couple are middle-aged, possibly older; I’m crap at telling ages. He’s losing his hair and she’s losing her looks but they’re happier in their own skin than anybody I’ve seen in a long time. Their relaxed and silent connection doesn't escape me, they hold hands as if they’re young lovers, and I can't help picture me and Sky as them. “I hope one day that's me.”

“A balding man at the seaside carrying his wife’s bag?”

“Yeah, living in a house by the sea with my dribbling wife asleep on the sofa.” I hold Sky's hand tighter but feel her muscles stiffen at my weird words.

Annoyed with myself, I let Sky go and rest my arms on my knees, staring at the floor. Maybe I'm fooling myself here.

“I'm sure you have the money to do what you want when you get old,” Sky says quietly.

“I have the money to do what I want now, but I can’t do what I want.”

“That's an odd thing to say.”

I laugh, remembering our conversation in the souvenir shop, when she told me how she liked odd things. How she liked me. “I'm odd remember?”

Sky responds by resting her head on my shoulder and I relax, stroke her soft hair and soak up the sounds and scents of the summer world – the seagulls calling above, the smell of the sea and the quiet rustle of the leaves in the trees. These sounds of nature are missing from the unnatural places where I normally live.

After a few minutes, Sky’s extra body heat becomes too much and I don't care if I reveal myself to the world. “Okay, you're right, I'm too fucking hot.”

To my surprise, when I take my jacket off Sky kisses my bicep, her warm lips lingering for a few seconds.

“I thought you didn't like tattoos.”

She nudges my arm again with her nose then looks up at me. “I don't, but I like your arms.”

The tranquility of the place we’re in, not just physically but the point we’ve reached together so quickly is magnified in the moment. “Sky?”

“What?”

“I’m the happiest I’ve been in forever.”

For once, Sky doesn’t look away, or hold the usual doubt in her expression. “I think you’re exaggerating, Sandchurch isn’t that exciting,” she replies but she knows that isn’t what I meant.

“Here, with you, is the happiest I’ve ever been.” The words fall out before I comprehend what I'm saying but the combination of Sky, where we are, and the new future we could have blend into a constant flood of happiness inside.

“Because we’re caught in our childhood memories?” Sky asks.

“No, because I’m here with you. I’ve never wanted to be around someone as much as I crave to be around you. Weird, huh?”

“Odd.”

“Odd…” I place my lips on hers.

Each new kiss melds my heart further with Sky’s, as I learn how she kisses, how she likes to be kissed and somehow gauge what she’s thinking through this alone. I focus on the sparking sensation of our lips touching; how Sky’s body fits against mine as if she should always be in my arms. There’s a tenderness in this that’s missing from our recent hungry kisses, a sharing of a true connection that goes way beyond my early desire to add her to my long list of conquests.

Sky doesn't express how she feels, rarely responds to my bursts of shared emotions, but she must recognise how entangled we’re becoming too. Every minute that passes, we retreat further from reality and closer to a place where only we can go.

“Do you believe me?” I ask her.

“I believe you’re happy right now, and so am I. Awesome date, Dylan Morgan.” Sky’s bright smile warms my thumping heart as she kisses my nose.

“Do you think we can do this again sometime?”

“Date? Or shop?”

“A date with no shops next time.”

Sky laughs and pushes the carrier bag of junk between her feet. “But you don’t date, how would you know where to take me?”

“Movies?” Sky opens her mouth to respond and I interrupt. “But my choice.”

“What? Didn’t you like Twilight?” she asks with mock innocence.

I growl at her teasing and capture her face for another kiss, which is returned with enthusiasm. “Can we just sit here and do this all day?”

We wrap around each other, bodies entwining and I hug Sky against my chest, never wanting to let her go. Sky smoothes her hands across my back, and then dips her fingers beneath my t-shirt, grazing her fingernails across the muscles. Sky’s fingers playing across my skin soothes and arouses at the same time. “I like your back.”

I laugh at her strange admission and bury my face into her neck. “I like all of you. Can I see all of you again later?”

Sky moves a hand to hold the side of my face, rubbing a thumb across my scruff. “Maybe,” she whispers.

“I can be very persuasive.”

“I noticed.”

Locked together in our quiet conversation, we could be anywhere. My only awareness is Sky; her breath against my ear, the subtle scent of her skin and the taste of her lips.

With this exists the truth of what’s between us. We can take what we have with us, wherever we choose to go. Sky and Dylan don’t only belong in Broadbeach, we exist in our own place out of time and I think she knows this too.