Thorneless (Rose of Thorne Series) (10 page)

“Skylar,” he whispers as he brushes his lips across mine. I’m trembling all over and I feel the tears that are burning behind my eyes.

“I have nothing to give you, Lucas. I need you to show me how to do this, Lucas. Please, show me, ” I whisper and open my eyes to meet his.

And with that, he crashes his lips to mine and steals the very breath I’d been holding.  With each gentle swipe of his tongue across mine I feel the pain inside me slowly letting go. He wraps his arms around my waist and urges me in closer as he increases the intensity of our kiss. Kissing him feels so wonderful and I don’t want him to stop. I put my hands in his long hair and pull him in to me.  I can hear the growl in his throat as he pushes me back against his bed.  He slowly trails his gentle kisses down my neck and releases a muffled moan against my hot skin. Repositioning himself, he drags himself over me and moves himself in between my legs. I can feel his throbbing hardness through his shorts as he continues pressing against me. Right now, I want him to make me forget . . . to make all this pain go away. But more than anything, I want him to teach me how to love again.

My betraying body wants him so much right now, but I’m still struggling with my conflicting emotions. His hand slides down my hip and gently caresses my thigh.

Oh dear Lord, I am on fire.

Suddenly, his door flies open and a tall slender blonde bombshell stares back at us with a huge smirk on her face.
 

“Well, well big brother.
 Couldn’t wait to get laid I see. So, how many will this one make? ” She coldly says laughing..  

“That’s enough, Chandler! You could have fucking knocked before you just came barging in,” he spat out at her as he continues blocking me from her view.
 Get the hell out of here NOW!” He roars.

 
“Excuse me? I believe this is my house, too.  I was just coming up to change for dinner and mom said you were up here so I thought I’d say ‘hi.’ I wasn’t expecting you to be up here banging some chick, okay?” She fires back at him as she eyes me harshly.

“I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT! I’ll s
ee you downstairs and you’d better be on your best behavior.  Skylar is our guest this weekend and you will not be disrespectful!” He shouts as he stands to shove her out the door.  He takes a deep breath before turning back to me. I zip my shorts back up and smooth down my already messy hair.

“Skylar, I’m so sorry about that,” he says as he offers me a hand to stand. When I’m standing, he puts his arms around me and brings me in for a kiss.
 

“Believe it or not, I actually have her to thank right now,” he says as he plays with one of my long curls.
 

“What could you possibly have to thank her for?” I ask him, confused by his words. He gives me a soft look and leans in to kiss me on the forehead.
 

“For stopping me from having something I’ve wanted for so long before you’re ready to give it to me,” he says as he looks deep in my eyes and takes my hands into his.
 

“Lucas . . . I,”
but before I can complete my thought, he interrupts.

“When I finally make love to you
, Skylar Rose, I want all of you. I want all the happiness and all of the pain that you hold inside. I want you to surrender your heart to me and for it to solely belong to me. I certainly don’t want it to be on my childhood bed,” he says tenderly. He places my hand on his chest above his heart.

Oh God, Sebastian had done this same exact thing.
 Sebastian . . .

“You’ve owned my heart, my gorgeous angel, since the first moment I saw you. It’s yours, all yours. It has been and always will be yours . . . when you’re ready for it. Right now, I know you aren’t ready, baby.
 We’re going to slow this down a bit, okay?  Just give us a chance and let me help you love again.”

I struggle to not start crying again.
 I don’t want to be this messed up girl for the rest of my life. I’m so tired of feeling so empty inside. He’s so wonderful and I care about him so much. He’s never hurt me—he wouldn’t hurt me.

‘But he’s not Sebastian
’, a voice inside me screams and I push it out of my head. I don’t want to think about him. Everything about him had been a lie.  That’s all over now and it’s time for me to move on.

“Well
, you’ve seen my room, now let me show you yours,” he says before taking my hand and leading me across the hall. He opens the two double wooden doors and my breath hitches. It’s like I am walking into something from a dream.  A beautiful dark wooden queen sized bed sits in the middle of the room adorned with a beautiful white silk linen comforter.  Luscious shades of ice teal blue line the bed.  The matching teal walls instantly relax me and I fall completely in love with the room.

“Do you like it?” H
e asks as he places his hands on my shoulders and kisses the top of my head.  

“Like
? I Love it! It’s so beautiful!” I say as I continue to take in the room.  I spot the window seat and make a dash for it. “When I was a little girl, I always wanted to have one of these. Somewhere I could sit and look out a great big window or read a good book. A silly little girl’s dream, I know,” I say as I pat the window bench beside me.  Again he looks deep in thought as he blinks back to reality.  

“Well, I’m going to leave you and let you settle in.
 How about you meet me downstairs in about twenty minutes?” He says forcing a smile.

“Sure, that sounds great.”
 I say and he turns to leave, but I call out to stop him. “Lucas?”

“Yes?” he says with confused eyes.

“Thank you so much for inviting me here this weekend,” I add.  

“Skylar, trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”

Lucas

I smile as I make my way across the hall to my room and close the door behind me. I glance over at the bed where Skylar and I had shared a passionate kiss just a few moments earlier.  I had wanted her so damn much. I would have gladly taken her in my parent’s house and not cared who heard us, but that’s not how our first time should be. I want to take this slow. I’ll do as I promised her—I’ll teach her to love again. It’s true what I’d said to her earlier. I had never brought girls home to meet my family and they certainly never made it up to my room. Leave it to my bitch of a bratty little sister to walk in on us, but in reality is the best thing that could have happened.

Skylar’s
skin had felt so magnificent and she looked so fucking hot in those tight little white shorts. The whole ride here I had imagined how those glorious legs would feel around me and now I knew.  God, I’m getting hard just thinking about how her perfect body had felt beneath me.  Great! Now I need a VERY cold shower if I’m going to make it through dinner tonight.  I may even have to help myself out, if you get my drift.

Dinner is always a formal
ordeal at my house, so I quickly change into a pair of dress pants and white button up shirt.  I fasten my watch back on my arm and wait for Skylar in the foyer.  I’m hugging our maid Gracie when I spot her at the top of the stairs.  Frozen in place, I watch her nervously fidget and tug at her baby blue dress.  I smile because she has no fucking clue how beautiful she is.  I know she feels like she doesn’t belong here because of how she grew up, but that’s fucking bullshit.  The last thing I care about is money, and believe it or not, that was how I’d been raised.

She catches my glance and nervously smiles. Her baby blue halter dress fits her perfectly and showcases her glowing tan that she earned while we were in Fiji.
Sweet Jesus!
She’s wearing those sexy as fuck white sandals that lace up her calves and tie into a bow. Her long dark curls are styled up on top of her head and loose curls frame her face. I make my way to the foot of the stairs to meet her. I know my mouth is gaping open, and I have to swallow to keep from choking on my tongue. Does she really have no clue how she affects me?

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” I say and she blushes.

I kiss her lightly on her glossy plump lips. It takes everything in me to not bite down on them. I would gladly kiss them to the ends of the Earth. I inhale her sweet scent as she takes my arm and then we make our way to the outside patio where my family is waiting. My sister, being her normal bitchy self, snubs her nose at us and keeps her distance at my stern look. My older brother, Michael is taking a sip of his brandy when he sees us approaching. His eyes quickly fall upon Skylar and I watch him drink her in as he flashes me an all-knowing smile. I possessively place my arm around her waist and draw her close to me and shoot him a threatening “back the fuck off” look.

He stands to shake my hand and leans in to whisper in my ear.

“She’s fucking HOT, bro!”  

“Back off, fucker!
 Maybe I should tell Stacey just how hot you think she is, huh?” He caught the seriousness in my tone as I stare him down. I love my sister- in-law a lot. Michael isn’t scared of much, but when it comes to Stacey, he’s petrified. She keeps him in check, and trust me, he loves her more than I ever thought humanly possible. My sweet baby niece and nephew have melted the man, who for years, I thought was incapable of loving anything more than he loved himself.

I introduce Skylar to him and my father, and it isn’t long before my sister-in-law, Stacey makes her way in from feeding the baby with my sleepy nephew tugging at her leg.
 

“Michael! Please get off your A-S-
S, and help me with your son!” She screams and he shoots up like a lit firecracker.

God, I love my sister-in-law
!

“Better hurry up there! She’s cracking her whip at you, bro,” I tease him and he smacks me across the head.

I laugh and watch as Skylar stands and reaches to take my baby niece, Avery from Stacey’s arms. Stacey looks relieved and reaches down to pick up my three-year-old nephew, Josh, and sits him on her hip.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got her. Why don’t you go inside and tuck
him in? Take your time; we’ll be just fine. Won’t we, sweet girl?” Skylar sweetly says. Avery rewards her with a huge toothless grin and Skylar’s face lights up with glee. Stacey gathers up my nephew’s blanket and favorite stuffed giraffe I got him the last time I took him to the zoo.

Michael and my father begin talking about football and the stock market, but I don’t hear a damn word they’re saying. My eyes and ears have never left the angel standing across from me. I remain mesmerized watching her dance back and forth with my niece against her chest. I savor their precious interaction with one another and burn the image in my brain. As I watch her smile down adoringly at my niece, I can’t help but imagine her one day holding our child.
      

Would our daughter be the perfect miniature version of her? Would our son have her dark hair and blue green eyes?
These are the thoughts racing through my mind right now and I silently pray for that to be in our near future.   

“Thank you so much for helping me since it seems my worthless lazy husband isn’t!” Stacey shouts loudly and then sends death glares at Michael.
 

“I’m Stacey, by the way. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Skylar! We won’t be long, I promise,” she says as she walks past us with Josh to tuck him in upstairs. She stops beside me when she sees me watching Skylar with the baby.

She covers up Josh’s ears as she leans in and whispers into my ear, “Lucas Drake, if you let that one get away, you’re a fucking idiot!” I shake my head at her and glance back to still see Skylar dancing around the yard with a giggling Avery in her arms. Before her, I never even wanted a relationship, much less marriage. I adore kids, but I
certainly
didn’t see me as a father. In one moment, in one meeting…Skylar changed all of that. All I can see is the beautiful angel that I want to have as my wife and the mother of my children. I’m okay with as many little miniature versions of us as she wants to have.

I wake up the next morning feeling better than I had felt in more than a year. The familiar smell of sweet chocolate fill
s the air and my stomach growls. I look over at the clock beside the bed and cuss. “DAMN IT!”
I can’t believe I overslept this morning
! I wonder if Skylar is up yet. I throw a shirt over my head and make my way downstairs.  This evening, like all of my parent’s parties, will be a major event here at the house. I know mom will be fussing over every last detail. I can hear her sweet laughter as I make my way down the stairs, so I follow the sounds to the doorway of the kitchen.

There she stands, her loose curls pulled up back into a ponytail, wearing a white tank top and hot pink pajama bottom pants that are rolled up at the ankles.

Damn!! She looks so incredible first thing in the morning.
 I have to control the hard on I can feel beginning in my lounging pants. She’s standing by my mother laughing as my mother mixes the ingredients in the large brown bowl.   

My mother is actually cooking? I haven’t seen this since I was a kid.

I stand there in complete amazement as I watch them move in perfect harmony cooking in the large kitchen together. My mother jokes with her about something and then she flings flour on her beautiful face.
This is where I get my food fighting abilities
.  Skylar retaliates with the batter. Stacey laughs at the two of them as she sits feeding the baby in the high chair while a very sleepy Josh blows bubbles in his chocolate milk.

She fits so perfectly in this picture. How can I ever want anything more than this?

“Unca Wuke!” My nephew yells and gives me away.

Little stinker
! I love that kid so much!

“Well
, hello there, sleepyhead!” My mother sings as she pours the batter on the griddle. I kiss her on the cheek and move to sit down on the island facing Skylar.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” I greet her and she looks at me with a horrified look on her face. Her face is still completely white from the flour.

“Good morning,” she manages as she finds a towel and begins frantically wiping her face.  

“I like this look
, Casper,” I tease her and she blushes through the white powder. My mother pops me with her hand and I pretend to be wounded. My mother wets a towel and wipes her face and smiles at her.

“Mind your manners to my guest, Lucas Drake, or no cho
colate chip pancakes for you!” She teases as she points the batter spoon at me. I’ve been hit with that thing a few times growing up! I hold my hand up in defeat and smile. I sip the orange juice that Skylar sets in front of me and I wink at her. I pretend to read the paper as I watch her and my mom giggle and take up the pancakes and sausages on the large griddle. My mother catches me staring over the paper and smirks at me as she sets the platter on the island in front of me. She slaps my hand as I steal a sausage link.

“Manners, Lucas!” S
he chimes in and I wink back at Skylar.

The rest of the family steadily follows the aroma of food into the kitchen. While we eat, I notice Skylar get up and get the juice pitcher in the kitchen to fill up my dad’s glass and mine. She lifts my empty plate to take it back to the kitchen and I follow her. She sits it in the sink and turns the water on. I move behind her and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into back into me.

“Don’t worry about that, Gracie will clean up,” I whisper in her ear.  

“There’s no need for her to have to worry about cleaning this up when she’s getting the rest of the house ready for the party tonight. Go sit down with your family. I’m used to doing this anyway. Besides it’s the least I can do after your mom cooked this morning. I really don’t mind,” she says with a sweet smile.

It pains me to hear her words. She’ll never know how I hated that she had to work so hard. I turn her to me and take her in. Standing there without an ounce of makeup on with her hair tossed messy on her head in her pajamas, she is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I gently kiss her forehead and open the dishwasher beside her. She looks back at me confused.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Helping you,” I reply and she shakes her head at me before spraying me with the water sprayer. Just doing this simple task together felt more right and natural as anything I have ever known.  

I spend the rest of the afternoon in my father’s office trying to help him with his investment portfolio. Glancing at the time, I know it isn’t long before everyone will be arriving for the event downstairs. It’s amazing how in only a matter of hours the backyard is transformed into a light paradise. Beautiful lanterns hang throughout the yard and the tables twinkle with candles in the w
arm light of the late spring evening.

Several guests have already arrived by the time I make my way into the backyard.
 A waiter hands me a glass of champagne and I make my rounds to greet my father’s guests. I scan the area for Skylar, but I still don’t see her. I’m laughing with my old college roommate Grant, when I hear him let out a loud gasp.

 
“Holy shit, dude!!Who is that?” He asks as he pushes past me. I turn to find her walking into the backyard and I almost don’t recognize her. Her usual wavy hair, now lays sleek and straight up against her stunning face. The white dress accents her magnificent curves and she’s wearing those damn sexy as fuck white lace up shoes again. She looks across the yard and makes her way toward me, having no idea the attention she’s drawing from the men around her.