The Loner (Man Card Book 6)

by Terra Kelly

  “He can usually sense the lovers in the room.” Cora ruffled his hair on his back. “We’re heading out for a walk. Want to join us?”

  “Oh, I–” There was movement from the corner of my eye. When I looked over, I noticed Justin walking down the stairs to the second-floor landing. “I need to call a couple of friends and have them help me locate my dad.” Justin was standing by the railing just watching us. “He should’ve called back by now.”

  “Do you think something’s wrong?” Cora asked and started toward the front door.

  “Nah, my dad can be a bit scatterbrained.” I combed my hands through my hair. “He gets deep into his research and loses track of time.”

  “Well, you’re more than welcome to stay for a few nights.” She waved and stepped outside.

  “Thank you.” I stood there for a little bit longer staring at the door. What if something did happen to my dad? What could I do up here?

  “Penny for your thoughts.” The low, husky voice said from behind me.

  “Sweet Jesus.” I jumped back and turned to face him. “You really need to stop doing that.”

  “You knew I was upstairs.”

  “So.” I shook my head and made my way into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I stopped in the middle of the room and Justin plowed into my back.

  “Warning next time.” Justin placed his hands on my hips and squeezed lightly. “Sorry.” He whispered beside my ear.

  Mr. Grump didn’t feel so grumpy today. Did he wake up on the right side of the bed this morning? I cleared my throat and stepped away. “Would it be okay to use the computer again today or do you need it?” I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it from the faucet. “My dad is MIA.”

  “Is this a normal thing with your dad?”

  “No, no, he’s at a conference and can easily get distracted.”

  “What’s the conference?”

  “It’s for science professionals.”

  “Sounds exciting.”

  “Not even a little bit.” I lightly laughed and sat down at the long table.

  “That computer in the study is for Cora and Lucy.” He sat down beside me. “I have my own upstairs.”

  I didn’t want him to see my relief, but I was feeling much better. After spending way too long searching for details on something that was really none of my business, I found only a couple. With the small amount of information, I still didn’t know why he was hiding out.

  His hood was red today with a black design on the one side. He seemed more comfortable, but yet continued to pull the hood down every few seconds.

  I’m not sure why I cared so much. Especially because I would be leaving soon.

  Four

  Justin

  Three days later…

  “Why is she still here?” I asked Lucy and leaned against the kitchen island. “Doesn’t she have a home to go to.”

  “You’re always so pleasant.” She rolled her eyes and reached for the bowl of chopped onions. “For your information, her father will be here today to pick her up.”

  I pushed off the counter. “Today,” I cleared my throat. “Oh, okay.”

  She had this half smile. “Are you sure it’s okay, Sunshine?”

  Last night I did the very definition of creeper and snuck into Sky’s room. I watched her while she was sleeping. She was laying on her side and never moved from that spot all night. There were a couple times I was tempted to move closer and make sure she was okay, but I resisted the urge. At one point I slid my hood off. For the first time in a long time I didn’t feel exposed. Then she stirred and I quickly threw the hood back up.

  “Yeah.” I left the room because that was not a conversation I planned to have, especially with Lucy.

  As I was heading down the hallway there was a loud knock. “I’ll get it,” Cora yelled from the study.

  I stilled and stood in the shadows. It had to be Sky’s father.

  “Are you ready?” a man’s voice barked and echoed down the hall.

  “Garrison,” Sky said. By the sound of her voice she wasn’t happy. “What are you doing here? Where’s my dad?”

  “He’s busy, so he asked me to get you.”

  I stepped around the pillar but stayed out of sight. Sky’s arms were crossed over her chest. “Dad knows you’re the reason I’m stranded up here in the first place. Why the hell would he send you to get me?”

  “How the fuck am I supposed to know. Just get your shit so we can leave.”

  Sky didn’t budge though. “I don’t have anything. Remember?”

  I don’t know what came over me, but I had this urge to get to know her more. What was it about this woman? For the last five years I’d avoided an interaction that would spark an urge. Then this gorgeous blonde had to show up unannounced and change all of that.

  Without thinking it all through, I stepped out of the shadows. “She’s going to stay here.” Sky spun around to face me. “Right?”

  “Who the fuck are you?” Garrison said and stepped toward me. “I didn’t drive all this way up here for nothing. She’s coming with me.”

  “I didn’t ask you to come.” Sky stepped away from Garrison. “As a matter of fact, I bet my dad didn’t ask you to come either.”

  “You sound ridiculous.” Garrison attempted to step forward but I moved in front of Sky. “Seriously, who the fuck are you?” He stopped moving.

  “She’s not interested in traveling with you.” I tried to keep my voice calm. There was no reason to get angry at a guy I didn’t even know.

  “You want to stay here with this guy, Sky?” He shook his head and leaned around me. “I have shit to do. Come on.”

  I glanced toward Sky. “You can stay.”

  “Seriously dude, you’re really starting to piss me off.”

  “Sky has a mind of her own.” I don’t know why I was letting myself get in the middle of this shit.

  I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. Garrison leaned forward and threw my hood off. “Jesus. What the fuck happened to you?” He took several steps back.

  My hair had grown back but the left side of my face was badly burned in the fire. The scars were nasty and I knew it was hard to look at me. I threw my hood back up and ran up the stairs. Helping Sky was furthest from my mind at the moment. I just needed to leave the room.

  “Justin. Wait.” I could hear Sky calling for me but I didn’t stop until I reached my room.

  I locked the door and leaned my back against the wooden surface. So much for trying to be a little more social. I had no plans to leave my room anytime soon.

  Five

  Sky

  “Do you think he will come out of his room for dinner?” I was sitting on the barstool at the kitchen island. “He doesn’t have to hide.” I forced Garrison to leave earlier. There was no way I planned to get in a car with him. It was safer to stay in the mansion. I didn’t care if I was here for another week. Anything was better than being alone in a small space with my asshole ex…and he was officially my ex.

  “His sister, Rylee has been trying to get him to visit her for years,” Cora grabbed three plates and sat them beside me.

  “Really?” That seemed crazy. The poor guy had an accident. He was a hero by all accounts. “Do you know much about his story?”

  “Just that it happened when he was rescuing someone.” Cora leaned her hip against the counter. “When Rylee talks about her brother, you should see the pride shining on her face.”

  “Side note, that was the first time he had been social with anyone in weeks,” Lucy said as she walked into the room. “That fucker, Garrison had to go and screw that shit up.”

  “Yeah, about that.” I felt awful with what happened earlier.

  “Nope, don’t you dare apologize.” Cora reached for my hand. “You stay here as long as you need. Nobody should ride in a car for several hours with that man.”

  I was actually starting to get worried about my dad. He never took this long to get back to me. My job knew
I was stranded and they were being super understanding. That would only go so far though. At some point I needed to get home and back to reality.

  “Just stay up here for good,” Cora blurted out and shrugged her shoulders. “What? It would be fun.”

  “I’m not sure if my bills would agree.” I hopped off the barstool and started to leave the room. “Hopefully I hear from dad soon.”

  I threw my head back against my pillow for the hundredth time. The vision of Justin’s hood sliding off was running through my mind. The way his expressions went from anger to embarrassment had me restless. I wasn’t sure if I should go up to the third floor or mind my own business. Hell, I didn’t even really know the guy.

  After I threw my head down against my pillow for the hundredth and one time, I gave up and hopped out of bed. It was midnight, he had to be up. Hopefully.

  I felt nervous as I made each step. It was like walking toward the forbidden corridor. Just as I reached the top step, I heard a click. When I turned toward the sound I noticed the door at the end of the hallway open slowly. Instincts told me to step into the shadows, but I didn’t want to hide.

  I straightened and started to walk his way. “What are you doing up here?” He sounded curious as he stepped out of his room.

  “I couldn’t sleep.” Which was the truth.

  “So you decided to snoop around instead?” He turned his head to the side and tried to look serious. I had a feeling he was trying to act angry, but it was all just an act.

  “Why do you get the whole third floor?” I stepped around him and walked into his room uninvited. “Are you growing an illegal substance?” For the first time since I arrived at this place Justin actually laughed. “Wait.” I spun around to face him. “Do that again.”

  “What?” His face went serious.

  I stepped closer. “Laugh. It suits you.”

  “Why are you in my room?” He was back to looking serious.

  “Curious.” I noticed a large canvas behind him. “Did you paint that?”

  “Maybe.” He stepped up beside me.

  “It’s amazing.” I leaned in closer to look at all the details. “Is this what you do for a living?”

  “Why are you really up here?” He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

  There was something about this man. I felt drawn to him. He made me want to know more about him. The way he protected me from Garrison caused my body to react. I threw caution to the wind and sat down beside him.

  “Sky.” He hopped back up and walked over to the window. “Maybe you should go back to bed.”

  His back was to me. The moonlight shining through the window illuminated his silhouette. At that moment I really wished his hood was off. I wanted to see all of him. “Thank you.” It took me a moment to decide my next step. After a long inner debate in my head, I stood and slowly walked over to him. When I said the two simple words he never turned around, so I lightly placed my hand on his shoulder. “I’m not sure what I saw in that guy.”

  Finally, he turned around to face me. “I was just thinking the same thing.” He cocked his head to the side. “You’re not going to say sex are you?”

  “What?” I was surprised by his question. “Oh hell no.” Something happened and I started to giggle. Maybe it was the way he asked the question or the expression on his face when he asked me. Either way, it was cute and I found it funny.

  What happened next was unexpected. Justin started to laugh with me.

  After a few minutes I worked hard to control my laughing. “Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Listen.” I ran my hands through my hair. “What you did earlier, it really meant a lot.” I turned to head to the door. “Garrison wouldn’t leave me alone, so I gave in and dated him.” I had my hand on the door knob. “I keep hoping for that perfect man that will sweep me off my feet like in the fairytales.” Why was I telling him that? He didn’t care. I stepped out of the room. “Anyways, thank you. It really meant a lot how you stood up for me.” Before I let him say anything, I quickly left the room and down the hall.

  “Sky.” I could hear Justin call for me as I made my way to the second-floor landing. The longer I stood in the confines of his room, the more I felt this connection. It was hard to explain but something was gnawing at me. Telling me I should stay a little longer.

  I didn’t know this guy though. Why would I stay?

  Six

  Justin

  Two days later…

  “My dad lost his phone,” Sky said as she sat down at the kitchen table.

  “So he’ll be up to get you soon?” Cora actually pouted while carrying a basket of bread over to the kitchen table. “Wait, how did he lose his phone.”

  “The sky’s the limit on that answer.” Sky reached for a piece of bread. “He’s left it sitting on so many tables, in so many restaurants. Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “So when do you leave.” I finally broke my silence and stepped into the room. The thought of Sky leaving made me feel uncomfortable.

  “He’s on his way now.” She glanced my way and flashed the biggest smile. “I’ll be out of your hair in a matter of hours.”

  “Oh stop,” Lucy said and reached for her hand. “It’s been fun having you here.”

  “But now it’s back to reality,” Sky said and took a bite of her bread.

  “When will you come back?” Lucy surprised me with her question.

  “Back?” She glanced around the table. “You want me to come back?”

  “Of course we do,” Cora said and handed a bowl full of green beans my way. “Right, Justin?”

  Why was she calling me out? “Yeah, of course.” I knew I didn’t sound very convincing. We didn’t know this woman a week ago. Now Cora and Lucy made it sound like we were best friends.

  After Sky left my room the other night, I wanted to run after her but instead I made myself go to bed. Of course, I couldn’t fall asleep. Instead my mind wouldn’t let go of my past. The accident. My random move to Prescott.

  My life in North Carolina was good. I was a full-time firefighter for the city of Charlotte. Painting was a hobby back then. Then it happened. After I was released from the hospital I ran away from everything and everyone. It was the way I chose to cope with the situation. My sister tried for several years to get me to come back home. Fear held me back though. The thought of living with people I knew the way I looked now. I couldn’t do it.

  “Justin.” I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. “Hey, Justin.”

  I shook my head and glanced up. “Yeah. Sorry.”

  “Sky asked you a question,” Cora said and sat back down in her chair.

  “Sorry,” I turned to Sky. “What was the question?”

  “Do you show your paintings in galleries?”

  “No. I only share them on my website.” Presenting them in a gallery would mean socializing with people. Something I tried to avoid.

  “Maybe you can convince him, Sky.” Cora grabbed her glass of wine and took a sip. “When we all met a few years ago. I was shocked by the amount of paintings he had in this crazy big house.”

  “Yeah, and no one visits, so they just collect dust.” Lucy glanced over at Sky. “Well, no one visited until you.”

  I was starting to feel uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. It was easier to not respond. “Thank you for dinner.” I stood and left the room without another word.

  I was halfway up the first set of stairs when I heard footsteps behind me. “Justin.” Sky was heading my way. “Wait.”

  “Sorry, I need to get some stuff done.” I was lying. When I finally made it to my room, I would sit on my bed and think about Sky. After all this time alone, I finally started to feel again.

  “Justin, I–” She stepped up beside me. “Listen, um–” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

  What was this between us?

  I had the urge to pick her up around her waist and carry her to my bedroom. The vision of laying her down on my bed
played over and over in my mind. For the last three nights I woke up from the most vivid dream. It was so real my shorts were wet every time.

  We stared at each other for the longest moment.

  “I–” She stepped forward with only a breath between us. “I’m going to miss you.”

  It was weird. How could it be so? Why would she miss me?

  “Sky, you don’t even know me.”

  “I feel like I do.” She brushed her fingers down the edge of my hood. “Me. Here. It happened for a reason.”

  “Cora and Lucy were in the right place at the right time.”

  She dragged her fingers down my chest and rested her palm softly over my heart. “Can I–” Before she could finish her sentence the doorbell rang. She stepped back and I ran up the stairs.

  I had a feeling she was about to kiss me and I couldn’t let that happen.

  The walls I built were perfectly placed. Then she showed up and now cracks were forming in the foundation. I wasn’t ready to feel again. Yet, I wasn’t ready for the gorgeous princess to vanish without another word. When I reached the third floor I glanced down and noticed Sky hugging her father. She looked so happy. I was an outsider. There was no reason to break up her happiness.

  Seven

  Sky

  “Honey, are you okay?” My dad squeezed my hand. “I thought you and Garrison were on some magical hike. When I lost my phone, I figured I could wait a few days to grab a new one.”

  “Dad, we need to attach that damn thing to you somehow.” I buckled my seatbelt and leaned back in my seat. Magical hike with Garrison? I would not use that word and Garrison together in the same sentence. “Hey, Dad.” I turned in my seat. “Did you send Garrison up to get me?”

  “What? No.” He put the car in drive and started the trek down the long winding driveway. “I haven’t talked to him since the morning when you both left.”