What the hell is that?
Shit, there’s two of them! They’re huge. I’ve never seen any bird so large. I tug at Kyle’s hand, trying to get him to stop.
I want to look at them, not run from them. They can’t be stalking us. They’re just birds.
His eyes are wide and full of fear as he looks back at me, still running. “What are you doing, Ally?”
“Let’s stop. I want to look at them.”
The look I get in return assures me he thinks I’m nuts. He keeps running, then a horrific shrieking sound vibrates down my spine.
I look up and see giant, black wings beating through the light blue sky. Kyle’s speed increases. I’m practically flying behind him. My feet barely touch the ground as he pulls me along.
The thing is, as weird as this might be, I’m not afraid. Kyle is, though, so I’m not going to try to stop him again. I don’t want him to feel like a fraidy cat.
His feet hit the ground with loud thumps as the wings continue to beat above us. The noise the huge wings make is so loud. I can’t help thinking how magnificent they must look.
The gate of our privacy-fenced backyard looms only a few yards ahead of us. As Kyle hits the latch to allow us into my back yard the sound stops.
They’re gone!
We both stop and look up, turning in a full circle. It’s as if nothing was following us at all. The sky is bright blue. Not a single bird flies above us.
Crap, I really wanted to see them. I was hoping I could get a good look as they flew over our yard. This is really disappointing.
Kyle looks back at me as we walk into the yard. “What the fuck?”
My eyes go crazy wide. It’s no secret my parents are the strictest people in the entire world. Make that the universe.
“Kyle! Language!”
He bends his head to speak in my ear. “Sorry, baby. But seriously, what was that?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I don’t know. But whatever those things were, they’re gone now.”
He tugs at my hand, pulling me further into the yard. “That was weird. Don’t you think it was weird, Ally?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course I think it’s weird, Kyle.”
“Isn’t it strange that when you kissed me the thunder of wings began?”
I laugh. “You kissed me, not the other way around.”
Suddenly I’m halted, his hands on my shoulders, and the twinkle in his sky-blue eyes captivating my attention.
“I asked you to go to Texas with me and gave you a ring, then you kissed me after you said yes. Remember, Ally?”
I nod, making him smile. My parents are not going to be happy, but I’m going to Austin with Kyle after graduation. Only three weeks away. I turn eighteen the day after, so I’ll be legal and they can’t stop me.
Right?
God this is scary. So much scarier than those birds were.
How could they have just vanished? Man, I wanted to see them clearly!
My hand is still in his. That’ll be a problem, as my father’s looking directly at us. He’s frowning.
I’m not supposed to be touching my boyfriend. My parents don’t think he is what he is. They think he’s a friend. A longtime friend, but only that.
When I was thirteen, I had to promise my parents I’d never engage in any relationship until I turned eighteen.
Ludicrous, right?
My dad yells out, clear across the large back lawn, “What’s going on, Alyssa?”
Kyle drops my hand. “Sorry, sir. Something happened in the woods.”
My younger, pain-in-the-butt brother, Scotty, approaches us, a smile on his mischievous face. “You’ve made Daddio mad, Kyle. Not good, dude.”
My mother comes out the back door, carrying a large tray, and Kyle sprints across the lawn to help her. “Please let me get that for you, Mrs. Devlin.” His voice is a mixture of middle America and the south.
His parents are from Texas. They moved here to Cloudcroft, New Mexico because his mother is a real estate agent who got a break in the tourist business our town has. She’s not my biggest fan.
Perhaps my parents’ lack of understanding of teenage romance is the reason. I’m not at all sure why she dislikes me, but she does. One time she even said my best friend, Laura, would be perfect for Kyle.
They live three houses down from each other. I just about had a shit-fit with her words. But Kyle stopped me from acting like a freak in front of his mother and father.
I let him know exactly what I thought about that once we left the confines of his family home.
Kyle’s help with my mother’s burden seems to have helped. My father’s frown has turned into a slight smile. Not an entire one, though.
I jog up next to Kyle. Just to test the waters with my parents. I run my arm around his waist and place a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for helping my mom, babe.”
My father shoots me a look, but Mom stays cool. I need to get them ready for our news.
Wow. Our news. That sounds weird.
The touch of his lips on my cheek sends chills down my spine, and not for the reason you might think. I know it’s about to explode.
“Hey! What the hell?” Dad yells.
Kyle further surprises me. “Mr. Devlin. We have something to tell you.”
“No, we don’t.” I try to stop my true love from getting himself annihilated.
When Kyle’s sky-blue eyes meet mine, I melt into his side.
Damn, I love this guy!
“Mr. and Mrs. Devlin,” He raises my hand, the one with the ring on it. “Ally is moving with me to Austin after graduation.”
The next things happen in a blur. My father goes for Kyle’s throat. Scotty and Mom blindside Dad, taking him away from my one true love.
“Dad!” I scream as I pull Kyle back from the monster my father has become.
My father is usually a very calm man. He and my brother look a lot alike, with tall, soft brown curls, and light green eyes. This attack upon my boyfriend, while anticipated by myself, was not expected by my sweet Kyle.
“Mr. Devlin,” Kyle says. “Please don’t think I’ve any bad intentions with your daughter. I love her with everything in me. I want to marry her one day. It should be after I’ve made something of myself, which is exactly what I will do.”
My ears are burning. Did he just say he wants to marry me?
I turn to him. “Kyle, you don’t have to explain.”
A pat on my hand from my mother lets me know she has things back under control.
Thank you, God!
“Seems like some things have gone unnoticed by your father and myself. We’ll discuss this new information in private. For now, we need to eat,” she says with the soft comfort her voice always brings.
My mother is from Connecticut, with jet black hair and eyes of blue. She and I stand five foot two. We’re almost identical. I think she’s much prettier than I am, but she says the same of me.
“Thank you, Mom. There’s no need for this,” I say as I take a chair at the table on our patio. Kyle pulls out the chair next to mine, planting himself in it.
Just to piss my father off, I take Kyle’s hand. Kyle looks at me with his eyebrows cocked. “You sure about this, Ally?”
I look at my father directly in his eyes. The horrible part is that he looks right back into mine. “Get used to it, Dad,” I hear myself say.
Shit, am I really doing this?
“I love Kyle. The rest of my life will be with him.”
To my complete amazement, my father smiles at me. “How wonderful, baby. You couldn’t have chosen a better man. Kyle, I expect you to take good care of my daughter.”
Scotty chokes on his cherry cola, and I give him a go-to-hell look. “Sorry, Sis,” comes from his mouth as he dabs at it with a paper napkin.
Unbelievably, my mother starts doling out potato salad as Dad cuts the brisket. We all eat in silence. My spidey senses are on overload.
Something is not right. Things are too ca
lm!
The silence is deafening. I can’t take it anymore. “Mom, there’s a dance on Saturday. Kyle asked me to go. His band’s playing at it.”
Mom jerks her fork, loaded with meat, toward my father who sits next to her. “Don’t ask me, dear.”
Reluctantly, I look at my father. He smiles at me.
Didn’t see that coming.
“Sure, you can. But only for a little while. I want you back by ten. You do remember you have a curfew, right? I mean, you seem to have forgotten our deal about no relationships until you’re eighteen, so I have to ask.”
Kyle answers for me, “Mr. Devlin, I can assure you she’ll be home by her curfew. And just to let you know, we haven’t broken your no-dating rule.”
Kyle looks directly into my father’s eyes. That’s no easy task as my dad is glaring back at him. His words come out much nicer than his look. “Thank you, son. I appreciate your respect on this matter. I’m sure Alyssa has also let you in on the fact that she’s not allowed to have sex yet either.”
My gasp happens before I realize I’ve done it. He’s gone too far!
“Dad! Stop that right now! The dinner table, or patio table, or whatever this is, is no place to talk about such things.” I can feel the heat on my cheeks. I must be scarlet with embarrassment.
My mother gives dad a stern look. “Sorry about that, dears. Seems David needs to relax a bit. Come, help me clean up and take things into the house.”
Kyle jumps up, grabbing his empty plate and mine. “We’ve got this, Mrs. Devlin. You and Mr. Devlin cooked, so we can clean up. Can’t we, Scotty?”
My brother looks up at Kyle with a scowl, his words coated in sarcasm, “I guess so, now that you’ve included me. Thanks a lot, dude.”
Dad glares back at Kyle as Mom drags him into the house. I hate to think of what I’m in for once Kyle leaves, which will be too soon as the sun’s already setting.
Dad said he could stay until dark, which is fast approaching. I need to talk to him alone. “Go play with your idiot box, Scotty. I’ll help Kyle.”
“Thanks, sis,” he says as he runs for the door before Kyle can stop him.
Kyle turns and says, “You should make him help, Ally. He gets away with too much, that kid.”
“It’s almost dark,” I say as I snake my arms over his broad shoulders and up to his neck.
He gets what I mean, bringing his lips to meet mine. His kiss is sweet from the barbeque sauce. The touch of his tongue on my bottom lip beckons me to open up for him. I do, immediately gratified.
Somehow, he’s moved me up against the brick wall. Pressing his body to mine, we meld together as only we can. Down my back, his strong hands travel until they reach the top of my butt.
That’s where he always stops, because I told him to. Never has he touched me more than I allow.
The words he told my father earlier about wanting to marry me one day flow back to the forefront of my mind. I move a bit further. I caress his arms as my hands run down them.
Once I reach his hands, I move them down to my butt. The groan he makes, which makes my mouth vibrate as his kiss deepens, lets me be certain he’s pleased.
The pressure he puts on my bottom makes me feel more heat in my lower regions than I’ve felt before. He lifts me up and my back presses even more against the wall. I wrap my legs around him, finding a large lump at my juncture.
Crap, he’s really big and now I’m scared.
I pull back and place my feet on the ground where they belong. Tangling my hands in his hair, I pull his lips off mine.
Not wanting to let him realize what a big chicken I am, I say, “Hey, babe, it’s getting dark and we’ve got to finish cleaning up. You volunteered, remember?”
The usual sky blue of his eyes has darkened. I suppose it’s lust I see in them.
Oh, how cute! He lusts for me!
With his forehead to mine, I sense his frustration. “What you do to me, Ally,” he says with a slightly sluggish voice.
I wonder if our little make-out session made him feel intoxicated. Surely not!
Quickly, we grab all the plates and take them into the house. I dump them into the sink while he goes out for the rest of the things. As I rinse the dishes before I place them in the dishwasher, I watch him out the window above the sink.
God, he’s good looking. He wants to marry me some day. Wow!
My little diamond, heart-shaped ring sparkles under the light over the sink. My heart skips a beat as he walks up behind me, placing more dishes in the sink.
His breath on my neck makes my knees weak. “I love you, Ally,” he whispers. I close my eyes, not sure if this is real. He’s never told me those words before. Even though he told my father, he’s never told me. “Say something.”
I turn and peek around him to make sure no one can see us, then put my arms around him, burying my head in his wide chest. “I love you too.”
I can’t believe it. I’ve finally told him exactly how I feel about him.
With a tight hug, he sighs. “You’ve made me pretty damn happy today, Al. Accepting my offer to move away with me, telling your folks about us, and now you’ve told me you love me too. It can’t get any better than this.”
When he lets me go, the sensation of losing something comes over me. The way he held me made me feel safe, secure, and wanted.
He wants me! Little old me. Why in the hell would he?
I’ve made him wait for years for my physical attention. I have no idea what other boy would’ve waited for me, but he has.
Why? What’s so special about me?
Not a damn thing. I’m a complete bore. Never able to do anything thanks to my over-protective parents. But that’s nearly over. Only two more weeks.
As I start the dishwasher, I hear Kyle sigh again and turn to find him looking out the window at the now dark night.
“Time for me to go,” he says, scooping me up for one last hug. “Walk me out?” His eyebrows raise.
I never walk him out. My parents would have a fit. “I will,” I say, because I’ve got a lecture coming anyway. I might as well make it worth it.
He holds my hand and tugs at me to follow him into the living room. There are the wardens, sitting in their chairs. Dad watching television and Mom reading a book.
By the cover of it, it seems pretty steamy. The picture of the well-muscled, shirtless man holding his body above what seems to be a white-clad damsel in distress falls to my mother’s lap.
“Goodnight, Kyle,” she says with a smile.
Dad’s eyes go straight to our intertwined hands and a frown covers his handsome face. I hate to make him look like that, but what choice do I have?
“Bye,” he speaks gruffly.
I have no idea of the expression on either of their faces as I follow Kyle out, closing the door behind me. One of them jumped up, because the porch light just turned on.
This also tells me one of them is standing at the window, watching us. I’m in for it anyway, so why not give them a real show?
I wrap my arm around Kyle’s waist and lean into him. His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me in even closer.
“I see you’ve made the decision to make them really pissed. You sure you can handle the fallout?” he asks, placing a kiss on top of my head.
I gaze up at him, seeing that his eyes back to their regular blue color. All the lust has gone from them, I’m sorry to say.
“If you can, I can.” My words are strong, but somewhere in me a bit of weakness bites.
My parents have never had to deal with me doing something against their rules, so I’ve no idea what they have in store for me.
Daunting images of dungeons, whips, and chains fill my head.
Kyle reaches up to open the door of his tall, four-wheel-drive truck. It’s black and shiny, all chromed out with freaking beautiful rims. His grandfather gave it to him for graduating with honors. He’s very proud of him for receiving a full scholarship to UT because of how well he plays footbal
l.
My man is a monster on the field!
His hands grab me by the waist as he hoists me up into the driver’s seat. I giggle, as it tickles.
“Scoot over. I’m going to kidnap you,” he says with an evil grin on his precious lips.
“How about we do that right after graduation?”
A frown replaces the grin. “Can’t. You won’t be eighteen until the next day.”
How could I forget that little detail? “Okay, then the day after graduation, on my eighteenth birthday, you can steal me away.”
The front porch light flashes off and on in what I assume is a sign to go back inside. “Looks like the guards are calling me in. My time is up.” I reach out for him to help me back down.
The touch of his hands gripping my waist stirs the warmth back into my lower regions making me really dislike my parents at this moment. I just want to get lost in this young man who stands in front of me.
Lightly, he kisses me. I want more than that, but Kyle is just too damn good to let me.
“I’m not gonna let you get yourself into any more trouble than you’ve got coming to you. You don’t need to tell them everything, Al. Remember, they don’t need to hear every detail of what we’ve done.”
The light flashes again, this time with a yell from my mother. “Alyssa, dear, time to come in.”
I watch Kyle climb into his tall truck. He waves at me as he pulls out of the long, steep drive. Turning back to the house, I see that my mother stands on the porch, waiting for me. I brush past her as I walk back inside.
Her hand on my arm pulls my attention to her frowning face. My father stands. “We need to talk, young lady.”
Great, this should be relatively painful!
CHAPTER 2
EDEN
Stars fill the sky over the pristine, white mansion. Dim light by the swimming pool shines in Linda’s eyes. Though nowhere near as beautiful as my Alyssa’s, they’re still pretty.
The touch of her hand on the back of my neck makes me aware of what she’s about to do. Although not our first kiss, it’s been some time since she’s tutored me.
I’ll be eighteen in three days. I’m going to see my Alyssa, face to face, on my birthday, after all this time.
Plump red lips touch mine. My heart beat increases slightly. Linda’s hair is roughly the same length as my Alyssa’s.
No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 83