Coop’s features harden as he looks to Laken from across the room as she bounces Alice in her arms. Lex has joined the fun, and the two of them seem to be squabbling over something. Ezrina and Nev have done a disappearing act altogether, probably off making baby number two. They’ve made it no secret that they plan to expand their brood in the very near future.
“You don’t have to come after me.” He offers a shit-eating grin my way. “And don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m not running over there right this minute. I’m a little more methodical than that. I’m working on something.”
“Yeah, well, let me know if it’s going anywhere before you make some huge error in judgment and step on a landmine of your own doing.” I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy more than I already do. “Take it from your distant relative. Sometimes the best-laid plans can backfire spectacularly.”
“Case in point, you and Skyla.” Coop leans in, serious as the heart attack I’m bound to have if I’m forced to witness, taste, smell, and feel another sex session between my nephew and his wife. That’s what I’ve forced myself to refer to Skyla as mentally, Gage’s wife. It’s my way of quenching that mad desire in me to have her. I won’t. End of story. Period. My heart just needs to catch up with my mind.
“I have news for you, Logan.” Coop’s eyes tear through mine as if he were about to offer up my eulogy. “If you think you’re ever going to get over Skyla, then you haven’t stepped on the biggest landmine yet. Don’t lecture me on the best-laid plans. I’m not you. Laken isn’t Skyla, and Wes sure as hell isn’t Gage. I’m getting Laken back. I’m not playing dead. I don’t give a shit about breaking up their little family. She belongs with me. She’s just too blindsided to see it.” He gets up and nearly knocks his chair back in the process. “And it sounds like you’re a little blindsided, too. You might be throwing in the towel—but I’m no quitter.”
“Whoa.” I scoot back in my seat as I watch Coop stomp off down one of the arteries that leads to Ezrina’s kitchen. “Did you just call me a quitter?” He gives me the finger as he disappears out of sight. “Make me a sandwich, would you?” I shout after him. It’s all in good fun, mostly. I get it. Coop is at his wits’ end. And if I don’t do something to give him a sense of real hope, he’s going to lose it and do something dangerous. The last thing I want to do is get my new body deposed on Raven’s Eye just because I feel sorry for the guy. Nope. If Coop goes off the deep end and decides to swim with the feds, he’s on his own. A weight sits on my chest because, deep down, I know it’s not true. If Coop is going in, then I’m going in. At least that way I can share some of the blame when the Spectators hit the fan.
Coop and I are different. Skyla and Laken are different. Our situations are worlds apart. Right now, Skyla and Gage are enjoying their family—the family they built, that I love, and that I gave my blessing to. I almost invited them to come down this afternoon, but I knew once Skyla heard I was meeting with Candace, there would be no stopping her from joining in on the fun. I thought I’d spare her the grief of listening to her mother trying her best to play celestial matchmaker. Candace is no matchmaker. She is a celestial nuisance with an agenda.
After hours of pouring over war plans, taking notes on battles of yesteryear, and trying to, yet again, crack the code of the most sacred scroll of all, I glance to where Coop and Laken are seated side by side, huddled over a manuscript with their heads just about touching. They very much look like the old Coop and Laken, and if they spend enough time together, something tells me they will be.
I rise out of my seat and stretch my arms up over my head, roaring back to life with a groan.
Coop looks up, his eyes widening with a touch of panic. “You taking off?” I know he thinks that if I leave, Laken will be motivated to follow, and in no way do I want that to happen.
“Just stepping out for bit.” I offer an amicable smile to Laken. “Skyla might be dropping by soon. I know she’d love to see you.”
“That’s great. Please tell her to bring the boys. I can’t believe how big they get each time I see them.”
“I will.” I nod to Coop and note his lips curling with approval.
And just like that, any trace of a smile vacates the premises. “What are we going to do about the Barricade? Noster has put out just about everyone they have to divert them.”
Laken averts her eyes. “Wes isn’t going to hurt anybody. I’m pretty sure bloodshed is the last thing on his mind. What kind of stronghold do you have over the Barricade, anyway? There are no battle lines. This isn’t the civil war. There’s not a man on the field.”
Coop inches back a notch. “This is very much a civil war—brother against brother.”
I clear my throat. If Coop wants to keep his good standing with her, I suggest he let me play bad cop. “Noster has identified the members of the opposition who Wes is utilizing to frighten mankind. The extraterrestrial lights in the sky? The sea? Those are Fems.” In the past few months alone, Noster has made an account of the Barricade members who are working as Wesley’s elite. They’re taking names and ready to take them out if need be, but Laken doesn’t need to be aware of that. We’re feeding her exactly what we’re comfortable with Wes knowing.
“How do you stop a Fem?” Her voice is tight, indignant as if she already knows this is an impossibility.
“I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me that.”
Her mouth opens as if she’s just had an epiphany. Her head tips back as she looks to Coop. “You think bloodshed is the answer, don’t you?”
Coop stiffens, shakes his head no but doesn’t say a word, and on that note I give a brief wave and take off.
“Hey!” Lex catches me just as I hit the stairwell. “You’re not getting out of here without giving me some sugar.” Her arms lock tight around me, and before I know it, her lips are drenching mine in what rivals every dog kiss I’ve ever had for the wettest—and I’m about as appreciative of it. I was never a fan of our old lab Charlie licking my face, let alone smacking me on the lips with his slobbery tongue. God, I miss that beautiful beast.
I pull back and offer Lex a woeful smile. A part of me is hoping that I’ll feel something. Anything. But my heart is as cold as ice when it comes to her. Lex is beautiful, and nothing stands in her way. Believe me, I like both those attributes. But something just refuses to click.
“I’ll be home in a bit.”
“Sounds good. Home with me is where you belong.” The apples of her cheeks pique with color as she leans in, her chest pressed to mine until I can feel her softness. Still zero. “I’ll have dinner waiting for you. A nice, juicy steak and a baked potato. My mother always said the way to a man’s heart is through this stomach.” Her hand rides low over my chest, far below my stomach until she hits pay dirt.
“Whoa,” a dark laugh bumps from me as I carefully remove her grip on the family jewels. Underutilized jewels but nevertheless. “Dinner sounds great. Would you mind texting Skyla and asking her to swing by with the boys? Laken was asking about them.
“I sure will.” She gives a little hop, clearly inspired by these mixed signals I keep sending. “I’ll invite Gage, too. I think it’s about time we started double dating, don’t you? Of course, they’ll bring the brats.” Lex’s soft tone almost makes brats sound like a term of endearment. Almost.
“Don’t call them that,” I plead in the exact same tone. “They’re my nephews.”
Her coffee-colored eyes hook to mine, and for a moment I think there might be something there, and I wait for it to spark to life in the very depths where only true love can stir. “Then they’re my family, too. I’ll make them mac and cheese. I’ve seen Em do it a million times.” Her fingers caress the back of my cheek. That look of pure veneration never leaves her eyes. “I don’t want you to say it back to me, Logan, because I know you’re not ready, but I love you so much.” Her voice breaks as she shakes her head. “And once you realize you love me, too, there won’t be anything we can’t do. We will be unstoppable
together. Our life, the one that we build together, will be beautiful. I will never leave you for another man and make you watch like some horror movie. I would never allow you to pine for me while shoving another man’s dick down your throat.”
“Geez.” I inch back, trying to avoid the visual altogether. “Thank you, I guess.” And no, I didn’t miss the dig at Skyla. “I appreciate where you’re coming from.” I think.
“Good.” She lifts her hands and slaps both my cheeks at once. “And after Skyla and Gage take the monsters home, I’ll slip into something a little more comfortable like my birthday suit.” Her eyes sharpen over mine like a threat. “No man has ever been able to resist me naked and in heels, Logan Oliver.” Her fingers curl through the collar of my flannel. “No man, angel, or Sector has had the power to utter the word no to me.” She blows the words over my face before brushing her lips against mine once again. “Now get going so we can get to the good part.” Lex gives me a firm shove, and I use the momentum to bolt straight out the door, into my truck and down the road, watching as Whitehorse shrinks in the distance.
No Sector, huh? I guess she was one of many that Dudley plowed through the year he arrived. It was a boning bonanza for the first few months. The thought of taking on Dudley’s sloppy seconds makes my stomach turn. If anything, that conversation set Lex and me back a good ten paces. I’m well aware of Skyla’s misdeeds with the deviant, but for some reason, as usual, my gut gives Skyla a pass, and I groan at the thought. Dudley very much wants Skyla for himself. I know for a fact that’s not happening on my watch.
I glance back as Whitehorse turns into a speck.
Lex and I most likely aren’t happening either.
The drive out to the Falls goes by far too quickly. The blur of trees, a peek of the ocean beyond the island’s borders—it’s so beautiful, it pains me not to be able to share it with anyone. Hell, maybe I should have brought Lex along for the ride. But she’s not here, and it’s probably for the best. I need to clear my head, and what better way to do it than a nice long drive in my truck? There’s something tranquilizing about feeling the road smooth out beneath you, commanding a three-ton vehicle to do as you please and having it listen. I’m simultaneously relaxed and in control, a balance I can never seem to strike when I’m not sitting behind the wheel. But if I need to get out of my truck, the one place on the island that I can truly relax is the Falls. It’s rarely ever occupied with people. It’s cold this time of year. Heck, it’s cold every time of year. Skyla and I seem to be the only two people interested in the place. And I’d like to keep it that way. As it stands, there are far too many tourist traps thick with crowds, no thanks to Drake and Brielle and their booming yet somewhat cursed Made in Paragon line. Not to mention the feds coming in by the droves doing their paranormal tour of duty. I, for one, am damn sick of both. I miss the good old days when Paragon was just your run-of-the-mill haunted island, where the Counts wanted you dead and the Fems were out to get you. I shed a dull smile at the thought because some things never change.
The stiff evergreens give way to lankier older renditions whose branches actually look as if they’re struggling to touch the sea. I take the turnoff that leads to that crystal blue lake Skyla and I swam in a few months back. I can still smell the scent of her hair, vanilla, the scent of her sweet skin, honeysuckle. Skyla is a garden all too herself, and just as I’m about to indulge into a darker realm of thought, I do a double take at the parking lot and stiffen at the sight.
A sea of cars sits in the dirt lot, and not only am I pissed at the fact Drake and Bree have led people to the most sacred spot on the island with their clothing-based breadcrumbs, but I doubt Candace will want to meet up with me here now. People in general seem to spook her—not in the traditional sense. In the traditional sense, Candace spooks people.
An old Mercedes sits by a monster truck and a tiny clown car is tucked in tight next to a sedan, and I can’t help but note I recognize almost every vehicle here. I hop out and hike down to the boulders that meet up with the lagoon, stopping in my perverted tracks once I spot one too many naked bodies. Looks like a sea of bathing beauties and one lucky dude bopping around between them. The rush of water drones on in the distance as the triplicate falls roar out their fury. It’s a sight to behold, three pale blue falls each more breathtaking than the last, but at the moment, I don’t even notice their presence.
Someone lets out a whoop and does their best to flag me down, waving their arms back and forth. “Hey, Oliver! The water’s warm! Get the eff in here!”
“Geez.” I can’t help but groan. The lucky dude is none other than Ellis Harrison himself. I crouch my way over the boulders, hopping down off the last one at least six feet off the ground, and am greeted with four naked women all emerging from the water at once. Chloe, Emily, Natalie, and Michelle.
“Shit,” I mumble
Chloe leads the pack, tits out, proud—and I’m not saying she shouldn’t be—bush trimmed to nonexistent, and that seems to be a theme among the rest of them. Not that I’m looking. But dear God, a wall of naked women. I can’t help but give a quick glance.
“Logy-poo, is that really you?” Chloe coos as she struts up, water beading over those brown sugar shoulders of hers.
Shit. Eyes up. Eyes up, dude.
“Chloe.” I swallow hard as Nat and Michelle ensconce her on one side, and Em on the other. “What’s going on?”
Em shakes out her dark hair. “Water’s nice.” Her curls are so tight they spring right off her head at least six inches in all directions. It doesn’t even look wet.
“Nice.” It’s all I can say as I struggle to keep my gaze glued to each of theirs.
Michelle takes a deep breath, and I’d swear on everything good that her tits just tried to reach out and touch me. “Where’s Lex?” She cranes her neck past me as she takes a few steps in and, dear God, her tits are gunning for me. I can feel it. I do my best to look to the lagoon as a buck-naked Ellis Harrison does the backstroke while trying his best to coax the girls into the water again. “Did you come here alone?” Her eyes widen, and if I didn’t know better, that grin taking over her face is looking like an invitation. It had better not be. She’s set to marry my brother in less than a month.
“Lex is at home. I just came out here to”—I glance near the evergreens that hood over the top of the Falls for any extraterrestrial signs—“think.”
Nat shakes her hair out like a dog and pelts me in the eyes with water. “Get your clothes off and join us. It’s freaking cold out here. I’m getting back in.” She lets out a wild shriek while climbing up the tallest boulder before doing a cannonball into the waiting water. Steam rises from the lagoon, and I can tell Candace has turned it into a giant Roman bathtub once again. Maybe she thought I was bringing Skyla? I wasn’t supposed to bring Skyla, was I?
Emily groans as she looks to Nat, already leaping around with Ellis, on Ellis. My God, Giselle had better not be here lurking around in her birthday suit. There are some people I’m just not prepared to see naked, and anyone in my family qualifies for that category.
“I’d better get back in.” Em rubs her pale shoulder and extends her neck as if unkinking a knot. Emily Morgan’s skin gives snow a run for its pale money. I can’t help but glance down at her torso, and my eyes actually sting from the lightning flash of her skin. “I burn pretty easy.” She looks to me a moment, her lips flailing with a misfired smile. “I’ve got a message for you.”
“No thanks.” Skyla has instructed me that under no circumstances am I to entertain Emily’s need to press us with a future vision. After she clearly predicted Gage’s decapitation, Skyla is fearful of what Em might say next. I get it, though. If whatever lies ahead is imminent, why torment yourself with the vision?
“Fine.” Em gives a hard sniff, her chest bouncing with the action and, honest to God, for a second I thought someone tossed two baseballs at her chest. The girl brings new meaning to the color white. I think she’s surpassed it by a bleached mil
e. Emily is downright ghostly. It’s almost fascinating the way she looks illuminated from the inside, and I mean that in the most platonic sense. “I’ll hold off until your brother’s wedding. Michelle wants me to set up at a table, gifting visions to her guests.” She shrugs, and the baseballs bounce as I struggle to train my eyes on hers. It’s the nipples that I want to see. I can’t help it. I’m fascinated by the fact each girl has her very own shape and shade.
I shake my head, ashamed of myself for even owning the thought. I shouldn’t be fascinated by my friends’ nipples. Shit. Where the hell is Candace, anyway? And dear God, she had better be clothed from the neck to the ground. I don’t think I can handle another ounce of flesh. My body spikes with heat, and I’d give anything to rip off my own shirt right about now just to cool off.
Chloe grunts as if she’s just read my thoughts. “Em, Michelle, get in the water before you give Oliver a hard-on.” She takes a bold step forward, chest out, hips swaying to the side as if she wasn’t beneath attempting to do the same.
Em clicks her tongue. “We all know Logan gets hard for one girl and one girl only.”
Michelle titters at the thought. “Yeah, me.” She gives a hard wink before turning abruptly and slapping her backside so loud it elicits a smooth crack. My eyes dart to her rosy cheek for a moment.
“Up here,” Chloe shouts like a drill sergeant, and my gaze snaps back to hers as if it were a rubber band.
Em and Michelle dive into the water, and a breeze licks my neck. Feels like heaven to my scalding skin.
Chloe comes in close, to the point where I don’t have to sweat it out anymore because all I see is her face. She’s practically within kissing range, and ironically the last person on this planet I’d lock lips with is the beast before me. Her dark eyes narrow in on mine.
Throne of Fire: Celestra Forever After 5 Page 42