by Katie Knight
“Won’t be long now until the stars are out,” he said, staring up at the darkening sky.
Soon enough, pinpricks of light began to twinkle above them and a hush fell over the gathered crowd as people began looking up. He and Lake took turns at the telescope, marveling over the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt and the bright smudge of the Andromeda Galaxy millions of light years away.
“You ever visited a Dark Sky site like this one?” Drake asked her once she straightened from her turn at the telescope.
“I have, actually,” Lake answered without thinking, then could have kicked herself. She hadn’t meant to divulge more about her past, but now that it was out there she couldn’t take it back.
“Really?” His dark eyes glittered with curiosity in the dim red light. “This one or one nearby? I thought they were pretty rare in this day and age.”
She sighed and did her best to ease the knot of tension in her chest. Drake was safe, she could confide in him, a little bit at least. “No, not here. In California. There was a Dark Sky Sanctuary near where my grandmother lived, so when I’d go to visit her, we’d take a trip there. I used to love those times with her.”
Grief pinched her chest at the memory of the Nanna she’d lost after her parents had gone to prison. Her grandmother wasn’t dead, just wanted nothing to do with Lake anymore. Not after what she’d done.
Drake must have misinterpreted the sadness on her face because he said, “I’m sorry. When did she pass?”
Lake started to say that the woman wasn’t dead—well, not literally—but stopped herself. Mentioning some obscure fact about her youth was one thing. Opening up to him about the cesspool of her family life was another. Rather than telling a complete lie, she went with a half-truth. “It’s been twelve years since I saw her last.”
“That’s tough.” He sat back in his chair, the metal creaking beneath his bulk. “It’s nice that you have astronomy to remember her by, though.”
“Yeah.” Happy to have the spotlight off of her once more, she tucked her hair behind her ear and crossed her sneaker-clad feet at the ankles, stretching her legs out in front of her. “Studying the stars made me feel a lot less lonely as a kid.” She gave him a side glance, noting his pensive expression in the shadows from their red light as he stared up at the sky. “What about you? Have you been to a Dark Sky Reserve before?”
“Yep. Both here in the US and overseas.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. “They’re harder and harder to come by these days, with all the industrialization in the world. Places with low levels of natural light are disappearing fast. Makes the ones we have left that much more precious, I suppose.”
“True.” Her heart pinched at the loneliness in his voice. It was a feeling she knew well, and Lake wanted nothing more than to bring back his smile if only for a little while. It was such a great smile, after all. She stood and went to the telescope again to gaze up at the stars. “This is really great. Thanks again for bringing me here this weekend. Lately, the best I’ve been able to do is visiting the local planetarium in Dallas once a month to get my space fix.”
He snorted and cracked open one eye. “Space fix? I like that. It is kind of addicting, isn’t it?”
“Worse than crack for me.” She grinned and he did too, his teeth white and even in the darkness, and her world brightened a bit.
The next few hours passed with more viewing of the stars and small talk. They even had an impromptu picnic on the blanket with Drake making s’mores using the heat from their red light and a lighter to melt the marshmallows and chocolate bars. A trick he’d learned in the SEALs, he said.
Finally, Lake yawned, and Drake began breaking down the telescope while she packed up the backpack. It had been a great night and she felt more relaxed than she had in months. All thanks to Drake. By the time they’d walked down the hill to the SUV again, she felt closer to him than she had to anyone in a long, long time.
“Right.” He closed the back of the SUV and faced her in the darkness. “Guess it’s time we head back to the campsite.”
“Guess it is,” she said, her feet refusing to move from where she stood a few inches from him. Her gaze flickered to his lips, then back to his eyes. All the reasons why getting involved with Drake was a bad idea were swirling in her head, but all her heart wanted to do at that moment was lose herself in him, even if only for one night. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen? She was already pregnant, so that was off the table. And he’d be leaving as soon as the mess with Shepperton, Inc. was cleared up and the business was sold, so there would be no strings attached. Her blood pounded in her ears and heat sizzled through her core. Maybe it was the hormones. Maybe it was the fact that for the first time in forever she’d opened up to someone in some way, however small, and it hadn’t been horrible. Maybe it was the night or the new moon magic that seemed to be stirring around them. Whatever it was, Lake threw caution to the winds and leaned in to kiss him again before she could stop herself.
Drake didn’t move a muscle at first, seeming to be fighting an inner battle similar to the one she’d waged and lost, before he gave a low groan and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her tight to his chest and deepening their kiss.
His hands seemed to be everywhere at once—in her hair, down her back, cupping her butt through her jeans. By the time he pulled back, they were both breathless and shaking. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, his words strained. “We shouldn’t…”
“True,” she said, sliding her hands around his neck to trace tiny circles through the hair at his nape. Drake’s answering shiver made her smile. So strong and yet so sensitive. She kissed him again lightly then smiled. “But I think we are.”
He opened his eyes and stared at her a moment before cursing under his breath. “Get in the car.”
Lake giggled and did as he asked, barely getting her seatbelt fastened before he took off in a spray of gravel for their campsite. He kept one hand on her knee as he drove, as if unable to resist touching her for one second. She felt the same, stroking his forearm and tracing his long, tapered fingers with hers.
By the time they got back to their tent, neither of them could move fast enough. Forget the telescope and the backpack in the SUV—they barely made it safely inside the tent and zipped the flap shut behind them before they were all over each other. Between kisses and sighs, Drake removed her clothes first, and then his, stopping to worship every inch of her before laying her down gently atop the air mattress and joining her, stretching out his big beautiful body beside her. Even then, he didn’t rush, kissing her long and slow before bending to take one of her nipples into his mouth while lavishing attention on the other with his talented fingers.
She slid her hands into his hair, biting back her cries of pleasure, not wanting to alert the campers around them to what they were doing. The silence only seemed to make the experience more intense. Each lick, each stroke, each caress shimmered through her like pure light, sending showers of firework sparks blazing through her nerve endings.
Drake kissed his way down her body to her abdomen, then lower still, until he traced his tongue up the slick fold between her legs and Lake thought she’d died and gone to heaven. While she wasn’t a virgin by any means, being with Drake felt different from any lover she’d had before. His consideration and kindness extended to the bedroom as well, with him making sure she was comfortable and happy and satisfied before he took his own pleasure. He nuzzled and made love to her with his hands and mouth until she tumbled over the brink into orgasm, unable to keep from whispering his name over and over as the waves of ecstasy rocked her entire being.
At last, he kissed his way up her body again, stopping to nuzzle her breasts once more before propping himself up on one elbow while reaching into his duffle bag for a condom. She watched him slick it on, stopping him to use her own hand to stroke his hard length. He pulled her hand away after a moment, lines of tension etched into the corners of the mouth a
nd eyes. Drake kissed her palm, then looked down at her, his expression serious. “Are you sure about this, Lake?”
In answer, she drew him down for an open-mouthed kiss while wrapping her legs around his waist and arching her hips into him. He entered her in one long stroke, then held still, allowing her body to adjust to his. When he did move at last, they both moaned deeply and began a rhythm that had them teetering on the brink in no time at all.
“Drake, I…” Lake began before she climaxed once more, words lost as her universe exploded into a million iridescent shards. He drove into her once, twice more, then his body tightened in her arms as he came hard inside her, his face buried in her neck and her name on his lips.
Afterward, they lay in the darkness, listening to the crickets outside, his head resting in the valley between her breasts, over her heart, and her fingers in his hair, tracing lazy circles against his scalp. She felt sated and relaxed for the first time in recent memory and she had Drake to thank for that. Lake opened her mouth to tell him so, but he started speaking first, his frown returning, deepening.
“I know I gave you my usual spiel before about why I joined the SEALs,” he said, his voice quiet in the shadows. “Honor, glory, all that. And it’s true. But there were other reasons too. Ones I don’t talk about much. Want to hear them?”
She couldn’t really see his face in the dark, but the vulnerability in his tone made her heart clench. Whatever it was, he needed to tell her and she needed to hear it. Lake reached out to place her hand on his warm, solid chest, felt the steady thump of his pulse. “Only if you want tell me.”
He gave a sad little sigh and gathered her closer. “I do. Want to tell you.” They lay there for a minute before he continued. “The biggest reason was so I could build my own life. One I could be proud of. One outside of my family and all their drama.”
She nodded, contemplating telling him more about her own past. It wasn’t something she shared with anyone, really. Not exactly dinner conversation to tell someone you put your own parents behind bars, was it? But being with Drake, like this, it felt safe. “I get that. I built my own life too, away from my past.”
“Hmm.” The sound rumbled beneath her ear, warm and deep. “Yeah, I had way more than enough lies and scandal and drama growing up. I want nothing but truth and honesty and trust in my future. No more drama or greed or deception. I’m done with all of that.”
“…Right.” The heat in her blood from the afterglow of their lovemaking turned to ice, making her shudder. Drake pulled her closer and nestled her head under his chin, pulling the covers over them. The bright security she’d felt with him moments earlier fizzled out to blackness. She came from nothing but scandal. Her whole existence had come from lies, thanks to her parents and their stealing and cheating. Drake was right. He had been through enough of that. There was no place for her in his future, not with her history. If she told him the truth about her childhood, about her parents and the part she’d played in their cons—he’d walk away right now and never want to see her again. In a way, she felt like she was deceiving him just by staying quiet. But…was she really doing any harm? There was no potential for anything lasting here—this could never be more than a fling. And that meant he didn’t truly need to know her secrets. With a sigh, she snuggled closer into his heat, knowing soon enough it would be gone.
“Goodnight,” Drake said, kissing the top of her head before drifting off to sleep.
Lake lay awake long afterward, trying not to feel heartbroken and even more alone than before. She’d known this wouldn’t work out long-term. She had no right to cry about it now. No matter how badly it hurt.
Eleven
On Monday evening, Drake stood before the door to his brother’s storage unit. It was located in the basement of Devon’s condo building. Lake stood by his side, as she had since their weekend together. He still had a hard time believing it was all real. He’d never intended to sleep with Lake, but now that it had happened, he couldn’t say he regretted it. Holding her in his arms, feeling her soft warmth beneath him, around him, had been so much better than he’d ever imagined, and Drake knew that no matter how this all ended between them, he’d carry those memories with him forever.
Even now, when he licked his lips, he swore he could still taste her there, could still smell the heady scent of her arousal mixed with her sweet floral perfume, could still hear her soft moans of desire echoing in his ears whenever she was near. His chest squeezed with more than attraction, more than affection. He wasn’t ready yet to put a name to the emotions blustering through him like a storm front, but they were there all the same, growing stronger each day.
“What is this place?” Lake asked, her hand brushing against his and sending sparks of awareness through his already keyed-up nervous system.
“Devon’s private storage area,” Drake said, his voice gruff from a mix of adrenaline and anxiety. “It’s the last place of his I haven’t searched yet.”
He could feel the weight of her stare on him, tingling against the side of his face. “Do you think we’ll find anything in there about the financials?”
“No idea. But there’s still a lot of information we don’t have.” Drake fiddled with the key in his hand that the superintendent had given him earlier. They’d just gotten home from the office when the guy had knocked on the door. He and Lake had changed and come down here right away before eating dinner. “Maybe the answers we need are in here.”
As if sensing his inner turmoil, Lake took his hand and laced her fingers through his. “Let’s open it and find out.”
With a determined nod, Drake stepped forward, inserted the key into the lock, and turned it. A sharp click sounded in the quiet hallway, bouncing off the bare cement floors and walls. He let go of Lake to stoop and hoist up the metal garage door sealing off the secure space, then stood back to gaze inside, his eyes widening slightly. He’d been expecting boxes of documents and files. Instead, this place looked like a mini war room, complete with a desk and computer. Devon must have come down here and worked at night. The room was maybe ten by twelve and the walls were lined with file cabinets. If his brother was hiding the truth anywhere, this looked like the place to find it. His mood grim, Drake strode straight for the desk. “Did my brother ever mention this place to you?”
“Nope.” She shook her head, her sleek bobbed hair flying around her face. “Believe me, if I’d known this was down here, I’d have told you to track down the key as soon as possible.”
“I believe you,” he said, taking a seat behind the desk to rifle through the contents of the drawers while he waited for the computer to boot up. In one of them he found a burner phone. Drake pulled it out and punched the home button to find a long list of alerts lighting up the screen, all of them dated the week of Devon’s accident. “Damn. Looks like someone was trying pretty hard to get ahold of my brother.”
“Who?” Lake came around the desk to peer over Drake’s shoulder. “Carrie Bartlett.”
“Yep.” He laid the phone on the desk, then hit play for the voicemail messages and put them on speakerphone. The first four were all business-related, regarding various deals in the works at Shepperton, Inc. The final one confirmed a suspicion that Drake had kept to himself before now, though it had been gaining more credence with him by the day. Carrie was having an affair with his brother.
“Hey,” Carrie’s overly chipper voice said from the device. “Me again. Just wanted to say I can’t wait for our trip to LA together. It’s going to be even better than last time, since we don’t have to hide anymore.”
Drake frowned down at the phone, then shut it off. “Sounds like something more than work was going on between those two.”
“Agreed.” Lake turned away fast, but not before he saw the hurt in her expression.
For a moment, his heart nosedived to his toes. She’d said there was no emotional connection between her and Devon and she’d known about his lies, but given her reaction to that message, she’d not known ab
out his sleeping around. He had no right to be jealous, especially of a dead man, and yet he didn’t like knowing his brother hurt Lake. Not at all. Best get it out then, instead of letting resentment fester. “What?”
She shook her head, causing the light to glitter in those earrings of hers studding her lobes. A sudden flash of memory of him nuzzling said ears flickered in his mind before Drake shoved it away. “Nothing. It’s just that the first time Devon went to LA with Carrie, we were still sleeping together.”
“Oh.” Drake blinked at her a minute as understanding dawned. Even if Lake hadn’t been in love with her brother, that was still a hell of a slap in the face to learn that a lover had been unfaithful. God, Devon had been even more of a treacherous asshole than Drake had suspected. He swallowed hard around the lump of disgust in his throat. “I’m sorry.”
Lake gave a small shrug and a sad little smile. “It’s not your fault. Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised. Given who and what Devon was, I had no reason to think he’d be exclusive to me during our affair. I’m madder at myself, I suppose, for not figuring it out sooner. That’s all.” She sighed and started going through the file cabinets, shifting the conversation from herself to Carrie. “Anyway, did HR ever get back to you about Carrie’s recent leaves of absence?”
“They did,” he said, shoving the burner phone in his pocket for later research, then continuing to go through the rest of the desk drawers. “She has taken a lot of time off lately, but apparently, it’s legit. She has a sister who’s ill. I made a few calls and it checked out.”
“Do you think she’s knowingly involved in this mess with Devon?” Lake asked over her shoulder.
“Not sure, but I’m starting to think it’s a possibility.” He rummaged through the bottom drawer without looking up at her. “What do you think?”