Until the Stars Fall (Just the Way You Are Book 1)

by Abigail Kade

  Ladd held up his hand and showed me the ring I had noticed he wore every day on his right ring finger. “This is the ring he made for me for Christmas a few years ago. He made an identical one for Remy, Rhett, and for himself. When he gave them to us, he said they were our family rings. They symbolize our love and commitment to each other and the family. None of us have ever taken them off. I wear it to remind myself that no matter what people like Parker say, we’re family and this is home.”

  “I like that idea. I’d love to talk to him about his work. Maybe I could get something for my mom, brother and sister for Christmas like that.”

  Ladd nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, we can go by Gwen’s sometime this week and look around. I know it’s only September, but he’ll get slammed with orders starting in October. If you don’t see something you like, he could take a custom order for something. You’ve got an in since you’re dating his favorite nephew.” Ladd gave me a cheeky smirk and then turned with a sweeping motion of his hand. “Well, you’ve seen the living room. Would you like the full tour? There’s not much more than the kitchen and bedrooms, but I’d love to show you my favorite room.” His smile was in his eyes again, and there was no way I could say no.

  “Absolutely, lead the way.”

  Ladd came toward me still standing by the front door, motioned me to step aside and reached for the pocket doors I hadn’t seen to my left. He slid them open, flipped on the lights and I was transported to another world. I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast all of a sudden because this was the most magnificent library I had ever seen in person. Every wall all the way to the ceiling was covered in bookshelves. There were two big overstuffed chairs on one side of the fireplace and a large leather sofa on the other. Between them on the faux fur rug was a delicate glass top coffee table mirroring the glass end tables. Again, the colors on the furniture fabrics were light, and the color in the room was left to the hundreds and hundreds of hardback books carefully encased behind the huge glass doors enclosing the shelves. I wondered how you would ever reach the ones on the uppermost shelves when I noticed the rails and the sliding ladder that could be picked up and moved from one wall to another. The whole room was stunning.

  “So, what do you think?”

  “It’s, wow, all I can think to say is wow.” I laughed, still taking everything in. “This room is incredible, truly. It feels so comfortable in here and even with all of these shelves looming over you, it still feels light and airy. I feel like I could sit in here for days and never want to leave.” I finally looked back over to Ladd who was still hovering in the doorway, letting me take it all in.

  When I turned around, he launched himself at me for the second time tonight. He threw his arms around my neck and jumped, making me automatically grab his waist so he wouldn’t fall. I held him flush against me once again, but this time it was neither for comfort or protection. This time I was looking for something else, and it felt like Ladd was thinking the same thing.

  When Ladd pulled back from the tight hug, we just stared into each other’s eyes, soaking in the moment. Finally, I leaned in and stroked my bearded cheek against his smooth one whispering, “I’ve wanted to do this again all night, but I don’t think I can wait another minute. Can I please kiss you, Ladd?”

  Before I could get his name out, Ladd had his lips on mine in silent answer. At first, he kept it sweet and slow, chaste. His dry lips moved across mine, just feeling the different texture of my whiskers against his smooth lips. Then, he tentatively licked out along my lower lip and pressed, silently asking for more. I was more than willing to give it to him.

  I tightened my hold around his waist, hauled him up off his feet and kissed him like I had been dreaming. It went from sweet to hot in less than a second. My tongue slid in and over his own, tangling and playing for dominance until I finally nipped his tongue causing him to moan back into my mouth. Ladd started writhing against me, and I noticed he was hard as a rock and rubbing himself against my abs to increase the friction. I reached down without thought with one of my hands, grabbed his little ass and pulled him into me with a jerk to increase the friction on both of our cocks. It felt fucking amazing and damn was it hot, but I didn’t want to move too fast for either of us. We stood there for several long minutes enjoying the feel of our lips, teeth, and tongues gliding over each other and enjoying the pressure of our cocks grinding out their own private rhythm. Finally, when Ladd took the initiative and nipped my lower lip, then licked the sting away, I knew I wouldn’t last much longer just kissing him. He was way too much of a temptation.

  I reluctantly pulled back from the kiss and slowly slid his sweet body down to set him on his feet again. I made sure we both enjoyed every inch of the journey. Then with my hand going through my hair and taking a deep breath, I stepped back, “Now, I think you said something about hot chocolate and a porch?” Ladd stared up at me with lust filled eyes, pupils wide, for just a moment before he processed what I’d said.

  “Uh, yeah, but are you sure you want it now? We could have some later.” He stepped into me and placed a kiss on my neck exposed by my unbuttoned shirt. “Maybe much later.” Then he added another kiss lower down on the hollow between my collar bones. “Or maybe we could have it in the morning.” This was followed by a gentle nip on the collarbone itself, and I was almost lost.

  I growled at the temptation this man was to me, then hardened my resolve. “Ladd, I want nothing more than to do all of that and more, but this is our first date, and I really want to do this right by you. Didn’t you want to go slow?”

  That seemed to snap Ladd out of his lust filled haze, and he stepped back suddenly, “Oh, God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” He dropped his head and blushed in embarrassment, and that would never do.

  “No, it’s not a problem, I loved everything you were doing believe me, but I don’t want to sleep with you on the first date and then have you decide it was a mistake. I just want us to explore this between us to the fullest. We have time, and I want to enjoy this, every moment. I’m not just here to get with you and then ghost as soon as I’ve gotten what I want.” That seemed to be the right thing to say because he looked back up at me then and nodded his head.

  “Okay then, hot chocolate it is. But I have something to ask you. When can we have our second date?”

  I thought about it and decided, “How about Wednesday after the inspectors come by?”

  Ladd seemed to think about it for a second, then snapped his fingers, “I forgot, Wednesday is family dinner this week.” He thought for a second, then asked, “Why don’t you come? It’ll be like a date, sort of. You’ve already met most of my family anyway except for Rhett and whether he shows will be based on his caseload this week.” I must have looked as apprehensive as I felt because Ladd added, “Afterwards, we can come back here and get to know each other even better than we did tonight.” He leaned up with his arms around my neck, and I leaned down to meet his decadent lips. He tasted sweet like his jelly beans and something I could only define as Ladd. Ending the kiss this time, I gave the only answer I could give.

  “I’d love to have dinner with your family on Wednesday.” I just hoped to God our second date was more drama free than our first.

  Chapter Nine

  What the hell is wrong with me? I thought to myself as I made our hot chocolate—with marshmallows thank you very much. I had sent Connor onto the back porch with the excuse of starting the fireplace, but really it was to give myself a good talking to. I’d thrown myself at him not once but twice tonight and even propositioned him on our first date. And this was all after asking him specifically to go slow and give us time. I was giving this guy more mixed signals than a traffic cop with a bee buzzing his face. So, what the hell is wrong with me tonight?

  But, I knew what it was. I had already started falling for Connor, and I didn’t want to go slow at all. But wasn’t it too soon though? We’d only known each other a few weeks.

  I really thought about that
and decided that no, it wasn’t too soon for me to care for Connor. He had shown me every side of his personality in that short amount of time. And since I hadn’t really been trying to impress him in the beginning, he had seen all of my sides, too. The fact that he seemed to embrace my quirks was icing on the cake, but I loved how protective of me he was, no matter the situation. He even wanted to protect me from the sun if he could. I liked this man so much, so I needed to quit acting like a horny teenager and take this seriously.

  Decision made, hot chocolate ready, and kitchen cleaned, because it was me and it would drive me nuts if it wasn’t, I made my way out to the porch. Once I got out there, I noticed Connor had moved the wicker sofa to sit in front of the fireplace just far enough away to be comfortable and not too hot. “I like what you’ve done to the place,” I teased, and he looked up with a growing blush on his cheeks. Seeing this big man when he blushed, made my knees go weak.

  “Sorry, I know you’re the designer extraordinaire, but it’s really getting cool out here, and I didn’t want you to catch a chill.”

  And there it was again, Connor looking out for me and my comfort. How could I have missed all the signs he’d been giving me? If I wasn’t completely wrong, he was falling for me a little, too. I had to smile now because my path was clear. I would do everything I could to make sure this worked, starting with hot chocolate and a heart to heart. Mind made up. My happy thoughts were interrupted by Connor’s rumbled laughter.

  “You know you have a bed on your back porch, right?”

  I turned my head toward the item in question and then smirked back at him. “I’m fully aware, thank you very much. A local guy makes them, and I had to have one when I saw it. If you look closely, you’ll notice it’s not just a queen-sized mattress, it’s also a swing.”

  Connor’s head whipped back around, then he walked over to the corner and pushed my daybed until it was moving in a gentle back and forth. “Well, I’ll be damned! That could make for an interesting rainy afternoon.” He gave me a leer and wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  Sophisticate that I was, I snorted in my hot chocolate. “It actually is great on a rainy afternoon, and lucky for you, it’ll hold up to one thousand pounds.” This time I waggled my eyebrows at him. God, I had forgotten how much fun it was just flirting with someone you really liked.

  Chuckling again, Connor made his way back over to me and picked his mug from my hand, letting his fingers slide over mine. “That’s good to know. I’ll keep that in mind the next rainy day I’m over this way.”

  “Count on getting an invite the next time rain is in the forecast.”

  Connor looked at me with his eyebrows raised in question, and I just smiled and moved around him to sit on the now toasty sofa cushions. He followed me and sat down in the corner propping his feet up on the hearth and slinging his right arm along the back of the cushions. It was an invitation I couldn’t refuse, so I scooted over and settled myself hip to hip next to him, resting my head on his shoulder and curling my legs beside me on the cushion. Without missing a beat, Connor curled his arm around my shoulders and snuggled me into his side like he’d done it a hundred times before.

  We both silently watched the flames catch and grow in the new fire for quite some time, neither one wanting to disturb this fragile peace we’d found at the end of such a chaotic night. Relaxed and secure next to Connor, my mind started wandering down my crooked and decrepit memory lane, and I decided to share.

  “The first time I remember being cold and hungry, I was around eight, and the twins were six,” I said just above a whisper. Connor squeezed my shoulders in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything. I was grateful for his silent support. “Mom had been doing okay for us for a while, and we’d had a roof over our heads for a few months, but then she’d gone on a bender and passed out for a day or two. The twins didn’t understand, so they were crying, and I decided if we were going to eat, it was up to me. It was December, and we had landed in Tennessee, no idea the town, but it was bitterly cold that day.” I peered into the flames of the fire and feeling safe in Connor’s embrace, I became lost in the memory.

  “Come on, guys. We’re going for a walk and getting some supper.” I faked my happiness so they’d quit crying. Remy quit first, and then he hugged Rhett until he stopped, too. Remy as always comforted Rhett who was the quieter and shyer of the two.

  “What about Mama?” Rhett asked in his soft voice.

  “She’s still asleep, so I’m going to take care of us and get us something to eat.” They took my word as gospel and got their threadbare coats on with my help. We all left our sad, dirty motel and began walking down the highway out front with me holding onto each of their hands so they wouldn’t stray into the traffic. We had gone to a little diner up the road several days before, and the waitress had been nice to us. She’d even given the twins ice cream for free. I was hoping she would be there today and maybe she’d do it again. Ice cream wasn’t supper, but it would fill our bellies for a while.

  The little bell above the front door jingled when we made our way inside, and I walked toward the back looking for the nice lady. I nearly cried when I finally saw her talking to an older man behind the counter where they placed the food from the kitchen. She eventually caught sight of us and turned with a huge grin on her face.

  “Well hey there, sugar, what can I do for you?” She looked behind and around us, then asked, “Where’s ya mama at?”

  I looked down at the floor for a second before answering, “Uhm, she’s still asleep at the motel, ma’am, the twins were hungry, so I thought I’d bring them down here and see if you had any more of that free ice cream you gave them the other day?”

  Her smile fell off of her nice face, and I thought she was mad at me for asking for something for free, so I tried to make it right. “If it’s not free no more, I can work for it. I’m good at cleaning things. I do it all the time for my brothers and me. I could wash dishes or wipe tables.” Now the nice lady had tears in her eyes, and I was completely devastated. She wouldn’t help us if she was so mad she cried like Mama did when we made too much noise. I shrugged my shoulders in defeat and grabbed my brothers’ hands again, fighting my own tears back in defeat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset. We’ll go.” And I turned back to the front door.

  “Now hold on, sugar, I’m not mad, sweetheart. I just got somethin’ in my eye all of a sudden there. Now, don’t you be going off without eatin’ your supper.” I couldn’t believe my ears. She wasn’t mad after all.

  “You mean you still have some of the free ice cream?” I couldn’t hold in my excitement and beamed my best smile at the nice lady again.

  “Oh, sugar, you’re in luck, we have all kinds of things for free on the menu today. Why don’t you tell me what you and your brothers like and I’ll tell you if it’s on special or not.” She turned her head toward the man in the window, and he gave her a deep nod of his head. I didn’t know what that was about, but I was going to be careful with what I asked for, just to be sure.

  “Um, my brothers like hamburgers a lot, if that’s on special, if not, they’ll eat soup. Lots of times we share a can, and we can get by a day or two on that.”

  The nice lady was smiling again, but her eyes were still watery. She must have still had something in her eyes. “You’re in luck again, sweetheart, hamburgers are on the list, so your brothers are taken care of, now what would you like?” I wanted to tell her a hamburger was good for me, too, but just then another waitress came out with a big plate piled high with roast beef, gravy, and mashed potatoes. I’d had that once, and it had been delicious. I stared at the plate as it made its way over to the customer, my mouth watering and maybe even drooling a little. I wiped my mouth and then shook my head. That wasn’t for me. I turned back to the nice lady, but she’d already turned to the man in the window. “Earl, I need two burgers with fries and carrots for these two fellas, then I need a big plate of roast beef with all the fixins for the little man.” She turned
back to me then and said in her sweetest voice yet. “Now come on and let me get you youngins a table and something to drink.”

  I didn’t notice I had started tearing up at the memory until Connor reached up and wiped my cheek with his thumb. “So what happened after you ate, did they call Child Protective Services?” he asked me gently, still stroking my cheek. I turned my body into him, head on his strong chest and wrapped my right arm around his waist.

  “No. No one called CPS. About an hour later, when we were finished eating, Mom ran into the diner frantic, looking for us. She convinced them that she had nodded off and we had taken it upon ourselves to go on an adventure. They all knew it was probably a lie, but it was easier to believe she was a good mother down on her luck rather than believe she neglected her kids. The waitress passed Mom some cash as we were leaving, then we checked out of the motel and skipped town that night. I wish I knew where it was. I would love to go back one day and pay them back. They fed three starving kids that day without blinking an eye. You don’t find that sort of kindness much anymore.”

  Connor got up for a moment to put more wood on the fire and got it going again, then sat back down and gathered me back into his arms. He began stroking up and down my back in a rhythmic motion that soon had me completely relaxed again. The tension and sadness of my memories fading away. “So did you ever find out what happened to your mom or is it still a mystery?” he asked after a while.

  “Mr. Parsons, the PI, found out what he could right after we moved here. He dug around and learned she had taken up with a gambler that she thought had a lot of money. She saw a meal ticket, but he was using her. He pimped her out a couple of times and used the money to buy into a big game, that was supposed to be his big break, but he lost…Big. He had borrowed a good bit in addition to the money Mom made him and all of a sudden he was a wanted man. He had to go on the run and Mom went with him. She had mentioned a few weeks before that since I had a job and was making money now that we didn’t need her anymore, but I didn’t think she’d been serious.” Connor hugged me close, and I buried my head into his chest and held on tight to this loving and caring man like a lifeline.