Fall Back Skyward (Fall Back #1)(55)

He stops drilling and as he senses me, turns in my direction. I make a show of staring at him from head to toe slowly, then lick my lips. His face breaks into a roguish smile. I shift on my feet to curb the heat settling low in my tummy.

Another half hour passes before Cole is done with his work. He tells me that I was sleeping so peacefully, he didn’t want to wake me up, so he joined the construction crew working on extending the offices. The outer wall on one wing had been knocked down, most of the foundation work was already done. By the time Cole cleans up, it’s late afternoon. I ask him if he could drive me to my grandma’s to pick up my sisters.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about finally telling him about my past. He’s been very patient with me. Am I ready to share with him that part of me?

“Grandma has this amazing roof terrace. We can do popcorn and movies.”

“As long as they are subtitled, I’m game.” He yawns and rubs his eyes with his fingers.

“Or we can do it tomorrow.” I smile. I’m relieved by my own suggestion and this time I hope he says yes.

He shakes his head. “I want to spend some time with you. I missed you.” He frowns. “Aren’t you scared of what your dad will do?”

“I am. But I want this too. I can’t let him control my life like that. I have the right to spend my time with anyone I want.”

After calling Grandma to let her know that Cole and I are on the way to her place, I give him directions to my grandmother’s house.

I ring the bell once to let her know I’m here and then use the key she gave me when I first visited her with my mom. She looks up from the television, a glass of red wine poised against her lips and smiles. I’m also a little surprised to see Mr. Taylor sitting across from her. She told me that he has been checking on her often, but I didn’t realize they had become this close.

After the greetings and introduction, I gather what Cole and I need, then head toward the stairs that lead to the terrace.

“Your sisters are in the guest room, Eleanor. They seemed exhausted after our trip. They could stay here for the night. I could use the company.” She smiles, in my direction. It’s a sad, yet wistful smile.

“Sure. I’m sure they’ll be happy to sleep over.”

“It’s so good to see you two again,” she signs and speaks the words for my benefit. “You kids have fun. Yell if you need me.”

Ten minutes later, “The Wedding Date” is on the projector with the captions displaying on the screen. Cole is lying on his side and I snuggle into his chest. I move the popcorn in front of me where he can reach it easily before taking a handful and beginning to feed him. He licks the salt off my fingers then drops his head to my neck and breathes me in. He shifts, pressing his hips forward and I feel how much he wants me. Warmth simmers low in my belly, remembering how he looked when I walked in his room earlier today.

I bite my lip and try to bring those feelings under control. I want him to know more about me. My past. But I can’t do that if my brain is filled with lusty thoughts.

I shift around to face him, making sure the lights above us illuminate my face so he can see my mouth. I open my mouth to speak, but close it again, unable to find the right words to start this conversation.

Taking a deep breath, I brush the tip of my thumb in circles on his palm.





Nor sighs, her focus leaving the starlit sky and shifting to me.

“What’s wrong?” I sign, slowly so she can follow my movements. She has been getting better at it, when we aren’t too distracted by fooling around.

She raises her hands and the front of her dress shifts, displaying the soft swell of her breasts peeking through a purple lace bra.

Shit. I can’t stop staring. I flex my fingers and swallow hard. She’d better spit out what’s bothering her. I’m about bursting and seriously, her boobs are just calling to me to bury my face in them. The last two days being away from her have been pure torture. She was already scared after her dad’s threats, so I didn’t want to add more pressure. But now, I want to make up for lost time.

She waves a hand in my face and points to hers, scowling, but I can see a smile lurking behind that cute expression.

“My face is up here, jackass.”

“I can’t help it.” I grin at her and wink. She swats my shoulder and laughs. I really wish I could hear the sound of her laugh. “So what’s wrong?”

“Do you ever feel as though your life is not enough? That there is more out there? You want more?”

I blink back the lust crowding my vision, reminding myself to be a little bit patient.

“What do you want?” Jesus. Would she smack me if I took a bite on that pale skin peeking out on top of her dress?

She bites her bottom lip between her teeth, still frowning as if she is deep in thought. “I want the moon.”

I would give her the f*cking galaxy if she’d look at me the way she did earlier today when our gazes met across my room. I’ll never forget the desire on her face as she watched me jerking off. I felt embarrassed for like three seconds. Then I noticed the quick rise and fall of her chest and realized that she was just as aroused as I was. .

I sigh and shift on the seat to adjust the front of my pants to accommodate my dick. Looks like dry humping will have to wait. This girl has the power to make me sprout a boner in the span of a few seconds. “Yes. I feel that sometimes. There is so much out there for us to explore. I can’t wait to do all those things with you.”