Page 45
She cries out, pulling Luther into a sitting position so she can kiss him.
Sam takes his hand away and watches as Nova wraps her arms around Luther’s neck and her legs around his waist. She clings to him as if she’s lost at sea and he’s her lifeboat.
Luther comes quietly, holding her tight, then slips his hand between them and teases her orgasm free. He stares at her as she shudders, every inch of her body trembling.
When she goes limp in his arms, he kisses the groove between her shoulder and her neck, then her ear, then her forehead.
Heat comes off the pair of them in waves. It shakes the air around them and warms the sand beneath my knees.
When Nova finally raises her head from Luther’s shoulder, she looks around at the rest of us, then starts to laugh. She shakes her head, so her hair cascades down her back, then says, “Well, boys, it looks like I’m finally back.”
27
NOVA
Mack pulls me into his arms with such force I’m almost certain he’s ready for round two. Instead, he just wraps his arms around me—a literal bear hug—and I hear a familiar animalistic growl as he kisses my neck.
His body relaxes as I curve into it, but he’s still holding me tight. “Little Star,” he whispers. “You’re so warm.”
I look down at my body, flushed and peppered with the indentations of fingers and mouths and teeth that tell the story of what the six of us just did together. There was a time when I’d have been embarrassed to be lying here like this; exposed and vulnerable. But now all I feel is pride and contentment.
“Everything is how it was supposed to be,” I murmur, slotting my fingers between Mack’s. “I missed you, Daddy.”
Mack breathes out forcefully. I turn my face up to look at him and toy with his unruly beard. His eyes look watery.
“Are you okay?”
“We missed you too.” Sam has pulled on his pants and is crouched next to me with his hand on my knee. “It’s been hard.”
Kole leans over and offers me his hoodie. I sit up to pull it on, then tuck it under my butt so it comes down to the middle of my thighs.
Assessing their faces, my contentment wavers a little. They are different, somehow. Like sadness is tainting their smiles, breaking through the happiness. Sitting up, I rub my shins.
“How long has it been?” I look from Kole to Luther. Just behind them, Tanner is standing at the water’s edge, breathing slowly, and staring out at the middle of the lake. “Kole, how long was I gone?”
Kole’s eyes dart almost imperceptibly toward the sky. I follow them and immediately spring to my feet. It is red… blood-red. There is a snatch of blue just above the lake, but the redness is seeping toward it. Large, heavy, blood-swollen clouds moving in to obscure the sun.
“A little over three weeks,” Kole replies.
The others are all dressed now. Mack rubs his beard and pats Sam’s shoulder. “A lot happened while you were gone, Nova.”
“I can see that.” I tilt my head and turn in a slow circle. As the lightness and joy of our reunion settles, reality creeps back in and I notice it—darkness, death, oblivion—quivering in the air. I breathe out slowly and shake my head.
Kole takes my hands, stroking the insides of my wrists. It happened. As he stares into my eyes, his voice fills my head. He returned. Without you, we couldn’t stop him.
A sad smile twitches on my lips. “I know.” I bring his knuckles to my mouth and kiss them. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come back sooner.”
“You know?” Luther finally speaks. He’s been watching me as if he can’t quite believe I’m real, but now he’s frowning.
The familiar grumpy expression on his face makes me laugh at him. “Yes, I know, Luther.”
“How? Where were you, Nova?” He takes a step forward then stops and gestures to the sky. “What was that? We saw… wings.”
“I’ll explain everything,” I promise him. “But it won’t be long now until the sun sets. We should leave the lake before night fall.”
Over by the water, Tanner still hasn’t turned to look at me. I let go of Kole’s hand and walk to him. Gently, I wrap my hands around his waist and press my cheek to his muscular back. “It’s going to be okay,” I tell him. “I’m back. Everything will be okay.”
Tanner presses his palm to the top of my hands. He lets it rest there for a moment, then finally turns around and cups my face.
