35

Lightweight

“That was absolutely delicious, Angel,” Drew said, wiping his mouth with a serviette.

They sat around the dining room table like a pair of newlyweds with a recently adopted daughter. Awkward, stiff faces pulling into rictus smiles every time they looked at each other.

“Wasn’t it good, Kelly?”

“Sure.” The woman stared across the table at Angel, taking a big sip from her glass. She’d barely touched her food, but from the way she slurred, she should have had more.

Angel had served the pasta with another pitcher of whatever the hell drink she’d made before and a crusty French loaf.

The smells had already prepared him for the taste but damned if she wasn’t going places with her culinary skills. Pity, that she wouldn’t need to pursue anything other than housekeeping if she stayed here.

He’d been surprised, at first, how everyone was playing their roles so graciously; Angel, the spurned and jealous lover… Kelly the confused and needy competitor. Once Bryce arrived… this place was going up like a gas-soaked trash heap.

Drew smiled at Angel, keeping her gaze trapped until she gave him a tiny smile in return.

“I get it now.”

“Get what?” Angel pushed her plate away and grabbed her glass, sucking one of the drifting fruits from its surface with an expressive sound.

“Why you want to keep studying. You’re good at this.”

“’Course I am,” Angel said with a smirk. “Want dessert?”

He hesitated then, not liking the way the pitch of her voice had changed near the end. “What did you make?”

“Nothing yet.” She drained her glass, gave Kelly a sidelong glance, and turned back to him with a suggestive smile. “But I can throw something together real quick if you help me.”

Kelly giggled, looked utterly surprised that she had, and hurriedly set her glass down.

The woman rose to her feet, her palms pressing longer than was strictly necessary against the table as if she was reluctant to let go of its support.

“Long drive,” she said. “I—” she pointed upstairs. “Bed.”

“You okay?” Drew got to his feet, coming around the table and slipping his arm around her waist.

She looked muzzily up at him, slapped his chest, and waved at him. “Sure. Just… tired.”

“And drunk,” Angel muttered, loud enough that Kelly had to have heard.

Drew’s jaw clenched, but the girl was staring out at the lake instead of at him, so she missed his glare.

“And drunk,” Kelly admitted with a small snort. “Cachinga’s pretty… Pretty strong.”

“Calimocho,” Angel corrected quietly. “Nighty night.” She lifted her hand, wiggling her fingertips in Kelly’s direction without taking her eyes off the lake. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

“Here, let me—”

“Fine!” Kelly snapped, pushing away his hand. “Just… just show me.” She gestured toward the interior of the living room. “Show me where’m I sleeping.”

“Upstairs. I’ll bring your things.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Kelly made her unsteady way over the carpet and leaned against the wall while Drew grabbed her bags and followed behind.

“That door,” he said, pointing to the door beside which Kelly lounged.

The woman glanced to the side, then did a double take when she registered the shape of the door. She jerked it open, stumbled, caught herself against the lintel, and then made her way up.

Drew cast a look back at Angel. The girl stared at them with a faint smile on her mouth. When their eyes locked, that smile grew.

“Tuck her in real tight, Mr. Sugar. Don’t want her cracking her head open when she falls out of bed.”

He inhaled a deep breath, but before he could speak Kelly cursed inaccurately somewhere above him.

“Fucking locked? Why’d you lock a—”

“Opens the other way, Kelly,” he said, staring up at the woman.

She fought with the door for a few seconds before managing to push it open and step into the hallway.

“First door on the—”

But Kelly had already stumbled past the first set of door and was busy trying to open Angel’s room. He hurried up behind her, gently steering her in the opposite direction.

“Is nice,” Kelly murmured, swaying in the doorway while he tugged back the covers. “Warm.”

“Warm inside the bed, too.”

“Gotta… gotta—” The rest of what she’d been trying to say disappeared behind her shirt as she jerked it up over her head.

“Okay. All right. Hold on there.” He rushed over, helping her tug off her shirt.

She giggled, stumbled, half fell, and half jumped on the bed.

“You can help,” she paused, working frantically at her snow boots to try and kick them off. “Help with this.”

So he did. And then he managed to get her under the covers. Her eyes were already sliding closed before the last blanket was over her shoulders.

“God, what a lightweight,” came Angel’s voice from the door.

Drew spun around her, stabbing his finger in a silent, furious gesture for Angel to leave.

Instead, the girl stepped into the bedroom, cocking her head as she stared at Kelly.

“What did she have, like three glasses?”

“Five. And this—” he stabbed at the door again “—means get out.”

“Oh…” Angel winked at him. “I get it. You want some alone time with her, right? She can’t fight back, kind of thing?”

The girl squealed when he grabbed her arm and herded her out the door. Her laughter followed him back inside, despite how hard he’d slammed the door after her.

On the bed, Kelly was already snoring.

He shook his head, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and gave her shoulder a pat.

“You’re going to regret this tomorrow,” he murmured, switching off her light as he let himself out of the room.

Angel waited for him downstairs. Naked. On the rug. With her legs spread so the heat from the fireplace no doubt licked her like a dog with a burning tongue.

He pressed the bridge of his nose and tried to will calmness back into his mind.

He failed.

“This thing really warms up the place, doesn’t it?” Angel rested her head against her shoulder, crossing her ankle over her knee and idly bouncing her foot up and down as he came closer. “So? You going to join me?”

“You’re not calling the shots, Angel.”

“Course not, Mr. Sugar Sir.” She grinned at him. “That’s your department.”

She patted the rug beside her, then rolled onto her side and busied herself with something hidden in her own shadow.

He considered going upstairs and getting into his own bed. Tomorrow, things would make sense again. Everyone would start acting like they should. Things could move down the path he’d planned.

But none of that would happen when Angel was holding anyone’s strings.

He should have seen it coming. Whatever had happened in the kitchen had sent Kelly into a quiet, destructive mood. She’d come out of there with a confused frown that had dissolved as soon as she’d seen him standing by the fire. All she’d said was, “Outside,” before topping up her glass and heading out onto the deck.

There, none of them had spoken.

He’d thought they’d had a moment. That they were having a moment. And then Angel had called them for dinner, and Kelly had been too drunk for him to figure out anything from her vapid facial expressions.

“What did you say to her?” He kicked off his shoes and shrugged out of his jacket.

“Who?” Angel gave him a brief, considering glance over her bare shoulder. “Kelly?” She turned back to whatever she was busy with and shrugged. “Just girl talk.”

“You don’t speak to her unless I’m around, hear me?” He thumped down on the carpet behind Angel, but she didn’t turn to him. “Hear me?”

“Sure thing, Mr. Sugar, Sir.”

“Look at me.”

“Busy.”

“I said look at me!” He grabbed her hair, yanked her head back.

Her gasp sent a shiver through him. Those blue eyes flickered, opened wide. Stared upside down at him as she slowly smiled and held up a joint to him.

“Let’s get high and fuck.”

He used the grip on her hair to pull her against him, grinding his mouth against her lips until she moaned like an injured animal. When he’d had enough of her mouth and pulled away from her, she gaped at him like he’d stolen her breath.

“You’re not calling the shots,” he said again, making his voice as low and rough as he could. “Hear me?”

“Course, Mr. Sugar,” she murmured back. “Now can we smoke this already? I want you so bad I can taste it.”

So they smoked. They fucked. And then he fell into a hard, deep sleep; cradling Angel in his arms as the fireplace crackled and popped a few feet away from their naked bodies.