CHAPTER FOUR
As soon as her shift ended, Sky was out of there.
Darting through the crowd in the tube station, she leapt on a train and waited impatiently by the door until her stop. By the time she got to her lodgings, she had less than half an hour until Rory was due.
Slamming the door closed behind her, she stripped out of her uniform as she crossed the small room to the cupboard and shelves that were the only storage space, and pulled out the outfit she’d decide to wear.
She had to make the most of the evening. Once he got his precious computer gear off her, she might never see him again. She wasn’t stupid. He’d used her, leapt at her offer to take the bag, and she wasn’t fooling herself he was coming for anything else. Flirting—yes, he still had time for that. But it was all about his computer stuff. She wanted to know more though, about him and his life in London. Could she persuade him to keep in touch, maybe meet again? She hoped so.
Looking into the mirror over the bathroom sink, she pictured him waiting for her by the Coffee Hut while she applied her lipstick. Lord, he’d looked good. All hard lean muscle, built for purpose, and waiting for her. She untied her scarf and ruffled her hair, wishing she had more time to prepare.
He’d always been streetwise, edgy with testosterone, bringing a hard masculine presence into her life. She’d missed him like crazy.
Her mother knew. Although it had been a joke to them, her mother Shelly and Rory’s dad, Patrick. They treated her like a little kid. Then up and left for the Far East, and she’d moved in with her Nan, her and her older sister Rowan. By that time Rowan was pregnant and had dropped out of school. As much as she loved her Nan, they were tough times. Dealing with college, fighting back her feelings about her mother. She’d had to grow up, fast.
Now she was over it, and by lucky chance she’d found Rory in London.
He looked even better. Rougher around the edges, but sure of himself.
Squeezing herself into a black velvet bodycon dress—a cheap copy of a designer number—she raced the clock to be ready. Her hasty efforts made her trip. She cursed Rory for getting her into a state. It was little wonder. Heat built inside her when she recalled how it’d felt being held, his hand around the back of her neck while he quizzed her. It made her dizzy with lust.
Chuckling, she admitted it to herself. Lust. He’d filled her thoughts for nearly three years. Even when he’d left Cadogan, it was Rory she’d think about in her bed at night. It was his name on her lips when she heard the roar of a motorbike approaching. There were so many times when they come close to being lovers. Moments that lingered in her memory. On a hot summer’s day she’d pushed up the sash window in her bedroom and sat on the window sill looking down at him working on his motorbike in the back yard. He was stripped to the waist, his muscles gleaming in the sunlight as he worked. Loud rock music blared from his phone, the perfect raunchy soundtrack for the view.
For a few minutes Rory didn’t realize he had an audience, then he turned around and looked directly at her. She’d made no pretence about what she was up to. She even waved. It was a mid summer heat wave and she was wearing a bikini top and frayed shorts. He stared at her cleavage and gave a sloping smile. She put her hand up against the window frame. “I’ve got a fan on in here. Why don’t you come up and chill out for a while?”
He put down the tool he held and put his hands on his hips. His jeans were low-slung and she could see his muscled abdomen. A moment later he strode off and disappeared from view. She stayed where she was, unsure whether he would come to her room at all, but moments later he did arrive there, still shirtless.
He looked at the fan on her bedside table and then flung himself on her single bed, arms behind his head, long muscled torso bared to the fan—and her eyes.
Sky could only stare. Breathless with arousal she savored the fact his head was on her pillow, his gorgeous male body on her bed covers.
“That’s good,” he commented and looked at her. “Thanks for the invitation.”
They stared at each other, the tension between them ratcheting in the humid atmosphere.
“Why don’t you join me?” He patted the bed next to him, moving over a bit as if making room for her to lie down next to him.
Sky still remembered how it’d felt, how the longing to be with him hit overdrive. She’d risen to her feet and was just about to go over and join him when the bedroom door was slammed wide open and Rory’s dad was standing there, one hand flat on the door, glaring at them, one to the other and back again. She heard Rory groan just before his dad let rip and ordered him out of the room. Rory slouched off regretfully. The shouting reached her from downstairs. It made her put her hands over her ears. She’d climbed onto the bed, lying in the space he’d occupied, wishing he was still there.
A knock at the door brought her back to the moment sharply. Rory was early. Hastening over she opened up, holding her breath.
It was her neighbor, Jamie. She breathed out.
He was dressed for work, smart bartenders outfit; his hair closely graded at the sides and long on top. He was a good-looking man.
Jamie looked her up and down speculatively. “Oh, well, look at you. I’m guessing…hot date?”
“Yes, kind of.” She glanced at the time on her Smartphone, an idea ticking over. “Can you hang around for five minutes?”
“Sure. If it means I get to meet the guy you’re all dressed up for.” Jamie smiled. “Who is he?”
She thought about what to say. “Rory Rattigan. My stepbrother.”
His eyebrows lifted.
Sky couldn’t resist. “Wait till you see him.”
Jamie smoothed the sides of his hair with the palms of his hands. “I look forward to it.”
* * * *
Rory strode along the street and drew to a halt on the intersection. His breath misted on the cold evening air. Turning up the collar on his leather biker jacket, he glanced back and scoped the people on the pavements behind him. He had to be sure no one was following him to Sky’s address.
Passers by moved quickly.
He walked on and found his destination. Checking out the place, he noticed the building was tall and narrow, poorly maintained, and there were twelve separate buzzers. He pressed Sky’s and waited, expecting the buzzer to sound to let him in. Instead the door opened and Sky emerged, dressed in a black PVC coat and over-the-knee black biker boots.
Rory did a double take. She looked hot, even hotter than earlier in the day. He was about to say something when a guy followed her out.
“See you later,” the guy said and kissed Sky on the corner of her mouth. She draped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. They both laughed.
“This is Rory,” Sky said.
“Nice to meet you.” The guy flicked back an over long fringe. He put out his hand, giving Rory a swift once-over as he did so. “I’m Jamie.”
Rory shook the guy’s hand. He waved and shot off.
It felt like a show. Rory stifled a smile.
“Come on,” Sky said, “the pizza joint down the street does Coke and a large slice, two for a tenner, eat in, it’s good too.”
“Okay,” Rory said, surprised. “We could go to proper pizza place.”
“I go to this place all the time. It’s good, trust me.” She elbowed him in the ribs and urged him along the street.
He caught her perfume, a musky number that made him think about sex. “Was that your boyfriend?”
She paused, overlong. “Jamie, yeah. He lives next door. That’s how we met. Why, you jealous?”
“No.” Yes. He shook his head. “I’d have put money on him being gay, like maybe he’s your gay BFF neighbor.”
Annoyance flashed in her eyes. Her lips pursed and she shook her head. “What on earth made you think he’s gay?”
“He kissed you like a gay friend.”
“How would you know what a gay man kisses like?” She fixed him with an accusing stare.
“I don’t. But I know I wouldn’t kiss you the way he did. I’d make it way more interesting.”
They’d reached the door of the take out joint. She had her hand on the door handle but stalled and stared at him. She remembered the kisses too. She looked as if she were about to say something, then changed her mind and gave him a brief smile before entering the eatery.
Rory congratulated himself. He resisted winding her up about it.
She led him to a booth in the window. He’d have chosen somewhere less obvious but he let her decide.
“Pepperoni slice and a Coke?”
He nodded.
She called their order out to a guy standing behind the counter. The guy acknowledged her with a wave. Moments later the pizza slices arrived on a thin marble slab. The Coke was served in its can.
She pulled a ten pound note out of her pocket.
Rory pushed it aside. “My treat, for helping me out.”
She smiled.
It was only then Rory realized she didn’t have a bag with her.
“So where’s my USB?”
“Safe.”
You won’t be if you hang on to it much longer.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your hands on it soon enough.” She tucked into the pizza hungrily.
He resisted the urge to bellow at her. It was annoying but she obviously had a plan. “Please don’t tell me all you eat is pizza?”
She shrugged. “It’s cheap and its close by. My apartment doesn’t have cooking facilities. Just a kettle. There’s only so many instant noodles a girl can eat.”
Why did that make him want to cook her a hearty meal, something nourishing? “How long have you been in London?”
“Five months.”
“You should’ve got in touch with me.”
“I didn’t know where you were, and your phone has been dead since you left Wales.” She wiped a bit of tomato sauce from the corner of her mouth. It made him want to lick it off for her.
“I changed phones.” Guiltily, he realized he should have told her. “You don’t do Facebook?” He knew she did.
“You never post an update.” As soon as she said it, she bit her lower lip between her teeth, as if she regretted revealing she’d looked for updates.
The sight of the sexy move made his blood head south. It was still there, the tug of attraction between them. And she’d been watching his social media, waiting for an update? That surprised him.
“I figured you wouldn’t want me annoying you.” She studied him, as if waiting for his reaction.
“As if. It’s really good to see you. Just as well we bumped into each other,” he quickly added.
“Just as well for you and your problem baggage.” She smiled.
He sipped his coffee. He didn’t want to talk about that. The less she knew about it the better. “I looked at your sketchbook. You’re talented, even better than I remember.”
“Thanks. I don’t get as much time for it as I’d like. Not with the hours I have to put in at work, but it pays the rent. I do an evening class on a Monday night at the college I’d like to attend in the spring.”
“What happened to Art College in Bangor?”
“I enrolled. Started a foundation course, pre-degree level. I was doing okay, and then I got in a fight. I was suspended.”
“Seriously?” He laughed softly. Sky was a rebel, but he never knew she’d go that far.
She nodded. “I remembered what you said. London is where it’s at. So I thought I’d give it a try.”
Had he said that? An uninvited memory stirred, him and his father fist fighting during an argument. It was then Rory remembered throwing threats about leaving for London. Mostly he was having a dig at his dad because they were headed for London when they left Dublin, never got further than Wales. Had she overheard? He didn’t remember her being there. His dad hadn’t wanted him to leave. “Why not stay in Wales with us, do your mechanic apprenticeship here?” he’d said.
The truth of the matter was he’d only hung around as long as he had because Sky fascinated him. He hated being merged with another family. His own mother had only passed on a few months before they left Ireland. Then they pitched up in Cadogan and his dad was all about the new woman in his life, Shelly.
Sky held him there a while though. All her fire and rebellion called on something deep inside. Their parents warned him off every time they got close, and in the end the only way to stay away was to go away.
He couldn’t tell Sky that, not then, not now. He ate his pizza. It was good, she was right.
“So,” she continued, “I’m doing this evening class at The North Bank College, and hoping to enroll on a part time foundation with them next academic year.”
“Sounds good.” He shifted his Coke can around the table. “What was the fight about?”
She locked his gaze. “Our parents, of course. This bitch kept winding me up about them being hippies and hobos until I decked her.”
Rory smiled. “It’s a small town. They were the only hippies.”
“Don’t call them that,” she objected. “It’s even worse than pagans.”
Pagans. That’s what they’d called themselves, his dad and Sky’s mum. Shelly had seen Patrick hanging out in a biker café in Cadogan and they got chatting. A shared love of New Age hippie dippy shit acted like an aphrodisiac. They quickly grew close. Moving them all in together at Shelly’s house came soon after. Then their parents got hitched.
Tentatively he quizzed her some more. “Do you ever hear from Shelly?”
Her eyelids lowered, but not before he saw the hurt there. She was still carrying it. “Me and Nan got postcards, at first. Then nothing. Rowan occasionally gets gifts for her kid. Stuff like driftwood and shells.”
He grinned. “Free shit you can pick up on the beach?”
“You said it.”
They laughed in unison. It felt good to share the joke.
She rolled her eyes and smiled at him, locking his gaze.
Rory was intrigued. Before, she would have glanced away, kept yammering on. Now she could hold a lengthy and silent sexy-eyed stare, and it tugged at the pit of his belly. She really had grown up.
“Do you miss them?”
She shook her head. “I took it badly, when they announced their plans to leave, to go and live in a shack on a beach in Thailand. I’ll be honest,” she added sheepishly, “I turned into a ball of rage.” Sadness tinged her expression. “Rowan’d already moved in with her boyfriend, you’d gone.”
Rory nodded. It made it easier for him to go, when his dad took him aside, and told him their plans. It made little difference to Rory. He’d been planning to move on soon enough anyway. Sky was the one who got hurt. She’d been fifteen, and she was told she had to move in with her grandmother, Nan. It was only now it occurred to him their parents should have stayed until she was sixteen. They’d got carried away and wrapped up in their mutual dream of living a simple life in a faraway land, and shirked their responsibilities. It hit them all hard, but Rowan had her own life and he was more than ready to leave. Sky was the one who’d been hit the hardest.
“You’ve changed.”
“Have I?”
“Not a tomboy any more.”
“I blame you for the tomboy phase.”
“Me? How so?”
Her mouth crooked on one side. It was a cute smile and it was so familiar it made him want to hold her. “I liked watching you dismantle motorbikes and stuff. You wouldn’t have let me hang around in a dress.”
He laughed “My annoying little shadow.”
She stuck her tongue out.
It was what he used to call her. It never bugged him though, when she sat on his tool box to watch him stripping down a bike. Quite the contrary. The only trouble was he wanted to strip her down instead. “If I’d have known it was my fault you dressed like a boy I’d have moved out sooner.”
“No,” she whispered in an instant objection. Her cheeks flamed.
Rory wanted to ask what she meant, but she seemed a bit embarrassed, so he flattered her instead. “I like the way you look now, this style suits you.”
“Thank you.” She toyed with the remains of her pizza slice as if she’d forgotten it.
“So what are you doing now? I haven’t a clue since you don’t update your Facebook.” Humor shone in her eyes.
“When we first came up to the city we knocked about with some guys who were into software.” Still trying to clean up the mess I made of it. “I’ve got a job in the East End now, been there this past year. It’s a vintage bike workshop. The guy I work with, he’s really talented and he’s known all over the city for his restoration skills, classic motorbikes and scooters. I started as his grease monkey but I learned quickly and he treats me well, calls me his right hand man now.”
“That sounds good. Do you keep in touch with Draco?”
“We text occasionally, we drifted…after Sean got a custodial sentence.” He hoped she wouldn’t dig deeper on that score. The guilt had got to them both. They needed time apart to break the pattern, break with the past.
She nodded. “Have you got somewhere nice to stay?”
“I share a house with three other guys, Latvians. They work in the building trade. One of them is a biker and when I was working on his bike in the workshop he mentioned they were looking for a fourth person to rent with. They’re good blokes. I wouldn’t call it nice exactly, but its comfortable and its home. For now.”
“And what about the computer stuff? You still seem to have an interest there, what with toting your bag of goodies all over the London tube network.” Her tone was mischievous.
Rory sighed internally. She really did intend to dig a bit deeper. “Just experimental stuff. I’m sticking to bikes now though.”
“As I recall you had a knack for clever software.”
Seems like she noticed a lot more than he’d given her credit for. And she’s still got my kit. “Yeah well, not clever enough.”
He’d had a couple of narrow escapes with the cyber-crime police and his name was on a list. He didn’t want to mess up. It was a timely reminder he needed to get her back to her apartment where he assumed his stuff was. He finished up his pizza and necked the Coke. Changing the subject seemed the best option. “Why did you pretend you have a boyfriend?”
Sky cast back in her seat, a frown on her forehead.
“Come on, tell me. I want to understand. I promise I won’t laugh.”
“Yeah right.” She glared at him and pouted her pretty red mouth.
“Try me.”
“I was sick of being your annoying little shadow. I wanted you to notice I had my own life.” She rolled her eyes. “Now drop the subject or you’ll never see your precious USB.”
He wanted to tell her not to joke about it, but he knew better than to put the idea in her head. “I was only teasing you when I called you my annoying shadow, really.”
She didn’t look convinced.
“I liked it when you kept me company.”
“You did?”
The wistful look in her eyes made him want to show her how much. How could she not know how much he’d wanted her back then? And now. She was a gorgeous looking woman, provocative in ways that compelled his attention. He kept forgetting why he was really there. The kit, he reminded himself.
“I’m not a kid any more, Rory.” Her voice was low and suggestive. “I’m a woman and I’d like you to come home with me, not just for your precious kit, but because you want to spend some more time with me.”
Tension shot between them, a magnified version of what he used to feel when she was around. His dick hardened. He tried to fight it, voices in his head telling him it was wrong, she was family. Even his friends had commented on it, winding him up about his lust for his sudden-step-sister. “It always ended in trouble, when we spent time together.”
“I know.” She nodded.
He’d always wondered if she knew his dad used to beat him. “It could end in trouble now. That USB is a curse, I’m not kidding.”
She put her head on one side, as if considering him, then reached out and put her hand over his forearm. Even through the leather of his jacket, his skin reacted to her touch, to her proximity. He wanted her up against the wall, legs around his hips. Concentrate on the kit.
He stood up. “Come on, let’s go.”
Once they got outside into the biting cold night air, he grabbed her hand. He did it to keep her from dawdling or leading him the wrong way. He couldn’t afford any more stalling tactics. Once he had a hold of her, though, she squeezed his hand hard and smiled up at him, lashes fluttering beguilingly.
What the hell have I started here?
Trouble. Sky Vaughn had always been trouble and always would be. And whilst he wanted to do more than hold her hand, much more, he tugged on her sharply and gave her a warning glance. “Come on, I need my kit.”
“Rory.” She pulled away.
He took her hand again, more gently and nodded his head along the street. They walked quickly to her doorway.
He glanced over his shoulder several times, but didn’t catch sight of anyone he knew. “I’ll just collect my kit then I’ll head off.”
“Aw, come on, why don’t you come in for a beer?” She smiled up at him invitingly. “Just a few more minutes, please.” She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed his jaw.
The soft brush of her mouth on his skin set something loose.
He shot her a warning glance, and grabbed the keys from her hand, taking charge. “You’re playing with fire, Sky Vaughn.”
With a laugh, she nodded at her door keys in his hand. “So are you, Rory Rattigan.”