Chapter 2

2

Nathan

I turn and take in the woman standing in the doorway. It’s as if the breath is punched out of me. The dress she’s wearing is frilly white and ends over her knees. The neckline of her dress dips enough to reveal the shadowed cleavage between her breasts. The dress shows off her curvy figure. A very womanly figure.

She’s teamed it with pink over-the-knees socks, and black Mary Janes. Her thick blonde hair flows about her shoulders. A pin holds up one side of her hair. A pin with Hello Kitty on it . Jesus. The effect is that of a sexy schoolgirl. She’s both womanly and at the same time innocent. An effect that’s so forbidden... and yet so alluring, it drains the blood to my groin.

Her big green eyes are fringed with the darkest, thickest eyelashes I’ve seen on any woman. Lush lips are outlined in a sultry red that makes my mind imagine so many possibilities. All of them not to be outlined in polite company. Sweat breaks out on my brow. My pants feel uncomfortably tight. Then there are her high cheekbones… That upturned nose… I frown. She seems familiar. Hold on a second. Do I know her?

Ben, who’s been droning on about our next mission, turns in her direction. His face lights up with a smile. "Skylar, why are you standing there? Come on in." [LH1]

My head reels. It feels like I’ve taken another blow to my chest. This time, from a freight train. "Skylar?” I cough. “That’s your sister?"

Ben takes in the expression on my face, which must surely reflect my shock and surprise, for he bursts out laughing. "I forgot that the two of you haven’t seen one another in a while. She’s grown up, hasn’t she?"

That’s putting it lightly. The last time I saw Ben’s sister, she wore a ponytail and was reading a book in the living room. When Ben and I walked in, she mumbled a few words of greeting and made herself scarce. I put her behavior down to being a teenager and the mood swings that go with that. She’s still a teenager. She’s only eighteen. And I’m fifteen years older than her. Fuck, I feel like a creep, unable to take my gaze off of her.

Ben puts an arm around her shoulders and guides her into the room.

She senses my perusal and her cheeks pinken, but her gaze is steady. She reaches me and extends her hand in a confident gesture. "Nathan, how lovely to see you." Her voice is husky—like chocolate poured over whiskey—and sends a bolt of lust to my groin. Jesus. This is Ben’s sister. Have some restraint, will ya?

I shake her hand, and the bolt of lust turns into a lightning storm of desire that crowds my chest and goes straight to my head. Our gazes catch and hold. Her green eyes turn into jade pools reflecting a turbulent sky, alive with flecks of gold that dance in the light. And now, I’m waxing poetic? Her hand is soft and gentle, her fingers slender and fragile. I release my hold.

She dips her head, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"Skylar—" I clear my throat. "You’ve changed."

She tips up her chin. "For the better, I hope?" The stubborn jut of her lower lip draws my attention back to her mouth. Her very red, glistening mouth. It’s the mouth of a woman who could bring a man to his knees if she were to use it on him. Yet, when I raise my gaze to her eyes there’s an innocence lurking there, which is at odds with the rest of her. It reminds me that she’s only eighteen. And that she hasn’t seen much of the world. Not like me.

She might be taller than I remember, with burnished gold in her hair and a body with curves that rival that of Venus, but she’s still my best friend’s little sister, and completely out of bounds.

I take a step back, then nod. "Definitely for the better. I almost didn’t recognize you. Strike that—" I cut the air with the palm of my hand. "I didn’t recognize you. If Ben hadn’t introduced you, I’d have thought—" I stop, knowing I can’t share what went through my mind when I saw her.

Skylar shoots me a sharp glance. "You’d have thought—?" She inclines her head, curiosity and, perhaps, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. One that tells me she has a very good idea what I was thinking. Perhaps, that was her intention, in fact, dressing up like this today?

The doorbell rings, and Ben looks between us. "Excuse me, that must be one of Skylar’s friends."

He walks over to open it, and the sound of voices reaches us.

"Oh, shoot." Skylar glances over her shoulder, then grabs my arm and tries to hustle me out of the living room.

"Hold on, what are you doing?" I resist her, and given she’s less than a quarter of my weight, she can’t budge me.

"I’m not ready for company yet, and I do want to catch up with you, so can you come with me?" She huffs.

I take in the fold between her eyebrows, the ways she flicks her gaze in the direction of where Ben disappeared.

"Please?" she whispers.

I take in the nervousness in her gaze and my heart softens. I let her lead me across the landing, and up the staircase. She enters a room at the far end of the corridor. I follow her in, take in the pink curtains, the dark pink bedspread, the many throw pillows on it, and the fairy lights she’s strung up, to which are clipped polaroids. The pictures feature flowers, the sunset, a fallen leaf. There’s one of her with Ben. One with Ben and their mom. None of them feature friends. Is it because she has none? Because she’s a loner?

An overflowing bookshelf takes up the wall opposite the bed and there are more books piled in stacks on her floor. Opposite the door is a window, below which is a love seat with more cushions. Set in a corner between the door and the bed is a desk and chair pushed up against a window. This is her room.

The scent of cherry blossoms hangs in the air. It’s her scent. A very feminine, very womanly scent, which instantly makes my groin harden. Jesus, man, get a grip on yourself.

I pull away, making sure to put distance between us. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Why do you think?" She turns to me with a strange look in her eyes—one I’m not quite sure how to interpret. Then it’s gone, replaced with the innocence I saw there earlier.

"I just need to get myself together, okay?" She wrings her hands together. "I… I’m not good with company."

I lower my chin. "Aren’t the people who’re coming your friends?"

She blows out a breath. "They are but… I’ve never been good at making friends. I tend to be painfully shy around people. I’d much rather be with my book friends, you know?"

"I do." I allow myself a small smile.

"What do you mean by that tone?" She scowls.

"Every time I've seen you, until today, you've been buried in your books."

"What can I say? Words make better friends than those in real life." She walks over to the window and peers out. Her shoulders are hunched. Her posture a little defeated.

A wave of tenderness washes over me. I don’t know this woman and yet, she’s also familiar. I have only exchanged a few words with her over the years. Only thought of her as Ben’s little sister. Now, suddenly, she’s all grown up. An adult. Someone ready to make her mark on the world. My head spins. It’s a shock to try to reconcile the gorgeous siren standing in front of me with the girl I barely noticed. I drag my fingers through my hair .

"Oh, I should have wished you a Happy Birthday earlier." I was too gobsmacked by her appearance to get my wits together to do so.

"Thanks." She peeps out of the corner of her eye, once again, looking more like a little girl. The way she flits between being a woman one second, then, a shy, much younger person, the next, confuses the hell out of me.

I jam my hands into my pockets. "I should have bought you a gift but—" I roll my shoulders. I wasn’t thinking that far ahead, again.

I was on my way to meet Arthur when Ben called and insisted I come over. I couldn’t say no to him. So, I promised I’d try my best, then headed on to my meeting with my grandfather. I knew what was in store for me, knew he was going to insist I join the Davenport group as CEO.

And the run-in was that, and much more. Gramps insisted I quit the Marines immediately, before any bodily harm comes to me. A part of me realized it was fear making him say that. He's worried about me. Not that Arthur would admit to that, of course. He voiced it like an order, which did not go down well with me. The only orders I take are from my Commanding Officer, and only because I know it means the difference between life and death for the rest of my platoon. To leave my brothers-in-arms in the lurch is not something I can fathom.

To be fair, I didn’t try to explain my position to Arthur, either. I left his office, angry with him, and was halfway home, when Ben messaged me again and reminded me—he was expecting me.

I couldn’t let my best buddy down. So, I simply turned around and headed over here. I only meant to stay long enough to catch up with Ben. It wasn’t until I glimpsed Skylar that my world turned upside down.

Fuck! I draw in a sharp breath. I cannot seriously be attracted to her… Right?

She turns and leans a hip against the windowsill. "You’re here. That’s gift enough."

The back of my neck flushes. "That’s a very sweet thing to say." I clear my throat. "I should have stopped to get something for you." I shuffle my feet. "Turning eighteen is an incredibly important landmark. You’re transitioning into becoming an adult, and with it, come all the responsibilities and complexities, not to mention the grey areas, that go into navigating the world."

"You don’t make it sound very palatable." She laughs.

"That wasn’t what I intended, but yeah… It can be a minefield." I shift my weight from foot to foot. "The only way to survive is to learn from your mistakes, so you don’t commit them again."

She observes me thoughtfully. "Is that what you do? Have you learned from your mistakes?"

I’m trying to convince myself that I have. My experience tells me I should not be anywhere in the vicinity of this girl—woman. I seem to be unable to turn and leave, though. Something about her presence, something about her mix of na?veté and femininity, has me in thrall.

I’m getting to know my best buddy’s little sister. That’s all it is. Ben would want that right?

I wander over to her desk and pretend to survey the contents. There’s a laptop and a pile of schoolbooks, next to several books on baking. There’s also a book with a flowery cover on it which has been turned over as if to mark a page. "The Billionaire’s Fake Wife," I read aloud. "Sounds interesting."

She makes a noise that sounds like a squawk, then runs over and snatches the book off the table. "Uh, yeah… It’s interesting. Very interesting, actually."

She darts toward the bed, slides the book under her pillow, then sits beside it. "You were saying?" She flutters her eyelashes at me, her voice breathless.

"Are you trying to distract me?" I ask in a mild tone.

She holds up her thumb and forefinger, squinting at me through the space created by pinching them close together. "Just a little."

"Hmm." I rub my thumb under the bottom of my lip. When her gaze darts to my mouth, I freeze. Then slowly lower my hand to my side.

"Uh, maybe I need to get going." I angle my body as if to head for the doorway when she jumps up.

"No, no. I mean, stay. Just a little longer, please. "

"I don’t think that’s a good idea." I glance toward the door, then back at her. "I need to catch up with Ben."

"You see enough of Ben during your missions." She pouts. "It’s been ages since I last saw you."

"Whose fault is that?" I prop an arm on my hip. "Every time I've visited, you've been away."

"Yeah… You know, baking classes, and those extra courses I signed up for in business management, have kept me busy."

"You took classes in business management?"

She dips her chin. "I, uh, want to open my own bakery one day."

"That’s wonderful," I say, and I mean it.

"A book-themed bakery, actually. So, I can combine my love for baking with my love for books."

"That’s very clever." I allow myself a small smile. "I’m almost envious of how clear you are about what you want to do."

"Haven’t you always wanted to be a Marine?" She purses her lips. "I can’t see you being anything else. Seriously, what you’re doing is so honorable, Nathan."

I hear the thread of admiration in her tone, and a jangle of alarm goes off in my head. I take another step towards the door. I definitely need to find a way to ease my way out of here.

It’s becoming clear to me that Skylar has a crush on me. Which would be flattering, but for the fact she’s so much younger than me. Not to mention, she’s Ben’s sister, and no way, would I let him down by encouraging her in any way.

"What I’m doing is a job," I remind her.

"It’s more than a job." She takes a step forward. There’s so much fervor in her voice, it gives me pause. "What you’re doing is a calling. What you do helps guard our country. You lay your life on the line every day so the rest of us can sleep peacefully in our beds."

She’s not wrong. But at the moment, the way she fixes her gaze on me with something like rapture in her eyes confirms to me, she probably has a case of hero worship. I wince. "The life of a Marine isn’t glamorous. Sure, it means I’m often on missions, but when I’m not shipping off somewhere, I’m too busy missing the adrenaline that comes with being on guard and focused on the job at hand. "

"What do you mean?" She frowns.

"Tracking the enemy, being sent on the mission, the camaraderie on the helo as I fly out with the rest of the platoon? That’s what I live for." I glance out the window at the deepening shadows. "That peculiar mix of fear and excitement before we jump off… And then, once you’re in the thick of things, that complete focus, when you’re a hundred percent in the present. It’s the only time I feel completely alive."

"The only time?" She takes another step forward. "What about when you… Uh… When you’re with your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Those alarm bells in my head turn into clanging distress signals. It’s a not very subtle way of finding out if I’m in a relationship. I want to lie and tell her I am, just so it puts some barriers between us. Just so it’ll discourage her from wanting anything to do with me. But when I open my mouth, I find I can’t.

Ben has been amazing to me. Given how dysfunctional my own family is, I’ve always been grateful to him for inviting me to his home. Seeing him take care of his mother and sister, and how close-knit they are, renewed my faith in the concept of family as a unit. It’s my loyalty to him that makes me confident I’ll never do anything to hurt him. No matter that his sister has a crush on me—or that I can’t help but notice her—no way, am I going to act on that impulse.

Which means, there’s no reason to lie to her.

So, I shake my head. "No. No girlfriend."

Her features brighten; her eyes gleam.

That's when I realize, I may have made a mistake. "Not a steady one, that is."

The light in her eyes dim. "What do you mean?"

"I have friends with benefits. And at least one of them has indicated she wants something more. Perhaps, it’s time I take her up on the offer?" I pop a shoulder. "You understand how it is, don’t you?"