The Road To Heaven (Allendale Four 3)

“Anyone want a drink?” I asked, scrambling from the ground.

“Can you bring me one of those raspberry waters?” Lea asked. She’d been on a fruity water kick lately. I was trying unsuccessfully to ditch soda and coffee. I walked across the room, entering the spacious, wide-open kitchen. RJ’s studio was in one of the newer buildings built in Allendale, mostly to support the thriving industry. I suspected a month’s rent was the same as my yearly salary. I rummaged through the refrigerator, past the protein drinks and containers of pre-made meals. RJ had a nutritionist and followed a strict diet. It wasn’t a surprise. I’d seen him barely clothed at work. His physique was amazing. He definitely put in the time and effort.

The drinks were in a drawer at the bottom and I bent over to get one. Fingers trailed over the skin of my lower back and I jumped, surprised, and came face to face with Jackson.

“When did you get the tattoo?” he asked.

“Oh,” I tugged my shirt down, “a few years ago.”

“Can I see it?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” He wore an expression of pure innocence.

I narrowed my eyes. Did he really think he had the right to still touch me like that? Sure, we’d moved to casual flirting but touching? The chill skipping up my spine told me that even if he didn’t, I liked the way it felt.

I handed Jackson a drink and took a can to Lea, resting it on the table. The conversation I’d had with Jackson about closure and finality lingered in my mind. He stood near the wide, granite kitchen counter, leaning on his elbows.

?

?Thor’s hammer beats a basket of kittens beats a talking dragon,” declared Oliver, speaking gibberish that only made sense in the context of the game.

“Bullshit,” Hayden said, tossing down his own cards. “That’s a radio-active squirrel—it can take out everything.”

“Not the hammer,” RJ said, siding with Oliver. Oliver grinned like a maniac and Lea clapped like it was the best match of wits ever, and without another word I slipped out of the room.

Designed with an open and spacious floorplan, it’s hard to find privacy, but on the way to the bathroom I’d noticed a long hall behind the kitchen that separated the living area from the bedrooms.

I’d just stepped into the unlit area when I felt those fingers on my back again and a second hand wrapped around my waist. “Five inked stars,” Jackson whispered in my ear, “I think we both know what that represents.”

From behind, he pressed his body against mine. He was taunting me, I knew it, and it was leading us both down a slippery slope. When I didn’t respond he kissed me gently on the neck and said, “That’s not the kind of behavior of a woman that wants closure, Heaven.”

My heart beat so hard that I was sure he could hear it, but he released me and I spun, craving the contact. I opened my mouth to speak, possibly to beg, but a shadow crossed the end of the hall. Oliver stood in the empty space, watching us.

Guilt flashed over me, but Jackson just walked by him and said, “Did you know Heaven got a tattoo?”

Oliver swallowed and shook his head.

“On her lower back. Five stars in a cluster.” He clapped Oliver on the back and left the two of us in the hallway. Alone.

I took a deep breath and walked down the hall. Oliver didn’t budge.

“It’s not a big deal. Just a whim, you know?”

“Sure. You’ve always been the kind of girl that does permanent things on a whim.”

“Did you forget how we met? I permanently wrecked my reputation on a dare. I don’t always make the best decisions.”

“True.”

“Who won the game?” I asked when finally up close. He doesn’t seem angry. Just curious; his eyes searching.

“I did.”

“I bet Hayden’s pissed.”

“He’ll get over it.”