Hearts the Last Beat (Angel Fire #6) - Ellie Masters Page 0,46
the chairs by the side of the pool. “What’s the deep look for?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing my ass. Your aura flipped. You’re all warm blues and yellows now, like you finally worked through what was bugging you the other day.”
“Is that so?” Maybe there’s something to Noodles’ aura thing after all? Who knows? Maybe I’m less tense?
I certainly feel different.
Instead of beating myself up over my thoughts concerning Angel, I look forward to all kinds of exploration with her, and not just the sexual variety.
I’m looking forward to getting to know everything about her, and maybe I can help her figure out what she wants to do with her life.
Hell, maybe in a few months, a few weeks if we’re lucky, I can volunteer to take her on a college tour. There are tons of great schools in California, which translates into lots of road trips we can take where traveling together won’t raise inquisitive eyebrows.
I take a seat beside Noodles and stretch out. “It’s going to be another awesome day.” I lace my fingers together and place them behind my head.
“Yeah, I was gonna go have a talk with Old Joe. Got some stuff to sort out.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“Sure?”
“Is Old Joe real?”
“Sure as shit he’s real.” Noodles snorts with indignation, like I asked the dumbest question on the planet. “What do you mean, is he real? Dude, why would I make something like that up?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like many people have a pet shark to pour their hearts out to.”
“You needing someone to confess your sins to? Cause, I can take you out to have a chat with him.”
“Ha, no, thanks. First off, I’m good in the water, but not such an idiot to put myself in those waters. Second, I’m not talking to a shark.”
“Old Joe doesn’t really talk, but he’s a great listener. If you need to offload, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, but I’m good. I figured out a big piece of it last night.”
“I can tell.”
“How so?”
“You’ve been grinning like a fool all morning, like a cat who finally caught the mouse and is getting ready to tease and torment it.”
“Don’t know about that, but tease and torment sound like fun.”
“Odd.”
“What’s odd?”
“Sounds like you got bit, but I don’t see any chicks hanging around. Does this mean one of your secret trips is finally bearing fruit?”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s just that when you disappear, we all kind of suspect it’s a girl you don’t want any of us to know about. I figured it wasn’t really serious because you’ve been playing the field, but that seems to have dried up over the past year.”
Dried up isn’t the right word. I’ve simply been preoccupied by Angel. The need to go out and get laid lost its appeal.
For a man used to a different woman in his bed every night, that says something. Honestly, I’m not interested in touching, holding, kissing, or fucking, any woman other than Angel. It twists my insides thinking about it.
I finally understand how the other guys feel about their girls.
“So?” Noodles leans forward.
“So, what?”
“Am I hot, cold—warm?”
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“Well, seeing how you’re no damn gentleman, I’m going with pussy-whipped, and I’m going to say it’s been about a year.”
“Kind of a precise timeframe there.” Damn, he is perceptive.
“Just observant. That’s when your aura started spiking. Seeing how you’re all calm blues and soothing yellows, I’m also going to say you’ve come to some kind of accommodation.”
“Accommodation? What the fuck does that mean?”
“Only that I see another secret trip in the near future, and I bet within the year, probably a whole lot sooner, we’ll be adding one more to our family.”
“More than one, with the chick brigade all getting ready to pop out a bunch of kids.”
“I know, but I worry about Mitzy. The Guardians keep her plenty busy. We weren’t looking to start a family anytime soon, and now we are. It’s a lot to process, but we’re not talking about me. Do you, or do you not, have a girl on the side?”
“Not answering.”
“Fine.”
“Are you going to be slipping away again soon? One of your little trips?”
“Maybe.” I’ll give him that much, and for what it’s worth, it’s not a lie. Lucy’s baby shower is still some months away. She’s not due for months, but I’m still one gift short, and it needs to be epic.
I wish I could ask one of the girls, but that kind of question would raise all kinds of red flags. Not about