Chapter 10
DORIAN
“The air feels good today, doesn’t it?” Joshua tilted his face up to the sky, the sun bouncing off his blondish curls. The man usually had dark brown hair, but sometimes, after spending far too much time in the sun, and under just the right light, his hair went full surf boy.
“The wind feels pretty good,” I said in answer, but I couldn’t feel the wind. I couldn’t feel much of anything. Perhaps though, I just wasn’t sitting under the right slice of sun. I moved forward, though my limbs felt sluggish. As if each movement took a little too much time.
“Feels better than that. Here, put your arm out the window.”
I frowned and realized we weren’t standing on the flight line like I had thought, with the sun shining ahead of us and that cool breeze sliding over our skin.
Instead we were in the cockpit of a plane, with the windows open as if we were driving down the highway in my Jeep, the doors and roof completely off.
When I had been in college, I’d dug into some of my trust fund because I couldn’t help myself.
I bought a sports car, because everybody did.
And I liked going fast. I’d take the top off and just let the engine purr.
Joshua and Wellesley would be in the car with me, with Joshua egging me on, begging to drive, and Wellesley just in the back seat, arms above her head, screaming in happiness.
Then I got the Jeep, a used one that had seen better days, but the engine and tires were perfection.
We’d go off-roading, get stuck in the mud, and laugh at each other as we tried to get ourselves out of whatever situation we ended up in.
Wellesley would sit back and take photos, and Joshua would flip her off, before she’d pull out some homemade baked good to make us smile.
But I don’t think I’d ever been in a plane with the windows open before. It was nice, though getting a bit cold. Even with the sun beating down on us, an icy chill settled over me, and my teeth began to chatter.
“Don’t you think we should close the windows? We’re a little high up, don’t you think?”
“It won’t matter soon. It’s just a damn good day. I love flying. I know this isn’t my plane, but one day I’m going to be able to get one on my own. I’m going to be able to go anywhere I want, with no responsibilities, no looking back.”
“What about Harper?” I asked, frowning when I realized I was using her name. I usually just called her Wellesley, but that was between us. And for some reason I didn’t think I should tell Joshua that there was anything else between us. That would be wrong. Wouldn’t it?
“Oh, don’t worry, she can take care of herself.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” I said dryly.
“Too true. But you’ve got her. Whatever I can’t handle, you’re there. That’s why you’re my best friend.”
Guilt settled into me, but I didn’t know why. It wasn’t like she was in the plane.
Then a small hand gripped my shoulder, and panic seized me.
“How did you get in here?” I asked, knowing what was coming next.
I looked over my shoulder at a smiling Wellesley.
Her hair was back to that reddish hue that she’d had once before.
And she no longer had bangs. Instead her hair was piled on the top of her head, and she grinned at me with that gorgeous smile of hers.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m where you are. I trust you.”
Guilt warred with horror as I turned to Joshua. But my best friend wasn’t looking at me, instead he faced forward, his eyes vacant.
“I wasn’t ready to die.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “You shouldn’t be dead, Joshua.”
“It sucks. I had all these plans. I was going to go out and take over the world right beside you. We were going to open up a bar together. You remember that?”
I nodded, unable to speak. Though Joshua couldn’t see me. He couldn’t see anyone.
“You were going to fly with me, and if I couldn’t find a way to save to buy a plane of my own, I was going to trick you into doing so.”
He winked and blood began to seep out of his ear. I reached forward and tried to wipe it away, but it wouldn’t budge.
“I would’ve bought you anything. Even though I don’t think I can ever get in a fucking plane again.”
“You don’t have to. I don’t need the plane anymore. You’re taking care of my sister though.”
He turned to me, his eyes gaping holes instead of that blue gaze of his.
I tried to move back, but the plane just continued to get smaller and smaller, and I couldn’t escape him.
“Joshua.”
“I’ll be okay. Wherever I am. I’m long dead. Worm food if you buried me. Or that dust that gets stuck in your throat because you fucked up.”
“You weren’t supposed to die.”
“I know. But I’m gone. And now you’re fucking my baby sister.”
“It’s not like that,” I whispered, my hands fisting at my sides.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I told you to take care of her. Maybe that was the thing that you had always planned to do.”
I ran my hands over my face, but I couldn’t feel anything. I wasn’t sure you were supposed to feel anything in a dream other than horror.
“I know it sucks. But I’m gone. You don’t have to feel guilt over that. I’m dead. I can’t feel that guilt anyway. You didn’t kill me. I’m the one who wanted to get on a plane. But I saved you, didn’t I? You didn’t die. So at least I did one thing right.”
“Joshua, I didn’t want you to die. Part of me wishes that I would’ve burned up right next to you.”
“If you would’ve done that, you wouldn’t have been with Wellesley.”
“I’m not good enough for her.”
“Damn straight. No one’s good enough for my baby sister. And I realize that I’m probably just a figment of your imagination and your dreams, and I could say anything you want me to say. Or maybe I’ll just haunt you until the end of your days. Either way, don’t fuck things up with my sister.”
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Then don’t.”
I opened my mouth to say something, anything.
How I cared for Wellesley, but I didn’t know how to make that work.
Or to be worth that. To tell Joshua I promised I wouldn’t actually break her like I broke everything else.
But there was nothing for me to say. Instead a whirring sound echoed in my ears, and the screeching of metal against metal, and the blood-curdling screams of Harper behind me as Joshua pushed us down into a nosedive, shook me right down in my bones. But I couldn’t wake up.
“Dorian!” Wellesley screamed.
I reached for her, but my fingers slid through her like smoke.
“Wellesley. Wellesley!”
“Dorian, wake up!”
I sat straight up in bed, my entire body shaking as bile coated my tongue. I looked down at her as she cupped my face, and I couldn’t help but run my hands up and down her body.
“You’re safe. You’re safe.”
She frowned at me as she slid her hands through my hair, the sheet pooling at her waist so her bare breasts pressed against my forearms.
“I’m safe. I’m right here. It was just a nightmare.”
A nightmare where I could still smell the putrid scent of burning flesh, still feel the heat and sharpness of metal slicing into my body.
I hadn’t been able to feel or sense a damn thing in that dream until the end.
When it became all too real. And yet Harper Wellesley had been the one right beside me, as Joshua had tried to save us, only losing himself in the process.
“You’re okay,” I said, and my voice ached. I must have been screaming for far longer than I thought, because it felt as if I had jagged shards of glass in my throat every time I swallowed.
“I won’t ask you what you were dreaming about,” she said softly, sliding her arms down my body, as if checking me for new wounds. When her hand went to my side, I didn’t flinch. Instead she leaned her forehead on my chest, and I just wrapped her in my arms.
“Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s okay. I have dreams too.”
I opened my mouth to say something, to say anything, but thankfully Lucky took that time to slide his wet nose against my back. I yelped as Harper’s shoulders shook.
I scowled down on her. “Really?”
“I need to take him out.”
I shook my head, as I pushed her back slightly so I could run my hands through her hair.
“No, I’ve got it. You don’t know the land out here.”
“I’ve been living in this town longer than you, Dorian.”
“And you don’t know this property. Just let me take care of him, okay?”
She studied my face, as if looking for answers I didn’t have. “Okay. I can do that. I’ll make breakfast.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Maybe I want to.”
I studied her face for a moment before finally nodding and getting out of bed.
I didn’t bother to wrap myself in a blanket, and I could feel her gaze on me as I walked naked to my dresser.
My cock stood on end, just the feel of Wellesley touching me was almost a little too much.
But I shoved my legs into gray sweatpants and pulled on a Henley.
I’d have to wear a jacket as well, since it seemed to be a little frigid outside, but hopefully the cold would bring down my hard-on.
The two of us needed to talk, but maybe I should get my thoughts in order first.
Lucky pranced around my legs, and I couldn’t help but smile down at him.
“Okay, let’s go for that walk. I need to stretch anyway.”
My leg hurt like a bitch, and I knew I had overexerted it last night. But frankly, if I was going to hurt myself, I might as well do it that way.
I wasn’t going to think about the fact that it had been the best sex of my entire life, and I had no idea what to say about that.
Lucky shot off into the backyard, and I nearly fell off the stoop as I realized the dog was way more awake than I was.
Thankfully I had him on a leash, and we made our way down the path for a short walk.
Lucky took care of his business, and I cleaned up after him.
It didn’t matter that this was my property, and we were out in the forest, I wasn’t about to leave dog shit all over the place.
The cold mountain air woke me up fully, and I was grateful for it.