Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters, #1)

by Krista Ritchie

“Allow me to accommodate your feelings then,” Connor tells him. “There’s the door. You’ll be much happier on the other side of it.” Loren almost breaks into a giant grin at the diss, but his hot-tempered glare pins to the producer instead.

my favea

Ryke stands and says, “Cobalt, were you or have you ever been a stripper?” “No one would be able to afford me.”

LMAO

Ryke stands up from the couch. “I’m going to the gym. Anyone want to come?” Daisy gasps. “You masturbate at the gym?” He chucks a pillow at her face, and she catches it with a playful smile.

LMAO

He stares down at me, and I realize what could have happened today. I could have awkwardly fumbled around him. I could have embarrassed myself on national television. Instead, he made me feel desired and hot instead of mortified and cold. My eyes blanket in gratitude, the thank you on the tip of my tongue. But his thumb brushes against my cheek and he says, very softly, “You’re welcome, darling.” I exhale, glad that I don’t have to struggle to produce the words anymore.

Planning the wedding is like shoving her into traffic, which is why I offered my services.

“So you do want to talk,” Connor says with the raise of his eyebrows. “No.” I blink and shake my head. “Sorry. It’s too early…” I go to turn and Connor catches my arm. “I have time for you,” he says. I watch him sit up, fluff his pillow and lean against the headboard. He waves me on. “Let’s hear it.”

i adore him

Connor is quiet as he patiently lets me vent. Usually, I wait until therapy to unleash my aggravation. But at the end of those sessions, I’m always prescribed anti-anxieties, whereas Connor usually ends our conversations by calming most of my worries.

He doesn’t want me to see her for whatever asinine reason, and even if he won’t tell me why, I respect his opinion. So when she called me a couple days ago, I brushed her off with the same excuse Connor has been using.

“You’re not going to like what I have to say.” “I don’t care. Just tell me anything.” “As long as it’s real?” “Yes.” He smiles. “Where do I even start?” His hand skims the bareness of my knee, up towards my thigh. “Besides what I’d love to do to you right now and tomorrow and for the rest of my life, I hope that someday, I’ll watch you grow big and round…” He kisses my belly, and his mouth trails a line to my hipbone, dangerously close to my panties. “…and I’ll hold you in my arms…every…” He traces the skin above the fabric. “…single…night.” I become so absorbed by his words, and I react how he probably predicted. I put two firm hands on his chest and push him to a sitting position.

I thought Connor was the male-version of me. But I realize I’m not dating myself. I’m dating someone much different. Whether that’s better is to be seen.

I glower. “You want children.” “Does saying it twice make it more real?” he asks, his fingers touching his jaw. He’s smiling, loving this way too much. “Why would you want children? You’re…you.” “You’re right. I am me. And me wants eight screaming kids, who will bounce on our bed in the morning, who will beg you to braid their hair, who have your beautiful eyes and your brilliant mind. I want it all, Rose. And one day, our children will have it all too.”

I feel like I’m eighteen again. And Connor’s that nineteen-year-old boy who lent me his college blazer. I wait for him to speak, but like back then, he just stares at me with those deep austere eyes, with shadows of the truth hidden behind pools of blue. So I say, “I don’t mind that you don’t love me the way I do you.” I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Thank you for at least trying.” And I leave. But he knows I’ll be back. In nearly ten years of knowing Connor, we always seem to return to each other—even when we were thousands of miles apart, on two separate planes of existence—even when it seemed like our futures had strayed. He may not believe in fate, but I do. And I know I’m fated to be with him.

OMG

Before I pass her the bag, I notice the way Ryke and Daisy share furtive glances. She shakes her head at him, and he grits his teeth, his jaw locking into hard-cut lines. “Is everything okay?” I ask with a little edge. I don’t like being out of the loop. If it involves my sisters, I want to be in the center fucking circle. “Perfect,” Daisy says with a bright smile. I don’t believe her, and I have a suspicion Ryke wants to come clean since he shakes his head now.

they're so secretive omg

“I don’t know if I have the time,” Daisy says honestly. “I’m booked for shoots a lot this week.” “I think it’s a good idea,” Ryke chimes in from the couch. My brows jump. “Really?” “Sure,” he says, his eyes not softening like mine. “And if Daisy doesn’t have the fucking time, then Lo, Connor and I can help out here. We can push the furniture to the walls for space.” I would love to beat the shit out of Loren. But what’s more appealing is trying to pin Connor to the floor. I’d revel in that win for months. “You want to help?” I ask Ryke. “Why does everyone find that so fucking hard to believe?” “I don’t,” I say. “I’m just wondering why you’re so concerned all of a sudden.” “I’m always concerned. I just don’t voice my opinion every five seconds like you.”

Daisy shakes the pepper spray. “Should I test it out?” She grins and points the nozzle at Ryke. “Stay away, you pervert!” Ryke’s face darkens, not amused.

LMAO

She drops her hand and walks over to the couch, plopping down beside him. They have an intense whisper-conversation that Brett tries to catch by edging close to Daisy. Ryke physically plants his hand on the camera lens and drives Brett back, putting space between them. Brett glares. “You can’t touch the cameras, Ryke. How many times do we have to tell you that?” “Back up and I won’t.”

When I glance back at my little sister, I scrutinize the way she leans into Ryke as she whispers something to him. Her eyes drift over his features in a curious, impulsive manner, and my heart quickens. She’s going to kiss him. And then when her lips stop moving, Ryke puts a hand to Daisy’s cheek. And he forces her face away from his. It’s a gentle push that has her trying to tackle him on the couch with a laugh. They’re verging on flirting, even when his brooding features say that he’s pissed at her. He struggles to hold her still as she slides beneath his arm and snatches his helmet. She swiftly fits it over her head, and he tries to pull it off her, his lips slowly upturning. But she wiggles out of his hold, and in seconds, she’s suddenly straddling his lap. He flips up the visor to his helmet and stares harshly at her, hiding his partial smile.

OMG

Lo and Lily keep to themselves, living in their own hazy, addicted world. Here, it’s a bit scary.

When it comes to comics, sex and booze, they have a one-track mind.

“Lo,” Lily warns and gives him a sharp look, and for Lily, those don’t come often. He shuts his mouth, which must take a great, great deal of effort.

WALK HIM LIKE A DOG

“And just so you know, I like that jackass better than you, and I’ve known him fifteen years less.” I flash Loren a dry smile. “See you tomorrow.” Loren usually has the last word, but I slam the door behind me before he gets it. Bickering with Lo solidifies my day as a normal one. The bad days are the ones where everything is a little off. So far, so good.

Connor usually brings me dinner in the city, and the fact that he’s been replaced by Scott agitates me.

Your boyfriend is so fucking weird.” He tosses the phone back to me, and I just barely catch it without dropping my chopsticks. “Sometimes weird is better than normal,” I say. “Normal can be boring.”

I’m more comfortable with the idea of having sex with a woman than I am with a man, as strange as that may seem. Connor will most likely pick up on this, but I don’t care.

rose, i know what you are

That’s Connor’s specialty. He’s the river that idly passes between mountains. I’m the volcano that destroys a village.

I struggle to open the door with one hand. This time, I don’t have Connor behind me to scoop up the box and help.

she defo misses him

How else can you give thanks to someone who gives you everything you desire? Who showers you with things that glitter? You become someone they can gloat over; you become their greatest prize. Connor is right. He talks of monetary values. Of benefits. Opportunity cost. There is a price that you pay growing up in luxury. You feel so undeserving of everything around you. So you find a way to be deserving of it—by being smart, by being talented and successful. By building your own company. With Calloway Couture, I could make my father proud—to show him that I could follow his entrepreneurial footsteps. The failure of my company feels not only like a failure of my dream, but a failure of my place in the family. Of my right to have these beautiful things. But I have to remember what else my company means to me. What it has been. How it’s saved me. It was an outlet where I could be creative despite my mother’s constant nagging. I used to come home, rub my abused toes from pointe shoes, and sketch on my bed, in private. I was twelve. I was thirteen. Fourteen. I found solace in fashion. I found peace and happiness. It was something for me. My mother couldn’t take my designs. She couldn’t make them hers. I created each dress, each blouse and skirt. They were the clay that I could mold, even if she continued to try and mold me.

But I fear making the same mistake—not helping Daisy like I was too late for Lily. I don’t want my mom to exploit Daisy with her modeling career just so she can brag to her tennis club friends. I want my sister to watch late night movie marathons, have slumber parties and eat too much ice cream. But her childhood already consists of stumbling home with tired eyes from a midnight photo shoot, from going on go-see after go-see where people pinch her waist and call her fat. This is my price I pay for my wealth. I’m sure of it. No matter how much I want to save my sisters and just keep them close, I feel as if I’m destined to watch them fall.

she's such a good sister tho

The stationary cameras in the kitchen rafters film me, but there’s no possibility anyone would want to watch me, alone, right now. I just take pleasure in the idea that Scott will have to sift through hours of footage of me doing monotonous tasks, like studying. I find time to give the cameras the finger too, even if it’s childish. Ryke would definitely do it. And if I can tell Scott to fuck off at four in the morning, then I’ll gladly take the opportunity. The benefit is just too fucking good.

LMAO

“Richard, you can’t live off two hours of sleep a day. So either I help you or you’re going to turn your report in late and try to get an extension.” The latter is not an option, and while I think Rose is fully capable of helping me, she needs the sleep as much as I do. There’s no point in both of us suffering while I try to get my MBA.

“I can calculate these numbers,” she says, glancing at the computer screen. “I have no doubt that you can. But you’re not going to.”

Really, I wouldn’t deflower her in the middle of the kitchen with cameras pointed on us. I may be horny, but I have an idea of how I want to take her virginity. And this isn’t it. “Fine,” she concedes. “I’ll go to bed this once, but if I catch you up again like this, I’m helping. Or you’re going to wake up with bruises.”

i love them sm

A sudden thought sweeps my brain. It’s one I’ve meant to ask before. “Where do I rank in your life?” She frowns and shakes her head in confusion. “You want me to rank you?” I nod. I want to know how far I have to climb to be her first importance. I’m willing to work hard to get there, but I need to know who fills her heart before me and if I’ll ever be able to surpass them.

“Stop being an ass. This is serious.” “I know. That’s why I’m telling you.

they're so "real or not real?" by the hunger games

“You do realize that Lily loves Loren more than anyone else on the planet? If they were both given the ultimatum of oxygen or each other, I’m fairly certain they’d choose to suffocate.”

my parents fr

“I’m not asking you to love me,” I tell her. “I think we’re both smart enough to choose oxygen.” I don’t see how love could benefit me. Her eyes fall and her lips downturn. After a full minute of silence, she says, “I’d choose to die if it meant my sisters could live. You think it’s stupid, but sometimes love is worth every foolish choice you make.” She hops off the counter. “Oh, and you’re my number three.” “I beat Poppy already?” I fight a burgeoning smile. “I see her less than I do you.” I fit my arms around her waist. “Don’t ruin it,” I breathe, kissing her neck lightly. My hand lowers to the small of her back, and I leave her with one last kiss to the forehead that feels more genuine than all the others. “You’ve bewitched me, body and soul.”

My eyebrow arches and I recite theatrically, “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.” I shake my head. “Doesn’t have the same ring to it, darling.” A laugh escapes her lips. “Go back to work. I’ll see you in the morning. Oh wait,” she feigns surprise, “it is the morning. I’ll see you when we cross paths again.” I watch her walk to the staircase, her lovely round ass bouncing against her silk robe. “How can you be sure we will?” I ask before I return to my computer. She hypnotizes me, gluing me to this very spot. She glances over her shoulder, her silky hair molding her beautiful face. “Because,” she says, “we always do.”

i need someone that will quote pride & prejudice to me

Please be Connor. I process that sudden realization—that I’d want it to be him, out of everyone, that’d I’d hope for it. Even if it would pull him away from his business project. I hate that I’m attracted to a man who thinks love is nothing but a weakness. But I also adore that there’s no one else remotely like Connor Cobalt in the world. And I’m the one who has him.

aw

But it’s harder for me to be nice than mean. However awful that seems.

A sudden wave of relief crashes into me. My teammate has arrived to tag me out of this disaster.

i love how relieved she feels when she hears connor

The glass door still separates our bodies, but Connor has just shed his clothes right in front of Scott. And he doesn’t even care. He acts like the producer deserves none of his attention, as though he’s as low as weeds in cracked pavement. Connor is the sexiest he’s ever been. He opens the shower door confidently, and I try not to shy away. No man has ever seen me this naked and that’s all about to change.

Places that no man has ever touched ache for hard pressure. All because of his stupid smile. And those eyes, I suppose.

My pulse speeds crazily, and each bead of water scorches my skin. And yet, I don’t want to move. I want to stand right here and burn with this fire.

He needs this time to work, not guard me from the sleazy producer. Normally I would protest against the backup, but I wish, more than anything, he’d stay right here.

Scott decided to make this situation more awkward. I’m about to look over and shoot him one of my signature death glares. But Connor rests a hand on my bare hip and maintains my position here in front of him. He stands between me and Scott, the chest-high wall also adding a bit of a barrier between us and the producer.

And then he squeezes me hard, and I hear the warning in his grip don’t give Scott anything of yours. I wince and can’t help but smile, loving that he cares.

I channel so many apologies through my face. I’m using facial muscles that have been static for the past twenty-three years.

But Connor pinches my chin and forces my gaze on him. Our eyes connect on a different level. The world becomes small. No Scott. No shower. No rush of water or nakedness. Just me. Just him. Just us. Together again. Desire blankets and pulses and shrouds me in its heady web. Wants and urges bubble, feelings that have been caged since we moved to the townhouse. It all springs to life, and I see the longing swim in his deep blues.

OMG

I want to remind Rose that I’m the one who causes her body to tremble—not the fucking moron one shower over. Her anger towards Scott only fuels him and lets him believe he has power over her. Biting comments, insults, that love-hate relationship is our dynamic. He can’t have it.

i love that he's jealous

My free hand slides to the back of Rose’s neck, holding her very close to me. I lower my head and whisper, “I’m going to put something else in your mouth, Rose.” Her eyes meet mine with questions. I say only one thing with my gaze. You’re safe with me. She can leave. She has full capability to knock me back in the chest and chastise me about commanding her to drop to her knees. Rose is not shy. She is not weak or insecure. If she doesn’t want something, she’ll let me know.