Visions of Destiny (Complete Series) Page 11

  “Oh God, I love you so much.” Brad pressed his lips to the crook of her neck, and the next words came out muffled. “Every time I think I can’t love you more, you just prove me wrong.”

  Shifting against him, she twisted around to sit across his lap. “Love you, too,” she murmured. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and slipped her arm around his chest. His body was hot everywhere she touched him, and she felt like she was burning, inside and out. Her mind was still humming from pleasure. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly, enjoying the feel of Brad’s gentle hand running up and down her back.

  “So…” Brad’s voice rose after a long moment, soft and a little bit rough. “When will my next performance review be?”

  Joan buried a laugh in the crook of his neck before kissing him lightly, right on the pulse point. His heart fluttered against her lips, still beating strong and fast. She could hardly believe she had turned him on so much—and she couldn’t wait to see if, next time, she would affect him just as much.

  “We’ll see,” she said, playing coy. “In the new year, maybe, to set your performance goals.”

  She pulled back to look at Brad. His pupils were dilated, burning with anticipation. Between them, his cock was twitching back to life. Smiling, she pressed her lips to his. The kids weren't due back for another two hours.

  * * * *

  Joan’s eyes had been closed for a couple of minutes already when Daisy turned her gaze to the quiet steps that were coming toward her. She smiled at Lydia, who answered in kind as she approached. There was something in her expression, though, that lessened the impact of her smile, and made it seem almost strained. She was wearing her jacket.

  “Is everything all right?” Daisy asked, although she already knew it wasn’t.

  Lydia glanced toward the balcony for a few seconds before looking back at Daisy. Was she remembering what she had seen minutes earlier?

  “Fine,” she said absently. “Just fine. I came to tell you we’re leaving.”

  Daisy’s smile faded away. “Already? But the evening is just starting.”

  A little shrug was Lydia’s answer, and Daisy could guess what was going on. If Jack was still upset that Lydia wouldn’t tell him about the vision, staying there and pretending to enjoy themselves with the rest of their friends was probably not all that appealing. Were things turning out even worse between them than Daisy had feared?

  “I’m sorry,” she said, sighing softly. “I never meant for anyone to be unhappy.”

  “Aww, sweetie, it’s not your fault.” Lydia opened her arms and drew Daisy into a quick hug, rubbing her back briefly over the shawl. “We’re the ones who convinced you to do this.”

  “But I’m the one who brought him here,” Daisy protested as she drew back, shivering a little.

  She turned to look outside; as before, Woods was sitting with his head bowed, hands clasped in front of him. He almost looked as though he were praying. Across from him, sitting with her eyes closed and her hands on her lap, Joan seemed asleep.

  “I was afraid you guys would get hurt and now—”

  “Daisy.” Lydia’s stern interruption drew Daisy’s eyes back to her. “We asked for this. You warned us, and you tried to change our minds, and we still went ahead with it. Don’t start blaming yourself for what is not your fault. All right?”

  Sighing softly, Daisy nodded.

  “Good,” Lydia said, her voice softer now. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you on Monday.”

  With a last smile, she returned to the dining room, where Daisy heard her give her goodbyes to the group. It sounded like Jack had already stepped out. Tightening the shawl around her, Daisy returned her eyes yet again to the balcony. Moments earlier, she had managed to convince herself that Joan’s vision would be different from Lydia’s, and that another couple wouldn’t start breaking up tonight. Now though, she couldn’t help but wonder: what if she was wrong? What if whatever Joan was seeing at that very instant threatened her relationship with Brad?

  Her throat suddenly dry with worry, Daisy forced herself to step away, returning to the dining room and the rest of her friends. A definite chill had fallen on the group, and while earlier they had been laughing raucously, they were now almost subdued as they talked in two groups. Daisy helped herself to a glass of wine and let her gaze sweep over them.

  Mike and Brett were talking about Brett’s bar, and his plans to open a dance club, something he had been talking about doing for years. They seemed to be arguing about the best location for it. Next to them, Brad and Cathleen were talking about a book—or was it a movie?—with Rachel nodding her approval of what they said every so often.

  After having watched them long enough to empty half her glass, Daisy cleared her throat, drawing their attention to her.

  “Guys,” she said, feeling embarrassed already but needing to go through it, “if you decide not to do this, I’m sure Woods will understand. So don’t feel like you have to.”

  Mike was the first to shake his head, quickly followed by Rachel.

  “I still want to do this,” Cathleen said, and at once Brad echoed her.

  “Me, too.”

  “But why?” Daisy asked, a little incredulous. Did they want to get hurt? “You’ve seen what it did to Lydia and Jack. They might break up just from this, never mind what she saw. Maybe Joan—”

  She stopped abruptly, and gave Brad an apologetic look. The last thing she wanted was to imply they were bound to break up.

  He reassured her with a gentle smile. “I’m not worried. I love her. I know she loves me. What we’ve had is already wonderful. I hope we’ll have more, but if we don’t…” He turned his eyes toward the living room, though he wouldn’t be able to see Joan from where he stood. “If she’s happier with someone else,” he finished, “then I want her to have that.”

  Brett clapped his back, while Cathleen nodded approvingly.

  “The rest of us aren’t in a serious relationship at the moment,” she said, looking at the others for confirmation. “Whatever he can show me, I’ll be grateful for. God knows I need help finding the right person!”

  The rest of them laughed, but Daisy still couldn’t forget Jack’s pain, or how troubled Lydia had been. “But what if—”

  She stopped abruptly when Mike rested a hand on her forearm, and struggled not to pull away.

  “We’re all adults,” he said, grinning. “We knew what we were getting into when we came here. No one will blame you for anything, Daisy. I promise.”

  She looked at all of them in turn, and each of their gazes confirmed Mike’s words. She sighed, giving in again, like she had when she had finally agreed to call her sister for Woods’ number.

  “I just wish no one had gotten hurt,” she murmured. “I want you guys to be happy.”

  “And we will be,” Brett said, picking up a bottle and refilling her glass, then his own, and Cathleen’s. As he placed the bottle back on the table, he raised his glass in a toast. “To happiness,” he said, meeting Daisy’s eyes and smiling. “And to love.”

  They all repeated after him and clinked their glasses together.

  Daisy remained with her friends a little longer, now listening to Cathleen talk about her efforts to adopt. She was a few years older than the rest of them, and had been talking about wanting a child for a long time. It seemed that she was finally ready to do it. As she finished her glass of wine, Daisy couldn’t help wondering if what Cathleen would see before the end of the night would change her mind, or strengthen her decision.

  Brad had finished his drink as well, and when he stepped forward to place his glass on the table, he quietly asked Daisy, “Think they’re almost done?”

  Glancing at her watch, Daisy nodded. “It shouldn’t take much longer. Do you want to go wait for her?”

  She and Brad excused themselves and walked over to the living room. They
had just reached the window when Joan raised her head, taking a deep breath like a diver breaking the surface of the water. She blinked a few times very fast, and turned her head toward the window. At the moment she saw Brad, a wide smile illuminated her face. She rose to her feet at the same time that Daisy pulled the window open. Brad stepped onto the balcony. Before he had taken a second step, Joan threw herself into his arms, pressing her mouth to his for a deep kiss. Brad seemed stunned for an instant, but soon his arms closed around her, holding her tight.

  The knot of worry inside Daisy loosened, and a smile came up to her lips. She looked over at Woods. His eyebrows were raised, and he was watching Joan and Brad, a slight grin pulling at his lips.

  When Joan ended the kiss, she remained close to Brad, her arms around his shoulders and her fingers stroking his hair gently.

  “So that means—” Brad started, sounding hopeful.

  Joan brushed her lips across his mouth again. “We’ll have two boys,” she murmured. “They’re gorgeous.”

  Brad whooped and picked her up, twirling around. Joan laughed. When she was back on her feet, Brad started to pull her back inside, but Joan stopped him and turned back toward Woods.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

  Woods’ grin widened a little more. “You’re welcome.”

  Daisy moved aside to let Brad and Joan back in, and watched them go, their arms around each other, before stepping back onto the balcony. Woods had picked up his plate again and was nibbling from it. He looked up at Daisy as she sat in the chair Joan had just vacated.

  “I’m sorry,” Daisy said as she met his eyes.

  Woods blinked in surprise. “What for?”

  “For blaming you earlier. I know it’s not your fault. It’s just…” She let out a deep breath. “They’re my friends. I want them happy. And it looked like there are not-so-pretty things coming their way.”

  Woods washed down his food with a sip from the glass on the coffee table next to him. “We all have not-so-pretty things coming our way,” he said. His tone was kind, understanding, as were his eyes. “The trick is to remember that prettier things are coming, too.”

  “I guess so,” Daisy said, leaning back in her chair. She wondered if he had ever seen himself and what the future held for him, but before she could ask, Woods added, so softly that she had trouble making out his words, “And some people will only have pretty things, it seems.”

  Daisy looked at him and frowned. His gaze was on the plate in his hand, but the same small grin as earlier was tugging at his lips. Had he just said what she thought he had said?

  “I thought you didn’t share what you saw with other people?” she said, making the words a question.

  His grin widened a little more; he hid it by taking a sip of his juice. “I’m sharing?” he said, sounding puzzled—and amused.

  Daisy leaned forward in her seat, her eyes widening in outrage that he was trying to take it back. “You just said—”

  “I was just speaking in general,” he said quickly, shaking his head once. He seemed to almost regret what he had said.

  “It didn’t sound like it,” Daisy pushed. How did he dare play with her? If he wanted to say something, he couldn’t just take it back like that “They’ll be happy?”

  She was ready to beg for a sign, a nod, any hint at all—but already he was giving it to her, meeting her eyes and smiling softly.

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice so low she could barely hear it. “They’ll be happy.”

  Deep down, Daisy had known as much. She had known, maybe, since the first time she had seen Joan and Brad together, hand in hand in the hallways of their high school. But to hear Woods say it—to hear him confirm that this was what he had seen, what Joan had seen, too—made her feel warm and happy. It was precisely what she had needed after what had happened with Lydia and Jack.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Woods’ smile warmed her better than the shawl weighing on her shoulders. “You’re welcome.”

  Fourth Vision of Destiny - Mike

  Midnight and the New Year were still a couple of hours away, but somewhere down the beach someone had started celebrating early. The smell of powder was faint on the breeze that drifted over the balcony, and every so often the muffled sound of explosions caused multicolored sparks of fireworks to dance through Daisy’s mind.

  She was watching Woods, who in turn was watching the ocean through the wooden railing of the balcony. He had just finished reading Joan’s future, and a small smile was still fluttering on his lips.

  He put down his empty glass on the low table next to him and looked at Daisy. “How many left?”

  Daisy took a quick head count. “Six…no, five more. Jack left early.”

  She noticed Woods’ quick grimace at the name, and wondered yet again what Woods had showed Jack’s girlfriend Lydia about her future. Everything pointed toward a break-up, although neither Lydia nor Woods would talk about it. Lydia had been warned that the more she talked about the vision, the faster she would forget what she had seen. As for Woods, his policy was not to share what he saw with anyone who wasn’t directly concerned. Daisy understood both of them, but that didn’t stop her from wondering what would happen to her friends. She only wished they would find happiness in the end.

  “Five,” Woods repeated, thoughtful. His eyebrows and the corners of his mouth rose at the same time, teasing. “Including you?”

  Pulling her shawl closed more tightly, Daisy snorted. “I told you, I’m not doing this.”

  Woods clucked his tongue. “Ah, Daisy… Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “I didn’t realize it was an adventure to kiss a guy on the first date.”

  It was only when she saw surprise flash through his face and heard his chuckle that she realized what she had said. Heat was creeping up her neck and cheeks and she tried to take the words back, but it was too late.

  “A date? Are you saying inviting me over to read your friends was only a pretext?”

  “Of course not!”

  The force of her reply surprised her, and Woods’ grin widened a little more.

  “What’s that quote about ladies and how much they protest?”

  She huffed, looking away from him and back toward the cottage. She couldn’t see her friends from here, but their laughter continued to drift out.

  “Laugh all you want,” she muttered, glancing back at Woods with something that could have been vindictiveness. “Maybe you won’t laugh so much when I go and fetch your next victim. This one’s a guy.”

  The grimace she expected didn’t materialize, although his grin did thin out visibly. A kiss was necessary for him to see and share visions of someone’s future, and Daisy suspected he liked to kiss women considerably more than he did men.

  “Yeah, I figured we’d get there eventually. There’s… What? Three men left and two women?” His lips twitched upward again. “Besides you, I mean.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Correct. Except for the part where I’m not doing this.”

  He laughed once more and stood, leaning against the railing again. “Why don’t you go get him, then?”

  The view over the ocean really was beautiful, and rather than going in to get Mike, Daisy came to stand by Woods’ side, her arms resting on the railing inches from him.

  “Do you mind?” she asked after a few seconds. “Reading men, I mean?”

  What she really meant was, did he mind kissing men. Woods seemed to understand, though. He tilted his head toward her, mouth twisted in a lopsided smile.

  “I can’t say those are my favorite readings,” he admitted.

  “So why do you do it?”

  Woods snickered. “I don’t want to be sued for gender discrimination if I only read women.”

  She poked him in the shoulder, although she doubted
he felt the touch all that much through his jacket. “Be serious.”

  He was still smiling when he asked, “Why do you want to know?” but his expression was more solemn. He just might answer, Daisy thought, if she only gave him a good reason to.

  “I’ve watched you kiss three of my friends,” she said quietly, and had to shake her head as the memories surfaced of these three quick but not particularly chaste kisses. “Honestly, involuntary body reactions aside, you didn’t seem to enjoy yourself all that much. So why do you do it?”

  From the moment she had heard about what Woods did, she had been certain his visions had to be hallucinations of some kind; fraud. She wasn’t so sure anymore. All it had taken was Alicia’s sheer delight and happiness after she had been shown a future with someone Woods didn’t know for cracks to appear in Daisy’s certainty. But she still couldn’t fathom what Woods got out of it. He appeared on television shows and gave romantic advice based on his supposed ‘extensive’ experience, had written a best-seller about the same, but when she had called him on behalf of her friends he had been quick to let her know he never accepted money in exchange for sharing visions with someone.

  He nodded slightly, as though accepting the question, and looked over at the ocean. The waves were shallow, the water unusually still. The reflection of the moon was a perfect image.

  “I’ve read hundreds of people,” he said, sounding a little wistful. “Thousands, maybe. I’ve seen men and women end up with the last person they would’ve expected. I’ve seen people who thought they were happy with their spouse leave them, or welcome a third person in their relationship. I’ve seen…many things. Some quite strange, believe me.”

  She frowned at his answer. She had expected him to claim some higher purpose in bringing people together, maybe, or to admit that he needed the material for his books, but this? She was almost disappointed. “You’re saying you’re doing it for some kind of voyeuristic kink?”