Warnings and Wildfires

We’re, what? Two days into this relationship and I’m already fucking up. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She nods and turns toward the car, but I grab her hand and pull her back to me. “You can’t leave without a proper kiss.”

Finally, she smiles and even though it’s hesitant and unsure, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all night. Our lips meet. This is no quick goodbye kiss. It’s long and slow and deep. Trying to make up for the things I can’t say right now.

She lets out a stuttering sigh and backs away. “Good night, Sully.”

“So, are you planning to tell me what really happened?” Celia asks as soon as we drive away.

I sigh and sit back, closing my eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Come on, one minute you two are so stinking adorable, I want to choke you and the next you can’t get out of there fast enough.”

Celia will work the truth out of me eventually, so I might as well just spill it now. “Your pal, Amy, cornered me in the bathroom to let me know she and Sully used to be fuck-buddies.” It sounds ridiculous once I finally get the words out.

“Holy shit, are you serious? I’m so sorry. I never would’ve invited her over if I’d known that.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not even that big a deal.”

“Sure it is.” She reaches over and pats my leg. “I can already see how much you like him, so that must’ve been a shock.” She huffs out a laugh. “Poor Sully. Here he was being all sweet, staking his claim on you in front of his friends, and it backfired.” She shakes her head and chuckles some more. “Poor bastard.”

“Shut up. Now you’re making me feel worse.” I consider her words while she makes the turn into our apartment complex and parks the car. “You really think that’s what he was doing?”

“Letting everyone know to stay away from you? Uh, yeah. I don’t think he took his hands off you for five seconds. That’s probably what set Amy off if he was never like that with her.”

Huh. I ponder that all the way up the stairs.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Disappointment pulls me out of sleep when I reach over and find the other side of the bed cold and empty.

Two nights.

Two nights is all it took for me to get used to waking up next to Aubrey.

Will she even show up for work today? After last night, I wouldn’t blame her if she called out. Lucky for me, I don’t think she’s the type to bail on her responsibilities.

“Damn, brother. You haven’t been this big of a pussy over a girl since high school,” Jake says as soon as I sit down for breakfast at our mother’s.

“Language, Jake,” my mother scolds. She turns her curious face my way. “What girl?”

“Her name is Aubrey.”

“The girl you hired to work for you?”

“That’s the one.” I grab my water and take a long swallow to prepare for the questions coming my way.

“Is she on birth control?”

Jake bursts out laughing.

I choke on my water. “Jesus, Mom, really?” Not the question I expected her to lead with. What’s she like? When can I meet her? How old is she? Any of those would’ve been preferable.

“Can you blame me?” she asks with a raised eyebrow. “That’s just as much your responsibility as hers. If you can’t talk about it, maybe you shouldn’t be having sex.”

I grit my teeth. I love my mother, but sometimes the stuff that comes out of her mouth… “I can talk about it with her. I do not want to talk about it with you,” I clarify.

She averts her eyes and tugs at the pendant hanging from a delicate gold chain around her neck. “Well, if I’d talked to you about that stuff earlier, maybe—”

“Ma, stop.” I will not have my mother feel guilty about the mistakes Lauren and I made as teenagers. “Your hands were full raising the two of us.” I tilt my head Jake’s way.

He gives me a why-are-you-throwing-me-in frown. “I know how to wrap it up.”

Instead of whapping him upside the head, like she should, she reaches over and squeezes his hand. “Fair enough.” She stands and pats my shoulder on the way to the kitchen.

I glare at Jake. “Really, dick?”

Still laughing, he leans forward. “At least she got it out of her system. Maybe she won’t hound Aubrey too bad.”

“Yeah,” I answer with a healthy bit of sarcasm. “I’m sure she’ll rein it in.”

“I don’t hound people, Jake,” she shouts from the kitchen.

In a lower voice, he says to me, “Think Aubrey’s still mad about last night?”

“Hope not.”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

“What did you do, Sullivan?” my mother asks.

I groan and glare across the table at my brother.

Later that morning, I have a gym full of people trying to undo the damage from a weekend of over-eating and drinking.

Aubrey shows up a few minutes early for her shift. Prettier than ever. How does she do that?

“Can we talk?” she asks.

I hope this isn’t the part where she quits.

She follows me into my office. Before I even close the door, she touches my arm. “I’m sorry about last night.”

I didn’t realize how much I missed having her hands on me. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

“I shouldn’t have left like that.”

After leaving the bar, I considered how I’d feel if she was the one with an ex who confronted me that way. I’d probably be cooling off in the county jail right now. So no, I don’t blame her for being upset.

“I understand.” I don’t need to say more than that and I sure as hell am not bringing up Amy’s name. It hasn’t escaped my notice that she didn’t ask any questions about Amy or what I did last night after she and Celia went home.

“You can trust me,” I assure her.

“I already do.”

Good. I don’t ever want to give her a reason not to.

In a lower voice, she adds, “This is a little new to me.”

I’m not sure how to respond. Is she trying to say she’s never dated before? Or just that we are new as a couple?

“It’s new to me too.”

Finally, she meets my eyes.

“I missed waking up next to you,” I say. Fuck it, after last night I want to tell her how I feel and be honest about everything.

“I missed you too,” she whispers, taking a step closer.

I cup her jaw, running my thumb over her cheek. “Kiss me.”

She doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around my neck. This is exactly what I wanted. Her body pressed against mine. I lean down and gently brush my lips against hers. Gentle turns to wild as I slide my hands down to cup her ass, lifting her up and into me.

Someone knocks on the door and opens it before I pull my lips away from Aubrey’s. Dazed, she glanc

es around as if she forgot where she was.

Jake grins at us. “Guess she’s not still mad.”

Aubrey glances over her shoulder. “She was never mad at Sully.”

I chuckle, flex my arms around her, and lift my chin at Jake. “Get out.”

Jake’s jaw drops. “You have—”

“Get. Out.”

He finally shuts the door.

Aubrey squirms in my hold. “Come on. You have a business to run.” She pats my chest. “Work time, Mr. Wallace.”

“One more kiss.”

She leans up on her tiptoes and presses a quick kiss to my cheek. “If you’re good, you’ll get more later.”

“Now that’s what I call motivation.”

I’m still flustered from my talk with Sully. And Jake walking in on us. Even though he hasn’t said a word.

Part of my job is to sort through the emails sent to the gym. If I don’t, they won’t get answered. Sully didn’t even remember the password when I started. This morning, the first message is from Trinity Photography.

Sully/Jake,

Sorry it took so long. Here’s your link to the gallery. Let me know if you want any shots touched up to use for promotional purposes. If it hasn’t been sold, it’s yours.

Thank you again!

Trinity.

Intrigued, I click the link.

“Wow.”

It’s a gallery full of a mix of candid and professional portraits of both Jake and Sully. From serious to relaxed. Different lighting and settings.

“You found our dirty little secret,” Jake says.

Startled that I didn’t notice him peeping over my shoulder, I elbow him in the ribs. “Warn a girl.” I peer up at him. “What secret?”

He chuckles. “Wrath’s girl is a photographer. She talked us into modeling for book covers that she designs.”

“I’ve met Wrath. I’m sure she didn’t have a hard time convincing you,” I tease.

Jake throws his head back and laughs. “He’s a big, scary bastard, right?”

The answer to that is “duh” but I’m not about to insult his friend.

“That’s really cool. The photos are amazing.”