Taming Fire (Braving the Heat #2)

by Leora Gonzales

  “Lou, calm down.” Nix stepped close and tried to stroke some tension out of her shoulders where she stood shock still clenching her fists.

  “Oh please.” Maggie crossed her arms over the deep vee of her sweater, pulling the material down even farther showing she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  The picture she painted was one of sheer desperation, and Nix was unable to stop from wrinkling his nose in disgust.

  Maggie’s gaze focused on him. “You’re not any better than me.”

  “Pardon?” Nix wanted to pat himself on the back for his politeness in the situation when all he wanted to do was throw Maggie, her pissy cat, and the greasy hookup that she had the nerve to bring to her sister’s house out on the lawn.

  “You’re obviously using Lou,” Maggie chattered, sounding like a spoiled brat. “Don’t think you can feed me a line, and I’ll take it just like the other women that hang around the station. I’ve heard all about you, and you disgust me. Sleeping with a new chick every night, sometimes two at a time and not calling them back.”

  Nix kept his expression blank as Maggie continued her tirade. His only concern was Lou, and how she would take hearing of his past exploits.

  “When you asked me out, the girls said I was the lucky one. I got text after text from women that couldn’t believe you didn’t just take me home that first night. They thought maybe you had finally decided to settle down, and I was the one who happened to be in the right place at the right time.” Maggie scoffed, her jealously showing plainly. “I guess they didn’t know you were just trying to make my tubby sister jealous. Are you looking for a free place to live? Is that it? Do you need a sugar mama or something?”

  Louise, his sweet Lou who always seemed to be calm and serene, shot out a fist and connected directly with her sister’s eye. The resulting image was almost comical because it seemed so farfetched. Louise stood visibly shaking in front of her sister, her cheeks bright red from anger. As Louise continued shaking her fist in the air as if she was tempted to hit her sister again, Maggie clutched her face.

  “Fuck,” Nix yelled, his tone as surprised as Louise and her sister looked.

  “Damn.” The lanky man behind him breathed out roughly.

  Nix had almost forgotten about the stupid fucker that had been with Maggie and was a half second away from throwing him out when he saw Louise eyeing her sister’s other eye. The one she hadn’t yet had a chance to blacken.

  “Lou—” Nix intended to calm the situation down but stopped when Louise cut a sharp glance his direction. Her eyes told him to back the fuck off and since he valued his own he was more than happy to oblige.

  “You hit me,” Maggie whispered, her voice showing how stunned she was. Holding the eye recently acquainted with Lou’s fist, she stared at her sister as though she was an alien. A punch-wielding alien that was obviously ready to strike if provoked.

  “Yes I did, and you’re lucky that’s all I’m going to do.” Louise swallowed hard before straightening her back and facing Maggie squarely. “I don’t care who the fuck Nix dated before me, and don’t flatter yourself with delusions that you would have been anything more than an easy lay. I don’t care how you live your life, Mags, but don’t bring me into your fucking mess ever again. You’re a grown ass woman so start fucking acting like it. Get your shit together and get the fuck out of my house.”

  “I don’t—” Maggie started to argue.

  “I said get your shit together and get it out of my house. Now .” Louise turned and walked back down the hall, not even acknowledging when Rob jumped out of her way.

  Nix watched her retreat, staring at the ass he loved to grab as it swayed down the hallway and into her room.

  “I hope you’re happy,” Maggie muttered. Her eyes flashed with hatred as she glared at him.

  Nix rubbed his jaw, not understanding how two sisters could be so completely different. “Are you serious right now?”

  “Fuck off,” Maggie spat at him, moving toward the front door instead of the guest room to get her things. “Tell Lou I’ll be back for my stuff later.”

  “I don’t think so.” Nix shook his head, blocking her and Rob from heading for the door. “Lou wants it out now, and that’s what’s going to happen.” Using his large frame to hustle them toward the room that they trashed, he blocked their exit. Handing her a bag off the roll he had tucked in his back pocket, he also tossed one to Rob. “Looks like you signed up for more than you bargained for, doesn’t it?”

  Rob simply nodded before starting to pick up clothes while Maggie just stared at him.

  “Maggie.” Nix figured honesty was the best approach in this situation, so he wasn’t about to hold back. “Whatever you leave here will make its way to the fire pit in the backyard. That’s a promise.”

  When she widened her eyes at his threat, but still made no move to clean up her mess, he gave her a pointed stare. “Lou’s not fuckin’ around, and you know it.”

  “What makes you so special?” Maggie reluctantly started to pick up clothes, one piece at a time.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Forget it,” Maggie muttered, angrily stuffing items into the large black bags.

  “Why do you hate your sister?” Nix could see the question caught her off guard, which made him happy. Maybe that meant he would get an honest answer out of her.

  “I don’t hate Lou.”

  Nix gave a pointed look around the trashed guest room. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “You don’t seem stupid, Maggie. There was no way that you thought all this would be okay. You had to expect her to be pissed at the mess you made.”

  “That’s what she planned on,” Rob mumbled from where he was sniffing a pair of jeans that looked like the ones he was wearing. “These are mine, right?”

  “Fuck, how many men did you bring here?” Nix shot her a look filled with disgust.

  “Like you have the right to judge me. I heard all about you from Camilla and Tiffany.” Maggie snorted. “And also Tabitha and Rissa and loads of other women. You had a different woman every single night before Lou came along. Don’t forget that.”

  “Before Lou,” Nix reiterated. “And, I’m not judging who you screw. That’s your business. I’m disappointed that you thought bringing back one-night stands to your sister’s house was acceptable. Especially since she didn’t even know you were staying here.”

  “She wasn’t even here.”

  “That’s not the point, Maggie.”

  Rob cleared his throat, causing both Nix and Maggie to shift their attention his way, “I thought your name was Rose?”

  “Jesus Christ,” Nix muttered, before feeling his nose tingle with an incoming sneeze. “Oh, and if that cat piss has ruined her wooden floors, you’re going to be paying for them to get replaced.”

  Nix hobbled out of the room, ignoring the sputtering incoherent protests from Maggie as he made his way through the rest of the house to assess the damage made by Lou’s obnoxious sister.

  He barely stopped himself from laughing out loud when he heard Rob ask again, “So your name isn’t Rose?”

  Chapter 27

  “My family is crazy,” Lou mumbled the words into Nix’s shoulder.

  She was exhausted—no, she took that back.

  She was be yond exhausted.

  This morning, she had such high hopes for their day. The two of them were going to run errands, get some paperwork taken care of, have lunch, and just get shit done. Instead, she had spent the morning fighting with her sister, kicking her out of the house she tried to squat in, and then fighting with her mother.

  The same mother who decided Lou was overreacting and treating Maggie badly after her sister had called their mom and tried to spin a tale of Louise attacking her without reason. Louise had been so mad after the phone call that she was unable to stop shaking. She wanted to hit something, and she wanted to hit it hard. For a normally peaceful person, she was hard pressed not to find Maggie and punch her
in the other eye.

  “Everyone has crazy family.” Nix shrugged, lifting her head up and down with the motion.

  “Not as crazy as mine.” Louise pulled away from the alluring scent that was Nix and took a couple test sniffs of the living room. It smelled a million times better than it had earlier, but it still didn’t smell like her home.

  She twitched her nose again. Yeah, she could still smell the faint hint of cat and pizza grease.

  “I need to light some candles. Maybe that will kill whatever evil is lingering.”

  Nix chuckled under her head. “I thought that was sage that you were supposed to light?”

  “Nah, I’m pretty sure a couple nag champa wax melts from Waxman will do the trick.”

  Nix leaned back to get a look at her face. “I have a feeling you just want an excuse to go into your favorite candle store.”

  “Maaaybeee,” Louise drawled out with a grin. “Plus, I figured I could mark a couple presents off my list early.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people,” Nix pleaded, his face serious.

  “What people?” Louise asked, genuinely confused.

  “Those crazy people that start getting Christmas stuff early.”

  Louise couldn’t resist teasing him, especially since he seemed so serious. “Doesn’t everyone do that?”

  “No, no sane person at least.”

  “Someone’s a Scrooge,” Louise mumbled under her breath.

  “I’m not a Scrooge,” Nix grumped, making a face that would rival that internet cat that had made the rounds a year ago. “I just don’t understand why stores start stuffing garland and wreaths down your throat the minute the leaves start to change. Halloween and Christmas decorations should never be out at the same time. Ever.”

  “Why?” Louise couldn’t help but be amused at how vehement he was about it.

  “It’s just too much.” Nix shrugged before looking around. “I can’t believe we were able to get this place cleaned up so fast.”

  “I’m still mad we had to do it in the first place.” Louise sat up and stretched from where she had been reclining against Nix. “Thanks for getting them out of here so quick. I really appreciate it.”

  Nix’s eyes softened, making Louise feel heat low in her belly. One big hand curled around her waist, tugging her back into his body once again.

  “C’mon lazy bones, I know our day turned to shit, but we can still cross a couple of items off our to-do list if we get moving.” Louise smacked his thigh, her hand slightly stinging from coming into contact with the solid muscle lined limb.

  “I can get it done tomorrow,” Nix argued with a shake of his head. “I want to snuggle some more now that your sister and Bob are gone.”

  “I thought his name was Rob?”

  “Pfft, it’s not like it matters. I doubt we’ll ever see him again.” Nix stretched. His shirt lifted away from where it met his athletic pants.

  “I agree.” She snorted. “How did you get them to get this place cleaned up so quickly anyway? I know for certain that Maggie is not someone who would voluntarily pick up her own mess.”

  “I told her whatever she didn’t take was going to the burn pile.”

  Louise stared at Nix for a moment before throwing her head back with laughter. “Seriously?”

  “Fuck yeah,” Nix said with a wink. “Plus, after that black eye you gave her, I’m pretty sure she didn’t doubt you would take a match to her shit.”

  Louise covered her face in shame and wanted to hide from his eyes. “I still can’t believe I hit my sister.”

  “You punched her,” Nix corrected.

  “I punched my sister.” Louise moaned.

  “She deserved it.”

  Louise uncovered her face, looking at Nix out of the corner of her eye. “She did deserve it, didn’t she?”

  “She really did.” Nix nodded, his expression without judgement. “You okay?”

  “Sure, why?” Louise looked away, already knowing where he was going with this.

  “Lou.” Nix sighed. “Your sister said a lot of shitty stuff. You okay or do we need to clear some things up?”

  Louise eased back on the couch until her back was against the arm, and she was facing Nix. As if he were unable to keep from touching her, Nix pulled one of her feet into his lap and started massaging the arch.

  “Oh, that.”

  Nix shot her a look. “Yeah that.”

  “What about it?” Louise cleared her throat, not necessarily looking forward to the conversation that was about to happen.

  “Some of what she said was pure shit, but some of it was true, and I figured we might want to clear the air while we had a chance.” Nix kept his gaze on her without stopping the foot rub.

  “Well, I know you’re not using me as a sugar mama if that’s your concern.”

  Nix shook his head. “We both know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “Oh, you mean the endless line of women that paraded through your bed before we met?” Louise asked dryly, unable to keep the edge out of her voice. “Sometimes by the pair?”

  “First off, they never made it to my house.” Nix gave her a soft smile. “You’re the only woman that’s been to my house.”

  Louise tilted her head as she studied him. “Why is that?”

  “I like my privacy.” Nix shrugged after giving her the simple answer. “If I took the women I slept with back to my house, it would have been harder for me to get rid of them.”

  Louise pulled back slightly, his honesty slightly painful for her to hear. “Damn, that’s cold.”

  “That’s all it was, Lou. It was a way for me to get what I needed without all the extras. Don’t give me that look. They all knew the outcome. I never took anyone to bed that didn’t know that’s where it stopped. Sometimes there was a date involved, but more often than not, it was more of a simple hookup. I’d pick up someone down at the Tinderbox, we would fuck, and it was over. No sharing breakfast, no phone calls…just a good time and an understanding that’s all it was. Every single number in my phone understood the arrangement.”

  “How am I different?” Louise asked, the thought of him sleeping with random women leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

  “Completely, Lou. You are completely different.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re my Lou.” Nix smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “You had my complete attention the first moment I saw you.”

  “Oh puh-lease.” Louise rolled her eyes. “You mean with wine spilled all over my pajamas and my hair a mess, wondering what the fuck a bunch of firefighters were doing in my backyard.”

  “Yep, the minute you faced us I knew there was something special about you. You remember what you had on under that robe?” When Louise nodded, he continued, “That tank top was so tight I could see the edges of your nipples under the fabric. Your shorts weren’t much better at covering up that hot little body. Do you know how much I love these thighs?”

  Louise felt a tingle as his hands traced their way up her Lycra-covered thighs. “They’re thick.”

  “Hell yes, they are.” Giving the flesh a squeeze, Nix growled low in his throat. “They’re fucking juicy.”

  “How does that make me different, Nix?”

  “Well, for one, I could tell you were embarrassed getting caught in your pajamas by a bunch of men. That’s not something that happens all that often. In fact, we have had some prank calls, and women answer the door wearing bits of lace as if they couldn’t care less.”

  “Really?” Louise asked, having trouble imagining that particular scenario outside of a bad porno. “That’s gross.”

  “Really,” Nix answered dryly. “Second, you didn’t go crazy when you realized what your nephew had done. The women who hang out at the station would never have offered to watch a kid to help out family much less not lose their shit once they realized what he had done. There is not one drop of maternal instinct in all of them combined. It was obvious y
ou love that kid. Add that to the fact that you were so fucking sexy, I had an erection the first time I saw you, and I knew you were special.”

  “All because I gave you an erection?” Louise teased.

  “Partially.” Nix pulled her other foot into his lap to rub. “I can’t explain it, Lou. You were just different from all the others. That’s not what worried me about that shit your sister was saying though. I was more worried you were going to latch on to the fact that I did insinuate myself into your life pretty hard core. I mean, I do have keys to everything, and honestly, I didn’t necessarily ask before getting copies. Does that bother you?”

  Louise focused on the feel of his massage while she thought for a moment or two. “It was weird at first. I mean, we never really talked about how serious this was, but all of a sudden you were there .”

  When his hands stopped moving, she wiggled her toes a bit. “Keep rubbing, and I’ll keep talking.”

  “Deal,” Nix promised with a wink.

  “I didn’t expect you,” Louise murmured while studying his face. “I didn’t expect to have someone who was there to pick up the slack. I mean, I help out my folks and my brothers and sisters, but I’ve not really had them help me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they never offered, and I was too nice to ask?” Louise posed it as a question, even though she knew the answer. “They’ve always leaned on me. Even my parents. A lot of times my mom would volunteer my help without asking me. It’s been that way since we were little. The minute I was old enough to watch the kids, it became my responsibility to be home right after school, so they had someone there when they got off the bus. When I was old enough to be trusted with a hot stove, I was the one making dinner. A lot of what fell on me happened when I didn’t have a choice to say no or not. It wasn’t until I moved out that I was able to get out of a lot of the little shit they had me doing. I did feel a bit guilty though.”

  “For what?” Nix frowned at her words.

  “When my brother needed someone to watch Junior, I didn’t offer up my place at first,” Louise whispered, still feeling a bit of guilt over the fact that she hadn’t automatically stepped up to help when she knew they needed her.