Warnings and Wildfires

by Autumn Jones Lake

  “Oh.” She leans in, brushing her lips over my shoulder, distracting me.

  “Give me something.”

  I’m done avoiding whatever this is between us. No, I’m all in. I want to be closer to her but not just in the physical way. I take her head back and kiss her soft lips. Slowly savoring her, I continue kissing her neck and when she finally moans for me, I pull back.

  She sighs, and I cover her mouth with my finger. “Give me something,” I repeat.

  “I’m prepared to give you everything.” Under me, she wiggles her hips to emphasize the everything.

  “I want more than sex from you. Tell me something simple.”

  She throws her hands in the air. “You know where I live, where I work, my favorite flavor of ice cream, what my major is. What more do you want to know?” Her bottom lip juts out and I barely resist taking another taste.

  “What’s your favorite color? We’ll start there.”

  Her shoulders drop in obvious relief. “Red.”

  “You look good in red. Favorite season?”

  “Fall.”

  “There, was that so hard?”

  “What about you?”

  “Black and summer.” I don’t give her time to cut me off. “When’s your birthday?” I ask.

  “January.” Her eyes soften as she stares off at something in the distance she can’t quite touch. “I hate winter. Just once I want to spend my birthday somewhere warm. On the beach. From sunrise to sunset.”

  I squeeze her to me and pat her butt. “I’d definitely be down for you in a bathing suit and some sand under our toes.”

  “January’s kind of far away,” she whispers.

  Not liking what her words imply, I kiss her forehead. “Not really.”

  “Now we know more about each other. Happy?”

  I chuckle against her neck, pushing her heavy hair out of my way. Under my touch, she shivers. “Cold?”

  “I’m so hot for you it’s not even funny.”

  I open my mouth to tell her I feel the same way, but she presses her fingers over my lips. “Sully, question time’s over.”

  I kiss her fingertips, her palm, and the inside of her wrist. Her body tenses and I glance up, meeting her troubled eyes.

  “I thought of something else to tell you about me,” she whispers.

  “What’s that?” She looks so scared and vulnerable. Whatever she has to say, I want to assure her it’s okay.

  “Please don’t break my heart.”

  Has anything more pitiful ever come out of my mouth? Probably.

  “You’re the heartbreaker here,” Sully says. Somehow his words reassure me that I’m not alone in what’s happening between us.

  I glance at the clock and poke him in the chest. “We can’t be late again.”

  He groans and shuts his eyes. “Sometimes being the boss really sucks.”

  Tickling my fingers over his chest, I lean and kiss his cheek. “Yeah, but you’re really good at it.”

  “You’re killing me.”

  We end up arriving at Strike Back on time.

  Around three, Celia sends me a text to let me know her flight is on time.

  I hate interrupting Sully, but I want to let him know I’m leaving.

  “Sully,” I call out.

  He sets the weights he was using down and in the couple seconds it takes for him to scrub a towel over his face I admire his glistening muscles.

  “What’s up?” he asks.

  “I need to go pick up my sister.”

  “Sorry, I forgot.” Something, maybe disappointment, clouds his eyes. “I don’t suppose I can entice you to come to dinner tonight? Nothing fancy,” he hurries to add. “I usually get together with some of the guys on Sunday nights.”

  “So, not a date. Just friends?”

  I think he realizes what I’m asking before I do. “Girlfriends are allowed to come.”

  I step closer and grab onto his T-shirt, twisting my fingers in the material, bringing him closer. “Are you calling me your girlfriend?”

  “Is there something else you’d rather I call you?” he teases.

  “Does that mean I can tell people you’re my boyfriend?”

  “You can.” He hesitates and pulls back. “Is someone asking?” A hint of jealousy colors his question.

  I’m not one to play games or stoke the flames of envy, so I answer honestly. “I ran into Ty yesterday, and he asked if we were seeing each other. I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to say.”

  He frowns. “Yeah, you can definitely tell him.”

  I tip my head back and poke him in the side. “Aww, are you jealous of my neighbor?”

  “No.”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s into my sister. So I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

  He shakes his head, but it feels like there’s more he wants to say on the subject of Ty. “If Celia’s interested, she’s welcomed to join us tonight.”

  “Okay, I’ll let her know.”

  He walks me out to my car. “I’m going to miss having wheels,” I joke as I open the door.

  “Be careful.” He presses a quick kiss to my cheek and opens my door for me.

  Celia’s plane is not on time. I grabbed a caramel Frappuccino from the airport Starbucks for her and it’s currently melting in my hand while I wait.

  Finally, the screen announces her plane’s arrival and my heart rate slows. It’s still another fifteen minutes before I spot her. I raise my free hand and wave, hoping she can see me.

  “Hey! I was getting worried about you!” I give her a tight hug.

  “Ugh, the last thirty minutes were awful. I’m so happy to see you!”

  I thrust the drink into her hands and she beams at me. “You must love me. I know how you feel about the big coffee giant,” she teases.

  “Don’t tell Brantley.” My manager at Busy Beans would die if he knew I set foot inside a Starbucks.

  My sister travels light, so we don’t have to wait for her luggage. She’s vibrating with energy, practically skipping to the car. “I’m so happy to be home.”

  I toss her the keys and she adjusts the seat before sliding into the driver’s side.

  “How was your weekend? Do anything fun?”

  Sully. And yes, he was fun.

  “I, uh, yeah. It was good.”

  She glances over. “Sounds like there’s more to it than that. What’d you do?”

  “Hung out with Sully, mostly.” I wince and wait for her to lecture me.

  “Mr. buff, gym dude? The guy you’re working for part-time?” she asks drawing out the questions, pretending her memory’s a little fuzzy on the subject.

  “Yes,” I answer with a hint of impatience.

  “Go, Aubrey,” she mutters. “He’s pretty damn hot.”

  A relieved breath whooshes out of me. “He is. He’s really sweet though too. I like him a lot,” I add in a quieter voice.

  “Good. God, Aubrey. It’s been a long time, you should be dating.”

  “I’ve dated.” Or at least I’ve tried to.

  She blows out an I-call-bullshit breath. “You have to stop punishing yourself for something that wasn’t your fault.”

  She’s wrong of course, but I’m not going to argue with her. I’m moving on with my life and that’s all that matters. “He invited us to meet up with him and his friends tonight for dinner if you’re interested.”

  “Sure. I’m still too keyed up to go home for the night.” She’s quiet for a second. “Wait, is his degenerate brother going to be there?”

  “Stop. Jake’s actually really nice.”

  “Yeah, because he knows if he touches you, Sully will kill him. To everyone else with a vagina, he’s probably a dick.” She stops and snickers. “Or tries to stick his—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I interrupt. “Save it, funny girl.”

  She spends the rest of the drive home filling me in on her conference. All about new products she plans to try. She wants me to stop by the salon one morning so
she can use me as a hair model for a class she’s supposed to teach.

  “Sure. As long as it’s not braiding. Last time I thought you were going to rip my scalp off.”

  “No braiding. I promise.”

  At home she switches into planning-a-night-out-mode, tearing through outfits in her closet at warp-speed.

  “You have such great legs,” she says, tossing a short denim skirt at me. Well, on her it’s short, on me not so much. “Wear that.”

  “With what?”

  “Uh.” More stuff goes flying through the air. “This.” She throws a peacock blue halter top my way. “That color makes your eyes pop.”

  I cock my head. “Do I want my eyes to pop? Sounds painful.”

  “Ha. Ha. Go get dressed.”

  In my room, I stop and send Sully a text to let him know we’ll be there.

  Can’t wait to see you, he writes back.

  Warmth spreads through my chest.

  I can’t wait to see him either.

  An hour later we arrive and to my surprise, Sully meets us at the door.

  “Hey,” he says and with no hesitation, sweeps me up against his body, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. He touches his forehead to mine long enough to murmur, “Missed you.”

  Swoon, swoon, swoony-swoon. Seriously, I’m a pile of mush inside. “Missed you too.”

  Behind us, Celia clears her throat. Yeah, we’re kind of causing a scene. Sully slowly sets me down and holds out his hand. “Nice to see you again, Celia.”

  She eyes him with a brief moment of suspicion before shaking his hand. “I see you’ve gotten closer to my sister,” she says.

  I elbow her in the ribs—which she ignores.

  Sully’s not offended. He gives her a lopsided smile. “Do I measure up?”

  “I guess we’ll see.”

  He chuckles and takes my hand. “We always try to grab the big booth in the back. Keegan and Jake are already here. Liam said he and Bree will stop by later.”

  Wow, I’ve been so caught up with Sully, I haven’t even told Bree.

  Jake’s eyes widen when the three of us approach and he sits up straighter. “Keegan, you know, Aubrey. This is her sister, Celia.”

  Keegan actually stands and shakes her hand.

  Jake nods and settles back against the booth. “Nice to see you again.”

  She briefly narrows her eyes, then flashes a smile at him. “You too.”

  “The waitress has been slammed tonight. Ordering at the bar might be quicker,” Keegan warns us.

  Sully asks Celia what she wants, then me. “I’ll go with you,” I offer.

  It ends up being pointless for me to go with him. I’m too short for the bartender to even spot me in the crowd unless I jump up and down.

  After Sully places our order, he slips an arm around my shoulder and leans down to kiss my temple. “I got you.”

  I love the way he makes me feel. Safe, warm, and protected.

  When we’re finally handed our order, I grab the pitcher of beer and let him take the rest.

  “Thanks,” Celia says, grabbing the pitcher from me. I slide in next to her.

  “We tried to divide and conquer, but the bartender kept looking right over me.”

  “You’ve gotta be more aggressive,” Sully teases. “Get right in their face.”

  “It’s so unfair.” I laugh and slap Sully’s arm. “You have like ten inches on me. They can’t even see me over the bar.”

  He leans in and brushes a kiss over my cheek. “You’re perfect,” he whispers in my ear.

  Jake sets his beer on the table with a thunk, drawing our attention his way. “Ten inches? More like ten and a half or eleven.” He holds his hands about two feet apart. “The Wallace brothers are extremely well hung.”

  I cough and look away.

  Sully reaches behind Celia and me and shoves Jake’s shoulder. “No one was talking about that. What’s the matter with you?”

  “No offense to you, Sully,” Celia says with a smile. She casts a less pleasant look Jake’s way. “I find guys who feel the need to brag about their dick size usually aren’t packing much. Or they’re unimpressive in the sack because they think their big tool is all they need to get the job done.”

  “Oh, he’s a big tool all right,” Keegan says. He lifts his chin at Sully. “I like her.”

  Jake casts a sideways glance at his friend before responding to Celia. “I’ll prove your theory wrong any time you want, sweetheart.”

  Celia leans into me and loud enough for everyone at the table to hear says, “I’m guessing Sully has the bigger package and that’s why Jake feels the need to overcompensate.”

  While Sully and Keegan groan, I choke and reach for my water.

  Unfazed, Jake reclines, spreading his arms over the back of the booth. He trains his mischievous eyes on my sister, staring her down. “Baby, anytime you wanna see my dick, all you have to do is ask.”

  “No one wants to see your dick,” Keegan assures him. “Stop begging girls to look at your junk all the time. It’s embarrassing.”

  Sully’s more direct with his brother. “Knock it off,” he warns.

  Jake’s smug smile only grows wider, but he doesn’t offer up any more invitations into his pants.

  “There they are.” Keegan nods toward the front of the bar.

  “Thank God,” Sully grumbles. He leans down. “Sorry about my brother. He’s not usually this obnoxious.”

  “Celia can handle herself. If you haven’t noticed.”

  “Yeah,” he mutters, glancing over at them.

  Liam and Bree make their way through the crowded bar to our table and Bree’s eyes widen when she sees Sully’s arm around me. She grins and flashes me a quick thumbs-up.

  “Never been so happy to see you two.” Keegan casts a dramatic eye roll toward Liam. “You saved us from having to listen to Jake bragging about the size of his tool all night long.”

  Celia snickers into her hand before throwing a quick wave. “Hey, Bree, good to see you again.”

  “Why is Jake talking about his tool at dinner?” Liam asks.

  “He was trying to impress me,” Celia explains. “But it takes more than a large tool to capture my interest.”

  Everyone, except me, laughs while Liam and Bree squeeze into our round booth next to Keegan, pushing Jake closer to Celia.

  God, I hope the two of them behave.

  Bree touches the ends of her hair and smiles at Celia. “I need to come see you again, Celia.”

  “Anytime.”

  “What do you do, Celia?” Keegan asks.

  My sister beams. “I’m a hair-stylist.”

  “Are you any good?” Jake asks with a smirk.

  My sister slowly turns and studies him. Without answering, she reaches out and runs her fingers through his hair. He leans into her like a big ol’ jungle cat—eyes closed and all. “You cut this yourself with hedge-trimmers or something?” she asks.

  His eyes snap open, but they’re dancing with laughter instead of annoyance. “No.” He lifts his chin Sully’s way. “He cuts it.”

  Sully shrugs. “I’ve done it since we were kids.”

  Something about that hits me right in the chest. Can Sully be any sweeter?

  Even though he didn’t extend an invite, she reaches over and runs her hand over Sully’s head. This time, I slap her hand away before she has a chance to comment.

  “You do men’s hair too?” Bree asks.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” Liam says. “I like where I go just fine.”

  Keegan tucks his hands up under his chin. His eyes widen and his mouth kicks into a childish grin. “Gee, what’s next, boys and girls? Can we share makeup tips too? I’m in desperate need of tips on how to achieve the perfect smoky eye.”

  While the rest of us burst into laughter, Celia shrugs. “You asked.”

  “I need to run to the ladies’ room.” Under the table, I tap Celia with my foot. In her shin. I nudge Sully to let me out of the booth and Celia
follows.

  “Why are you flirting with him when you clearly don’t like him?”

  “Who?” she asks.

  “Don’t ‘who’ me.”

  “That was not flirting.” She waves a hand in the air. “He needs to be taken down a notch or two.”

  I stop her with a hand on her arm. “Celia, I really, really like Sully, which means I’ll probably spend a lot of time around Jake. Please don’t make it miserable.”

  Finally, she stops and really looks at me. “I’ll try.” She glances back at the table. “I guess as long as he keeps his mouth shut, he’s not bad to look at.”

  “That’s the spirit.”

  Celia teasingly shoves my shoulder. “I see someone I know, I’m going to stop at the bar and say hello.”

  “See you back at the table.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” I growl at Jake while he watches Celia and Aubrey disappear into the crowd.

  “What?” he asks with an innocently raised eyebrow.

  “Don’t fuck your brother’s girlfriend’s sister. Christ, why do we have to spell everything out for you?” Keegan snarls.

  “I didn’t. Yet,” he mutters.

  Keegan shakes his head. “Your ego is huge.”

  “Oh, it’s huge—” Jake starts.

  “Don’t,” Liam growls, cutting off my brother’s dirty innuendo.

  Bree snickers into her hand. “Nothing Jake says surprises me by now.”

  Jake turns his laser focus Bree’s way. “Is she seeing anyone?”

  For some reason, Bree takes the question seriously. “I don’t think so.” A wicked smile curves her lips. “But Keegan has a point. If you date Aubrey’s sister, it might be awkward later.” She shoots a devilish look my way. “You know, if Sully asks you to be his best man and Aubrey asks her sister to be her maid of honor…” She drifts off, letting the suggestion hang in the air.

  Jake and Keegan howl with laughter, assuming the way-too-soon-for-hinting-about-a-wedding bothers me. Liam casts a sideways glance at his fiancée.

  Our waitress drops off the rest of our order, almost putting an end to any more premature wedding planning.

  I glance down the hall, but there’s no sign of Aubrey. I notice Celia over by the bar.