Burn Me Anthology

by Shantel Tessier

  She places her hands on my chest, and I’m sure she’s going to push me away, but she doesn’t. “I can’t do this with you,” she says, defeated.

  “You can,” I assure her. Leaving one hand braced above her, the other rests under her chin. Gently, I lift so she’s looking at me. “There’s a spark between us, Kins. I know you feel it. Why are you fighting this?”

  “You don’t understand.” She closes her eyes.

  “Don’t hide those big brown eyes from me,” I tell her. I wait for her to open them. “Tell me, what don’t I understand?” Leaning in, I kiss the corner of her mouth. It takes willpower—I didn’t know I had—not to kiss the hell out of her.

  “I’m working, Brantley. I’m sure maintenance is already trying to figure out what’s going on.” Removing her hands from my chest, she tugs my hand from her face and dips under my arm. I don’t stop her. Resting my forehead against the elevator wall, I try to get myself under control. When we stop moving, I lift my gaze just in time to watch as she steps out. Not once does she glance at me. What’s it going to take to convince her?

  Chapter 2

  Kinsley

  How I’m able to walk out of the elevator on my shaking legs, I have no idea. Not falling on my ass is an even bigger accomplishment. Brantley Price is lethal. Tall, muscular, dark brown hair… he’s every woman’s fantasy, including mine. I just can’t let myself go there, no matter how badly I want to.

  “Miss Spears, the elevator—” Joe, my maintenance man, begins.

  I hold up my hand to stop him. “It’s all under control. The elevator is fine. The Stop button was pushed, but it’s been resolved.”

  His shoulders visibly relax. “Okay, good. The fire department’s here, making their rounds.”

  “I’m aware, thank you, Joe,” I say, dismissing him. I’m still trembling from my run in with Brantley. Turning, I hurry down the hall to my office and quietly close the door, resting my back against it. How much longer can I fight this? Why can’t he be like the others and just give up? I’ve had a few offers since I’ve been back to town, and I’ve turned them all down. They all took my no for what it was and haven’t bothered again. Brantley, he just keeps asking, keeps pushing. He doesn’t hold back, nor does he hide who he is from me, dirty talking and all. That makes him even harder to resist.

  My cell phone vibrates across my desk. I rush to grab it and see my best friend, Anna’s name flash across the screen. “Hey,” I greet her.

  “What’s up?” she asks.

  “Nothing, you know, just another day of telling the sex god Brantley Price that I want nothing to do with him.”

  She laughs. “He’s determined, that’s for sure.”

  “Yeah. I just don’t understand why he won’t give up. Can’t he see he’s not going to win this game?”

  “Who says it’s a game?” Anna counters.

  “Come on, Anna. This is Brantley Price. The same gorgeous guy who roamed the halls of our high school, the same guy who has women falling at his feet. The same guy who could have anyone he wanted.”

  “All true, but, Kins, he wants you.”

  “I’m a challenge.”

  “Maybe.” She chuckles. “However, he’s been relentless since you came back to town.”

  “That’s easy. He doesn’t like to be told no.”

  “At first, I would have agreed with you, but now… there’s something there.”

  “Right,” I scoff. “Anyway, what’s up with you?”

  “Mara called and wants us to meet up with her and Lacey at the Tavern tonight. You interested?”

  “After the week I’ve had, you know it. I could use a drink or ten.”

  She laughs. “I’ll drive so you can indulge.”

  “You’re too good to me, roomie.”

  “You’ve done the same for me. Many times,” she adds. “I think we’re even.”

  “I’ll see you at home tonight.”

  “See ya,” she chirps, and ends the call.

  Dropping my phone back on my desk, I mentally thank my best friend and roommate for the distraction. That is until I hear him.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, are there any fires that need to be put out in here?” I can hear the laughter in his voice.

  Turning toward the door, I see him, Brantley, standing in my doorway. He’s wearing a grin that I fight hard not to return. “I’m all set, thanks though,” I tell him.

  “How about dinner, tonight?” he asks.

  “Sorry, just made plans with the girls.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Nope. Are we done here, Mr. Price?” I ask, trying to maintain some semblance of control.

  He steps into my office, and in a few long strides, we’re standing toe to toe. Reaching up, his hand tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “We’re not done, Kins. Not even close.” With those parting words, he turns and walks out of my office.

  Luckily, my chair is right behind me. I drop into it, my shaking legs no longer able to hold me up. I don’t know how much longer I can keep refusing him. He’s determined, and with each interaction, my resolve slips away. If he had a different profession, I would have already let myself get lost in him. Now, it’s a struggle. A daily battle of wills and my fight is fading.

  I spend the rest of the day trying to push thoughts of Brantley out of my mind. At five o’clock, I find myself rushing home. Anna and I are meeting up with Mara and Lacey for a girls’ night. I need a drink in the worst way.

  ***

  “Now, tonight we’re letting loose. No complaints,” Anna says, pulling into the Tavern’s parking lot.

  “You’re not going to get any from me. After today, I need a few or twenty.” I laugh.

  “Oh, poor Kinsley. You have one of the hottest guys in town chasing you, and he has been for months, such a hardship,” she sighs dramatically.

  “Ha ha, I get it. I know how it sounds, but I can’t date a firefighter. It’s not going to lead to anything because I won’t let it, so why bother? It’s time to start thinking about the future and finding forever,” I tell her.

  “You’re twenty-three, not thirty-three. There’s still time to find Mr. Right. In the meantime, you should enjoy a little Brantley. I mean it’s a small Price to pay.” She winks. “Or not from what I’ve heard.”

  “You did not just say that,” I say, opening my door and climbing out of the car.

  “You remember high school, right?” she asks, meeting me at the front of the car. “Sure, he was three years older than us, but the rumors, and well, his football uniform….” She waggles her eyebrows.

  “Enough about him. No more Brantley talk tonight. I’ve had enough of him for one day.” I’m hoping if I keep telling myself that, it will become true. Right now, with his persistence that I go out with him, he’s all I think about.

  “Fine, but the first round is on you.”

  “Deal,” I say, linking my arm through hers as we head inside.

  “There’s Mara and Lacey.” Anna points to the back corner.

  “It’s about damn time you got here,” Mara chirps. “You’re behind,” she says, pushing two shots across the booth toward Anna and me.

  “How many have you had?” I ask.

  “Just one, but it’s about to be two,” she says just as the bartender Thomas stops next to the booth. He sets another shot in front of each of us, as well as a bottle of beer.

  “Ladies,” he says with his boyish grin. Thomas is good-looking with dark hair, dark eyes, and tattoos. I’m sure he kills it with tips, using that smile of his. There are always more women than men here on the nights he’s working. Smart move on the owner’s part. He was probably hired on the spot, just by looking at him.

  “Thanks,” Lacey says, batting her eyelashes at him. She’s the biggest flirt out of the four of us.

  “Kins,” Anna says, raising her first shot. I grab mine, and we toss them back at the same time. “Raise ’em up, ladies.” She grabs number two and holds it in the air. We all follow
suit, holding shot number two in the air. Our hands meet in the center of the table. “It’s not the length. It’s not the size. It’s how often he can make it rise,” Anna says with a wink.

  Mara, Lacey, and I laugh so hard we’re barely able to take the shot. “Where do you come up with this stuff?” I ask, placing my empty shot glass on the table.

  “What can I say? It’s a gift.” She shrugs.

  That’s how our night goes. We toss back shots accompanied by Anna’s crazy toasts. We’re all well on our way to wasted. Hell, it’s safe to say we’re already there. Girls’ night was exactly what I needed to forget about him.

  “Even drunk you talk about him,” Lacey says.

  “What?” I ask, confused.

  “Brantley, you just said tonight was what you needed to not think about him.”

  “Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I admit.

  “I still can’t believe you’re turning his fine ass down,” Anna adds.

  “Just admit it, you want him,” Mara says.

  “Fine. I want him. How could I not? Have you seen him? Those broad shoulders? I want to run my hands through his hair and lick his tattoos, but you all know why I can’t do that.”

  “They might, but I don’t.” A deep voice comes from beside me.

  Fuck me. That deep voice belongs to one man, the one who’s starred in all my fantasies over the last several months. I glare across the table at Lacey and Mara, who are both grinning. They could have warned me.

  Chapter 3

  Brantley

  When Derek called and wanted to meet up at the Tavern, I agreed because really, there’s nothing else to do in this town. Now that I’m here, and I’ve heard her drunken confession, I’m fucking ecstatic that I agreed.

  “Hey, Brantley,” Lacey says, with the same flirty voice she always greets me with.

  “Ladies,” I say, not playing her game. I want Kinsley to know she’s the only one I’m interested in. I’m not into games. Besides, after her confession, it seems I may be closer to getting the girl than I originally thought.

  “Brant.” She breathes my name. She’s always formal with me, never using my nickname, always fighting the sparks that threaten to ignite anytime we get close. Not tonight. Tonight, my girl is relaxed and liquored up.

  Crouching down, I place one hand on the back of the booth and the other on her leg. “Hey, baby,” I say, low enough for only her to hear me.

  “What are you doing here?” she asks, blinking rapidly as if she can’t believe it’s really me.

  “Getting a drink with the guys.” I don’t take my eyes off her.

  “You should go do that,” she tells me. Her eyes are glassy.

  “Change of plans.”

  “W-what? You’re leaving?” she asks, shifting in her seat.

  “Not leaving you. You keep having fun with your girls, and then I’ll take you home.”

  “Anna drove.”

  Leaning forward, I look at Anna next to her in the booth. She’s in no shape to drive. A quick survey of the other two and neither are they. No way is she leaving here with them. “I’ll get you home, all of you.” Leaning in, I place my lips next to her ear. “You have fun. I’ll be at the bar if you need me.” Unable to resist, I kiss her just below her ear. “Ladies,” I say, standing to my full height.

  “Where you going, handsome?” Lacey asks.

  “I’ll be at the bar. None of you leave without me. Got it?” I clarify, making sure I have their attention.

  “Yes, sir.” Mara salutes me with a laugh.

  I place my hand on the back of Kinsley’s neck and lean in close. “I mean it, Kins. You don’t leave without me. I’ll just be over at the bar if you need me.” Still unable to fight the pull that she has over me, I press my lips to her temple and then turn and walk away.

  Derek hands me a beer, and I shake my head. “Not tonight,” I say, signaling the bartender and ordering a bottle of water.

  “What the fuck? Why aren’t you drinking?” my little brother, Shane, asks.

  I motion with my head to the back booth where Kinsley and her friends are sitting. “Making sure they get home.” I take a swig of my water. Shane just rolls his eyes. He lives with me and has heard me complain multiple times about not knowing what it’s going to take to get her to change her mind and go out with me. At four years younger than me, he was a year younger than Kinsley in school. He works right alongside me at Clay County Fire. Our father was a firefighter but has long since retired due to a heart condition he was diagnosed with a few years ago. Shane and I both decided to follow in his footsteps.

  “You volunteer for that position?” Mason asks. Mason is the same age as Shane, and he too works at the department with Derek and me.

  “Yep.” No need to elaborate. They all know I want her.

  “Pussy,” Derek says with a smile, lifting his bottle to his lips.

  “Determined,” I counter. “Besides, they’re sloshed, all of them. No way do I want that on my conscience.”

  “Oh, they’re sloshed all right,” Shane says, pointing behind me.

  My gaze locks on the four of them swinging their hips, hands in the air, drinks in hand to the beat from the jukebox. I don’t look away as I watch them have their fun. That lasts about two minutes before Kinsley is approached by some drunk asshole. Yeah, so not happening. His drunk friends are standing from their table. “Fellas, you need to pick one. I don’t care as long as it’s not Kinsley. Keep those drunk bastards away from them,” I say, sitting my water bottle on the bar and standing.

  “Brother.” Shane claps me on the shoulder. “This is one order I’ll gladly take with no complaints. Every fucking one of them is a wet dream.”

  I don’t bother to comment. I leave them standing there, or hell, they could be right behind me. I don’t know. All I know is that he’s not getting close to my girl. I walk up behind Kinsley just as Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” starts to play. “This is our song, baby,” I say, placing my hands on her hips and pulling her against my chest.

  “Dude, I seen her first,” drunk guy yells over the music.

  “She’s been mine for a long damn time.” I state the facts. She’s just been fighting it. It’s my mission to wipe away any fears she might have, especially after her earlier confession.

  “You with him?” drunk guy asks, stepping closer. I tighten my hold on her. She nods and rests her head back against my chest. He mumbles something that sounds like “Fucking figures,” and walks away.

  I don’t give him one more second of my attention. Instead, I sway my hips, singing softly to my very own brown-eyed girl. Kinsley matches my rhythm as we sway to the beat. “Brown Eyed Girl” fades away as “When I See You Smile” by Bad English starts to play. There are times when I’ve considered giving up on her, but I feel it in my gut, in my heart of hearts that we’re good together. I just need to work past this barrier she has in place. I need to make her see.

  She turns in my arms, places them around my neck, and softly smiles up at me. My fucking heart flips over in my chest. “You never give up,” she says. Her big brown eyes are glassy, letting me know she’s had a lot to drink. She’s a little wobbly on her feet, so I tighten my hold, not that it’s a hardship having her tight in my embrace.

  We’re no longer moving to the beat. Instead, we stand still in a sea of others on the dance floor, looking into each other’s eyes. Ever so slowly, I lean in and place a kiss on the corner of her mouth. “I won’t give up.”

  She shakes her head as if she just doesn’t get it. “We can’t be together, Brantley. I wish you could understand that.”

  “Why, Kinsley? Explain it to me.” I pull her a little tighter to my chest. I don’t want there to be any space between us. Ever. “From where I’m standing, we fit really fucking nice together.”

  She sighs and lays her head against my chest. I wrap my arms around her a little tighter, if that’s even possible. I couldn’t give a fuck that we’re the only ones st
anding still. She’s in my arms, finally where she belongs. I’m seizing the fucking moment, memorizing the feel of her in my arms. I know that if were not for the alcohol, she wouldn’t have let me this close. It’s a struggle to get her attention; she’s good at evading.

  Before I have time to… Mara interrupts. “Time for drinks,” she announces, pulling Kinsley from my arms.

  I watch as Mara drags her back to the table that Shane, Derek, and Mason are sitting at. Giving my boys a mental fist bump, I follow along behind them. I take a seat beside Shane and watch as the girls each pound back another shot. “How many have they had?” I ask Shane.

  He shrugs. “This is the first since we’ve been here, but they’re all pretty lit.”

  “Another.” Anna holds up yet another shot glass. “Here’s to those who wish us well, all the rest can go to hell,” she toasts

  The girls clink their glasses together, splashing their shots before tossing them back. Kinsley leans over, pressing her forehead against the table. She’s done. Standing, I go to her and place my hands on her shoulders. “I think she’s had enough,” I tell her friends. Anna, her roommate, groans in agreement. Bending down, I move Kinsley’s hair over her shoulder and speak just to her. “Babe, let’s get you home.” I’ve seen her out with her friends before, but she’s never been this drunk. She’s cute as hell when she lets her guard down, but this is too much. She’s had enough.

  “Urgh,” she moans, turning her head. “Anna drove me.” Her voice slurs, cheek is resting against the wooden table. Her long blonde hair is covering her face.

  “She’s not taking you home. You’re both coming with me. Come on,” I push her hair out of her eyes. Standing, I pull out her chair, causing her to begrudgingly lift her head from the table. I hold out my hand, and she takes it. Pulling her to her unsteady feet, I guide her to my chest and wrap my arms around her for the second time tonight.

  “Need some help?” Shane asks me.

  “Yeah, actually, can you get Anna? Bring her out to my truck?” I look over at Derek and Mason. “Can you two make sure they get home?” I ask. Mason gives me an “are you fucking stupid” look. He’s right, I know they will, but I feel better asking.