Fire Goddess

by Crystal Inman

  * * * *

  Kelly ate her salad and drank the tea while listening to Wilda talk about what went on around the set. Christy was apparently telling everyone she was in line for the next big role. Everybody began avoiding her like the plague.

  “You wouldn’t believe her.” Wilda shook her head. “Bryan finally told her to go home. She wasn’t working much today anyway. He actually wrote her out of a scene to make it work. She was furious.”

  Kelly just sighed. “She needs to calm down. Every time I walk by her, she has this look on her face like she’d like me to drop off the face of the earth. It’s disturbing.”

  “Mmm. Hmm.” Wilda studied Kelly and decided to get to the heart of the matter. “Sloan didn’t show up for work today, either. Apparently he had a busy day.”

  “That’s nice.” Kelly fought her natural reaction to his name and prayed her face wouldn’t show the turmoil she felt. She couldn’t sleep last night for remembering his hands and mouth on her body.

  “I like him.” Wilda’s tone was matter-of-fact. The statement caught Kelly off-guard.

  “Huh?”

  Wilda smiled kindly at Kelly. “I like him. And I think you do, too. Why don’t you two go out or something?”

  Kelly stood up from the couch quickly and strode into the kitchen. “I don’t want to talk about Sloan. He helped me out yesterday. That was it.”

  Wilda walked into the kitchen and turned Kelly so she could look into the mortal’s eyes. “What are you afraid of, child? Why do you always run?”

  “I’m not running.” Kelly’s voice was flat and defiant. “Sloan and I aren’t compatible. Period.”

  “Kelly.” Wilda’s voice was soft, and she knew now was the time to bestow one of her two gifts. This mortal needed truth. She needed to recognize it and embrace it.

  “You are more than you think you are. Words can hurt. Yes. But you’ve risen past what you were. When are you finally going to find your strength?”

  Kelly felt the tears slip from her eyes and run silently down her face. She closed her eyes to try and keep her emotions in check. But Wilda pulled her close, and Kelly finally let the dam on her emotions burst.

  “I’m not perfect!” The words were spat out with intensity.

  “What else, child?” Wilda patted Kelly’s back and waited.

  “I hate being told what to do!” Kelly’s voice strengthened considerably. She pulled back and looked Wilda in the eye. “I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions.”

  “Yes.” Wilda’s voice was reassuring.

  “I’m tired of being manipulated. And I’m sick and tired of being confused with my character on the show.”

  Kelly sank slowly into one of her kitchen chairs. Her hands were shaking, and she looked up at Wilda. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Truth, Kelly. Truth.” Wilda gracefully sat down beside her and patted her arm. “I know you think you can block Felicia out and have time for yourself. But your two worlds are still entwined. And she is choking you. What do you want? You. Not Felicia.”

  “Simplicity.” The word came unbidden from her mouth. Kelly savored the word and smiled. “I want simplicity.” She sighed. “Everything used to be so simple. And now it’s complicated.” Thoughts of Sloan clouded her vision. “Very complicated.”

  “You need time away. Finish the next two weeks of shooting and then take time for yourself. Go to your parents’ house. And when sweeps wrap up, you can take a longer vacation.” Wilda’s soft voice was kind. “You simply need to step back for a little while.”

  “I do need a break.” Kelly’s voice was wistful as she thought of her parents’ farm. And she could spend time with Sloan away from the cluster that was known as her life.

  Wilda dipped shallowly in Kelly’s mind and allowed herself a small hope. Kelly didn’t realize that Sloan already meant more to her than she could admit. He touched the part of her she had shut down so many years ago. And that both scared and excited her.

  “I need to go, child. Tomorrow is an early day. Now go relax with some of those bath beads I brought last time. I’ll see you on set tomorrow.” Wilda stood and leaned down to hug Kelly. “Worry less. Live more.”

  Kelly followed her out and watched Wilda drive off. Worry less. Live more. Maybe she would do just that.

  * * * *

  Kelly arrived on the set, smiling. It was going to be a good day. She would see to it. She blew kisses at the guard and breezed right past him. Humming under her breath, she didn’t see Matt until she ran into him.

  His arms shot out and grabbed her roughly. “Well. Look here. It’s the star of the show. How nice of you to join us.”

  Kelly looked at him blandly. “Get your hands off me and go back to the hole you climbed out of.” His hands dropped, and she walked off, grinning. That was easy enough.

  She walked over to the food table and looked over the selection. Sugar. Pure bliss this morning. Kelly snagged a maple long john and took a bite. Her eyes closed in pleasure.

  “Do you want me to leave the two of you alone?”

  Kelly looked up into Christian’s teasing eyes. “You are awful.” She grinned and offered him a bite. “I needed sugar this morning. What about you?” He leaned down and took a bite of the doughnut.

  “Not bad.”

  “Told you.” Kelly tilted her head to the side. “It’s you and me mostly today, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” His eyes danced with mischief. “I will kidnap you and bring you to my dungeon of pleasure where you will be helpless against my masculinity.”

  “Dungeon of pleasure?” Kelly covered her mouth with her hand so she didn’t embarrass herself by spewing doughnut all over the set. Christian was watching her with a huge grin across his face.

  “Hey! I liked it.”

  Kelly dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin and leaned closer to Christian. “Where’s this masculinity you’re supposed to be oozing?” She motioned to his dark pink T-shirt and blue jeans. “A girl has needs, you know.”

  Christian snickered and patted Kelly on the butt. “I’ve got your needs right here.”

  She threw back her head and laughed aloud. When she brought her head up, she caught Sloan’s stare across the stage. He was watching her closely as Bob talked to him and motioned around.

  Her body flushed with pleasure at the reminder of what it felt like to be pressed against him. The strong hands stroking her body and bringing pleasure everywhere they touched. Kelly shivered despite herself and started to walk over when Sloan turned on his heel and left.

  Bob looked up in puzzlement and followed Sloan back to his office. Kelly stood there for a minute and then turned back around.

  “Meet you on the set.” She pecked Christian on the cheek and walked toward her dressing room.

  Kelly opened her door and was surprised to see Wilda and Tempest in the middle of a very intense conversation. She could practically see the sparks flying between them.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  Wilda’s head snapped up, and she smiled. “Not at all, child. Difference of opinion. But I have things well in hand. Not to worry.”

  Tempest arched her eyebrow and studied her sister. Then she looked over at Kelly and sighed. “Do you ever get the feeling she thinks she knows what’s best for everybody?”

  Kelly’s emerald eyes sparkled. “You know. I believe I know exactly what you’re referring to.”

  Wilda snorted and motioned to the chair in front of the mirror. “Sit, child. I will find your outfit while my ungrateful sister puts the finishing touches on your make-up. Is it the ball scene today?”

  “Yes.” Kelly picked a thread on the chair. “I’m a little nervous about this.” She glanced up at the two women. “Do you think the audience will like it?”

  “Oh, honey!” Tempest rolled her eyes and picked up the foundation. “They’ll never know what hit them.”

  * * * *

  Kelly understood exactly what Tempest
meant when she started filming the scene. It was a fairy tale charity ball that her character, Felicia, had thrown together. The rich, elite crowd milled about and made their snide comments while she ruled the whole ball from the wings.

  Bryan had gone all out and hired a small orchestra to serenade for the scene. The polished wood floor was sparkling, and the tapestries were first class. The whole ambience was one of wealth and privilege.

  It was one of those moments where Christian’s character drugged her and carried her out over his shoulder. She flopped side-to-side as Christian spoke his dialogue about making her see what was important and realizing worth was more than surface deep.

  He hauled her off the stage and to the wings where he put her down and grinned. Kelly laughed and pulled him close for a hug. “I believe you meant every word you said.”

  Christian’s blue eyes twinkled. “Told you I had your needs right here.”

  Kelly snorted. “Uh huh. I’ll refrain from judgment until I see the oozing masculinity. Then we’ll talk.”

  Bryan yelled, “Cut!” and the set crew hurriedly put up one of the temporary sets for the house where Felicia was about to make her home for a couple of months.

  “Kel. Christian.” Bryan motioned to both when he got their attention. “Come here. We’ve got something to iron out.”

  They looked at one another and then walked over to the producer. “Okay. Here’s the deal. We’re going to shoot out of sequence until Friday. Then you,” he pointed to Kelly, “are going to take set designer wonder boy home and show him what you want.”

  Christian glanced down at her and bit his lip to keep from laughing.

  “Christian.” Kelly’s green eyes snapped. “If you want your parts to continue to function as necessary, you won’t say a word.”

  He held up his hands and looked away. But Kelly could see the effort he was putting in not to laugh. His shoulders shook silently, and she rolled her eyes. “I am so going to get you for this.” Kelly sighed and shook her head. “I suppose you’ve already made the necessary arrangements, considering this is last minute and all?”

  “Yep.” Bryan took a piece of paper off his clipboard and handed it to her. “The tickets will be at the airlines. There will be a car waiting for you in Oklahoma. Every expense is already taken care of. I don’t want to see you back here any sooner than a week. Got it?”

  “Yeah.” Kelly grimaced as she took the piece of paper. “One week of my life. I guess it could be worse.”

  * * * *

  Kelly finished her workweek and drove home with the truck’s radio blaring. Bright and early tomorrow morning, she and Sloan were headed off to see her mom and dad. They were expecting her arrival, and she couldn’t wait to see them.

  It was just the thought of time alone with Sloan that already shredded her nerves. How can I make him see that I’m not some loose woman out to get laid because I can?

  And how can I be sure he won’t insult me at the first opportunity? Kelly groaned and hit the dashboard. This was why she always kept separation between her two worlds.

  She slammed into her garage and killed the engine. Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel, and she tried to get a grasp on the situation before it spiraled out of control.

  Sloan already had the rules. Kelly snorted softly. He didn’t give a damn about the rules. But her parents deserved to be treated with respect. And so did she. She straightened her shoulders and got out of the truck with a hop.

  She would make sure everything was well on this end before she inflicted any suffering on her parents. Kelly dug through her pocket until she found the scrap of paper Bob had given her with Sloan’s phone number on it.

  Kelly walked up the stairs and unlocked the door. Her mind was already on what she was going to say when she stopped abruptly in the hall.

  Something was wrong. A small frisson of fear ran through her. She tilted her head and tried to figure out what was amiss. Kelly’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the paintings hanging in the hallway. Two of them were off-kilter. She reached quietly into her purse and brought out her mace while she walked slowly down the hall.

  The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Someone had been in her home. And now she needed to know if they were still there. Kelly wasn’t scared, but she was wary. She inched along with her back pressed against the wall and the mace held out like a gun. She had worked too hard to have someone take the security she worked every day to achieve.

  When Kelly was certain she was alone, she reached for her phone and dialed the first number she could think of.

  “Hello.” The masculine voice soothed her nerves immediately.

  “Sloan.” Kelly’s voice came out shakier than she would have liked. “I’m having a little problem at my house.” Her eyes darted around again. She blew out a breath. “And I needed to talk to you anyway. Could you come by sometime this evening? Please?”

  It was the “please” that undid him. He was prepared to completely blow her off at their next contact. But something about her voice was bothering him. She sounded shaken. “What’s wrong?”

  “Just a little problem. Can you come over?”

  Sloan picked up his jacket from the back of his chair and slung it over his arm. “I’m on my way. Be there in about ten minutes.” He hung up the phone without waiting for her reply.

  Kelly looked at the phone and smiled wryly. She may have just opened up a can of worms she didn’t know how to deal with. She hung up and walked back out to the garage. After she opened the door, she sat there in the driveway and waited.

  * * * *

  Sloan pulled up exactly eight minutes later. He barely slowed the truck down before Kelly opened the gate. He parked quickly and hopped out. She could see he was dressed down in jeans and a dark blue T-shirt. He took off his dark sunglasses and looked over at her. He could see she hadn’t changed clothes from the set earlier.

  “Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

  Kelly smiled wanly. “I think I had company at my house while I was at work. I was hoping you could take a look around. I looked myself and didn’t see anything.”

  Sloan strode over to her quickly and grabbed her by both arms. “There was someone in your house today, and you haven’t called the police?” The fury built in him quickly and left him shaken. He stepped back abruptly and tried to regain his composure. “Is that what you just said?”

  “Yes. That’s what I said.” Her calmness did nothing to soothe his temper.

  “You.” He pointed at her. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Sloan pulled a knife out of his boot and walked quickly up toward the house.

  Kelly’s jaw dropped at his quick movement and the flash of silver in his hand. Sloan just grabbed a knife out of his boot. Like he’d done it a million times before. She shook her head in wonder. She hadn’t seen that one coming at all.

  He returned about fifteen minutes later with a scowl. “No one is in there now. And why the hell didn’t you call the police?”

  “And make front page news?” Kelly shuddered. “No thanks.” She tilted her head to the side. “I really do appreciate you coming over and looking around for me.”

  The soft tones in her voice made his midsection tighten. Her mouth held a soft smile that teased him even now. Sloan turned abruptly and motioned to the garage. “Let’s go inside and have our discussion.”

  Kelly nodded and led Sloan up the garage stairs and into the house. Sloan tried not to watch the sway of curves beneath her jeans but found he didn’t want to stop after all. Her petite body was mesmerizing. Even the coolness of their last meeting couldn’t disguise the desire he had for her at every encounter.

  Memories of her body pressed to his and her softness filling his hands made him nearly groan aloud. Maybe this trip wasn’t the best idea after all.

  Kelly turned abruptly at the end of the hallway and caught the look on Sloan’s face. Conflict was written clearly, and she paused to study him. “What’s on your mind, Sloan
?”

  “Us.”

  The one word took the wind out of Kelly’s lungs as she met Sloan’s stare. Memories of their previous time together had her breasts tightening against her shirt. The feel of those hands on her body was something she tried hard every night to forget. So far, she wasn’t successful.

  “I want to discuss that, too.” Kelly stiffened her backbone and met his eyes.

  The movement brought her breasts flush up against the fabric of her shirt, and Sloan looked down before he could tell himself not to. Those hard buds had felt so good against his hands.

  He tried to make light of the situation. Sloan’s gaze met hers. “Going to tell me to keep my hands to myself?”

  “No.” The word was strong even though Kelly’s insides were shaking. She knew it would never be that simple with him. “But I need you to understand the life I lead. And the simple reason that you and I can’t be two things to each other. My professional and personal lives have an odd way of intersecting and destroying each other.”

  Sloan reached out and undid the clip on the top of Kelly’s head. Her red hair tumbled down onto her shoulders in soft waves. He threaded his hands through it and brought her closer to him. “You’re not Felicia.”

  The soft, simple words touched her heart more than she cared to admit. “But I am.” She shrugged lightly. “Or parts of me are. You, yourself, have pointed that out more than a few times. My life is complicated.”

  Kelly blew out a breath and stepped back. Her emerald gaze searched Sloan’s eyes. “We need to talk about this trip. There are a few things you need to know before we go.”

  Sloan’s hand dropped. Kelly turned and walked into the living room. She sat on the loveseat and tucked her feet underneath her. Sloan sat on the couch and waited for her to speak.

  “I keep my personal life and professional life separate. Whenever the two of them connect, there’s a problem.” Kelly held his gaze. “And my family is the one thing I never let my professional life near. That’s why this trip is so hard. Mom and Dad have protected me against all the bad things in this world. And now I’m doing my part to protect them. This business can be great. But it can also be brutal.” She grimaced. “I refuse to subject my family to the cutthroat shit that permeates even the air in this place.”