Tori chuckled. “Surrrre she doesn’t. I could practically hear the drool from your mouth hitting the floor.”
“Ok, I won’t lie.” He sucked in another hit then passed it back to her. “She’s smokin’ hot. Her and Harris could have probably posed for the top of the wedding cake couple.”
“If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re doing a really shitty job of it.” Tori let out a snort and sputtered out another cough. At least the weed was making her feel better.
“What I’m saying is, yes, it would’ve been picture perfect, and so very boring.” Blaze made a snoring noise.
“Yet you wanted her?” Tori raised her brow to him.
“Yeah, to fuck her.”
“Liar. You got all tongue-tied and acted like an actual gentleman around her. You liked her!” Tori nudged him. “She was all cute, sweet, smelled like strawberries and had that sickly perfect, southern voice.” Tori shook her head. “Good grief, the woman teaches sweet, little special ed kids. How much more selfless could she be?”
“She did have a killer smile and brown, puppy-dog eyes that were hard to resist. Oh, and this little, cute freckle right above her lip.”
“Again, not helping,” Tori growled.
“Listen. I’m not Harris.”
He shrugged, his shoulder rubbing against hers.
“Maybe I need a little normal and sweet in my life to balance me out. Harris, he needs more. He needs someone that will challenge him. You, Blondie—fit that bill perfectly.”
Tori took a hit and let out a long breath. Maybe Blaze was right. She passed the joint back out to him.
“Now, Blondie, I have one question about Donaghue out of shear filthy curiosity—”
“Yes. I fucked him,” Tori beat him to the punch.
“Look at you, you little minx. Scoring yourself a congressman. Nice.”
Tori lifted her hand and he high fived her, which made them both laugh. “I bet Scott was insanely jealous.”
“Oh, he wasn’t thrilled one bit.” She giggled. “Mainly because I think he hated his sleazy politics. I did too, but come on, it’s a congressman and he was gorgeous. That silver fox was quite the fuck-trophy to have, especially for the girl who’d never been DC royalty.”
“Hey, at least he got laid right before he died. I can’t think of a better way to go,” Blaze joked.
Tori laughed. “Hey. My brain feels really big.”
Blaze giggled. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re smarter right now.”
“No, not like a brainy smart thing. Like my head weighs more.”
Blaze clutched his stomach and Tori heard him fall off the bale of hay and roll on the ground. “OMG, Blondie, you’re fucking high as a kite.” He couldn't contain his laughter. “You’re cut off.”
The bed dipped as Scott climbed in. Tori continued to scroll through her phone, the VoiceOver on Facebook blared every social media status, keeping her up to date.
“How’d the rest of the evening go with my folks?”
Tori’s lips tightened. “Fine.” She didn’t want to talk about it.
He placed his hand on her leg. “Blaze told me what happened. I’m sorry.”
Tori sighed and put the phone down. “How could you not tell them?”
“I was waiting for the right time.”
She snorted. “No; what you were doing was avoiding having an uncomfortable conversation with your parents.”
“Says the queen of avoidance.”
She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Are you embarrassed of me?”
“Of course not.” He pulled her in close.
She tried to wiggle away but he just held to her tighter.
“Tori, none of this stuff is their business.” He sighed. “Listen, my dad is into politics and news, like me. When Donaghue died the media painted you in such a poor light and I feared they saw the stories. I knew once they met you they’d fall in love with you, just as much as I have. I was never embarrassed of you, ever. I only wanted to protect your privacy.”
“When do you plan to tell your folks that I can’t have kids?” she mumbled into his chest.
“We don’t know that for certain. Hell, we haven’t even tried yet. Also, that’s our issue, not theirs.”
She grunted. “Tell that to your grandbaby-crazed mom.”
“We decide together when we’ll fill them in.” He kissed the top of her head. “It’s you and I, baby.”
He had a point. She went back to scrolling on her phone.
His chin rested on her shoulder. “Facebook?” He chuckled. “You crack me up, taking selfies, posting on social media still.”
“Just trying to catch up. See what’s going on in the real world.” Tori laughed wryly.
“You know, there’s life outside DC?” Scott wiggled his chin, tickling her with his beard.
“Oh, you know what I mean.” Tori smiled and nudged him off.
The screen reader spoke aloud Scott Harris is in a relationship with Victoria Johnson.
“Well, I guess we’re official if it’s on Facebook, right?” Tori chuckled. She was amused that he did that. Scott wasn’t one for social media.
“The entire world knows now that you're all mine.” Scott put his head in her lap.
She placed her phone down and ran her fingers through his hair. “I wonder how many girls are sobbing into their pillows right now?”
“Not too many, babe.”
I bet one of them is named Brandi.
“We’ve never discussed…others.” She didn't understand why she was letting this girl get the best of her. Or his parents. His folks were actually great people. So great, in fact, she desperately longed for their affection. She didn’t know why she cared so much. It wasn’t like her to normally give a shit about what people think.
“Nobody could ever compare to you.” He rubbed her leg. “None worth changing my stupid Facebook status over.”
That should be enough for her, but somehow it wasn’t. She stopped running her hands through his hair. “Even Brandi?”
Scott let out a long breath. “Even Brandi.” He rubbed her leg under the covers and let out a long, sleepy yawn.
“Were you two…” she swallowed the lump in her throat, “serious?” She hated asking, and she really wasn’t sure she wanted the answer.
He started to speak, then hesitated. “Not really.”
Her brow went into a crease and she grunted. “Why’d you tell Blaze she was off limits then?”
“I think that’s pretty self-explanatory.” Scott snorted. “I’m certain there’s a plethora of STD’s living in those damn Bermuda shorts he wears.”
Ok, fair enough. Tori chuckled and went back to lacing her fingers through his hair. She rubbed his back for quite some time until his breathing turned to heavy slumber. She wiggled down under the covers.
Scott stirred, rolled over, then she heard the click of the lamp on his side of the bed. His arms enveloped her snugly as he yawned again.
“Goodnight,” Tori whispered, taking his hand and giving it a kiss.
Scott’s arm and body twitched, shaking the bed, pulling her from sleep. She’d barely dozed off after lying awake for so long with all the swarming thoughts in her head. Incoherent mumbles came from his mouth as his body jerked.
Tori held her breath and waited to see if he’d still.
More gibberish and a twitch of his arm followed.
Should I wake him? That was always the inner demon she wrestled with any time this happened. Typically, she’d let him be and he’d eventually still.
“Scott?” Tori whispered, seeing if he’d rouse.
“No, not her,” he said as his arm flailed across her chest. “I said to stay away.”
Not her? Stay away from who?
“No, no, no!” His shouts grew louder, and his thrashing intensified.
“Scott!” Tori hollered, praying she didn’t wake up his parents.
There was an intake of a huge breath and she could feel
the weight shift as he sat up in bed. “Tori?” He cleared his throat as his hand stroked her cheek. “What’s wrong?” His breathing was intense and labored.
She snorted. “I should ask you that.”
“Huh? Why’d you yell at me then?” His voice was still hoarse from sleep.
“You were the one shouting, babe.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Yes. You were.” She frowned.
“Oh. Sorry to wake you.”
They lay there silent for a few moments.
“Bad dream?” she finally asked.
“Guess so.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then his weight landed hard on the pillow next to her as he flopped back down. He then rolled over and within a few moments his breathing evened and he was back to deep sleep.
What the hell was that?
Stay away? Oddly enough, those were the words he told Blaze earlier that day. It couldn’t be Brandi he was dreaming about, could it? Maybe he was worried about her after the run in with Jett. Or, it was highly possible it was something unrelated. Hell, if she had a clue. She rolled over and hugged her pillow tighter and tried to go back to sleep.
The next morning, Presley wandered into Scott’s parents’ kitchen, the smell of coffee and bacon wafting in the air. Scott and Tori were already seated at the table, each sipping a cup of coffee. Tori was still in her pajamas but Scott was dressed.
“You two are up early.” Presley eyed the food along the counter. “I take it Judith made this spread?” She grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate next to the stove and crunched it in her mouth till the burnt aftertaste stung her tongue. Presley dropped it back on the plate and grimaced.
“Actually, Tori did.” Scott nodded at her and repressed a chuckle.
“Yeah. It took some groping through the cabinets, but I figured it out. Scott said I had never cooked breakfast, so I had to prove him wrong.” Tori smirked behind her mug, leaning her elbows on the table. “The bacon is probably burned to shit, but I tried.” Tori shrugged. “You stayed here last night, Presley?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to drive after drinking and they don’t have Uber. What the hell is up with that?” Presley let out a breath.
“Ride Austin. Drivers are fingerprinted and fully checked out.” Scott took another sip of coffee.
“Ooh, Bacon!” Blaze came wandering into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of underwear. He picked up a piece and crunched on it. “Crispy.” He made a sour face as he gulped it down.
Presley and Scott exchanged a silent chuckle at his expense.
“Shey is a total bed hog by the way.”
“Speak for yourself, mister,” Presley snapped. “You took all the covers!”
“You two shared a bed?” A bemused smirk passed across Tori’s face.
“Sure did, didn’t I, gorgeous?” Blaze put his arms around Presley and kissed her neck.
“Bleh!” Presley shoved him off and contorted her face in disgust. “Please; if I was going to go straight for anyone it sure as shit wouldn’t be you. When is the last time you showered, you dirty hippie?”
“That’s my manly musk.” Blaze laughed as he popped a grape into his mouth, walked over to the fridge and pulled out the juice, drinking it straight from the carton. Presley and Scott grimaced.
“For the love of god, can you please put some damn clothes on?” Scott growled. “The last thing my mom needs is to wander out here and catch you in your underwear.”
“That’s not fair to tease Blondie when she can’t see what she’s missing.” Blaze gave Scott a wink and popped another grape into his mouth.
Tori snarled. “Thank God I can’t see that.”
Blaze bent over the chair, threw his arm around Tori and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Whatever. I’m telling you, Blondie, all I have to do is pull this hair back in a douchey man bun, put on a tailored suit, and the girls are all over it.”
“The last guy I was with before Scott had one of those.” Tori giggled behind her mug.
Scott snapped his head up at her and scowled.
Presley’s brow went into a high arch.
What kind of game are you playing Tori?
Was this her way to get even for Brandi?
“My point is,” Tori continued, “He smelled good. Like patchouli mixed with leather.”
Presley glanced at at Scott who looked like he was going to throw up in his mouth. He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and turned back to his phone.
“If you plan on picking up a decent woman, Presley’s right. You need a shower. You smell like a hobo.” Tori grimaced. “Not at all like the Blaze I know.”
“Oh, and what would that be?” A bemused grin passed over Blaze’s face.
“Normally, you smell good—like hemp and coconut. Just like when you swept me up on the curb. That smell will always be Blaze to me.”
“Well damn, now I can’t ever change my sunscreen because you won’t recognize me.”
Tori giggled adorably.
Was she flirting with Blaze? Right in front of Scott? Presley raised a brow. Scott didn’t even seem to bite at her bait.
“I’m better looking than Scott, ya know.” Blaze grinned at Scott who flipped him the finger.
Blaze was right, though, cleaned up he was good looking for a dude. When his long hair wasn’t greasy, it was a nice sun-kissed shade of blonde that complimented his green eyes, tanned skin and muscular physique. The girls usually tripped and toppled over their drunken feet trying to run toward him in the bar. Better than Scott though? Presley wasn’t sure of that one.
“Are you now?” Tori said mischievously.
“We can’t have you falling for me now. Harris is my boy,” Blaze teased. “You better stop flirting with me, Blondie.”
“Don’t get cocky now. I said you smell good. Scott smells great. Like sex on a lazy Sunday morning.” Tori kicked her feet up into Scott’s lap and rubbed them between his legs.
A wide grin crept across Scott’s face as he ran his hand over her smooth, tan, leg.
Presley’s eyes lingered there for a minute. Damn she had nice legs.
God, I really need to get laid.
“Is that what you plan to wear to church this Sunday?” Judith asked, giving Blaze the once over, as she walked through the kitchen.
Tori flushed and she sat up quickly, yanking her feet out of Scott’s lap.
Judith glanced over at Tori and Scott and gave them a bemused smirk. Scott had inherited that expression from his mom, that crooked, mischievous grin of his. Everything else resembled his father.
Judith held her age well. Presley knew she’d been a beauty in her younger days from the older photos that hung on the walls. She had a small, curvy frame that had filled out slightly over the years, but she wasn’t overweight by any means.
Presley chuckled. Yeah, Judith had overheard Tori’s little description of how Scott smelled.
“Morning, Mamma Harris,” Blaze said as he flopped down in the chair on the other side of Tori.
“Boy, you need to put some clothes on. You’re poking out of those boxers. That turtle needs to tuck back into his shell.” Judith’s brow went up into an even higher arch as she grabbed a mug out of the cabinet.
Presley covered her mouth and snorted, her coffee spewing into her fingertips.
Judith Harris was something else. Funny how people say that men tend to find women similar to their mothers. Judith was a strong, fiery woman with no filter on her mouth. Kinda like Tori.
“I will as soon as I get some juice in me.” Blaze lifted his mug full off coffee.
“Scott, did you make breakfast?” Judith asked.
“No, Tori did,” Scott said. “I’d steer clear of the bacon though.” His eyes widened as he snickered, earning him a slap on the arm from Tori.
“Unless you like burnt bacon…” Blaze added.
“You two try cooking bacon with your eyes closed and let’s see how good you do,” Tori growled.
“I told yo
u boys to leave her alone!” Judith poured her coffee. She admired Tori lovingly, batting her green eyes. “Thank you for making breakfast, Victoria. That was kind of you.”
Judith seemed enamored with Tori, even after the bomb dropped on them last night about the Donaghue scandal. Blaze had texted Scott while they were out to let them know that had inadvertently come out. Presley had expected they’d return to a shit-show. By the time her and Scott got back, though, the house was quiet and Tori had retreated to the bedroom.
“Victoria what are your plans for today?” Judith asked.
“She’s coming with us,” Scott spouted.
“What?” Tori snapped her head in Scott’s direction.
Presley had the same reaction. Tori had no business being at the training facility when Scott had a job to do.
“I rearranged some things on the schedule. We’re doing hand-to-hand combat today. I want you to learn some self-defense.” Scott shot a fevered glare to Presley not to protest.
Presley watched Tori’s frown morph into a nasty smirk. “And the guys you train are ok with me doing this?” Tori questioned. “Seems like you should train them, not me.”
Presley couldn’t agree more. It was like Scott hadn’t listened to a damn word she said in the car at Chad’s shop yesterday.
“I have a permit.” Scott shrugged.
“A permit?” Tori’s brow went up.
“An I-can-do-whatever-I-want permit,” Scott said with arrogance.
Isn’t that the damn truth?
Harris did what he wanted and nobody was ever allowed to bat an eye. They all were just expected to fall in line. Except Tori it seemed. Harris’ girl seemed to march to the beat of her own drum.
Presley waited for her to put up a fight.
“Oh, do you now?” Tori’s mouth broke into a nasty grin. “All right then, I guess since you have a permit and all, I don’t really have a choice. I’ll go put on my sparring gear.”
They first drove to Western Union, so Tori could wire the money from her bank to pay off his brother’s debt.
Smoke and Mirrors: (Fire and Fury Book Two) Page 20