Flames from Ashes

by Caitlyn Willows

  Sandy whipped around. “You bought a go-bag?”

  “Your safety lecture was very thorough. I didn’t dare disobey.”

  That had her giggling like a giddy teenager. “Everything good with your mom?” she asked as she positioned pots and plants around the edge of the circular table.

  “Yeah. She’s singing your praises. Telling everyone how you saved her life.”

  She laughed. “That’s got to be the drugs talking.”

  “No doubt about it. Take the kudos while you can get them.” He scuffed his hands together. “Anything I can do to help?”

  Sandy passed a critical gaze around his backyard. It had the potential to be something wonderful but was presently geared to cookouts with the guys.

  “Unless you can build me plant stands, tables, or something similar right this moment, no.” She flashed him a cheesy grin. “Why don’t you relax, watch me adoringly, and store up energy for later?”

  Clint laughed. “When you say it that way, I feel sufficiently put in my place. I’ll add the woodworking tasks on my to-do list.” He sank into the chaise lounge. “So I’m guessing me telling you to get me a beer will result in you handing me my balls on a platter?”

  “I don’t think you’re brave enough to try.”

  He snickered. “I’m not.” He jumped up when she reached for the big bag of soil. “I know you can toss me over your shoulder and haul me around like a cavewoman, but let me pretend you need me for this.”

  “Technically speaking, I pushed you into a blanket and dragged you, but whatever.” She skimmed her hand over his biceps. “I do need you for this.” And much more. “Go ahead and scoop soil into six pots. I’m going to nestle plants into each one.”

  He set the bag on the chair and sliced the top open with the gardening knife. “Oh, and this.” He pulled her phone from his back pocket. “It was flashing and vibrating like crazy.”

  “I’ll deal with it later.” Despite her decree, the crew would be texting. They wouldn’t be able to help themselves.

  “It could be your mom.” He wiggled the device.

  Sandy scowled at him. “Fine. Fill the pots, and then you can read me the messages.”

  “I’m honored you trust me that much.”

  “I do, but it also gives you the chance to meet everyone surreptitiously.” She snickered. “Forewarned is forearmed. Once we open the door and let them in, it can get crazy.”

  Clint wasted little time filling the pots, then plopped back into the chaise lounge. “Here we go. Trish wants to know if I’m as hunky delicious as Erica says. I’ll reply yes.”

  Sandy laughed. “I’ll handle the replies, thank you very much.”

  “All right. Just trying to help.” He went to the next message. “CJ says he’ll stop the background check on the dude for now.” Their gazes locked at the same time. “You’re investigating me?”

  Sandy shook her head. “Never. They’re scared, suspicious, and nosy. Reply to him and say, ‘You will never do a background check on him. Got it?’ And capitalize never.”

  “Oh my God, the power.” He tapped out the message, and the Send sound trilled.

  “You have no idea. CJ’s like a dog with a bone. He’s actually pretty good at ferreting out information, once he knows where to look. I swear, he knows people everywhere or someone who knows someone. He’s missed his calling as a private investigator.”

  “Good to know, since Gina’s text says that April has it in for me. I figured as much. She’s very scary.”

  “So I heard. I suspect you went in there balls-out, ready to take no prisoners.”

  “Umm…possibly. CJ should investigate her. Hey, your mom and dad made it home all right. They want to know how we liked dinner. Can I reply?”

  Nice change of subject, slick. “Yes, please. But don’t mention the shooting.”

  “God, no.” He worked on the message, no doubt raving about the meal, since it took him a while to send it. Mom would know the message didn’t come from her.

  “How did your appointment with the attorney go?” She pressed the soil around the plants in pot number one, then moved to the next one.

  Clint set the phone aside. “Everything’s been set in motion. He’ll file the request for dissolution of marriage by the end of the week. In six months, it will be final. There was no way around that.” He parked his hands behind his head. “So in six months, you can make an honest man out of me.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “Is that even possible?”

  “Smart-ass.”

  “Better a smart-ass than a dumb-ass,” she singsonged. Pot number two was done.

  “You’re very fast at that,” he said. “It’s another of those things I love about you—how careful and precise you are with your plants. You love them, and they love you. It broke my heart to see your garden destroyed.”

  Hers too, but Sandy couldn’t say the words without choking up.

  They were quiet for a bit while she finished two more pots. “I’m going to call my doctor tomorrow and get a referral to an obstetrician.”

  “Good. I want to be at the appointments. I want to hear the heartbeat, see the ultrasounds, hear the progress…all of it. We’re in this together.”

  “I figured you would.” Hell, she knew he would. “I’m still scared.”

  “Me too.” He leaned forward, straddling the end of the chair. “I’m still letting you call the shots, Sandy. If at any point you decide on adoption, that’s what we’ll do. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. This is about you.”

  “No. This is about us.” She set her tools down and looked him in the eye. “I honestly don’t think I could live with knowing my baby is growing up in the world without me. No matter what he or she looks like, this is my child. I can’t give it up.”

  “It’s our child, bright eyes. You said it—this is about us. This child needs loving parents. That’s us.” He laced his fingers loosely together in front of him, holding her gaze. “I told you the night we met that I like a woman who’s a good match for me. Then we shared a kiss that tattooed your soul onto mine. Now, I’m not going to lie and say that was the moment I knew we were meant to be. But I will say it didn’t take me very long afterward to realize that. I could sit here and give you the laundry list of things I love about you. Why bother, though, when we have a lifetime in which I can show and tell you? You were one hundred percent right when you said there’s peace and calm in being with each other. I don’t ever want to let that go. I’d be a fool to do so. I learned the hard way that marriage takes commitment and compromise from both parties. Ours isn’t a one-way relationship. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, we’re partners and have been from the start.”

  One step brought him to the table across from her. He leaned in, nearly reaching her. “I love you, sweetheart. I’m going to marry you, and we’re going to raise our family, whether it’s one child or twenty. We’re going to argue, and we’re going to make up. Together. And no person or thing will ever tear us apart. I would die for you. I would kill for you. I’d lay down my heart and soul for you.”

  “But I would never ask you to do so.” Emotion welling in her throat made it hard to say the words.

  Clint caught her hands, drawing her to him until no space separated them. “And that’s why we belong together, forever. Because we’re each willing to make the sacrifice, yet refusing to allow the other to do so.” He cupped her face. “Marry me, bright eyes. Be with me for all eternity. Give me peace and comfort, calm in the storm of life. You are all I need, all I want. Forever. Marry me, and help me rebuild the flames from the ashes of my life.”

  Sandy swallowed the lump in her throat. Her tears ran in rivulets over his hands, matching the ones drifting over his cheeks. At some point she’d fisted his shirt, holding on tight while her heart thudded so hard it threatened to break a rib. This was love, raw and filled with emotion. This was the promise of a future filled with ups and downs, highs and lows. The traditional for better or wo
rse, richer or poorer, sickness and health, paled in comparison.

  “I don’t want a big wedding. There are so many other things we can spend money on. I don’t want an engagement ring. It’ll only get in the way. All I want is you, by my side, being my husband, my lover, my partner, my best friend, and the father of my children. You are the greatest man I’ve ever met. I’m never going to let you go. Not ever.”

  He bent down. She stretched up. Their lips were a whisper away from each other’s.

  “This wasn’t how I expected to propose. I wanted you to know how I felt, and the words tumbled out.”

  “That’s what makes it so perfect. It came straight from your heart and into mine.”

  He dotted kisses to each corner of her mouth before he slipped his tongue between her parted lips. Sandy braced her hands against his back, smashing her breasts into his chest. As always, she lost herself in the wonder of his mouth taking possession. Eternity could pass, and she’d never get enough of his kisses or his arms protecting her from the world. Arms that would one day hold their children.

  Groaning, Clint clamped his hands over her ass, anchoring her to his erection. Sandy rubbed into him and shoved her fingers into the back of his jeans. They were too tight to allow her access to his backside, but when she tried to slip her hands around to unzip him, Clint caught her wrists and broke the kiss.

  “You’ve got to finish your planting. The next time we fall into bed, I don’t plan on leaving until morning.”

  “My sentiments exactly.” Grinning, she slipped free and returned to her work. “I won’t be much longer.”

  “I’m going to jump in the shower, then.” He started for the door.

  “And prep your go-bag,” she called to his back.

  Clint acknowledged her with a wave tossed in the air and continued on. While she finished potting, Sandy listened to her phone chirp out more text messages. So much for leaving her alone. That was fine. She wouldn’t have liked it much if they’d shut her out, and she was curious about what they were texting. Can’t have it both ways.

  She laughed at herself. Tomorrow she’d open that door and let them back in. Until then… Sandy reached over to mute the sucker, then shoved it in her back pocket. After watering the plants, she decided they’d be best left where they were for the moment. She tucked the tools in the box and put them on a shelf in Clint’s garage. Unlike her, he actually used his garage for his truck, or he used to. It was vacant at the moment, both vehicles outside. Considering their narrow escape the night before, he could be rethinking parking in the garage. If her car had been in her garage last night, she would have lost it as well.

  Their poor future kids. When did safety precautions cross the line into the ridiculous? She and Clint would have to be watchful of that. She didn’t want them in constant fear for their lives.

  Voices reached her when she walked into the kitchen—Clint on the phone again. She followed the sound and found him in the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, packing his go-bag.

  “I’m glad you were able to work it out,” a man said.

  “Me too, Danny.” Clint tucked two T-shirts into the duffel. He had his cell phone on Speaker while he packed. “I want you to be my best man.”

  “Hell yeah.” His deep chuckle rumbled over the phone. “Damn, I can’t wait to watch your kids for a change. Caleb and Jenny will be dancing all over the place about this. It’ll be like another sibling. I’m going to be like…Uncle Danny.”

  Clint laughed. “Yeah, you will.”

  “So, tell me about her. All the details.”

  “She’s pretty, strong, smart, independent. She’s the bravest woman I’ve ever known. She balances me. My equal in all ways.”

  Sandy ducked into the hall bathroom before Clint could see her. Hearing him tell someone how he felt about her made her feel extra-special. Considering how close he was to Danny, he deserved some private time to talk to his best friend. The two had been through a hell of their own together. They needed to share the joy too.

  She set her phone on the bathroom vanity, stripped, and stepped into the shower. Warm spray sluiced over her body. Memories rose to the surface. Not the good ones either. Sandy shoved them aside and focused on Clint—shaving him, helping him shower last night, sharing the shower with him earlier. He was her future. He was all that mattered. Knowing that buoyed her spirits and chased Keith’s ghost away.

  Taking her time to let the men talk, she helped herself to Clint’s razor stash and shaved her legs, laughing when she wondered at what point she wouldn’t be able to reach them. Then Clint would be returning that shaving favor. Shivers overcame her even under the warm water as she thought of him cradling her leg, taking his time, indulging in those licks and nips at which he was so good. Want settled deep in her stomach, demanding to be fulfilled.

  She dried off, wrapped the towel around herself, then grabbed her things and returned to the bedroom to find Clint still on the phone. He leaned against the headboard, legs out and crossed at the ankle, naked as the day he was born. His cock noticed her too, and his erection grew in less time than it took to take a breath.

  Sandy unhooked the towel to give him a little treat. Clint’s eyes gleamed.

  “Uhm, I’ve got to go, Danny. Something’s come up.”

  “Now you’re just bragging.” Danny laughed. “Talk to you later.”

  They ended the call, and Clint placed his phone on the nightstand. Sandy did the same with hers.

  “Why didn’t you use the master bath?” he asked.

  “I didn’t want to disturb your phone call. I see you’ve brought all my things within grabbing distance.” She pointed to the various tote bags next to the wall nearest her side of the bed.

  “And mine’s right there.” He gestured to his in a similar location. “Tomorrow during lunch we can go to the bank and put your important papers and such into my safety-deposit box.”

  “I hope it’s a big one.” She’d had a lot of things in her safe.

  “If not, we’ll get a bigger one. We need to add your name to my box as well. I’ve got an extra key. I know you have your fire safe, and we’ll get it moved as soon as we can, if it’s salvageable, but this will give you some peace of mind for now.”

  Sandy appreciated that more than she could say. “Thank you.”

  She turned to the mirror to brush some semblance of order into her damp hair and saw his gaze rake over her. He’d locked his hands behind his head, grinning as if he couldn’t wait. Sandy knew she couldn’t.

  “I do have a confession to make,” he said.

  She set the brush aside and faced him. “Such as?”

  “I bought you something else.” He slipped his hand under the covers on her side of the bed and pulled out a little blue nightie. “I got the feeling you don’t like to sleep nude. Frankly, I don’t either, unless I’m so exhausted from sex I can’t move. So far, no one’s ever done that for me.” He grinned. “I have a feeling that’s going to change tonight.”

  “You bet your socks it is.” Sandy crawled up from the foot of the bed, not stopping until she was astride his thighs. “Thank you for the gift.” She slipped the silky nightie from him, brushed it over her nipples, then draped it along the top of the headboard. “Now how about you tuck those hands back behind your head and keep them there. I love how it shows off your biceps.”

  “I’m not sure I’ve got the willpower to keep them in place. Maybe you should tie me up.” Mischief backlit the gleam in his eyes.

  “I’m intrigued. Any suggestions of what I could use?”

  “I could point out that you are a firefighter and should be able to come up with something. But in the interest of time…” He reached to open the nightstand drawer, then pulled out a roll of duct tape and her original gardening knife.

  Smiling wide enough to split her face, Sandy took both. “Prior planning. I love it. Get comfy. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

  “I’m counting on that.” He wiggled down unti
l he was flat on the bed, putting Sandy astride his chest. His deep inhale told her that he appreciated his proximity to her pussy, something she intended to take full advantage of soon.

  She pulled a length of tape. “Decisions, decisions.” Find a way to spread him out or bind his wrists together? “But, as you said, in the interest of time… Cross your wrists.” In the end she knew it was token bondage. One move and he could drop his arms over her and make her his captive.

  Setting the knife aside to release him later, Sandy used her teeth to tear the tape. She leaned over his head, wiggling her breasts invitingly while she bound his wrists. Clint groaned and licked her nipples, but when he tried to take one into his mouth, she evaded him and moved away.

  “I’d bind your ankles, but I really want full access.” Sandy shifted downward, wedging her knee between his thighs and against his balls.

  Clint gasped, then blew out a breath and spread wide. “I’m yours, bright eyes.”

  “I know.”

  She scored her short nails over his nipples until they pebbled, then rolled one between her lips. A moan quivered through his body. A glance up revealed his eyes closed, mouth agape, and him lost in the moment. Or maybe fighting for self-control.

  Sandy palmed his balls, rolling them in her grasp as she licked along his ribs and followed the path of his torso muscles. He writhed into her touch, trying to rub his cock over her. Moving down, she rained kisses everywhere but the one place she knew he wanted attention. Precum gathered at the tip. A flash of her tongue cleared it. Clint groaned and thrust his hips up for more, then bit off a curse when she shifted away.

  She settled her shoulders between his thighs, nipping her way over them as he had done to her, taunting him with the promise of touch yet not delivering. His balls hardened and hugged his body. She forced his thighs wider and sucked one ball into her mouth. Clint jerked his arms down, then snapped them back into place.

  “I think that deserves a reward.” Sandy lashed her tongue up his cock and sucked it in.

  “Damn! God, please!” he gasped.