Ignited

by Suzannah Daniels

  I drove to Whiskey Nights to deliver the flowers and to make sure everything was ready. Then, I went to pick up Amber.

  I’d thought long and hard about her gifts, and even now as I stood in the soft glow of the porch light, I was a little nervous about what she’d think about them. Ringing the doorbell, I exhaled, hoping to rid myself of the uneasiness.

  When she opened the door, I felt like the air had been ripped from my lungs. She wore a long-sleeved, lacy black dress with a short skirt and black spiked heels. Her russet hair, streaked with gold, hung in spiral curls around her shoulders, and the bliss on her face would go down as one of my most memorable memories.

  Realizing that I was speechless and staring, I attempted to at least appear composed. “Amber…you look incredible.”

  Her glossy lips curved into a broad smile. “I was hoping you would think so.”

  “I’d have to check my testosterone levels if I thought anything less.”

  Her smile widened as she hugged herself.

  Reaching for her hands, I forced her to move her arms, so that I could enjoy looking at her. She’d put on a little weight since the night of the accident, and she filled the dress nicely. “I don’t know if I should take you to Whiskey Nights.”

  Her smile faltered. “Why not?”

  “Look at you. I’m not sure if I can compete with all the male attention you’ll get.”

  Jumping forward, she wrapped her arms around my waist, causing me to tighten my muscles to keep from being thrown off balance. “There’s not a man on the face of this earth that could distract me from you.”

  “That’s good to know,” I whispered, hugging her to me as she tilted her face up and I kissed her on the forehead.

  “Meow.”

  I looked down to see Gracie sitting just inside the threshold, turning her nose up at the cool November evening.

  “Hey, Gracie.” I loosened my grip on Amber. “She’s going to plot my demise if I keep carrying you off and leaving her home alone.”

  Amber gazed lovingly at her kitty. “That’s the great thing about cats. While they do want some attention, they’re not nearly as needy as dogs.”

  “It’s a good thing,” I said, rubbing her arm to keep her warm, “because I’ve really gotten used to your company in the last few months.”

  She bestowed another beautiful smile upon me, and I felt like the damn luckiest guy on the planet.

  “I didn’t forget you, Gracie,” I said, pulling a ball from my pocket that jingled with its movement. I rolled it into the house, and Gracie took off in hot pursuit. “You ready?”

  “Yeah, let me grab my jacket and my clutch.”

  Amber stepped into the house and grabbed the items from the couch, closing the door behind her as she joined me back on the porch.

  Taking the jacket from her, I held it up while she slipped her arms into it. I guided her to the car and opened the door, waiting for her to climb in. As I walked to the driver’s side, I did one last mental checklist for the evening.

  When we arrived at Whiskey Nights, Mason greeted us.

  “You’re not tending bar tonight?” I asked.

  “Nope. Lexi and I have our girl Stormy tending on Thursdays. Although, I may make a special appearance for one very special birthday girl tonight.” Mason shot Amber a crooked grin. “Happy birthday, love.” He smacked me in the arm. “Make sure this guy treats you right.”

  “Thank you.” Amber turned her gaze toward me. “I’m sure whatever Hawk has in store for me tonight will be absolutely perfect.”

  “Whoa!” Mason said, shooting me a look of disbelief. “And she’s not even drunk. Hawk, I do believe you’ve been holding back on the women in Creekview.”

  “Amber!” Lexi called from across the room. Weaving her way through tables, she strode toward us. “Happy birthday!” Lexi pulled Amber into a hug.

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you mind if I borrow Hawk for a minute?” Mason asked Amber.

  “Not at all.”

  Lexi immediately began talking to Amber while Hawk took me over by the bar, well out of Amber’s earshot.

  “Okay,” Mason said. “She can see us, so remember to act natural and smile.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Mason pointed at me. “You see that look on your face right now?”

  “Actually, no.”

  “Well, I do, and that’s the exact look I don’t want you to have. Smile.”

  I forced a smile, even though my gears were turning so fast they were in danger of exploding in ten different pieces.

  “So what the hell’s going on?” I asked with the same tone that I might have asked him if he watched a football game last week.

  “A guy came in the bar today.”

  I didn’t like where this was going. “And?”

  “And he had a picture of Amber.”

  I pursed my lips, releasing a heavy exhalation.

  “He asked if I’d seen her. I wanted so bad to tell him I had and why the hell was he asking, but I just studied the photo a minute and told him I’d never seen the chick in my life.”

  “So he gave no indication what he wanted?”

  “Zilch.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Our age, maybe younger. Average height, average looks. Nothing that would help you pick him out from a crowd.” He shrugged. “I just thought it was really strange.”

  “Yeah, do me a favor and don’t mention it to anybody. I don’t want Amber to feel like everybody’s talking about her. She’s had some issues with her parents, and I know they’ve been here looking for her. And you’ve probably heard that her fiancé died about a year ago.”

  “Yeah, that really sucks.”

  “She’s doing better now, but his parents want the engagement ring back. It’s some big family heirloom or something. This guy could’ve been hired by his parents. I think her fiancé even had a brother. Who knows? Maybe his brother has gotten engaged in the meantime and wants the ring back. At any rate, I’m going to take her to her parents over Thanksgiving, and she’s going to send the ring back to his family.”

  “You’re not going to be home for Thanksgiving?”

  “No, not this year.”

  “Have you told your mother that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How’d she take it?”

  I grunted. “She loves Amber, so she was good with it. She asked me if you and Haley would be coming over this year. I told her I didn’t know, that you might be going to Lexi’s.”

  “Yeah, Haley and I are going to spend Thanksgiving with the Swaffords. Haley’s pretty damn excited about it.” Mason slapped me on the arm. “Man, you better get back to the birthday girl.”

  “Don’t say anything to her. I think I’ll wait and mention it in the morning. I don’t want to stress her out on her birthday.”

  “My lips are sealed. We have to take care of our women.”

  I turned my gaze toward Amber. She was laughing, fully engaged in her conversation with Lexi. “I plan on taking care of her for a very long time to come.”

  Mason’s eyes were fixed on Lexi. “When the right one comes along, we don’t have a damn chance, do we?” He turned back to me, wiggling his fingers in front of my eyes. “It’s like they hypnotize us and damn if we don’t love every freaking minute of it.”

  I chuckled, amused by his comments. “That’s not too far from the truth.”

  “We better get back to the ladies. I just wanted to fill you in.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  We approached Amber and Lexi.

  “Hey, love,” Mason said to Lexi, “why don’t you show them to their table? I’ll go check on their food.”

  “I’d be happy to.” Lexi pushed a wave of dark hair over her shoulder. “If y’all would follow me….”

  Motioning for Amber to go in front of me, I followed the girls. Lexi led us into a small private room. Amber squealed with delight while she clapped her han
ds together. “It’s beautiful!”

  Lexi cut her dark eyes at me, a knowing look on her face. “We’ll bring you some drinks in a minute.” As she strolled past me, she patted me on the shoulder, and I assumed it meant that I had her seal of approval.

  A vase filled with a dozen roses sat in the middle of the table. I’d gone to the florist myself several days in advance to handpick exactly what I wanted. Each rose was dyed in a rainbow of colors. Amber was leaning over them now, breathing deeply.

  “They’re so beautiful,” she cooed. “And very unique. I’ve never seen anything like them.”

  “I wanted them to be special.”

  She turned back toward me, hugging me excitedly. “I love them!”

  Curling my finger under her chin, I tilted her face, dropping a light kiss on her lips. “I’m glad.”

  On one side of the roses, flickering light emanated from a candle encased in a glass globe. Shadows flittered along the wall in the dimly lit room, and I pulled out Amber’s chair for her.

  After she was seated, I assisted her as she scooted toward the table.

  From the table beside us, I grabbed one of the wrapped presents and handed it to her.

  “What’s this?” she asked, her eyes alight like a kid on Christmas morning.

  “It’s just a little something for you to wear tonight.”

  There was nothing dainty about the way she ripped into the present. “A tiara!” Her fingers trailed admiringly along the rhinestones, pausing on the pink stone numbers in the center that indicated her age.

  Once she’d taken in the tiara’s appearance, she situated it on her head. “How do I look?”

  “Like the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  She shifted her eyes downward, biting her lip to hide her smile. I knew looking away might ease her discomfort, make her a little less self-conscious, but I couldn’t. Her beauty mesmerized me, and I wanted to drink in every detail: the way the candlelight danced on her smooth, fair skin, the way her delicate brows arched, the way she regarded me, her eyes filled with vibrant emotion. Admiration? Appreciation? Love? I wasn’t sure, but whichever sentiment it was, it created a tightening in my chest.

  My eyes dropped to her sculpted lips, the gloss reflecting the soft light from the globe. They beckoned me, and I wanted to close the gap between us and taste her.

  Lexi entered the room, and reluctantly, I drew my eyes from Amber. Lexi brought a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses.

  She poured us each some. “Mason’s fixing y’all up a platter with a little bit of everything, kind of a Whiskey Nights smorgasbord.” She leaned toward Amber. “I think he wants to make sure you eat a good meal before you visit the bar.

  “Well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone for the moment.”

  When Lexi left, I lifted my glass to her. “Happy birthday, Amber.”

  “Thank you.” She clinked her glass against mine and took a sip.

  “I’ve got another present for you.” I set the box in front of her.

  Her fingers wasted no time finding an opening in the paper and tearing it off. She opened the slender box.

  “I know gift certificates aren’t very glamorous, but Seren promised me that I couldn’t go wrong giving you a spa day.”

  She lifted her gaze to mine. “I’ve never had a spa day.”

  “Seren said if you wanted to make it a girl’s day out to let her know. She’d love to go with you.”

  Before I finished the sentence, Amber was nodding. “Yes! I’ve always wanted to do that!” She picked up the gift certificate, spotting the second certificate in the box. “Francesca’s Frillies! I love that shop!”

  “I noticed that pink bag that you carry—the one that has Francesca’s Frillies printed on the side. And well, I was kind of hoping you might pick out something pretty to try on for me.” I shot her a grin, thinking how much I enjoyed seeing her in lace and silk.

  “Are you trying to seduce me, Hawk?”

  My face grew serious. With every passing day, I thought of her more and more. “I want to do more than just seduce you.”

  Before my words had the chance to sink in, Mason came into the room, carrying the huge platter that Lexi had mentioned.

  “Who’s hungry?” he asked as he strode to our table and set it down. It was even larger than I had imagined, probably a platter that was normally used when catering to large parties. He had two plates clutched in his right hand and he set one in front of each of us. “I’ve got everything you could possible want: steak, chicken, appetizers, veggies.”

  I stared at the platter. “You know there’re just two of us?”

  Mason pointed at me. “You forget…I’ve seen you eat.” He laughed. “I wanted to make sure Amber didn’t have to fight you for a hot wing.”

  “You know me better than that. I’d give her every last one if she wanted them.”

  “Shit, I know it,” Mason agreed. “You’re always making the rest of us look bad.” He clapped his hands together. “Condiments are on the table. Do y’all need anything else?”

  “I think you’ve got it covered,” Amber replied. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, love.”

  Amber and I sipped on wine and ate our fill. I had another gift for her, and I debated on whether I should share it with her now or later. How could I be intrepid when it came to fighting fires but scared shitless when it came to her?

  By the time we moseyed to the bar, many of our friends were already there. Stormy stopped in front of us and wished Amber a happy birthday. “Let me grab, Mason,” she told Amber. “He said he had to be the one to fix you your first shot.”

  While we waited for Mason, Amber chatted with Seren about making a spa day. Several thoughts flitted through my head, but it was the guy who’d been asking about Amber earlier that drew my attention. What the hell did he want? Surely Amber’s mother would have let Carey’s parents know that Amber intended to return the ring.

  I wondered if he had anything to do with Amber’s parents or the ring. Maybe he was looking for her for another reason altogether. As I mulled it over in my mind, I wondered if there was something that Amber wasn’t telling me?

  Someone cupped my shoulder, and I heard Cade’s voice. “I see you saved me a seat.” He drummed his fingertips on the bar. “Where the hell is everybody?”

  “Stormy went to get Mason,” I told him.

  When Stormy came back, Cade tossed money on the bar. “Stormy, when you get a minute, how about getting me my usual?”

  She immediately grabbed him a beer, twisted off the top, and set it in on a coaster in front of him. “Mason will be here in a sec.”

  A couple of minutes later, he showed up behind the bar, and Lexi came and stood at the end of the bar.

  “Okay, birthday girl,” Mason announced, “I get to start the party with shooters.”

  Amber hadn’t seen Mason in action, and as he tossed bottles behind his back, preparing to pour multiple shots, she was transfixed. I had to admit that I was a tiny bit jealous. Mason’s ease around women and his knack for entertaining made people, men and women, naturally gravitate toward him.

  Once he had all the ingredients in his tin, he poured six shots, each glass filling with a different color, so that the finished product had a rainbow effect.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Amber said in amazement. “How’d you do that?”

  “I’ve got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve,” Mason assured her. “Which color do you want?”

  Amber pointed at the turquoise one, and Mason set it in front of her. Then, he set a shot glass in front of Seren, me, Cade, and Lexi. He picked the last one up for himself and held it in the air. “To turning twenty-one! Happy birthday, Amber!” He downed his shot, and everyone else followed suit, except for Amber. She took a sip of it.

  Mason cocked his head, examining her. “You’re not sipping a fine wine. Go on. Turn it up.”

  Amber did as he said and finished the shot. She clinked the empty glass a
gainst the bar.

  “That’s more like it,” Cade chimed in.

  Lexi hugged Amber from behind. “I’ve got to get back to work. I’m trying to get an order together, but I wanted to come out and share a shot with you. Happy birthday, Amber.”

  “Thank you.” Amber said, patting Lexi’s hand on her shoulder. “For everything.”

  “You’re welcome. I would tell Hawk to make sure he watches out for you tonight, but I know that he will.” She shot me a grin.

  Amber turned towards me, too, her lips tilting upward. “I’m in good hands.”

  “You certainly are,” Lexi agreed. Her eyes roamed over the group. “I’ll see y’all later.”

  After taking the first shot in honor of Amber’s birthday, I switched to water. I lost track of how many shots she drank after the first one. Mason had fixed her a couple of more that he thought she might like, and then instructed Stormy to get her whatever she wanted while he got back to business.

  Seren and Amber giggled incessantly while Cade and I talked about football. I was glad that she was enjoying herself, and even though I imagined that she still had moments of melancholy, I rarely saw it anymore. It felt damn good to see her happy.

  Amber and I had both taken the next day off from work. Seren was unemployed, and Cade usually didn’t have to be at the gym until later in the day. His brother, Pax, normally arrived first thing in the morning. To say the two of them didn’t getting along was an understatement, so Cade rarely got to the gym any earlier than he had to.

  When I saw Amber yawn, I asked her if she was tired.

  She yawned again. “Yeah, I guess I am. Will you take me home?”

  Her words were slurred. She said something to Seren, and they both burst into a fit of giggles.

  “Sounds like they’re having a good time.” Cade nodded in their direction.

  “Yeah, it does. I’m going to take her home. You going to stick around a while?”

  He glanced down the bar. “Hey, Seren!”

  She looked at him, raising her eyebrows in question.

  “How you getting home?” he asked her.

  “Lexi and Mason.”

  He nodded. “I’ll catch a ride with them, too. Now I can buy us another drink.”

  I stood, scooting the stool back with the action. After helping Amber into her jacket, I pulled her up, noting that she was somewhat wobbly on her feet. Wrapping my arm firmly around her waist, I picked up her small gift box and her clutch. “I got you, babe.”