Flame Read online

  “Why not? She’s your girl, right?” Jessie asks.

  Hunter clears his throat while I suck on my lip. I’m not sure what they’re talking about, but I’m dying to find out.

  “You can’t keep pretending forever. You’re gonna have to show her one day.”

  “Show me what?”

  Hunter sighs. “I don’t know …”

  “Oh, c’mon. The house is not that bad. Besides, she doesn’t seem like all those other girls you used to hang out with.”

  Now Hunter’s sinking back into his seat like he’s ashamed. I’m making faces just from the thought of seeing him hang out with other girls.

  “Yeah, well that’s all in the past now,” he says, swallowing.

  I’m relieved, but I’m intrigued, too. I want to know where they live, and now that they’re being so reluctant, I’m even more interested in seeing it. I wonder why Hunter doesn’t want me to see. What’s he afraid of?

  “I want to see where you live,” I say.

  Hunter bites his lip.

  “Please?” I say, pouting at him. He bursts out in little chuckles and reaches for my face with his index finger, gently caressing my cheek.

  “All right.”

  Jessie laughs and scratches his beard. “Can’t wait to see this happening.”

  “What?” Hunter snaps.

  “Don’t mind me. I’ll just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.”

  Hunter punches his brother against the shoulder. “It’s your fucking fault our house looks like that!”

  “Hey, I’m a busy man, I have a job. Or … had.”

  “So? That doesn’t mean you have to live like a pig, dude.”

  “What can I say? I’m a dirty man.” He wriggles his eyebrows, just like Hunter always does.

  I snort. “You two are more alike than I thought.”

  “Hey!” Hunter says, poking me.

  “See? Even she can tell. You’re a pig too. You’ll feel right at home.”

  “It is my home, fuckwad. You just turned it into a dump.”

  “It’s not my fault you can’t keep your clothes in one pile!”

  Hunter gapes at him. “I’m always cleaning your shit, and you know that.”

  Oh, here they go again. I roll my eyes and groan. I wonder if this is normal for them. It probably is, but I guess that’s a good thing. It means I have nothing to worry about, because they still seem like best buds. Those two will be A-Okay.

  CHAPTER 2

  HOME SWEET HOME

  Hunter

  When we arrive at our house, my stomach feels like it made a cartwheel. My house is not something I like to show anyone. It’s clearly a dump, and I know she’ll be baffled when she sees it. Everyone always is. They don’t want to say what they think, but I can already tell from the faces they make that they think it’s pathetic. I don’t like that look. The pity.

  So I never bring anyone home with me. Never. Leafy … Autumn … is the first. Probably the only one, too.

  We get out of the car, and I hold open her door while my brother grabs his bags. She steps out and graciously takes my hand like she’s invited to a ball or something. I give her a lopsided smile, uncertain of how I should feel now that she’s going to see where I live for the first time. It feels like the protective layer I built around myself is slowly being peeled away. I’m still scared to show her the real me. At every turn she could walk away. I can’t let that happen.

  I clear my throat as she grabs ahold of my hand and squeezes it lightly while she looks up at the house. It’s a shoddy wooden shack at most, and the garden looks like a giant unkempt jungle. My brother and I practically built half of it ourselves. It used to be a neglected house, long abandoned. We patched it up to make it habitable. It was all we had. We came here to start a new life. I don’t remember much of it, I was only seven years old, and my memory isn’t something that works perfectly. It was back when my mother was still with us. I wonder where she is now …

  I study Leafy’s face precariously while she gazes at my home, waiting for it to sink in. I’m poor and have nothing to live for except her, but I will fight and work for her love. Can she accept that?

  And then, out of nowhere, a smile lights up her face. It’s the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. Like she’s not even astonished or even remotely surprised that this dump is where I grew up.

  “It looks cute,” she says, and she pulls my hand. “It’s cold, let’s go inside and get warm.”

  Christ. Just this. This is why I love her. Her easiness and acceptance is what puts me at ease and tempers the awful thoughts in my head about not being good enough.

  My brother smirks at me as he walks in front of us, sometimes cheekily looking over his shoulder. The look on his face tells me he thinks this is funny. Like he never expected me to actually do what I told him I’d do: find a girl that will stay with me, regardless of all the shit.

  He opens the door and holds out his hand. “After you,” he says, winking at my girl.

  “Chivalry won’t get you any bonus points with her,” I muse, placing my hand on her shoulder to stop her from peeking inside too much. I want to be there when she witnesses the mess, so I can at least explain it.

  My brother laughs. “Common courtesy.”

  I squint, a devilish smile on my face. “I know you too well to believe that bullshit.”

  “You still afraid I’m gonna steal your broads?”

  “Hey!” Leafy says, swatting my brother on the arm. “I’m a girl, not a piece of meat.”

  He playfully backs away. “I had no intentions. Trust me.”

  “I see you’re as sly as your brother,” she says, crossing her arms.

  “Us? Nah,” he says, laughing some more.

  “See? Told you she’s feisty,” I say with a wink.

  “Perfect counterweight for you then.”

  Leafy goes into the house, and I follow her. As I pass my brother, I whisper, “Jealous?”

  He laughs and slaps me on the back while he walks after us, closing the door behind him. “You wish.”

  “Ha. You wouldn’t stand a chance with her. She’s mine.”

  “She’s all yours,” Jessie says. “But if you want a wrestling match just in case, I’m all game.”

  A rumbling laugh escapes my mouth, but when I see the junk we left behind in the house my happiness subsides. A heavy feeling weighs down my chest. My brother throws his bags on the floor. Dust particles fly up into the air, floating through the room like a cloud. This place hasn’t been cleaned in ages.

  Clothes are still scattered across the floor. The paint on the wall is cracking, chips of it lying on the creaky board floor beneath it. The crumbs my brother left on the old green couch are still there, as if time stood still.

  Leafy shivers and rubs her arms as she walks around, carefully assessing every part of my house. I feel vulnerable, but I know I have to go through this. I want our relationship to work, and for that I need to show her the real me. She has to see this.

  It’s cold, so I turn up the radiator to get the temperature to a more acceptable level. She picks up random clothes lying on the floor and makes a face before dropping them again, wafting her hand in front of her face.

  I chuckle. “I wouldn’t touch those if I were you.” I point at my brother, who’s casually unloading his bag. “You never know where that’s been.”

  “Eew …” Leafy says, scowling.

  “Dude!” My brother shoves me and throws one of his used shirts on top of my head. It smells like shit. “Go wash my clothes will ya?”

  I frown and throw his sweaty shirt back at him. “Go wash them yourself, lazy.”

  “Hey, I’ve been in jail. Give me a break.”

  I roll my eyes. “That’s supposed to be an excuse?”

  “Maybe. I was thinking of using it,” he says with a smirk.

  “And here I was thinking you were having a rough time in there.”

  “Oh, I was. I just like to make jokes about it s
o it’s less of a shock.”

  Crap. I hadn’t seen that coming. I didn’t realize he might be overly happy because he’s trying to hide how he really feels about jail. It must’ve been hard. I wonder if they hurt him in there. He doesn’t seem physically injured, but there have to be emotional scars from being in there.

  I swallow. “Are you okay? I mean really okay?”

  My brother takes a deep breath and shrugs. “Yeah. Better, now that I’m out of there.”

  “You wanna talk about it?” I ask.

  “No, not really. I’d rather just forget about everything,” he says, and he walks to the couch and starts unpacking. That’s just my brother, avoiding the topic. I guess he processes it in his own way.

  I turn back around and notice Leafy’s already in the kitchen, going through all the creaky, half-empty cabinets. Shit, she sure is making herself feel at home. I walk toward her and watch her look around, taking in the place. I wonder what she’s thinking. She doesn’t show much emotion, just curiosity, which is good, I guess.

  “Are you looking for something specific?” I ask, standing behind her.

  “No. Just curious.”

  “Why?”

  She pauses for a moment, then closes one of the cabinet doors. She turns around and squints, her eyebrows drawing together. “No reason. Why?”

  I lick my lips and raise my eyebrows. “No reason.”

  A sly smirk quirks up her lips. “Parrot. You don’t mind me looking around, right?”

  “Not at all,” I say.

  She shrugs and turns around again, going back to what she was doing. It’s like she’s inspecting the kitchen for tools and supplies. It almost makes me think she might want to start cooking here. My stomach responds with a growl to that thought. I’d love to taste her food sometime. I wonder if she’s a good cook. She’s a girl; can’t go wrong with that, right?

  “Any particular reason you’re breathing down my neck?” she asks, her voice challenging. Exciting.

  I smile wickedly. I like what she’s insinuating, because I hadn’t thought about it up until now. I’m right behind her, and just the thought of smelling her pine-forest scent and brushing aside her hair makes my cock twitch. Her comments always stir the bad inside me.

  “No reason,” I repeat. I don’t need a reason to have the desire to be close to her. Unless she wants me to back off, which I doubt.

  My body inches closer, unable to resist the temptation of holding her in my arms. I’m dying to know what she’s thinking. I lean forward and place the palms of my hands on the countertop beside her, trapping her between my arms. She freezes, her breath faltering as I press my body against hers, sniffing her. She smells godly, sweet, sexy. Everything I want. She’s it.

  She sucks in a breath as my finger slides down her neck and brushes away her hair. I plant my lips softly on her skin, dragging them up to the smooth surface under her ear. She shudders, goose bumps riddling her arms. I love seeing those little bumps, the confirmation that everything I do is as exciting to her as it is to me.

  She slowly turns around in my arms and looks up at me with those doe-like eyes of hers that make me want to growl and bite her. She’s my little lamb and I’m the wolf, and I like knowing that she’s still a little hesitant. Unsure. Afraid. It’s empowering to know that even if she is, she still trusts me enough to let me in and love me for it.

  “Does our kitchen have your approval?” I tease.

  She rolls her eyes. “I’m just checking to see if you have enough utensils to … You know.”

  “Hmmm … You wanna cook.”

  “Well, just today, because your brother came home.”

  “Oh, I was looking forward to it being every day.”

  She shakes her head and laughs, and I grin in return.

  “So, what do you think of the house?” I say. I try to sound casual, but my tone has completely changed. I need to know what’s going on in her mind so I know if this is okay to her. I don’t like being judged. I don’t want her feelings for me to change because of the crappy house I live in. It might sound shallow to some people, but being poor is probably the only thing I’m ever insecure about. Just like my memory. They are two things I can’t fix. At least, not quickly. That’s something that’s always bothered me, because I have this drive to fix everything. To mend my broken life. This is something … difficult to repair.

  “It’s cute. I can see you guys have been working hard.”

  I nod a few times. “Cute …”

  “Yeah. There’s nothing wrong with your house. Sure, it’s a little small, but small is cute.”

  My muscles relax immediately when she says that. I’m glad she doesn’t think badly about us, although she still hasn’t seen my room, which is probably even messier. However, I have a feeling it’ll be all right.

  “I’m used to it,” she says.

  “You’re used to it?” I lean closer, pressing my forehead against hers.

  She blushes. “Well … I’m not exactly privileged either, as you might’ve guessed.”

  I chuckle. “We’re both fortunate enough to have each other. That’s all I’ll ever need.”

  She smiles at me, and it warms my heart. I nuzzle her and press my lips against hers. The sweetness of her mouth is exhilarating. She kisses me back with so much love I feel like grabbing her and twirling her around.

  But then my brother clears his throat and interrupts our moment. I’d already forgotten he was there.

  “Get a room,” he says, chortling.

  Leafy blushes and hides a naughty smile by smashing her lips together. She quickly turns around and opens the fridge. My eyes dart to the contents and when I notice the green sludge inside a bag, I slam the door shut. She jolts up from my sudden reaction.

  “Eh …” I mumble.

  “I’ll go get some groceries,” my brother says, gathering all the clothes and throwing them all in one heap.

  “You sure?” I ask. It’s his first time out of jail. Spending time in a supermarket wouldn’t be on my to-do list if I got out.

  “Yeah. Besides, I don’t want to be near this place when you two lovebirds start banging.”

  Leafy makes a face and my eyes widen. We are both stammering now, but my brother laughs at us.

  “Save your retorts. Just make sure to do my laundry, and I’ll go get some food.”

  With a big smirk on his face he salutes me and then walks out the door.

  “So, you and your brother lived here before you came to college and he went to …” she says.

  “Jail. Just say it for what it is.”

  “Hmhm.”

  “Yeah. Just the two of us.”

  “Must’ve been tough.” She bites her lip and swallows. I know she’s trying to keep the words from spilling out. I want to know what she has to say. “Where are your parents?” That last word sounds like a dagger piercing my flesh. Just that one word does that to me.

  As her eyes move away from mine and down to the floor, she says, “I’m sorry, that was a bit nosy.”

  I cup her chin and make her look at me. “It’s okay.” I flash a quick smile to make her feel at ease. I know she saw the angry look on my face the moment she mentioned them. It’s not her I’m angry at. “My parents left me long ago.”

  For a moment she looks confused, befuddled even, her mouth slightly askew. “Left you?”

  My fingers linger on her chin, appreciating the softness of her skin. They slide up toward her cheek and caress it, and she tilts her head to be closer to my hand. I lean forward and kiss her gently. “I’d rather talk about something else,” I murmur against her lips, coaxing her. I can taste her eagerness and feel her hot breath against my skin as she moves forward, trying to catch my lips with hers. I lick mine in anticipation, and whisper, “Actually, I’d rather not talk at all.”

  She grins against my lips and I move in for the kill, kissing her full, plump lips. Desire swells inside me as she wraps her arms around my neck. My hands slip down her waist and hip
s, grabbing her firm ass. She opens her mouth to let me in, and I groan as her tongue dips out to meet mine. For some inexplicable reason I want her. I always want her, but now more than ever. Now that she’s seen a glimpse of my world, I want to love her here. Everywhere.

  Now that my brother is out of prison and she’s seen my house, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I have my brother, I’m happy. She’s here and she still loves me. That’s all I need to celebrate. And I know just the way.

  She rubs up against me, her body sizzling hot from my touch. I can’t stop myself from wanting her. I don’t see any reason to stop either, so I grab ahold of her and lift her. Capturing her squeals with my mouth as I set her down on the countertop, I part her legs with my body as I move closer. My fingers dig into her thighs as she hooks her feet behind my back, preventing me from leaving. She wants this as much as I do.

  Our wet, hot kisses are making me delirious, and I want her now. My cock strains in my pants as one hand slips between her thighs. A moan escapes her mouth when I take my lips off hers, dragging them to her jaw and down her neck. The muscles in her thighs respond to my fingers, clenching as I slide up her pussy. We’re still wearing clothes, but I know she can feel everything I do. She’s gasping for air. I love the way it sounds.

  I grin against her smooth skin, pressing down little pecks as I move down to her sternum. My fingers dexterously rub her jeans right there where the height of her pleasure is. She’s panting already, her cheeks cherry-red as my other hand slips under her red tank top. Kneading her plump, rosy tits one after the other, her chest tips forward, desperate to get closer. She’s falling apart because of what I do, and I love it. No inhibitions. No rules. Nothing standing in between us. This is freedom.

  As my hungry lips find hers again, she presses her legs together and pulls back. Her eyes are half-mast, so fucking sexy. I try to kiss her again, but she moves her head back and bites her lip. Fuck. What now? I was just getting into it.

  “Wait,” she says, her eyes closing again as I let my lips reign free over her shoulder and neck.

  “Why? I know you want this,” I whisper, nibbling on her earlobe.