Love on Fire

by E. L. Todd

  “I’ll usually have a short-term fling, a couple of weekends together. But I’m straight with a woman and will tell her I’ll never call her again before she comes home with me. Sometimes, they don’t like my abrasiveness. But other times, they appreciate it. I’d rather piss them off up front than hurt them later.”

  “That’s thoughtful.”

  “Are you being sarcastic?”

  “No, actually.” Neil warned me what would happen with us, that he would leave and our relationship would be over for good. He painted a vivid picture and gave me the option to decide what I wanted. And knowing there was no romance here, just lust mixed with affection, gave me realistic expectations for the future. I protected myself from day one, and I would continue to do so with an iron shield. “You want another beer?”

  “No thanks.” His elbows were propped on the table, and his joined hands rested against his lips. Now he stared at me and ignored the puzzle that had engaged him just minutes before. “What about you?”

  “What about me? Was I a player in my day?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure you broke lots of hearts along the way.”

  I chuckled because it was ridiculous. “No. Cameron was my first.”

  Both of his eyebrows rose. “He’s the only guy you’ve been with?”

  “No…there were guys afterward.”

  “But that must have been like one or two. No wonder transitioning into single life was so difficult for you. You’ve never really been single as an adult.”

  “Honestly, after Cameron broke my heart, I didn’t struggle to adjust. All I wanted to do was pretend I was fine even if I wasn’t, so I went on dates and lived the single life like I had a lot of experience in it.” I drank from my beer.

  “How many guys were you with before me?”

  “That’s a personal question.”

  “Sorry…I didn’t mean to pry.” He lowered his hands. “I wasn’t asking in a judgmental way. I was just curious because you fascinate me. You could ask me the same question if you wanted to, but I honestly don’t know an exact number.”

  I knew he didn’t ask the question in an inappropriate way. We were sleeping together, so it wasn’t that out of line. “I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.”

  “Alright. This sounds interesting. What do you want to know?”

  “I want to know when you knew Vic was in love with Stacy.”

  “Oh.” He grinned. “That’s a good story, actually. He’s gonna be pissed that I told you.”

  “We can keep it between us.”

  “No, you’ll definitely tell Stacy. It’ll be impossible to keep it from her.”

  “Then I’ll tell her not to tell him.”

  “I doubt that will happen either.”

  “Yeah…you’re right. But you’re going to tell me anyway.” I only heard Stacy’s perspective on the relationship, but never Vic’s. “After Cameron and I broke up, there were three guys. Kyle, some guy named Ted, and another one named Bryce.”

  Neil tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing at what I said. “Kyle? As in, your friend Kyle?”

  “Yeah. Now tell me about Vic.”

  Neil refused to change the subject. “So, you and Kyle have already been in a relationship?”

  Maybe mentioning Kyle was a mistake. “No. It was kind of a rebound situation. Cameron and I had just broken up, and I just wanted someone…and Kyle was there. We hooked up a few times, but I was scared it would ruin our friendship, so I walked away.”

  “That’s pretty fucked up to take advantage of you like that,” he said coldly.

  “It wasn’t like that… I came on to him.” I’d kissed him in the parking lot after work and asked him to take me home.

  “He still should have been the bigger man.”

  “No offense, but you aren’t any different. Every guy I’ve been with has been a bit of a rebound.”

  His eyes relaxed slightly, but he seemed hurt by what I said. “I thought you were over Cameron.”

  “I am, but I’ve been having physical relationships because I’m just not ready to be intimate with someone…really intimate. Even though Cameron apologized to me, the idea of trusting someone sounds impossible.”

  His hostility faded. “I hope that doesn’t last forever. I promise you, you’ll find a man you can trust—and he’ll be worthy of that trust.”

  “You seem confident that a lot of men can be like Vic.”

  “All men can be like Vic. They just need to find their Stacy.” He continued to watch me, his broad shoulders so wide and masculine. His eyes were the only soft feature he possessed. “Vic didn’t want to change. He wanted to be a powerful lawyer in the courtroom making a shit-ton of money, and then he wanted to pound pussy at night. Wife? Kids? He said he never wanted that. But then it got complicated with Stacy, and he realized he had to give her those things if he wanted to keep her. And then one day…he wanted those things.”

  It was so romantic. “I answered your question, now tell me the story.”

  “True. You held up your end of the bargain.” He rose out of his seat then pulled the chair closer to me, so we would be within arm’s reach. He rested his elbow on the table, close enough that his cologne wrapped around me. “So I was in town at the time and hanging out at his apartment. We had a few beers, watched the game, and he didn’t talk about her at all. He had mentioned he was dating her prior to that, but he never gave me any details. I thought she was more than just a fling, but I didn’t think she was special.”

  “Alright…then what happened?”

  “He walked back into the kitchen to get a few more beers from the fridge. His phone lit up with a text message, and that’s when I noticed the photo he’d saved to his screen.”

  “Was it a picture of Stacy?” That wasn’t that incriminating.

  “Not only was it a picture of Stacy, but it was a picture of her asleep in his bed.”

  “Aww…”

  He nodded slightly. “A guy doesn’t have a picture like that on his phone unless he’s fallen hard. Vic was the last person I expected to do something like that, so it was a red flag.”

  “Did you ask him about it?”

  “No. I teased him. He was pissed.”

  “I wonder if Stacy ever knew about that…”

  “I highly doubt it. He would never admit that, not even now.”

  “What’s so wrong about it?”

  He shrugged. “It’s pretty cheesy, and Vic isn’t a cheesy guy.”

  “Technically…he is a cheesy guy.”

  “And he doesn’t want anyone to know that. People say he’s the most ruthless lawyer in Houston. People pay big money for him to represent them in their cases. You think people want to know he’s got a soft spot?”

  “I think it’s sexy when a man has a soft spot—especially for his wife.”

  “Well, she wasn’t his wife at the time.”

  “Whatever. Still sexy.”

  He nodded slightly. “Yeah, I guess it is kinda sexy.” He grabbed my beer and helped himself to a drink.

  I propped my chin on my fist as I stared at him, the lights from the lamp overhead the only illumination in the house. The sun had snuck over the horizon, and now it was pitch dark outside. Torpedo rolled over onto his side and kept snoring, dead asleep because our conversation was boring.

  Neil held my gaze without blinking, not intimidated by the intimacy. He leaned forward slightly and kept looking at me, like he might throw me on the table and fuck me in the middle of the kitchen.

  I was constantly wet around him, so I was ready to go whenever he was.

  But he continued to stare at me. “I don’t want to share you.” His deep voice came out quiet and masculine, sexy without effort. He leaned closer to me, his hand inching for my elbow.

  “That sounds a little cheesy,” I whispered.

  The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I guess you make me a little cheesy.”

  “Well, I don’t want to share you either.�
��

  “Good.” He tugged gently on my elbow, pulling my hand away from my face so he could lean in closer and kiss me, pressing a delicate kiss on my eager lips. “Because I don’t want anyone else but you.”

  10

  Neil

  My life was a fantasy.

  I lay back on the bed, my head propped on the pillow while my hands gripped her sexy hips. My fingers pressed hard into her skin, my thighs tightening every time I thrust back into her. She rose up and down on my dick with the sexiest gait, rolling her hips and making her tits jiggle.

  She rode my dick over and over, taking all of it while biting her bottom lip.

  Jesus Christ.

  I closed my eyes and felt my balls tighten, feeling the slickest pussy of my life.

  Fuck, was this how addicts felt about cocaine?

  My sympathies.

  “Neil?” Hyde’s deep voice shattered my daydream.

  “Hmm?” I opened my eyes, coming back to reality as the conference room filled with the director and a few associates.

  “Don’t fall asleep on me right now.” Hyde kicked me gently under the table. “You’ll make me look bad.”

  I sat up in my chair, unable to adjust my jeans without the guys knowing why. I wasn’t asleep at all. I was thinking about the sex I’d had last night. I’d never gotten so much pleasure from a single woman, had never been fucked so slowly but so passionately at the same time. Cameron had that woman in his arms every night, and he wanted someone else?

  Now I wondered if he was gay.

  The director passed around the folders and got to business. “I think two pilots are essential for this mission. We’re thinking of bringing a third even though the craft can only hold six astronauts. What’s your opinion on this? If you agree, who do you recommend?”

  I already knew I was part of this mission, but I hadn’t known Hyde was—until now.

  “Am I part of the Vector mission?” Hyde asked bluntly.

  The director looked at us over the rim of his glasses. “Would I have asked you here if that weren’t the case?”

  Hyde turned to me, looking like an excited schoolboy who just found out he was going to a sleepover.

  I kept a straight face. “I think two pilots will suffice. We should utilize the remaining seats for other astronauts. We need engineers and chemists for this mission.”

  He nodded. “I trust your judgment, Neil. I’ll take it into consideration. In the meantime, the two of you are leaving for DC. The details of the trip are in your folders. You leave in a few days.”

  Hyde sat across from me, cradling his beer toward his chest like it was a newborn child. He stared at the table with a blank stare then took a long drink, his eyes wide open as if he’d seen a ghost. “It’s really happening…”

  This wasn’t news to me. I’d been recruited for the mission over a year ago. But the fact that Hyde was coming with me was news. “I’m glad you’ll be up there with me. Peace of mind…”

  “Yeah. Anytime we’re together, we have better odds. But…”

  “What?” I lifted my gaze and looked at him.

  “For something of this magnitude, I was hoping you would be here. You know, in case something happens to me, I know you’ll be there for Jane and the kids.”

  I wanted to tell him his fears were unfounded, but they weren’t. Anything could happen. We could die at any moment, for a million reasons. “You can pull out. There are a lot of other pilots who will want the position.”

  “But none as good as me. I’m the best—second to you.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine. Stay if you want to stay. You have a family to think about.” This was exactly why I refused to be in a relationship. I couldn’t leave behind the woman I loved, leave her to take care of our family alone if something untimely happened to me. I couldn’t live with that guilt every time I launched. It was easier to be an unencumbered bachelor. I didn’t have to worry about anyone but myself.

  “I know…but this is big. This will be one of the biggest missions in US history. I can’t just pass that up.”

  “But it’ll be dangerous, Hyde. The director was pretty blunt about our odds.”

  “They said the same thing about other missions.”

  “And my father died at a launch.”

  Hyde dropped his gaze.

  “Just think about it, Hyde. Really think about it.”

  “Are you worried about me?”

  I was worried about everything. I was the commander of the mission, and it was my duty to make decisions instantly, to keep my crew alive at all costs. This would be more perilous than anything else we’d ever done. “I’m worried about your family. Because if you don’t come back, there’s a good chance I’m not coming back. None of us are. That means Jane will be alone.”

  “She’s always known that was a possibility on all my missions.”

  “But this isn’t just a trip to the moon… We’re going to Mars.”

  Vic texted me. You wanna get a beer?

  I’m going to Charlotte’s tonight. I hadn’t talked to my brother about my relationship with Charlotte. As far as I knew, she hadn’t seen Stacy either.

  Look who’s pussy-whipped now, bitch.

  Fuck off.

  You can’t put off fucking for twenty minutes?

  We did more than screw, but I wouldn’t tell him that. I’d been away for most of my adult life and I knew that bothered Vic, so I caved. Sure. But I know you wouldn’t put off fucking your wife for anything.

  Yeah…but have you seen my wife’s legs?

  It was strange to sit across from Vic with the weight my upcoming task on my shoulders. The date had been set, and now we were selecting the remaining astronauts. The next eleven months would be spent planning, planning, and more planning. Even if I were allowed to share this information with my family, I wasn’t ready to talk about it.

  They would lose their shit.

  “How’s that big case you’re working on?” I asked.

  He was in his gray suit and black tie, looking like a powerhouse with that dark hair and deep brown eyes. He was great in the courtroom because he was relentless like a hungry shark, and he could sway a jury easily because of his looks. Women were drawn to him; men wanted to be him. “I won.”

  “Of course you did. What are you working on now?”

  “Haven’t decided yet. I have a few cases on the table, but I’m not sure which I’m going to take.”

  “Must be nice.”

  He shrugged. “It took a few years to get my career to this level. I’ve paid my dues.”

  “I know you did. And I’m proud of you.”

  He chuckled like I was being sarcastic. “I’m no astronaut.”

  “I’m not better than you, Vic. You know that.” He’d always been intimidated by my success, living in my deep shadow. But he didn’t understand that he was far more impressive than I was.

  He didn’t respond.

  “How’s the house-hunting going?”

  “I’ve been pretty busy, so Stacy has been in charge of that. She’s found a few places she likes.”

  “Cool. Got any pictures?”

  He pulled out his phone and showed me the listing for the first one.

  I saw the price tag. “Wow…business is going really well.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve got a trophy wife. Got to put her in a trophy house.”

  Stacy was pretty, but I never saw her that way. It made his devotion sweeter, because his love was deeper than appearances. “True.” I scrolled through the pictures and returned the phone. “Very nice.”

  He took the phone back. “We’ve got to make a decision soon. Don’t want to be getting all the furniture when the baby comes. Need to be ready for that.”

  “Good point.” I’d be around to see the birth of my niece or nephew, but then I’d be gone shortly afterward. It was a depressing thought.

  “So…how are things with Charlotte? Must be good because Stacy hasn’t seen her.” Accusation w
as in his eyes as he drank from his glass, as if he didn’t approve of this relationship one bit.

  “Yeah, it is good.”

  “So, what is this? Another fling?”

  “I don’t know what it is. All I know is we’re both only seeing each other, and we’re having a good time.”

  “How long do you think this is going to go on?”

  “Wow…you really don’t like this, do you?” I always assumed my brother would be on my side, but when it came to Charlotte, he was practically my enemy.

  “You know I feel about it, Neil.”

  I didn’t know why Vic felt so strongly about her, why he turned into a territorial dog when her name was mentioned. She was wonderful, but she was also a strong woman who didn’t need the protection of a man. “What is it about her that makes you like this? You’re a notorious asshole except when it comes to Stacy, so why does Charlotte make you so soft?”

  He drank from his beer as he stared at me. When he set the glass on the table, there was a loud thud against the surface. “Because she’s family to Stacy, so she’s family to me. If the situation were reversed, I would behave exactly the same.”

  “If you were afraid of some woman taking advantage of me?” I grinned because the idea was preposterous. It was impossible to hurt me because I didn’t allow anything that close to me.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Well, I’m not trying to take advantage of her.”

  “She just got divorced—”

  “Like a year ago. Vic, give her more credit. She’s not some delicate piece of glass that will shatter if not handled appropriately. She’s a strong woman who can take care of herself. She’s got an awesome job, just bought a house by herself, drives a stick… Come on.” I raised my hands incredulously. “Maybe she was a mess when Cameron first left her, but she’s not that person anymore.”