Chasing Fire: (Fire and Fury Book One)

by Avery Kingston

  Scott chuckled and shook his head. “Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Scott scratched the back of his neck.

  Jack frowned. “Uh oh. I don’t like the sound of that.” He leaned forward on his elbows.

  “I want out of the field,” Scott said plainly, “but I want to stay with the firm. I was wondering if there was a possibility of me moving into the corporate office.”

  Jack leaned back, folding his arms across his large chest, mulling that over for a few moments. Jack stood, silently crossing the room to the bar, the sound of glass clanking the only noise in the room. He walked back over and handed Scott a drink. “Bourbon?” Jack offered.

  Scott nodded and took the cup. “Thank you.” He sipped the dark liquor.

  Jack heaved a big sigh, and rather than sitting back at his desk, he took the chair next to Scott. “Office work isn’t you. I know you. You’re a man who craves the action. So, this request of yours leaves me a bit perplexed.”

  Scott nodded and took another sip. Damn, it was good bourbon. “Certain circumstances have come to light. I won’t be able to travel much anymore.”

  “Engaged?” Jack seemed to scoff at that prospect. Yeah, Scott had a bit of a reputation around the office.

  “No, not yet.” Scott shook his head and frowned. Scott knew he had to play this carefully with Tori. If Tori got even the slightest sensation that Scott was leaving the field to act as some sort of caretaker for her, she’d resent him. If Scott came at her too quickly, she’d run. His steps needed to be calculated and planned perfectly, leaving nothing to chance. She could see him staying put for some time first, and Scott gradually could work his way behind all her walls. Scott sipped his drink as Jack evaluated his silence.

  “But it’s a girl?” Jack laughed.

  Scott grinned sheepishly. “Yeah.” His forehead went into a crease. “I want to know, if I leave the field, can you see a future for me with the firm elsewhere?”

  “Harris, you’re damn smart—a fucking genius. I think, no matter what you do, you’ll excel at it, even if you hate it.” Jack took a sip. “I fear that I put you in the office, you’ll feel cooped up, miserable.”

  Not if I have Tori, I won’t. “She’s worth it. I just gotta lure her first.”

  Jack raised his brow. “Must be some girl if you’re leaving the field and you haven’t even hooked her yet.”

  “She’s been nibbling on the line for years. It’s time for me to cast out the big bait.”

  Jack laughed loudly. “Ah, so she’s a wild one. I can’t say that doesn’t suit you.” Jack stood and let out a breath. “You play?” He nodded to the pool table.

  “A bit.” Scott grinned as he finished off the last of his bourbon.

  “You rack, I’ll get us another drink.” Jack took Scott’s empty glass.

  Scott walked over to the pool table and set up the balls. Jack may be wealthy now, but he came from humble roots like Scott did. All in all, he was a really down-to-earth guy who’d taken a liking to him.

  “So, what’s her name?” Jack handed Scott a fresh drink.

  “Tori…” Scott cleared his throat. Jack would find out all of it soon enough. Tori would undergo a full background check if they ever were to get married. May as well tell him. “Victoria. Victoria Johnson.”

  Jack scratched his chin as he mulled that over. He grabbed the cue, leaned over the table, and broke. “Why does that sound familiar?” The balls scattered.

  “Um, well…” Scott gazed down into his drink and looked back to Jack. Honesty was always the best policy. “Nathaniel Donaghue ring a bell?”

  Jacks brows went far up onto his forehead as recognition washed over his face. “Well, damn.” Jack nodded to the table. It was Scott’s move. “How is she?”

  Scott sat his drink on the bar and grabbed a stick from the rack on the wall. He bent over and pulled back the stick. “Blind.” Scott hit the cue ball and knocked his solid into the corner pocket. He walked around the table and lined up his next shot.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Jack took a sip of his drink and looked at Scott. “How do you fit into this whole equation?”

  “Tori and I have been playing a song and dance for years.” Scott looked up at Jack. “She’s my best friend, Jack. After I lost my leg, she was there for me in a way nobody else could have been. We never got serious because of our careers. Maybe, if I’d done this sooner…” Scott took a large gulp then went back to the game. He missed the next shot.

  “You can’t blame yourself for that, Harris,” Jack said wisely. “Life is a fucking bitch.” Jack took his shot and landed it.

  From what Scott knew of Jack, he was a family man—good marriage with his wife, great kids. Scott hoped he understood. “I almost lost her. I’m not going to do that again. I’m going after her, and to do that, I need to stay put.” Tori deserved the security of knowing she wasn’t going to lose someone or something important ever again. “I want to stay with the firm, but if you can’t do that for me, then you can consider this my resignation.” Scott needed a life. He wanted a soft bed to come home to at night and a warm body to lie next to. He wanted kids, a family. It was time to slow down.

  Jack didn’t say anything while he landed his next two moves. He sucked in a deep breath. “Harris, you are a top-notch man, ya know that?” He stopped, looked at Scott, and leaned his weight into the pool stick. “From the moment I met you, I liked you. I knew you would be a great addition to our firm. The more I learn, the more impressed I am with you.”

  “Thank you.” Scott nodded.

  “There’s a couple more contracts I need you to finish out for me. Can you give me six months?” Jack reached out his hand to Scott. “I’d like you to go far. Hell, someday, I could see you taking over my job. I need a good successor, and my kids want nothing to do with my line of work.”

  Scott was taken aback. He knew Jack liked him, but hell, CEO someday? Scott grabbed Jack’s hand and shook it. “Deal.”

  “Now, tell me how you first met Victoria.”

  “She kicked my ass in a game of pool ten years ago and then drank me under the table.” Scott grinned.

  Jack laughed and leaned over, lining up his next shot. “Just like I’m about to do. Now don’t go falling for me, Harris.” Jack gave him a wink as the ball sank into the corner pocket.

  Tori sat at the bar, nervously tracing the rim of her wineglass with her fingertip, waiting for Scott to arrive. The bar still had a faint smoky scent to it, unnoticeable mostly to anyone else. DC had long ago banned smoking in bars, but it’s the type of odor that never truly goes away. The bartender had been making small talk with her as she waited for Scott to arrive.

  At long last, she heard Scott laugh and slap the back of the bouncer, causing her heart to skip a beat. Tori sipped her wine as gracefully as possible and smiled at the sound of his voice. Scott’s probably as big as the bouncer. When he walked into a room, he owned it.

  It had been well over a year since they’d been together, but she’d know that boisterous laugh of his anywhere. His cologne reached her before he did, and she sucked in that familiar scent: woodsy with sandalwood and sage and a sweet undertone. That was Scott. She tried to fight it, but her heart was pounding. He was standing near her, saying nothing, but she could hear his faint breathing. She could sense his gaze on her. Better give him a show. She stood and twirled.

  “You like?” she questioned, raising a brow.

  “Hell, yeah, I like!” Scott bellowed. “How’d you know I was here?” His gravelly voice rivaled the music in the bar.

  “Seriously? The whole damn bar knows you’re here, loudmouth.” She grinned.

  He chuckled, then smacked her ass, causing her to jolt and giggle. His hand lingered for a brief moment. Feel all you want, that’s why I’m here, after all.

  He wrapped his strong arm around her, then kissed her cheek. “It’s good to see you, beautiful,” his tone softened.

  She returned the warm embrace and melted int
o his large chest. Her racing heart steadied. For the first time in months, something was familiar. She was safe. After a moment, she let go, felt for the stool, and sat.

  His stool scraped across the wood flooring as he sat. “Whiskey and coke,” he told the bartender.

  She rested her hand gently on his thigh as he shifted his weight to get comfortable on his good leg. She traced the seam of his jeans down his leg to where the prosthetic started.

  “Here you go, sir.” His glass tapped on the counter.

  “Got a new peg. The old one was done for. It’s sleek. Titanium and carbon fiber. You’ll approve.” He playfully snickered as she heard him gulp a swig of his drink.

  Tori’s cheeks were blazing now. “I should’ve never told you it was sexy. I’ll never live it down.” He endlessly teased her about it.

  She could have easily left the bar that moment and taken him back to her hotel room. She wanted to rip every piece of clothing off and feel her skin against his. She planned to trace every inch of his body with her fingers and remember exactly what it looked like in case she was to forget.

  Tori pulled up his face in the back of her mind, where she held tight to those precious visual memories and the artist still inside her painted a picture—his strong, square jaw framed by a perfectly manicured beard; his dark chocolate locks he always kept clean on the sides, slightly longer on top. His brows were thick and furrowed into a crease that made him appear far too serious at times, but once he smiled, you could see he was not as stern as he looked. His dark brown eyes would crease at the corners and light up with the slightest hint of gold when he flashed that crooked, wicked smirk. Scott had a great sense of humor and a childlike playfulness to him that Tori found endearing.

  Tori swallowed a lump in her throat and tucked her hair behind her ears. God, I’m gonna miss that face more than anything. She froze. You two are fuck buddies, nothing more. She’d seriously gotten soft. All the blood rushed to her ears.

  “You ready to take me now?” He laughed.

  Yeah, he noticed.

  Damn mind reader.

  It wasn’t possible that anyone could fuck better than her and Scott. After years of being together, they were fine tuned to each other’s bodies. He knew when to press hard and when to pull back, he’d tease her, draw it out, making her beg for more. She did the same for him. It was a pornographic ballet.

  Unlike all the others, he knew her. Emotion clogged her chest and squeezed her heart. Dammit, stop it. Stop it now.

  She cleared her throat. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, mister." Tori licked her lips. "You have to wine and dine me first before you get the goods. I haven’t been on a date in months.”

  “Ok.” He let out hefty, playful sigh. "Dance with me.” He pulled her by the hand.

  “You hate dancing.” Tori frowned.

  “But you love it.” His thumb grazed her cheek.

  I used to. She bit her bottom lip; the music in the bar normally would have been calling her name, but now, it made her blood pressure skyrocket.

  “Don't worry.” His voice was calm, reassuring, as always. “I’ve got you.” He tilted her chin up and pressed his lips gently to hers. “If I can still dance, so can you." Tori nodded and asked the bartender to store her belongings.

  Scott grabbed her hand and placed it under his arm. Her mouth watered touching his thick bicep. There was far too much fabric between her fingertips and that arm.

  Her heels clicked on the wood dance floor. He spun her around, grabbed her waist, and pulled her in close. She sucked in a breath, her pulse quickening. She tightened her tense body close to his.

  “Relax, Tori,” he whispered to her in a tone somehow mixed with caring and playfulness. “I promise you’ll have a good time.”

  “Another round?” the bartender asked as they came back to the bar, a bit sweaty from the dance floor.

  Scott glanced over at her, resting her chin in her hand lazily. He could tell she was at her limit, as was he. Just enough alcohol to make the night fun. The last thing he needed was her to start spewing and end up with one of her raging hangovers.

  “Nah. Close out our tab, please.” He turned to her and snaked his arm around her. He ran his knuckle down her smooth cheek. Her mouth parted, and he couldn’t wait to have it wrapped around his tingling cock. He traced those pouty lips, leaned in, and took a taste. God, she was so sweet. He pulled back, his hand firmly on the back of her neck, his fingers reaching, tugging ever so slightly at her platinum waves.

  Scott eyes danced along her delicate features. She was different than the hardened girl he was used to, that was for sure. She had this beautiful vulnerability to her now, softer almost, which was strangely working for him.

  She wore a short, silky, blue-grey dress that plunged into a deep V, showing off her tits. Those babies were hard to ignore, and his eyes had been drawn there like a magnet all night. The dress brought out the blue in her eyes.

  Her eyes had always been his favorite feature of hers. Thankfully, they were as blue as he remembered, but he missed the fire in them. She tried to focus on him, but her gaze shot right about his chin and missed his own eyes.

  The bartender slid the receipt to him and handed Tori her belongings. “For you, miss.” Tori’s hands searched for them for a moment, and Scott nodded in appreciation. “Thank you, Mr. Harris. You two have a lovely evening."

  “Are you staring at me?” she questioned.

  Ah, she caught me.

  “Yes, I am,” he admitted. "You look stunning, as usual.”

  “Were you worried about the mug?” Tori gestured in a circle around her face.

  He laughed nervously. Yeah, he was thinking too loud. “Well, the details I was given left a lot to the imagination. Hats off to your plastic surgeon. I think I should send him a thank you card for keeping you quite fuckable.”

  She tilted her head back and let out a throaty chuckle. "I’ll have to take your word for it.” Her nose curled. "Nice to know I’m not a troll and still fuckable.” There was an awkward silence between them for a moment, and she sucked in a deep breath. "Well, are you ready to have your way with me now?" She reached down and squeezed his ass.

  “Oh, you just wait…” He slung his arm around her and kissed her cheek.

  They stepped out into the summer night air with her on his arm. She swayed a bit from the drinks. Her ankle twisted slightly on the uneven sidewalk. He caught her from toppling over.

  “Do I need to piggyback you?” He looked down at her shoes, realizing she was insane for wearing them. “You’re like a baby deer in those shoes.”

  “Blind girls can still rock heels. Drunk blind girls? Well, that’s questionable.”

  They arrived several minutes later at the hotel. He opened the door and pulled his arm behind him to signal to her that they were at a doorway so she wouldn’t smack her face into the doorjamb.

  “Look at you. Such a Boy Scout. Someone did his homework,” she teased.

  He rolled his eyes. She knew him far too well. Yeah, he researched how to guide her properly. Always prepared. The military embedded that in him.

  He stopped when they got to the elevator. She pulled out the room key and handed it to him. "Room five forty-two.”

  The elevator chimed, and they were finally alone. He pressed her against the wall and claimed her mouth. She sucked in a breath at his ambush, then leaned into it, drinking him in as her arms curled around his neck. The elevator couldn’t move fast enough. He wanted her dress in a pile on the floor.

  He opened the door, finally reaching the room. "Ladies first." Her luscious hips swayed as she trailed her fingers along the wall, making her way over to the bed. She dropped her belongings on the night table.

  Scott snaked his arms around her slender waist. He brushed her hair to the side and sprinkled kisses along her neck. She tilted her neck, releasing a throaty moan. He gently unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor around her ankles. Staring at her from behind was like eyeing a fine
piece of art. His fingers trailed down her spine, across the inked cross between her shoulder blades. Funny tattoo for her to have—she never seemed religious.

  She turned and faced him. She was wearing no bra. Holy hell. His cock instantly grew stiff. His greedy hands palmed her tits, giving them a good squeeze. “Not so fast, mister. I believe you owe me something.” She cleared her throat and held her hand out. “Give ‘em up.”

  Her and those panties. Every. Goddamn. Time.

  He reached deep into his pocket, pulling out the lacy pair of pink underwear. He put them in her palm and closed it with his hand. “There you go. Payment.”

  She flashed a bemused grin and discarded the underwear onto the nightstand.

  Her hands rubbed along his chest, and one by one, she undid each button on his starched shirt. She dragged the shirt down his shoulders and ran her palms down his arms.

  “Any new ink?” she asked curiously.

  Tori had always been wild about his tattoos. He usually had a few new ones each time they met.

  “None yet. Still like you remember.” Her fingers danced in circles across the blank spot on his left chest, over his heart.

  She grabbed him by the back of his neck, guiding him to her breasts. He leaned down and took her nipple in his mouth, giving it a flick with his tongue. She moaned out in pleasure.

  His lips gravitated lower, showering her with kisses as his hands slid down her abdomen. He stopped briefly at the new scar across her belly. He rubbed his thumb across it, inspecting the small change in her torso.

  He grazed her silky-smooth thighs. He bent down, keeping his weight on his good leg, grabbed her panties between his teeth, and snapped them back. His lips nuzzled her inner thigh, blowing his heavy, hot breath onto her pussy.

  “God, I can feel everything,” she breathed as he gently removed her lacy thong.

  Good. She was going to enjoy this.

  He tossed her onto the bed, pulling off her shoes and kissing her feet. He unzipped his pants and sat on the bed, discarding his boots. They landed on the floor in a thud, followed by the rest of his clothing.