Chasing Fire: (Fire and Fury Book One)

by Avery Kingston

  Tori and her neighbor, Mrs. Hearst, rounded the hallway toward her apartment, taking slow, small steps. The pace was more for Mrs. Hearst than it was for her. Honestly, her foot was fine.

  After Tori smashed her phone and cleaned up the bleeding, she swallowed her pride and hobbled over to her neighbor’s house to ask for help, or at least use a phone. A few small shards of glass had embedded into her heel, and as much as Mrs. Hearst tried, her old eyes couldn’t get the tiny pieces out.

  Mrs. Hurst insisted on taking her to the hospital, and honestly, that sounded better than the prospect of having to listen to Jane scold her over her drunken debauchery. The ER was packed, though, and it took hours of waiting before Tori was finally seen, glass dug out of her foot, patched up, and sent along the way. The sweet, old widow hadn’t left her side all day.

  Mrs. Hearst had also insisted on driving Tori to the store. There, they waited another two hours in a long line before Tori could finally get her new phone, sync her contacts and all her apps.

  Normally, Tori would need a drink after a day like this, but after last night, she may never drink again.

  Tori had heard the entire story of how Mrs. Hearst met her husband. She knew all her children’s names and grandchildren’s names. She’d heard the heartbreaking tale of how he passed last year from a stroke. Tori was ashamed she never even remembered the man, or that she hadn’t taken the time to get to know her neighbors and at least send a card or flowers at his passing. She really had been such a self-centered person.

  Her stomach knotted thinking again of her conversation with Scott. With her phone out of commission all day, she hadn’t had a chance to call him back, and she had no idea if he’d called her to make nice. She honestly wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

  Mrs. Hurst stopped at her door. “Why don’t I come in and make you dinner? My kids live so far away, it would be nice to cook for more than one.”

  Tori sucked in a breath. God, was this what it was like to have a grandmother? Hell if Tori actually knew, but she really wanted to just get inside and call Scott back in private. “I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day.” Tori swiped her key fob at the door and opened it up, folded her cane, and set it on the table.

  “Hey pretty lady.” A low, smooth, gravelly voice, the voice she’d been longing to hear all day, beaconed through the darkness.

  Tori’s heart stopped. Scott?

  Before Tori could even speak, a blood-curdling scream came from her elderly neighbor. “Get out of her house, you dirty pervert!”

  Tori jolted, and she could hear the sound of Mrs. Hurst releasing unholy hell on Scott.

  “It’s ok.” Smack. “I’m her friend!” Smack. “OW!”

  A slow smile crept across Tori’s face.

  “Tori! Can you call off UFC granny?” Scott shouted.

  “Mrs. Hurst! Stop! Its ok. I know him!” Tori shouted.

  “Good grief. Keith didn’t tell you that I was here?”

  Tori giggled. “No.” Probably because Keith’s a stinker and wanted to scare the piss out of me. “Mrs. Hurst, this is Scott, a very good friend of mine. Scott, I believe you’ve met my neighbor, and bodyguard, Mrs. Hurst.”

  “Well. young man, I’m pleased to make the acquaintance of such a fine-looking man. Sorry I whooped your ass.”

  Scott’s laugh bellowed off the walls. God. that sound was like music to Tori’s ears. “Glad to know Victoria has someone looking out for her who’s not afraid to whoop some ass. Nice to meet you.”

  Mrs. Hurst let out a long breath. “Well, I’ll let you two catch up. Maybe dinner another night. dear?” The next thing Tori knew, she was wrapped up in her neighbor’s arms. Tori wasn’t a hugger, but she returned the warm embrace. “I see you have dessert for tonight planned,” she whispered in Tori’s ear.

  Tori chuckled. “Thank you for your company today.” Tori released the hold and saw her out.

  The door shut quietly, and Tori leaned against it. She tried to speak, but her breath caught in her throat.

  He came for me.

  “Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?” His tone was so full of caring.

  After everything I said to him, he still came for me.

  “You ok, gorgeous?”

  Stupid moisture filled her eyes and her lip quivered. Don’t cry, don’t cry.

  Tori didn’t’ say a word. She only stood there, silent.

  Tears began to stream down her cheeks. Finally, she moved forward. Her hand reached out toward him, searching.

  “I’ve got you,” he said as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close.

  She immediately buried herself into his large chest.

  Her small frame shook, heaving sobs so heavy he feared she’d break. He wrapped her in tighter and stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head. He’d hold her for as long as it took for her to feel better—till the end of time.

  “I stepped on my phone, broke it. Got glass in my foot. Spent all day waiting at the ER, followed by the cell phone store. All I wanted to do was call you, but I didn’t know the number. All these years, and I couldn’t remember it.” She sobbed into his chest. “How could I not memorize your number?”

  She sucked in a breath and pulled back. “I’m so sorry.” She quickly wiped her face, tilting her head downward.

  Scott placed his hands on her cheeks and lifted her chin. He wiped the moisture from under her eyes.

  In the ten years of knowing her, he’d never seen her shed a tear. She was so beautiful, even when crying. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He kissed her forehead and looked at her again. His heart ached for all the pain she’d endured. Watching her break ripped his heart to shreds. “Nothing. You don’t have to hide your heart from me. It’s ok to let go.”

  Her blue eyes were his direction but went through him. She wilted in his embrace as the fight of holding back her pain drained from her. “I’m tired, Scott. I can’t hold my breath anymore and pretend it’s all ok, because I’m so far from ok.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her shoulders shook as more cries escaped her.

  Scott swept her off the ground and carried her into her bedroom, laying her gently onto the soft bed. She rolled over onto her side and curled into a ball.

  He lay behind her and folded his arms around her, holding her while she let the dam of emotions flood out. The loose shirt she was wearing slipped off her shoulder. He ran his hand across her smooth skin and kissed it, offering her some sort of comfort. For the first time, he realized how fragile her heart was. It was like a whole other side to her she was allowing him to see. She’d finally dropped down her big wall and let him in.

  Tori sat up on the bed and stripped off her shirt and jeans, exposing her black lace bra and panties. She lay back down on the bed, facing him. He stroked her hair and kissed her sweetly. Her hands moved across his chest, tugging at his shirt, urging him to remove it.

  Scott shook his head. “No, Tori. I’m not here for…” She put her fingers on his lips to quiet him then pressed her mouth against his.

  “I need to feel your skin against me.” She tugged again at his shirt, and this time, he obliged, discarding it to the floor.

  She rubbed her hands gently over his chest and up and around his back. He closed his eyes, soaking in her soft touch. God, she’s too damn beautiful. It was too easy for him to get lost in her.

  Her lips showered kisses along his torso. “I know what I want, and I want you, Scott. I meant nothing of what I said last night.” Her pouty lips pressed against his. “Make love to me.”

  Scott sucked in a breath. Those words had never been uttered from her lips to him. He’d give her what she needed. Soft. Slow. Gentle.

  Scott unclasped her bra and slid the straps down her shoulder. He cupped her right breast in his hand and leaned down and kissed her pink nipple gently.

  She unfastened his belt, followed by his jeans. She reached down his pants as he swelled in her grasp. He lifted his bottom as she shimmied his pants belo
w his ass, giving it a firm squeeze as she planted her lips to his.

  His veins filled with warmth tasting her sweet kiss. The love he felt for her was undeniable. He was done fighting it. Even if she didn’t love him back, his heart would still belong to her.

  He wiggled his jeans down further and tugged on his aching cock, pushing it between her folds. Tori widened her legs, inviting him in. He pulled her lacy panties to the side, and with one large push, he was inside of her, the only place he ever wanted to be. Slowly he thrust, melting into her. He sucked on her bottom, pouty lip as a soft moan escaped her mouth.

  She wrapped her legs snug around his torso, reached down from behind her, cupping his balls into her hand and pressing on the sensitive spot right between his sack and ass. Holy fucking shit. His eyes clamped shut as a growl rumbled in his throat. The woman knew just how to touch him.

  He kissed her feverishly, and she parted her lips, inviting him to claim her mouth. He sat up and leaned back on his knee, admiring the beauty in front of him. He licked his thumb, then parted her slit, revealing her swollen clit, plump, red, warm, and ready for him. He rubbed in tiny circles. He loved watching the look on her face as her pleasure would mount. The way her lips would part, then she’d squirm as her breathing would become more labored. Her back arched, and her head tilted to the side as she grabbed her pillow to muffle her cries of pleasure. The skin on her chest reddened. That’s when he knew she was almost there, and he released her.

  Right after she climaxed, he re-entered her. As much as he tried to be gentle, he failed. He was too overcome with his lust for her.

  “Harder,” she whispered, as if reading his mind. He licked his finger and rubbed her sensitive bud once again.

  “Scott,” she whispered his name in a breathless pant as she came a second time. He shivered as his own orgasm ripped through him. Breathless, he lay his head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him tighter than ever before.

  He lifted his eyes and stared into her beautiful face. “Tori, I…”

  Just say it, say you love her.

  She pressed her lips to his to silence him. “I know.”

  He rolled onto his back, and she curled next to him. His fingers caressed her platinum locks and held her until she drifted off in his arms.

  He gently lay her to her side and covered her with the blanket. He undressed, took off his prosthetic, and crawled under the covers, pulling her in close.

  Tonight, there was no exchange of panties, no asking for payment, no sexual games. For the first time, she’d opened her tattered heart and let him in.

  Scott glanced over his shoulder as Tori wandered out into the living room in a tank top and panties. Damn, she was fucking fine.

  “Good morning, pretty. I like your outfit.” He turned back to the stove and flipped the bacon in the pan as it sizzled. “Sleep well?”

  She nodded, trailing her finger along the wall as she walked over to the entry to the kitchen. “Better than I’ve slept in a long time.”

  “Sit. I’ll get you some coffee while I finish breakfast.”

  She reached out for the high-top, wooden island that separated her kitchen from her living area and took a stool.

  Scott sat her coffee in front of her. “A shit ton of creamer, right?”

  She smiled and nodded. “You know how I like it.” She slid her hand across the bar and palmed the mug.

  “So,” Scott smirked. “I broke into your office and left a dozen roses on your desk that will probably be dead by Monday morning.”

  Tori practically choked on her coffee. “You what?” she sputtered, placing the mug on the counter. “You broke into the Smithsonian?”

  “Yeah, that was fun.” He grinned.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I didn’t actually break in,” he admitted. “I just walked in—well, kind of. We’ll circle back round to that story in a bit.” Scott chuckled as he cracked two eggs into the pan.

  Something in her expression softened. “Thank you for the roses. That was very sweet of you. Although, I don’t feel that I deserve them. The things I said to you…”

  “We both said things we shouldn’t have.” His voice cracked, betraying him. “What happened to you was…” My fault. He should have fought for her heart sooner. He took time for granted, assuming one day, they’d get there. He had so many regrets. He sucked in a breath, “…an accident,” he finished. “I had no business branding you with a scarlet letter. I was no better than the media hounding you.”

  “Speaking of that…” Tori grimaced.

  “Don’t worry about any of that. I paid a visit to your friend Hunter, or Connor. He won’t be printing anything.”

  Tori buried her face in her hands. “Please tell me you didn’t murder him.”

  Scott grinned. “I only choked him a little.”

  “I just want you to know, I may be a slut, but I’m a slut with standards. I never was with Nathaniel before the separation. I’d just met him that night and we started flirting.”

  “So, you never fucked him?”

  “I never said that…” Tori bit her lip. “We may have gone to my office for a bit…”

  Scott let out a displeased grunt.

  He flipped the eggs onto her plate and placed it in front of her. “Fried eggs at two o’ clock, bacon at seven, and toast at ten, fork is to the right of the plate.”

  “Thanks.”

  He sat next to her at the counter. It was quiet for a few moments while he broke up his yolks with the fork. “You fucked him in your office?” Scott said curiously. “You dirty bird.” He jabbed her in the arm playfully.

  “You’re breaking the rules.” She bit into her food.

  He dropped his fork on his plate and looked at the cute smirk on her face as she nibbled on a piece of bacon. Acid bubbled in the pit of his stomach thinking about Nathaniel in her office, pulling off her dress, touching her smooth skin—with their photo sitting on her desk right behind that action. “Maybe the rules need to change. I’m tired of sharing you. Like you said last night, I know what I want, and I want you.”

  He was done waiting. He was done playing it safe. It was time to lay all the cards on the table. He loved her, and he wasn’t about to let her slip through his fingers ever again.

  Tori gulped down her bite of bacon and sat there quietly. He grew tired of waiting on her response. “Do you have nothing to say?”

  Tori stood, rinsed her plate, and placed it in the dishwasher. She turned around and faced his direction. “What do you want, Scott? The white picket fence in the suburbs and two point five kids and the dog?” She laughed nervously and shook her head. “You know that’s not us. It never has been.”

  “Yes, because you’ve always kept me at arm’s length, running whenever we get too close, protecting yourself behind all those walls built of one-night stands,” he bit back.

  “As if you’ve ever been any better.” She crossed her arms.

  “Who, me?” He laughed and walked over to her. “There have been some other women.” He paused when he saw the oh really frown on her face. “Ok, a lot of other women, but there’s only one Tori.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her. “No chick could ever blow my mind like you do.”

  “You mean blow you?” Her mouth quirked up.

  “Well, that, too.” He chuckled and put his arms around her. “Tori, neither of us have settled down with anyone else, and I think, deep down, we both know the reason why. Why do we continue this silly charade when we both know what we mean to each other? You said it yourself last night, you know.”

  He put his chin on her head. He could feel her heart pounding rapidly against his own chest. Finally, she pulled back from his embrace.

  “Ok, so let’s say we try that. Let’s get the house in the burbs, except make the dog a guide dog, and then you leave me there for months at a time, worried sick about you, to care for the kids that we’ll probably never have!”

  Tears filled her eyes. “That was a lot in on
e sentence.” He didn’t know what to address first. “First, I’m still ironing out the details, but I’ve been planning on transitioning to working primarily out of the DC area as more of an administrative role. I’ll have occasional field work, but nothing near what I’m doing right now. I’m getting too tired of traveling so much,” he fed her the lie, praying she’d buy it.

  He continued. “Next, I don’t care that you’re blind. I mean, I care, but it doesn’t bother me… Oh, fuck. You know what I mean. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change a damn thing about how I feel about you.” He grabbed her hands and squeezed them, hoping she understood what he was saying. “You’re still Tori.”

  “Third,” he chose his words carefully to not scare her off. “We can figure out all the other shit. I mean, I said heck, let’s do this for real, not hey, let’s get married and start a family. I—”

  “You don’t get it, Scott. I wasn’t saying let’s get married and have kids, but there’s something you need to know.” Her face twisted as she chewed on her nail.

  “What? You don’t want kids?” His heart broke. He really did want a family someday. “Is it because you're blind? Because there’s no reason to let that—”

  “Scott.” She held up her hand. “I found out several weeks ago I was pregnant.” She breathed deeply. “It was yours.” She walked out of the kitchen, reached for the sofa, and flopped down. “I…”

  Was? Scott sucked in a breath, trying to not be angry and hear her out, but he could feel himself getting heated. The Oxy, the Xanax, it all added up now. So that’s what Keith was hiding. He boiled inside. “You terminated it? Our child? Without even talking to me?”

  She shook her head quickly. “God, no. Let me finish, dammit! I couldn’t have done that. Not something that was part me and part you. I lost it, Scott.” Her voice thinned, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

  His anger quickly dissolved into sorrow.

  She lost our child. We could have had a baby.

  He braced to the counter as the weight of that hit him. “How? What happened?”

  “It was a tubal pregnancy. Nothing could save it. I had to have surgery to take care of it, but they found more damage than expected.” He could tell she didn’t want to go into detail. “My point is, Scott…it may be a long shot for me to get pregnant again.” She grabbed a pillow and curled it into her chest and rested her chin on it.