by Gail Haris
Seth speaks up before I’ve figured out what to say. “I noticed the yard needed tending to. Hope I didn’t wake you? I wanted to mow real quick while I had a minute. I’m going to the golf course for a business meeting, but if you’d like to come with me? You could wait in the bar and have a cocktail, and then when I’m finished, we could grab lunch?”
“I appreciate the offer and you coming to mow. But really, I can handle my own lawn. I really wish you would have called before you went to the trouble.” I hold my hands together in a prayer, “Seth, you need to understand that I like you as a friend. A friend. You’re also my landlord, so I respect you. But you need to respect that I am not interested in us being anything more than what we are. And you also have to know that I don’t sit around drinking cocktails waiting…for anyone.”
Seth’s jaw hardens and then he gives me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “You’re more of the type to go to the bar and pick up the biggest drunk in the room? Then hold him on the side of the road as he vomits with his dick hanging out? I see now exactly what type of man you go after.”
I open my mouth, but he holds his hand up and starts the mower. He drives the mower to the mini-trailer that’s attached to a brand-new pickup. I didn’t even notice that he was in a different vehicle until now, so in shock over seeing him outside mowing my grass. Now that that problem is solved, I look over and Carter is gone.
You know what? Screw both of them.
It’s my day off so I spend the day cleaning and getting the house decorated. My parents are planning to come visit me next month. I’m so excited, but I know if I don’t have food in the cabinets and the house decorated, mi mamá will worry. I turn my music up and dance around, proud that I feel like I’ve finally accomplished what I set out to do. I started a new life, I have my own place, I’ve made my own friends, and I love my job.
A hand comes around and covers my mouth. “Sshhh,” a low voice whispers. I rear my head back and hear the satisfying crunch of a nose. Gently rubbing the back of my head, I spin around to find Seth holding his bloody nose.
“¡Qué carajo!” What are you doing here?” I slowly begin stepping backwards, putting more space between us.
“I have a key,” he says, humor in his voice like I’m being ridiculous.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re here now, and why you grabbed me from behind. And why you helped yourself to come inside my home!”
“Because we need to talk. Something is seriously wrong with you, and I want to give you another chance to make the right decision.”
Oh no, no. Está loco! My phone is too far away for me to reach. I’ve got to figure out a way to calm him down enough for me to call for help. “Can we sit down and discuss this?”
Seth shakes his head but doesn’t move. I take a step toward him and he pounces. He grabs me by the hair and shoves me in the pantry. The space is tight, and I suddenly feel very scared and very claustrophobic. I beat on the door, “Seth! Stop! Let me out!”
“I need to show you. This is something you’re going to have to see for yourself.”
I feel the tears beginning to burn the back of my eyes, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry. “Show me what? I want to understand, Seth. You need to explain it to me.”
I hear a thud and his voice against the door, so he must be leaning against it. “I’ve figured it out. You are convinced that Collins is some sort of hero. That because he saved you, you’re obligated to him in some way. But that’s just it, that’s his job and no one owes him anything.”
What does this have to do with anything? Is he upset that I turned him down? Surely, he can’t be so upset and not able to handle rejection that he’s going to hold me hostage. I’ve worked in the medical field long enough to know that people are capable of anything. That acknowledgement has me sweating, but I force myself not to panic.
“You saved me too! You rented me this amazing house at half the price when I really needed a place. You’ve saved me even more than he could possibly have saved me.” I pray my voice has enough sympathy and sincerity to convince him.
“I did. But you don’t see it…well, you do, but you don’t. So, we need to squish this absurd fantasy about a man who isn’t capable of loving you.” I hear shoveling on the other side of the door. “But that’s just it…I will make you see.” He laughs. “This worked for the last girl we both liked.”
“Wh-what are you saying?” I smell the smoke before I see it. What is he doing? What is this loco doing? I bang on the door. “Seth! Seth! There’s smoke! Are you okay? Something’s burning!”
“Can I tell you a secret?”
His voice has my blood turning cold. What has he done? I lean against the door and whisper, “Yes.”
“The fire that killed his parents. It wasn’t his father. It was me.”
My heart stops. “You?”
“Yes. It was meant for Collins and Ava. She was the most beautiful girl in school. She liked me. She really did. But he wooed her as the school’s hero. The football hero. Everyone’s favorite guy. I wanted to show her that he wasn’t the hero she thought he was. A beautiful face will make a man do crazy things.”
A beautiful face will make a man do crazy things? More like a mentally disturbed mind will make a man do crazy things. Aye.
“See, I thought they were home alone because only his truck was there. Nobody told me that Collins took Daddy’s car joy riding. Not my fault.”
The more he speaks in that calm, controlled voice, the more I want to vomit.
“I went inside the house and unfortunately, Firefighter Collins senior took one look at the contents I held in my arms and knew what I was up to. Well, I couldn’t let him tell anyone. I mean, my father would’ve lost his mind. He would’ve beat me within an inch of my life. My future would’ve been ruined.”
“So, you killed them? Then set a fire to their house?”
“Yes. Everyone thought the father did it. Now, before you go thinking less of me, I did not start that rumor.” His voice turns wistful. “Then the great Carter Collins really did lose his mind. He went into such a depression. Ava, being young and beautiful, needed more from him than he was able to give to her, so she broke up with him to be with me. I think he resented her anyway. After all, had he not been out with her, he might’ve been home and could’ve saved his parents.”
“This is all because I chose Carter over you? You’re going to kill me for that?”
“Okay, when you say it like that it sounds crazy.”
“How is killing me going to solve anything? You won’t get me if I’m dead.”
“But…you survived one fire before, right? Let’s see how your luck holds out.”
I lean my ear against the door to try and listen. What I hear turns my blood cold. The door shutting and locking. Of course. He said he has a key. More smoke begins to creep up from under the bottom of the door. I cover my nose with my shirt and ram by shoulder against the door. Whatever he put in front of the door is not budging.
Shit. Shit. Shit. The fire is clearly close to me. There’s no windows here. I’m trapped in an enclosed space with no ventilation, and by the time the fire spreads enough for anyone to notice…it’ll be too late for me.
Carter
“Lolly!” I walk around the side of the house to search for her. We were both out here cleaning up some weeds when I’d noticed Seth’s car leave Natalia’s. I guess she changed her mind. Maybe it’s for the best. Then again, maybe I’m not out of the race yet. I can clean up on occasion if need be. That’s it, tonight I’m going to ask her if she wants to go on a real date. There’s not much to do in Sunnyville, but I bet she’d love to have a picnic under the stars. I can be romantic, and she strikes me as the type of woman who isn’t wanting a fancy dinner, but a thoughtful, romantic dinner. Add a glass of whiskey on the rocks, and I’m a regular Casanova or Don Juan. Minus all the lovers. Romeo? No, he died. Yeah, I need serious help. “Lolly!”
I make it to th
e front of the house, but still don’t see her. Looking across the street, Lolly is peeking inside Natalia’s window. “Lolly!” Suddenly, she shuffles around the yard and picks up a brick. Her frail arm looks as though it’s about to break as she picks it up and throws it. I hear the glass break and then fire shoots out of the window, knocking Lolly to the ground. “Lolly!”
I take off in a hard run. I kneel next to Lolly and feel for a pulse. It’s there. Thank God. Quickly, I pull out my cell phone and dial 911. I also text Malone.
Natalia! I rush to the back of the house where the flames are now coming through. She’s in there, that must be why Lolly broke the window, maybe she heard her calling for help. I have to be smart. I can’t be reckless, I need to live through this and save her—then find out what the fuck happened.
I kick the back door open and hurry through the house in the direction of where Lolly threw the brick. I lift my shirt up over my nose and scan the room quickly. There’s a chair underneath the knob of the pantry door.
What the fuck?
Fire is surrounding the pantry. I grab a jacket that’s hanging up next to the back door and beat the flames to make my way to the door. I kick the chair away and swing the door open. Natalia is standing there naked with a piece of cloth covering her nose and mouth. That’s when I look down and see that she’d sealed the door with her clothes to try and keep the smoke from getting in. I lift her in my arms and carry her out of the house.
The EMTs are tending to Lolly as my brothers from the department are getting ready to extinguish the fire. I carry Natalia over to one of the EMTs. They cover her in a sheet, and once I see she’s unharmed, I shake my head. “I’m beginning to worry you’re setting fires just so I’ll be forced to hold your naked body against me.”
“Hardly,” she deadpans.
“What happened?”
“Seth.”
Before she can say another word, I’m leaving. That psychopath. He’s always seemed a little off, but to murder someone? Burn them alive? Speaking of, as soon as I reach the street, his car comes speeding toward us. He jumps out of his car providing a theatrical exit, full of false worry.
“What happened? Natalia!”
I run after him, “You sorry son-of-a-bitch!” Two officers come grab me, and I yell at them. “Why are you restraining me? He’s the one you should be charging with attempted murder!”
Seth shakes his head. “I came by here earlier and everything was fine! Now you’re here and the house is in flames.” I don’t miss his look of surprise when he sees Natalia walk toward me in a sheet.
“You shoved me in the pantry and set the fire!”
“No. That’s not what happened. Why would I burn my own property?” Seth stares at her in disbelief.
“Insurance,” I say the same time as Natalia says, “Loco.”
An officer comes up and says, “We need to question you, sir.”
Lolly shuffles over and takes Natalia’s hand. “I guess that means we’re roomies again?”
“Wait,” Natalia calls out to the officers. Her eyes fill with unshed tears, and the ache in them has me nervous. “He set the fire…that killed your parents, Carter. It was never your dad. It was Seth.”
My heart stops. It physically stops beating for a second. I didn’t hear her correctly. Seth? But why? Ava did break up with me after that, but surely he’s not that insane. Then again, didn’t I just pull Natalia out of a pantry that he’d locked her in and set fire to? All this time… The nightmares, fears, anguish, and unbearable loss had all been a result of this one man. I don’t even know how to process this. I look at Natalia, and it hits me that she could’ve faced the same ending as my parents. The need to hold her takes over. I have feel that she’s really here. Pulling her into me, I take this moment to process my father’s innocence and appreciate the precious life within my arms.
Natalia
It’s been a week since the fire. I’m not sure how many fires I can deal with. At this point, I don’t even know if I’d want to be around a bonfire to roast s’mores. I’ve had enough of pretty much everything for this year. Carter is handling the news about Seth the best I think he’s capable of handling it, keeping everything to himself. The police have looked into it, but so far there’s no evidence.
Carter and I haven’t talked anymore about us. We’ve both been working, and when we are together, Lolly is around as well. There’s still something simmering between us. Each little touch, such as handing the coffee pot to the other one or passing the syrup over to one another causes a stirring within me. The stolen glances during supper. Every night our windows are left open, and we both purposely leave them open as we get ready for bed, and then fall to sleep with that opening between us, a divide both of us wanting to cross, but unsure of the journey to get there.
Tonight though, I’m tired of waiting. I’ve had two near-death experiences—within months apart. There’s a gorgeous, hunk of a man a few feet away. Dammit, if anyone deserves to get laid, it’s me! His broken heart does too. I throw the covers off, and in the darkness tiptoe to the dresser. I pull out my sexiest lingerie and put it on. Then I tiptoe to the window and crawl out. The cool grass tickles my toes as I skip over to Carter’s window and climb through. Then, I shut the window behind me.
Carter is lying in bed with the sheets tangled around his waist. His muscular chest is bare, gently rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He looks at peace, except for the slight crease between his brows. Now that I’m in his dark room while he’s sleeping, I feel slightly foolish. And like a complete stalker. I hear his deep intake of breath, and then a slight groan as he turns to his side completely facing me. His eyelashes flutter and then his eyes slowly open. His arms stretch over his head and he raises up. With his head tilted, he rubs his eyes. Carter licks his lips gives a short chuckle. “This is either the best damn dream I’ve ever had, or you’ve come too far to get bashful now. Either way, I’m not complaining. Get over here.”
Summoning every ounce of confidence I have, I walk toward his bed. “If this is a dream, what would happen next?”
“Honestly, so far this is way better than anything I could dream up.” His eyes travel over my body. His voice is husky, whether from just waking up or desire, I’m not sure. “The thing is, though, I don’t want this to be dream. I want whatever it is between us to be real.”
I place one knee on the bed, and lean forward, placing my hand on his smooth, solid chest and push him back as I inch closer to the prize. “Does this feel real?”
“Yes.”
My hand slides down and under the sheets. He’s already hard. I free him from his boxers and wrap my fingers around him. “Does this…feel…real?” I ask between lazy strokes.
“Very.” He groans the more I touch him.
I release him and place my lips a breath away from his and whisper. “I don’t think you’re dreaming, but this is definitely my fantasy.”
“Then that means we better not waste another minute, because with my luck there’s going to be a call or Lolly will be interrupting us.”
He leans forward and presses his lips against mine. His hand comes up behind my neck to tangle through my hair and hold me to him. His skillful tongue slides between my lips and begins sending me into a frenzy. He places his other hand on my lower back and brings my body forward and guides me on top of him. I feel him everywhere—in every fiber of my soul—and we’re only making out. His body heat is like a warm beacon that I can’t get enough of. I nip his bottom lip and then suck it in my mouth. The low moan that comes from him has my body quivering.
Carter turns slowly and rolls on top of me. He pulls the sheet that was covering him out of the way, so our underwear are the only barriers between us. I’m pinned between his soft sheets and hard body. His soft, warm lips alternate between kissing and sucking along my neck and shoulders. I feel his hardness against me, but it’s not enough. I want to feel all of him. Skin to skin. “You’re absolutely stunning.”
All I can
do is offer a moan of pleasure. My body is so worked up that I can’t form words. My hands hold on to his strong back and slowly trace the muscles as I feel them work and tighten. Speaking of tightening, my body is wound so tight it’ll be a miracle of it doesn’t lock up. His hip thrusts forward, and I moan again.
“It’s been two years, Natalia. Those little sounds you are making aren’t going to help me in making this moment last.”
That causes me to pause. “You’ve not… I mean, with anyone in two years.”
“Only my hand.” Carter seems to regret the words as soon as he speaks them. “God, that’s embarrassing.”
I’m quick to try and reassure him that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. “Hey, don’t. I’m just really surprised. A guy as big and handsome as you…and that calendar surely had to get you some offers…”
His smile has me losing my ability to form words again. “Oh yeah, that calendar was a curse. I don’t want to even talk about that because I’m about to show you just how big I am.”
“Then, let’s stop talking…and more doing.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I gasp when I feel his strong hand go between my thighs. He gently rubs the outside of my lace lingerie, but then he eases a finger between the fabric. Very slowly, he gently runs his finger along my entrance, back and forth, teasing me. Not enough pressure to do anything, but just enough to speed up my heartbeat. His other hand hooks my panties and slides them down. With no barrier between his hand and my body, he moves two of his fingers and begins repeating the slow movements. I try to press myself against his fingers, craving more friction, more pressure. Then, he stops and moves his hand. I watch as he brings his hand to his mouth and licks his thumb. So slowly, watching me watch him. Placing his hand back down there, he inserts the two fingers inside of me while his lubricated thumb presses against my bundle of nerves with the exact needed amount of pressure, causing my back to involuntarily arch.
