Page 5 of Unpredictable Flames

“A fork in my microwave?” I repeated. “I have no idea. Someone from the party must have done it.”

“Which leads me to my second question.” He looked down at me, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Since when have you been throwing parties, Lily? You don’t exactly strike me as that sort of girl.”

I rolled my eyes at him. I knew just what he was trying to say - that I was obviously not the type of girl who knew how to have fun.

“Of course I throw parties Jake, what do you take me for?” I lied through my teeth.

Why are you lying Lily? So what if he thinks you’re boring?

“Really?” Jake chuckled, his deep laugh resonating throughout the small hospital room. “Well then, I guess I owe you an apology. But next time, control your guests.”

“Right.” I muttered under my breath. And then the realization suddenly hit me as I looked back up at Jake. “My apartment?”

“We were able to stop the fire, but it was too late by that time,” he answered solemnly.

“Oh my God, where am I going to live?” I asked aloud. Alissa’s apartment was way too small, and she was already letting her cousin stay with her.

“Well, you’ll be happy to know that I already talked it over with your brother, and we both agreed that you should move in with me.” Jake let out a coy smile. “At least until you can get a new apartment.”

Living in the same house with Jake West. What could possibly go wrong?

CHAPTER THREE - CLOSE QUARTERS

I stared at the petite woman before me as she tried to come to terms with the fact that she had just lost her house and would have to move in with me. I’d never noticed it, but Lily was quite pretty. Her bangs covered most of her face, giving her a cute image.

For as long as I could remember, I had always enjoyed teasing Lily. Cole may be a great best friend, but I always thought that Lily was the one who inherited the brains in the family. She was smart and funny, and most importantly, she had a good heart.

I smiled softly at her, and then she shifted in the hospital gown, and my eyes inadvertently traced the contours of her exposed skin. A sudden primal urge stirred within me. It was a sensation I was all too familiar with but one that felt dangerously out of place in this context.

Clearing my throat, I forced myself to avert my gaze as I wrestled with the internal battle raging beneath the surface. This wasn't right. Lily was my best friend's sister. Someone I'd known practically my whole life. She was off-limits, strictly forbidden territory.

But as I stole another glance, the forbidden allure of her beauty was undeniable. It was a magnetic pull that defied logic and reason, leaving me feeling unsteady and off balance. It didn’t make any sense. I had seen Lily quite a number of times, and I had never felt this way. What was going on?

With a deep breath, I summoned every ounce of self-control I possessed, determined to push aside the unwelcome desires threatening to consume me. I couldn't afford to lose sight of my priorities. Not when Lily's well-being depended on me being there for her in her time of need.

Swallowing hard, I plastered on a forced smile, masking the turmoil raging within. “I’ll go get the doctor and see if you can be discharged today.”

I walked away from her bed and started for the door. I would do whatever it took to support Lily through this ordeal. Even if it meant grappling with my own inner demons in the process.

I found a nurse who helped me contact Lily’s doctor. After a few checks, he cleared her for discharge, and I helped her to my car amidst her protests that she could move on her own. The drive back to my place was silent, and I was thankful for that, afraid I would say something uncouth.

All through the drive, I kept stealing glances at Lily. I wasn’t sure why there was this sudden attraction to her, but the fact that it was there was undeniable. I pulled into my driveway and turned off my ignition. “Here we are.”

We both got out of the car and slowly approached the front door when she stopped in her tracks and looked up at me. “Wait. My clothes and other stuff. Did anything survive the fire?”

“We couldn’t save everything so I wouldn’t exactly know what you lost, but everything we could salvage, I’ve already stored them in the guest room for you, and everything else is in a storage locker on 5th and Westin,” I told her.

Her eyes dampened as she recollected the horrific event, and she mouthed an inaudible, “thank you.” I nodded at her and pushed open the door of my house for her to enter. I lived in a cozy two-bedroom apartment pretty close to the fire station in case of emergencies.

As I led Lily through the front door of my house, I couldn't help but feel a pang of nervousness. It was one thing to offer her a place to stay, but having her here, in my space, felt oddly intimate.

I showed her to the guest room. It was a modest yet comfortable space with a queen-sized bed and soft, inviting sheets. “Make yourself at home,” I said, gesturing towards the room. “I'll give you some privacy to settle in.”

Heading downstairs, I found myself in the kitchen, the familiar scent of home cooking wafting through the air. It had been a while since I'd whipped up a meal from scratch, but I figured that Lily hadn’t eaten anything and would soon be hungry.

As I busied myself with the spaghetti, my thoughts drifted back to Lily upstairs. I couldn't shake the image of her in that hospital gown. “Jesus Christ Jake, calm yourself down. Her apartment just burnt down, and here you are, thinking of utter bullshit.”

Halfway through cooking, I heard soft footsteps behind me. I turned quickly to see Lily standing nervously by the kitchen door. She wore a flower-patterned sundress, and my gaze involuntarily roamed her entire body. The sight of her exposed skin ignited a fire within me.

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