Page 28 of Turbulent Fires

He turns our bodies so we’re facing each other, his gaze intense with the sunset behind him. There couldn’t be a better backdrop. There couldn’t be a better day.

“Good. I like keeping you on your toes with the unexpected,” he says, sincerity ringing in his tone.

“May I ask you something?” I ask, growing serious. He nods. “Why do you love this so much? All of the danger and chaos?”

He’s quiet for several heartbeats as he mulls over the question. I love that he’s not providing a generic answer, but putting actual thought into it. He smiles, secrets whispering across his eyes.

“When my parents passed, everything went still for a while. I was only twenty. One second they were off sailing for the weekend, the next we get a call, and just like that, they’re gone. It was horrible and surreal and unbearable. The silence was all-consuming. The house, the spaces they used to fill, and being aware of all of the things they’d never be able to say again.” He pauses, and I don’t interrupt, just reach out and rub my fingers along his chest, letting him know I’m listening and I’m here for him. I can’t imagine the day my parents will be gone. I know it will be hell.

“After the initial shock and trauma, I didn’t want to live in that void anymore,” he finally continues. “So I flew more, I jumped from the sky, I raced cars. I did anything I could to feel alive. I knew life could end suddenly, and I didn’t want to stand still. I wanted to live on the edge. I haven’t slowed down since.” I continue rubbing him, feeling privileged that he’s sharing this with me.

“What about your brothers?”

“We’re closer than most siblings. We had to stop acting like spoiled teens in an instant. We take care of each other and hold each other accountable. We fight every once in a while, but we never give up on one another. Losing our parents made us realize we didn’t want another loss, and we weren’t going to take advantage of those who were left.”

I lean forward and gently kiss his lips, a gesture of comfort and understanding, then lean back and smile. “I guess that’s a good reason to live like you do.”

He shakes his head and chuckles, refusing to fall into a hole of despair. “I love that I can talk about my parents now with joy. I lost them too young, but every moment we had together shaped me into who I am today. I wouldn’t take back a second of our time. I want to honor them by living the great life I know they’d want. I refuse to be bogged down in despair. That, above anything, would break my parents’ hearts.” I nod at this.

“What about you, Miss Proper. Why don’t you go on more adventures?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not as proper as you think, but I do like order,” I tell him with a chuckle. “But, undeniably, I had a pretty sheltered life with private school, polished marble floors, and more stuff than most kids get. My parents are amazing, and I love them to pieces, but I was an only child. It was lonely. The kids at school were... fake, I guess. They were empty, more worried about appearance than what truly mattered. I never was like that, and didn’t fit in with them. Then, I met Chloe, and our friendship was real. That’s when I knew true love for the first time in my life. She’s the one who dragged me from my shell and showed me a world with so many possibilities.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her. She sounds like a great best friend.”

“She’s a force of nature. I’d kill for her, and certainly help bury the body with no questions asked,” I tell him with a laugh. He laughs with me. Some people can’t find the humor in this when I say it.

“You aren’t anything like I expected on that first fateful meeting we had on the plane,” he says.

“Oh, and what did you think of me?” I ask, wondering if I should. I don’t want to hear myself described as a snob, or some other word I can’t stand.

“Someone who’d never jump from a plane, who’d only want five-star dining, and would turn her nose up at a hot dog cart,” he tells me. I wince the slightest bit.

“Yeah, I guess if a woman holds herself with poise, people make assumptions,” I say, with a hint of accusation in my tone. “I don’t want people to see me like that, but I won’t change who I am and act in a different way. I like organization and being well-groomed. It doesn’t make me a snob.”

“You’re perfect, and I was wrong. I discovered that quickly,” he assures me.

“I can be messy,” I tell him. He laughs then leans in and kisses me, this one with a lot more heat than the one I gave him a bit ago. I’ve lost the chip on my shoulder and my breath by the time he slows the kiss.

His grin grows. “I love messy,” he assures me, his lips whispering against mine.

We kiss and touch as the sun takes its final bow and the colors fade. The air cools, but not by much, and I revel in the pleasure of his hand tracing slow circles on my hips. I run my fingers through his hair and get lost in his eyes.

We lie on the beach for hours as we talk, eat, drink, and, most importantly, touch. This isn’t simple chemistry; it’s so much more, so much deeper... and there’s no doubt we’re both feeling it... and it feels great.

Chapter Eleven

Audrey

I’m halfway through a buttery croissant, fully basking in the post-sunrise glow of Maui, when Wolf slides a pair of aviator sunglasses onto my face and grins like the wolfish menace he is. It doesn’t matter, though. I’m totally falling for the rogue. Day one in Hawaii was amazing, day two was heavenly as we lazed in bed for most of the day, only coming up for air long enough to refuel our bodies, and now it’s day three. I have no idea what’s in store.

“No questions,” he says as he pulls me from my seat, barely giving me a chance to grab my sleek fanny pack. Don’t mock me, they’ve made a comeback, and there are a few items a woman needs even in paradise.

“I have many questions,” I argue.

“Nope. You have to trust me,” he says as he pulls me to the waiting SUV.

“You do realize that’s the line every cult leader uses before asking his followers to drink the Kool-Aid,” I mutter, making him laugh. He doesn’t respond. Just stuffs me into the vehicle.

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