Page 32 of Turbulent Fires

We barely manage to sit up, our hair a mess, me in pajamas, Wolf in nothing but a pair of sweats, when my parents step into the room. There’s no way not to know what we’ve been up to. Even though I’m a grown adult, I feel like a child who’s just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. But instead of cookies, my hands have been all over a half-dressed man. Much better... unless my parents are making a surprise visit.

My father, Reginald Beach, and my mother, Lillian, are impeccably dressed, as always. Their greetings fall away as my dad’s eyes narrow, zeroing in on Wolf, and my mom gets a twinkle in her eyes. My dad isn’t happy. My mother is highly amused. I’m mortified.

“Audrey, my dear,” my mom sings as she moves over and kisses me on the cheek. “We decided to surprise you.” She pauses for a moment as she looks at Wolf before her gaze comes back to me. “Surprise!”

“You’ve certainly done that,” I tell them as I rise from the couch and hug my mom before moving over to my dad and hugging his stiff body. This is the first time he’s ever walked into a room to find me in the arms of a man. I’m sure he’s thinking he could’ve lived a lifetime without the image in his head.

My dad still hasn’t spoken. He seems frozen, his eyes locked on Wolf, who’s now standing with a smile on his lips and a coffee mug in one hand... and still shirtless. He looks every bit the rogue he is.

“Who are you?” Dad finally asks Wolf.

Wolf steps forward, unbothered and entirely too charming. “Wolf Young, sir. Pleasure to meet you.”

There’s a moment of frozen silence before my dad’s brows rise. “Wolf?”

“Yep, like the animal,” Wolf replies. “Though I’m less inclined to howl at the moon. I prefer flying close to it. I’m a pilot.”

My mother, ever the social butterfly, claps her hands. “Ooh, a pilot. How delightful. Audrey’s always enjoyed traveling. Do you remember that time she climbed the drapes at Aunt Laura’s because she wanted to be closer to the stars?”

“I was five, Mother,” I reply.

“Yes, and you were wearing a tiara. You always have been quite the royal rebel,” Mom says. I cringe. Good thing this is something a lot of mothers say, calling their daughters princesses. There’s no way I want Wolf finding out that little family secret.

“What do you fly?” my father asks, unimpressed. Then again, I don’t think there’s a man alive who’d impress my dad when it comes to me. We’ve always been close, and he takes daddy’s girl to a whole new level. If he could’ve kept me home forever, it would’ve made him a happy man. He thinks danger’s behind every corner. Then again, in his world, there might be.

Wolf smiles before taking a sip of coffee. “I mostly fly 737s, but there isn’t a plane I’ve piloted that I haven’t been able to master. I love crop dusters. They’re a blast.”

“You fly commercial, then.” He says these words dismissively. He sounds so snobby. Yes, we have money, a lot of money, but my father’s not normally so judgy. It’s just that Wolf’s first meeting with him happens to be in a very compromised position. Dang it.

“I’m a captain,” Wolf replies, not offended by my dad’s tone at all. “I love the view from thirty-five thousand feet. Can’t beat it.” He looks over at me and winks. I don’t know if there’s anything that can ruffle this man’s feathers. He’s unshakeable.

“How long have you two... known each other?” my mother asks, her eyes still twinkling.

Wolf turns to me with a big smile. “About two months now?” he questions.

“About that long,” I say. My poor father looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. Why, oh why, did they have to surprise me right now? I don’t even know what Wolf and I are to each other at this point. I wasn’t planning on saying anything to my parents yet.

“We were hoping to have an early dinner,” my mother says as she looks back and forth between the two of us.

“Dinner would be great. I need a shower,” I tell my mom. We’ve been lounging all day, and I might get ready faster than most, but not in a few minutes. I look at Wolf. “Do you have plans?”

“Are you inviting me to dinner?” he asks with that cocky smile that stirs my stomach. With my parents here, I don’t need to be feeling anything sexual. Gross!

“Yes, I am,” I tell him. I don’t look at my dad, who most likely has smoke coming from his ears. But they know about Wolf now, so we might as well jump into the fire with both feet.

“Then I’d better get dressed,” he says. I laugh. He nods at my parents before disappearing. I reluctantly turn back to my visitors.

My mother looks incredibly pleased, like Christmas came early. My dad looks like he’d rather toss Wolf over the balcony than have dinner with him. This is going to be a very entertaining evening.

“Where are we heading?” I ask.

“Le Ceil Bleu,” my dad says with a smirk, finally losing his frown. He doesn’t think Wolf can handle it. To be honest, I’m not so sure he can either, but I guess we’ll find out.

“Sounds good,” I say. I’d much rather go to the Melting Pot, but I think Dad wants to show me that Wolf’s unsuitable. He’s going to be wrong. I don’t care if Wolf doesn’t fit into the snobby crowd. No, scratch that, I love that he doesn’t. I don’t care for fake people at all. Sure, I’m surrounded by money, and people with money, but I choose to spend my time with those who don’t feel the need to show that money off.

Wolf comes out a few minutes later in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. As much as I love looking at his chest, this is far more appropriate with my parents in the house. I hate to leave him alone with them, but I need my own shower. We wouldn’t have saved time taking one together. It would’ve been a lot of fun, though. Wolf’s phone buzzes, and he looks at it and frowns.

“Something wrong?” I ask.

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