Wild Fire (Wardens Series Book 3) Read online

  “Did it hit the spot?” Adam laughed, grabbing another piece from the box.

  “Oh, yes. I’m ready for bed,” I groaned, rubbing my tummy. I had changed out of the dress the moment we got home, deciding that jammies were the best avenue.

  “Which room you taking?” he asked me. He took a bite of his pizza.

  “I figured we would both be in the master,” I mentioned shyly. I wasn’t expecting anything to happen between us; I just wanted him close. We weren’t protected here; anything could happen at night. I know that I was convincing myself of a situation that would never happen. Still, I believe it was something I needed to justify.

  “Oh.” There was a nervousness in his voice. “Yeah, that’s no issue. I know this is the first night out of the manor and we need to be – safe.”

  “You never know what is going to happen at night.” My breathing was heavy, my blood was warm, and my toes were tingling. If this is what it felt like to have a moment, I never wanted it to end.

  “Especially when there are no adults around.” He put the pizza down without breaking eye contact.

  I heard my phone vibrating on the coffee table but ignored it. I scooted toward him until we were face-to-face sitting on the couch. Reaching up, I touched his face, and he smiled.

  “Have I told you how amazingly beautiful you are?” he huffed. I could feel his pulse through the couch cushion.

  “Have I told you how amazingly hot your body is?” I looked at him and then closed my eyes in embarrassment.

  Had that come out of my mouth? The spell was broken, he was laughing.

  “Are you saying it wasn’t hot before this whole ‘chosen one’ thing?” he asked, touching my leg.

  “It was perfect, but now it’s just beyond believable,” I sighed. I glanced at my phone. “That was probably my dad wanting an update.” I reached over and grabbed it from the table.

  For the first time, in I don’t know how long, I was pleased to find myself right.

  Dad: How was your evening? Haven’t heard from you.

  I groaned as I repositioned myself on the couch. I had already ruined our moment with my silly comment. Oh, why had I said that? I wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

  Me: It was great. We found her! Tell Nick he was right.

  Dad: About what? And that’s great, did you talk to her?

  Me: I got a tattoo, and she gave Adam her number.

  Dad: LOL. Tell that boy he is all right in my book.

  Me: We are about to head to bed. I have a long day with Mona tomorrow.

  Dad: Let me guess. Shopping?

  Me: How did you ever figure that out?

  Dad: I know that woman like the back of my hand. I will talk to you tomorrow then. You kids sleep tight.

  I put my phone down and looked at Adam. He had finished the pizza and was staring at me with a smile on his face.

  “Your dad, huh,” he laughed.

  “Yeah.” I groaned. “Let’s go to bed.”

  We crawled into the overstuffed, super-comfortable, and extremely spacious bed; throwing the sheets up over our shoulders. I put my head on his chest, reveling in its pure awesomeness. He was running his fingers up and down my spine, stopping when he hit the gauze.

  “I could sleep like this forever,” he said yawning. I knew he was being careful with what he said.

  “This bed is heaven,” I sighed, lifting my head to look at him.

  “That’s not quite what I meant, but that works too.” He squeezed me softly.

  I scooted up and kissed him sweetly. He wrapped his arms around me, and I was no longer tired. I wanted to spend the entire night with my lips pressed to his.

  “Sleep well, my gorgeous Fire Warden,” he yawned as I laid my head back down on his chest.

  “Sleep well, my absolutely delicious Protector,” I laughed. I heard him huff.

  In no time, sleep was calling my name. I was scared to close my eyes, afraid that I would wake up and find this entire day a dream. I probably would have stayed awake all night if it wasn’t for Mona. I knew I had to wake up in the morning and spend the day with her. As a silent gesture to the next day's events, I fell asleep to the rhythm of Adam’s heart.

  Chapter 9

  Mona

  The battle is raging, and fire engulfs the vegetation around me. The dead lie in heaps at our feet, the blood of friends mixed with the blood of foes. I am standing in the middle of a burning field, my hands grasped around the hilt of my broadsword, swinging violently. One falls, then another. That is when I see Miranda ahead of me, and I charge for her, hatred and resentment flooding through my body. I swing once, and she dodges. I rotate again and cut clean through her shoulder. I watch as her arm hits the ground with a thud.

  I can hear Wesley calling for me, but I cannot see him. However, my focus is on the redheaded bitch that took him from me. I wield my broadsword behind my head, and the picture fades to nothing.

  The phone was ringing, dragging me unwillingly from the dream I was enjoying. I opened my eyes and looked about. Adam was still asleep on his back, breathing softly, his eyes moving with REM sleep. I hauled myself up and slid off the bed, mumbling to myself as I reached for the phone.

  “Hello,” I said, my voice still heavy with sleep.

  “Good morning, sunshine!” Mona’s voice was cheerful on the other end of the phone. “Did I wake you?”

  “Yeah, it’s ok.” I rubbed my eyes with my free hand and waddled to the couch to take a seat.

  “I tried to let you sleep. I figured you would be up by ten.” She laughed. “Busy night, huh?” I knew what she was hinting at. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was wrong.

  “Yeah. It’s ok; I needed to get up.” I sighed and looked out the patio door at the city skyline.

  “I’m about to get dressed and come get you. I have a hair appointment with my stylist at noon. Figured we could grab a bite to eat at the bistro afterward, and then head out to shop.”

  She was as bad as Nadine and her damned itinerary. Every bit of the day planned out in perfect one to two-hour blocks.

  “Yeah. That sounds good.” I owed a lot to Mona. She had no idea how important she was to this whole trip. So, if it meant that I needed to be her Barbie doll for a day or two; that was just what I had to do.

  “All right, do you have something nice to wear?” Now she was pushing it. I had my mom’s white dress that I figured would work.

  “Yeah,” I yawned.

  “Get through the shower, get dressed, and I will be there in an hour.” She laughed, and I felt a tingle on my flesh. It was a little bit of that childhood nostalgia that came with spending time with Mona.

  “Yeah, I’m on it.” I looked toward the bedroom where Adam was propped against the doorframe. I smiled at him and rolled my eyes at the phone.

  “All right, honey, see you soon,” Mona said sweetly.

  “See you soon,” I repeated, pulling the phone away from my ear.

  “Mona?” Adam asked, giving me a huge smile.

  “Yeah,” I groaned. “I wasn’t ready to get up yet.”

  “I wasn’t either; I was quite comfortable.” He stretched, and I watched as his muscles flexed then relaxed. I had never been drawn to male bodies, but his was exquisite. Whatever had happened during his heavenly ascension had chiseled and highlighted all the right locations.

  “So, what are you going to do while I’m getting perdified by my stepmother?” I asked quietly.

  I watched Adam as he crossed the room to stand directly in front of me. I looked up at him, and a shy smile spread across my face. What was it about this man?

  “I was going to call Rose.”

  CRAP! There was that tinge of jealousy rearing its ugly head again. I had to get used to this; we didn’t know how long he was going to have to pretend to be into her.

  “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my forehead on his stomach. If someone were to walk in right about now, they would have
the wrong idea of what was going on.

  “Figured I could take her to lunch, get to know her a little more. Plus, we need to discuss the tattoo.” He laced his fingers in my hair, rubbing my scalp softly.

  “Yeah, the tattoo for sure.” I tried not to sound disappointed.

  Casually dating, Dawn, you aren’t exclusive.

  “Don’t sound so upset,” he sighed as he gently pulled my chin upward. His face was sad, his eyes were still sparkling, but there was pain behind them. I should have known that this would be just as hard on him.

  “Sorry. I was hoping that the first full day here we wouldn’t have to do anything,” I whined, faking a sob.

  “Yeah well, duties call. We knew this wasn’t a vacation.” He lightly grabbed me under the armpits, pulling me to a standing position so he could wrap his arms around me.

  “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” I said, burying my face in his chest.

  “I have gone eighteen years without doing anything you would deem stupid. It’s going to take more than one cute redhead to make me leave my morals behind.” He laughed.

  So, he did think she was cute.

  “What about a cute dark-haired girl?” I asked, half joking.

  “She has a better chance, but I’m pretty tight with my morals.” He kissed the top of my head. “You better get through the bath. Don’t forget you can’t get your tattoo wet.”

  “Yeah, I know. Want to take the gauze off and look at it?” I asked, turning my back to him.

  “Sure, I can do that for you.”

  He reached out and pulled the tape and gauze from my back. I felt the softness of his fingers graze the location of the ink.

  “It’s already healed up; still wouldn’t get it wet. Does it itch any? Is it tender?” He ran his finger down my spine, and I shuddered. For a good boy, he was such a tease.

  “No, it doesn’t; it feels fine actually.” I turned around. There wasn’t even a second to breathe before his lips were on me. It was a good five minutes before he let me get air.

  “What was that for?”

  “I’m not going to see you all day,” he groaned.

  “True, but it’s not like you are going to be alone,” I said, pinching him on the arm. He flinched and pinched me back.

  “Neither are you, but we don’t know when we are going to see each other today. It might not be till tonight.” He sighed and started pushing me toward the bathroom. “Take a bath, woman!”

  “Fine!” I yelled playfully and walked into the bathroom.

  My eyes landed on the oversized garden tub, and my heart skipped a beat. I instantly turned on the hot water and started filling the bath. Pulling my clothes off, I dipped one toe into the water and sighed with happiness. I pulled my hair up on top of my head and tied it in place. The water felt incredible as I lowered my body into the nearly full tub.

  I don’t know how long I sat there, but at some point, I heard a knock on the door, and Adam’s voice called through the keyhole.

  “Dawn. You almost done? Mona just called from the limo and said they would be here in like twenty minutes.”

  I moaned. This meant I had to leave the sanctuary of the tub.

  “Yeah, give me just a minute,” I said, but he didn’t hear me.

  Instead, the door opened slowly. The color drained from Adam’s face the moment his eyes locked with mine.

  “Holy shit. I am so sorry, Dawn, I thought you said to come here a minute.” His eyes kept flinching as they refused to move from my face. I laughed and pointed for him to get out of the bathroom. He closed the door, and I heard him mumbling to himself.

  I washed my hair quickly and wrapped it in a towel before it had a chance to hit the tattoo. I wrapped another towel around my body and walked into the bedroom. Adam was laying on the bed; he couldn’t move fast enough to get up when he saw me. I gave him a wink as he sauntered out the door, looking over his shoulder three times.

  Grabbing the white dress from my bag, I laid it on the bed while I put on my undergarments. Once I had the dress up, and over my chest, I called Adam for help with the zipper. His fingers shook as he zipped up the back of the dress. He was nervous as hell to be near me.

  “Why are you shaking?” I laughed as I turned to look at him. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye.

  “I just … never seen …” He slipped an innocent smile in there and ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes shooting around.

  “Oh,” I said slowly, winking at him. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “How can you be so calm? I just walked into the bathroom while you were …” He motioned to my whole body and huffed.

  “Oh hell, Adam, they are just boobs.” I sighed. “There is nothing to worry about. I’m sure you will see plenty more in your future.” I pushed past him and grabbed my make-up from my bag. Returning to the bathroom, I made sure to leave the door open. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “How did you feel the first time you walked in on someone?” he asked, moving in front of the door.

  “Walked in on someone how? In the shower? Dressing?” I pulled out my mascara and eyeliner and laid them nicely on the marble countertop.

  “Any of those.” His voice shook.

  Was he seriously that clueless about the sins of the flesh?

  “Your dad did tell you where babies come from, right?” I teased him, and for a second, he looked hurt.

  “I know how it all functions. Just because I’ve never done it, doesn’t mean that I’m a prude. I’m just willing to save myself for marriage.” He crossed his arms.

  “I’m sorry. I know, and I respect your morals.” I apologized. I didn’t mean to offend him in any way.

  I sat there for a moment staring at my reflection. I had no idea where to go with the conversation at first.

  “I was scared.”

  “When?” I had lost him.

  “My first time. I was scared.” I started putting a light gray on my eyelids. He knew I needed to get ready, so I was hoping he wouldn’t think I was brushing him off.

  “Then, why do it?”

  It took me a moment to formulate the best response to his question.

  “I think everyone is scared their first time. I mean, you have no idea what it is going to be like.” I shrugged as I began to apply my eyeliner.

  “Still, you shouldn’t do anything if it scares you like that.” His innocence became apparent with his response. I had always known he was pure of heart, but this only solidified my assumption.

  “I wish I could explain it better,” I sighed, and grabbed my mascara.

  “I suppose I will find out on my wedding night.” He laughed.

  “I guess so.” I capped the mascara and turned to look at him. “How do I look?”

  “Beautiful as always, but are you going to wear that towel on your head the whole time?” he asked, smirking. The previous conversation was closed.

  “Yeah. I guess I should go ahead and take care of my hair. Do you have another piece of that gauze she gave us?” I asked, reaching for the towel, and stopping. I figured I should probably do this after I got the tattoo covered, just in case.

  “One second.” He left the bathroom and returned with the tape and gauze Rose had given us. He covered the ink and taped it down. As soon as he stepped away, I took the towel off my head and let my hair fall.

  “You think that Rose is expecting anything?” he asked, his voice confused.

  “Oh, I’m sure she is,” I laughed. “Honey, she’s the kind of girl who would eat you up and spit you out. However, play along for now but don’t do anything you will regret.”

  “I won’t do anything I regret; I just don’t want to break her heart in the process,” he joked. I couldn’t believe we were actually talking about this.

  I ran a brush through my damp hair and looked at him. I knew he was toying with me, but I didn’t think he understood to what extent. It was hard enough for me to grasp the idea that Adam and I had something, and now
even harder that I was going to have to share with another Warden. How was she going to feel when she learned it was all a game? I didn’t want to hurt Rose, but if this was the only way that we could get close to her; then we had no other option.

  There was a knock on the door, and Adam left to answer it. I could hear Mona talking to him in the living room as I walked out. She looked at me with a little less disapproval than the day before as I threw on my Vans. I didn’t pack any dress shoes to go with the clothing, probably not one of my brightest moments. I glanced at Adam and shook my head. The boy was going to have to learn to put on a damned shirt.

  “You ready?” Mona asked. She looked just like a blonde Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

  “About as ready as I’m going to be,” I smiled.

  She looked at my shoes and frowned. “You used to have an impeccable fashion sense. What happened?”

  “I became a teenager?” I asked, hoping that was the correct answer. She smiled and shook her head.

  “That must be it. Either that or all those small towns you lived in got the best of you.” She reached out her hand for mine and, like a five-year-old, I let her take it. “Tell your boyfriend, you will see him later.”

  “I will see you later.” I smiled at him and blew him a kiss. He broke out into hysterical laughter when we walked out the door.

  “I don’t know how you can keep your hands off that boy,” she said when we got into the elevator.

  “Mona!” I exclaimed astonished. My god, she’s my stepmother. The last conversation I wanted to have with her was about Adam.

  “I mean it. Boys your age aren’t supposed to have bodies like that. It was almost like the Heavens opened and blessed him.” She fanned her face.

  My goodness, who else was going to be fawning all over Adam?

  “Wow.” She had left me speechless.