The Maddox Brothers: Beautiful Burn Part 19

"I don't know how to do this," Tyler breathed, leaning in to graze his lips across mine while I slipped the latex over his skin. "This in-between s.h.i.+t, Ellie. I don't think I can. You're either mine, or you're not."

"I'm not anyone else's."

He planted his mouth on mine, kissing me hard and deep.

"We don't have to fit into any special box," I said. He pulled away, looking for more answers in my eyes. "It is what it is. Can't we just do that?"

Tyler slowly climbed on top of me, scanning my face for half a minute before leaning down to claim me with his mouth.

I tugged on his towel until it slipped away, and it fell somewhere next to the bed.

"You're right," he whispered. "This is a bad idea." He swept the fabric of my Calvins aside, just enough for him to slide inside me.

I took a deep breath and sighed. Tyler felt too good ... too safe. I could see in his eyes that he was willing to try me like poison; even after the first taste, we were already wondering how excruciating the end would be.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

Tyler seemed to be in an uncharacteristically cheerful mood, chomping on his pancakes and smiling at everyone who pa.s.sed by our table at Winona's, waving with his fork.

I'd woken up in his arms, his nose pressed against my neck. Once he began to stir, I half expected our night together to end in this awkward walk of shame, not sweet kisses and cuddles while he schooled me on doing a load of laundry. He'd loved removing his s.h.i.+rt from my body to drop it in the machine. He'd taken a lot longer to do that than he had chucking in his pants, underwear, and socks.

We'd barely gotten through the first cycle before he lifted me on top of the machine and settled between my legs, reminding me why I'd woken up so wonderfully sore.

In spring fresh clothes, he'd held my hand out to the truck and opened the door for me at Winona's. Now he was looking down at his nearly empty plate, grinning like a fool.

"What's funny?" I asked.

He looked up at me, trying to subdue the smirk on his face and failing. "I wasn't laughing."

"You're smiling. Like, a lot."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. I was just wondering what you were think-"

"You," he said immediately. "The same thing I've been thinking about since the night we met."

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep them from curving upward. His good mood was contagious, making it easy to forget what Sterling had said on my front steps the night before, and the worry that he was right.

Finley hadn't called or texted in twenty-four hours. Maybe Sterling was right. Maybe she did know.

Tyler's phone chirped, and he held it to his ear. "Hey, d.i.c.khead," he said. His expression changed as he listened, at first concentrating on whatever was being said. Then his eyebrows bounced once. He glanced up at me for half a second, and then looked down, blinking.

"But he's okay," Tyler said, listening again. "He ... he what? No they didn't. Are you f.u.c.king serious? Wow ... Yeah, no. I won't. Who might come here? What kind of questions? About Trav? What do you mean? Oh. Oh, f.u.c.k. Do you think it'll work? All right. Yeah. Yeah, I'll tell Taylor. I said I'll tell him. I get it. We'll circle the wagons. Love you, too, Trent."

He put down the phone and shook his head.

"Did you say Trav?"

"Travis," he said, deflated. "My baby brother."

"Everything all right?" I asked.

"Uh ... yeah. I think so," he said, lost in thought. "He just got married."

"Really? That's great, right?"

"Yeah ... Abby is ... she's amazing. He's crazy in love with her. I'm just surprised. They've been split up."

"Oh. That's um ... that's kind of weird."

"They're like that. I guess there was a fire at the college where I graduated. It's in my hometown."

"Anyone hurt?"

"It was pretty bad. Broke out in a bas.e.m.e.nt, and a lot of people were trapped."

"In a bas.e.m.e.nt?"

"Uh ... that college is sort of known for underground floating fight rings."

"Underground what?"

"It's kind of like a betting ring. Two guys are set up to fight. No one knows where until an hour before. The coordinator calls the fighters, their guys call ten people, then they call five, on and on."

"Then what?"

He shrugged. "Then they fight. People bet. It's a s.h.i.+t ton of money."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"I started it. Taylor and me with the coordinator, Adam."

The look in Tyler's eyes when I'd bet on him at my house the first night we met now made sense. "So was Travis there?"

Tyler's expression fell, and he looked at me for several seconds before answering. "He eloped to Vegas."

"That's good."

"Yeah," Tyler said, rubbing the back of his neck. "More OJ?"

"No, I'm good. We should probably head in."

Tyler paid the check, and then held my hand to the truck like it was the most natural thing in the world. When he dropped me off at the MountainEar, the air between us felt heavy and awkward. It was that should we or shouldn't we kiss moment and what does it mean if we do?

I reached for the handle.

"Hang on a sec," Tyler said, reaching for me. He slid his fingers between mine, and then lifted my hand to his lips.

"Thanks for staying with me last night," I said.

"I'm glad I was there to run off your uninvited guest."

"Me, too."

He took my phone, tapping in numbers and then letters. "If he bothers you again," Tyler said, the crease between his brows deepening. "Call me. But just ... you know ... call me, anyway."

I stepped out of the truck and waved to him as he pulled away. He b.u.mped up the volume on his radio, and I could hear the ba.s.s thumping until he turned onto the highway toward the hotshot dorms.

The door chimed as I walked in to the office. "Morning," I said, waving to Jojo on my way to my desk.

Not only was Wick's door was closed, but a stunning bouquet of b.u.t.ter-yellow and vivid violet roses reached out from a simple gla.s.s vase. I circled my desk, crossing one arm across my waist, touching my lips with my fingers, trying not to let my entire face erupt into a smile. Flowers, romance, and theatrics were last on my list of things I wanted from Tyler, but I sat down, soaking in how absolutely giddy it made me.

Jojo poked her head in the doorway. "Who are they from?"

I leaned forward once more to confirm and lifted my hands, letting them hit my thighs. "I couldn't find a card."

"No card? Do you have a guess?" she asked, sauntering into the room and planting her backside on the love seat. "Maybe the guy who just dropped you off?"

I reached down to turn on my desktop, taking a few seconds to get the ridiculous expression off my face before sitting upright. "Maybe."

Jojo crossed her arms, looking quite smug. "I thought this might happen, with you spending so much time at the station. I just didn't realize it would happen so soon."

"Nothing is happening. We're friends."

"Clearly," Jojo said with a smirk. "You look like you've lost weight. Did they feed you?"

"Barely."

She stood. "I brought donuts to celebrate your first day back. They're in the break room."

"You're a saint, but I've already had breakfast. I'll eat some for lunch."

"I have a lot to do today. Are you doing that write-up for me?"

"As best I can. Remember, I'm not a writer. I'll just write what I know, and you can turn it into a story."

"Yeah, yeah ... I heard you the first time," she said, disappearing around the corner.

I opened a new doc.u.ment and stared at the blank page for a while before my gaze wandered to the bouquet. I'd been sent flowers before, mostly from my father, but thought had been put into this bouquet. The colors were straight from my room, the roses meaning more than just 'thanks for last night.' Maybe I was reading too far into it, but Tyler wasn't one to make dishonest gestures.

I shook it off, focusing on Jojo's request. I recounted my first day, the basics like the names of the tools, what they looked like, and the crew's funny nicknames. They all respected one another, but, in my opinion, looked up to Tyler. He settled arguments, led them on the mountain, and they respected the decisions he made when Jubal wasn't around to make them. I talked about fuel breaks and mineral soil and vegetation. Packs, supplies, flight weight, and ten codes. I included my limited knowledge on s.l.u.tter, fire towers, coordinates, and weather. Then I added stories like the one about the best helo pilot Tyler had ever worked with-an Aussie redhead named Holly who could back in her Huey and swing it around at the last minute to get them on the side of the mountain so they didn't have to hike so far in-and the time Tyler ate a fat, juicy grub worm for two hundred dollars.

Two hours had pa.s.sed without me realizing, and Jojo knocked on the doorjamb before walking in. She moseyed across my office to her father's door. She knocked on it twice and then took a step back.

Wick walked out, his cheeks red and his eyes bright. Jojo stood next to my desk, crossing her arms.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Daddy and I have been in awe over your pictures, Ellie. You've sent us some amazing stuff. You went out in the field and camped in freezing temps with those heathens for nights on end. You were born for this."

"For what?"

"To be a field photographer," Wick said.

"A what?" I asked, feeling uneasy.

"Daddy is going to hire another a.s.sistant."

"What?" I said, panicking.

Jojo touched my arm. "It's okay. Your new job with the magazine will pay more."

"More?"

Her eyes widened. "A lot more. Daddy wants this to be an ongoing feature for the magazine. He wants you to follow the Alpine Hotshots through fire season."

"But if you hire someone else, then what?"

Jojo rolled her eyes. "Who are we kidding? Daddy isn't going to find anyone. I've been doing it for this long. I can wait until fire season is over. You have to do this, Ellie. It's going to be amazing."

"I ... don't know what to say," I said, both unsettled and flattered.

"Say bye," Wick said. "I want you back out there starting today. We'll need a continuing story for next month. We've already cleared it with the superintendent. Pack your bags. You'll be bunking at the Alpine's dormitory until October."

"Oh, thank G.o.d," I said, closing my eyes.

I could practically hear Jojo smiling. She had no idea I was going to be kicked out of my parents' home next month. I had barely saved enough for my cell phone bill, much less a deposit and first month's rent, even on houses or apartments up to half an hour outside of town. Shadowing the hotshots until October gave me six to seven more months to figure out living arrangements. Even if I was sleeping in a truck or tent most of the time, it was preferable to moving into a shelter.

"We knew you'd be happy! I told you she'd be happy, Daddy."

"Am I done?" Wick said.

Jojo sighed. "You're done. Go back to resting your feet on your desk."

I pulled out my phone and texted Tyler.

Did you hear the news?

Just now. I'm your official babysitter. Pretty pumped.

Thanks for the flowers. They're beautiful.