Draven Black
Firefighting is not what I do, it’s who I am.
When I pulled her from the flames, I never thought she would be the one to set me ablaze. She draws me to her like a moth to a flame and I just know I am going to get burned. My ex-sister-in-law should be the last person on my mind but that is easier said than done.
Harmony Lewis
He has always had a special place in my heart but after what my sister did, I should avoid him like the plague. When tragedy strikes, he is front and center, saving not only my life but my livelihood, and now I can’t seem to stay away from him. The two of us are like the flames that nearly tore apart my world. Wild. Untamed. Dangerous.
Can the same flames that leave destruction in their wake be the thing that helps a heart to mend?
I hear someone banging on the front door and then loud voices. I am on the other end of the house so I can’t exactly make out what they are saying but I do hear my name. Hopefully, it’s the police with some news on the fire. I jump out of bed only to realize I don’t have any dry clothes to wear. I do slip on my damp panties underneath the shirt for some form of modesty. Not that it matters, the damn t-shirt hangs down on my knees.
I leave the room and walk down the hallway to see what the hell is going on.
“Where the hell is my sister?” Aurora yells in Draven’s face while Derick tries to hold her back.
“Jesus, Aurora. I’m right here,” I mumble.
This is the last thing I wanted to deal with this morning, especially before I’ve even had a single sip of coffee. Yes, I am thankful that my sister cares enough to come and find me in my darkest hour, but couldn’t life have given me five minutes to prepare before throwing her at me? I sigh, making my way across the hardwood floor.
“Oh, sweetie, I heard about the fire,” she says as she turns to face me, shrugging off her husband’s hands. “What the hell are you wearing?” Her tone jumps from sympathy to accusatory in a heartbeat. Aurora glares, throwing knives in my direction. If looks could kill, I would have been flayed to the bone.
I look down at the yellow t-shirt and see on the front it reads, I Heart Firemen, in big, black letters. It’s one of those designs with the big old red heart right in the middle of the lettering and I can’t help but chuckle.
“Seems appropriate to me. I’m alive because of a firefighter, you know?” I say while walking past her. I’m being a little bitchier than normal but that’s because I am not a morning person. I need at least one cup of java before I can face people and be the friendly person most people know.
“Coffee,” I grumble when I reach Draven’s side. He chuckles before handing me his mug and slinging his arm across my shoulder.
“Morning.” Draven smiles as he caresses my cheek, and I get lost in his dark gaze.
Maybe I’m still asleep? This entire interaction is at around a ten on my weirdness meter. Why is Draven staring at me like he wants to take a bite? And he keeps touching me like it’s the most normal, innocent thing in the world. Can smoke inhalation cause hallucinations?
“So, you are really fucking her?” Aurora demands, bringing me back to the present with a thud.
“Jesus Christ,” Derick whispers, running his hands through his hair. “How is that any of your business, Aurora?”
“Harmony is my business,” she hisses at her husband before returning her glare to us.
Draven’s grip on my shoulder tightens at her words, clearly already irritated by my sister. Shaking my head, I look around the kitchen taking everything in, trying to orient myself and figure out if I am actually awake. The kitchen is on the smaller side with dark wooden cabinets, white countertops, yellow curtains, and a little table with two chairs in front of the bay window. I can’t hallucinate something I’ve never seen before, can I? So, I must be awake, and this must be real.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I say calmly, facing my sister once more. “But Draven has been the perfect gentleman.”
“I can’t believe you would do this to me,” she says in a melodramatic whisper. “You’re my sister,” she hisses as she leans forward across the countertop.
“I haven’t done anything.”
I lean forward too, resting my elbows on the white surface. The shirt I am wearing rides up the back of my thighs. I feel Draven’s finger graze the exposed skin and I nearly swallow my tongue. What the fuck?
“You need to come with me,” Aurora demands.
“Why?” My voice is hoarse and I pray to God that everyone assumes it’s because of the smoke and not because of what the man behind me is doing.
“Because I said so!” She stomps her foot like a two-year-old in mid-tantrum.
“I don’t think so,” I say taking another sip of Draven’s coffee before handing it back.
“Babe,” Derick says taking my sister’s hand. “Harmony is fine. Draven would never let anything happen to her and you know that. Let’s head out.”
