Fire and Ice: Book One: Burned (The Fire and Ice Series 1) (10 page)

Hailey

After I
gathered myself up off the ground, shaking the utter misery from my gut, as I
realized Kellan had actually turned out to be the man everyone warned me about,
including him, I straightened myself, and swiped the tears from my eyes, just
in time to hear the back door open, as Georgia stepped through it, catching me
at my most vulnerable state. She didn't have to say anything, her eyes showed a
thousand sorrows, compassion and sympathy for me.
Great...just
what I need, a pity party. I'm sure her gift to me will be an "I told you
so".

To my surprise,
Georgia gingerly stepped towards me, put her arms out, and pulled me in for a
tight hug, patting me on the back, and laying her head on my shoulder, even
though I stood stoically still. She began to rub circles on my back as she
said, "Oh, Hailey, I'm so sorry." She pushed away from me, holding a
tight grasp on my arms, continuing, "You want me to knee him in the
balls?" How could she joke at a time like this? Maybe she wasn't joking,
but the mention of Kellan brought on a fresh set of tears that began to stream
down my face, as I furiously tried to rid myself of them.

Georgia ran her thumbs under my eyes, catching my smeared make-up, as I finally began to
settle down, huffing out, "No...I just...I thought he was different."

She raised a
skeptical brow, asking, "
Different?
How did
you think he was different?"

I shrugged,
replying, "I dunno...when he was with me, he acted...differently, ya know.
It was as if we were in a chamber, watching the world from the inside out; just
the two of us. He made me believe I was the only girl in the room, and
everything, everybody else just faded away when he was near me.
He
did that."

Georgia shook
her head in disbelief. "Honey, you fell for his charm. I'm sure you're not
the only one." I widened my eyes, panic setting in at the thought of him
being with other women, night after night, while he was fawning over me. She
quickly recovered, trying to put me at ease, "Hey...that's not what I
meant. I mean I'm sure he's done this before...with other women. You can't tell
me the thought hasn't crossed your mind, Hailey." She gave me a
questioning look. I simply nodded my assent. "Well, there ya go. You know
in your heart he's a player. You were warned by how many people? You can't tell
me you haven't seen him flirt with customers." She was right...on all
accounts. I had just wiped those things from my mind when he was near. All
along, Kellan had been holding all the cards. He always had an ace up his
sleeve, and apparently I was the queen of fools.

******

Kellan

Jord ended up
walking away like a little bitch after Georgia got in between us. He was
fucking lucky I didn't deck him anyways for the shit he said to me. The only
thing that stopped me was the warning I'd received earlier from Jim. Chambers
is the last place I want be stuck for the rest of my life, so the sooner I can
make enough cash to blow this town the better. Jordan is the least of my
worries. Friends aren't very high on my list of priorities. In fact, I'm not
sure I'd call him one at this point. I've got so many people up my ass, I'm
surprised I'm not brushing my teeth with hemorrhoid cream.

For the second
time tonight, I hear the clicking of heels, as the girls approach the bar. I
quickly make myself scarce, heading into the kitchen, and setting off to do
menial chores. In my haste, I forget the bar is halfway full, and have to go
chase down Jordan to look after it for me. I don't see him about the central
bar, so I head into pool room, finding him cozied up with Hailey, comforting
her, no doubt. Goddamnit! What a shit show. I'm still semi hard thinking of our
earlier interlude, and Jordan's consoling her, while I watch from the fucking
sidelines. Story of my life.

I can't make
out what they're saying, but the visual is enough to drive me mad. I'm seething
inside at the sight of him touching her. He's got his hand on her shoulder, a
concerned look upon his face, and all of a sudden, he flashes his good ole boy
smile, and Hailey gives him a small smile, giggling, as she playfully smacks him
on the chest. What the fuck?

My temper gets
the better of me, and I decide to interrupt their little play date. Briskly
walking towards them, I stop just inches from both of them, grinding out,
"Don't you two have shit to do?" I swing my stinging gaze to Hailey,
adding, "I
know
you do, Princess. You've
got an ass to shake tonight."

"Get lost,
Kellan," Jordan retorts.

"How 'bout
you go fuck yourself, Jordan," I spew. He sighs and rubs the back of his
neck, a sign he's resigned himself to giving up for the night. "I need you
to watch the bar...I have a shit ton of stuff to do in the kitchen," I
say, pivoting to return to my tasks before adding, "Some of us aren't here
to get our rocks off all night."

"You sure
are good at talking the talk, Kellan," Hailey throws her two cents in. I
stop dead in my tracks, turning my head to peer at her with distain.

"Don't
bother, Hailey...there are plenty of good guys that would kill to be with
you," Jordan says with emphasis.

"What's
that supposed to mean?" I ask caustically.

"I'm
saying she's too good for you," Jordan states without hesitation.

Taken aback, my
jaw went slack, and I was speechless for a moment. He had some fucking nerve.
"Are you for real, right now? I can have any woman I want," I
boasted, digging out my phone from my pocket, as I continued, "One phone
call, anytime, day or night."

"Yeah, and
you know what...you throw 'em away like they're a piece of trash when you're
done with them," he argued.

"Your
point?"

"My point,
you idiotic moron, is there is one woman you
can't
have. Because you just threw away the best thing that ever happened to
you."

Hailey stood
biting her lip, silently watching our exchange, before she hurriedly walked
past me, disappearing into the growing crowd of customers, leaving Jordan and I
staring at each other, each of us knowing he was completely and utterly right.

******

Hailey

It had been a
couple of weeks since Kellan had kicked me to the curb. Jordan and I were back
to spending more time together, and I had to say, it felt pretty damn good to
be treated properly by a man. Jordan and I kept our relationship professional
at the bar, not only because of Jim, but because we didn't need Kellan flipping
shit on us. In due time, if things worked out between us, it would obviously
come out, but there was no point in putting up a billboard in the center of
town.

Tonight is
Gail's baby shower, and it's being thrown at the bar. Jim decided to shut it
down for the night, and have a private party, which really doesn't matter that
much, since half of the town is invited anyways. My phone chirps, as I am just
getting ready to climb out bed. This has become a daily ritual between Jordan
and me.

Jordan:
What's shakin' bacon?

Me:
Nuttin' honey ;p

Jordan:
You running today?

Me:
Hell no! I ran my ass off last night...feet are killing me.

Jordan:
Ass looks pretty good to me ;)

Me:
*swoon*

Jordan:
LOL

Jordan:
What time am I picking you up?

Me:
Picking me up for what?

Jordan:
Gail's baby shower.

Me:
You're going?

Jordan:
Wouldn't miss it...especially the chance to take my pretty
little lady with me ;)

Me:
LOL...Thought guys hated that stuff.

Jordan:
Pretty little ladies?

Me:
Ha Ha... Baby showers dufus.

Jordan:
First of all...ouch! Secondly...beer...hello!

Me:
Ahhh...now we get to the root of why you're REALLY going.

Jordan:
That's not why I'm really going...

Me:
Oh yeah? Why are you really going?

Jordan:
I plan on getting you shit faced and taking advantage of
you...

Me:
JORDAN!

Jordan:
LOL...;p Just go with me...what time?

Me:
Ugh...6:30? But...I'm nervous about...well everyone seeing
us together.

Jordan:
Hailey, you have nothing to be nervous about. Don't ever
be afraid to fall with me...I'll always catch you.

Kellan

Why the fuck I
decided to come to this God awful little bastard's birthday bash is beyond me.
I mean, who the hell has a baby shower in a bar? Half the town is here, they'll
soon be three sheets to the wind, and there's not even a goddamn cake! Total
bullshit. Some asshole bought her a bottle of wine.
Wine!
Jesus. I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. But, hey, who am I to judge...Gail
is having a great time, other than looking like she's carrying a watermelon
under her sweatshirt.

Just as I
finish inserting more quarters into the jukebox, keeping the party alive with
music and dancing, I see the front door swing open, as Hailey and Jordan walk
in, arm in arm. My gut wrenches as he gives her an adoring smile. She looks
around the bar timidly, searching it as if she's trying not to be noticed. Fat
chance. People are already staring and whispering. This will be the talk of the
town for a week, at least. She spots Gail and parts through the crowd, heading towards
her to give her a hug.

I lean against
the wall, secluded from the crowd that's gathered around Gail as she opens her
gifts one by one. Jim hands her his gift tipping her a small smile, as they
exchange an awkward glance between each other. My intuition tells me that Jim
and Gail had been doing more than late night paperwork about nine months ago.
As she pulls out the pink one-piece pajama outfit, which reads: "Mama's
Girl", the entire bar goes wild clapping and shouting their
congratulations. I guess the cat's out of the bag now. Looks like my intuition
was right on the money.

Georgia jumps
up and down, her pert, round breasts bouncing in her leopard print half shirt,
as she claps and giggles with glee. Her full red lips look stunning tonight
against her perfect white teeth. If she were humane, she would at least switch
teams once in a while. Now I know what the women mean when they say all the
good guys are either married, or gay. She's like a fucking forbidden fruit.
Maybe I just need to get laid. I haven't been with anyone since I slept with
Hailey. The thought builds a sickening knot in my stomach. The thought of her
sleeping with Jordan burns me to the core.

Gail finishes
opening up her gifts and thanks everyone as the crowd disperses, beginning to
order drinks and celebrating. A slow song kicks up, and soon the dance floor is
flooded with couples swaying to the sultry ballad of "Stay With Me"
by Sam Smith. I swing my gaze to Hailey and Jordan as they make their way to
the dance floor, tightly embracing each other as he peers at her lovingly
before she rests her head on his chest, his hands wrapping around her tiny
waist. Blood is raging through my veins, and I can't take the pressure building
in my body as my mind floods with thoughts of him touching her, tasting her, in
ways I have...in ways only I can satisfy her with.

I hastily march
towards them, approaching them and interrupt the moment they were lost in,
saying brusquely, "I need to talk you," as I address Hailey. She and
Jordan part, looking at me as if I've grown a second head.

Jordan rolls
his eyes, quickly speaking up, "Kellan, leave it alone."

"Jordan,
this has nothing to do with you," I retort.

He chuckles,
replying, "If it has to do with Hailey, it has to do with me."

I shoot him an
icy glare before Hailey puts her hand on his chest, saying in a hushed tone,
"It's ok, Jordan." She looks to me annoyed and says, "You've got
two minutes." Hailey hasn't so much as looked in my direction for a week,
so for as much as I've fucked this up, I'm not sure I can save this clusterfuck
under such a ridiculous time frame, but if that's what she's offering, I'll
take it.

I nod, and
Jordan reluctantly backs away, breaking contact with her, as I step in and take
his place, pulling Hailey into me, as I breathe in her soft floral scent. I've
missed it...her, so goddamn much, my skin burns for her as I touch her. She
tries to pulls away, looking for Jordan, but I don't relinquish my grip on her,
holding her tightly to my body, as I harden against her. I need her to hear me
out.

Brushing her
hair away from her face, I lay my face against hers, as I breathe into her ear,
"You were right. I need you, and you need me." She pulls away from
me, looking at me with sheer awe before I pull her back in, saying, "Stay
with me tonight."

With
astonishment etched on her face, she replies, "I've been there, done that,
Kellan. I'm not looking for a
night
."

"That's
not what I meant," I plead my case. "I want..." a pained
expression crosses my faces as I continue. This is uncharted territory for me,
but if I'm ever going to gain her trust, I have to take the plunge.
"...us," I finish my statement. "Please, Hailey, I'm begging
you." And I was. I was begging. For the first time in my life, I had
something to lose, and I may have already lost her. But I wasn't going to go
down without a fight. "Say you'll stay with me, Princess," I said in
a hushed tone. My two minutes was running out, and Jordan was approaching fast.

Both of us
noticed him walking towards us, and I gave her a questioning look, as the
seconds ticked by, feeling like a bomb was about to explode. She finally
conceded, and nodded before breaking away from me and brushing her hands down
her shirt nervously, giving Jordan an awkward smile.

Jordan stalked
up next to us as I backed away from Hailey, letting my hands fall from her
body, the absence of her in my arms leaving me feeling instantly empty, as
Jordan asked Hailey, "Everything ok?"

She volleyed
her eyes between us before landing them on Jordan, saying, "Yeah, we're
done here."

******

Hailey

He was the
first person I'd thought of calling...the only person. Tragedy had struck and I
needed someone who knew me inside and out, knew my pain, and what I was going
through.

When the knock
sounded at the door, I jumped to attention, running for it, and swinging it
open wide. He didn't hesitate to come to my rescue. It was nearly four in the
morning and he didn't care...he simply wanted my pain to vanish; I could see it
in his eyes, even after all we'd been through.

I rushed into
his arms, wrapping my own weak ones around his waist as I let myself finally
break down. My mother passed away just an hour after Jordan had dropped me off.

After he'd
dropped me off, I made sure my mom was comfortable, said my goodnights to her,
and went upstairs, planning on sneaking out to go see Kellan. Once I had
thought enough time had passed and that Mom had drifted off to sleep, I
gathered my things, and shamefully texted Jordan goodnight for good measure.

As I tiptoed
down the stairs and reached the living room, making my way to the door, I
realized the room was too quiet. Eerily quiet. It was in that moment I knew. I
didn't have to guess, or check...I knew in my heart of hearts that Mom had
passed away. As my purse fell to the floor, dozens of questions flooded my
mind. Had she been sicker than she was letting on? Was she even taking her
medications? Did she know she was going to go? Was it painless? Oh God, what if
it wasn't painless? I turned and ran to her side, laying my head on her still
chest, praying that wasn't the case, yet knowing there wasn't a damn thing I
could do about it if it was.

Watching and
waiting for them to take my mom away was like torture. I was alone, scared, and
wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. I was shaken out of my thoughts as
Jordan said, "Shh, it's gonna be alright, Hailey. She's in a better place."
He was right and I knew it, but I was being selfish. I wanted her back with me,
forever by my side.

******

Kellan

They say love
is blind. Well I must need a motherfucking pair of bifocals. How stupid could I
be? I waited for her. For hours...for fucking
hours!
Thinking maybe she'd gotten tied up at the party. Then maybe she had to think
of an excuse to get away from Jordan, maybe he was insistent. I lost all hope
about an hour ago, when I dialed her number and it went straight to voicemail.

Now I'm driving
down the highway that leads out of Chambers, as I listen to the somber melody
of "Too Much/Heart" by Ourlives, begging my own mind to shut off the
thoughts of pondering why she never showed. Was this retribution? Did she
loathe me that much to go so far as to lure me in, only to humiliate me by
ditching me? Is this some sort of sick, twisted way of her trying to beat me at
my own game? Does she really think I'm playing games, at this point? I never
was. I need her to know that.

I slam my
brakes on in the middle of the deserted highway, my tires screeching to a halt.
I wrench the steering wheel and point the car back towards Chambers as I hit
the gas pedal hard. I can't resist the urge to go to her, to make her
understand she's not a toy to me, and this is not a game. This is a life
changing decision for me. My only focus is on getting to Hailey, before I
realize Jordan may be with her. I yank the wheel of my car to the berm of the
road and slide through the shale, coming to an abrupt stop as my breathing
becomes harsh.

Fuck. I've
never felt so desolate in my entire life. I've been on my own since I was a
kid, and I've never had anyone I would say I was especially close to, whether
they felt differently about me, or not, nor did I mind my own company...in fact
I preferred it. But something feels different now. Since Hailey has walked into
my life, she's made me a different man. Better? I'm not so sure, but fuck all
if I'm not gonna try to be...for her sake. If Jordan intends to stand in my
way, he'll have to put up one hell of a fight, because if I go down, it'll be
swinging.

I gather myself
together, straightening in my seat, and regulate my breathing, as I grip the
steering wheel, put the car in drive, and ease back onto the highway.

Heading to Hailey's
house, I drum my thumbs nervously on the steering wheel, and shut the stereo
off, as I sit with my wayward thoughts, most of them irrational, I'm sure. Has
she slept with him? Did she sleep with him tonight instead of me? Is he in her
bed right now? The thoughts are killing me inside, burning me from the inside
out.

I'm trembling,
and break my own cardinal rule of no smoking in my pristine jewel of a car, as
I dig my cigarettes from my pocket, and light one up, rolling down the window
to rid the car of the stale, smoky smell. I need the distraction right now, and
besides, the night air is cooling the damp sweat that has gathered on my face
and neck due to rage-induced thoughts.

I finally reach
her house, notice immediately Jordan's car is in the driveway, and pull to a
smooth stop out front. It's nearing five in the morning, and I couldn't give a
shit...this has to be done...
now
. I ring the
doorbell and wait with no answer for a moment before ringing it again, as I
hear footsteps approaching the door. This is it. There's no turning back now.
This moment will impact the rest of my life.