Foreplay: The Ivy Chronicles (23 page)

I looked in horror back at the burning house. Oh. God. The puppy. I just acted. I shoved the phone at Sheridan. “Wait here! I mean it. Stay with your sister. Help is coming.”

I sprinted back into the house, convinced that I could do this. There was still time. The laundry room was on the other side of the kitchen. I could reach it. I could save the dog.

Dropping to my knees, I began crawling through the smoke. I knew the floor plan well. Coughing, I reached the room quickly and had the cage door open in a flash.

The puppy whimpered but came to me readily. I stuffed him inside my sweatshirt. When I turned around, ready to crawl back out, the fire had spread even more, a great wall ahead of me. In the blink of an eye, it had consumed half the living room, eating up the walls like some kind of red-orange river.

Oh God
. Was this it? I’d lived my whole life afraid to make a move because it might be the wrong one, and now I would die in a fire before I even turned twenty?

I’d said good-bye to Reece and kicked him out of my life for what? To end this way? No.
Hell no.

I moved, dragging myself over the floor, choking for breath. I clawed one hand after the other. The puppy was still, a warm little body inside my sweatshirt, and I wondered dimly if it was too late for him. Had this all been for nothing?

My entire body felt like lead as I struggled through the black smoke. My head throbbed as I wheezed, my lungs withering, dying for a taste of oxygen. I turned my face, searching, suddenly confused. Which way was the door?

Oh God.
So sorry
.
I’m so sorry.
I’m not sure who the apology was for. Myself? Gram? My friends? Reece?

Reece
.

Yes. I wished I could tell him I was sorry. Sorry about running. From us. From all he had offered me. That was my biggest sin, I realized. My greatest regret. Running from love.
I’m the safest thing you’ll ever find.
Suddenly I understood what he had been saying. He had cared about me. Maybe even loved me. He was the real thing. Better than any plan or fantasy I’d created in my head. And I’d pushed him away.

My arms gave out. I slumped to the carpet, collapsing on my side, still coughing, my chest tight and aching.

“Pepper!”

I flinched.

“Pepper!”

Cruel mind. Maybe this was my hell, to imagine Reece’s voice so close.

“Pepper!”

I forced my head up and peered through the haze. I made out the shape of someone through the smoke and flames. Just a glimpse and then he moved away. But I recognized that voice. Reece . . .

“Here!” My voice came out a pathetic croak.

Life surged inside me, desperate for one more chance. My body fought back up to its hands and knees.

I cried out again, “Here!” I was louder, but it still wasn’t enough. Panting, I pushed myself to keep going, praying I was headed in the right direction. I was making progress until I bumped into something hard. I peered through the fog, registering that it was the Campbells’ grandfather clock. Flames ate at the top portion of it. Suddenly it started to crumble. I tried to back away, but it came down, landing on me and pinning me across my hips. It was only a matter of moments before it was engulfed in fire. And me with it.

Something groaned and I heard a crash behind me. A glance back revealed that a section of the ceiling had collapsed. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of it caved in. I was going to burn to death. And Reece was in here somewhere searching for me.

He would burn, too.

Throwing back my head, I screamed with everything I had left. To save Reece. To save
me
. My voice ripped from my raw throat: “Here! I’m here!”

It was enough.

Reece emerged, charging through the smoke, his face sweaty and red where it wasn’t covered in soot. Squatting, he pulled me free and swept me into his arms. Cradling me to his chest, he didn’t bother to crawl. He ran. The fire roared all around us as he cut a straight line for the door.

We burst out into the night. The sudden cold was a shock on my scalded flesh. Reece carried me to where the girls waited. Once there, he dropped to his knees, still clutching me to him.

The girls surrounded us, crying and exclaiming. I still wheezed, starved for air. All of me hurt. My lungs, my eyes, my skin.

“Pepper.” Reece turned my face and examined me. “Are you all right?”

I nodded once and even that motion hurt. “Are you?” I tried to assess him in turn, to see if he was hurt, but my eyes continued to blur with tears.

“I’m fine.”

Something stirred against my chest and I remembered the puppy. I tugged at the hem of my sweatshirt, and the girls saw Jazz. They squealed and grabbed him.

Still unable to catch my breath, I fell back on the ground.

Reece’s face loomed over me. “Pepper? Pepper?”

He sounded so panicked. I wanted to tell him everything was going to be all right. That I was fine. I wanted to thank him for coming, for giving me the strength to keep going, to keep fighting.

I wanted to say all these things. All these things and more. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t catch my breath. My hand drifted to my chest, as though I could find some switch there to help open up my oxygen-starved lungs.

There was no switch.

I wheezed, terrible little sounds escaping my lips as I struggled for more air. Spots danced before my eyes, and I hated that most of all. The edges of my vision grayed. I could barely see Reece anymore. My gaze strained, as if struggling to memorize his face. Overheated and marred with soot, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

I could hear him, though, screaming my name again and again. Could feel him. His hands on my arms, my face.

My vision went dark, and just before that darkness rolled in on my mind, I got out two words. Just two words. But they were good ones. I hoped he heard them.

“Love. You.”

Chapter 26

O
uch
. It was my first thought when I came to. Ouch and then:
Dear
God
,
that really hurts
.

I moaned, and the simple action only made my throat hurt more. I quickly sealed my lips, stopping the effort.

“You’re awake!”

I opened my eyes to witness Reece lurching from a chair beside me. My gaze flicked around me—hospital bed?

“Where am I?” I asked in a voice as gravelly as sandpaper. I winced and he grabbed a cup of water and held it to my lips. I drank deeply, letting the water flow over my raw tongue and throat as he replied.

“In the emergency room.”

“The girls—”

“They’re fine. They’re with their parents. The house is gone. Some kind of faulty wiring in the kitchen. Old house. We’re lucky it didn’t happen when the Campbells were in bed. They might not have gotten out.”

My head felt like it weighed two tons, but I lifted it to glance down at myself. The movement made me aware of the tubes running into my nose. I reached up to touch them.

“It’s to give you oxygen. Don’t mess with it. They had a full oxygen mask on you earlier. They said you’ll need to keep the tubes in for a while to help your lungs recover.”

My hand fell away. I licked at my dry lips and fought to swallow against my raw throat. He reached for the cup again and handed it to me over the bed guard. I sipped and handed it back. “You came. H-how did you know?”

“I heard the alarm down the road. And then I saw the black smoke in the sky. I didn’t know you were there until I found the girls in the yard.” His jaw clenched. A muscle feathered in his cheek. His eyes blazed down at me. “You went back for a dog? What the fuck were you thinking? You could have died, Pepper! I watched the paramedics work on you and . . . I thought . . .” He stopped, his voice choking. I had never seen him like this. Not even when he told me about his mother. Not even when his father showed up and made a scene at Mulvaney’s.

I held silent, letting him yell at me. I deserved it. For tonight and more.

He ducked his head, leaning his forehead on the bed guard as though he needed a moment to compose himself and stop from strangling me. I reached out and ran my fingers over his hair.

He lifted his head. His eyes gleamed with moisture and his voice was quiet as he continued, “I thought you were gone, Pepper. It was bad enough to lose you the first time, but to lose you like that? I couldn’t have dealt with that.”

I choked on a sob. It tore through my ravaged throat, but I couldn’t have stopped it if I tried. Another hoarse sob followed. “You’re the reason I’m alive. I heard you and that made me fight. You were there, somewhere, and I knew that. I had to get to you.”

He reached for my face, and that’s when I noticed his bandaged hands.

“Reece!” I gently took them between my hands. My eyes flew to his face. “This is from saving me.”

“They’re just minor burns. From when I lifted the clock. I‘ll be fine.”

I blinked long and hard before opening my eyes to look at him. “God, we could have died tonight. It could have ended like that.” A sob welled up in the back of my throat. I swallowed it down and moistened my lips. “I understand what you meant now. Bad shit happens. I thought picking Hunter . . . I was being smart.” I shook my head. “My safe choices didn’t matter tonight though. Did they?”

A stillness came over him. “So what are you saying?” His question hung heavily on the air.

“I know you’re with Tatiana now, but—”

He shook his head, his expression bewildered. “I’m not.”

“What?”

“It was just a coffee. We’re old friends.”

“Oh.” I blinked.

“You’re with Hunter.” It was more of a question than a statement.

Tears welled up in my eyes. “But it hasn’t been right. It hasn’t been you. I can’t . . . I haven’t been able to—” I sucked in a deep breath. “I can’t be a real girlfriend to him when all I can do is think about you.”

“Ah, shit, Pepper.” Still holding my face, he lowered his forehead to mine. “I’m not going through this again with you just so you can run when you get scared that I’m not like some ideal you built up in your head. I love you. I’m fucking
in
love with you, but it’s all or nothing. I won’t do this again unless it’s going to be like that.”

Now I was crying, choking on my sobs. “I know. I want that. It took me so long to figure that out, but I know now.
You
are the safest thing I’ll ever find.” I deliberately repeated his words, holding his gaze and letting them sink in. “Because you love me. Because I love you.”

Then we were kissing. Both of us a mess. Oxygen tubing running up my nose. Neither one of us cared.

He pulled back and stared at me for a long moment before a slow grin broke across his face. “I heard you say it the first time, you know, but this time it’s even better.”

I blinked. “What first time?”

“Right before you passed out. Wasn’t sure if you meant it. Could have just been your oxygen-starved brain.”

“I remember saying it. I meant it. And I mean it now.”

He kissed me again. “I love you. Ever since you walked into Mulvaney’s looking like it was the last place you wanted to be.” A corner of his mouth lifted. “And ever since you explained so matter-of-factly that you were looking for lessons in foreplay.”

I rolled my head on the pillow with a groan. “Please. Don’t remind me of that.”

“C’mon.” He kissed my grimy cheek. “It’s good stuff. We can tell our grandkids about it someday.”

I lifted my head and looked into his eyes, warmth blossoming through me at his words. “I’d rather tell the one about how their grandfather carried their grandmother out of a burning building.”

He grinned, but there was such seriousness in his eyes, such depth that I felt like I was looking at forever. “That will be a good one, too.”

“I think we’re going to have a few to choose from.”

“Of course we will. We’ll never be boring.”

At that moment, my roommates arrived. They yanked back the curtain, a nurse fast on their heels. Their eyes widened when they saw Reece hovering over me, his hands framing my face.

“Hey,” I greeted them with an awkward wave.

“Are you okay?” Georgia rushed to my side, looking me over.

“I’m fine.”

“And what’s this?” Em nodded at Reece. He released my face but now held my hand, fingers laced with mine.

He looked at me, waiting for me to answer. “My boyfriend.”

“Thought you had one of those already,” Georgia murmured.

“Yeah. Who should be here any minute,” Emerson volunteered with a pointed look at our joined hands. “We called him on our way here.”

“I’m already here.”

All eyes swung to where Hunter stood by the curtain, looking composed. He stepped closer, his forehead knitted with concern as he eyed me up and down, not missing my hand linked with Reece’s. “Are you okay?”

That was so very Hunter. Worried about my welfare first. “Yes. I’m fine.”

His shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t been aware of the tension there until that moment. Nodding as if satisfied with my answer, his gaze shifted to Reece. Reece’s hand tightened around mine as though he feared I might let go. Not that I ever would. Not anymore. Not again.

Hunter studied him for a long moment, like he was trying to reach some kind of decision. “If you hurt her—”

“I won’t,” Reece answered swiftly, with certainty, as if he knew exactly what question was coming.

I blinked at Hunter, bewildered. I hadn’t even broken up with him. “How did you know—”

“I’ve always known. I just thought your feelings might change. You might start to feel something more for me. God knows you seemed determined to ignore whatever it was you had with Reece.”

Emerson snorted from where she and Georgia had moved to lurk discreetly. “Ain’t that the truth.”

Hunter glanced at her and then looked at me fondly, a small smile playing on his lips. “I guess when it’s real it doesn’t ever fade away.”

I shook my head. “No. It doesn’t.” God knows I had willed it to. “I’m sorry. You deserve better.”

“I’ll find it.” He looked at Reece again and then back to me. “And thanks to you, I know what I’m looking for now.” He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, Pepper.”

I nodded as he walked away, confident that I would see him again. Of course. He was Lila’s brother, and he was still my friend.

“Wow,” Em breathed. “What a day. Save the lives of two children. Nearly burned alive. Break up with your boyfriend. Get a new one. What’s tomorrow gonna be like?”

I smiled up at Reece. “I doubt I’m getting out of bed.”

Two weeks later . . .

Bing Crosby crooned softly in the background as Gram wished us good night. Reece and I shared a smile and settled onto the couch together. We were all alone after spending the day with Gram and all her friends. The old ladies loved Reece. Which made them not too different from young ladies. He flirted with them outrageously and they reveled in it, goosing him every chance they got. Obviously they just wanted to feel his nice backside for themselves.

Reece slipped a hand under the throw blanket and rubbed my feet.

“Ah, that feels good.” I leaned back into the couch cushions.

“You deserve it, all the baking and cooking you did. I think you fed twenty people.”

“We
fed twenty people. You helped,” I reminded him.

“It was fun. And was I
not
going to spend Christmas with you?” He looked at me like the very idea was crazy.

I smiled drowsily as I snuggled back against the comfy couch cushion. His fingers worked magic on my feet. The pads of his fingers slid beneath my loose pajama bottoms, skimming over my knees and traveling up my thighs, creating delicious friction on my skin and working another kind of magic on me.

I sighed Reece’s name as he touched the edge of my panties. His fingers found me, slipping inside. I gasped, arching my spine. “What are you doing?”

“Making love to my girlfriend on Christmas.”

“Ohh. But now? Here?” I glanced back toward the hall where Gram had disappeared to her room.

He slipped his hand free from my panties and came over me, kissing me hotly as he tugged my pajama bottoms off. “After the day she had today, she’s not waking up until tomorrow morning.”

I moaned as he guided me to straddle him. In a quick move, he freed himself from his own clothing and entered me. I threw back my head at the full sensation of him inside me, so glad that I’d gotten on the pill so we didn’t have to stop in search of a condom. I rocked against him, holding him tightly to me. My fingers clenched on his shoulders as we moved together.

He dragged his mouth down my throat, leaving a burning path on my skin.

I clutched him closer, riding him faster. “I love you, Reece,” I whispered hoarsely as I broke apart, splintering into pieces.

His hands tightened on my hips. He followed me, his body straining into mine. He muffled his cry into the crook of my neck, but I felt its force ripple through me. We held still, locked together for a long moment, enjoying each other.

He lifted his head and stared down at me, a slow smile curving his lips. “I love you, too.”

I smoothed my hand over his forehead and down the back of his skull, chafing my palm over his short hair, never tired of feeling the velvet scrape against my palm.

A mischievous smile played on his mouth. “Wait here.” Arranging his clothes back in place, he jogged down the hall. I pulled my pajama bottoms back on and was sitting on the couch, waiting for him to return. When he did, it was with a small box wrapped in Christmas paper.

I pointed at it with a frown. “What’s that? No fair. We already exchanged presents.”

“I have one more for you. I wanted to give it to you alone.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t get you anything else.”

He looked solemnly into my eyes. “Yes. You did. You do. You give me something every day.”

My throat thickened with emotion.

“Now c’mon.” He thrust it into my hands. “Open it, would you?”

I stared at the box and then back at him. He sat anxiously, his hand tapping on his knee. Smiling, I kissed him, beyond amazed that I had him in my life. And horrified that I had almost let him walk away.

I tore into the package. It was just a plain brown box, the kind you find at any office supply store. Turning it, I opened the lid, and peered inside. My hand closed around papers. Pulling them out, I scanned them uncomprehendingly for a moment. And then the words registered.

I dropped the papers and gawked at him. “We’re going to Disney World for New Year’s?”

He nodded and I screamed. Just like every kid in those commercials, I freaked. Throwing my arms around his neck, I hugged him in a death squeeze.

Pulling back, I rained kisses all over his face. “How . . . why . . . ?”

“I remember you telling me about the Montgomerys going all the time and that you had never been. You had that poster in your room, and it just felt like something you really wanted to do.”

“And now I am going to do it. With you.” I shook my head, emotion clogging my throat. “You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

Yeah, he loved me. Totally and completely. Even knowing my past and all my hang-ups. That was huge in itself, but he got me. He understood me.

He cupped my cheek, that sexy smile of his taking hold of me. “This from a girl who only wanted foreplay from me and nothing more.”

I turned my face to kiss his palm. “But now I want all of you. Everything.”

He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. “Good. Because that’s what you got.”