BURNT (The Wild Flames #1) Page 4

  “Your ride’s ready,” she replied, motioning with her head. “We’ll talk later.” She turned back to her car and left as soon as she could.

  Kevin watched her pull out of the parking spot. He felt like a part of him was going with her. He slowly turned around and saw Amy leaning up against her car, waiting patiently for him.

  He walked back to her and smiled.

  “Sorry about that,” he offered.

  “Lover’s spat?” she asked.

  He opened his eyes wide. “No, we told you we’re not—”

  “I’m teasing,” she replied with a laugh. “Get in. I’m starved.”

  She opened up her car door and he got in the passenger side. They had a quiet ride to the restaurant. Kevin looked out the window and could only think about Tara. Everything had better work out, he thought. He hated feeling like he was betraying her.

  As they drove to the restaurant, he heard Amy talking, but could barely think about anything else. “So, you decided not to go to school?” he asked, trying to keep up the conversation.

  “I decided to take some time off. I hated high school and I figured if I despised going to school that much, then how could I possibly get interested in college courses.” From her tone he could tell she was a couple of years younger than he was, or at least seemed like it.

  “You’ve taken college courses, correct?” she asked.

  Kevin nodded as she pulled into the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant.

  They got out of the car and headed up to the front door. As he held the door open for Amy, she beamed. He was growing less and less excited by the minute.

  “Two please...” Kevin called to the hostess.

  After a ten minute wait, they were directed to a table for two at the window. Amy continued as soon as they sat down.

  “So you’re in college?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “I have one more course until I complete my bachelor’s degree with University of Alaska. I plan on going to Montana to work on my master’s after.”

  She looked impressed.

  “Awesome. I wish you the best,” Amy encouraged him, looking down at the menu.

  They perused their menus for a while, then placed their orders and resumed the chat on their dreams and ambitions. Amy was satisfied living in their small town and working at the petting zoo. She had no future plans, and there was nothing wrong with that, but Kevin quickly realized he had little in common with her. He could tell she felt the same way too. There was no romantic spark between them.

  “Are you being honest when you say you and Tara are just friends?” Amy asked, taking a drink.

  He looked up. He didn’t expect she would be so direct during their date. He nodded. “Yes, Tara and I have always been friends.”

  “Yet, you want more.” She stated it with confidence.

  He shook his head, laughing. “What do you mean?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Call it women’s intuition.” She shrugged. “Or, you can call it just a hunch. Either way, I’m sure I haven’t missed the signs. I think you two would make a great couple.”

  Their meals arrived and their conversation remained friendly and light. He did enjoy their discussion, and it felt good to finally have someone he could be honest with about his feelings for Tara.

  “You realize this conversation has to stay between us, right?” he said.

  She laughed. “Your secret is safe with me, but one day you might want to tell her. Things could be better then.”

  He wasn’t sure, but nodded. After finishing up their meals, Kevin placed some cash on the table to pay their bill, ignoring her insistence she should pay.

  “It doesn’t matter that you invited me. I’m paying,” he told her. She reluctantly agreed.

  They were about to head out when he saw Jake heading their way.

  “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Jake said, shifting his glance between Kevin and Amy.

  The feeling was mutual. Kevin noticed the confusion on Amy’s face as there was a clear resemblance between him and Jake.

  “Amy, this is my brother, Jake. Jake, this is my co-worker, Amy.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Amy said, sticking out her hand.

  “Likewise,” Jake said, smiling. He turned back to Kevin. “This just might be my lucky day. I was here with some friends and they had to unexpectedly leave. Could you give me a ride home?”

  Kevin glanced at Amy and she nodded. “Amy’s driving, but sure. We were just getting ready to leave.”

  “Thank you,” Jake said, seeming very grateful. Amy and Kevin got up from the table and they all headed out of the restaurant.

  ***

  It was Saturday evening, and Tara was torn. She didn’t know if she could go out on their movie night and act like everything was normal. What bothered her even more was she really was jealous of Kevin and Amy going on a date, and she had no reason to feel that way. She finally picked up her cell phone and typed in a text message to Kevin.

  Tara: Hey Kev, not feeling well. Just gonna stay home. Maybe next month.

  She put her cell phone down and stared at it as if waiting for it to miraculously chime to confirm he had left a reply. After several minutes of sitting there and seeing no response, she turned on the television and unmuted it, then laid back and sprawled out on the couch. She was in lounge pants and a tank top, already dressed for bed. The time alone was good, although she was not looking forward to hearing about his date. She flipped through channels, until she came across a station that just read Breaking News. She turned it up, stopping on the channel.

  “Another grizzly murder has taken place today. We’re reporting live on the corner of Broderick and Schaeffer Street, where the body of 23 year old Derek Jeffries was discovered in the woods two hours ago. He was reported missing forty-eight hours earlier. There are no suspects, as of yet. However, the police have asked the public to come forward if they witnessed anything. One eye witness has reported she saw a man with a red hoodie and the trim of a blue baseball cap coming out of the woods, just an hour before the body was discovered. The witness was not able to recall any other information about the identity of the possible suspect. Reporting live, this is Parker Jacobs.”

  Tara turned the television off. She couldn’t believe another murder had been committed so soon. Their small town had rarely experienced any violent crimes in the twenty-two years she had grown up there. In fact, she couldn’t recall a time there was ever a killing. She heard the doorbell and got up to answer it. When she opened up the door, Kevin stood gawking at her. He looked her up and down.

  “It doesn’t appear you are ready to go to the movies.”

  “Didn’t you get the message? I’m not going. I sent you a text,” she replied, moving away from the door.

  He stepped into the house. “I got your message, but I didn’t think you were being serious. I know how much you want to go to this movie. It’s a romantic comedy...isn’t it?”

  She heaved a sigh. “Yes, but...”

  “You have no reason not to go.” Again he looked her up and down. “Other than the fact you’re dressed for bed. But you can fix that quickly. Come on, I want to take you out.”

  Tara groaned, frustrated. “Whatever,” she said. “Give me ten minutes.” She hurried up the stairs and into her bedroom to look for something to wear. She finally settled on a simple University of Alaska t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. She put some lipstick and mascara on, brushed her hair quickly, and headed back downstairs.

  “So how was your date yesterday?” she asked with some sarcasm.

  Kevin laughed, turning to her before opening the front door. “Tell me the truth. It really bothered you, didn’t it?”

  Tara was a little thrown by his question. She figured he’d leave well enough alone. She looked at him in mild disdain, rolling her eyes as she searched for an answer.

  “It didn’t bother me. I just...” She paused, knowing she wasn’t telling him the truth. “Maybe it bothered me a
little bit.” She hesitated. “But, just a little bit.”

  He laughed. “I’ll take that.”

  He waited on the porch for her to lock up, and put his arm over her shoulders as they headed to his car.

  “Let’s just put it this way. After yesterday, I’m sure Amy knows where we stand.” He opened the door for her and she met his eyes.

  “How so?” she asked, smiling.

  “It’s possible I might have mentioned your name a couple of times during the conversation.”

  “A couple?”

  “Five...six times max, but that’s all.”

  She snickered, getting into the car. She felt relieved, but all the more curious to hear how it went.

  ***

  Sitting in the theatre next to Tara, Kevin found it difficult to ignore his feelings for her. He regretted not telling her how he felt. It probably wasn’t a good idea to go to a romantic comedy movie with her. As the actor and actress were making out on the big screen, he pictured them as the two in the starring roles. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and he could see she was probably uncomfortable as well.

  At one point, he could swear she groaned next to him. Kevin perked up, and was more aware of his erection pressing against his zipper. He shifted his body in his chair, but nothing seemed to help. He reached his hand into the popcorn container, trying to take his mind off of it. That didn’t help. His hand grazed across Tara’s. He froze for a moment and then allowed his fingers to slowly stroke hers. He was longing to touch her and he hoped she felt the same way.

  His fingers traced hers up and down and when he looked over at her, their eyes met. The moment their eyes connected, she was torn from the trance. She pulled her hand out of the bucket and turned back to the movie screen. The moment was lost.

  He tried to turn back to the screen and watch what was going on, but the couple on the screen was now doing a lot more than kissing. He moaned as he saw their foreplay, knowing a sex scene was imminent. This was going to be too much to take. He just knew it. He shifted again in his seat, accidentally brushing her leg. His hand trailed down her bare leg and instead of quickly pulling away, he allowed it to linger. What was even more of a shock was she didn’t try to move away.

  As his hand slid back up her leg, he let his fingers slip past the seam of her shorts, gently grazing her thigh. Their eyes met and she made no attempt to stop him. He drifted up a tad more, feeling the silk of her panties and then falling back. His hand pulled out from under her shorts and he felt himself getting nervous. They never looked away from each other. He watched her with shock and pleasure as she moved her hand toward him and then rubbed over his throbbing hardness. He moaned, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him. She appeared lost in the moment as was he.

  His eyes widened as she gently ran her hand against him. He took a chance, moving closer to her. They were only inches from kissing, but he wasn’t sure how she would react. She turned and leaned closer to him, welcoming him in. He still hesitated, because there was so much uncertainty. He didn’t want to hurt their friendship. Her hand had released his erection, but he held on to the vivid memory of her hand stroking him through his jeans.

  Her breathing was heavy as he got closer. Suddenly, nothing seemed to matter more than connecting his lips to hers. His right arm wrapped around her, pulling her to him, and his left hand lifted the cup holder between them. She shifted her body, moving closer to him as he ran his hand down her back. His tongue dove into her mouth, grazing over hers. His heart was beating so loudly. He had held off on showing her how he felt for too long. He pulled away slightly, but continued to gently nibble at her lower lip. He didn’t want the moment to end and he had no intention of parting from their embrace.

  Kevin felt Tara’s nails dig into his back and it drove him wild. He slid his tongue in and out of her mouth, claiming her in the dark theatre. He could hear the sound of the actors making love on the movie screen, but he couldn’t tear himself away from her. This embrace was everything he had been waiting for.

  ***

  Tara was nervous, but relieved Kevin had finally made the first move. His touch along her leg had sent a wave of pent up desire through her body, and his kiss took her breath away. As he pulled from the kiss to nibble on her lip, she still wanted more. She let her tongue trail over his lips and then slipped back inside.

  A gentle moan escaped her, causing him to intensify the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she slipped her hands up under his t-shirt. She dug her nails into his back, causing him to wince with pleasure and desire.

  She could barely think, but her feelings were mile high. She reveled in his sensuous kiss, and couldn’t believe how much his touch drove her wild. Their embrace was a long time coming. She wished she had let him show his feelings and explore her body sooner.

  ***

  Hidden in the last row of the movie theatre, a pair of eyes was trained on them. He couldn’t believe they were making out where everyone could see them. He was disgusted by their blatant disregard for his feelings. He groaned, agitated they could betray him like this.

  Anger darkened his eyes. He was the guy for Tara and the sooner she figured it out, the better off everyone would be. He stood up, unable to watch any more of their charade. It was a spectacle he wanted nothing to do with. Tara was his, and he swore he would make them both pay.

  Chapter 5

  Tara felt his hands caressing her naked body while they continued their embrace.

  “We were meant to be together, Tara,” Kevin said between passionate kisses.

  She couldn’t believe it was happening. Moved gently, entered her opening with such tenderness. She was wet for him and there was no denying she wanted it, too. “Deeper...” she moaned, pulling him closer to her. Their hips rocked in synchrony, making their union all the more intense. Her lips reconnected to his as his tongue slowly maneuvered in and out of her mouth.

  “Hm...” she groaned, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her body tighter to his. Her lips left his and his mouth went to her neck, where he tenderly kissed her skin. She could feel her body shaking and knew her orgasm would soon follow.

  “Oh God yes...”

  “Fuck!” she cried out. She sat up, panting for air. She reached her hand to her forehead, feeling beads of sweat. “It’s just a dream,” she said aloud, breathless, and collapsed back into bed.

  Since the night they made out near the back of the theatre, Tara could think of little else. What was more confusing was Kevin hadn’t made another advance since that night, and didn’t talk about it either. It was like it had never happened, or worse, like it meant nothing. Did it mean nothing to him? she asked herself numerous times and didn’t know the answer.

  She shook her head, looking over at the clock. It was time to get up. They had made a study date for Saturday and he would be there to pick her up in a couple of hours. She got out of bed, heading to her dresser drawer to pick out something to wear. It was going to be hard to face Kevin if all he would do was skirt the topic of what had happened. She walked into the bathroom, turning the shower to the coldest setting. As she let her clothes fall to the ground and stepped into the cold shower, she shivered. She hoped it was enough to get her mind off of her heated dreams.

  Tara couldn’t stay under the ice cold water for too long, so she quickly washed up. Every time her eyes closed, images of Kevin kissing her flooded back in.

  “What the hell is wrong with me?” she mumbled.

  Tara had gone years without a single fantasy of Kevin, and after one passionate but fleeting make out session, she could think of nothing else. She shook her head and got out of the shower. Stepping onto the cold linoleum was a rude awakening to her feet. She brushed her teeth and then combed and blow-dried her hair. That simple act made her remember Kevin saying how much he liked the way her hair fell around her face. She wished she could stop thinking about him long enough to clear her head.

  She
left the bathroom wearing a towel and grabbed her dirty clothes, tossing them in her bedroom hamper. As she got dressed, the only thoughts flooding into her mind were of Kevin. She headed out of her room and down the stairs. The house was quiet. She entered the kitchen and found a note from her mom on the table.

  Went out for a walk. Don’t know when I’ll be home.

  It wasn’t even signed. “What a shocker,” Tara mumbled. She peered in the refrigerator and grabbed the milk and then pulled a box of cereal from the cabinet. She sat at the table and ate her cereal slowly. She caught a glimpse of the front page of the daily newspaper. The large heading read “Five Killed”. Tara pulled it across the table to read. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

  Police sources have confirmed that Gregory Prescott was found dead in his bed. His throat had been slit and there was a burn mark on his chest. They believe the burn mark is from a cigarette. No word if it’s in connection with the other murders around town. However, this brings the death count to five.

  Gregory Prescott...she thought as she reread the article. The name seemed so familiar.

  She pushed the paper away, tired of reading only bad news lately. As she picked up her dirty dishes and took them to the sink, the doorbell rang. It was Kevin. He was smiling as she answered the door.

  “Hey, Kevin.” She stepped back so he could come in. Her mind went back to the article. The name seemed so familiar. “Did you see the article in the paper?” she asked, grabbing her purse and heading back to him.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t read the paper today. Jake needed it for some reason. What’s up?”

  “Another murder,” she replied. “Gregory Prescott.” She paused. “Ring a...”

  Before she could finish her question, she saw the expression on his face. “Greg Prescott? Do you think it’s the same one?”

  She stared at him for a moment. She still couldn’t place him.

  “I’m not following.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Seriously? How could you forget him? Greg Prescott was the new kid in town when we were in sixth grade. He was horrible to you. How could you not remember him?”