Fire & Frenzy Novel – We werean hour outside of Amarillo when the rainstorm hit. It was just past dusk as dark thunder clouds tore through the sky before opening up into a torrential downpour. The windshield wipers were on their fastest speed, but it barely did enough to keep the glass clear. I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. Smoke gripped the steering wheel as he drove, and all of a sudde n, we began to hydroplane. Tavy’s hitched up car fishtailed behind us. I braced against the door and my heart leapt into my throat. Smoke took his foot off the gas and regained control of the vehicle by steering gently back into the lane. He growled. “We gotta get off the road.” An exit sign appeared through the murky rainstorm a moment later. “There’s a motel at this next exit,” I remarked. “Good.” He flipped on the blinker and slowly coasted onto the exit ramp.
Smoke pulled into the full parking lot of the small motel and looped around back to the oversized parking area. “I’ll run inside,” Smoke said. “See if they have any rooms.” “If not, it looks like we’ll be sleeping in this truck,” I said. “The road isn’t safe right now.” “Hang tight.” He unlatched his seatbelt, opened the door, and jogged to the lobby. I pulled my cell phone out of my bag and shot off a text to Tavy that we’d stopped early due to an unexpected downpour. Smoke returned not ten minutes later and climbed into the truck. His dark hair was wet, and he hastily shoved it off his forehead. His skin glistened with moisture and his black T-shirt stuck to his muscular arms. “So, I have good news and bad news,” he began. “Good news?” “They have one room left.” “Bad news?” “There’s only one bed.” He stared at me. I stared at him. “We’re both adults,” I said. “And it’s just for the night, right?” “Right.” He paused. “There’s more bad news.” “What’s that?” “Internet and cable is out. Storm did something and they can’t get it back up. So basically, it’s cell service only.” “Oh. Well, that’s fine.”
A small motel room in close proximity with a man I found extremely attractive who was also easy to talk to… What could possibly go wrong? He met me in the lobby where we stood dripping wet, a puddle forming around us on the tile floor. I marched up to the check-in desk and asked for two towels. The check-in agent disappeared from the desk into a back room of sorts. A moment later he returned with two white towels and handed them to me. I gave one to Smoke and then used the other on myself immediately, focusing on my hair. Smoke had water streaming down the sides of his face and across his brow. He hastily swiped the towel across his cheeks. “I suggest taking the stairs,” the desk attendant called. “Power keeps going in and out. You’re liable to get stuck if you take the elevator.” My shoes squished across the tile floor as we made our way toward the stairwell and I nearly lost my footing. Thankfully, Smoke was close enough that he was able to grab my elbow and steady me before I face-planted. “Thanks.” I was breathless from the adrenaline rush, but also from Smoke touching me.
My skin was clammy and a bit numb from the cold rain, but I still felt the heat of Smoke’s fingers on me. He nodded and then released me. I pushed open the door and held it for Smoke who carted our bags up three flights of stairs. Our room was right off the stairwell which was also the fire exit. Smoke pulled out the keycard from his back pocket, and naturally, my eyes gravitated to his hip. It was a crime not to ogle, if you asked me. And ogle I did. The lock clicked and Smoke pushed on the door. He held it open and gestured for me to go in first. I slid past him, wondering how a man who’d gotten caught in the rain was still emanating heat. He flipped on the light switch next to the door. “How bad is it?” I took my suitcase to the farthest end of the room—which wasn’t far at all. “I’ve seen worse,” I admitted. There were two small nightstands with tiny lamps, an ancient air conditioner that was barely keeping up with the humidity, and a full-sized bed. Not a king. Not a queen.
A full. And no couch. “You shower first,” Smoke said as he came farther into the room and let the door swing shut. “You sure?” I asked. “Yep. I’ll scrounge up some dinner.” “Where?” I asked. “Even if there was a diner or a restaurant close by, I wouldn’t recommend venturing out in this storm. Did you see that lightning?” As if on cue, there was a flash of light behind the window curtain and a crash of thunder echoed through the sky. I jumped in surprise, causing Smoke to laugh. “I think I just proved my point,” I said. “I wasn’t going to go out there,” he assured me. “I’m heading to lobby t o see what I can do.” He trekked to the door and opened it. “I’ll find us food, and hopefully a drink. I think we both earned it today.” Smoke looked at me over his shoulder and winked before disappearing. The wink. I wrestled my shoes off and tossed them into the corner, hoping they’d be dry by morning. I unzipped my suitcase and searched through it for a pair of clean underwear and an old T-shirt and sweats that weren’t at all flattering. Maybe that would stem this flow of attraction that was brewing between me and Smoke.
After I finished my shower, I opened the bathroom door to let the steam out. I wiped a section of the mirror so I could see and went about my nighttime skin routine. I heard the click of the lock quickly followed by the door opening. Smoke stepped inside and shut the door. “You’re done showering?” he asked in surprise. “That was fast.” I rubbed the last of the lotion onto my skin. “You expected me to take a two-hour shower while you’re suffering in cold, wet clothes?” “Not exactly.” He moved past the doorway. “I found us some stuff.” I came out of the bathroom and followed him to the bed where he’d set the plastic bag down. “It’s not great, but at least we won’t starve. I’ve got boxes of cereal, fruit, and yogurt. There is a vending machine in the lobby, so if we get desperate, we can always hit it up. But I saved the best for last.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a few mini bottles of liquor. I took the bottles. “Where did you get these?” “I’m magic,” he quipped. I peered at him.
“You bribed the desk agent, didn’t you?” “Told you. Magic.” I laughed. “Shower’s all yours.” He stripped out of his leather vest and hung it up in the closet. Next came his thick boots. “Wet socks are the worst,” he said. “I can handle anything else, but wet socks are the devil’s work.” I barely heard what he was saying because I was too busy staring at his muscular chest. The wet T-shirt suddenly looked two sizes too small on him, and I wanted to peel it off him and explore his damp skin with my fingers. “Logan?” “Huh?” “I asked if you needed to get back into the bathroom before I shower?” He’s going to be undressed… “Nope,” I squeaked. “Enjoy your shower…” He met my gaze and stared at me for a long moment, a slight smile curving his lips. “Oh, I will.” He walked toward the bathroom and turned and winked at me before he closed the door. A moment later, I heard the shower turn on and then the sound of him undoing his belt buckle. You can hear everything through the walls.
While Smoke was in the shower—and while I was trying not to think about him undressed and wet—I put the liquor bottles and the plastic cups that he’d gotten on the nightstand. I sat on the far side of the bed, the one closest to the air conditioner, and waited for Smoke to finish his shower. He was taking longer than I expected and I was getting hungry. I reached for a banana, but a sound coming from the bathroom made me pause. I froze when I realized what I was hearing. My cheeks flamed with heat and a throb settled between my thighs. Smoke was wet, undressed…and pleasuring himself. With me in the next room. Surely, he knew I could hear him… Did he want me to hear him? Was I brave enough to ask him? There was something between us. Something I’d been trying to ignore. My ego had been raked over the coals. And now there was a handsome, funny, easy to talk to man masturbating in the shower within ear shot. If I had any courage, any bravado, I would’ve gotten up off the bed and entered the bathroom and asked if he wanted some help. I heard the shower turn off and I hastily grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. The screen was fuzzy and then I remembered the cable was out.
The door to the bathroom opened and a cloud of steam billowed out and then Smoke appeared. With a towel around his waist. With a towel around his waist and nothing else. I turned off the TV and leveled him with a glare. “What?” he asked. “What?” I repeated. “What?” “Yeah, what?” His brows rose and he hastily swiped his dark hair off his forehead. “You’re doing this on purpose,” I said accusation. “Doing what on purpose?” “You’re walking around in a towel.” “So?” “So why didn’t you grab your clothes to change in the bathroom?” “Because that bathroom is microscopic,” he pointed out. The blood had long since rushed from my head and begun to pulse between my legs. That was the excuse I gave myself even as I asked, “Did you know the walls are paper thin?” “Are they?” he asked, his voice pitching lower so it came out a husky purr. Shivers erupted all along my spine. “Yeah. They are.” “So, you heard me?” he asked. “Why aren’t you embarrassed?” I demanded. “Why are you embarrassed?” he shot back. I paused. “You wanted me to hear, didn’t you?” When he didn’t reply, I repeated, “Smoke? Did you want me to hear you?” “Yeah, Logan,”he rasped. “I wanted you to hear me.” My eyes widened.
“Why?” “Why? You’re seriously asking me why?” “Yes, I’m askin g you why.” “Because I saw the way you were looking at me before I got in the shower. I want to make out with you, and I know you want too.” “What?” I gasped in shock. He groaned. “You’re not that naive, are you? Please tell me you aren’t.” “No, I’m not naive,” I spat. “But we can’t. I can’t. And you can’t. And you shouldn’t be masturbating where I can hear you. And dear Lord, I just said the word masturbate to a man I hardly know.” “Why can’t we?” he asked. “You’re Tavy’s father.” “So what?” “Um, hello. I’m Tavy’s best friend,” I said. “Forget that. Forget how we met. I know you want me.” “I—please, can we talk about something else?” “You brought this up. So, let’s finish it.” “You brought this up when you masturbated in the shower, loudly.” “You want to know what I was thinking about?” “No,” I lied. “I was thinking about you touching yourself out here. I hoped you heard me. I wanted you to get so turned on that you slid your fingers into your panties and made yourself come. I was hoping you were out here biting on your lip to stifle your cries of pleasure, and when I thought of that I came so hard my balls still ache…” “Stop,” I said halfheartedly.
“I don’t want to hear any more.” “Your eyes are dilated. Your cheeks are flushed. And I bet if I touched you between your legs, I’d find you wet.” “Why are you doing this to me?” “Doing what to you?” “Making me want something I can’t have.” “And why can’t you have me? Just for tonight. Just while we’re stuck in this hotel room. One night to let this run its course. It’s been killing me trying to play it cool. Not to reach across the truck and set my hand on your leg.” “I just ended an engagement,” I protested weakly. “So what? I’ve seen your rage. Take it out on me tonight, in this bed. Use me. I promise you I won’t complain.” He flashed a grin. “But if you don’t want this, fine. I’ll leave it alone. I’ll go sit in the lobby until we can get out of here.” Silence fell between us, but it was tangled with emotion, with want. “One night?” I asked finally. “One night.” “And no one finds out? Especially not Tavy?” “No one finds out. Definitely not Tavy. She won’t get hurt if she doesn’t know.” “And we never mention it again?” “We never mention it again.” He pinned me with a stare. My throat was dry and my body was on fire.
The picture he’d painted had my nerves kindled. I was so turned on, so tired of fighting my attraction to this man. I could handle one night. One night of revenge love. One night to feel like a woman who didn’t need to settle for a cheating ex who’d always focused on his own pleasure more than mine. The way Smoke was looking at me, like he wanted to devour me whole, made me think I wouldn’t have to worry about my pleasure while I was with him. He sat on the edge of the bed but made no move to touch me. “We’ll go at your speed, Logan,” he said quietly. “However fast or however slow. You want to stop. You say stop. No hard feelings. Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you, yeah?” I opened my mouth to say yes but the word was lodged in my throat. He watched me carefully and then reached over to the mini bottles of liquor. “Which one do you want?” “The spirits.”
He unscrewed the lid and handed it to me and then he took the bourbon for himself. “You’ve never done this before, have you?” “Done what? Have make out with a man I hardly know? I don’t have a lot of experience with that,” I blurted out. “Okay.” “I don’t know how to ask for what I want.” He leaned in so our faces were close to one another, close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. “I’ll teach you.” Smoke’s free hand reached up to gently tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His thumb grazed my chin. His touch was light, hardly there at all, but it caused me to shiver. “Has anyone ever truly taken care of you, Logan?” he whispered. I closed my eyes and shook my head. His lips flitted across the apple of my cheek. “Lie back, baby. Let me take care of you.” My heart pounded in my ears and I kept my eyes closed. I felt Smoke take the mini bottle of spirits from my hand and heard the small clank as he set it on the nightstand. I fell back against the pillows, nerves and excitement swirling in my belly.