Into The Fire (7 page)

She finally sat up and left my shoulder.
“Thanks…I needed that.”

“Anytime.” It was pretty lame to make her
feel bad about something she had little control over. What else was
she supposed to do? Be poor for the rest of her life and have bad
credit like I did? She made the right decision.

“Well, it’s midnight. I guess I should
go…”

I didn’t want her to go. It was nice hanging
out with her. I felt like I had a new friend—a really hot one. “Let
me walk you home.”

“You can walk me to the office.”

“But then you’re just going to walk home when
I leave.”

“Exactly,” she said. “Which is why you should
just leave me on my own.”

I wasn’t the nicest guy in the world but I
knew better than to let a beautiful woman walk home alone in New
York City at midnight. “That doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t let
you go dressed like that. There are murderers and rapists out
there. No one will look at you twice if I’m next to you.”

“Thanks for offering, but I’ll really be
fine.”

The stubborn man inside me was coming out.
“Look, I swear I’m not a stalker. I’m going to walk you home, right
up to your door and watch your beautiful ass walk inside, and then
I’m going to go.”

Her eyes burned in fire. “Excuse me?”

“If I really was some kind of weirdo, keep in
mind that you’ve been in my apartment alone with me…” I looked at
my watch. “For three hours now. If I were going to do something
creepy, I would have done it by now. And have you seen me? A guy
this good-looking doesn’t need to resort to weird shit to get laid.
So, just chill out and let me walk you.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about
this?”

For a lot of reasons. “I’ve seen shit. Just
leave it at that.”

“What kind of shit?”

“Stuff that will make you afraid of the
dark.” I’d invaded cities and villages during my tour, and the
things I’d seen there made me proud to be an American. Women were
second-class citizens and raped on a daily basis. They were held
on…I couldn’t even finish the thought. “Just trust me when I say
you don’t want to know. I know you feel safe in your city but you
are much safer with me than you are alone.”

She stared at me with calculating eyes.

“At least compromise with me. Let me walk you
to your building. I won’t go inside so I won’t know what apartment
you’re in. That’s fair.”

“You could just read the list of names on the
intercom outside.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, why are you
paranoid like this?”

Her eyes filled with sadness. “Because I
don’t trust people. I’m sorry. You seem like a really good guy and
I’m sure you are. But I’ve been wrong before…”

What did that mean?
“Did someone hurt
you?”

She lowered her gaze. “I don’t want to talk
about it.”

That was as good as a yes
. “I give you
my word I would never, ever hurt you. I have nothing but respect
for you. I won’t be able to sleep tonight unless I know you got
there safely. I would ask you to call me but I know you won’t give
me your number. And if you don’t call me, I’ll have no way of
making sure you’re okay.”

“Just let it go.”

“No!” I rose to my feet and felt my anger
rise. “Alessandra, do you want to see me beg? I’m not above
that.”

She sighed then stood up. “Fine. You
obviously aren’t going to let this go.”

I relaxed when I finally got my way. “I know
you’re just being cautious, which I think is smart, but you don’t
need to be cautious with me. I understand you don’t know me that
well but you know me well enough. Just trust your instincts on
this.”

She grabbed her clutch from the coffee table
then headed to the door.

I grabbed my wallet and walked out with her.
We left my building then headed up the sidewalk together. People
passed us, hardly visible in the street lamps. It was unusually
quiet and there wasn’t much traffic.

“Thank you.” Those were words I didn’t say
often, only when I truly meant them.

“You’re welcome.” She crossed her arms over
her chest like she was cold.

I hooked my arm around her waist so my body
would keep her warm. She moved closer into my side like she needed
the touch. “So, where do you live?”

“A few blocks from the park.”

“Nice area.”

“I don’t have any complaints.”

Her waist was so tiny I could wrap my arm
around it twice. “Have you lived here all your life?”

“Yep.”

“Where are your parents?”

“They live here too. I don’t see them
much.”

“Not close?”

“No, not really.”

I didn’t ask her any more questions so it
wouldn’t seem like I was prying. “I know I come off a bit…harsh but
I mean it in a good way.”

She stared at me with unreadable eyes.

“I’ve seen a lot of people get hurt and I
just…can’t stand it. I guess a part of me will always be a soldier,
and I need to protect people—especially someone I care about. I
know men are pigs, and I know people can be evil. They’ll take
advantage of you the second your guard is down. It’s cruel, but
it’s the truth. I would never want that to happen to you. That’s
why I need to walk you home.” I faced forward again and watched the
neon signs of the city flash on and off.

“I know, Ash.”

At least she understood.

We approached her building then I walked her
inside. She lived on the third floor and had a view of the street
corner. I walked her to her door, and when she fished her keys out
of her clutch, I dropped my embrace.

I put my hands in my pockets while I waited
for her to get inside.

She continued searching in her clutch. The
sound of loose change moved around. She paused and grew flustered.
Then she opened another flap of her wallet.

“Everything okay?”

“My keys aren’t here…”

“Did you leave them inside?”

“No…” She grabbed the handle and jiggled it.
“It’s locked…which means I locked it before I left.”

“Did you leave them at the restaurant?”

“I never opened my clutch.”

“Maybe they’re at my place. They could have
fallen out.”

“I never opened my clutch to even look at my
phone…”

“Well, we can call a locksmith in the
morning. You aren’t going to get anyone out here at this time of
night.”

“You’re right.” She crossed her arms over her
chest and stared at her door like it might open on its own.

“Let’s go back to my place,” I said. “We’ll
figure it out in the morning.”

“It’s okay. I can crash with a friend.”

“And wake them?” I asked. “Just stay with
me.”

Hesitance was in her eyes.

“It’s not a problem. I can play guitar until
you fall asleep.”

Gratitude moved into her eyes. “You really
don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I want a
beautiful woman to spend the night with me?” I winked so she knew I
was kidding.

“Well…thanks.” She slapped her forehead. “I
feel so stupid losing my keys.”

“I do it all the time.”

“I tend to lose things pretty often. It’s
what I’m known for.”

“You can be known for worse things.” I hooked
my arm around her waist then guided her down the hallway.

“I guess that’s true.”

“For instance, I’m known for my cockiness—but
you already knew that.”

She laughed. “You can’t miss it.”

We left the building then walked back the way
we came. I kept my arm around her so she wouldn’t be cold.
Normally, guys would stare at a woman like her walking down the
street, but with me by her side, they didn’t even look.

They would be stupid to.

“You’re warm.”

“I’m always warm. That’s why I hate
summer.”

“Well, everyone hates summer in New York.
It’s pretty humid.”

“I’ve always wanted to move to Alaska…”

“Are you serious?”

“Partially. I really like it there.”

“But…isn’t it cold all the time?”

“And beautiful,” I said. “I was stationed
there for a few months. It’s quiet. I liked it.”

“Did you see a lot of wildlife?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. Polar bears,
narwhals, you name it.”

“Cool,” she said.

“When I retire, I want to get a place
somewhere up in the mountains.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“Friends will visit. I love the city but the
peace and quiet is what I really crave.”

She kept walking beside me.

“You’ll visit me, right?”

“Am I invited?” She smiled like she was
amused.

“Yeah, I’ll teach you how to fly fish.”

“I doubt you could teach me anything,” she
said with a laugh. “I’m not that coordinated.”

“Give yourself some credit. You learned to
strip, didn’t you?”

Offense moved into her eyes.

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” I said
quickly. “Dancing on a pole and spinning around and shit looks
hard. You didn’t learn that in a day.”

“My arms were so toned…”

“I bet they were. So, let me teach you to fly
fish.”

“I’ll think about it…”

We reached my building then walked back into
my apartment.

“You can have the bed.”

“Is it clean?” she asked.

“Clean enough for me.”
What kind of
question was that?

“I’ll stick with the couch…”

“Honestly, that’s probably more dirty.” I
gave her a knowing look.

“Okay…the bed it is.”

I chuckled. “I just washed the sheets
yesterday and I haven’t had time to get them dirty so you should be
fine.”

“I feel bad making you sleep on the
couch.”

“Don’t,” I said. “I’m used to sleeping on a
tiny bunk in a room with a hundred other dudes. I can handle it for
a night. Besides, if I shared the bed with you, you’d be all over
me.”

She rolled her eyes. “I would not.”

“As soon as the shirt comes off, you’ll be
pining for me. It always happens that way.”

“Are you really that cocky or do you just act
that way?”

“I’ll let you be the judge of that.” I gave
her a quick smolder before I walked into the bedroom and grabbed a
pillow and tossed it on the couch.

“What about a blanket?”

“I don’t need a blanket. I usually sleep in
the nude.”

“TMI…”

“Like you don’t want to see my dick
piercing.”

She grabbed the pillow and swatted me in the
face with it. “Get a grip, man.”

“What?” I asked with a laugh. I snatched the
pillow from her then hit her back gently. “You want to fight? I
promise you’ll lose.”

She stood absolutely still with a look on her
face that said, “A pillow fight is the stupidest thing in the
world.” Then she quickly dashed into the bedroom as fast as she
could.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” I followed after her
with my pillow in hand.

She snatched the other pillow off my bed and
swung at me, hitting me right in the face. Getting hit by a pillow
isn’t as soft as you might think. With enough power and strength,
it could be uncomfortable.

“You little—”

“Little what?” She smacked me again in the
shoulder.

I aimed the pillow at her thigh and hit her
gently but with enough force that it wasn’t totally pathetic. “You
talk a lot of shit, you know that?”

“Is that all you can do?” She hit me hard in
the stomach.

“Whoa…don’t go any lower, sweetheart.”

She hit me again in the face. “Fine. I’ll go
higher.”

I growled. “You’re such a brat.” I grabbed
her legs and pulled them out from underneath her, forcing her on
her back on the mattress. Then I crawled on top of her and pinned
her arms back. “I’m officially the victor of this pillow
fight.”

“What? You swung it like you didn’t have a
clue what you were doing.”

“Look who’s on top. I win.”

“You’re a cheater.”

“Nope. You’re just a sore loser.”

She tried to squirm under my grasp and her
dress rose up slightly. Her hair was cascaded around her and her
tits shook with every move she made. Feeling her underneath me like
that made me think things I shouldn’t, and almost instantly my cock
was hard.

“I’ll let you go because I’m a nice guy.” I
quickly got off of her because I didn’t want her to feel my raging
hard-on. That would be awkward. “Just don’t forget what happened
here.” I grabbed my pillow off the ground then carried it back to
the living room.

“Do you need anything before I shut the
door?” she asked.

“Nope.” I turned off the lights then lay
down.

“What are you going to sleep in?”

“My boxers.”

“You aren’t going to be cold?”

“Nope.” I rested my hands behind my head.
“Don’t worry about me.”

“Well…what can I sleep in?”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot.” I walked back into my
room and searched my drawers. I found a pair of boxers and a
t-shirt. “Here. They are both clean. But if you prefer some dirty
ones, I can get those too.” I gave her a wink.

She snatched the clothes from my hand. “Stop
winking. It’s not sexy.”

“It’s hot?”

“No.”

“It’s irresistible?”

“No.”

“It’s—”

“No. It’s none of those things.” She walked
into the bathroom then shut the door. A few minutes later, she came
out wearing my clothes. She looked hot in the dress she was wearing
but seeing her in my clothes was sexy on a whole new level.

“What?” She realized I was staring at
her.

“You look better in my clothes than I
do.”

“I doubt that.” She pulled the covers back
then got in bed. “Your bed is pretty comfy.”

“Thanks. Sometimes I don’t get out of
it.”

She sighed then closed her eyes. When I
didn’t leave, she opened them again. “Is there something else?”

“Yeah, don’t go into my closet.”

That got her attention and she sat up.
“Why?”

“I have an AK-47 in there. It’s loaded.”