Fire Burns Hot ((An FBI/ Romance Thriller~ (Book 5))) (36 page)

“I hope he heals soon.”

Ethan watched his brother walk up their stairs. “Yeah, me too.”

Elizabeth tucked CJ into his crib, and then stood beside Callen as they watched the little boy. She knew the man wanted children in the worst way. “Let’s go talk, Cal,” she whispered.

He simply nodded, taking her hand and letting himself be led away. Right now he was feeling raw inside again. The pain
had begun dulling over the loss of Timothy Blackhawk, and he was feeling incredibly guilty. Honestly, he missed him but he was able to now go a day without dwelling on him being dead. That alone was gnawing away at his gut. The man he swore to never forget was slipping away.

Callen knew the horrible truth. He
was forgetting the man that raised him, and he didn’t know how to make that stop.

Elizabeth led him to their bedroom, and they sat on the end of the bed
together. She held his hand in hers, and lovingly ran her fingers over his knuckles. “Talk to me, my love,” she spoke, softly.

Callen
cherished when she called him that. It wasn’t often, but when she believed his heart needed it. Now was the perfect example. “I feel guilty.”

Waiting
for more, she let him set the pace. Elizabeth knew he’d get it all off his chest. “About what?”

“Yesterday I didn’t think about him once.”

Now she understood. “It’s the process, Callen. As time goes on, wounds heal and the living forge ahead.”

He stared down at her fingers, as they now started tracing the healed burn marks on his arm. They were a consolation prize from one of his mother’s boyfriends when he was a child. Timothy healed them and his heart, and now he was forgetting him.

“I don’t want to forget him, Lyzee. How do I keep that from happening?”

It was time to bare her soul. “I don’t think about my mother and father much anymore. I used to think about her a lot, but mostly what I saw in the accident. She didn’t look like herself, Callen. My mom was a beautiful woman, but the accident
ruined her.”

He heard the pain. “You don’t need to do this.”

She shook her head. Before they became lovers, he was her best friend and carried her secrets. “I’ve never discussed this with anyone. I always just told my father and anyone that asked that I didn’t remember.”

He kissed her cheek, touched that she picked him to know what lived inside her. It’s just how it was with Elizabeth. They were connected
on a special level.

“I remember it all, Cal. The smell of accident
, the sounds and the smell of copper pennies filled the air. Even then it overwhelmed me, and I understood what it all meant. I was in the back seat on the passenger side and untouched. I had a few cuts from flying glass, but that’s it,” she paused, taking a breath. “But my mom wasn’t as lucky. The truck that hit us slammed right into the door and she was destroyed.” It was the only word she could think of to describe the vileness of the accident, and it still caught in her throat. “Her head was turned towards me, and she stared like a broken doll. Everything was gone in that instant. I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she whispered. “For so many years, I wished she lived ten seconds, so I could tell her I was sorry I was a brat, and that I loved her.”

His heart ached for her. “Angel, I’m so sorry.”

“I sat there, strapped into the seat. I was screaming over and over again to her, begging her not to go. But it was too late. I remember it all. The police were opening my door, and this really nice man picked me up to get me away from my mom. He held me so tight while I screamed for her.” The tears began falling, and yet she continued. “Then my dad arrived. He worked for the Capital police and was on duty. I’d never seen him cry before, but he sobbed trying to get into that car to her. They held him back and told him he didn’t want to see her, but I had.”

“I’m sorry, Lyzee.”

She wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “At her funeral it was a closed casket, but I promised her I’d never forget her. Then the years passed. I never went back to see her grave, or talk to her, until I had to bury and exhume my dad. It heals over for a reason, Callen. Not because you don’t love them anymore, but because your heart forgets the pain so we can go on. I wouldn’t have moved on for twenty five years if I saw my mother die over and over again. Pain heals, but love endures. What you have for Timothy isn't forgotten. It just moved from here,” she touched his head, “to here,” and finally placed her hand over his heart. “You didn’t forget him, you just moved him to the place he’ll live as long as you do.”

Callen pulled her against his side, and they laid back on the bed. Almost instinctually she curled against him and the contact gave him reassurance. “I love you.”

Elizabeth ran her hand over his abs, stroking the fox tattoo hidden beneath his clothes. “I love you too.”

“Thank you for
healing me. I’d be lost without you, Lyzee. You ground me and pull me back in when I feel like I’m floating away aimlessly.”

“I’ll always be here for you, Callen. You’re more than just a man that I share my bed with. You’re my love.”

The ache dissipated, but then he always knew it would, when she was near. “I’ll go tomorrow.”

Elizabeth moved to stare down into his chocolate brown eyes. “I didn’t tell you this to make you go. If you can’t do it, then stay home.”

“I can do it, because I have an amazing woman in my life to hold me up and keep me strong.”

“Want to go down and have breakfast now?” she inquired, dropping light kisses across his cheeks and finally finding his lips. That kiss was meant to heal, and she put her entire heart into it to show him how much love
lived in her for him.

Callen could feel his entire body waking up as she kissed him. Breaking away, his heart was pounding in his chest. “I can’t wait until tonight, when we open presents.”

Elizabeth pulled him to his feet. “Me either, I think I may have wrapped up the best gift for both of you,” she said, laughing. It was doubtful they’d beat the magnitude of this one. Now she only hoped it didn’t rock the boat. “I’m starving,” she said, winking. “I can’t wait to try your French toast.”

Whitefox laughed. “You must seriously be in love with me if that’s the highlight of your morning.”

She giggled. “I am indeed smitten, Cal.”

Now he laughed at the use of the word. “Yeah, so am I.”

                                 *    *     *

Special Agent Victoria Christensen hated one thing in life; being late. It was her pet peeve, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t get Julian to haul ass to FBI West. He actually suggested stopping for coffee and a bite to eat. It must be his carefully constructed plan to make her insane. That’s the only thing she could think of
as the answer, because he was driving her nutty.

After making love in the shower and confessing the secret Elizabeth shared with her, he took his time dressing. It made her
want to scream. The man had no sense of time. Even with her prodding him to hurry up, he still moved like a tortoise.

The ride back to her house had been a slow one too. The man drove like an eighty year old man. As she repeatedly offered to drive, he simply laughed at her and patted her on the knee. It was beyond infuriating. Once he pulled into her driveway, she jumped out before the car was in park and raced towards the house and her waiting closet. Now
, she needed to be dressed in less than five minutes and out the door.

As
soon as she was finished, she searched for Julian and found him in the guest bathroom, a razor in his hand. It astounded her that he couldn’t go one day without shaving. When she protested, he simply kissed her long and slow, getting shaving cream all over her face.

The man was infuriating as hell and oh so sexy. Tori was being driven to madness and sinking deeper into an emotion
, she had no inclination to dwell on either. Everything he did drew her focus, and caught her completely off guard.

The man was making her fall in love. 

As hard as she fought, she could feel the bindings holding her heart closed, slowly being cut away. Once again she found herself laughing, living and… loving.

Damn him!

Tori was so screwed it wasn’t funny. What the hell was she supposed to do with this outrageously sexy Native man that made her crazy? When she looked over at him, he smiled and winked at her and her body began to overheat.

All
Tori could hope was she managed to beat Elizabeth into the office, and she’d have time to grab some coffee. Oh yeah, and pray to God above that Julian kept his mouth shut about her pregnancy.

If he didn’t, she was going to skin his sexy Native hide- with a dull knife no less.

By the time they managed to finally arrive at FBI West, Ginny was already at her desk, flipping through a stack of Christmas cards that needed to be handed out. “Ginny, are the directors in yet?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, they arrived fifteen minutes ago. Right now they’re in Mr. B’s office and waiting on Detective Austin to arrive. Mrs. B said to send you right in when you got here.”

Tori gave Julian a dirty look, which only made him laugh. “We’re going to grab some coffee.”

Ginny grinned, winking at the man. “Hi Mr. Littlemoon. It’s really nice seeing you again,” she flirted
, outrageously.

Julian had been aptly warned by Callen abou
t the administrative assistant barracuda. “Nice seeing you again too, Ginny. You’re always so happy and pleasant in the morning. You should share your secret with some people.” Julian winked back and earned another dirty look from Tori. At least now she was reacting to him and not staring blankly at him. It was progress, and he was a patient man. Tori was definitely worth the effort.

“Come on, let’s get coffee,” she muttered, practically stomping away.

Julian simply laughed and followed her. You’d think with the amount of sex they’d had last night and this morning she’d be in a much better mood. Apparently not.

When she handed him a coffee, he dropped a kiss on her lips. The horrified look on her face was priceless.

“Oh Christ Almighty,” she whispered, appalled. “You can’t do that ever again!”

He kept laughing, as they walked towards Ethan’s office. “I’m never allowed to kiss you again? Ever?”

“You know what I meant Julian Littlemoon! If I knew your damn middle name I’d use that too!”

“Trent
on.”

“What?” she stated, caught completely off guard.

He shook his head. “My middle name is Trenton. What’s yours?”

She looked at him like he suddenly grew three heads. “Seriously? Before going into my
boss’s office you kiss me and ask my middle name?”

He simply waited.

She sighed exasperated. “Rose.”

Julian smiled and kissed her again, just because keeping her off balance me
ant keeping her focused on him. If she was flustered then Victoria wasn’t trying to run from what he was tenuously building from nothing.

“Wait until later,” she hissed, knocking on Ethan Blackhawk’s door.

Julian was supremely happy that she acknowledged there’d be a later, because tonight he was going to find out what was chasing her. Oh yeah, and all about the man she was once going to marry. Julian’s new goal was to make her forget Quinn Laramie and think only about him.

There was only room for one man in her life, alive or dead.

The showdown was coming.

At the knock on his door, Ethan
glanced up at the two people waiting to enter. Julian looked calm and relaxed as he always did, but the woman, she looked like she was about to kill him.

Elizabeth immediately started laughing from her spot perched on the corner of his desk. Something had stirred the woman up big time. It was evident to see that she was blushing and flustered. “Morning Tori and Julian,” she grinned.

Julian winked at her. “Morning Elizabeth, how are you today?” he asked, calmly.

“I’m great, but it l
ooks like you have riled up my agent.”

Tori looked more horrified, if that was possible. She took a seat on the couch and prayed for calm.

“I do like a feisty woman.”

Tori began choking on her coffee at his words. She looked at him like he lost his damn mind. She mouthed the words ‘
knock it off!
’ at him and prayed he’d listen.

“We’re still waiting on Detective Austin and Fire Inspector
Wells, and then we can head down to autopsy,” stated Elizabeth. “Did you have a good time last night?” she asked.

Tori stared at her with a look of sheer shock.
This was her absolute nightmare.

“Uh Tori, I think she meant the party,” whispered Julian, enjoying the woman
’s discomfort. At least now she was feeling. “Not the repeated sex,” he added, softly.

“I did
mean the party,” Elizabeth said laughing. “Rarely do I ask about my agents’ sex lives.”