Fire In Her Eyes

Fire In Her Eyes

Amanda Heath

Copyright 2013 by Amanda Heath

Smashwords edition

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. 

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entir
ely coincidental.

Cover art by Amanda Heath

Chapter 1

Harley

“Hey, Harley, is that Spencer Grady moving back into his mom’s house?” Paige asks me from the front seat of her car.

“Yeah that would be the king of assholes himself,” I sigh. My summer just went from stellar to bummer in five seconds.

“Ugh, why do you have to live next door to such a creep?” She’s talking while chewing her gum and twirling her hair around her index finger. It’s an endearing quality I find in her. “Oh lord, the assholes have reunited! Dean seems to be back as well.”

“Our summer is going to suck with them back together. You know they have to hang out in the same places we do,” I shudder. I can’t stand Spencer. I hate him with every fiber of my being.

“Maybe we should just hang out at each other’s houses.” She turns her head to look back at me. “Well, I have to go. I’ll call you later or something so we can hangout.”

I smile back and nod my understanding. I stand up and back away from the car so she can pull out of my driveway.

Paige has been one of my best friends since kindergarten; one of three best friends. There is also Carter and Lucy. I haven’t had a chance to see the other two yet since I just got back into town last night. It will be great to all be together again. I haven’t seen them since spring break a couple of months back.

I hear a loud crash and whip in that direction. Spencer is standing there staring at me. I can’t help but to stare back. He is so gorgeous. His black as night hair shines in the sun. It’s short and spiked up in the front, in that faux hawk guys seem to think is hot. Well, maybe it is on him. I can’t see his pale blue eyes from here, but I bet they are just as icy as I remember. His face, oh his face. If I didn’t know him I would be in love with that face, with its high cheekbones, full lips, and dimples that show when he smiles. It’s the face of an angel, even though he’s a freaking demon.

I shake my head. No. I
am not
having these kinds of thoughts about my worst enemy. He is still staring at me so I flip him the bird. Dean starts laughing so I flip him the bird as well. They both can rot in hell for all I care.

Turning on my heel, I head into my house: the house where I have spent my entire life with my dad and two older brothers. My mom passed away a long time ago. That was the hardest day of my life. I was six years old. She dropped me off at school that morning, even told me she loved me and she would see me later that day. She killed herself shortly after those words were said.

As I walk into the door, I slip off my flip flops. The familiar smell of c
offee and hardwood floors greet
me. My dad runs a tight ship. He was in the Marines before he met my mother and settled down. The house is spotless and nothing is out of place in the big living room. The white couch is stainless and just as bright as the day Dad bought it. The huge flat screen TV is polished to a perfect shine. No dust clings to the lamp shades on either side of the couch. Every book on the bookshelf in the back corner is in alphabetical order without a trace of dust. Yeah, Daddy is a total neat freak.

I hear voices coming from the kitchen, so I head that way. Both of my brothers are here along with my dad. The second I walk into the room they are up hugging me. I’m squished between the two and I find myself losing air. “I can’t breathe!” I exclaim.

“Sorry, Ley, I just missed you. It’s not fun around here without you to pick on,” my oldest brother, Benton, says to me.

“Well, I’m not sorry. I missed the hell out of you!” This comes from my other brother, Dakota.

“Well, the only one I missed was Daddy. I can’t stand you two,” I say with a cheeky grin.

“Now, honey, just because I’m your favorite
 
doesn't
 
mean you have to be mean to these two.” Daddy matches my grin.

The boys laugh and we all sit down at the table. Dakota loves to cook so I’m happy he stopped by to welcome me home. He is two years older than me and was my partner in crime all throughout our childhood. He’s very handsome with his shaggy black hair that curls around his ears and his piercing green eyes that more than one of my friends have drooled over. Yes, it is totally annoying.

Benton is four years older than me and my protector from evil. He’s always been there for me, but he’s not over bearing. I
 
wasn't
 
afraid that my brothers would act like idiots if I brought a boyfriend around. They were always cool about me dating. He is also quite handsome, with short black hair and laughing green eyes.

Daddy is tall and super built. His hair is that salt and pepper grey you see on older gentleman. The boys are spitting images of him. I, on the other hand, am a spitting image of my mother. I used to worry that I would remind him of her and make him sad. That was never the case. He says that I have my own beauty that sets me apart from my mother. I love that about him. He always knows what to say to make you feel better.

“So, did you hear that Spencer is home for the summer as well?” Daddy asks me while eyeing me over the top of his coffee cup.

“No. I didn’t hear that. I had the unpleasant misfortune of seeing him in person,” I respond, scowling. He knew this whole time Spencer was coming home for the summer. I’ve always had a suspicion that he’s screwing Spencer’s mom.

“Well, I want you two getting along this summer, you hear? By that I mean I don’t want to hear any of that fighting and carrying on that you guys seem so fond of.” He gives me his stern look and I cringe.

“Yeah, shouldn’t be too hard since I don’t plan on being anywhere near him.” I reflect his stern look, and I swear he winked at me.

Spencer

“I can’t believe that you even came back from college for the summer. Sounds like you had it made up there,” my best friend Dean says to me.

“I did have it made. Right up until that bitch dumped me for that prick,” I huff.

“Well he is rich and good looking. You’re…well…just good looking.” I punch him in the arm. “Ow! It’s true, though!”

I laugh at him and spot a white car leaving the Maxton’s driveway. I suddenly drop my box of stuff when I get a good look at the redhead now left alone in the driveway. Harley Maxton, the bane of my existence.

Her long auburn hair reaches down her back.
 
For a redhead you would think it would be curly, nope, it’s straight as a board and looks soft as silk. Her face is heart shaped and almost heart-stopping to look at. It’s those lush red lips, but then she opens her mouth and you forget all the good stuff about her.
I can’t see her dark blue eyes from here but I bet right now the fire in them is scorching.
I’m shocked to see her because mom
 
didn't
 
mention she would be home from school either. My summer just got worse.

She catches me staring at her and scowls. Then she flips me the bird. Yeah, I can’t stand that chick. Dean finds this funny and laughs. I grin when he gets flipped off as well. “Still a complete bitch I see.”

“I don’t think that will ever change. Most of the guys say it’s your fault she is that way.” He laughs again and heads into the house.

I stay behind and watch how she sways her hips when she walks. She is one of the hottest girls I have ever seen. I’ve always thought this but we haven’t ever gotten along. There’s just something about when we are in the same room; sparks fly and the verbal war begins. She has made me mad enough that I have come so close to hitting her. I don’t know what it is about us, but we have been this way forever.

I remember the first day I met Harley when my mom and I moved into this house. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I even told my mom I would marry her when I grew up. Yeah, that lasted all of five seconds. She had been sitting in her yard playing with her dolls and I walked up and asked if I could join her. She said, “Sure,” so I sat down and played dolls with her. Then things got a little weird. Her doll proceeded to kill my doll. I told her that wasn’t fair, which made her very angry. Before I knew it, I had her older brother Dakota threatening to beat me up. Needless to say I went home and we haven’t been nice each other since.

Shaking my head from my thoughts, I head into my mom’s little blue house.
As
I walk in
I’m
surprised to see new furniture. A plush red couch set in the middle of the room and a huge Persian rug covering the stained brown carpet. There’s a huge flat screen TV at the front of the room and a couple of polished wood end tables with new lamps sitting atop them. “Ma! How the hell did you afford this stuff?” I yell from the front door.

My five foot tall mother strolls in from the kitchen drying her hands on a flowery hand towel. She pushes her long blonde hair out of her eyes before answering me. “Spencer Winston Grady, you did not just yell at your mother from across the house?” She taps her foot at me in annoyance.

“Yes, I did. I want to know how you could afford all this new furniture?” I glare at her. Mom works at the local Wal-Mart and has for as long as I can remember. She could afford one piece at a time but not all this at once.

“That is none of your business. I didn’t think you would be coming to stay this summer.” She glares right back at me.

“So you are sayi
ng that if I had stayed in Louisiana
you wouldn’t have even told me someone bought you new furniture?” I start tapping my foot as well. I guess I picked that habit up from her.

“Yes, baby boy. You are grown and going to college. I have my own life now. Not that I didn’t before, but I have more free time to do as I please.” My brows pinch together in confusion. Her glare softens and she walks over to me. “Don’t think for one second that I didn’t love raising you. You are the keeper of my heart forever and always. But your momma wants to live a little before she gets old and grey.”

“Okay, I don’t know whether to be upset or grossed out. I really don’t want to think about your sex life.” I shake my head. “Yeah, I’m freaked out that you have a sugar daddy. Who is it?” I ask hopeful she will tell me.

“I’m not telling you. He has children that he hasn’t told
them
about me yet. Though, I think it will be announced very soon.” She kisses me on the cheek and sits down on the couch. “Besides, he’s not my sugar daddy. He needed new furniture and he let me use this until we move in together.”

I shudder. “Yeah, this is gross. I’m going to my room.”

I start to walk off, but she stops me with her next words. “You know that Harley Maxton is back this summer as well. I want y’all getting along, you hear?”

“Umm, that shouldn’t be a problem since I don’t plan on being anywhere near her this summer.”

I can’t be sure but I swear she said, “We shall see,” as I walked to my room.

Chapter 2

Harley

“WHAT?!?!?!” I scream at my dad. This cannot be happening to me. I think I might throw up.

“Calm down, Harley. It’s not the end of the world.” He pats my knee from where he is sitting, next to me at the kitchen table.

“Well I for one am happy for you, Dad,” Benton says. He gives Dad a slap on the back, and I feel like I might just die.

“I’m happy too, Dad. You need someone around here taking care of you since all of us are grown,” Dakota says, the freaking traitor.

“I’m not happy at all. Ms. Grady is a nice woman, Dad, but her son is the spawn of Satan and I’m not staying in this house with him for the whole summer!” I feel my whole face burn with my anger.

“If you want me to keep paying your tuition, you will live in this house for the summer
and
get along with Spencer. There is nothing wrong with that boy. I don’t even know why you two fight like you do.” He shakes his head at me.

I don’t like to upset my father, but this is so wrong. “We fight like we do because he is an asshole and will always be an asshole.” I’m huffing and puffing at this point. “Do you not remember when I had to cut all my hair off because he spit his gum into it? Or how about the time he put laxatives in my chocolate milk at school?” I raise my eyebrows at him.

“Those are kid things, sweetheart. You are both adults, and you will both live in this house until you return to school.” He slams his fist on the table making me jump.