Fire and Ice: Book One: Burned (The Fire and Ice Series 1) by Kiara Delaney Page A

before saying, "My vacation house in
Malibu is a lot nicer."
     
    She snapped her
head towards me, her wide eyes meeting mine, as she said, "What? I didn't
say anything. It's..."
     
    "It's
what, Hailey?" I huffed out, my voice rising, along with my temper.
     
    "Nothing,"
she said, trying to cover her tracks, as her brows rose. "I mean, it's not nothing ." She laughed nervously and
chewed on her bottom lip before continuing, looking away from my blazing glare.
"It's fine, Kellan," she acquiesced. She blew out a long sigh and said,
"I don't want to fight, Kellan. I just want to get inside and forget this
whole night even happened."
     
    "You know
what sweetheart, that's your whole problem," I fired at her. "I went
out of my way to be nice to you, and what do you do? Act like a fucking
brat." I swung my car door open, stepped out, and yelled into the
darkness, "You should be grateful I didn't leave you on the side of the
goddamn road!" before I slammed my door shut with all my force.
     
    ******
     
    Hailey
     
    Sweet Jesus,
he's officially lost his mind. As he rounds the car, I contemplate locking
myself inside, until I realize he has the car keys. I honestly ponder whether
or not he has multiple personalities. When I think of Kellan, I picture a
hurricane; catastrophically destructive on the outside, devastating everything
and everyone in it's path until it runs out of it's own energy, yet at it's
core...it is beautiful, radiant.
     
    Approaching my
door, he jerks it open, and stands stoically waiting for me to exit the
vehicle, all the while staring out into the street as if I weren't even
present. His jaw is ticking, and only further indicates how pissed he is at me.
I've offended him, unintentionally, of course, and now I'll most likely spend
the remainder of my night paying my penance to my Master for the evening. I
suddenly realize the irony of it all, as he is the one who screwed me over...I
should be pissed at him, and he should be kissing my ass!
     
    I put the
thoughts of the drama between Kellan and myself out of my mind, and focus on
getting into his home as quickly as possible, without making a spectacle of
ourselves in the middle of the street. I make no effort to speak to him as he
takes long strides towards the front door, quickly unlocks it, and doesn't
bother to hold the door for me before entering. Apparently, chivalry is dead. I
quietly close the door behind myself; quickly I remove my shoes, all while
taking in the sparse, yet surprisingly neat, surroundings of the apartment.
     
    Without prompt,
Kellan numbly says, "Spare bedroom's first door on the left."
     
    ******
     
    Kellan
     
    Alright, I'll
admit it...maybe I overreacted. But Jesus H. Christ, can she get any more
pretentious? I reach into the refrigerator and grab an ice cold beer, popping
the top, and taking several long swigs, letting the cold refreshing liquid
settle my nerves. I brace my hands against the kitchen counter and let my head
fall forward, feeling drained from the events of the day. Holy fuck, if it's not one thing, it's another with her. I straighten myself and take another drink of my beer, nearly draining it,
before I realize it's been several minutes since Hailey headed for the bedroom.
Feeling a pang of guilt for berating her, and a small semblance of obligation
towards her well being while on my watch, I decide to go check on her.
     
    I approached
the closed bedroom door cautiously, and raised my hand to knock, before
lowering it, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. The earlier
events of the evening had left us all in a tailspin, and if I entered this
room, I could be opening Pandora's Box. I didn't know what was behind this
door, and I wasn't sure I wanted to. Perhaps it was best to let sleeping dogs
lie. Then again, I'd told myself I needed to explain what had happened between
Georgia and me earlier. If I didn't do it now, I may not get a second chance.
     
    We were alone,
and I planned to take advantage of