Free Kissing Fire by A.M. Hargrove

Sis.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The other night I heard all this screaming and it
was coming from her room. I woke her up from this nightmare she was
having. I know what PTSD is. I have it myself.”
    “What are you talking about? What’s PTSD?”
    “Post traumatic stress disorder.”
    “Oh no! Not Ava.”
    “And another thing. You know the other night when
she dumped her lasagna?”
    “Yeah,” Caroline laughed.
    “When I went to help her, I reached down, sort of
fast, and she cowered.”
    “Oh hell. I wonder what happened.”
    “I don’t know but my guess is it has to do with a
man and she won’t talk about it. Don’t bug her or ask her. If she
wants to talk, she’ll talk.”
    “Okay.”
    “But she sees us looking at each other. I’ve caught
her. She suspects something so that’s why I think I need to get out
of here. You two will be better off without me.”
    “Damn. I was just getting used to having you
around.”
    I hugged her. What a great sister I had. I did my
best to avoid Avery until my departure day.

Chapter 9
     
     
    Avery
     
    I couldn’t hide my disappointment when I heard that
Just Miles was leaving. Caroline didn’t tell me until that morning.
She said he was leaving on Wednesday. It was Tuesday night. Justin
was working and Caroline had gone to her yoga class and wouldn’t be
back until eight thirty. Just Miles and I were on our own for
dinner. I’d gotten home and took a long hot bath to get the tension
out of my body. Just Miles had gone out for a run and was in the
shower. I was in my room, wearing nothing but my cutesy red and
black polka dotted robe, when I heard the door bell ring.
    Great! My hair was still wet from my bath and I
didn’t have time to put on any clothes. I tugged my little robe as
tight as it would go and went downstairs to the intercom.
    “May I help you?”
    “I have a letter for a Preston care of Justin
Middleton. I need a signature for it.”
    “Okay, just a minute.”
    I pressed the button to open the gate and waited for
the courier to get to the porch.
    When he got there I opened the door, took the letter
and signed for it.
    I noticed something strange about him. He was
wearing a navy blue suit. I’d never seen a courier wear a suit
before. I smiled and closed the door, keeping my eye on him until
he was off the property. Then I watched the gate close.
    I looked at the letter and wondered who Preston was.
Maybe Just Miles would know, I wondered as I headed back to my
room. When I got to there, on the spur of the moment, I decided to
check with Just Miles about this letter. I knocked on his door but
didn’t get an answer. I knocked again and when I still didn’t get
an answer I opened the door and laid the letter on his bed. I was
turning to leave when Just Miles walked out of his bathroom wearing
nothing but a towel wrapped low around his hips.
    My eyes did a quick scan from top to bottom and then
repeated the motion, only this time I took my sweet time and
enjoyed the hell out of the view.
    His hair was spiked with water dripping off it. The
droplets were landing on his chest and, oh dear God help me, he had
pierced nipples. His luscious body was dotted with ink...simple
tats and intricate ones. They were scattered everywhere and they
were amazing. My eyes dipped lower to his hips and I could see
another beauty winking at me. Unfortunately, that damn towel was
covering most of it up. I was gonna have to do something about
that. I let my eyes drift back up to his face...his beautiful face
and I noticed that his lips were parted. His eyes were partly
closed and for a brief moment it looked as though he might be in
pain.
    Something stirred in me then. My blood heated and
coursed through my veins. I tried to rein myself in, but I no
longer had any self control. It was gone. And then to my horror,
something foreign took over my body and mind. I started purring. I
think I even meowed. Not a quiet one, but a long, drawn out one. My
feet began to move of