Free Freed by Fire by Ashley Christine Page A

were comin’! Hello, ladies! Danny, Caid…”
    We took a cab to the pub. I had climbed in, thinking Caid would have sat beside me, but Maggie and Ellie took the seats on either side, and Caid was forced to sit beside Daniel in the middle of the minivan taxi. He reached for my hand when I climbed out of the cab, and pressed his other hand on the small of my back as we walked inside.
    Once we were inside, his hands left me to man-hug his brother. I mourned the loss of his touch. Even for the moment. Maggie pulled me over to the bar and picked up a shot glass that Leland had sitting on a tray.
    “If you’re only allowing yourself one. Better make it a good one!”
    We clinked the glass and took the shots in unison. It wasn’t the same as last night’s, but it was just as harsh.
    “Here!” Maggie stuffed a slice of lemon in my mouth. “Suck!”
    The citrus slightly soothed the burning of the alcohol. “Was that tequila?”
    “Only the best, ‘round here, yeah!” Leland grabbed two, handing one to Ellie and Daniel, then another two, one for himself and one to Caid.
    After they salted their skin, they tipped back, sucked down the Mexican poison, and each grimaced from the taste. Then Caid did something that surprised and turned me on like a light bulb. He took the wedge of lemon from my hand—the one I had just sucked on—and popped it into his mouth.
    His eyes bored into me the entire time. I sucked my lip between my lips, jealous of the fruit in his mouth.
    “Em, you forgot the salt!” Maggie held up the shaker. “We did it backwards!”
    I took it from her and laughed.
    Caid took out the lemon from his mouth, held up my hand, licked his velvet-soft tongue across my skin and sprinkled the salt. Molten fire burned through me, I felt my panties—no, not the granny panties either, I’ll have you know—dampen in that instant.
    “I don’t think it really matters the order. Lick,” he said.
    I licked my hand, tasting the salt and his sweetness. “I need to sit!” I grabbed Maggie’s hand and tugged her toward an empty table. Happy to find one, since the place was filling up fast, the band had begun to test the sound coming from their instruments, and I felt a little overwhelmed from just having my hand licked.
    “Em…talk to me.” Maggie slid her chair close to mine, our knees touched. “Are you okay?”
    “It’s just…fast, Mags. It’s… shit! It’s happening so fast. Mags, I just got divorced.”
    “He’s really into you, I gotta say, I’m a little sad about being the fifth-wheel. I should have called Lance,” Maggie said, laughing. “Then again, there’s always the older Burke brother.”
    I turned and smiled at Leland, who was still by the bar with Caid, Daniel and Ellie. Leland was speaking to them, but Caid wasn’t paying attention. He was staring at me. Watching me. His emerald and jade eyes glimmering, penetrating, and making me squirm.
    Leland made his way to the table and set down some girly looking drinks. “Now these won’t be putting’ hair on yer chest.”
    I took one of the glasses and looked at Maggie with a raised eyebrow. “You’re a bad influence on me.”
    “Then, more for me!” She took the glass from my hand and started to sip the pink liquid.
    “Dance?” Caid placed his hand on my shoulder.
    Maggie sipped my drink, smiling too innocently.
    I stood up and took his hand. “Wait, I’ll be right there.”
    Caid nodded and made his way toward the dance floor. I sprinted over to the bar and found two more tequila shots in my hands. I slung them back and sucked the lemon. I didn’t care. I needed a little courage. Or I wasn’t going to make it over to the dance floor. I was going to bolt out the door and hail the next cab.
    The band kicked off their set with a sultry rock song. Part of me wondered if it was requested because the moment I set foot on the floor, Caid pulled me into him and slowly started to move. As if he knew the tempo wasn’t about to change.
    His