Free Let It Burn by Dee Ellis Page A

kept numbers from the chicks I banged.
    Unknown Number: Ariel! Really, Cage? Still mad at me for... ” Before I could read the rest of her message, I deleted it.
    “Flavor of the week, Bro?” Regan was less gentle about my assumed man whore status.
    “Not any more. Come on, I thought we were painting.”
    It had been more than awhile since I had talked to Ariel. We had slept together twice. I was hoping for more the night she went home with Finn. To his credit, he missed out on the fact that I had fucked her every which way from Sunday before him.
    There was some tension there for a while, but bros before hoes and all that. Besides he really did me a favor. Now no one from my station gave Ariel the time of day and I figured that stung just a bit. It was all literally ages ago, more than two years since and I kind of doubted she had been on a drought since. Didn’t matter to me if she had, though. The last thing I needed was trouble with a capital A.
    Not now. I had a soul mate to find and at last some real ideas how to find her.
     
    1
     
    Charli
     
     
    “Absolutely, Mr. Cooper. Deacon. Sorry. I might want to apologize ahead of time, Deacon,” I laughed as I spun in my chair, filled with excitement, “Where I come from, I don’t know any better than sir and ma'am. I don’t know any better than please and thank you, bless you and pardon me. I also curse like a ranch hand if I’m mad and I stay mad for days. I am prideful but no more than I should be and I want a lot more out of my life than what I’ve had. I promise I will likely call you sir, call your wife ma’am and thank you for any courtesy you extend me. You painting and furnishing a place that I can call my home is absolutely blowing my god damned mind and I will absolutely pay you in sweets until diabetes comes calling.” Now Deacon was laughing, warm and hearty.
    “Sara knows how to pick them. I think you and the Coopers will get along just fine, Charli. Just fine. Regan is finishing up furnishing the place today. Cage said paint is done and it looks like a brand new place. If you need his help getting you moved in, you let me know, Charli. Matter of fact you might see him before I do; he’s set to lead a mentoring program Sara is starting there.”
    For some reason I knew Cage Cooper was his son, knew I had seen his name in the files for the mentoring program. Yet until he voiced that out loud, I forgot I would in fact be working with his son. All at once I became nervous for some reason. I pictured Deacon’s handsome face with his laugh lines and the graying at his temples. The deep laugh and bright hazel eyes. Then I pictured that decades younger.
    I imagined he must be just as handsome. I met Regan briefly when I stopped by the house on my way home Saturday. She had refused to let me in, wanting her work to surprise me; not only had I liked her immediately, she was stunning. I had to assume all the Coopers were.
    Which meant Cage was likely a handsome young man; and what’s more, a fire fighter who wanted to work with kids. Sounded like something out of my favorite trashy novels.
    “The mentoring program. I uh...I am actually overseeing that now, sir. Deacon. Guess I might get to know your son.” Suddenly I had all sorts of questions to ask him about his son, but I bit my tongue.
    “Good for him. A dose of someone like you might be just what he needs. See you soon, Charli.” Before I could ask just what that meant, he hung up.
    Before I could let that parting comment bother me, I caught sight of the time. It was just after noon. Which meant I was running late. The kids for the mentoring project would be here just after lunch for the first lecture. Grabbing the overflowing binder that had become my bible for this project, I hurried from my office.
    For some foolish reason just before I reached the atrium, where the lectures would be held, I stopped myself. Ducking into the closest ladies’ room, I took a moment to compose myself.
    I tried