Free The Fire Still Burns by Crystal-Rain Love

back again, looking a little wary, yet slightly amused.
    Adam could have strangled her for finding humor in his unfortunate situation, especially since he felt as though he'd been dragged through his own personal hell the past two days.
    His stomach was constantly churning, his hands struggling between wanting to caress or throttle Brynn.  His heart and brain were at constant war, one saying to forgive and forget, while the other warned him he couldn’t trust Brynn farther than he could throw her.
    “I was just leaving.”  Brynn looked between the two, her green eyes blazing with anger before he could formulate a response.  She turned on her heel, once more determined to escape him.
    “Actually, we weren't through with our discussion.”  Adam quickly caught her forearm before she could flee.
    “Go on in the bar, Jamie Lee, and I'll be in as soon as we're finished.”
    Jamie Lee raised one of her perfect blond brows, clearly wondering what was up, but turned toward the bar without another word to him.
    “It was nice seeing you again.”  Jamie Lee nodded to Brynn as she left them to finish their business, probably wondering why he'd said he'd be in to see her.  She knew he was aware she would be in there waiting for her date to arrive.
    “You have no idea who she is, do you?”  Adam fought to keep the smile out of his voice.  Judging by the way Brynn’s narrowed eyes followed Jamie Lee's departing back, he could tell jealousy flared to life behind them.  He shouldn't care, but he couldn't keep the small thrill of it from forming.  She still cared, on some level at least.
    “Girlfriend?  Fiancé?  It's really none of my business, but at least I can see why your brother’s sleeping with under-aged girls doesn't bother you.”  She curled her lip in disgust.  “She's rather young.”
    “There is no proof my brother ever slept with an under-aged girl.”  He growled, his hand tightening around her arm.
    Realizing what he was doing, he let go and heaved out a sigh of disgust.  She really thought low of him.  “And I don't like them young, as you seem to be implying.  That woman who just left us is Jamie Lee.”
    “Yay, she has a name that doesn't sound as if it belongs on a woodland creature or something you would buy at the sweets shop.”  Brynn drenched on the sarcasm as she rubbed her arm.  “Like I said, I have a busy day tomorrow…Jamie Lee?”
    “Preston.”  Adam saw the recognition dawn in her eyes and held back a smile.
    “One of the little girls I used to babysit?”
    “Yes.”  Satisfaction filled his chest.
    “Oh.”  The look of recognition, which had briefly registered on her face soon turned into disgust as she apparently drew the wrong conclusion.
    “Dammit, Brynn.  I'm not sleeping with little Jamie Lee Preston.”
    “She's not so little anymore.”  She looked at him with raised brows.
    “Yeah, well, I do my best not to notice.”  He cringed, uncomfortable discussing Jamie Lee in such a way.  “She's like a kid sister to me for crying out loud.  To be honest, she's become my best friend and that's it.”
    “You don't need to explain all this to me.”
    “I do when you're standing there looking at me like I'm the scum of the earth.”
    “Well, then I suppose now you know how it feels.”
    “I don’t look at you like ¼ ”  His words trailed off, his anger dissipated as he saw the raw pain in her eyes.  Was that the way he made her feel when he looked at her?  She deserves it, a bitter voice inside him screamed, but the part of him that still remembered her sweet innocence from a decade ago didn't want to cause her any sorrow.
    “I'm sorry, Brynn.”
    “Yeah, I'm sorry too,” she whispered before turning away, but not quickly enough to hide the sheen of tears covering her eyes.
    Before he could think better of it, Adam reacted to his instincts.  He spun her around and pulled her against his chest, capturing both her body and mouth with