Fire and Ice: Rekindled (The Fire and Ice Series Book 2) (17 page)

Hailey

Anywho…to make a long story short, I caved. Or as Kellan
would put it, I put my faith and trust in him that he would give me what I
needed. He made good on his promise; he’d managed to bring me to the orgasm
that I’d internally requested, with time to spare. But not before giving me a
small dose of what he professed to be ‘pleasurable pain’. Though I was still
thoroughly confused as to whether the short, stinging, intensely erotic slaps
to my behind could actually be construed as ‘punishment’, since I’d enjoyed
every second of it. I’m still a bit perplexed by the entire ideology. I mean,
if it feels so good, why would I even bother avoiding this so-called
‘punishment’?

I’m beginning to think my smart mouth may prove to be quite
an asset in the upcoming future…

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kellan

“What do you want?” I shouted.

“Turkey,” Hailey returned. I shuffled towards the kitchen.
“With cheese!” she added.

I scratched my chest, yawned, and replied, “Anything else?”

She yelled something I couldn’t make out from the bedroom.
Reaching into the refrigerator, I yelled, “I didn’t hear you!”

As I pushed items around inside of the fridge and opened the
silverware drawer, she yelled back another statement I didn’t quite catch.
Bagel, maybe? I couldn’t hear a fucking word she was saying.

“Speak up, or you’re getting a fucking peanut-butter-and-jelly!”
I shouted over my shoulder.

She barked out, “TO-MA-TO!”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head back and forth. Since I’d
been back she’d been all over the map; emotional, pissy, moody, and now she
wants to pig-out in the middle of the night. Jesus, if I didn’t know better,
I’d think she was…

I froze in panic, my head stuck in the refrigerator as I
stared aimlessly at a day old box of Chinese take-out. I shook myself out of my
thoughts and quickly made to stand, hitting the back of my head against the
inside of the refrigerator, as I’d stood in haste.

“Ow. Fuck,” I shouted, rubbing my scalp.

“Is everything ok?” Hailey yelled.

I abandoned making her sandwich, reached across the
breakfast bar to retrieve my phone and pulled up my calendar app as I answered,
“Yeah…I just um…dropped…” my voice trailed off as I rummaged through the last
few months on the calendar. It had been nearly three months since Jordan's
death. A bevy of questions and emotions flooded my senses. This was some
seriously intense shit to even think about.

“Kellan!” Hailey shouted, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“I’m starving!” I’d have to add impatient and demanding to her growing list of
flaws. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Hailey and I were no strangers to conflict
with each other. But to say she’d been up and down since I’d gotten back into
town would be an understatement. Then again, some pretty heavy shit had gone
down since I’d come back home, so the friction wasn’t exactly unwarranted.

I was probably overthinking things in my head, but my gut
feeling was telling me it was better to know, than to sit around and wait to
find out.

I slid my phone into my back pocket, finished making our
midnight snack, and headed down the hallway with the two plates in my hand.

My feet grew heavier with each step I took. The smug prick
inside my brain called out,
Dead man walkin’!

******

Kellan

“Mm, mm, this is so good,” Hailey moaned her appreciation
through voracious bites of her sandwich. She looked at me perplexed before
asking, “Aren’t you going to eat yours?”

I chuckled nervously, replying, “Why? Do you want it?”

She shoved another bite into her mouth as part of her tomato
slid to her plate. She mumbled over her chewing, saying, “I probably could eat
it.” She eyed my sandwich as if she was thinking of snatching it from me.
Jesus, I was beginning to sweat, and I’d suddenly lost my appetite.

I set my plate on the dresser and sighed, saying, “Listen,
Princess, we gotta talk.”

She lowered her sandwich to her plate and stared at it as
she nodded her head up and down. Looking to me with trepidation, she said,
“Yeah, I mean that’s one of the reasons I came here today. But then…” she
ushered between us, continuing, “Well, this all happened, and then I figured it
would be best to talk tomorrow.”

I stood up and began to pace the room as I said, “So it’s
true? You already knew about this, and it didn’t occur to you to tell me?” My
voice was rising and my mind was working overtime to keep up.

“Well…I mean, I just found out today. That’s why I came
here, to talk to you about it.” She paused for a moment, then furrowed her
brows, rattling off, “Wait…how did
you
know about it? Did Georgia call you? Was that her on
the phone earlier?”

“No, it was Eve,” I stated flatly.

“
Eve
knows
? Damnit! I told Georgia not to tell anyone until I had a
chance to talk to you myself. I don’t want Michael getting crucified over this
whole situation. He did the right thing and he shouldn’t be chastised for it.
I’d really rather he wasn’t involved from here on out.”

Michael. Of course, it would be Michael. No wonder they
looked so comfortable together at lunch today. I’m sure once Jordan was out of
the picture, he couldn’t wait to pounce on Hailey.

My temper was rising at the thought of him getting a ‘Get
Out Of Jail Free Card’. I belted out, “Seriously? He clearly took advantage of
the state you were in. How can you stand up for this guy and justify his
actions?”

Her eyes grew angry and she countered, “First of all,
Michael didn’t take
advantage
of anything, he was trying to help! In fact,
I’m
the one that approached
him
. He’s
done nothing wrong, and as far as I’m concerned, he can sleep with a clear
conscience, although I’m sure he’d take responsibility if asked, but we’re
friends, and I don’t particularly want his name associated with this. I value
our friendship, and I’d hate to see it destroyed over something like this.”

Christ, this just keeps getting worse. She seduced him. I
sure as hell hope it was
after
Jordan… Either way, this is incredibly fucked up.

I threw my arms up in frustration, barking out, “Of course
he can sleep with a clear conscience…you’ve made it easy for him!”

“This is not easy for Michael. He said he feels guilty for
not telling you about it himself,” she gritted out, coming to his defense.

I stalked to her, pointed in her face, and bit out, “You
tell that motherfucker he better stay away from me, or he’ll get his goddamned
teeth knocked out!”

Hailey gasped before asking, “What is
wrong
with you, Kellan?”

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with
me
?” I
repeated, pointing to myself. “You let that asshole manipulate you, put you in
this position, and then just walk off on his merry way, with no consequences
for his actions.”

“Ha!” she blurted out. “You’re one to talk,” she spewed.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I barked.

“You know deep down Leila isn’t lying. That child is
yours
, and
you need to own up to it. Grow up and do the right thing, here, Kellan!”

Though she was completely contradicting herself, she had a
valid point. Leila had threatened to drag my ass into court, and I can’t
imagine she’d think I’d just take it lying down without getting proof the kid
was mine first. That should have been all the proof I needed from the get-go.
But Jesus, it was
one
fucking time
- I mean what are the odds? Of course I was
skeptical. But after churning it over and over again in my mind since she’d
dropped the bombshell on me, I knew I needed to do the right thing. Leila and I
don’t have to be together…
Thank God
…but we do need to be there for that child, both
of us. I know first-hand what it’s like to grow up with a deadbeat for a
father, and I’m not about to let my kid experience the same shit I had to. All
I have to do is be there for him, teach him how to be a decent human being before
the world shits all over him and turns him against it, and everyone in his
path. Nah, I won’t let him end up like my old man, and I sure as fuck won’t let
him end up like me.

Now, as for this sad excuse of a sperm donor that Hailey
wants to just let off the hook, he can stick his ‘friendship’ up his ass. I
promised Hailey it was ride or die between us from here on out. If that means
she’s a package deal, so be it, but that cocksucker will have to go through me
to get to her, or her child.

Look at the two of us- a good old-fashioned blended American
family. Man, the times, they are definitely changin’. Last week I was a single,
(relatively) young stud, open for business. (Yeah, that’s right…I am a stud- I
made a kid on the first try; I’m a bona fide fucking stallion.) And this week,
I got a kid, a baby-mama, a woman that couldn’t get rid of me if she tried, and
one on the way.

Jesus, I can see it now, sitting on the front porch in the
rocking chair, a kid on each knee, reading ‘The Cat In The Hat’ as I yell,
“Hailey, bring me my bifocals!”

******

 
Chapter Twenty-Six

Hailey

Kellan stood immobile for several moments, looking
contemplative as he stared aimlessly over my shoulder. I had just accused him
of shunning his responsibilities. This is usually the part where he releases
his self-righteous wrath. He seemed to be pondering what to say next; it wasn't
his usual behavior, and quite frankly, it seemed a bit eerily calm. I was
beginning to wonder if I preferred his typical reaction; at least I knew what
to expect. I had grown to anticipate his lack of compunction regarding matters
of personal responsibility. Perhaps he was simply dismissing my argument and
internally wondering if he'd taken out the trash today. Ironically, the one
constant about Kellan was his mercurialness.

The seconds were ticking away like hours. Perhaps he'd gone
into shock due to my brashness, and had slipped into catatonia.

Since he'd seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to form
words, I decided to speak first. Gently I prodded, "Do you want to talk
about it?"

His gaze slowly came to rest on mine as he sighed.
"Yes. Maybe. I don't know, Hailey...I suck at this," he parroted my
sentiments from earlier.

I gave him a sympathetic smile and patted the spot next to
me on the bed. His shoulders slumped as he came to rest at my side, pulling his
knees up to his chest and burying his head in his hands.

Sighing he said, "I don't need you to tell me what's
right and wrong, Hailey." He was going to argue his point; of course he
was going to deny it until proven otherwise- why would I possibly expect
anything else from him. I made an attempt to interject before he forced me to
'talk to the hand'.

I clamped my mouth shut as he continued, "You're
absolutely right, and I knew it the moment Leila told me about it...him,"
he corrected himself. "I'd been avoiding it, running from it, hiding from
the truth like a coward." He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, saying,
"I'm done running, Hailey." I stared at him speechless. Its finally
happened- Hell has frozen over, and I can only assume, some place, somewhere, a
pig has just flown out of
someone's
ass.

His lips quivered as he began to sob out, "I get that I
need to be accountable, and I plan to make this right between Leila and
me," he avowed. "Well, I hope to," he added. "And I get
that you want to stand for what's right, even at the cost of your own
happiness."

I looked at him perplexed, asking, "Why would you think
this would affect my happiness?"

He quirked a brow, and stated, "Have you met me?"
I had no idea what he was alluding to. He went on, "Look, I realize me,
myself, and I are beyond the scope of being more trouble than its worth; but
then you want to pile on a mini-me, not to mention all the shit that
you
have
going on?"

I was a bit taken aback- I wasn't used to seeing the humble
side of Kellan. Humble Kellan had peeked his head from underneath the covers on
a handful of occasions, but it was like a seeing a rainbow...sure, I'd seen
rainbows before, but each time it happened, it felt as special as the previous
time. A rarity, and not one that's guaranteed to happen again; something to be
appreciated in the moment, for the chances of seeing it again are uncertain at
best.

My brows rose as I stammered, "I...I mean the last few
months haven't been a cake walk, and yeah- going to school and working at the
same time isn't the easiest thing to do, either, but I don't start for a couple
more months. I only have one semester left, so I plan to suck it up and do what
I have to do to get through it and start planning my future."

He held out his hands, emphasizing, "Please tell me
you're not that naive, Hailey?" My expression changed from complacent to
offended in a millisecond. He took my hand in his and continued, "Look,
baby, I don't want to lose you again, I don't want to lose you
ever
. But
I just want you to be able to go in with a complete understanding that on top
of what you're going to be dealing with-
which
," he paused giving
me a pointed stare before going on, "I have no problem taking on. I just
don't want you to go in with blind faith, only to lose you and..." he
ushered towards me.

"And?" I prompted him to continue.

He leaned back against the headboard, stretched out his long
legs, crossing one over the other, and scrubbed his hands over his face.
Pulling in a deep breath, he looked ahead towards his feet, saying, "This
isn't just about you and me now, Hailey. Sure, I stand to gain a lot, but to
turn around a few months from now, or a year, and lose it? Jesus, Hailey, I'd
have nothing to live for."

"Don't you dare
ever
say that!" He met my
intense gaze as I lashed out, "I think you and I both know how short life
really can be." He toyed nervously with his tongue ring as I scolded him.
"You, of all people, know what it's like to grow up without feeling the
love of your father. You owe it to your child to do everything you can to
insure that won't happen to him. If Leila fights you, fight fire with fire; if
she wants to take away your right to see your child, you need to love him so
fiercely that no one could deny you or your child that right."

I wasn't mad at Kellan, I was mad at his lack of confidence
in himself, something he's not one to portray, much less admit to. He was
baring his insecurities to me, and while I appreciated the sense of intimacy, I
just wanted to tell him to get his fucking head in the game and do what he does
best: Tell people they can either get on board, or get the fuck out of his way.

He abruptly stood from the bed, throwing his hands up in the
air as he exclaimed, "Fine, ok- I can accept that; but you'll sit here and
argue this point with me all night, then turn around and totally contradict
yourself by giving that dickhead a lifetime hall-pass!" He blew out a
frustrated breath.

I looked to him in shock, saying, "What's a
hall-pass?"

He waved his hand towards me, explaining, as if it were
common knowledge, "You know...a hall-pass- like a one-time exemption from
commitment." I stared at him as if he was speaking Mandarin. He rolled his
eyes, asking, "Let's just say you and I got," he stopped short for a
moment before blurting out, "hitched." My eyebrows shot up as he went
on, "But then I said for one night, with no consequences, you could...ya
know...go be with whatever celebrity you wanted to- one night only," he
emphasized, "Who would it be?"

This was fast becoming like having a conversation with
Georgia, but he was looking to me expectantly. My curiosity began to override
my sense of propriety, and I began to search my mind.
One
night, one time only...
"You mean like in that movie with Demi
Moore where she gets a million bucks after she sleeps with that old dude?"

He scrunched his face up, saying, "First of all, its
Robert Redford...he's an amazing actor- how do you not know this?" I
shrugged, uninterested, as he pursued his rant, "Secondly, no! You're not
supposed to think of it like you're whoring yourself out...it's just a
theoretical scenario."

He stared at me with rapt attention. Why he would want me to
admit I'd have any sort of attraction to anyone other than him was blowing my
mind. I looked to the ceiling as I flipped through the glossy pages of my own
mental edition of GQ magazine.
Hmm...Robert Pattinson?
Meh...he's a bit pasty, and while
I was practicing fan-girling over him in my teens, I thought he was my age. I'd
come to find out he was quite a few years older than his character was, yet
oddly enough, he didn't seem to age from movie to movie...I had begun to
suspect he may, indeed, be immortal. So, no- I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Jonah
Hill?
I suddenly had a mental image of Georgia swinging her head
to me and giving me a WTF look. I mentally shrugged. He has nice eyes and seems
like he'd have me doubled over in laughter all night.
I think the point is to get bent over, not
doubled over, though that sounds kinda kinky
, my inner flirt
echoed. My face began to flush.

Kellan barked, "Just pick someone. I'm trying to make a
point!"

Stammering, I blurted out, "Chr...Christian Grey."
I stared at him stunned, waiting for him to reply.

"Who the fuck is Christian Grey?" he questioned
with distain.

I hadn't read the books, and I still haven't seen the movie,
but I'd read some things online about the Fifty Shades Of Grey phenomenon that
was rocking the world...well, the females, anyway. I'd subscribed to the
official FSOG page on Facebook, and would get notifications intermittently as
new news came to light about the movie.

There seemed to be a controversy over the casting of the
film, which I couldn't quite wrap my brain around...all the men they seemed to
be considering were nice looking, and they were actors, so I just assumed as
long as they could act the part, they would be the one to get the part.
Apparently, it wasn't just about the acting, but the fans wanted the Christian
on screen to be the epitome of the mental vision they had of the Christian in
the books.

I sort of lost interest when there began to be people
arguing over the opinion of who better suited the role.
Seriously arguing.
I felt
sorry for the actors; it must have been humiliating to be publicly criticized
before they'd even had the opportunity to be a part of the film.

Nevertheless, when I'd seen the preview of the movie, my
insides went all warm and my head became a bit foggy as I listened to the slow,
hypnotic remix of "Crazy In Love" by Beyoncé. I must say, the actor
they did eventually cast piqued my interest in a strange way. He seemed dark,
commanding...dangerous. I liked the feeling he...I mean
it
elicited in me.

"Hello," Kellan waved his hand in the air to get
my attention.

"He's a man," I squeaked out. Kellan gave me a
'no-shit-Sherlock' look and I forged ahead. "He's a character from a
book," I explained.

"You get to have sex with any dude you want, for one
night, and you pick a character from a
book
?" he asked slightly
bemused. I shrugged, feeling a bit put on the spot and embarrassed.
"What's the book called," he questioned.

I blinked rapidly as I wondered why he even cared.
"It's called Fifty Shades Of Grey," I mumbled.

He stared blankly for a moment before saying, "Ah. I
get it...because his name's Grey, right?" I shrugged again. I had only
heard of the books, I hadn't read them, so I didn't know the significance of
the title. "Well, what's it about," Kellan prodded.

I shrugged again, saying, "I have no idea. I didn't
read it. I just heard a lot of buzz about it. Some people said it was like
reading porn, others said it was a love story."

A smirk crept up Kellan's face as he asked, "Porn, huh?
A book about porn?" I simply shrugged again. "We might have to check
that one out," he suggested...
suggestively
.

I was tired of talking about something I knew little about.
I flapped my hand towards him, saying, "Whatever. Who's yours?"

"My what?" he questioned.

"Your...pass thingy...your free night of debauchery
with no consequences," I huffed out.

Kellan's eyes became heated and he stalked towards me,
saying absentmindedly, "You mean hall-pass." I gulped as my eyes
widened, he was looking at me as if I were his prey. Crawling onto the bed, he
pressed forward, forcing me to lie back as he loomed over me.

He stilled and raised his brows expectantly.
Right...the hall-pass
thingy.
He was waiting for me to reply, but I was the one who had
asked the question he'd yet to answer. "Yeah," I breathed out.

He continued to peer at me intently as he said simply,
"You."

******