Burning Barriers (Barriers Series Book 3) Read online

  “The moment he got me to my bedroom, he threw me onto the bed. I tried to catch my breath and run away from him, but something more sinister triggered inside him. He twisted my body to face him just as the back of his hand connected with the side of my face, propelling me across the room again and onto the bed. Stone’s body was behind me, keeping his weight so I could feel how much he ‘enjoyed’ causing me physical pain. He continued to pin me beneath his heavy frame as he told me how he was going to delight in the fact that he ‘got off one more time inside the easiest fuck he ever had the pleasure of killing.’

  “He probably would have succeeded in raping me had it not been for Sam and Josh coming home early. I heard the snap of a pocketknife before I felt the cool blade against the side of my neck as he pushed me forward with each step he took. If I so much as screamed, he threatened to slice my neck open. Stone dragged me down the hall to another bedroom, and we hid in there until he knew Josh had left the house with Sam alone inside. When Stone opened the door to my room and I stared at Sam, her face was pure terror. She knew we couldn’t win the battle. Her eyes focused on Stone as the blade dug a little deeper into my neck, and I began to lose any ability to hear what they were saying. It felt as though I could see my life flashing before my eyes. I was going to die. The next thing I knew, I was pushed across the room as Stone lunged for Sam and I went headfirst into my wall.

  “According to Sam, I wasn’t conscious for much of that battle until Stone picked me up and dragged us into Sam’s room. The moment I saw him on top of her placing tape over her mouth, I screamed as loudly as I could. I screamed for help I knew would never come. It pissed Stone off even more when he heard me, and at that moment, I watched him grab the carving knife he must have picked up from our kitchen and come at me. I shuffled back into the corner and watched him go into attack mode. Sam tried screaming, but with the tape over her mouth and her hands bound with rope, all she could do was mutter loud grunts.

  “I didn’t know what Stone had planned for me, but he snatched my arm and twisted me into his body and said he hoped I enjoyed screaming because that would be the last sounds to ever come out of my mouth. Then, I remembered feeling the cool steel slicing into my neck, and I must have passed out either after the knife was removed or after he slammed my head against the floor. I can’t really remember. Sam said she shut her eyes and couldn’t watch what Stone was doing to me.

  “My next memory after that was when the paramedics were loading me onto the stretcher, and they told me the police stormed into the room and killed Stone just as he was about to kill Josh with the same knife that left me with the scar I have now.”

  Tears flowed down my face at a rapid pace as I finally revealed to Jake the exact details of that night. I was thoroughly exhausted. My eyes opened, and I looked at him, but his expression wasn’t what I expected. Light from the fire gleamed off the moisture that coated his cheeks, and I realized he had been crying along with me. I extended my hands to cup his face and to wipe away the moisture from his cheeks.

  His eyes shut slowly. “Luce, I had no idea.” Jake shook his head slightly as though he was trying to remove the images of my story from his mind. I took a deep breath before leaning my forehead against his. Suddenly, I felt as if all the weight had been lifted from my shoulders and life was as it should be. Jake’s strong arms enclosed tighter around me, and I released all my reservations and just lived in the moment.

  I licked my lips before gently bringing them to his. Jake’s hand ran up along my back and rested behind my head, pulling me even closer. Our kiss deepened, and his grip constricted even more until he stood, and I wrapped my legs securely around his waist as he carried me down the hall.

  Once we entered his bedroom, he gently laid me down onto the bed and continued to kiss me with more love than I could imagine. I no longer had to envision it was Jake with me because we really were together, and it was better than I had ever imagined after all these years.

  Jake pulled his lips from mine and stared into my eyes. There was something in his eyes that wasn’t quite right. It was as though he needed to get something off his chest, and yet he didn’t say a word.

  “Jake? What is it?” I wondered if there was something I didn’t say or do that stopped him in the heat of the moment.

  “Luce.” He gently slid his thumb over my cheek as he watched me stare back at him. “I can’t do this with you tonight. Not like this. I have things I need to tell you, too, but nothing compares to the fuckin’ shit you’ve been through. I had no idea.” His voice suddenly cracked, and the next thing I knew he was lying beside me, bringing me into his side and humming “our” song into my ear. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” became our song the night he asked me to be his girlfriend after years of crushing and flirting.

  I closed my eyes and felt the vibration of his chest as he held me firmly. The humming of the lyrics soothed my soul, and I was relaxed almost instantly. My mind filtered off to the night when we watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Once the credits were over and he flicked on the living room lights, he stared back into my eyes. I wasn’t sure how to read him. I’d stared into those big brown eyes for so many years, and in that moment, I couldn’t understand what he was thinking. I lowered my eyes nervously to the empty popcorn bowl that sat between us until Jake knelt in front of me on one knee and begged me to be his first and only girlfriend. I jumped into his arms and agreed immediately. I loved him then, and I love him now, even if it will hurt again the minute I have to turn around and go back to the life I’ve made for myself back East.

  After I recall the events of the night before, my feet hit the floor, and I move across the room with Summit following at my side toward the sounds I hear coming from down the hall. The sound of Eminem on the speakers hits my ears as I round the corner of the long hallway and catch a glimpse of the kitchen. My feet stop moving, and I lean against the wall and watch.

  Wearing only a pair of pajama pants, Jake stands with his back to me at the stove. His back muscles strain as he stretches for what appears to be his coffee cup at the other end of the counter. His head bobs as he cooks and jams along with the beat, but that’s not what catches my attention. It’s the tattoo that now adorns his back in-between his shoulder blades. It’s some kind of tribal lettering and scrolls that I can’t quite make out from here.

  Summit runs away from where she was sitting, alerting Jake of my presence. He turns his head in my direction and lowers the burner with his other hand. The smell is absolutely heavenly, and I wonder what he’s cooking.

  “Good morning, how’s the head? I figured it would be ringing after the bottle of wine you drank last night,” he says, pouring a cup of coffee and adding a little milk and sugar in it. He walks over to me, handing me the steaming mug.

  “It’s okay. I’ve had worse mornings. Ummm… Jake?” I raise the coffee mug, silently asking him if this is mine.

  “Drink up. It’s just like you used to drink it, and I’m making your favorite, blueberry pancakes with bananas.” He kisses the top of my head and points with the spatula as he walks back to the stove. I pull up a bar stool at the island, placing the mug onto the placemat set in front of me. Before I sit down, I have to tighten the waistband on the flannel bottoms I’m wearing before they fall to the floor.

  I’m surprised after all this time Jake still remembers exactly what I like to eat and how I take my coffee, but I don’t say anything. I still know exactly how he cooks his steak and what he always orders for burger toppings. Some things you never forget.

  “Hey, Jake, I’m curious. We didn’t do anything last night. Did we? I mean, I don’t remember changing out of my dress.”

  Jake flips a couple of the pancakes onto a plate and scoops a dollop of butter in the middle before pouring maple syrup all over the top and placing the plate in front of me. My stomach growls loudly with anticipation of the gooey fattening yumminess that is about to enter my mouth.

  He chuckles and leans on the co
unter, giving me a direct view of his clenched ab muscles. The muscles in his arm flex enough for the veins to appear from his shoulder down to his wrist. My mouth salivates between the food smell and the man before me, and I’m pretty sure I just freakin’ drooled all over his shirt. Quickly grabbing the fork on the placemat, I pull off a piece of the pancake and shove it into my mouth to avoid anything embarrassing from happening.

  Oh. My. God. I had forgotten how awesome these are!

  “Nothing happened, Luce. You fell asleep, and I didn’t have the heart to wake you after everything you confessed to me last night. I put you in my clothes and slept downstairs in my old room. I had some stuff I needed to process in my head.”

  As I’m about to ask him what he needed to process, the doorbell starts chiming rapidly at the same time someone bangs on the front door.

  “Jake Galloway, open this freakin’ door right this second! Where is my sister?”

  Ellen? Shit. I never called them last night before I passed out.

  Jake walks quickly to the front hall toward the door while running his hand through his hair. “Well, this ought to be fun,” he says just as he pulls open the front door, and Ellen storms all the way inside. I’m about to hop off the stool when she sees me and rushes to my side.

  “What the hell, Lulu?! I’ve sent you a million text messages and called only to go straight to voicemail.”

  “I never heard my phone last night. Wait. Where’s my phone?”

  I see Jake looking around the living room where I had it last night while talking to Sam shortly before Summit attacked. I remember being on the floor as that big ball of hyperactive fur hopped around me, her tail wagging a mile a minute. Jake lowers himself onto his knees and looks under the sofa. “Found it!” He raises his arm, producing my phone in his hand.

  Ellen huffs and stalks over to him. When he stands, she punches him in the chest. And here we go.

  “What the fuck, Ellen?” he shouts. Ellen points her finger into his chest as I continue to feed my face with pancakes and watch this all unfold before I intervene.

  “What did I tell you about hurting my sister again? Huh? Need I remind you? Syphilis, Galloway. Syphilis.”

  “I’m pretty sure from the look of her chipmunk cheeks filled with pancakes over there that she’s perfectly fuckin’ fine, Ellen. So calm your ass, okay? It was an emotional night, and both of us fell asleep.”

  The two of them silently have a stare down until they turn to look at me. Ellen makes her way over to me, her riding boots stomping on the wooden floor. She stands in front of me as I swallow my mouthful of pancakes and wait for the big sister scolding she’s about to throw down. She always panicked when I’d sneak out in the middle of the night to Jake’s house when I was in high school. As long as I remembered to call her, it wasn’t an issue, and she’d vouch for me if our parents ever caught me. There was one occasion in the dead of winter when I forgot to call and never made it to Jake’s. Ellen nearly had a panic attack until she found me sledding down the ski trails with him. I suddenly begin to feel for her, knowing she must have been worried to death when I never answered my phone.

  Ellen pulls out the bar stool and hops up quickly. She turns to give me a saddened look. “You told him. Didn’t you? The whole thing?” I nod, confirming for her exactly what I told her to keep from anyone asking around town about why I was home. She nods, understanding that if there were anyone whom I would tell that story to it would be Jake.

  Ellen grabs my fork and picks off a piece of my pancake before shoving it into her mouth. She makes a little grunt and turns to face me again. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks. I nod silently as I catch Jake move to sit on the sofa as Summit follows him, placing her head onto his lap. I bring my attention back to Ellen and reach out to place my hand upon her shoulder.

  “I know you worry, and I’m sorry for not calling. But, you have to understand I’m not eighteen anymore. I have and will make my own mistakes. Mom and Dad wanted me back here to heal and figure out things in my head. If I’m going to do that, I need to do things my way, and I’m sorry if that sounds mean, but I’m not Lulu anymore. I haven’t been in quite a long time. Do you understand what I’m saying, Ellen?”

  “Sometimes, I forget you’re all grown up now. It’s just good to have my little sister back home again, even if it’s only for a short time. I guess I don’t want to see you get hurt any more than you already have, if you know what I mean?” Ellen gestures over her shoulder at Jake.

  “I’m right here, Ellen. I can still hear you,” Jake says as he rises to his feet and heads in our direction. He stops behind me and runs his hands over my shoulders as his thumbs slowly massage my neck. I watch as Ellen eyes Jake, and she rises to her feet and stands in front of me with her hands on her hips. She looks at me with a furrowed brow, and I smile at her.

  “I’ll be fine, Ellen. You just have to let me do this my own way,” I explain in a steady voice. I will do this, and I will not leave here the same girl I was when I was eighteen or the same unsure twenty-five-year- old that pulled into town a week ago.

  Ellen grabs her purse from the kitchen counter and leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Well, now that you’ve found your cell phone, you call me. I get off work at seven, so we’ll have a girls’ night.” I shake my head in agreement. “And, you,” she looks up at Jake before continuing, “my warning still stands, but if Lucy trusts you not to hurt her again, I guess the only thing I can do is trust her.”

  She turns and walks to the front door as Summit barks at her from the living room. Just when the front door closes, Jake spins me on the barstool, placing both arms on either side of me. His hands grip the edge of the seat, but still touch the sides of my thighs. My face suddenly flushes, and I feel as though someone cranked up the heat in the house. Jake leans in close, and my eyes shut in anticipation of his touch. His lips place soft kisses along my cheek, gradually making their way closer to my lips. His tongue slides over the length of my lips before pulling away.

  I open my eyes to see him mere inches from my face. “I love the taste of maple syrup and blueberries on you, and as much as I’d like to continue tasting you all day, I’ve got to head to the fire station in a few hours.” He places a quick peck on my lips before slowly standing up straight. “Luce, there’s still a lot I want to get off my chest, but I know after last night I don’t have the right words yet. Come out to the ranch with me tomorrow. We’ll take a ride out to our spot.”

  “You know what? That actually sounds like fun. I haven’t ridden a horse since I left here.”

  Jake starts to chuckle softly. “Leave it to you to take that as a sexual innuendo.”

  I smile and lightly smack his arm. When I glance up at him as he walks back into the kitchen to start cleaning up, I see the markings in-between his shoulders again, and I wonder about their meaning. “Jake?”

  “Yeah?” he says as he goes about putting away the breakfast supplies.

  “What does your tattoo mean? I’ve never seen anything with that much detail on someone’s back.” Jake’s back goes stiff, and I see his muscles strain as his hand stops mid-air when reaching for the milk jug. “Jake? What’s wrong?” I watch as his hand reaches up and across his chest to grip his other shoulder. His head drops to his chest.

  “It reads ‘Lucy,’” he whispers in a soft voice.

  Then, I see it. Among all the tribal lines that overlap each other, I see each letter intricately placed so it blends into the design, almost hidden. I hop off the stool and walk over behind him. My eyes never leave the black markings. When I’m standing close enough, I raise my hand and gently trace the letters that spell my name.

  “Why?” I ask in a quiet voice. “I mean, why did you get my name?”

  “It’s to remind me that the one person I ever loved should have never watched me walk away from her. It’s to remind me of my greatest mistake ever made.”

  A few hours after dropping off Lucy at her parents’ house, I’m p
reparing dinner with the two other firemen currently on shift with me until tomorrow morning. Most departments in bigger towns have full-time men with really long hours and sometimes up to forty-eight hours on one shift. Here in Breckenridge, I work three twelve-hour shifts a week. Even if Lucy’s dad sees it as part-time, it’s still basically a full-time job with benefits. Plus, it allows me enough time to help at the ranch and spend time with Mom, too.

  Fortunately, Lucy agreed to come out to the ranch with me tomorrow. Thank God for that. When I said SJ had a big mouth, I wasn’t lying. Mom nearly blew up my phone before I took Lucy out to dinner yesterday, asking me to bring her out to see her. Mom always loved Lucy; she still does. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get that look from her that says ‘you fucked up when you let that one go’.

  True fuckin’ story.

  I catch myself daydreaming as the smoke from the outside gas grill begins burning my eyes. I swiftly lift the lid, waving away the smoke and pulling the hamburgers from the grates.

  “Seriously, Galloway, what’s it going to look like if the fire department is the one starting the fires around here?” Regan shouts as he shoots hoops out back of the station. He laughs as he shoots the ball, missing the rim entirely. “Where is your head lately anyway? You usually never screw up the meals, and this is twice this week. Never mind you screwed up coffee two days ago. What gives, man?”

  Regan runs to grab the ball that’s rolling in my direction before securing it under his arm. I continue to toss the overly well-done hamburger patties onto the platter with more force than necessary. As I turn off all the burner knobs and shut the grill lid, Regan grabs the platter of burgers and follows me inside the firehouse to the makeshift living room. The buffet table is already set, so the other guys on shift can load their plates and relax while watching the baseball game on television that should be starting shortly.

  Regan drops the plate of burgers onto the table, and the guys begin to flock to the buffet. A collective number of groans all sound as they see the sad state of the burgers. As I grab a plate, Regan picks up his as well and slaps my back once I start making my way down the buffet line. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that little blonde chick you were having dinner with last night. Would it?”