Burning Hate

I ran to the woods to escape my past. He ran into the fire to save me. But some flames never go out… I went to Jefferson National Forest to breathe. I needed to forget the fire that stole my cousin, my best friend, and any sense of safety I ever had. But the moment I see Andy, the firefighter who didn't save her, I can't breathe at all. He's older now. Broader. Still reckless in the way only a man who runs toward flames can be. And still the last person I want to be stuck with when a wildfire traps us in a remote cabin with one bed and too much history between us. We were never friends. Not really. Not after what happened. Not after we both walked away from the wreckage with too much guilt and not enough answers. But now we're forced together again. We're two survivors pretending we're fine. The air between us is thick with smoke and something hotter, heavier. I hate how much I still want him. How much I never stopped. As the fire closes in, so does the truth. About that night. About us. And about the one thing I've never admitted, not even to myself. Because some wounds don't heal. Some fires don't die. And some second chances come wrapped in smoke and ash…and him. This is a novella that deals with past trauma, sits high on the spicy scale, and is intended only for those that are 18+ and like that sort of thing.