Chapter Seven

Timber came up with one bright side to Wreck's work hours starting at the crack of dawn—she could wave him off before work and no one would see her disheveled appearance.

That bright side disappeared like a plume of smoke the second she followed Wreck down his porch stairs to his truck. He tossed a glance at the woods and frowned, his hand gripping her waist. When he turned to look at the other trailers, he muttered a curse under his breath.

That's when Timber saw it. The trailer park was awake.

Owen was waving to them from his porch, and Gunner and Hallie were sitting on their front lawn enjoying coffee.

There was no hiding. Timber frantically patted her hair, trying to tame it into something that did not resemble a rat's nest. She was wearing no shorts, and exactly zero bralettes currently, so her nipples were all perked up against the thin material of Wreck's T-shirt—A, because it was cold out, and B, Wreck had just fingered her against the kitchen counter. She had probably been loud, she didn't remember. She'd lost her mind under his touch.

"You look fine," Hallie called.

"Yep. Well fucked," Owen agreed.

"Oh my gosh."

"Enough," Wreck told his Crewmate.

"Hey, I was thinking if you can grow trees, can you use your magic to zap a bigger dick onto me?"

"No!" Silver called from where she was coming out of their front door with a pair of coffees. "You don't need a three-foot dick, Owen. You would impale me. You are already ridiculous. Wreck, keep your green flames over there."

"Only red flames for you, dickbag," Wreck deadpanned to Owen.

"Rude," Owen said, reaching for one of the coffees his mate had brought out.

"This isn't for you. You've already had two cups, and I physically cannot handle another one of your dad jokes this morning. I'm tired. You're cut off from caffeine. This is for Timber." Silver carefully made her way down the stairs, and twitched her chin at Wreck. "Go on, kiss her goodbye. You're going to be late for work."

"Are you…are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked in a confused tone.

"Technically we've been trying to get rid of you since the day Damon made Gunner initiate you," Captain called. Oh God, all of the Fastlanders were filtering out of their homes. Even Ace was holding the door open for his mate, Corey.

The sound of tents unzipping in the woods made her heart drop. "Does no one sleep around here?" she asked Silver.

The pretty woman handed her a mug of coffee. The mug read Don't talk to me until this is empty. Ha.

"Um, not when we're all traumatized from Wreck trying to burn everything to the ground. The animal sides are already riled up. Plus, this place stinks of magic. The girls and I don't have to be in to work until later. We were going to hit up some garage sales and consignment stores today, if you want to go with us."

"Um, I probably need a shower and…you know…um, thank you for the coffee." She sniffed it. "Pumpkin spice creamer?"

"The human can smell!" Silver announced to the others.

The heat in Timber's cheeks could probably rival Wreck's core temperature right now.

"You don't have to get roped into whatever they're doing," Wreck muttered.

"Well, actually I don't have any clients scheduled for today. And your house could use some décor. And I could use a girl-date. Plus, it would be a nice distraction from that party invite."

He frowned. "What party invite?"

"I told you about it. Didn't I?"

He shook his head.

"Oh. Ha." She traced the lettering on the mug and shifted her weight. "Um, my mom sent me an email invite to Brandon's birthday party."

"Your mother invited you to your ex-boyfriend's birthday party."

"They're throwing him the party." She let off a nervous laugh and looked over at Silver, but her eyes had gone a bright gold.

"Your mom sounds like a twat, no offense to twats."

Timber snorted a laugh, and coughed to cover it up. "I'm betting my parents have caught wind of me dating someone new."

"How?" Wreck asked.

"I told my sister about you. They'll be trying to bring me back in line. This is their pattern."

"Mmm," Wreck said. His eyes were brightening up, and the air around him felt hotter and heavier. "What time is the party?"

"Doesn't matter—"

"What time?"

She heaved a sigh, regretting having said anything. "Seven, tonight. It's at a bar."

Wreck grinned. "Good. Silver, can you take her shopping for something hot to wear tonight?"

"Only if you give me your credit card," Silver deadpanned.

Wreck had already been reaching into his back pocket. "Put any décor you like on this, too," he murmured, handing Timber the card.

"Oh," she said, shaking her head. "I have my own money. You don't have to do that."

Wreck leaned forward and drank in her lips. That was the only way she could think to describe the debilitating way he kissed her. He drained every argument from her as he kissed her into dumbness.

He eased back and gave her one of those dangerous-boy smiles. "Do it for me. Make me happy."

She barely fought the urge to whisper "yes, sir," as he turned for his truck.

"I'll text on my breaks," he promised, then climbed into his truck, turned it on, and rolled down the window. "Keep her safe, please," he told Silver.

Silver stood there with her hands cupped around her steaming mug of coffee, a knowing smile painted on her face. "She can have my lioness for the day."

"Bite her and I'll kill you."

"That's not what I meant, geez. I just meant she can have my protection. Hey!" Silver called as he began to reverse.

"What?" Wreck asked.

"She's okay. I'll ask the Crew if they want to party-crash tonight."

Wreck froze for a three-count, then something went softer in his eyes and he nodded. "Come here," he rumbled to Timber. She scrambled to his truck and stepped up on the drop-down running boards. He reached out the open window and hugged her close, cupped her head in the back, and murmured in her ear, "Get something tight and red."

"Like fire?" she teased.

His hand went gently to her throat and he eased her back, a wicked smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You are the fire. You'll figure that out sooner or later."

As he pulled her in by the throat to kiss her, she felt the rightness of his words.

Her confidence was different since she'd met him. It wasn't her against the world. She had a monster at her back now, and she had a feeling he wouldn't let anyone mess with her anymore.

He was going to encourage her to find her own power, and there was great value in a man who elevated his woman like that.

"I'll go on one condition," she said over the rumble of his engine.

"Name it."

"You can't use any fire in the bar tonight."

He quirked up his lip like she'd stolen his fun. "Fine."

With a giggle, she eased off the step and waved him off. When he hit the tree line, he gave a two-fingered wave out the window and then disappeared.

Timber took a sip of her coffee and slowly turned to Silver. "Thank you for not judging my walk of shame."

"Ain't no walks of shame around here. You're on a walk of victory. You bagged a phoenix, girl. That man is a horror when you're on his bad side. Death, destruction, agony, suffering. But if you're on his good side? He could burn the whole world for you."

"He could also accidentally burn me along with it."

"Oh, absolutely. You might die a horrible death, but it'll be fun until you get there." Silver abruptly turned and strode for her trailer while Timber stared after her, mouth flopped open in horror. "Come on, humey. You can shower at my place."

Timber had always imagined meeting friends at a bar, or at work, or something normal. Since last night, she'd seen fire—the red and the green kind—and she'd slept in a half-burned, half-healed-by-Wreck's-phoenix-magic house with no power and no light except for a fire in the fireplace that Wreck kept relighting with his freaking fingertip. Now she was standing here in the frosty morning air, surrounded by the biggest and baddest shifters of Damon's Mountains, about to borrow a shower and probably some clothes so she could go shopping for second-hand furniture and something sexy to wear to her ex-boyfriend's birthday party with her new guy, apparently with new friends tagging along.

Last week, if someone would've told her this was her life, she would've given them the intake forms so she could start treating them for delusions. As it stood, this felt way too natural.

She took another big sip of her coffee and followed Silver toward her mobile home.

Perhaps she was in shock. People who were in shock accepted things as-is and didn't have emotional reactions that made sense.

Her lips were still tingling from Wreck's kisses, her body was still on fire from his touch, and she could still feel the warmth on her throat where he seemed to enjoy touching so much. So did she.

He was the perfect balance of dominance and sweetness, and she knew that last part was just for her. He was a cactus to his Crew and barely said a kind word, but with her, he understood her and her needs, and was thoughtful.

She clutched his credit card and the coffee mug tighter and strode up the stairs past Owen, who was grinning, his hands on his hips.

She had always been awed when she'd seen shifters in public. They always seemed so full of confidence, and at times she had been envious. Now? She understood.

Not only did they individually have very powerful animals, but they banded together in these groups, these Crews, and despite very different personalities seemed to make these almost-familial groups work.

It was safety in individual power, and also safety in numbers.

She'd always thought that humans kept them tightly in control, as the stories on the news suggested, but she was realizing everything she thought was wrong.

Now, she couldn't even fathom humans being able to control these people, much less a motherfreaking fire-starting phoenix.

The humans only felt they had control because the shifters allowed them to feel that way.

Wreck had said she was the fire, and that she would figure it out sooner or later.

She didn't know about being the fire. That was him. She did feel more secure in this new life she was only beginning to understand though, and that was empowering.

She'd focused for so long on the healing process for her clients, teaching them the tools to get to know and appreciate themselves, but now?

It felt like her turn.