Fire & Ice

Chapter Two

Koa

I cannot believe I finally found her. After months of searching, months of endless investigation, I finally found my angel. Amara Aceso.

Her parents had been clients of my family for years, since before I took my father’s place in the mafia. Every day I ask myself why I fell for the daughter of the criminals that killed my father. It wasn’t until I was told that she was left nothing in their will -- which wasn’t surprising, her parents were several millions of dollars in debt -- that she was presumably forced to live with her uncle, despite her being 19 when her parents died, the cause I am not familiar with, mainly because if there was anything the Acesos were famous for, it was their uncanny ability to hide things from the outside world, kept from everyone, hidden in the depths of bones from the skeletons in their large, walk-in closet. It wasn’t until I was informed of all those things, that I knew there had to be more to my angel’s story.

I stand in front of her now, looking down at her short, 5′1 body, making quite a difference in our heights. I stare down into her kaleidoscope eyes, which were gazing up into my amber ones. Her golden brown hair was shining in the bright sun of this hot summer day.

My thoughts were cut short as I hear her beautiful voice say to me, “are we able to go to the coffee shop now?” I had completely forgotten that I was going to drive her there, having been completely mesmerized by her.

“Yes, of course.” She seemed a little off-put, as if she had just awoken from a weird dream, most likely because I had just told her I had been looking for her everywhere, so the off-putness was understandable.

~~~~~

While we’re in the car driving to the coffee shop, Honeybee, per her request, I have to resist the urge to rest my hand on her thigh, I could only imagine what those thighs of hers looked like without her jeans, what they would feel like wrapped around me.

When we arrive at the coffee shop, we put our orders in, hers an iced vanilla latte with oat milk, mine a hot coffee, black.

We take a seat at a high top table near the windows and she starts asking me questions, ones I cannot answer, “what were you doing at my college? Surely you’re not a student. Are you? What do you do for work? I can only imagine so many jobs that offer the kind of income fit for a Maserati, and you look young -- to have a Maserati, I mean.”

“I love that you have so many questions, angel, but I cannot answer them for you.” She blushes when I call her angel, that means she likes it.

“Can you at least answer me this one question then...”

“Alright, what is it?”

“How do you know who I am? Why did you say that you have been looking for me everywhere?” I wanted to tell her everything, but I couldn’t, not until I was sure she was safe.

“You asked two questions, angel.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Then tell me: what is the point, angel?”

“You just walked into my life not even twenty minutes ago. And in those twenty minutes you told me you knew who I was and that you have been looking for me everywhere, yet somehow you don’t have the decency to tell me why you said those things.” I couldn’t give into her questions, especially not here, especially not now.

“Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself, or are you going to keep gazing into my eyes like you’re not the hottest person I’ve ever seen.” My mouth opens slightly in surprise and my eyebrows raise a tad. I think to myself, I was not expecting that, as she clamps a hand over her mouth. She no sooner removes it and whispers to me, leaning in, “did I just say that out loud?”

By now she had completely forgotten about her questions.

I smirk. “You certainly did, angel.”

~~~~~

Amara

I couldn’t be more embarrassed right now. I really just admitted to him that he’s the hottest person I’ve ever seen. What a crazy day it’s been. I wouldn’t even be surprised if I became friends with a squirrel only for it to get run over by a truck.

“I-I d-don’t think you’re the hottest person I’ve ever met.” I lied. And it couldn’t be more obvious.

“I know you’re lying to me, angel. There’s no denying it.” That deep, silky voice shoots straight down to my core, where I feel my panties getting wetter by the second.

“So what if I think you’re a bit attractive? Doesn’t that just mean you have a higher probability of having an ego bigger than the sun and a s**t personality?” He pressed is hand to his chest and leaned back in his chair, feigning a pained expression.

“I’m offended. If you really mean that, my ego could shrink smaller than Jupiter, and I can’t have that happening at this age.”

“Oh yeah? And what age is that?”

“25.” Oh. He wasn’t as old as I had presumed him to be. Somehow I wasn’t weirded out by the six years between us.

He goes to check his phone when it buzzes in his pocket and grimaces when he sees the notification he received.

“I am sorry, but my work needs me right now. I have time to drive you back to campus though, if you are comfortable with that.”

“Y-yes, please drive me back to campus, if you don’t mind. I’d really appreciate that.”

“Wonderful.”

As we are driving back, I feel a few thick fingertips skim my knee. We are stopped at a red light and our gazes meet. I can’t believe I feel so comfortable around him. I could be n***d right now and still feel just as safe around him as I do when I have clothes on.

I make a bold move and grab his hand, placing it on top of my thigh, so his fingertips reach the inseam of my jeans. The smile he gives me is pure warmth and I try not to wince when he squeezes my thigh, evidently squeezing the bruises my uncle left.

When we arrive at campus and he stops the car, I unbuckle my seatbelt, grab my backpack and open the door, but before I could fully leave the car, Koa grabs my wrist and says, “tomorrow I’m going to pick you up at the same time we met today—9:30.”

“I can’t. I have to work.”

“No, you don’t. Not anymore. I’ll make sure you’re always taken care of, angel.”

“O-okay. Um, where exactly are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, angel.”

I couldn’t be more excited for tomorrow.

~~~~~

Amara

I step out of anatomy with a bad mood. My p*****t of a professor is still making me feel extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. I was glad that I got to see Koa now.

I speedwalk to the bike area, where his car is parked next to the side walk.

And there he is. Koa Black. In his midnight suit leaning against his sleek car. His beautifully sculpted body is just as impressive today as it was yesterday. As I get closer I see him holding something in his hand. A drink?

When I finally reach him, I throw my arms around him. I know he isn’t expecting it, but I need to feel his warmth and comfort after a lecture with a really creepy professor. No sooner than I had wrapped my arms around his shoulders, had he coiled his arms around my waist, dipping his head onto my shoulder and breathing me in.

I pull away from him grudgingly, and he holds out the drink in his hand to me.

“An iced vanilla latte with oat milk, just for you.”

I take the drink from him and ask, “you remembered?”

“Of course I remembered, angel,” he replies. He turns me around and opens the car door for me, taking the backpack off my shoulder and sliding it in the backseat.

When we’re both seated in the car, his hand resting on my thigh, just like yesterday, I ask him, “where are we going?”

“Like I said yesterday, it’s a secret.”

We start driving, and after about 20 minutes, we arrive at a driveway with a path of trees framing the road.

After an elegant drive down the gravel path, we reach a gate with an intercom.

Koa presses a random button and a rich, male voice projects through the speaker.

“Who is it? Do you have an appointment?”

“It’s the owner of the house with his lovely angel. We’d like enter please,” Koa said amusing tone.

“You’re hilarious, my boy. You never fail to entertain me,” the person on the other end says in a bored fashion.

When the gates fully open, we drive some more until we reach a beautiful, white, modern Victorian home with an outdoor pool and tennis court. It was stunning.

Koa drives us to the entrance of the house, parks the car, and comes around to open the passenger side door for me.

“You live here?” I ask, astonished that someone his age has such a luxurious home.

“I do live here. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes, absolutely breathtaking.”

He takes my hand and leads me to the front door, or should I say, front doors, because there were two of them. Before we reach the handle, they open and a man who looks to be in his sixties pops out. He’s tall and lanky, with salt and pepper hair, paired with icy blue eyes.

“Angel, this is Walter, he is the head housekeeper of my home. Essentially, without him, this house wouldn’t look as amazing as it does.”

Walter says to me, “lovely to meet you, Miss Amara.” How did he also know my name. It seemed everybody knew who I was these days.

“Lovely to meet you too, Walter. And, just Amara, please,” I say as he holds the door open for us, where a grand stiarcase lies ahead in the luxurious foyer.

“Of course, Amara. May I take your jacket for you?”

“Yes,” I reply, without even thinking, without remembering that I only had a tank top on under this.

I unzip my jacket and give it to Walter, who turns away from me swiftly. When I shift to face Koa I can feel the tension in the room thickening, his eyes filling with ice cold rage. It’s then when I finally realize that you could see several bruises and cigarette burn scars on my arms and chest from the past six months of living with my abusive uncle.

Koa speaks, his voice more intimidating and dark than I’d ever heard it, “how did you get these, angel? And more importantly... who did this to you?”