Read Fuel the Fire for Free Online Page B

I’m the only one properly dressed. I’m never surprised.
    A deep shade of red blemishes her cheeks. “ Ohmygod .” This time, she sounds mortified. “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
    “Animals generally don’t wear them,” I answer first.
    Ryke flips me off casually, about the same moment that Daisy shoots up in alarm, incognizant of her new surroundings. Ryke hurriedly squats in front of his girlfriend, hands on her face so she focuses on something familiar.
    “Oh shit.” Lily hesitates to rush to her sister’s aid, afraid to worsen the situation. I can read her guilt at the sight of Daisy’s distress and confusion, sweat beading her little sister’s forehead.
    “Dais,” Ryke whispers. “You’re in our kitchen. Nothing bad fucking happened, I promise.”
    Daisy blinks repeatedly, trying to listen instead of falling into a panic attack.
    I place my palm on Lily’s back, directing her to the living room. She almost stumbles over her feet, in a slight fog.
    “He’ll orient Daisy,” I say. “We don’t know what happened, but he does.” I’d rather Lily believe that someone else is on her side, no one casting blame her way for this small event.
    Lily nods a couple times, focusing on the door ahead of us. “That’s a good idea.” She licks her chapped lips. “We shouldn’t overwhelm her.”
    When we enter the living room, I shut the door behind us, no coffees with me. Living with two other couples has made life far from predictable. I can’t complain.
    “Umm…” Lily puts a couple steps between us. She tugs at the hem of her sweatshirt, her thin legs pressed together, maybe out of habit more than arousal. She’s a sex addict, but very rarely has she ever admitted or been turned on by me.
    I already know she’s here about the article since I’ve been waiting for it to publish. If Rose and I are going to handle this alone, Lily can’t be aware of this fact. “I’ve already put the Team Raisy sticker on my limo,” I tell her. She’s been on a Raisy crusade for the past year, in support of Ryke’s relationship with Daisy, just as we all are. Lo too. The public is more pro-Raisy than it used to be. Daisy getting older has helped.
    “It’s not about the Raisy ship, but thank you.” She nods in appreciation and then pushes the tablet in my chest. “Just to be clear, I was online shopping for Black Friday deals, not actively snooping on the Celebrity Crush website. But I think you should see this before Rose does.”
    I’m positive Rose has already seen the article and reread it a dozen times by now. I wear a blank expression and skim the screen, opened on People who reposted the original article. I click on the link that takes me to Celebrity Crush.
    The headline: EXCLUSIVE! Connor Cobalt Caught Going Down on Rose Calloway in Public
    My jaw muscles twitch. They used her maiden name. I understand she was famous before she married me, but I take pleasure knowing she’s Rose Cobalt because she chose it. What they published is inaccurate.
    I purposefully let my irritation filter through. Rose and I already discussed what we’d say in defense of the night. I have to seem disgruntled, shocked, and briefly alarmed. All the normal sentiments that’d accompany this out-of-character situation.
    “You look upset,” Lily notes. “Is it real? Not that I’m judging.” She raises her hands. “I’ve been there before, plenty of times, but never photographed…” Her eyes light up at the thought that Rose and I have somehow trumped her sexual escapades by a fraction. “This is strange.”
    “The part where I went down on my wife or where I did it in public?” I ask easily.
    Lily’s cheeks flush even more. “Uhh…both? No wait. That’s not the right answer, is it?”
    I smile. “There is no wrong answer. It’s an opinion, but I like hearing yours.”
    She relaxes and points to the tablet. “Have you read it yet?”
    I shake my head, focusing on the photograph at first. They