An Involuntary Spark Read online

  She dropped her purse on the massive California king bed made up with blindingly white linen, pillows and a comforter as she slid her phone into her pocket and exited her room.

  Amiira heard a bit of commotion at the lower level as she took her time descending the stairs, while she took in the immensity of the interior splendor around her. Still a bit shocked that she had managed to score herself a weekly getaway that included a house on the beach that was this fantastic.

  She entered the kitchen and realized that the sound was Wyatt and Riley bickering in a humorous way with one another as Kian and Elijah watched them, with amused looks lining their faces, beers in hand.

  Riley was the first to spot her as Amiira entered the kitchen. She smiled brightly and trotted over to Amiira with copious amounts of excitement as she latched arms with her.

  “There you are!” Riley said as she gave a bit of a sigh. “There are way too many y chromosomes down here giving me a hard time; I need a bit of back up.”

  “Well I'm always good for some girl powered backup,” Amiira replied, the beginnings of a smile forming on her face. “What's up?”

  “Now Rye,” Kian said as he took a quick sip of his beer, Amiira's eyes almost automatically honing in on the way his lips curved over the mouth of the bottle, and the way his long fingers languidly held it. She immediately told herself to snap out of it and focused back on Riley. “You know that the only y chromosome you're referring to is Wyatt's.”

  “That's true,” Riley sighed, throwing a bit of a pointed look at Wyatt, who was eyeing her carefully. Amiira wasn't sure if the look was laced with flirtation or not. But she took note of it. “One of his most enjoyable past times is getting under my skin.”

  “You wouldn't have it any other way,” Wyatt bemused as he chuckled to himself.

  “Alright enough of that,” Riley cut him off, as she bridged the amount of space that she and Amiira were away from the long and pristine marble counters. “Okay let's take a celebratory shot to welcome our new roommate.”

  Amiira noticed that there were already five shot glasses filled almost to the brim with clear liquid.

  “What are we toasting to?” Wyatt asked, once everyone had a shot glass in their hand.

  “To summer,” Kian spoke up rather quickly, before anyone else gave another answer. “And to Amiira.”

  Chapter 7

  Amiira felt so grateful for the liquor that both coated and burned her throat as it went down. It was the only thing that was distracting her from the toast that had just been made in her honor only moments before. She had caught Kian's eyes when he had said her name, and felt her heart thud dangerously against her ribcage, as his immaculate pools of copper orbs almost arrested her in place.

  She had managed to offer an appreciative smile at the gesture, which she was sure was only done because she was the newest guest to arrive, and as a show of hospitality in order to make her feel welcomed and comfortable.

  She most definitely felt welcomed, but her comfort level was a bit compromised as she couldn't help but wonder why she was reacting in such a way to this man. What was even more telling was that there were two other men in the kitchen and one woman, and yet she found her eyes flickering back into Kian's direction. Amiira felt this almost irrational need to drink in his image. It was strange and foreign and she couldn't remember the last time someone had ever made such an immediate and blinding impression on her.

  Amiira almost felt like it had never happened.

  “You want another shot or should I make you a drink?” Riley questioned, breaking Amiira out of her steadily unraveling and consuming thoughts. She suddenly became increasingly thankful that mind reading wasn't a thing that actually existed.

  “I'll take a drink,” Amiira said sweetly, physically turning her body so that she was fully facing Riley and couldn't look at Kian unless she actually turned her head, which would be obvious, so she'd refrain from such displays. “I'm gonna go outside and catch the sunset.”

  “Perfect idea,” Riley agreed, as she turned to retrieve glasses from the countertops as she started making drinks. “Do you guys want anything or you wanna stick with beer?”

  All of them replied various things. Amiira heard Kian say something about scotch, which she immediately found strange, considering she could already discern which voice was his.

  Amiira decided to busy herself making chit chat with Riley as she made their drinks and willed herself to get out of whatever head space that had weaseled it's way into her consciousness.

  Once Riley was done, she handed Amiira a drink that was a gorgeous fused mix of vodka, pineapple and cranberry with a splash of champagne. Riley sauntered past Amiira and into Kian's direction, holding his scotch. She handed it to him and made some comment directed towards Wyatt before calling Amiira's name.

  “Let's go,” Riley said, gesturing towards the huge screen door several yards away that lead to the patio.

  “Remind me to get my luggage,” Amiira suddenly said, as she retraced the footsteps of Riley's retreating form.

  The last thing she wanted to do was get too preoccupied with drinking and then forget that she had to carry her suitcases up two flights of stairs. Doing that even mildly intoxicated wasn't her idea of a good time.

  “Are they still in your car?” Kian's soothing voice almost stopped her in her tracks. “I'll get them.”

  “No, you don't have to do that,” Amiira responded, almost too abruptly and with too much emphasis as her eyes met his. The expression on his face was a mixture of latent surprise at her objection and keen observation of her movements.

  Amiira instantly reminded herself that he was probably just being polite.

  “It's no big deal, I insist,” Kian said as he got up, taking a slow slip of his scotch. His gaze never left hers as he eyed her over the rim of the glass. She felt strangely tested.

  “It's really not necessary,” Amiira countered, as she cleared her throat and hastily ran a hand through her hair.

  “Why are you protesting?” Riley quipped up, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Just let him get your bags.”

  “Where are your keys?” Kian asked, as he tapped the side of his glass with his finger. Amiira saw a bit of a tattoo peeking out from underneath his right forearm, she hadn't noticed it earlier.

  “I left it unlocked,” Amiira finally said, as she regarded him, suddenly remembering that he had asked her a question.

  Kian nodded his head briefly, seeming momentarily satisfied as his eyes left hers and he took one last sip of his drink.

  “Please, finish your drink first,” Amiira spoke up suddenly.

  “It'll only take a minute,” Kian assured her, pushing himself away from the counter. “Enjoy your sunset.”

  Amiira watched as he retreated out of kitchen. His body aided by the easy full strides of his long legs. She didn't miss the easy way with which he exited the room, leaving it feeling almost gaping with his absence.

  Or maybe that was just her as she tried to break her own daze.

  Wyatt and Elijah were having some unrelated conversation as they both sipped their beers, seemingly unaware of what was going on. Suddenly she felt Riley's eyes on her.

  “You wanna go with him?” Riley asked, as she watched Amiira carefully, but not knowingly.

  “What?” Amiira countered, almost with too much enthusiasm and surprise. Almost as if she had been asked if she wanted to give him a blow job, rather than go with him to watch him pull her luggage out of her car and up to her room.

  “Do you want to go with him?” Riley repeated herself, a small smile played on her thin lips as her eyebrows lifted and her head titled.

  “Oh, no not at all,” Amiira assured her, taking a sip of her drink to quell her dry throat. “I'm sure he's carried luggage before.”

  “Yeah, your bags are in good hands.”

  “Let's go see this sunset.”

  Chapter 8

  A few hours later, Amiira was definitely teete
ring on the edge of being thoroughly buzzed. One thing she was most proud of about herself was that she held her liquor well. She wasn't the type to get overly emotional, talkative or out of hand when she drank, though alcohol did lower her inhibitions, as it did most people.

  During those hours she had spent time getting to know Riley, Wyatt, and Elijah, both separately on a one on one level, and as a group. Her prior impression of Elijah had been a bit amiss. He was just kind of shy and a self proclaimed introvert, he was actually very kind yet honest in a way that was brutal depending on how he choose to deliver such truths. Amiira found this out while observing the way that he spoke about Wyatt and Riley's relationship in front of them. He was candid, yet he used language that some probably would have shyed away from using with someone they'd just met. Elijah was sort of the type that didn't really understand social cues. But he meant well.

  Apparently, Wyatt and Riley were the big on and off couple in the house. Although when Amiira probed both of them separately, regarding information about this accusation, neither one of them actually confirmed nor denied it.

  But the longer that Amiira sat in their company, the drinks freely flowing and everybody laughing and joking, she could definitely see that there was something present between Wyatt and Riley. She liked the both of them almost instantly and without knowing too much information, thought the idea of them together was rather cute.

  The one person who she hadn't really had any alone time with was Kian. Which was probably more her doing than his. He'd joined the group and they'd had mutual conversation, and even though she was feeling incredibly more relaxed than she had been upon initially meeting him and being struck with his enthralling demeanor, something deep down inside of her told her she'd probably keep all of their interactions, at least for the night, to a minimum.

  All in all, her new weekend roomies seemed to gel and click nicely. She felt like she was a welcomed addition and that the dynamics of the house were definitely light and positive.

  Amiira sat on the expansive patio in the backyard, having just been left by Riley, who'd retired for the night. Amiira could hear Wyatt and Elijah playing some type of video game through the partially shut sliding glass door as Wyatt made some comment to Riley that Amira couldn't quite make out because of the roaring and tumbling sounds of the waves that where crashing against the shore, a short distance away. She smiled to herself and took a sip of her drink, which was probably her third or fourth, she'd lost track, and thought of how pleased she was that she'd made this decision.

  Amiira breathed in the night's cool air, latent with salt and moisture as she tried to make out the tops of the waves in the clear crisp darkness of the night. She pulled her loose gray sweater, that she had went up to her room to retrieve earlier in the night, around her shoulders as she crossed her arms closely around her. She eyed the two oversized hammocks off to the side of the deck, which hung between a patch of tall palm trees. They moved briefly as a stronger gust of wind toppled over the area.

  She briefly contemplated walking over to lie down in one, but knew that she was feeling far too relaxed and that she'd probably end up falling asleep without meaning to. Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her sweater and she quickly retrieved it as she gazed at the text message. She rolled her eyes as she saw that it was Eli. She didn't even bother reading it all the way through before she re-pocketed her phone and took another sip of her delicious drink. Whatever he had to say, she wasn't in the mood to hear. She was in too good of a mood and was too relaxed to let him have any bearing on her current mentality, especially on her first night.

  Amiira's thoughts that had involuntarily drifted towards her former lover were quickly interrupted when she heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps. She turned her head to the sound and saw Kian strolling in a leisurely pace towards her. The phenomenon that she experienced in her stomach was essentially akin to butterflies, but more aptly, felt like the size of birds.

  Amiira offered him a pleasant expression once she'd gotten over the initial surprise of seeing him.

  “You look deep in thought,” Kian offered once he had made his way over to her, he casually slipped his hands into his jean pockets. Amiira noted the slight flexing of the tendons in his forearms at the movement. She got a better look at his tattoo for a moment before her eyes traveled up his long body and met his incredibly handsome face. “I don't want to interrupt you.”

  “No, you're fine,” Amiira mumbled, tearing her gaze off of him, and immediately rethinking whether her words had been received in a completely different manner and context than which they were intended. Because he was quite literally, quite exceedingly fine. But she had meant it as a refute about whether or not he was interrupting her. Amiira gestured to the empty spot on the giant oak bench next to her. “Have a seat.”

  Amiira's eyes took in the sight up him again briefly as he heeded her instructions. They sat in relative, yet comfortable silence for awhile, both of them casting their attention to the water. The comfort in their silence was almost a bit startling to Amiira, considering she didn't know this man at all. Comfortable silences weren't something that you automatically shared with people you didn't know. She immediately blamed it on the alcohol.

  “Thank you for taking my bags up earlier,” Amiira began, breaking the almost sonic silence. “I appreciate it.”

  “Don't mention it,” Kian said easily, his brown eyes drifting over to hers. He regarded her briefly before turning his attention back to the boisterous current.

  Amiira almost instantly felt taken with his profile, which was illuminated by the night sky and the deck lights on the property. His jaw was strong, his facial hair short, his mouth placed in a natural bow. Amiira tore her eyes from him briefly as she took another sip of her drink, fearing she was already assessing him too closely.

  “So what's your story, Amiira?” Kian asked gently, his brown eyes pinning her with an almost laser precision.

  Amiira took a deep breath, not sure where to start; or even if she should.

  Chapter 9

  Amiira bit the inside of her mouth as she eyed him, quietly contemplating how she should answer such a question. It was broad and elusive enough in nature. It wasn't that specific and she could easily reply with something nondescript and vague. But as she watched him watching her, and waiting patiently for her response, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly inclined to answer in some detailed and revealing way.

  There was something about his demeanor that was both easy and arresting, which didn't make much sense to her because those two things were completely opposite experiences.

  But yet, as she looked into his sincere, astute eyes, she felt both those realities almost pressing up against her.

  “It's not a very interesting one,” Amiira answered finally, settling on mild self deprecation as she brought her drink to her lips.

  “Oh somehow I doubt that,” Kian retorted, his smooth voice droned a bit as he let out a small chuckle.

  Amiira noticed the way his mouth curved up in a smile, exposing his pristinely straight teeth, which casted a lovely contrast between the pigment of his skin, and the dark facial hair that bordered his jaw and mouth.

  “Why is that?” Amiira inquired, silently both thankful for and cursing the liquor that ran through her veins.

  This man's beauty had already been beyond impressive before, but now given the circumstance, it was downright debilitating.

  “You just strike me as somebody who is all the synonyms for interesting,” Kian responded, after waiting a beat before answering her question.

  Kian studied her as he watched those words resonate. Her shoulders almost looked as if they were shielding her from him, or maybe it was the night air they were hunched up against. He noticed strands of her hair blowing easily against her arms and collarbone, he allowed his eyes to quickly span the length of her face, chin, mouth, nose and then eyes before he reluctantly tore his eyes off of her.

  “That's a bit inflated for someon
e you just met only a few hours ago,” Amiira replied, being both unnerved and endeared by the way he was looking at her.

  “I suppose it is,” Kian exclaimed, strengthening his long legs out in front of him as he found his eyes on her face once more. “Maybe you're only incredibly boring.”

  His tone was a bit playful, and she smiled despite herself. She ran a hand haphazardly through her long hair as her eyes danced between the shore and him before she decided to just look at her glass, which was almost vacant of the liquid she'd been consuming.

  “I'm not that fascinating, I assure you,” Amiira exclaimed. “I live and work in L.A.”

  “Doing?” Kian probed further.

  “I work at a consulting firm.”

  “Ah, so you're perceptive,” Kian speculated freely, his right hand coming up and rubbing the side of his jaw absentmindedly.