Playing With Fire (Firehouse Fourteen Book 2) Page 6

  And no, it had nothing to do with that night at his house. Yes, he admitted that the memory of her standing in front of him, her body bared for his eyes as she touched herself, had definitely replayed in his mind more than once.

  But mostly it was her smile and her laughter that he pictured when he thought of her—which was too frequently, for his peace of mind. He just wanted to get to know her better.

  He hadn’t wanted to get to know a woman—any woman—like that in entirely too long. That in itself was enough to worry him. Add to that the fact that Angie was Dave’s sister and there was a recipe ripe for disaster.

  Should it worry him that he wasn’t as worried as he should be?

  Probably.

  But it didn’t matter, not right now, because Angie should be here in the next few minutes. He hoped she would be here. Again, he mentally kicked himself for not offering to pick her up. What kind of jackass didn’t pick up his date?

  The kind of jackass that wouldn’t admit that this was an actual date.

  He stopped arguing with himself and looked around at the people passing by. It was a Friday night, and the crowd was shifting from businessmen and commuters to people enjoying a night out. His eyes searched the crowds, looking for a single girl standing out among the couples and groups walking by. He didn’t see anyone yet but told himself not to worry, that she would show up.

  He should have picked her up.

  Two taxis pulled up to the curb, and Jay let his gaze drift over to them. A couple got out of the first one. The passenger was still in the second one, the back door open and one shapely leg clad in a high heeled shoe peeking out. Jay let his eyes roam appreciatively over the toned expanse of tan flesh then continued searching the crowd, hoping to see Angie walking toward him.

  Still no sign of her. He sighed and glanced at his watch, wondering if maybe she was stuck in traffic or having a hard time finding a place to park. He refused to think she wouldn’t show up.

  “Hey Jay.”

  Relief flooded him when he heard his name called and he turned around, a smile on his face. He froze, his mind having trouble processing what his eyes were seeing.

  Angie stood a few feet away, at the curb where the taxi he noticed earlier was now pulling away. She was dressed in a simple black dress that fell mid-thigh, cut deep enough to show off lush cleavage. His eyes raked her once more in appreciation, traveling down her tanned legs and stopping at the dangerously high black sandals on her feet.

  He swallowed and raised his gaze, noticing the way her dark hair was carelessly pulled up, the length of it off her shoulders with thick strands waving around her face and along her neck. The sun caught it in its dying rays, turning the browns into shades of cinnamon and roan.

  And hell, he didn’t even know what color roan was.

  Her smile faltered and he realized he had been staring like an idiot, frozen at the sight of her. He offered her a smile and closed the distance between them, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before he could stop and think about. The action seemed to surprise her, but she didn’t say anything.

  “You’re beautiful.” Jay cursed himself for uttering such a plainly generic phrase, thinking that a woman would want to hear something more poetic or fancier. But he was neither of those things, and the honest declaration was the truth. The compliment seemed to surprise her, though, because a small flush spread across her cheeks and she looked away.

  They stood there for a few seconds, neither of them saying anything, and Jay suddenly wondered if Angie was as uncomfortable as he was. If that was the case, they were both going to be in for a long night.

  And he didn’t want that.

  So he reached down and grabbed her hand, threading his fingers through hers and leading her toward the restaurant. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, actually, I am.” Angie said it like it surprised her and he looked over at her, wondering at the comment. But he didn’t say anything, just gave her a smile as they stopped at the hostess stand.

  They were quickly seated and filled the first few minutes with vague small talk until the waitress came over, took their drink order, then left. Jay looked over at Angie, watching her as she studied the menu.

  “Is this okay? I didn’t stop to think—”

  “No, this is great. Thanks.” She looked up and offered him a small smile, then turned back to the menu. “It all looks so good, I just don’t know what to get.”

  “Well, I’ll go out on a limb and say that their steak is probably pretty good.”

  Angie looked up at him, a small frown on her face. Then she finally laughed. Jay let out his breath, glad that she had understood his lame joke. They were at a steak house, a well-known one, so it went without saying that the steak would be good.

  The waitress approached with their drinks then took their order. Jay was gratified to hear Angie order the petit filet. He had been on too many dates with too many women who ordered nothing more than a salad, then picked at it all night. It had always made him uncomfortable to eat his own heavy meal, and he invariably left still hungry.

  He didn’t think he’d have that problem tonight, and ordered the prime rib. The waitress left and he turned back to Angie, raising his beer glass as if he was going to make a toast. She looked at him oddly for a second, then raised her own wine glass in response.

  “To the start of a fun date.” He had meant to words to be light, but there must have been something in his voice that didn’t come out quite right. Angie clinked her glass against his and took a sip of her wine, but instead of smiling like he had hoped, she looked down at the table. Her hand smoothed the white linen of the table cloth then absently straightened the heavy silverware.

  He sat back in his chair and watched her, wondering why she suddenly seemed to find the table so much more interesting. “Is everything okay, Angie? Did I say something wrong?”

  She looked up at him, a shadow of something uncertain flashing in her dark eyes. She shook her head, paused, then shrugged and took another sip of wine. “No, nothing’s wrong. I guess I was just a little confused.”

  “About what?”

  She looked over at him again, her gaze direct and unwavering. “Is that what this really is? A date? Or is it something else?”

  Discomfort quickly filled Jay and he glanced away. How was he supposed to answer that, when he had been grappling with the same exact question not even a half hour ago? He knew what he wanted it to be, no matter how much guilt he felt about it. But he didn’t know what Angie thought about the whole thing.

  She shifted in the chair across from him and he realized he had waited too long to answer her question. That by saying nothing, he had given her the wrong idea, left her with the wrong impression. He opened his mouth, but she started talking before he could.

  “Jay, listen, I appreciate it. Really, I do. But you didn’t have to do this. I’m a big girl, I don’t need you doing—” she paused before waving her hands over the table between them, “whatever this is that you’re doing.”

  “Angie—”

  “No, it’s okay, really.” She gave him a small smile then pushed her chair back from the table, ready to stand up. “Let me see if I can catch the waitress. It’s probably not too late to cancel the order and—”

  “No.” Jay stood up and walked over to her, his hand gently pushing her back into the chair. “Angie, no. I don’t want to cancel this. I want to be here tonight, with you, and enjoy our dinner together.”

  She strained her neck back and stared up at him, looking uncomfortable. He realized that he was now towering over her so he shifted and bent down so they were eye level. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and took her hand, his thumb tracing a circle against her knuckles.

  “Listen, I don’t know if this is a date or not. I guess that’s up to you. What I do know is that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I should, but I can’t. And I’d like to get to know you better. So maybe this is a da
te, I don’t know. But will you at least have dinner with me, and see how it turns out? You don’t have to stay after that if you don’t want to. I’ll take you to your car and even pay for your parking.”

  “Jay—”

  “No, I’m serious. I was a complete ass for making you drive when I should have—”

  Angie reached over and pressed her fingers against his lips, effectively silencing him. He ignored the excitement he felt at just that little bit of contact, enjoying instead the sight of her broad smile.

  “Jay, you should probably get up before people thinking you’re proposing or something.”

  “What?” He pulled away so quickly that he nearly lost his balance and fell on the floor. It was only then that he realized he had dropped to one knee. He turned his head and noticed several of the patrons, and even the wait staff, watching them with smiles.

  “Holy shit.” He scrambled back to his chair and sank it into it, wishing he could sink into the floor instead. But the embarrassment was worth it when Angie laughed, the sound clear and genuine. He shook his head and reached for his beer, taking a healthy swallow before he joined in her laughter.

  “I have no idea what to say right now.”

  Angie laughed and shook her head. “That makes two of us. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll stay for dinner.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And you don’t have to take me to my car, because I didn’t drive down here.”

  “You didn’t? Then how—”

  “I took the light rail down then caught a cab from the stadium.”

  Jay opened his mouth to reply then immediately snapped it shut. Certainly he had misunderstood her. Hadn’t he?

  “You did what?” His shock must have been clear in his voice because Angie looked up at him in confusion.

  “I took the light rail down. I hate driving in the city.”

  “You took—? Dressed like that?” Jay ignored her careless shrug as anger filled him, anger at himself for not picking her up. To hear she had taken the light rail, a mode of transportation that was iffy at best but damn risky dressed as nicely as she was, upset him on a level that went beyond anger at himself.

  “Jay, it was fine. Honest.”

  He shook his head again. “No, it’s not fine. And you are definitely not taking the light rail home tonight.”

  Angie just smiled at him and said nothing, which was probably for the better because Jay was still steaming. Thoughts of everything that could have happened to her on the way down settled into the pit of his stomach and grew into a sour lump. He took another swallow of beer and muttered to himself.

  No, he was definitely taking her home tonight, and at this point, he didn’t really care what her brother might say about it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Butterflies swarmed deep in Angie’s belly, adding to the feeling of giddiness that threatened to make her giggle. She swallowed the impulse, because she didn’t want to giggle.

  Not now.

  She looked up at Jay, helpless to stop the small smile on her face. He looked more handsome than he had a right to, dressed up as he was. Her eyes drifted down to the open collar of his shirt and she had to curl her fingers into her palm to stop herself from reaching out and running her hand up his chest. It was harder to control the impulse than she thought it would be, not when she already knew how hard and broad that chest was.

  He was much more good looking than she first thought, with his dark blonde hair slicked back, not quite brushed completely off his high forehead. And when he watched her with those amazing eyes, like he was now, well, she could almost excuse herself from throwing herself at him that one night.

  She wanted to do the same thing right now, but he was so nervous that she was afraid to even move. They were standing at the edge of the front porch, just outside the reach of the front door light. Jay kept glancing around and she knew he was looking for Dave, worried about running into him.

  “Thank you again for tonight. I really did have fun.”

  Jay finally looked down at her, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth and shining in his eyes. “I’m glad. I did, too.”

  “And you really didn’t have to follow me home, you know. I would have been fine by myself.” And she would have been. But Jay had insisted on following her after he dropped her off at the light rail station to get her car, and he wouldn’t listen to any argument she gave him. And she was secretly glad he did, because that gave them even more time to be together, even if it was only for a few more minutes.

  Jay stepped closer to her and her breath caught in her throat. Would he kiss her goodnight? And how silly was that, wishing for a kiss like some teenager? Even so, she couldn’t quite hide her disappointment when he merely reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I know, but I wanted to.” His smile faded as he watched her, his eyes serious as he studied her face. The air around them thickened with anticipation and Angie held her breath, wondering if he would kiss her now. He moved forward, just an inch, and suddenly his mouth was on hers, gentle, coaxing.

  A small sigh escaped her and she stepped closer, feeling his arms wrap around her waist as his tongue swept across her lips. She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the heat of his body flush against hers as her mouth opened for him, inviting.

  The kiss quickly intensified, igniting something deep inside her. The thrust of Jay’s tongue became more demanding, coaxing her surrender. She tightened her hold on him and willingly gave in.

  Heat coiled inside her, spreading like the fingers of a flame, scorching, burning. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, speeding up under the excitement of his touch. She sighed again, a small sound that was immediately captured by Jay as she pushed herself even closer, wanting, needing to feel all of him.

  Jay abruptly broke the kiss and pulled away, just a fraction of an inch. He was breathing heavily and she could see the flush on his face even in the shadows. His eyes studied her, burning in their intensity, searing her nearly as much as his kiss had done.

  She expected him to say something. Instead, he cupped her face between his hands and brushed his thumb along her bottom lip. Tingles shot through her at the touch and she opened her mouth in invitation. Jay groaned, a sound of frustration and need, and claimed her mouth once more, walking her backward until she was pressed against the porch post.

  He deepened the kiss, demanding a surrender she willingly offered. His body pushed more tightly against hers and she thrust against him, feeling the hard length of his erection against her stomach.

  Desire exploded inside her, more intense than she expected. Liquid heat flowed through her, moving with the speed of lava as it consumed her, inch by slow inch. She ran her hands along Jay’s shoulders, feeling the hard muscle under her palms. Lower still, down across his open collar. Her trembling fingers found the buttons of his shirt and undid them, one by one, until the shirt was open. She slid her hands inside his shirt, her palms flat against his warm flesh, kneading the solid expanse of muscle. But it wasn’t enough, she wanted more, needed to feel all of him.

  Jay pulled away and stepped back with a groan, then lowered his forehead against hers. She could see his shaky smile and tried to catch her breath, tried to still her racing heart as she burned on the inside.

  “Ang, we need to stop. We can’t—”

  “Come inside.” The invitation came out in a ragged whisper, foreign to her own ears. Jay groaned then leaned forward to give her another kiss, a quick one this time, before shaking his head.

  “I want to. You have no idea how much I want to. But Dave—”

  “Is working another callback.”

  Silence greeted her quick reply, and Angie immediately wondered if she should have said anything. She hadn’t planned on telling Jay, hadn’t thought that tonight would amount to anything.

  But it had, and she didn’t want it to end.

  She could see Jay’s mind working
, could see him arguing with himself. And she knew that he was still telling himself that it was wrong to be with her. That she was Dave’s sister. That there was some kind of stupid manly code of honor that he was breaking.

  She held her breath, wondering what he would do. No, she wouldn’t throw herself at him again, no matter how much she wanted to. This was something Jay had to resolve on his own.

  That didn’t mean she had to do stand by and do absolutely nothing.

  Angie leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his, nipping at his lower lip before darting her tongue out. His mouth opened immediately under hers, a soft groan escaping him as she pressed herself even closer. She ran her hands along his chest then slowly, reluctantly, pulled away.

  He sighed against her mouth, leaning forward for another kiss, but she ducked around him, offering him a small smile.

  “I’m going inside if you’d like to join me.” She looked at him for another second. A flash of desire crossed his face, followed by something else she couldn’t read.

  She turned back around and walked to the front door, unlocking it then pushing it open. A smile spread across her face as Jay came up behind her and followed her inside.

  **

  Jay crossed the threshold and stopped. The silence of the house greeted him, the air inside cool against his flushed skin. Angie reached behind him to close the door and he jumped at the sound of the lock clicking in place. He had a second to wonder if he had just crossed some invisible line before Angie’s body brushed against his, and he thought no more.

  He grabbed her arm and spun her around, dropping his mouth to hers and claiming her. Devouring her. If he was going to hell for this, then he would gladly burn because it felt right.

  She leaned into him, her soft curves pressed against him, her hips fitted just right against his. Her mouth opened for him and he wasted no time in thrusting his tongue into her sweetness. He wanted this. He wanted her. Now.