Second Alarm (Firehouse Fourteen Book 5) Read online

  Adam pulled away, his gaze holding hers. “Feel like going someplace a little more private?”

  “Like where?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say a hotel. It was the only place that made sense. He didn’t want to fuck Beth in the back seat, not after what they’d just done in the parking lot. This was their last time together, he could spring for another night in a hotel room. She deserved at least that much.

  Which was why he nearly choked when the unexpected words finally fell from his lips: “My place.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It was a bachelor pad. Neatly kept and mostly clean, but still a bachelor pad. Beth stood in the middle of the room, her shoulders hunched around her ears, and looked around as Adam moved past her, turning on lights. Leather sofa and matching recliner. A wooden coffee table and matching end tables. Each end table held a single plain lamp and nothing else. Magazines were scattered across the surface of the coffee table, along with a thick text book opened in the middle. A pad of paper with scrawled notes sat next to the heavy book.

  The walls were bare except for the large screen television, neatly placed in the center above a low shelf with more electronic equipment. The far wall of the living room opened into a pass-through window leading to the kitchen. Two stools were shoved under the overhang of the counter. A loaf of bread and a bag of pretzels sat next to a coffee cup in the middle of the counter.

  A small dining nook was off to her left, complete with a round wooden table and four matching chairs. A dark hallway stretched out beyond the dining nook, no doubt leading to—

  She didn’t need to think about where it led. Not right now.

  So she focused on what she didn’t see. There wasn’t a single plant or a single knick-knack anywhere in sight. No sign of any decorative touches anywhere she looked.

  Definitely a bachelor pad. Something like relief went through her. Had she been expecting something different? No. Maybe. Not really.

  Okay, maybe she had been a little worried that Adam wasn’t really single, which was ridiculous. Of course he was single. Why would someone who looked like him settle down with just one woman when he could have his pick of different women every night of the week?

  Stop it.

  She didn’t need to be thinking like that right now, not when she was standing here in the middle of Adam’s living room. Beth wasn’t stupid—she knew he saw other women. She’d met him in a chatroom, for crying out loud. To hook-up. For sex. Of course he was seeing other women.

  She still didn’t need to be thinking about that right now. It didn’t matter who else he saw or what else he did—she was the one here with him now.

  Although she wasn’t entirely sure why, not after what had happened in the parking lot. Heat rushed to her face and she turned around, trying to hide it in case Adam noticed. Oh God, just thinking about what they’d done—what she’d done—was enough to send her scurrying in embarrassment.

  And enough to cause warmth to grow between her legs and her breath to shorten with excitement. She didn’t understand it, all these conflicting emotions and reactions. Yes, she was embarrassed, both by what they’d done and how she had reacted. But she was also extremely turned on—more turned on than she had been in a long time.

  Unless you counted the last two times she’d been with Adam.

  Tonight had to be the last time she met with him. It would be too easy to fall for him, too easy to view this whole thing—whatever it was—as a relationship. Part of her wondered if maybe she wasn’t already in over her head. No, she couldn’t be. It was just sex, nothing else.

  Or so she thought until today. Spending the day with Adam, getting to know his coworkers and hanging out as if she belonged there—it had been a mistake. A big one. She’d gotten to know Adam today—about him, as a person. His likes and dislikes, the way one eyebrow cocked up in disbelief whenever he disagreed with something one of his coworkers said. The way he was able to laugh at himself if he made a mistake. The way he actually listened to people when they spoke, as if whatever they were saying was important.

  It had only been one day but he seemed more real to her now. A real man, with likes and dislikes and quirks, instead of a hot body meant for nothing more than sexual gratification.

  Oh, who was she kidding? She liked him—a lot. Had from that very first night together.

  So yeah, tonight had to be their last time together. It had to be.

  “You can take your jacket off, you know. I won’t bite. Unless you want me to, of course, then I’ll be happy to oblige.” Adam came to a stop next to her, a bottle of beer in his outstretched hand. When had he gone to the kitchen?

  Beth shrugged out of the jacket then accepted the beer from him. She took a small sip, her eyes darting around the room, unable to meet his gaze. Could he tell what she was thinking? God, she hoped not.

  He must have noticed her looking around because he stepped closer, heat from his body washing over her. She turned, his gaze catching hers as he offered her a quick smile that exposed the small dimple in his cheek. “It’s not much but it’s home. A place to crash and study. And it’s clean. Well, mostly.”

  “It’s, uh, nice.” She raised the bottle to her mouth and took a small swallow. Could Adam see the flush spreading across her face? Probably. There didn’t seem to be much that he missed.

  “Do you want the tencent tour?”

  Was that his way of inviting her back to his room? It must be—she couldn’t imagine there being much more to the apartment than what she was seeing from her vantage point.

  “Um…okay.”

  Adam grinned again and grabbed her free hand, tugging her along as he pointed out each room. “The living room, obviously. There’s a small balcony outside. This building backs up to the woods so it’s nice during the summer.” He pointed to the sliding glass doors hidden by heavy drapes then took several steps closer to the darkened hallway. “Kitchen, with all the modern amenities, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  He chuckled and pointed to the left. “Formal dining room, such as it is. I usually just eat at the counter.” He took the beer from her and placed it on the table along with his, then led her into the hallway, palming a switch as he kept walking. “Laundry closet—yes, I know how to do laundry.”

  Beth laughed, some of her nervousness fading away. Was he trying to make her feel more at ease? She didn’t know and realized it didn’t matter. Not right now.

  “We have a fully modern bathroom through this door here. Don’t look too close, I probably left the toilet seat up. Spare room is through that door there. I like to think of it as an office, but it’s more of a catch-all.”

  “Every house should have one.”

  “Exactly. A woman after my own heart.” He gave her another grin then pushed open the door to his left. He led her inside then reached behind her and palmed another switch. Soft light from a small lamp on the bedside table filled the room.

  “And this—” Adam’s voice lowered to a husky whisper, one filled with promise. “This is the bedroom.”

  Beth nodded, unable to speak. Heat spiraled out from her center, spinning faster and faster, leaving her breathless. Her gaze fastened on the dark cherry sleigh bed in the center of the room. A set of wooden steps, two high, led up to the king size monstrosity. A thick comforter in a deep maroon pattern was stretched over matching sheets that glimmered in the dim light. It was…opulent. Enticing. Exciting.

  Frightening.

  She must have made a small noise, a little sigh or croak of surprise, because Adam’s hand was suddenly in the middle of her back, warm and comforting. He turned her around, his dark blue gaze capturing hers, searching.

  There was something about the look in his eyes, something different. Heat and desire were there, yes. Need, even. But no teasing and none of the playfulness that she had noticed their last two times together, or even earlier tonight in the parking light.

  The air around them grew heavy, warm. Her breath ca
ught in her throat and her heart slammed against her chest before racing in a crazy rhythm. She almost pulled away, almost ran from the room, from his apartment.

  Not from fear. Some inner instinct told her she had nothing to fear from Adam. No, this was something entirely different. A survival instinct, screaming at her to save herself. Warning her of…something.

  But she didn’t move. She couldn’t move, not when Adam’s deep gaze held her in place. He reached up with one hand and gently cupped her cheek. His thumb swept across her lower lip, the touch light, tentative. Beth’s eyes fluttered closed as a small sigh escaped her.

  And then his mouth was on hers. Soft, so soft. Tender. Seeking permission. Beth swayed closer, leaning into the kiss, granting him the permission he was silently seeking.

  Adam deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping in and dancing with hers. Slow, gentle. Like she was a treasured chalice of rare nectar that he wanted to savor. Beth sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her body melting under the tender onslaught. Gentle hands, large and warm, skimmed along her side, sliding her blouse up as they went. Adam broke the kiss with a low moan and pulled the shirt over her head, tossing it to the side. Flesh—she wanted to feel bare flesh to bare flesh. No, it was much more than want. This was need—primal, basic, potent. Powerful, oh so powerful.

  She ran her hands over his chest and down his sides, catching the hem of his shirt with her fingers. She slid it up, her palms grazing hot flesh along the way. His heart beat steady against her hand, a fast, heavy pounding that filled her with awe.

  With power.

  She was the one making his heart beat so fast. She was the one making the breath hitch in his chest and causing his eyes to glaze with passion and need.

  With desire.

  Beth eased the shirt over his head, let it drop to the floor as she pressed a soft kiss in the middle of his chest. Right there, where the small thatch of hair grew before trailing in a thin line to disappear into the waistband of his jeans. She spread her fingers wide against his broad chest, reveled in the feel of him. Hard and soft. Warm, so warm, his skin tanned, darker than the pale flesh of her hands.

  Need coursed through her, so different than the need of their previous encounters. She needed to touch, to feel. To learn every inch of the magnificent body before her.

  To have memories later, when this was all over? No, she wouldn’t think about that now. There was no future. No past. Just…now.

  Beth trailed her mouth along his chest, peppering his skin with light kisses. She pressed her mouth against his heart, felt the heavy pounding and heard the sharp hiss of his breath.

  Lower, lower still, her mouth following that thin line of darker blonde hair. Her hands closed over the button of his jeans, her trembling fingers struggling to undo it. Adam’s hands closed over hers, strong and rough. Large hands, dark against hers, rough and calloused yet oh so gentle.

  He helped her undo the button, gently guided her hands as she slid the zipper down. Her fingers dipped into the waistband of his jeans, tugged them past his waist until the heavy length of his erection popped free.

  She closed her hand around him, marveling at the softness of skin stretched tight. Thick, powerful. She slid her hand along the hardened length as she kissed her way down his chest, his stomach, down lower to the paler skin of hips and groin.

  Adam slid his hands into her hair, threading his fingers through the long strands. But instead of guiding her to his erection, instead of holding her in place, he gently tugged and pulled her up. Something flared in his eyes, something that made her heart stammer in her chest. Then his mouth was on hers, the kiss almost desperate somehow.

  He picked her up, his mouth still on hers, and carried her over to the bed. Beth’s hands dug into his shoulders, certain he would drop her, afraid she was too heavy for him, worried he would somehow hurt himself by lifting her.

  The worry was misplaced. He climbed the steps and gently lowered her to the mattress, shifting her to the side as he pulled the comforter back. The smooth coolness of silky sheets touched her back, thrilling and decadent. Adam climbed onto the mattress and knelt beside her, his eyes dark pools of desire as he slid the skirt down her legs.

  There was something about the way he looked at her, something about the blatant need in his eyes that frightened her. This was different, so different from their other encounters.

  No. No, she was just reading into it. There was nothing between them, just casual sex. That was all. To read anything else into it was foolish. Dangerous.

  His mouth closed over hers once more, the kiss deeper this time. His hands roamed over her body, touching her everywhere except where she needed to be touched. Her hands closed over his shoulders, her body arching, trying to reach for the touch she needed so badly.

  Adam broke the kiss and stared down at her. Intense. Searching…but for what?

  “You’re the first woman I’ve had here in over eight months.” His voice was a husky whisper, rough yet intimate. Beth struggled to understand the words, struggled to understand why he uttered them.

  Struggled to convince herself they didn’t mean anything, cautioned herself not to read into them.

  Then Adam’s mouth was on hers again, gentle but demanding as he slid the jeans down his powerful legs and kicked them off. He shifted on top of her, sheathing himself with a condom he’d pulled out when she wasn’t looking. His body, so big and powerful, stretched along her own. Beth wrapped her legs around his waist, her hips thrusting up. Reaching. Searching.

  Adam’s hands closed over hers, stretched them above her head and held them in place. He broke the kiss, his gaze capturing hers with a frightening intensity as he entered her in one swift move.

  Beth’s head fell back, her lids fluttering closed as sensation washed over her. More, she needed more—

  “Look at me, Beth. Look at me.”

  No. She couldn’t. She was afraid to.

  But she was helpless to ignore the commanding plea in his voice. She struggled to force her eyes open, struggled against herself to meet his gaze.

  And plunged over the edge into a waterfall of shimmering lights that exploded around her.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Beth seems like a nice girl.”

  Adam looked up from the study guide, surprised to see Dale leaning in the doorway. Where the hell had he come from? Yeah, Adam had been focused on studying but he still should have heard the other man approaching through the bunk room.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “You guess? Seriously?”

  “Okay. She is nice. Does that make you feel better?”

  “It’s not me who needs to feel better.”

  Adam frowned, considered asking Dale what the hell he was talking about, then changed his mind. He didn’t feel like having a conversation about Beth. Hell, he didn’t feel like having a conversation about anything. He’d been in a foul mood for the last seven days, ever since dropping Beth off at her car the morning after he made the mistake of taking her back to her place.

  Mistake. Yeah, right. It had been more than a mistake. What the fuck had he been thinking? He never took women back to his place. Never. So why the hell had he broken his own rules with Beth?

  He’d been asking himself that question for the last week and the only answer he could come up with pissed him off.

  Guilt.

  Pure, unmitigated guilt.

  What he didn’t understand is why. Guilt over what? The only thing between them was sex. Nothing more, nothing less. This was no different than any other hook-up he’d had in the last eight months. Hook-up, fuck a few times, go their separate ways. That was the way it was supposed to work. No complications, no guilt.

  Except it wasn’t going that way with Beth, and it fucking pissed him off. She wasn’t supposed to be any different than the other women he’d fucked.

  Except she was.

  And what they’d done a week ago in his bed wasn’t fucking. It had been…different. It was like he cou
ldn’t get enough of her and he didn’t know why.

  She was different, and that worried him. Was it because this was all new to her? Could it be as simple as some kind of warped, misplaced protectiveness he felt for her? But why?

  That’s what it all came down to—the why. But damn if he had the fucking answer to it.

  They’d had their three times together. By his own rules, it was done and over with. He hadn’t called her. Hadn’t sent her a text. Fair enough, since she hadn’t called or texted him, either. And he hadn’t checked in the chatroom to see if she was in there.

  He hadn’t been in the chatroom at all. Every single time he thought about logging on, his stomach clenched and filled with bile—because he was afraid he’d see Beth there, looking for a hook-up. The idea of her being with anyone else—

  He couldn’t even finish the thought, not without running the risk of having his dinner come right back up.

  “Are you okay?”

  “What?” Adam raised his head and scowled at Dale. “Fine. Why?”

  “Because you haven’t heard a single word I said. And you look like you’re ready to hurl.”

  “I’m fine. Just studying, that’s all.”

  “If you say so.” Dale shifted, ran one hand through his brown hair, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. “So, are you and Beth a thing now?”

  “Fuck no. You should know better.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. I don’t date. I don’t have relationships. You know that.”

  “Then why the hell did you bring her with you last week? Sure looked like a date to me.”

  “It wasn’t a date. I just didn’t feel like listening to everyone give me shit if I showed up solo.”

  “Not sure if I’m buying that.”

  “I don’t give a shit what you’re buying. It was just a hook-up, that’s all. Nothing more to it than that.”

  Dale studied him through a frown. A minute went by, then another, until Adam started to squirm in the ancient desk chair. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Rusty springs creaked with each movement and he had to force himself to stay still.