Beth leaned forward and adjusted the car vent so the cool air blew into her face. It wasn't hot out, not really—the bright blue sky was clear overhead, the air crisp and clean and carrying the scent of early autumn in spite of the mild temperature. In a few hours, when the sun sank below the horizon, it would be chilly enough to put on the light jacket folded on the seat next to her.

None of that mattered, not when she was sitting in the front seat of her car, sweat beading on her brow and coating her palms. The sweat had nothing to do with the mild temperature or bright sun and everything to do with nerves.

A lot of nerves.

They fluttered in her stomach, creating a huge ball of anxiety that grew larger with each passing minute. Beth tightened her hands on the steering wheel and leaned closer to the vent, sucking in a lungful of cooled air.

It didn't help, not that she thought it would. But she was desperate, which meant she'd try almost anything if it meant calming her nerves.

Anything except putting her old car in gear and pulling out of the parking lot.

She was supposed to be meeting Adam here, at the Park-and-Ride in Maryland Line just off I-83. Not for sex—especially not in broad daylight. Especially not here, in full view of anyone passing by.

No, they were meeting for a—God, she was afraid to even think the word—date. A real, actual date, one that involved going out. Together. In public.

And not just in public, but to a cookout or party or something with people he worked with.

Beth still couldn't believe it, still didn't understand why. Maybe she was just overthinking it, giving the whole surreal thing more importance than it deserved. Adam had called the other night and said he needed a date for a shift outing, whatever that was.

No, she knew what it was. Now, at least. His shift—the guys he worked with—were getting together and everyone else was bringing a date. Adam said he didn't want to be the only solo guy there, so he invited her.

Her.

Beth still couldn't believe it. And she couldn't stop wondering why. Adam must certainly have his pick of lots of women. So why did he ask her? That's what she couldn't figure out.

Unless he just drew a random name from his long list of contacts. Yeah, that must be what happened. The more Beth thought about it, the more it made sense.

Because she couldn't think of any other reason why he would have called her.

Just like she didn't really understand why she had said yes. She shouldn't have. This was too dangerous, too much like the real thing. Beth wasn't sure if she wanted the real thing—with anyone. Not after her last disastrous relationship. She could handle the hook-up—at least, that's what she told herself. That was nothing more than casual sex. No strings, no expectations, no commitment. But to actually go out? On a date?

That was something else totally different.

And yet, she had agreed to it. That was what worried her the most. No, that wasn't right. What worried her the most was that she was actually looking forward to it. And that was dangerous. There could be no future with Adam. Thinking there might be, even only fantasizing about it, would only lead to one place: heartbreak.

Beth didn't want to go through that again.

A white SUV pulled into the parking lot, the tinted windows dark enough that she couldn't see the driver. Was it Adam, or someone else? She leaned closer, her pulse racing as the driver's side window slowly slid down to reveal a strong profile topped with thick blonde hair.

Her pulse sped up. Heat shot through her body and her skin flushed, turning warm and prickly. This was the first time she had seen Adam in full daylight and oh, what a sight it was.

Yes, she was definitely in trouble. Big time trouble.

The SUV stopped next to her car, the passenger side window sliding down. Adam leaned over, a wide smile on his face as he looked at her and said something. Her own window was up so she couldn't make out the words. Even if she could, she wasn't sure she'd be able to understand them, not when her mind was totally short-circuiting.

She pulled in one more deep breath, filling her lungs with cool air, then turned off the engine and tossed her keys into the large bag that doubled as a purse. Her hands were trembling, the palms damp with sweat. From nerves?

Or excitement?

It didn't matter because the result was the same.

Beth grabbed her bag and jacket and climbed out of the car, making sure the door was locked before closing it. One more deep breath to steady herself, then she opened the door of Adam's SUV and climbed in.

Or she tried to, anyway. The SUV sat higher than she realized. Thank goodness there was a sidestep attached or else she really would have had to climb up.

"Need a hand?"

"No, I'm good." Beth grabbed the handhold attached to the inner door frame then did a quick bounce, practically jumping into the passenger seat. The long skirt twisted around her legs and she had to shift to readjust it. Heat filled her face as she smoothed the material across her thighs. So much for impressing him with her grace and coordination.

She shifted once more then turned to face Adam, ready to make a joke or comment about short people problems. The words died in her throat as Adam's mouth closed over hers. Hot, eager, possessing.

A soft moan escaped her and she leaned into the kiss. Her hand curled against his chest, her fingers twisting in the soft material of his shirt. The urge to climb over the console and straddle him was instant, almost as urgent as the need that suddenly coursed through her body. But Adam broke the kiss and pulled away before she could do anything.

"You look nice."

Beth looked down at the loose shirt and full-length skirt she had on. Casual and cool, not too fancy but not sloppy, either. She smoothed the material over her legs once more then glanced over at Adam. He was wearing faded jeans that hugged his legs and a dark blue t-shirt that pulled tight across his broad chest.

"Thank you. It's, uh, not too dressy, is it?"

"Nope. It's perfect." His mouth curled into a lopsided grin then he shifted in the seat and eased the SUV out of the parking lot. Silence settled between them as they drove south on I-83, stretching to the point where Beth grew uncomfortable.

She stole a glance at Adam from the corner of her eye. His left arm rested on the door frame, his right hand curled loosely around the steering wheel as he guided the SUV along the interstate. He looked relaxed. Confident. At ease.

So maybe she was the only one uncomfortable. But how could she not be? This was only their third time meeting—and the first time outside of a hotel room. They hadn't needed to talk the other times. No words had been necessary, not outside of the dirty talk while they were having sex.

Beth shifted in the seat, her mind searching for something—anything—to say. She gently cleared her throat then looked over at Adam once more.

"You, uh, said this is a get-together with your shift?"

"Yeah. Nothing fancy, just a quick cookout at Mikey and Nick's place before we head to Duffy's. Nick's band is playing there tonight."

Beth nodded as if she knew exactly who he was talking about. She didn't, of course. "Mikey and Nick. Are they, uh, a couple?"

"Yeah—one with a long history. Recently reunited, though. We're still waiting to see how long it takes before they finally tie the knot."

"Oh. That would be nice. I'm so happy it's legal now."

Adam looked over, a frown creasing his forehead. "What's legal?"

"Getting married."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, you know, because people are so small-minded and everything."

"I'm not following you."

Now it was Beth's turn to frown. "Gay marriage? You just said that your friends were going to get married and I—"

Adam's laughter cut her off. The sound, deep and warm, washed over her. It was a nice laugh, honest and light. Maybe even a little teasing. Embarrassment heated her face—not because he was laughing at her, she was fairly certain he wasn't. The laugh didn't have that biting edge to it that she had grown so accustomed to. But she was still embarrassed because it was obvious she had said something wrong to cause the laughter.

Adam shook his head, a broad smile still on his face as he reached over and grabbed her hand. He brought it to his mouth and pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles, then threaded his fingers with hers and rested their joined hands on the center console.

"They're not gay. Mikey is a girl. A firefighter on our shift."

"Oh. I thought…never mind. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Not a big deal. It happens a lot. Her real name is Michaela. Nick calls her Kayla, but the rest of us call her Mikey."

Beth nodded and looked away, wondering if her face was still red. Probably. How could she be so stupid? She should have never opened her mouth, should have never said anything.

Should have never agreed to accompany Adam today. What if she said the wrong thing when she met his coworkers? What if she did something to embarrass him? She didn't want that to happen, didn't want to see undisguised impatience and biting condemnation in Adam's blue eyes as he laughed at her. She didn't think she could handle that. No, they weren't together. Not even close. But she didn't want anything to tarnish the memories of the two times they had been together. She wanted to keep those memories close, wanted to be able to pull them out on lonely nights and recall them with fondness, not with embarrassment and regret.

Today was a mistake. Agreeing to go with Adam was a mistake. She should have left well enough alone. It was one thing to meet for sex—she could handle that. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. She wasn't so sure anymore. But this? Spending the day with Adam, meeting his coworkers? It was too much like a date. Too much like the beginning of a…a relationship.

She should tell him she changed her mind. Ask him to take her back—

"You okay over there?"

"Hm?" She jumped a little, startled by his voice. "Yeah. Um, actually, I was thinking—"

"Thanks again for coming with me today. I've been looking forward to it."

Beth's mouth snapped shut and she squirmed against the sudden heat flaring inside her. Had he chosen the words deliberately? Coming with me. And oh God, how could three little words create such an extreme reaction in her? Excitement danced in her stomach and damp heat grew between her legs.

And then the rest of his words registered. He had been looking forward to it? Really? Did he mean it, or was he just saying it to be nice?

And why did she have to second-guess everything? Beth had sworn she wouldn't do that anymore. She had promised herself that she was going to distance herself from the past, that she wasn't going to let her ex's constant negativity influence her. No more doubting herself. This was supposed to be the new her.

So she'd go with Adam and enjoy herself. Just spend the day with him and try to relax and have fun and not read too much into it. She squeezed his hand and offered him a small smile.

"I've been looking forward to it, too." Beth's gaze drifted to the passing scenery, taking in the colors of the leaves on the trees flanking the interstate. They were just starting to turn, reds and oranges, scattered here and there among the green. Just another reminder that Fall was here, in spite of the warmer temperatures. This was her favorite season, a time where nature shed its summer cloak and started the wait for its rebirth in the Spring. Was that what she was doing? Shedding her old self, searching, waiting?

Maybe. Or maybe she was just being melodramatic today.

"So how many people are on your shift? Where's your station? Do you have one of those great work schedules where you're off for months at a time?"

Adam laughed again and tossed a quick glance in her direction. "For months at a time? Don't I wish. No, it doesn't quite work that way. We work two ten-hour days, two fourteen-hour nights, then we're off for four."

"Fourteen hours? I can't imagine working that many hours straight."

"It's not too bad, unless we run all night. We've been lucky the last few tricks and haven't had much after midnight. The station backs up to the interstate as you head into the city, so we tend to get a lot of accidents, things like that."

"Doesn't that get…I don't know—depressing or something? How do you deal with it?"

Adam shrugged as a grin teased the corners of his mouth. "You just get used to it. It's part of the job, you know?"

No, she didn't, but she figured he probably already guessed that.

"As for how many guys are on my shift—right now, we have seven. Dave and Jimmy are on the medic unit and there's five of us on the engine. Dale's the driver, Pete is our lieutenant, then there's Mikey, Jay, and me. We have a vacancy for Captain—the last guy we had was an asshole and they haven't transferred anyone in since he left. They're also talking about adding a second engine to our house but who knows if it'll ever happen. You'll get a chance to meet everyone except Pete, because he's on vacation right now."

Beth nodded. She repeated all the names in her head, wondering if she'd end up forgetting by the time they got to wherever they were going. Nerves fluttered in her stomach again and she ruthlessly pushed them away. It was normal to be nervous, she told herself. No reason to let the nerves take control.

Adam merged the SUV off the interstate and onto the Baltimore beltway. Traffic was heavier now but it didn't matter because they weren't on the beltway for long. Ten minutes later, Adam was guiding the SUV into a residential neighborhood and parking along the curb in front of an attractive split-level house. The front yard was neatly manicured, the walkway leading to the door bordered by dormant flower beds. Two large pots of colorful mums sat on either side of the porch, along with a comical scarecrow.

"So this is Mikey's house?"

"Actually, it's Nick's. Mikey was living in a renovated barn until they got back together." Adam turned the engine off then got out, pocketing his keys as he walked around to her side. Beth opened the door, frowning as she tried to figure out the best way to climb down without falling on her face. It was a misplaced worry because Adam was suddenly right next to her, lifting her out. His arms wrapped around her as her body slid down his, all hard muscle and masculine heat. A little groan escaped her when he pulled her closer and claimed her mouth with his.

The kiss was slow. Deep. Thorough. Like he couldn't get enough of her. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving in to the velvety slide of his tongue against hers. Needing more, forgetting where they were—

Until a teasing voice called out.

"There's a spare room in the basement if you need it."

Adam eased his mouth from hers, a grin curling one corner of his full mouth as he slowly stepped away. He looked over his shoulder, the grin blossoming into a full smile.

"Bite me, Mikey." He reached for Beth's hand and gave it a tug. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the guys."