Chapter 3
CHARLOTTE SWAYED SLIGHTLY as she stepped through the door of the pub into the warm Texas air. She shouldn’t have had that third drink, except for the fact that it cured the disease of diarrhea of the mouth, which she got every damn time she’d been around Gavin.
The toe of her shoe slammed into something and she lurched forward.
“Shit,” she mumbled.
A strong arm looped around her middle before she could tumble to the ground.
“I gotcha,” Gavin said with a deep voice that made her shiver. He had this quiet reserve about him that made her nervous. It wasn’t that he seemed or looked serious all the time, but he was tough to read, not giving away too much with his facial expressions. But around his family and friends, the muscles in his face relaxed and he smiled more.
She glanced up at him, the parking lot light shined down on the scar on the side of his cheek and down his neck. She’d noticed it before, but never in direct light, nor at this angle.
“You okay?” he asked.
She blinked, forcing her gaze from the red, raised skin that looked almost like a large birthmark. “I’m good.” Her cheeks flushed from shame. She’d noticed the scars the first time she’d met him, but she never focused on them.
Until now.
She straightened, smoothing her hands over her jeans.
He palmed his cheek. “We’ve been neighbors for a while now and you’ve never once stared or asked.”
She swallowed.
“Most people are curious.” He laced his fingers through hers, tugging her across the parking lot. “I’ve gotten used to it.”
“I made an assumption, based on your profession, that you were injured on the job. I didn’t feel like it would be appropriate to ask during the few short conversations we’ve had.” The fog that coated her brain from the beer might have cured her blubbering at the speed of light, but it didn’t stop her from saying exactly what she thought, when she thought it.
His thumb gently rubbed her hand with tender strokes, spreading heat to places in her body that had only been stimulated by her friendly hand held personal device in the last few months.
“Your assumption is correct.”
“Must have taken a lot of courage to go back to work.”
“I never thought twice about it. Being a fireman is in my blood. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
They crossed the street into their neighborhood. One of the reasons she chose this particular area had been because she could walk into town and the streets had sidewalks and were lined with lights. Living alone, she needed to feel safe. Another couple walked down the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
“What happened?” she asked so softly.
“We were called to a house fire and when we got there, we were told two children were still trapped inside. Rowen and I were sent in.”
“The same Rowen we just had drinks with?”
He nodded.
“I noticed his wife is pregnant. She’s got to be constantly worried.”
“I’m sure she is, but honestly, ninety percent of the time all of our calls are routine. Often, they aren’t even fires as we get called to all sorts of emergencies.”
He pulled his hand away, waving it in front of him when they got to the stairs at their shared porch, gesturing for her to go first.
She took the steps slowly, not really wanting the evening to end. “But the other ten percent are calls that put your life in danger.” She leaned against the railing, tilting her head, raising her hand, but quickly dropped it to her side. “What happened when you went inside the building?”
He rested his hip on the side of the porch, only inches from hers. “We were told the two kids were trapped upstairs in a bedroom. The fire was out of control, consuming the house, so we knew we only had minutes. We raced upstairs, but the kids weren’t together. I was ahead of Rowen, so when we found the first kid, I waved him into that room, and went down the hall. The room where the boy was had filled with flames. He sat in the middle of the room, rocking back and forth.”
“Oh, my, God,” she whispered, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. “I have to know. Did you save him?”
Gavin took her hand, resting her palm against the scar on the side of his face. “He’s about to turn eight.” He released her hand, but she continued to run a finger softly over the raised, discolored skin.
“Was he burned, too?”
“Yes.” The single word hung in the air like thick, dense fog that made it impossible to see even a foot in front of you.
She held her breath, and his gaze, her fingers still touching his skin.
“Once I got to him, I wrapped him up inside my coat, took one step, and we fell through the floor. The flames had already gotten under my mask and my coat had been torn away when we fell.” He paused for a moment, shifting his weight closer to her. “One of my legs was trapped under a beam, but the boy was free. I did my best to keep him safe from the flames, but it took a few minutes before my buddies could get to us and a little longer for them to unpin my leg.”
“That must have been terrifying?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t really think about it. It wasn’t until they took the boy from my arms did I realize I was even on fire.”
She gasped, swallowing her breath. A faint memory of being burned when she picked up a hot pot off the stove that pricked her skin. For a whole hour after, it felt as though her flesh continued to burn. “How long ago was this?”
“About three years and a half a dozen surgeries.”
“You’re a brave man.”
“No braver than any other fireman out there.”
“Humble too,” she whispered. When Sexyfirefighter had asked her what she wanted in a man, she’d stuck with the physical, except for the eyes and Gavin had the kind of eyes that sucked you in, took you hostage, and even when he let you go, you didn’t want to leave.
He reached out, gliding his palm across her cheek, through her hair. “Not really.” His lips touched hers with a soft caress, his gaze still locked. “Just doing the job that I happen to love.” Dropping his hand to the railing, he pulled back.
Her pulse pounded in the side of her neck. It was barely a kiss, but ignited a burn so deep she didn’t think she’d ever be able to put it out.
“Do you keep in contact with the boy you saved?” She thought about leaning into him, draping her arms over his broad shoulders, and kissing him passionately and with intent. Every erogenous zone in her body screamed at her to do it, only she couldn’t.
“I do,” Gavin said with a proud smile as he lifted his chin, rolling his neck to the side, letting her hand glide down the rest of his scar. “We spent a lot of time together healing in the burn unit and we’ve kept in touch. He’s a good kid and wants to be a magician.”
She stared into his coffee colored eyes, getting lost in the warm depth of a man who cared deeply.
“So, what are you going to tell your family about me tomorrow?”
The sudden change in topic made her mouth go dry. If he thought his sister was pushy when it came to the dating scene, oh boy, was he in for a real treat with her family. “What do you mean?”
He cocked his head and arched a brow.
She sighed. “I guess that you’re my neighbor and a friend.”
“We let your brother believe I’m your date, meaning more than a friend.” He placed his hand on her hip, drawing her closer. “Am I your date?”
Resting her hands on his firm chest, she leaned against his strong frame. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
He pressed his cheek against hers. “It’s official. It’s a date.” His hot breath tickling her eardrum.
She shuddered.
His mouth covered hers in a swift and unforgiving motion. The warmth of his tongue parted her lips, swirling around hers like an out of control firehose. A deep moan rumbled from r his mouth into hers as his fingers dug into the top part of her ass.
She should push him away and tell him not to worry about tomorrow. She’d tell her family that, like usual, she let this one get away.
When it came to her love life, they all got away and after the last one dumped her at a family gathering, bringing a man home had to be the dumbest idea she’d had in a long time.
Fisting his shirt, she had every intention of shoving him away, but instead heaved him closer, gliding her hands up his chest and clasping her fingers behind his neck.
An owl hooted in the background. The sound of an approaching engine roared in her ears. He wasn’t that much taller than her, but she still raised up on tiptoe, pressing the length of her body against his in a wild dance filled the promise of more.
He grabbed her hips, gently pushing her away. “I think we should call it a night.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach like an elevator smashing into the ground floor after traveling twenty flights without a cable. “Probably a good idea.”
“See you right here at ten?”
She nodded.
“Good night,” Charlotte.” He guided her toward her door. “Thanks for joining me tonight.”
“I had a good time.”
He pulled open her door and she stepped inside, turning just as he closed the door.
Two Sexy firefighters in one day.