Czytaj książkę: «The Firefighter's Appeal»

CHAPTER ONE

“HOW DID YOU talk me into wearing this?” Lily Ashden pulled at the itchy straps that held her coconut bra in place. Combined with the grass skirt she wore over khaki shorts and the plastic lei around her neck, she was about as novelty Hawaiian as a girl could get. The outfit was considerably skimpier than Lily was accustomed to, and she still wasn’t sure how her friend Macy had conned her into it.

Macy snorted. “Please. It matches your tattoo, so stop complaining.” Macy leaned over the table, grabbed Lily’s right hand and dumped bingo chips into it. “Just put your chip on B 14 and stick your coconuts out. How else do you expect to get men to buy us drinks?”

Lily rolled her eyes with a grin and willed away some of the tension in her shoulders. She’d been a little off since stepping foot in the bar a couple of hours ago. The Throwing Aces was the hottest sports bar in the bustling town of Danbury, Kansas, and though she’d never been in there before, Lily had heard it drew a huge crowd on any given evening. Tonight the bar was hosting a luau-themed fire department–sponsored fund-raiser and the place was bursting at the seams with no shortage of good-looking men.

She’d been considering tiptoeing into the dating scene for a while now. What better place than a sports bar with a hot, young crowd? If there was one good thing about the outfit, it was that it drew some attention. She’d seen men glance her way more than once. Still, Lily felt out of her element, but that was to be expected. The past year had been rough. Lily realized that this was a good time to get back to the land of the living. She just hadn’t been ready before now.

The bingo announcer yelled out another number. Macy wiggled excitedly on her stool and placed her chip, her corkscrew cinnamon curls doing a bounce and flop around her face. They’d been besties since grade school, and Lily had fully expected Macy to guilt-trip her into coming along tonight. And sure enough, one sob story—“The fire department is raising money for one of my kindergarten students whose dad was in an accident. You’re my best friend. If you say no, I’ll understand, but...”—had done the trick. That and the batting eyelashes and pouty smile that had earned Macy the Kansas Corn Princess crown five years in a row when they were kids. How could Lily say no to raising money for a worthy cause?

“These coconuts do make my boobs look good.” Lily hoped the lightheartedness spreading inside her would stick. The outfit did go well with her full-sleeve tattoo of orange hibiscus flowers and green vines. She rarely had the opportunity to show off her artwork, and it was kind of nice. In a small way, the outfit and being surrounded by men reminded Lily that she was young and feminine and had a lot of living ahead of her yet. Second chances at life and all that. She’d been given one, and she didn’t intend to waste it anymore.

A couple of men wearing T-shirts with the Danbury Fire Department logo on the back brushed by. Lily glanced at them, her gaze latching on to the DFD logo. Her heart gave a hard flip, the same way it had the other times she’d seen the logo tonight. The men stopped by a table where two blonde women sat. One of the women gestured to the tallest man’s shirt, her smile wide and toothy. He nodded, said a few words, and she responded by giving an appreciative raise of her eyebrows and grabbing his biceps with a squeeze and a giggle.

Hero worship. It wasn’t the first time Lily had seen it in action tonight. Firemen drew women like a handbag sale at Nordstrom, and the women in the room didn’t seem shy about fawning over the proud wearers of those DFD shirts. Even Macy had fallen victim, flirting and giggling her way through the crowd on the way to the bar and back a couple of times. Lily turned away from the foursome. She didn’t get out much, but this was a cozy town. People talked, and they weren’t shy about slinging gossip about the local fire department. Mixed in with gratitude for the work the department did were the hushed rumors of several of the firemen’s playboy ways. All it took was a trip to the grocery store to hear the latest. It was like Danbury’s own live soap opera. Macy had been quick to fill her in when they’d arrived at the bar, sharing the latest gossip about a fireman who’d left his wife of twenty years for one of the teachers at the elementary school.

Heroes with huge egos, it seemed. All this hero worship seemed misplaced and wasted, Lily thought bitterly. She took a hasty drink of water, surprised by that sudden thought, though it made sense. She’d considered how she might feel coming to the bar, knowing the fire department would be there. But she’d reminded herself that this fire department wasn’t the same one who’d attended the fire that had changed her life a year ago. No, this wasn’t the department that had stood by and done nothing as innocent people burned to death.

Oh, God, she wasn’t thinking about that now. She was here to have fun—she was having fun—and the past was going to stay in the past, at least for the night. She’d vowed to be present in her own life, to enjoy life in the moment, and that was what she was going to do.

“He’s looking at you again.” Macy’s low voice puffed in Lily’s ear.

Lily set down the water as her angst faded. “Again?” She dared a quick look at the bar across the room. The lighting was dim, but there was no doubt the bartender who’d been glancing her way all night was stellar in the looks department. At first she’d thought he was just people watching, but his gaze strayed to her too frequently and held too long. Maybe he thought he knew her. Maybe it wasn’t coincidence—maybe. It had been eleven months since her engagement had ended. Lily thought she was ready to dive back in, find a man and have some fun. She hadn’t actually tested that theory yet, so she couldn’t be sure. But the bartender was tempting her to give it a shot.

Lily ran her right hand down the back of her hair. She hadn’t been with anyone since Rob had packed up and walked out. She didn’t miss him that much, but she was still hurt that he’d left the way he had—while she’d been at a therapy appointment and without a word of explanation. Hearing from his family that he’d gone to Mississippi with another woman soon after was a kick in the gut. That and the loss of years she’d spent on a man who had promised he’d loved her, was committed, said he wanted a family. The uncertainty over why he’d walked out still burned; it bugged her that she’d never had closure. But she was doing fine on her own. Although it might be nice to have someone around now and then. This loneliness had been nagging her more and more lately. It was definitely time for a change.

Lily risked a sideways glance. Even from this distance and in the dim light, it was obvious Mr. Hot Bartender was built, with muscles easily visible beneath his shirt. His biceps turned into bulging hills when he grabbed a glass and brought it close to his body. His hair looked dark blond under the lights, and, if she had to guess, that rugged face probably sported blue eyes. No wonder there’d been a lineup of women at his end of the bar. He made looking flattered an art form, flashing a killer smile and dipping his head when a woman leaned in close or touched his arm. You’d need a thick coat of armor to push your way through that crowd.

Lily hitched a brow as she watched him—looks like Thor and probably throws a mean cocktail—and wished she could see his face more clearly. An ember of interest started to smolder. Her nights might get a whole lot less lonely if she had a man like that around. As if she’d have the nerve to approach him. Cheesy pickup lines began to play in her head. Did they teach you to mix drinks in Adonis school, or are you naturally talented? She laughed at herself and turned back to the bingo game. Yeah, she was a little rusty.

The band started up again, taking over from the crappy music on the jukebox, and burst out a song about a man who loved his red Solo Cup. Macy and half the people in the bar, who were really just rednecks stuffed into Hawaiian outfits and fire department shirts, jumped from their seats and gave a cheer. Lily remained in her seat, watching the crowd. Truthfully, it was nice to get out of the house and forget about the pile of city permits and construction bids she had waiting on her desk. Her social life consisted of arguing with her business partner and father, Doug, during the day, and talking to her cat, Adam, at night.

Pretty pathetic for a twenty-seven-year-old.

Macy sat back down. She made eyes at Lily, cleared her throat and nodded toward the bar. The hot bartender was giving her another glance. He didn’t look away when she looked at him—seemed to almost be daring her with his eyes. She made out his crooked smile—sexy and sassy—aimed right at her, before he turned to talk to a customer.

“He’s pretty good-looking, huh?” Macy smiled knowingly and ran a hand down the back of Lily’s hair.

“Not bad.” Lily shrugged.

“Man, your hair rocks. It’s so smooth and black.” Macy continued to pet her.

Lily blew a stream of air over her fringe bangs. She’d just had them cut long enough to touch the tips of her eyelashes, and the blue-black color had been too awesome to resist. It went well with the crimson lip gloss she’d slicked on earlier. Nothing went with bitching black hair like red lipstick.

“If you keep petting me, he’s going to think we’re a couple.” Her eyes slid to the bar. Anxiety and sweet anticipation tickled her insides.

Macy smacked her lips. “If he’s like most men, and I’d bet money he is, he wouldn’t mind one bit.” She nudged Lily with her shoulder. “You’ve been eyeballing him since you got here.”

The bingo announcer called out another number. Lily’s face went hot. She sighed and picked at her fingernail. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to put Macy off or drum up the courage to catch the bartender’s eyes. “Kind of hard not to.”

Macy leaned on her elbows over the small round table until her nose touched the tip of Lily’s. “And?”

Lily placed one finger on the tip of Macy’s nose and pushed gently until her friend backed up. “And what?” Macy’s eyebrows rose excitedly. Lily shook her head. “And, no. I’m not going over there. Too much, too soon.”

The protest sounded lame even to her own ears. Was there a store where she could buy extra nerves to maybe—maybe—walk up to him? Lily knew her retro pinup style and tattoos gave most people the impression that she was a badass, but underneath the ink and lipstick, she was reserved. Cool, even, mostly to her disadvantage.

The stress she’d been under these past months didn’t help; in fact, they’d kept her from finding any real joy in life, or any reason to actively participate in it. No wonder she felt antsy and ready for something fun and amazing to happen. No wonder she also wanted to run out of the bar and head straight home. Part of her suddenly wished she and Macy were in another bar, one that wasn’t filled with reminders of why she’d been under so much stress and grief in the first place.

The announcer’s voice boomed through the mic. “B 12.”

Lily grabbed a chip; Macy smirked. “Look at him again. How can you say too much, too soon?”

He was facing the bar, giving Lily a perfect view of all six-plus feet of him looking fine in a dark T-shirt with Throwing Aces in white lettering across the front. The way the fabric stretched just a bit over his tight middle and settled into the dips and rise of his pecs whenever he turned or twisted was a gift to every woman in the room. Excitement shot low in her belly. Lily frowned at her body’s sudden reaction. That hadn’t happened in a while.

“Of all the women here tonight, he’s been eye locked on you, and you’re overthinking again. Remember what you said? Be present.” Macy gave a lazy eye roll and slumped her shoulders in dramatic exasperation. Her curls made a Shirley Temple bounce as she leaned back on her stool. “I have three words for you, Lily. Crazy. Cat. Lady. That’s what you’re turning into.”

Lily’s lips parted. She tried a little lightness, hoping to tame Macy’s enthusiasm before it turned into an atom bomb, as usual. “Adam is not a cat. He’s people.”

Macy managed to raise a brow and scowl at the same time. “Your Adam Levine fangirling is not a suitable replacement for a real man, Lily. Crazy cat ladies usually don’t have a man around, which is why they name their cats after celebrity men they’ll never have.”

Lily laughed. “I have one cat!”

Macy shrugged one petite shoulder and thrust out her lower lip as she fiddled with her bingo board. “That’s how it starts, Lily. That’s how it starts.”

Lily was about to throw in a snarky retort when someone bumped into her shoulder. She looked over as a tall man in a DFD T-shirt made a quick apology as he walked away. Lily shuddered. The man maneuvered through the crowd until he was out of sight. Firemen. The last time Lily had been surrounded by this many firemen, she’d been lying on the ground with soot burning her lungs and throat.

“Hey, you missed the number.” Macy leaned over and slid a chip onto Lily’s board, but Lily wasn’t paying attention. She eyed another fireman. Same shirt. Same memory. Anxiety clenched her gut with a painful grip. Dang, this wasn’t supposed to happen. There was no reason for this to be happening. She’d gone to therapy, and even though she refused to go into detail about that night, Lily had made progress. Just the fact that she’d finally left her house to go somewhere other than work or the grocery store was huge.

Macy’s voice dipped low. “I’m sorry, Lil. I shouldn’t have asked you to come to this tonight. I just thought...maybe some of the wind had run out of that storm, you know?”

Lily’s stomach went into free fall. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about. She was doing well—was reining in her anxiety like a champ, thank you.

“I mean,” Macy continued just audibly above the racket, “this fire department wasn’t even the one who...you know...that night.”

Lily knew that, but it didn’t take the bitterness away. It didn’t matter what fire department had been present the night her sister had burned to death and Lily had been nearly killed. Firefighters were firefighters—they all represented the crew that failed her so spectacularly. Combined with how unabashedly members of the Danbury crew flaunted their womanizing, it was hard for her to see firemen in the positive light everyone else seemed to. Knowing Macy, her friend would leave the moment Lily asked her to. But Macy was having a good time, and Lily didn’t want to ruin that. Macy was the only person who stood by her through thick and thin, and Lily owed her. Besides, this was silly. She could do this. They were men...just men. A guy didn’t have to be a fireman to be a womanizer—Rob had proved that. There had to be at least a few good ones around this town.

Lily smiled, and her lips parted to give a reassuring reply when something hit Macy in the back of the head. A roar of excited laughter went through the room. Lily’s gaze snapped back to the bar, saw the barrel of a T-shirt cannon pointed her way. All three bartenders had them and, instead of shirts, they were shooting small packages around the room. People started to jump up to catch the prizes, making mad dashes across the floor and over tables to grab handfuls. Lily frowned. What the hell was in those packages?

The hot bartender aimed one her way, a big smile crossing his face as a packet hit her in the side of the head before plopping onto the bingo board. Lily cupped her head in astonishment, her eyes falling to the item that had hit her. Candy.

Macy snorted. “Damn, Lily. That was either a challenge or an invitation. Probably both, you lucky bitch.”

Lily palmed the package, then shrieked when another pinged painlessly off the top of her head. She looked; the bartender was staring at her, the I-dare-you smile too much to resist. The crowd of women by the bar had thinned, giving her an easy path. Could she do it? Even if she made a fool of herself—which was pretty much a given—it wasn’t like she’d be back at this bar. She’d never see him again.

Lily pushed away from the table. Before the fire, she’d just started becoming more social and outgoing. An introvert by nature, she found it terrifying and often exhausting to plop herself in social situations, but she’d been trying. Macy was always a ray of light and energy, everything Lily wasn’t, and Lily had craved some of that for herself.

So she’d been forcing herself go to friends’ houses for dinner parties or to the movies by herself. Instead of rushing through shopping trips as quickly as possible, she’d made herself slow down and browse—take some time to enjoy her surroundings. And it had been working until the fire. Afterward, she’d holed up in her own little world again, blocking out everyone but her father, brother and Macy.

She really missed those little peeks of the extrovert she’d experienced before. Risk or not, she owed it to herself to try to find her backbone again. The bartender turned away from the crowd, giving Lily a boost in the nerves department. He wouldn’t see her walk up to him, making it a little easier to approach—or make a detour and go back to the table if she chickened out. She stood before she could talk herself out of it.

“I’ll play your board while you’re—whatever. Okay,” Macy shouted as Lily walked away. Lily smoothed her hair as she pushed through the crowd. Three steps in, she had to fight the urge to run back to her secluded table in the corner. Lifting her chin, Lily made it to the bar, but a row of people waiting for drinks separated her from the cocky smile she wanted to see up close. She moved down until she found an opening and squeezed up to the bar. The bartenders bustled around. The air cannons had been put away in exchange for bottles of booze.

“Can I help you?” A tall, lean man with glossy dark hair grabbed a glass from the overhead rack. His eyes flashed with good humor and a dimple appeared in his left cheek when he smiled. She glanced around him, latching on to the man she’d come to see.

“Ah,” the bartender said with an amused smile. “Hey, September! You have company.”

September? Lily mulled that over, observing the decor behind the bar in an attempt to settle her nerves. Old license plates, sports memorabilia and beer signs were artfully arranged in between chalkboards full of menu items and fantasy football scores. A glass display case sitting on a shelf caught her attention. It took her a moment to realize a firefighting helmet sat inside. She cocked her head, noticing how the front of the helmet looked normal but the back was a lump of what looked like melted plastic. Must be a prop of some kind, because fire helmets weren’t supposed to melt, right? The men were covered head to toe in gear that could withstand flame and heat—gear that allowed them inside the chaos to rescue the people trapped inside.

Lily clenched her jaw. Damn. It.

Suddenly, cold liquid spilled over the curve of her lower back as someone rammed into her. Lily yelped and spun to see a very drunk man stumbling away with an empty plastic cup. Her arms went wide, chills racing down her spine and curving around her hip bones.

“Here,” a deep voice called to her. Lily turned around and glimpsed a fluffy white towel sliding across the mahogany bar top toward her. Her eyes tracked up from a broad chest to the face she’d wanted to see up close. Narrow blue eyes, framed by eyelashes so dark they made the blue brilliant. They were the kind of eyes that would glow seductively in a black-and-white photo, grab you by the ovaries and never let go. Square jaw, round chin...lips full enough to be soft, with a firm outline that promised they could also bruise.

Lily took the towel with a shaking hand. He was definitely as good-looking as she’d suspected. Her heart pumped. Smiling was probably a good idea. Lily gave a little grin—at least she hoped that was what it looked like because her cheeks were tight and hot.

“Thanks,” she managed to say, wiping the liquid off her back. Unsure what to say next, Lily dropped her gaze to the bingo board lying on the bar. Talking would probably be good, too. “Four corners—you won...” When was the last time her face had been this hot? Her scalp tingled; her gut tightened. Bingo talk was good, right, when her brain was otherwise at a loss?

The bartender chuckled softly, a deep sound that was somehow soothing. “Yeah.” He nodded to the board. “What do you think we should win?” We? His blue eyes were twinkling, and the way he leaned one elbow on the bar, his chest turned toward her, made it clear that he was flirting.

Lily propped her right arm on the bar. “Well, considering I had to wear this getup, a trip somewhere warm and exotic would be nice.” She let out a tiny relieved breath. This talking thing wasn’t so hard.

He set both forearms on the bar and gave her a quirky, self-confident smile that threatened to set her panties on fire. “Considering I was born and raised in Hawaii, I can’t argue with that.” He winked and backed off, leaving her mouth dry and her chest breathless. Before she could think of an appropriate response, he cocked his head.

“Beer?” His mouth opened to let the word out...closed again—the tip of his tongue peeking out to wet the lower lip. Lily’s heart rate jacked up. He leaned closer. The stubble over his jaw and down the sexy column of his throat made her itch to touch it. She swallowed hard, realized he’d spoken.

“No. No, I don’t drink.” She leaned back an extra inch from the bar. “Water, please.” He was already reaching under the bar and then produced a cold water bottle, cracked the top and set the bottle in front of her. Lily hesitated before taking it, pretty sure she was going to have to dump it over her head to cool herself down. Irritated by how flustered she was, Lily took a drink. The water was shocking to her parched throat. The bartender took a swig from a beer bottle and set it down, then extended a hand. Lily hesitated before shaking it.

“Garrett.”

“Lily.”

He gave a brief nod and turned to fill a glass for a waiting patron. A man in a fire department T-shirt slipped behind the bar, looked at Lily and put a finger to his lips as if to silence her. He opened a small refrigerator behind Garrett and took out two beers. Garrett spun around just as the man pulled the beers to his chest like a football and scurried out, dancing through the crowd.

Garrett cupped his hands around his mouth. “That calls for revenge, Mikey!” He turned back to her, his grin scrunching the outside corners of his eyes. His smile wrenched the breath out of her like a cold wind. The tension in her body let go. He was really too good-looking to be out in public.

A waft of perfume rippled by Lily as two blondes with pink-painted smiles shimmied up to the bar, eyes zoned in on Garrett. He gave them a nod, waved another bartender over to assist them as he leaned against the bar in front of Lily again. A flood of warmth pooled in her chest and spread down her arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a man’s full attention on her and it was terrifying...and kind of wonderful.

She leaned against the bar. “So why did you hit me in the head?”

His eyebrows raised and his smug expression deepened. “Did I? I’m sorry.”

Her eyes fell to the thick, strong lines of his neck, and she could feel her nipples perk up inside the bra. Lily resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest. Thank goodness the bra was hard, so he couldn’t see how her body was reacting. She huffed with a grin. “No, you’re not.”

Garrett leaned a little closer toward her. “Okay, Lily. Truth?”

One corner of her mouth tugged up. “Yeah, truth.”

Garrett reached out and touched her shoulder. Before she could object, his fingers wrapped around her upper arm and drew her closer over the bar. Shivers of pleasure dotted her skin, followed by hot streaks when his fingers ran down the length of her tattoo.

“I wanted to see your ink. Since I can’t leave here, I figured I’d get you to come to me.”

She shrugged off the lightness that admission gave her. The sensation of his warm fingers trailing along the big white-and-orange flowers on her shoulder and down to her wrist caused a fog machine to open up in her head. Slowly, his index finger outlined the arch and curve of the hunter-green leaves and lighter kelly-green vines that swirled throughout the artwork.

Lily drank in his appreciative expression as she cataloged the handsome lines of his round chin and the firm, masculine outline of his soft, full lips. She found herself leaning into the press of his hand, just as his fingers trailed away. Little wonder she was tingling from head to toe—it was the first time she’d been touched by a man in almost a year.