by Jen Talty
“I love it because it’s walking distance, so if I want a third beer I can have it.” He placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward a table where his cousin and his wife were seated with… “Fuck,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head, catching his gaze with her golden eyes, which glowed with growing concern.
He’d take that as a positive sign.
“My little sister is here with her latest boyfriend—”
“And you hate the boyfriend.”
“Nope. He’s a good buddy of mine, but my sister is going to break his heart and I suspect soon because the moment they fall in love with her, she gets bored and moves on to the next unsuspecting nice guy.”
Charlotte arched a brow. “Didn’t you warn your friend?”
He nodded. “What’s worse is that he saw what happened with the guy before him and he went out with Renee anyway. My sister is actually a really nice girl, she’s just got commitment issues.”
“And what about you? Do you have commitment issues?”
“Nope. I just have issues.” He stopped in front of the large table off to the side of the room, far enough away from the band that you could have a conversation, but still enjoy the music. “Hey y’all,” he drawled. “This is my neighbor, Charlotte.”
“Did you just say y’all?” Renee scooted from the table like the pint-size firecracker she was with her long blonde hair, petite, but muscular frame.
“That I did.” He curled his arms around her, lifting her feet off the ground. His family might have a collective death wish, since all of them were either firemen or policemen, with the occasional parole officer tossed in, but they were also very close and affectionate, even when they didn’t agree with what the other person was doing. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”
Renee patted his shoulders. “I’m glad I decided to come out.” She glanced in the direction of Charlotte. “It’s not every day I see my big brother on—”
He wasn’t going to let her finish that statement. “This is my kid sister, Renee. And that over there is Devon, a co-worker. On the other side of the table we have my cousin, Rowen, and his wife, Heather. If you need a dentist, she’s the one to go to.”
“Good to know,” Charlotte said.
Heather rested her hands on her protruding belly. “I can always count on the Clarks to toss me business.”
He pulled a chair back and sat down beside her, making sure his chair was close enough that he could comfortably loop an arm over the wooden back.
“Wasn’t sure you were coming,” Rowen said, pouring a couple of beers from the pitcher and pushing them toward Gavin. “But glad you did.”
“We can’t stay long. We’ve got plans tomorrow pretty early.” Gavin took a healthy chug from the frosty glass, avoiding the shocked gazes from his friends and family.
“We? Who is we?” Renee asked with narrowed eyes and a smirk, which lifted the right side of her mouth slightly, her lips pursing forward.
A family trait.
“As in you two?” Renee asked, waggling her finger between him and Charlotte.
“Yes, the two of us.” He glanced at Charlotte, who stared at him, her lips slightly parted. She didn’t look like she’d been shocked by this conversation like she had in front of her brother, but she didn’t look thrilled, or amused by it either.
“Where are you going?” Rowen asked with the same family smirk that all the Clark’s had. Someplace special?”
“Romantic?” Heather asked.
“No. No. Nothing like that.” Charlotte sat up a bit taller, resting her hands on the table. “We’re just going to my parent’s house for a gathering.”
“You don’t say.” Renee leaned into Devon, folding her arms across her chest. “Does my big brother finally have a girlfriend?”
He wadded up a small piece of napkin and tossed it at her.
“He’s just doing me a favor,” Charlotte said.
Ouch.
He was about to say they were friends, which could have meant anything. However, Charlotte, it appeared, barely saw them as acquaintances.
Renee tilted her head, drawing her lips into a tight line and wrinkling her forehead, much like their mother would do when she felt bad about something that happened to one of her children.
“That’s what friends and neighbors are for.” Based on the looks from around the table, he needed to shrug this off as though it was hunky dory with him that the beautiful woman sitting next to him essentially saw him only as a means-to-an-end.
The waitress came by and took another drink order and they ordered a few appetizers to share, pausing the conversation, which gave Gavin a chance to attend to his bruised ego. He’d pushed himself into a family party with a girl who obviously wasn’t into him.
The band began their first set and an old Creedence Clearwater Revival song bellowed through the loudspeakers.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Leave it to Heather to find the ice-breaker after an awkward dialogue, followed by an uneasy silence.
“I’m a systems analyst for Yielding Software, but I also do contract work for other software and hardware companies.” The moment Charlotte began talking about her work, her eyes lit up like the star filled sky. Her face relaxed as she leaned over the table.
“What exactly does that mean? Is that like IT or something?” Devon asked.
“Really? Did you just ask that?” Renee nudged Devon with her shoulder.
Devon was a good man and a great firefighter. If you needed someone on your six, he was your man. Loyal. Dedicated. Hardworking. But sometimes, he didn’t come off as too bright.
“What? I’m supposed to know what that is when I can barely even turn on a computer? It’s not like I need to know all that in order to fight a fire.” The best part about Devon was that he never took on a defensive tone and he hadn’t in this case, but Gavin could tell he was annoyed with Renee, who sometimes could be rude, especially when she was about to dump someone, always hoping they’d do it for her.
“Well, there are a lot of aspects to being a systems analyst depending upon which part of the process one prefers to work in. I generally like to be in the testing and implementation of a system, but my boss prefers me to be on the developmental side, and since it pays the bills, for now, that’s where I’ll stay.” Charlotte had slowed her speech to a rate at which Gavin actually understood every word and didn’t suffer exhaustion by the end of the sentence just listening to her.
“You mentioned earlier…” wait. Did she mention that to him, or did the chick online say her boss was being an asshole? Fuck, that wouldn’t be good if he confused the two.
Thankfully, the waitress came over with their food and second round of drinks. Hopefully, everyone would forget he had even been talking.
“What were you saying?” Charlotte asked, resting her warm hand on his biceps.
He glanced from the sweet, deft fingers wrapped around his arm and her adorable face with a half-smile that made him tipsy with the desire to kiss them. “I have no idea.”
She released his arm and dug into the plate of nachos.
He tried not to stare at her eating, but the way her pink tongue darted out to greet the food with a hungry fervor only made him want to kiss her more.
Reaching up, he ran his index finger over the raised scar on his face. While still noticeable, it wasn’t something that people focused on anymore when he walked into a room.
But he always knew it was there and never forgot his ex-girlfriend Lydia’s visceral reaction to it, or all the looks and stares he got the first few years before many surgeries and an enormous amount of pain, had reduced the scars to more of a large blemish.
Well, it was a little more pronounced than that and often people, women, said some pretty stupid things to him regarding the scars, and the accident.
“I’m stuffed,” Charlotte said, shoving a plate to the center of the table. “And I’ve got to get up early and do so
me work before we head to my parents.”
“We can head home,” he said, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. “I take it you guys are staying for the game, so will forty do it?”
“More than enough,” Rowen said.
“I’ve got to use the little girl’s room before we head out,” Charlotte said.
“I’ll go with you.” Heather pushed her chair back and stood, racing off to the back of the bar.
“Aren’t you going with them?” Gavin asked his sister.
“And miss the opportunity to find out what the fuck is going on with you? Hell no.”
“Nothing is going on.”
“You’re going to meet her parents! That’s like marriage shit.”
“Not even close,” he said, shaking his head. “And I’d appreciate it if you refrained from telling the rest of the family. Like Charlotte said, I’m just doing her a favor.”
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 sist
er 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.