by Ashlyn Chase
“Oh.” Chloe wanted to kiss him too. In fact, just how badly she wanted to kiss him surprised her.
He wrapped his strong arms around her and it felt safe—right. Instead of giving him verbal permission, she leaned in, closed her eyes, and tipped up her face. In less than a second, their lips collided. He pulled her against his chest and she slipped her arms around his neck.
She had no idea how long they stood there on the sidewalk, kissing. His mouth moved over hers with purpose. Eventually, she parted her lips and allowed him to deepen the kiss. He pulled her closer and cupped the back of her head. When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she swirled her tongue with his. He tasted like cinnamon.
“Hey, get a room,” a passerby joked.
He didn’t end the kiss and she was glad. Kissing him was different than she had thought it would be. It was then that she realized she had fantasized about kissing him—and that his real kisses could become addictive.
Chapter 7
Ryan found himself wondering if he’d done the right thing by accepting the Arishes’ dinner invitation. Sure, his dad had accepted many dinner invitations of friends in the department over the years, but never at the home of a female firefighter.
Especially not one he’d kissed.
Ryan had puzzled over what to bring as a hostess gift. A bottle of wine seemed like a safe bet, so he clutched that in his left hand. He had seen some poor sap selling flowers by the side of the road in the chilly evening air, but decided against buying a bunch. Even if he said they were for Amber, Chloe might be upset thinking they were for her…or disappointed when learning that they weren’t.
Regardless, he was annoyed at himself for second-guessing everything. He finally asked himself how he’d behave if she were a guy, and made decisions accordingly.
That theory died the minute she came to the door in a little black dress. Her shiny blonde hair fell softly over her angled jaw, but it didn’t hide the long earrings she wore. Sparkling gold triangles cascaded almost to her shoulders. His gaze began to wander farther down to her apple-sized breasts, but he quickly snapped his eyes up to her face.
As she opened the door, he told himself to focus on her earrings. It looked like some kind of Celtic design had been carved in them.
“Evening, Chloe. I didn’t realize you were going to dress up.” Damn, Ryan. What a stupid thing to say. She probably primped all afternoon.
“You don’t look too shabby yerself, Mr. Fierro.”
He glanced down at his black Dockers and black sweater. “Hey. We match.”
She rolled her eyes, but at least she was smiling.
“My brother and his wife are upstairs doin’ the cookin’, but they charged me with gettin’ you a beer or…” She pointed to the Chianti he had brought. “Is that wine?”
“Yes. In my family we usually drink wine with dinner. I wouldn’t mind a beer though.”
“Well, come in.” She waved him toward the living room on the left. “I’ll run this upstairs and be down with your beer in a minute. Do you like Guinness?”
He didn’t. It was so dark and thick he was reminded of molasses. “Why don’t you just open the wine? Then you don’t have to run anywhere.” He winked. Christ, Ryan. Now you’re winking at her. Just stop thinking of her as a woman. He eyed her round bum as she sashayed over to a freestanding mahogany bar. Yeah, right.
Wandering around the room, he tried to focus on something else—anything else. The furniture was traditional and elegant. A tufted cream-colored sofa was flanked by a couple of armchairs that didn’t exactly match, but went with it as if a designer had picked them out. Hell, the whole place looked like a designer had been there.
“Did you do all this?” he asked.
“What? The furnishings and such?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t. That was all Amber’s department.”
He picked up a gold vase from a plaster pedestal. It looked extremely old and also sported some Celtic designs. “She has good taste,” he said.
“Ah, that she didn’t furnish. Me brother brought that from home. We had some antiques passed down from older generations.” She extracted the cork from the wine bottle and poured two glasses.
He replaced the vase gently, even though it looked sturdy enough. “Hey, do you like basketball?” Changing the subject much, Ryan?
“It’s one of those American sports I haven’t really followed yet,” she said, handing him one of the glasses.
“Well, it was invented right here in Massachusetts. Our team is called the Boston Celtics. The designs on your jewelry and the vase just reminded me.”
She cocked her head. “Are you thinkin’ of askin’ me to attend a game with you?”
He hadn’t been, but why not? As long as the kiss cam didn’t land on them, they’d be okay. And really…what were the chances of that happening?
“Ah, yeah. It might be fun sometime. The season is just starting.”
“Are the Celtics a good team?”
He shrugged. “Depends. There were years when they were unbeatable. Lately, they’ve been, well…”
“Beatable?” she supplied.
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
* * *
Amber descended the staircase, carrying a tray. “I thought I heard Ryan’s voice,” she said. “I brought some cheese and crackers. Dinner won’t be for another few minutes.”
Rory jogged down the stairs a few seconds behind her. “Hey, where are you goin’ with me cheeses, luv?”
She set them on the bar. “Oh, now they’re yours?”
“I picked out the good ones, didn’t I?”
“You picked the Irish cheddar. I got the French Brie.”
“As I said…” He grinned at her.
Amber chuckled. “He’s so easy. I could feed him cheddar cheese and Ritz crackers every night. As long as it came with a Guinness, he’d be in heaven.”
Oh great. I had Ryan thinking we were elegant people, and now my brother goes and shatters that idea. Why did she care what he thought? This wasn’t a date and there was no need to impress him.
“You’ll have to pardon me brother,” Chloe said. “We’ve been on our own since we were young. No one to teach us proper manners and such.” And we really did grow up in a cave.
Ryan’s face betrayed what she hated most—sympathy. Then he put on a quick smile. “I’m a man of simple tastes, myself.”
At least Rory waited until their guest took some of the appetizers before he loaded up a cocktail napkin.
Amber excused herself and returned upstairs while the three others settled into the living room. Ryan took the end of the sofa closest to the armchair, which Rory plopped himself down on right away. That left Chloe to sit on the other end of the couch, or the opposite side of the room.
Might as well look friendly, at least. She sat on the sofa, leaving one cushion between herself and Ryan.
“Why so far away?” Rory asked.
She gave him the stink-eye.
At last he shrugged, asked Ryan how he liked the training, and then tucked into his cheese and crackers.
“It wasn’t bad. Actually, I enjoyed it.” He glanced at Chloe. “I think your sister did too.”
“I did,” she said.
“Have you experienced any hazing yet?” Rory asked with a sly smile.
Ryan laughed. “Yeah, but only one incident…so far.”
Chloe’s brows went up. “Really? I haven’t. What did they do to you?”
Rory grinned. “I don’t know if you should tell Chloe. They might do the same to her. T’would be a shame if she missed the surprise element.”
“I doubt it, since it involved the men’s bathroom.”
Rory leaned forward. “Ah, this is gettin’ interestin’. What did they do to you?”
“They have a very
lifelike plastic baby alligator. It was in the toilet bowl, propped up like it was crawling out. I admit, I was pretty startled at first.”
Rory leaned back and laughed, long and loud. When he settled down, he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
Chloe couldn’t help chuckling too. “Thanks for the warnin’. I imagine they could put that thing in other places where I might come upon it.”
Rory snapped his fingers. “Ah, feckers. Now she’s ready for it. I bet they’ll put it in your bed and be hopin’ you’ll scream like a little lassie.”
Chloe folded her arms. “I wouldn’t scream at a baby alligator, in me bed or anywhere.” Rory should know that. Dragons were fond of reptiles, being part of the same family themselves. Maybe he was just playing along.
Ryan smirked at her. “Don’t feel bad if you do scream. I almost screamed like a little girl, myself.”
She couldn’t help liking the guy. He was no longer the pompous ass she’d met in the beginning. He wasn’t afraid to show he had a sensitive side now and then…like during their EMT training. When they were told they might be called upon for a SIDS case, sudden infant death syndrome, he hung his head and said he couldn’t imagine anything worse.
Suddenly, she thought, what if he wanted children? She couldn’t provide him with any. Dragons could only reproduce with other dragons—and only once every five years. Now why on earth did that thought pop into my head? We won’t be getting married.
Amber descended the stairs and announced that dinner was ready. Chloe almost let out a sigh of relief. She needed a change of subject—even though the subject of having a lover and children was only in her mind.
* * *
The day they were to return to work for several consecutive twenty-four-hour shifts finally arrived. Ryan couldn’t believe how ready he was to get back to the firehouse. Or was it back to Chloe?
That night he was pranked again. A big, hairy plastic spider waited for him in bed. He threw back the covers with the bedside lamp on, almost expecting something of the sort. When he saw that the tarantula wasn’t moving, he chuckled.
“Nice try, guys,” he called out.
A few male chuckles followed. Chloe appeared in his doorway, dressed in a long T-shirt and sweatpants. How the hell does she make activewear sexy?
“I take it you’ve been hazed again,” she said.
“It was a valiant attempt.” Some of his phoenix ancestors were from the deserts of the Southwest, so a big-ass tarantula was nothing short of nostalgic. “I haven’t heard you scream like a ‘little lassie’ yet. Have they tried to do anything to you?”
“Not a thing.” At first she shot him a smile, but her expression soon turned to sadness.
“Feeling left out?” he asked.
“A little. I had hoped they wouldn’t treat me any differently just because I’m a woman, but clearly that’s their intent.”
He saw two of the guys sneaking up behind her with a bucket of water. Without letting on, he said, “Maybe you should be grateful.”
She shrugged. “Mayhaps I should.”
At that moment, the guys dumped the bucket over her head. It wasn’t just water in that bucket. It was ice water! Her openmouthed, shocked expression was priceless.
Whoa! It wasn’t just a prank. It was a wet T-shirt contest!
She whirled around, looking like she was ready to give the guys a piece of her mind. Suddenly he saw their eyes bug out of their heads as they stared right at her nipples. She glanced down and wrapped her arms over her breasts.
Ryan jumped in front of her. “Very funny, guys. I know Arish wanted to be treated as an equal,” he said, hoping they’d get the implication that dumping ice water over a braless woman was anything but fair.
They grinned. “Welcome to the family, Arish,” Haggarty said.
The lieutenant’s warning popped into Ryan’s head and gave the word “brotherhood” a whole new meaning. Haggarty seemed to be the only one noticing the difference, and he’d bet money the asswipe had come up with the ice water idea.
“That’s a grand welcome, guys,” she said with a chuckle.
Whew. She wasn’t losing it. He was afraid she might go apeshit and really stand out—in a bad way.
“Now, if yeee’ll excuuuse me.” Her teeth chattered as she sprinted to her bedroom.
Once the door was closed, Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Not cool, guys.”
“Or maybe it was a little too cool,” the quieter of them said with a grin.
Ryan couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He could never unsee her perky breasts stuck to the soaked white T-shirt. Unfortunately, the other guys wouldn’t soon forget it either.
* * *
Chloe didn’t know what to think about her “grand” welcome. Was she being treated as an equal, or were her male cohorts treating her to some good old-fashioned chauvinism? She almost had to admire them for thinking up a way to do both at the same time.
Oh well, at least I didn’t scream like a ninny.
Haggarty, her partner, hadn’t been very forthcoming with information. Oh, he’d answered her questions, but didn’t volunteer anything. She got the distinct feeling he didn’t want her there.
She couldn’t wait for a chance to prove herself. The sooner she carried one of the guys over her shoulder to safety, the better.
But she wasn’t sure she’d ever get a chance to. They’d assigned her to the first ambulance. “Seniority” was supposedly the deciding factor. She and Ryan had been hired at the same time. So why was she one slot higher on the totem pole than he was?
She suspected it was her gender again, but when she asked the captain about it, he claimed they’d decided the tie alphabetically. Arish before Fierro.
That put Ryan in the front lines. And she wouldn’t be there to protect him. Feck. At least he was an outstanding firefighter in his own right. Chances are she had nothing to worry about.
So why was she worried?
That night, she slept lightly…the way dragons used to when they were guarding their piles of treasure from greedy, thieving humans.
Dispatchers were at the ready all night, and she was told that most firefighters got used to tuning out background noise, while being hyperaware of the need to wake up and listen to any announcements over the loudspeakers.
Her first overnight had been quiet, but the others had warned her that tonight might be different. It was an American holiday they called Halloween.
Her ancient roots took her back to the pagan holiday Samhain—celebrated at this same time of year. For those people, it was a solemn occasion when they honored their ancestors. Her only experience with Halloween had been last year when she had seen a few college students dressed in costumes, walking to and from the local dorms. It seemed peaceful enough.
Famous. Last. Words.
* * *
The alarm blared and the dispatcher’s voice announced a fire at a nightclub in the Kenmore Square area.
Chloe was dressed and had her boots on before footsteps were heard on other bedroom floors. She reached the pole first and sailed down it to the equipment below. Ryan and three others were right behind her. They all suited up in their turnout gear as the bays opened, allowing them to drive the engines and ambulances out onto Boylston Street.
The night sky flickered orange and black only a few blocks away. Those were Halloween colors, she’d been told, but tonight they were the colors of a fully engulfed building inferno.
The sirens screamed and her adrenaline kicked in. A couple of police cars raced to the scene at the same time. Good. They’d be needed for crowd control. The number of people standing on the sidewalk just outside the block of buildings would be a hazard by themselves.
Chloe didn’t wait for the ambulance to make a full stop. She was on the ground, asking if anyone was hurt. Before she could learn muc
h, she felt a large weight on her shoulder.
“Whoa there,” Haggarty said. “I’ll handle this.”
He asked the exact same questions she just had. Infuriating man.
When someone indicated there were several people still inside, Chloe looked to Haggarty for instructions. He didn’t say or do anything in response.
Really? I’m supposed to read the idjit’s mind?
She observed the lieutenant as he was barking out orders for the firefighters. The cops had begun clearing people from the sidewalks so they could run hoses. Not one to just sit around, Chloe also began asking uninjured people to move out of the way.
“That’s not your job, Arish,” Haggarty said.
She stomped over to him and asked, “Then what is my job? What am I supposed to be doing while everyone else is running around like chickens?”
He snorted. “You’re supposed to know your job by the time you come out of the academy.”
She felt her face heat. She whirled away from him, realizing he could make her shoot smoke out of her nostrils if she got angry enough. Damn. This guy seemed determined to make her angry.
How had she managed to keep her fury under wraps with Ryan? Oh yeah. She ignored him. Chloe couldn’t very well ignore her partner—although that seemed to be exactly what he was doing to her.
She moved closer to the lieutenant and the door the firefighters used to enter the building. Maybe one of them could use her help.
A moment later, Ryan appeared with a victim in his arms. She stepped toward him and he willingly handed over the adult male. She had him secured and was just turning toward the ambulance when Haggarty burst forward. “Are you crazy? She can’t handle a heavy patient by herself.”
He tried to grab for the man in her arms, but Chloe swiveled her body away from him. “I’ve got him. Grab a stretcher.”
The look Haggarty gave her could only be called “poisonous.” Then he glanced over her shoulder and she heard the lieutenant say, “Is there a problem, Haggarty?”
“No, sir,” he said sharply. Chloe carried the man to the ambulance and waited for her partner to produce a stretcher. As soon as she laid him down, she began assessing his vital signs and Haggarty disappeared.