Up In Flames (Flirting with Fire Book 2)

by Jennifer Blackwood

  Mandy frowned and made her way back to their spot in the colosseum of dog hell. “I’m going to ask you guys and Peaches to leave.”

  “What? Why? Is Peaches really that untrainable?”

  “Peaches is fine. But you two need to find a spot . . . not here . . . to figure out whatever is going on.”

  Reece and Sloane looked at each other. He’d never been kicked out of anything in his life.

  Sloane quickly grabbed her purse while Reece hooked Peaches back on her leash. He didn’t bother to look around at the other people. He could feel their stares. He managed to keep it together during car crashes, severed limbs, and complete bloodbaths, but put him in a room with Sloane for five minutes, and he lost his cool.

  A rush of icy wind funneled in through the sliding doors as they opened. Reece, Sloane, and Peaches walked out into the early evening. It was already pitch-black, even though it was a little after five.

  “Did we seriously just get kicked out of obedience school?” Sloane asked once they stepped off the sidewalk and into the parking lot.

  “I think so.” He let out a deep breath and fought for calm. And then he laughed. Because, really, what else could he do? “How am I supposed to get her trained?”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of a way. You seem to know everything, anyway, Reece.”

  And there they were. Back at square one. Exactly where he didn’t want to be. “What is it you want from me, Sloane? To admit that I don’t know everything? Well, you’re right. I don’t. I don’t know a thing about my job. Definitely not about women, because the second I think things are cool with you, you tilt my world upside down.” Why was he opening up to her? This woman had done nothing but criticize everything when he knew for a fact that she’d never been like this before last year. “I don’t like doing stuff I’m not good at. I acted like an idiot. And now Peaches will remain a hellion because of it.”

  She looked at him for a long moment, studying him with those light brown eyes. “What is this about your job? Because the Reece I know is an awesome firefighter. Although you could do without getting hurt so much.”

  He was surprised to hear her admit this. “You don’t get it. Chief has a bone to pick with me. To sum it up, we don’t exactly mesh too well. And this whole thing with the auction is just the cherry on top of the whole situation.”

  Sloane opened her mouth to say something, but Reece interrupted.

  “And before you say something snide like ‘Surprise, surprise,’ just know that I’ve worked my ass off for a decade. I’ve put my time in, and I don’t want to be dicked around by someone who’s just biding his time till retirement.”

  An older woman pushed a cart into the return corral in the parking lot, her cart clattering against other stray ones in the contained area. Reece looked around, realizing he was making an ass out of himself in public again.

  Guess he was just hanging it all out there. He didn’t like how that put him in a vulnerable spot. There was a reason he didn’t open up to people, and it was because there’d be no point. Why share the tough stuff when the relationship wouldn’t work out? The only exceptions were his mom, Jake, and Hollywood.

  Her gaze softened. “I was just going to say it’s his loss. That sucks he’s giving you a hard time.”

  He nodded. This was the Sloane he’d grown up with. Brutal at times, but also kind and compassionate.

  “I’ve had a rough day too.” Sloane eyed him, her hands on her hips. “And I won’t leave you high and dry. I’ll work with her. But you have to be willing to listen to me. And don’t complain if I ask you to try something new.”

  “Fine.” They started moving toward his Jeep a few spaces down. He unlocked and opened the door for Sloane and handed Peaches to her after she slid into the seat.

  He pulled into one of the spots closest to the entrance of Sloane’s apartment. Silence bloomed in the Jeep, and Reece fumbled with what to say to her.

  Sloane was the first one to say something. “Since lessons were cut short, you ready to get started?” She unbuckled her seat belt and scratched Peaches behind her ears.

  “What about the no-dog rule?” He didn’t know how strict her building was or the consequences if they caught a dog in her apartment. The last thing he wanted was to get her in trouble with the super.

  She shrugged. “I’m sure we can sneak her in for a few minutes.”

  He wasn’t about to argue with this. He grabbed his coat and the dog’s leash and opened the Jeep door.

  As soon as they both rounded the back of the vehicle, she said, “First. You need to stop posturing.”

  He stopped and folded his arms. “I’m not posturing.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Look, you’re trying to be all macho. Just be yourself. No need to sound like Conan the Barbarian. Peaches needs a more delicate touch than that.”

  “Like the dog cares.” He motioned to Peaches, who was a tiny argyle shark circling around them, her nails clicking on the pavement. “She tries to eat her own shit. How complicated could she possibly be?”

  Sloane quirked a brow. Reece’s hands shot up in response. “Right. I know nothing. You are the Jedi master. Go forth and teach, Dog Yoda.”

  “It’s all about body language. Dogs can sense how you feel, even when you don’t say anything.” She stood in front of him, her shoulders hunched, her body completely closed off. “This shows them that they can take advantage of you.” She straightened, her posture opening up, her breasts pushing out to where they almost brushed against Reece’s chest. “This shows you are in charge.”

  “I stand like that normally.”

  Sloane laughed, and the sound stroked down Reece like someone was gliding warm fingers down his spine. “Peaches must just think you’re an asshole, then. She is a pretty good judge of character,” she joked.

  They made their way into the stairwell, their voices echoing as they ascended to the fourth floor. “You said you had a bad day at work earlier. What had you so down?” He couldn’t help it. The more he wanted to distance himself from Sloane, the more he found his willpower evaporating. He wanted to know about her day. What she was feeling. This was all uncharted waters for him.

  “Work was rough.”

  “Care to expand?” They exited the stairwell and made it down to the end of the hallway to her apartment. It appeared she had added a tiny snowman to the Christmas display outside her door.

  “One of my patients didn’t make it.” She frowned, taking her key out of her pocket and opening the door to her apartment.

  He got that. When they lost someone on a call, it put him in a piss-poor mood the rest of the shift. It was one of those things that dug at the crew morale.

  “Why don’t we take a break?”

  She cocked her head, those delicious ruby-red lips pursing together. “We just started.”

  “I know, but I’m hungry. And I know Peaches is. Let’s order a pizza.” Because Reece wanted to stay as long as Sloane would let him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sloane stared at Reece, not quite believing what she saw. Why was he being so nice to her? After they’d duked it out in the pet store parking lot, she figured he’d want to hightail it out of there, and yet, he was here. In her apartment. Asking to eat a meal with her.

  “Come on. I know you’re dying for a slice of pizza,” he said. He gave her that crooked grin that discombobulated all her neurons.

  She moved across the living room to grab her cell, which she’d tossed on the coffee table when they’d first entered her apartment. Reece unleashed Peaches and set the leash in Sloane’s entryway. He moved around her apartment with a fluid grace that sent prickles up her spine. He looked good here. Like he fit.

  She shook that last thought from her head. What a stupid thing to entertain. The man drove her up a wall 90 percent of the time. He didn’t need to look good here. He needed help with his dog. Owed her one more favor. That was it.

  “Fine. But I’m only doing this because I’m starving, and
I would have gotten something anyway.” She mentally slapped her hand against her forehead. What was with her always slamming up the mental shield with him? She couldn’t seem to let her guard down.

  Food. Focus on something simple. She pulled up the pizza-store app on her phone and placed an order while furtively snagging glances of Reece.

  Sloane had been looking for a safe guy to date online. Like a starter boyfriend. She wanted someone who made her feel those little butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Reece was about as unsafe as it came. She didn’t get butterflies around him. More like those insects from Jumanji that could swallow an entire person whole.

  “How’s that online-dating thing going?” he asked as he sank down onto the couch. His legs were spread, and he had his arms propped on the back of the couch. Sloane had the sudden urge to crawl into his lap, to grind against the thickness that she’d witnessed the other day when he was soaking wet.

  Girl. Get it together. You are better than this.

  No, you’re not, another voice replied.

  She glanced at his lap again. Nope. She definitely wasn’t.

  Right. Sloane should do something besides just stare at him. She pulled out her phone and brought up the dating app. She didn’t want to admit that she’d seen Reece’s profile on there the other day. Or that it had sparked some weird form of jealousy in her. Instead, she pulled up the picture of Aaron, a guy she’d been chatting with for a week. “I’m going out with this guy on Friday.”

  He grabbed the phone and grunted. She waited for him to react. To object. To tell her not to go out on the date. Which would be silly, because besides the one time in his apartment, he hadn’t shown any interest in her. She didn’t count their interaction at the hospital. The man had experienced a concussion, for crying out loud.

  His expression tightened for an instant, but then returned to his easy smile. “What do you like about this guy?”

  Her stomach bottomed out. Definitely not the reaction she’d been expecting. Truth was, she wasn’t even that excited for the date. Not that she’d let Reece know that. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “He seems nice enough. Good hair. An admirable feature. Plus, he likes art.”

  “Not going to work out, Smurfette.” He handed the phone back to her and resituated himself on the couch—a couch that she had no problem lying across length-wise but which seemed so small when he sat on it.

  “And why do you say that? Aaron could be the one.”

  Yeah, no. Aaron was absolutely not the right kind of guy for her. His texts were about as entertaining as cleaning the grout in her kitchen. Her stomach growled, and she glanced at her phone. It’d been twenty minutes since she’d placed the pizza order. It should be here any minute.

  He let out a guffaw. “I’m one hundred percent certain this guy isn’t the one for you. You’re picking frivolous things.”

  “Am not.” Was she? She figured that was what online dating was all about. Because she had yet to make any meaningful connections with anyone.

  He gave her a look.

  “Fine. What would you look for?” She didn’t expect to hear anything earth-shattering from Mr. Macho Firefighter.

  They’d never had deep conversations before. In high school, there’d been too much of an age gap to hang out and chat. And then when they got older, she saw him only in a work setting and occasional get-togethers with her friends.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down at his shoes. He had forgone his typical flannel and was in jeans and a hoodie. Something about the way the sweatshirt pulled across his broad chest in combination with the scruff of his neatly trimmed beard sent a lick of heat sliding down her spine.

  “I’d look for someone who had a good personality. Someone I can just kick it with.” The pizza-delivery guy knocked at the door, and Sloane raced to open it. Before she could hand over the proper change, Reece shoved a few bills in the guy’s hand and took the pizza boxes.

  Sloane stared at him.

  Was this really Reece? The one who grumbled about spending his hard-earned money? Maybe that hit to the head had rattled around some of his personality traits.

  She went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of plates and met Reece back in the living room.

  “Is that what you were looking for when you made your way through my nursing unit?”

  “No,” he admitted. “I haven’t seriously been looking for a long time.”

  She’d noticed this. He’d always been so serious about relationships when he was younger. This new Reece, the one she’d known for the past decade, was a far cry from that sweet high school guy. “Why not?”

  He dragged out a tense breath.

  “Can I be real with you?” he said.

  This was apparently a day for truth bombs with Reece. She’d normally tease him mercilessly about this, but she had to admit she liked getting to know him. He was more complicated than she had first assumed. He was like one of those Russian nesting dolls her parents had gifted her from their trips to Europe when she was younger. A new surprise under each layer.

  She shrugged. She wasn’t sure what he’d say. Sloane remembered his long-term girlfriend in high school. They were one of those sickly sweet couples who were always attached at the hip. When he’d graduated, she hadn’t really kept tabs on his relationship status.

  “Do you remember Amber?”

  “Your girlfriend in high school?” The only thing she remembered was that Amber had this amazing red hair. The kind that couldn’t be replicated from a bottle. That paired with freckles and a button nose, and she could see the appeal.

  “Yeah. I went to train for the hotshot fire crew the first year I joined Station Eleven. I had plans to propose after I got back. But when I came to surprise her for her birthday, she was seeing someone else. Already engaged and planned to move overseas with him. Wasted five years of my life with her.”

  Brutal. Sloane never saw a point to cheating in a relationship. If things weren’t working out, end it. Why put the other person through all the pain and future trust issues? She mentally side-eyed her ex.

  “You really think it was all a waste?” She liked to think that the years she’d spent with Brian weren’t completely in the trash. She’d learned something about herself through the process. Like the fact that she was no longer willing to date assholes. Or ones who only put their needs above others. It was good practice for when she finally found someone worth dating.

  “All I wanted was to settle down with the love of my life. My mom was always hounding Erin about relationships, about settling down, but I was the one who wanted the kids. I wanted to coach my kids’ football teams. Play catch in the yard. I wanted to be a dad and wake up next to the same woman.”

  Whoa. She’d never expected that from Reece. He’d always seemed so . . . grumpy. Reclusive. Had a sour relationship made him that way? She wondered if this was the Ghost of Christmas Future showing her what it’d be like for her if she didn’t find someone.

  “Is she still?”

  “Still what?” he asked, taking a bite of his slice of pepperoni. The way he chewed—the muscle in his jaw flexing, all those sharp angles in his face focused on what was in his mouth—sent a flick of desire through her. There was something seriously wrong with her if she was getting hot and bothered over pizza.

  “The love of your life.”

  He set his slice on his plate and looked straight at her. “No.” His voice was sure, certain. “The one would never leave you. I was young and stupid. I didn’t know what love was at that point. It took a long time to realize that.”

  It was nice to know there were men out there who wanted something serious. All the men she’d encountered on the dating sites either wanted a casual hookup or had some unredeemable factor. Like jail time or laughing about little animals being injured. There were some real winners on the internet.

  “Then why waste your time now?”

  “In regard to what?” He lifted a brow, and she understood h
er own unintentionally implied meaning. That it was a waste of time to be out with her. It wasn’t far from the truth. They were so different, there wasn’t a chance in hell they’d be compatible.

  She was finally smiling, something Reece had managed to pull out of her, even after an epic fail of a date.

  “You know.” She waved her hands dismissively. “Dating around.” It sounded so flippant to her ears.

  “What’s the harm in having fun until the right person comes around? As long as both people are on the same page.”

  That made sense, she supposed. She’d always been a serial monogamist. Going from one long relationship to the next. The thought of actually hooking up with someone just for the fun of it, not looking past tomorrow, was terrifying. This was the exact reason she’d taken the last year off—to finally break the cycle. All it’d left her with was a better bank account and an extreme case of lady blue balls.

  Reece grabbed a few pepperonis from his pizza and plopped them on a plate. He set it on the floor, and Peaches went to town, her tail wagging double-time as she chowed down on pizza.

  “I guess. Just seems so emotionally taxing.” She tore off a piece of crust, tossed it on the dog’s plate, and then ate the rest of her slice.

  “That’s the point of a hookup. No emotions.” He shrugged. “I guess if you both decided you wanted something more, that’d work too.”

  “And how would you know if the person you’re hooking up with is the one if you already have one foot out the door?”

  He stared at her for a long moment and then swallowed. “I’m guessing you’d just know.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  This was so weird. Never in the past year could he have imagined himself sitting in Sloane’s apartment, eating takeout, and talking about the one. This was all too deep for him. Stuff he hadn’t even told Jake. A, because he would probably give him hell for the next decade. And B, prior to this past year, Jake had battled his own loneliness before he had started dating Reece’s sister. Reece didn’t need to dump his problems on him.