Rumor Has It

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  “Believe me, all you’ll have to do is ask,” he said as he walked away with efficient strides. “Call me and tell me the good news tomorrow.”

  * * * *

  I’m bringing over takeout. Gen Tso’s Chicken or Mongolian Beef?

  The text was quite a surprise. Raina didn’t know what to think about this. She saw Liam once a week, sometimes twice, but never two days in a row. Today she’d just resigned herself to not seeing him for a while. Especially since she knew he’d broken one of his rules about sleepovers. She knew why she’d fallen asleep so quickly—he had worn her out, and so sweetly too. He’d shown her a lot of things in the small amount of time he was with her. This was her chance to forget about it…or at least make him think she’d forgotten about it.

  When he got up and left the room, she’d heard his muttered curses at himself. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to see him this soon, but she knew she wouldn’t tell him that. She texted back Mongolian Beef and then went to freshen up.

  This was his shift night, so this must be a quick meal before duty. Maybe his plan was to get a quickie in before work… Her body was in total agreement with that.

  Get ahold of yourself. She didn’t want him to know she’d been looking out the window every five minutes in between trying to make her makeup look like she hadn’t just put it on.

  The knock on the door startled her, and she stopped herself from running to the door. She walked like she normally would, but when she opened the door, her body went Pavlov’s dog on her, heating up with memories of what this man had done to her not so long ago. Stop! That was a one-time thing. Keep repeating it to yourself if you have to.

  This wasn’t going to work. She’d had him less than twelve hours ago, and she was going to have to be with him again and pretend she wasn’t his biggest new fan. No wonder women pumped her for information whenever they saw her. They were trying to get back into Liam’s bed. Too bad there wasn’t anyone she could ask for advice. She would die before she let him know her idea of one night and done was a lousy idea.

  When he’d texted her casually about bringing over takeout, she’d wanted to text back, “Forget the takeout. I just want more of you.” That wouldn’t be getting them back where they were supposed to be, would it? She was a woman of her word, and she would stick by it. He didn’t have to know she’d freshened up and put on her cutest pale-pink lace demi-bra and matching panties. Just in case any—stop it right now. She willed her mind and her body to settle down.

  “Were you going somewhere?” He gave her a quick appraisal as he stood on the porch like a suitor until she remembered she was blocking the door. His chestnut-brown hair was cut short on the sides and only slightly longer on the top. She knew it curled a bit when he let it grow out just a bit more. “Can I come in?”

  “Oh…um…yes, sorry.” She moved so he could enter, and then she followed him as he brought the food to the table. Walking behind him, she noticed how well his jeans fit him and how great his ass looked. Wow, she should have taken more time to explore that area.

  “Raina?”

  She looked up at him but was too slow for him not to catch what had trapped her attention.

  “Yes.” She tried to stop the blush she knew was working its way up her chest and onto her face, and she realized there were no plates or glasses on the table. They had a system. He’d call and say he was bringing over food, and she put out the utensils that made it look like they had a home-cooked meal. She would have done just that, but she’d spent so much time attempting to look her best for her friend-turned-man-who-could-play-her-body-like-a-harp. She made a mad dash to complete what should have been done before he arrived.

  She was almost finished with her sprint around the kitchen when he caught her in his arms.

  “Calm down…it’s okay,” he said as he pulled out her chair and settled her at the table.

  She didn’t know if he was saying it’s okay that the table wasn’t set up, or it’s okay that you’re not acting like you normally do, or what. She was so confused, and she just wanted to stop feeling like she was on uneven ground.

  He brought over a glass of Bordeaux and set it in front of her. She took a moment to look…really look…at what was going on. Her favorite food, her favorite wine, and her favorite man. Something was up. He wanted something, and damned if she didn’t hope it was the same thing she wanted.

  She made her plate and watched as he made his and then tucked into his food.

  “No wine for you?”

  “No. I’m on my way to work after we eat,” he said without looking up.

  “Hmm…all right. So what’s up?”

  He looked up and took a sip of his water but was otherwise silent.

  “All my favorites and a visit from my best buddy?” She couldn’t wait to hear what this was about.

  He sat back and smiled at her.

  “It could only mean one thing,” she continued.

  “And what would that one thing be?”

  “You want something.” She couldn’t help but smile as the look of surprise flashed across his face. He opened his mouth, but she put up her hand to stop him. “It’s pretty big, you don’t want to ask, and it’s not for you.”

  His left eyebrow quirked up, and she knew he was amused. She loved when she put that look on his face. Like he didn’t know she could have a master’s degree in Liam Andrew Prescott. She knew his body language and facial expressions so well there were times he didn’t have to say anything, and she knew what was coming next.

  “You know all that from a meal that I’ve brought over many times before?”

  “No. I just know you.” The food was good, and she remembered she hadn’t eaten lunch.

  “Do you now?” He seemed pleased…that she would know him so well? She didn’t know, but she liked that expression on his face.

  “Yes.”

  The deep chuckle she heard from across the table let her know she was right. “You may know me just a little bit.”

  “So what is it you want?” She hoped she didn’t sound as frisky as she felt.

  “You don’t want to finish eating first?”

  “Procrastinating? For the ‘get it done and over with’ lieutenant fire chief?” He was a bit out of sorts, and that made her so giddy. She knew it wasn’t because of her, per se, but it was gratifying to see him off-kilter. This never happened.

  He cleared his throat. “The annual Fire Ball is in about two weeks.”

  She’d never seen a man more unwilling to ask for something in her life, but she knew that was just him. He did it himself, or it didn’t get done.

  “All right.”

  “The organizer had to leave. Her mother was sick and has taken a turn for the worse, so she is off to take care of her.”

  “I’m starting to get the picture.”

  “I’m told everything is practically set in place; it just needs tweaking. Theo and Silas know how well you did with the police officer’s ball last year and were hoping you would help out.”

  “Why did they get you to ask me?”

  “I don’t know… One minute I’m taking notes to take back to the firehouse, and the next I’m being asked to get my friend to help out with an issue of great importance.”

  “Theo didn’t want to ask me himself?”

  “I guess not, since he was so adamant that you would do it for me if I asked.”

  “He said that?” She watched him nod. There was something else; she could feel it. “What else did he say?”

  Silence from his mouth, but his clear green eyes were filled with knowledge of something. He was only going to say what he wanted her to know, so she might as well move on.

  “So you need my help.” She wouldn’t have been herself if she let this go without some teasing. He always made her feel so free. She wouldn’t have given anyone else grief about this; she would have said yes or no, and that would have been the end of it.

  “The fire department needs your help.” His eyes were nar
rowing, and his head was cocked slightly to the left.

  “Oh.” She pretended to think about that. She got up and took her plate to the sink. “What if I don’t want to help the fire department?” She turned to look at him as he shook his head.

  “Why wouldn’t you want to help the fire department? They have workers who rescue people and have helped you a time or two, and one of your best buddies is a fire fighter.” He stood and walked over to the sink beside her.

  “Really? Who is that?” He didn’t say anything, and that always amazed her how his silence could say so much. “Yeah…but he doesn’t need my help. That came straight from the horse’s mouth.”

  He set his plate by hers and turned so they were both facing each other. “If I said I needed your help, would you do it?”

  “In a heartbeat.” She tried to sound playful, but she knew the sentence was squeezed from her soul and sounded like it. She watched his eyes dilate, and something flashed on his face, but it was so quick it was hard to interpret. He watched her mouth, and she almost went up on tiptoe to get closer, but she stopped herself right before she did it.

  He took a step toward her, and she backed up. They repeated this twice, until she had her back to the wall. He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek, and she closed her eyes and leaned into the caress. There was only silence until she opened her eyes.

  “I need you,” he said in a voice so soft that if she hadn’t been this close, she wouldn’t have heard him, but before she could enjoy the success, her mouth was treated to a sweet assault. She wanted to kiss him with everything she had, but she feared she would be just like all the others. What if this was a pity kiss, like the pity sex she’d received yesterday? When he groaned, his kiss got wetter, wilder, and hotter, and she couldn’t hold back. She fisted her hands in his hair and held him to her.

  Desire clouded her senses, and all she knew was that she wanted the complete package right now. First she needed to see the tool that had brought her such pleasure, and she felt bold enough to try. Pushing him back, she moved to her knees, undid the buttons on his jeans, and found him thick and throbbing beneath his black boxer briefs.

  Putting her mouth on him through the cotton and breathing in the smell of clean laundry and hot Liam, she could hear his breathing change and was exhilarated that she could have this effect on him. Her body was answering his arousal with her own. For so long, she’d wished she could do this for him…do this for herself. One moment she was planning to peel away the cotton and taste her prize, and the next she was pulled from her knees and into a loose hug and light kiss that didn’t allow for any touching of any excitable areas.

  She knew he had come to his senses. He continued to kiss her. The sweet kiss didn’t stop abruptly. She felt like their souls had been meshing with these kisses, so she felt when it changed. It was as if a part of him withdrew. He gave her a few more light pecks on her mouth, but he was over it, she could tell. He turned and walked away, adjusted himself, and buttoned up his pants.

  “You didn’t have to kiss me to get me to agree to help you,” she whispered, afraid if she spoke louder, all the things she wanted to say would find their way out of her mouth.

  “I know that.” He’d moved back to the sink to scrape the food into the disposal, and she moved right next to him. She didn’t know what to do. She’d made it clear what she wanted to do to him, but she didn’t know what he felt about that.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know that too.”

  She went to clean off the table since the mood had changed and she still wasn’t sure what was going on with him. The old her would have just asked what was wrong, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear him voice regrets about what they’d done.

  They worked in silence, but again not the friendly silence they usually shared. It was a weird, awkward silence that was thick and made her stomach queasy.

  “Thanks for doing this on such short notice. I know you’re doing that wedding this weekend, so I want to make it as easy as possible for you. I’ve lined up a few volunteers to help us out. I brought over the layout and information Betty had for the event. Do you think you can go over it and let us know how we can help? We can meet at the Fire Hydrant. We could do it tomorrow night when I get off?”

  The language was acceptable, but there was something off. Maybe it was just her.

  “Sure. What time?”

  “My shift is over around seven p.m., so how about we meet there about seven thirty?” He said this while packing everything up and placing it in the refrigerator. Now he was ready to go, and her house looked like he’d never been there.

  “Sounds good.” She turned toward the faucet and used the sprayer to make sure all the suds had been rinsed down the drain.

  “See you tomorrow.”

  She didn’t want to watch him leave, especially like this, but she knew he had to go to work. “I’ll be there.” Trying to put a cheery voice on, she hoped that maybe he didn’t know her as well as she knew him. It was quiet for so long, she thought he might have left the kitchen and gone out the door quietly, but she could still feel him watching her. She didn’t want him to see what was surely on her face. More time was needed to pull herself together.

  “That kiss wasn’t payment for anything,” he said to her back, not close enough that she could feel his warmth, but she could smell him. “No one makes me do anything I don’t want to or say anything I don’t want to say.”

  “I hope not.”

  “You’re going to make me staying away from you hard for me. Aren’t you?”

  “I’m not trying to.”

  “I know, but you’re doing it anyway.” He turned her to face him and then rubbed his knuckle softly along her jaw. “It’ll get better.”

  She didn’t know if he was talking to her or himself, but he gave her a smile.

  “If you say so.”

  “I do,” he said as he placed a soft kiss near her mouth, like it was a compulsion, and then he walked out the door and was gone. She was going to have to work on how she felt about him, and if he wanted them to go back to being just friends, he was going to have to keep his hands to himself. She would work on gaining enough self-control not to touch his soft dark curls or rub his bulging biceps, but if he touched her first, all bets were off.

  Chapter Four

  The Fire Hydrant Bar and Grill was the hangout for fire personnel, police, medics, and all other public service people. Although it could be loud, they had a meeting room that blocked the noise somewhat. It also had a glass wall so you could see what was going on in the main bar. This came in handy when the meetings were boring—you could always watch what people were doing on the other side of the glass.

  He’d brought three of his crew—Ethan, Brody, and Nick. They were the most loved of the department. He was relieved they didn’t complain too much about the meeting being after their shift. They also had another volunteer—from another crew—named Sue; he was grateful she wanted to volunteer but wasn’t sure about her motives. At this point, he didn’t care. They needed volunteers, and she’d answered the call.

  He knew exactly when Raina walked into the establishment. There was a quieting of the crowd. She’d come often with Theo and with him, but she still turned heads when she walked through. He looked over to his buddy Ethan and watched him follow her through the crowd. He’d forgotten Ethan had the hots for Raina. That wasn’t new. No wonder he’d been so quick to volunteer. The few times she’d come to the firehouse to serve up a meal, the guys had hung on her every word like she was telling them hidden secrets of the world. The desire to punch his buddy in the mouth for the things he looked like he was thinking was new, and Liam needed to work on that and fast.

  “Hello, everyone,” Raina said with a happiness that should have gotten on his nerves after a twenty-four-hour shift but made him want to smile. That was odd, because he’d gotten no sleep at the firehouse last night. Each time he closed his eyes, he could see Raina on her knees
in front of him, and damn if that image didn’t make him hard as carbon every freaking time.

  Blowing in like a vanilla storm, she wore her professional persona like a cloak. She greeted everyone like a long-lost friend and gave him a smile that probably looked to everyone else like normal, but her eyes were guarded. He knew they shouldn’t have done this. Just like he knew she would probably feel rejected by the episode last night.

  There was no way he could have stayed. He’d had to go to work, and it would’ve been breaking another one of his rules. She’d been right about most of the things she thought about him and his rules, but he hadn’t ever broken them down for anyone. The women he was with knew the score, and they wanted what he did…at least in the beginning. It worked for him, and he wasn’t with anyone long enough for them to get too attached anyway. He never worried about getting too attached to them, but he’d never been with Raina.

  She put all her things down, and he was again moved by a strong desire to maim when Ethan got up to ask Raina if he could get her something from the bar.

  “I’ll take a lemon-lime soda, if they have it.”

  “If they don’t, I’ll find it.”

  Liam thought he’d be sick. He was always amused by how Ethan could charm the ladies so quickly, but he wasn’t amused now.

  He watched her get her information set up, enjoying seeing her in her element. He’d seen her in her professional clothes, but he’d never observed her at work.

  “All right, everyone, thanks so much for coming together on such short notice,” she said, clearly ready to get the show on the road.

  Ethan was back. He’d placed her glass in front of her and sat down next to her like he belonged there. The rest of the meeting passed in a blur while Sue, the woman who’d come to volunteer from Firehouse 4, kept turning to him to smile and make small remarks.

  He would get a rundown of what was said later because his wires seemed to be crossed. Annoyance with Sue, anger with Ethan, and lust for Raina were creating a mix of thoughts and emotions—wait. He didn’t do emotions. With Ethan hanging all over Raina and Sue and her ceaseless remarks, he just wanted to get out of there and take Raina with him.