The Spark of a Kiss

by Sarah Gay

  Pineapple chuckled his understanding.

  “Hello.” Dax made it to her side before any other fools could step in front of him.

  She gave him an innocent smile.

  He nodded. “Can I take your coat and find a place for us to sit?” Dax motioned to the two unoccupied tables. He guessed she was there for the party in the back, but he’d try to keep her away from the other single firemen for as long as possible.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for your assistance, but I’m guessing, by your attire, that you don’t work here?”

  “When the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks in and I want to keep her to myself, I’ll gladly wait tables to be close to her.”

  “Well that’s too bad, because I like an honest man who tells me exactly what he’s thinking.” She handed him her coat, revealing a blue beaded top, cut above her waist to expose her midriff in the most tantalizing way.

  Dax coughed away his sudden dry mouth. This girl had no idea the power a dress like that had on an unsuspecting male in his mid-twenties. The dress turned out to be a matching top and skirt. If it weren’t for her blond hair and green eyes, she could have passed for a princess from India.

  He tore his gaze away from her dress to study her face. The creamy skin on her high cheekbones blushed at his gaze, while her full, glossy lips beckoned him. Her eyes had a distinctive green outer ring, but inside that ring held a familiar color; his father’s eyes. His own eyes were that same exact golden-brown. He had never met anyone before with that same exact coloring. Whereas his were a true golden throughout, the amber in her eyes splashed amongst the green. Those eyes, coupled with their dark, thick lashes sent his heart thumping against his chest.

  She wrinkled her brow. “Did I overdress?”

  “I think we match perfectly.” Dax flicked his black tie. “Don’t you?”

  She batted those intoxicating lashes. “Great minds think alike, then.”

  “And I think these two great minds ought to stick together this evening.” He offered her his elbow. “What do you think?”

  She weaved her arm through his but didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. Her smile told him she was interested. This was going to be a New Year’s Eve to remember.

  February placed his hand on Julia’s bare arm to lead her through Pineapple’s to the celebration. When their skin made contact, it caused her central nervous system to sizzle and her nerves to fire like an electrical storm off the Golf Coast. She knew she’d be attracted to him, but dang, he was hotter in person than she’d imagined.

  Julia had claimed her prize. At least that’s how she felt; like she had won a date with the most gorgeous man in the western region. Trophy boyfriend. She liked the sound of that, at least until she could introduce him to her mom and dad as her boyfriend.

  February led her to a dimly lit, crowded room in the back of the restaurant. The noise level bumped up a notch as they made their way through clumps of boisterous chatter. Her mouth watered at the strong aroma of slow roasted pig and citrus fruit. “I can’t believe I’ve never eaten here before. This place smells amazing!”

  “It is amazing.” He pointed to several long tables pushed together to stretch the length of the room. “The food should be out in a few minutes.”

  “Good. Because I’m starving.”

  “Me too.” He gave her arm a light squeeze. “Hey, I never got your name. And what brought you here tonight?”

  “It’s Julia. My sister invited me to join her and her boyfriend, Stone.”

  February stopped suddenly and angled back to the front of the restaurant as if he might make a run for it.

  Julia caught his hesitation. “Do you know Stone?” She thought all the firemen knew each other. By his nervous reaction, perhaps he and Stone had a falling out.

  “Julia!” Abi bounced across the room to them. “I see you’ve met Dax.”

  “Yes.” Julia smiled up at him. “He’s quite the gentleman.”

  “Gentleman, huh?” Abi turned and eyed Dax. “You okay with attorneys now?”

  Dax swallowed hard. Julia shrugged off the comment. Most people weren’t okay with attorneys, but it never took her long to educate them properly.

  Julia measured herself against Dax. Her eyes came to where his lower neck met his chest, allowing her a perfect view of how his medium olive skin darkened at Abi’s comment. A birthmark came to the surface of his neck when he blushed. It resembled a Rorschach ink blot used for psychological testing.

  “Can I steal Julia away from you for a minute?” Abi pulled on Julia’s arm as she nodded to Dax.

  He looked as if he would object, but he didn’t.

  Abi pulled Julia out of Dax’s earshot and said, “Don’t waste your time on him. Stone thinks the world of him but cautioned that Dax doesn’t go on more than two or three dates with the same girl. He has some rule about not getting too involved.”

  Julia tapped her finger against her cheek as she mulled over Abi’s concern. “That’s excellent hearsay. I know now how I need to proceed.” She needed a boyfriend for her birthday, and Dax was the perfect candidate. He obviously had an issue with commitment, but that was doable. She would have to approach this from a different angle.

  Abi pursed her lips. “We’re not in court here, Jules.” She threw her arms down at her sides. “Drop it.”

  Julia raised her brows. “And how many times have I warned you to close off your heart to Stone?”

  “You have a point.” Abi shrugged. “I’m excited to see how this will turn out. You never were one to bow down from a challenge.”

  Julia scanned the room for Dax. He sat at the piano bench, fiddled with the mic, then motioned for Blue to turn down the overhead music.

  “Who wants to get this New Year’s Eve party started!” Dax exclaimed, causing the mic to give off that momentary high-pitched squeal.

  Exuberant shouts and claps rang out from the crowd as Abi grabbed Julia’s arm. “He can play the piano?” Abi questioned with a playful smile and approving eyes.

  Dax played a few notes. “I hope you enjoy this first song. I’d like to dedicate it to a special lady, Julia, and ask her a loaded question.” He glanced up at her and winked as he began playing. “What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?”

  Julia’s knees buckled as Dax began singing Harry Connick Jr’s rendition of one of her favorite holiday songs—the song she had listened to less than an hour before. Good thing Abi had a firm hold on Julia’s arm, otherwise she would have fallen to the floor.

  “You okay?” Abi’s face clouded with concern.

  “He could have given me a little warning before dedicating a romantic song to me and looking so, so…”

  “Handsome?” Abi wiggled her eyebrows.

  Julia sighed her contentment as she locked eyes with Dax. “Dreamy.”

  Abi giggled. “I’ve never seen you twitterpated before, Jules. This is kinda fun.”

  Determination solidified her resolve. “And he’s not going to get one date with me.” He’d get a girlfriend, not a date.

  “That’s a relief.” An exotic, attractive man stepped in front of them, interrupting Julia’s eye contact with Dax. “Dax isn’t your type,” he said in a strong, Baltic-sounding accent. “Can I have this dance?”

  Julia recognized him as November. He was cute, but no sparks. She couldn’t think of a refusal fast enough. Instead, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her out to the dance floor where a few other couples had begun dancing. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

  Pulling her in by the waist, he turned her in slow circles to the jazzy rhythm. “I’m Nikola.” He breathed out an essence of black licorice.

  “I’m Julia,” she said. His breath intrigued her. “This may be a strange question, but do you use black licorice breath mints. I like the taste and smell, but I’ve never found a mint I really enjoy.”

  He opened his mouth slightly, demonstrating a black mint resting on his tongue. “This is from my
country, very delicious. Would you like to try?” He inched his mouth closer to hers.

  Her body stiffened. That had been a stupid question. She sometimes came off as interested when she wasn’t.

  The music slowed, and the singing paused just long enough for Julia to pick up on the anomaly. In jazz, a singer took liberties with beats, but this was different.

  “Nikola, don’t even think about it,” Dax sang a warning then continued to sing the correct lyrics.

  Nikola shook his head, his face breaking into a reluctant smile as the laughter around them grew. “What do you say to that, Julia?”

  She liked how he said her name and liked even more how he had respected his friend enough to withdraw. “I like you Nikola, but I gave Dax my arm this evening.”

  “At least you haven’t given him your heart, yet. I might still have a chance.” His eyes studied hers, as if he were reading a captivating novel. Then, appearing to have sensed something, he nodded and gave a sigh of resignation. “Do you have another sister?”

  “No.” She laughed. “But I could set you up with a few of my cute friends.”

  “Just one.” He looked up at the ceiling as if speaking to the heavens. “I only ask for one.”

  “Well, November, I think we have extra calendars at home. I could distribute them to my friends and associates until we find the one.”

  “You know my month?” he said with excitement before kissing her forehead with gusto. The piano stopped suddenly seconds before Dax appeared at their side.

  “Song’s over,” Dax said. “My turn to dance with the lady.”

  “But there’s no music,” Nikola objected as he reluctantly released his hold of Julia’s waist.

  “Who needs music,” Dax said, lifting Julia’s hand in the air above her head and spinning her in fast, tight circles. “We can make our own music.”

  Julia’s breath caught in her chest, or that could have been nausea from the spinning. She cried out, “I think I’m getting sick.”

  He stopped twirling her, then pulled her in tight to his chest as she teetered from side to side.

  She blinked hard several times, willing her eyeballs to quit spinning. “Guess I’ll never be a competitive figure skater.”

  Nikola handed Dax a small tin. “Between us.”

  “What’s this?” Dax questioned with a wrinkled brow.

  Nikola nodded to her. “Julia knows.”

  Dax gave Julia an inquisitive look before examining the tin. Nikola left them to walk in the direction of the buffet tables now filled with an assortment of steaming meats and colorful fruits.

  Dax held the tin in the air. “Do you know why he gave this to me?”

  “Perhaps, but that information may cost you.”

  “What are you saying, like a date at a fancy restaurant?”

  “No.” Julia waved her hands in the air to dismiss his question. “I don’t date policemen or firemen or clients or anyone I’ve worked with in the past or may work with in the future.”

  “I understand why you wouldn’t want to date a police officer.” He shook his finger in the air. “You would spend half your day together at the donut shop, but firefighters…” He raised his arms up from his elbows, motioning to his chest then his face. “How could you say no to this face?” He gave her a sultry look.

  She nodded. “I may make an exception for you.” She smiled before wrinkling her face and shrugging. “But, the jury is still out. It’ll take some convincing. Could take years.”

  “Years?” He took a few steps back.

  It was obvious he had grown accustomed to having women fall at his feet.

  “Okay.” She flicked a lock of her hair. “Months.”

  “Months?” he said skeptically, clueing in on her game. He closed the gap between them.

  “I’ll concede to weeks.” She gave a playful smile. “Now that we have conferred, that’s my final deal to the counsel’s plea.”

  Dax nodded to Pineapple who strode toward the kitchen with an empty tray.

  “Music.” Pineapple nodded back. “You got it, bro.”

  Dax touched his finger to Julia’s cheek, causing her stomach to erupt into a flurry of bubbles. “Am I dealing with an unbiased jury here?” He gently placed a section of loose hair behind her ear. “Because weeks seems like an awfully long time for the jury to deliberate.”

  Julia’s birthday was six weeks away. As nice as it would be to accept his date, she couldn’t risk him bailing on her before she could introduce him to her parents and settle her mother’s insatiable thirst to choose a mate for her spinster daughter. “Due process. We wouldn’t want the counsel to have insufficient time to make his case.”

  “And making my case would involve spending time together?”

  “That would be a reasonable request, but the counsel would need to present strong evidence and make a compelling closing argument to convince the jury.”

  “I’ll take my chances.” Taking her right hand in his left, he reached his other hand down to hold her waist, then pulled her in close as the slow music began. “Someone cheated me out of the first dance with you this evening.”

  “You guys joke, but I can tell you really care about each other.”

  Dax grew somber. “I never had brothers, until now.” His warm, butterscotch eyes were clear and genuine, allowing his internal light to filter out through the cracks in their center.

  Dax was a good man. Julia felt it deep in her soul.

  “What’s your price to tell me why Nikola gave me the tin?”

  “A mint.” She blinked at him.

  “Bat your eyes like that at me again and you’ll get my entire package,” Dax said, releasing her hand and digging through his pocket for the tin.

  Julia didn’t like where this conversation was headed. “Excuse me?”

  He shot her a confused expression before her comment registered and a sudden flash of embarrassment colored his face. “I didn’t mean that.” His birthmark transformed to a deep brown.

  “So, you okay with me being a good girl?”

  “Exactly what I was hoping.” He handed her the tin.

  She studied his eyes for the truth. A light flickered behind his amber eyes that she hadn’t noticed earlier, like a candle with a wooden wick, sparking as it burned. She believed him. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy that could lie even if he wanted to. She popped the tin by squeezing and twisting its top to find dozens of uniquely shaped small pieces of hard, black candy covered in a white dust. She rolled one in her fingers before placing it on her tongue. The bold taste bordered on overpowering, a testament that miniature things can be potent.

  “Wow.” She sucked in a breath through her puckered lips. “That’s strong, but I love it.”

  He looked at her with intrigue. “I’ve heard that sharing something you love will only make it more powerful.” He touched her lips softly with the tip of his finger.

  She gave him a flirtatious smile. “Nikola told me that these mints came from his home country.”

  Dax took the tin back from her and examined it. “Nikola has always been very private about where he’s from.” His eyes glistened. “I had imagined him fleeing a war-torn country.”

  “Are you crying?” She wrapped her arms around his neck as they continued to dance.

  “Between us.” Dax shook his head, as if to keep his tenderness in check. “Is that what Nikola said?”

  “I love to see a man show his emotions.” Julia touched his neck where his birthmark had been prominent earlier. “My family rarely shows emotion. My dad’s amazing, but he was all about tough love, never allowed us to cry.”

  “I’m afraid I grew up with the opposite; a Latin mother and a weepy father. That left me with little chance of being a tough guy. I think that’s why my parents started me in wrestling and martial arts at a young age.”

  “Where’s your mom from?”

  “Brazil.”

  Julia dreamt of visiting Brazil. “I’ve heard that Rio is
one of the most beautiful places on this planet.”

  “I’ve never been. Perhaps someday, after the jury has come to a verdict, you’ll join me there.”

  It sounded as if Dax could be open to a long-term relationship. “The other thing about the mint…I told Nikola that I wanted to taste it, and he assumed I meant…”

  Dax’s jaw clenched. “That’s when he tried to kiss you.” The birthmark on his lower neck shot to the surface.

  Julia leaned in, placed her lips on his birthmark, and gave it a tender kiss. “You taste like black licorice.”

  “Thanks to Nikola.” He brushed her hair back away from her face. “And what does Julia taste like?” He touched his cheek to hers, his breath warming her skin moments before his lips skimmed across the surface, ultimately resting under her ear. The tropical touch of his kiss sent warm tremors cascading down her arm. “Honey?” he questioned with wonder.

  “Yes, sweetheart?” she responded.

  “I meant—you taste like honey.”

  “I know.” She giggled.

  He squeezed her waist with longing as his lips found their way down her neck, skipping over the beaded, sleeveless turtleneck to the bare skin on her shoulder. He nibbled at her shoulder for a few seconds before raising his face to hers. “Lemonade? You taste like honey and lemons. How?”

  She shrugged. “Why only smell good when you can taste good too?”

  His eyes widened. “You have no idea how intoxicating you are.”

  The desire in his eyes frizzled her heart; it not only seared with heat, it sizzled in her chest. “About that whole midnight thing,” Julia said, staring at his lips.

  “Waiting until midnight would be torturous.” Dax’s hands left her waist to cup her jaw.

  Julia rose up on her toes to meet his open lips with hers.

  “Hey, Dax!” yelled Blue. “Someone’s towing your truck.”

  3

  Dax shivered in the arctic wind as he watched his truck bump its way out of the parking lot hitched to a faded yellow tow truck releasing enough toxins in the air to rival Chernobyl.

  “Sorry, man.” Pineapple placed his hand on Dax’s shoulder. “The tow guy has my permission to tow away illegally parked cars.”