Private Conversation

by Jen Talty

  “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 dropped 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 her timid heart wouldn’t let her.

  “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?” he asked.

  The sudden change in topic made her mouth go dry. If he thought his sister 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 tickled 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 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.

  Two Sexy firefighters in her life in one day. Life couldn’t get any weirder.

  Chapter Four

  The morning sun glistened through the window of Charlotte’s office. Raising her mug, she blew at the coffee before the ceramic cup touched her lips. The night had been filled with dreams that would make the devil blush.

  Gavin’s kiss sent her mind, and body, on a mission to find satisfaction, but neither one found it. Her mind had taken her through a mirage of dreams about Gavin, his kiss, his scars, and what it might be like to be in his bed. The dreams had been so vivid that when she woke at three in the morning, her body ached for his touch.

  She took a slow sip of her coffee, desperately needing the caffeine. Wiggling the mouse on her desk, her computer snapped to life. Part of her felt guilty for logging onto the dating site to seek out Sexyfirefighter, but it wasn’t like Gavin and she were dating in an exclusive way.

  As soon as she logged in, she got a ping.

  YourFriend: Hey. It’s me. Had to change my name.

  AngelaBennett: Sexyfirefighter?

  YourFriend: Yep. That’s me.

  AngelaBennett: Why’d you change your name?

  YourFriend: It drew in crazies.

  Ping!

  She clicked on the message box.

  Sexyfirefighter: Good morning!

  “What the fuck,” she muttered as s
he switched back to the other conversation. It had to be Charlie.

  AngelaBennett: You’re not who you say you are.

  Quickly, she closed out the messages and blocked the screen name. Checking her profile, she groaned. She might not have given her real name, but she had put in her zip code.

  Sexyfirefighter: Are you there?

  AngelaBennett: Yes. Sorry. How was your night?

  Sexyfirefighter: Actually, it was really good.

  AngelaBennett: How so?

  Sexyfirefighter: I don’t know how to say this, because I enjoy talking to you, but I ended up meeting a girl last night.

  She stared at the monitor, her heart hammering in her chest, bruising her ribs.

  AngelaBennett: Did you meet her here?

  Sexyfirefighter: No. She’s an acquaintance that I’ve admired from afar for a while. It was totally unexpected.

  AngelaBennett: That’s cool.

  What a lame thing to say, but she wasn’t about to come out and say, hey, my neighbor kissed me last night, and oh, by the way, he’s a firefighter too, cuz, you know, I’m crazy and have a thing for firemen.

  Sexyfirefighter: It’s new and wasn’t even really a date, but I did say I’d be as honest as possible.

  AngelaBennett: Thanks. I appreciate that. Did you ask her out again?

  Sexyfirefighter: I did and we are going to go on a date.

  AngelaBennett: Sounds like she’s into you.

  Sexyfirefighter: I’m actually not so sure about that. I’m getting mixed messages from her.

  AngelaBennett: Women. We are a strange breed.

  Sexyfirefighter: I’d have to agree with that statement.

  AngelaBennett: I was kidding. We’re not all that hard to figure out.

  Sexyfirefighter: Ha! I wish. If that were true, I wouldn’t still be single.

  AngelaBennett: So, you’re the marrying type, are you?

  She really should end this conversation. It wasn’t like it was going to go anywhere anyway. He’d met someone and she had a hunky fireman next door she needed to figure out how to crack. Talk about a strange breed.

  Sexyfirefighter: Eventually. Don’t you want to settle down?

  AngelaBennett: Sure, someday. But I’ve had shit luck with men.

  Sexyfirefighter: Want to compare sob stories?

  AngelaBennett: You first.

  Sexyfirefighter: I had a girlfriend dump me while I was in the hospital.

  Her breath hitched, remembering Gavin’s story from last night.

  AngelaBennett: Why were you in the hospital?

  Sexyfirefighter: I’d just had surgery and when I came to, she was like, sorry, we’re done. I heard through the grapevine she just got engaged. Not that I care.

  Charlotte took a much-needed sip of her coffee before clicking on his profile again. Nothing had changed.

  AngelaBennett: That blows as much as the fact that one of my ex-boyfriends married my older sister.

  Sexyfirefighter: No fucking way.

  AngelaBennett: Yep. At my engagement party, he told me he was in love with her. They were married three months later and with my parents blessing.

  Sexyfirefighter: That really sucks. You seem like a nice girl. I’m sorry that happened.

  AngelaBennett: Me too, and I have to see them at every family gathering.

  Sexyfirefighter: Sounds like you might not be over him?

  AngelaBennett: I’m over him, but it’s made me a little gun shy.

  Sexyfirefighter: I totally get that. Why the mixed messages from this girl has me wondering if I should really be pursuing her.

  AngelaBennett: We’re a pair, aren’t we? Hanging out in a dating chat room exchanging dumping stories.

  Sexyfirefighter: Re-read that sentence.

  She leaned in, scanning the screen.

  AngelaBennett: That’s gross.

  Sexyfirefighter: I’m sure there are people here who have a fetish with that.

  AngelaBennett: That’s even grosser.

  Sexyfirefighter: It is, but I lightened the mood, didn’t I?

  AngelaBennett: Discussing tattoos on someone’s dick would have done that just as well.

  Sexyfirefighter: The only effect that has on me is shrinkage.

  She leaned back, shaking her head.

  AngelaBennett: You’re funny.

  Sexyfirefighter: I have my moments.

  AngelaBennett: I hate to do this, but I’ve got to get going. I’ve got an appointment today that I have to get ready for.

  Sexyfirefighter: No worries. Maybe I’ll see you later?

  AngelaBennett: If not tonight, tomorrow morning.

  Sexyfirefighter: Until then.

  She glanced out her window and saw Gavin step from his front door wearing only a pair of jeans that rested loosely on his hips. Immediately, she noticed some kind of tattoo on his chest, but when he turned his back, she bolted upright, hurling her chair across the wood floor. As he jogged down the steps, she stared at a tattoo of the American Flag with a Bald Eagle waved in.

  Chapter Five

  “Are you ready?” Gavin pulled his door shut, making sure it was locked. He opened and closed his hand, stretching out the tightness of his skin. The pounding of his heart thumped in his brain. Spending time with Charlotte had been all he could think about. She’d consumed his every thought. But meeting her family before he’d had the chance to really get to know her made his insides shake.

  Not to mention he felt guilty over chatting with AngelaBennett this morning.

  Charlotte stood by the steps, leaning against the railing where they’d shared a kiss the night before. He hadn’t planned on kissing her and he half expected her to push him away.

  But she didn’t and if he hadn’t stopped, he wondered if the kiss would have led to an invite inside and maybe another drink, which would have been fine, but he needed to take things slow. He liked her too much to turn things into a short-lived fling.

  She smiled at him and her dark eyes glimmered with mischief.

  He took that as a good sign.

  That was until he stood next to her and she tilted her head and smirked.

  “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she said with her arms folded across her chest. “I mean, maybe we shouldn’t have our second date be at a family gathering of sixty of my relatives.”

  “We’re labeling this a date?”

  Talk about mixed messages. Her body language said take a hike, but her words were an entirely different story.

  “After last night, I think a date or two are in order, but not under the scrutiny of my family. That will surely kill whatever last night was, trust me.”

  “Our first date was with my family, only fitting our second is with yours.” Part of him wanted to throw in the white towel, but he couldn’t help thinking about her conversation with her brother. “Besides, won’t it be fun to show up with me and get them to stop pushing you.”

  “It might make it worse and not just for me.” She curled her fingers around his biceps. “I don’t think you understand what you’re getting yourself into. My family can be overwhelming and not in the teasing sense your sister was last night.”

  “Do you not want me to go?” His words sounded harsher than he’d meant, but his confusion and frustration levels were at an all-time high.

  “I didn’t say that. I’m just giving you an out and trying to let you know that I wouldn’t be upset if you bailed.”

  “I’m not the bailing type of guy.” He snagged her hand and tugged her down the steps. He really had no right to be mad. She had a valid point about her family. They barely knew each other and that would certainly show in any conversation “We’ll take my truck.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive,” he said.

  “All right, then. Let’s go.”

  He helped her into the cab before climbing in the driver’s side and revving the engine. It wasn’t necessary, but it helped to claim his nerves. He clipped his cell phone in the holder
, finding his favorite country playlist.

  He slammed the gearshift into reverse. “Do you know whose car that is?” He craned his neck, trying to get a good look at the person sitting in the car.

  “No idea,” she said. “I’ve never seen it before.”

  The man behind the wheel waved. Gavin nodded.

  Once on the highway, racing down the road at seventy-five, his mind and body relaxed.

  He glanced at Charlotte, who’d kicked off her sandals and rested her bare feet on his dashboard, showing off her dark, pink toenails. A silver chain with a heart pendant dangled from her ankle as she tapped her foot with the beat of the music.

  “You never told me what the party is all about,” he said, mesmerized by the way she twirled her fingers in her long dark hair.

  “We actually have a monthly gathering to celebrate any birthdays, engagements, graduations, whatever. My father’s family has been doing it for decades. This month it’s celebrating my sister’s birthday and pending motherhood, any day now, and my cousin’s engagement.”

  His mind wandered to his conversation online earlier and what AngelaBennett had said about her break-up. Quickly, he shoved the thought away. If he was going to have any chance with Charlotte, he’d have to stop logging onto the dating site.

  After he said goodbye to AngelaBennett. He owed her that.

  “Your family really does this once a month?” he asked.

  “Like clockwork. Not everyone attends all the time, but pretty damn close.”

  “I take it everyone lives in Lake George or Saratoga?”

  “Get off here and take a right.” She pointed to the exit sign, her fingernails matched her toes.

  “Everyone. It’s like no one is allowed to leave. I actually went to school at MIT, which nearly gave my grandmother a heart attack.”