Heating Up

by Stacy Finz

  He touched his nose to hers, and while he was there, he looked down her dress. “You’re funny, Dana.”

  “You getting your eyes full there?”

  “At the risk of being fresh, I’d like to get my hands full.”

  She swatted at him to knock it off, but her girl parts were saying something entirely different, like: Go ahead and feel me up right here in the front seat of your truck. But she knew he was only flirting with her because the woman he loved was marrying someone else. Today. Probably at this very moment.

  They walked together to the house, Dana carrying the candy. There was a note tacked on the door that said, “Meet us at the pool.” They followed a path to the rec center and opened the gate to the pool area, where Brady had taken over the outdoor kitchen and pizza oven. Sitting at the big island was, shit, Griffin. Lina emerged from the pool in a bikini like a freaking beauty contestant.

  Dana tensed and Aidan put his arm around her.

  “Is it too late to leave?” she whispered.

  “Hey,” Sloane called from the pool, where she sat on the edge in a swimsuit, dangling her feet in the water. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Yup,” Aidan said, trying to be discreet. “Sloane didn’t say anything to me about them coming, so maybe they’re just swimming.”

  “What took you guys so long?” Sloane came over. “Brady’s making pizza for appetizers. Harlee and Colin are on their way. What do you have there, Dana?”

  She looked down at the boxes of candy and felt like an idiot. “It’s my family’s chocolates.”

  “Holy crap.” Brady had also joined them. “I never put it together that you were that Calloway. I love Calloway chocolates. I think they’re even better than See’s, and See’s are pretty damn good.”

  “Thanks.” She handed them to him.

  Next thing she knew Griffin was hugging her. “I didn’t know you were coming.” He looked at Aidan and back at her and his lips curved up.

  Lina waved from one of the big lounge chairs.

  “Come say hi to Lina,” Griff said, and Dana didn’t know why they had to go to her. Why couldn’t she come to them?

  Aidan tightened his arm around her and she wanted to kiss him in sheer gratitude. They walked over to Princess Lina, who was rubbing tanning lotion on her shoulders. Like Griff, Lina gave her a big hug, which knocked Dana for a loop.

  “I’m so sorry about your house. If there’s anything you need while Colin and Pat are rebuilding, let me know. I’m home for the summer.”

  “Thank you,” Dana said, feeling incredibly uncomfortable but mostly like a bitch because she wished Lina wasn’t being so nice. Especially in front of Aidan.

  Griffin introduced Aidan to Lina. And Dana gave him props for not ogling her in her tiny bathing suit. Harlee and Colin came through the gate carrying a big cooler.

  “Want to get some pizza?” Aidan asked and steered Dana toward the big stone oven. Once they were out of earshot, he said, “I didn’t know they were coming, I swear.”

  “It’s okay. Today is about you, not me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  She stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Uh . . . your ex . . . getting married.”

  Aidan stepped back and shook his head like he had cobwebs in it. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing.” And then he kissed her.

  * * *

  It wasn’t much of a kiss, just a peck, really. If Aidan had had his druthers, he would’ve gone all in. Tongue and everything. But they were in the middle of a gathering and people were watching. But damn if Dana didn’t drive him to distraction. Case in point: He hadn’t thought about Sue once this afternoon. His whole focus had been on getting Dana to come with him. And when she’d put on that dress he’d nearly lost his mind.

  “Are you crazy?” Dana stood there, staring at him like he had a screw loose.

  But she hadn’t tried to stop him. In fact, she’d wound her arms around his neck and had gone up on her toes to reach him better. When he’d finished the kiss, she’d almost lost her balance.

  “I thought we should put on a show . . . you know, to demonstrate that we’re over them.”

  “Everyone is staring at us.” She walked away, her face red as a pomegranate.

  He went to join the party and get himself a slice of pizza. Dana had already wandered that way, and he noticed she was getting quite a few looks, especially from his sister. Colin had opened the cooler, which was loaded with soft drinks and beer. Aidan grabbed two brews, thinking Dana could use a little alcohol.

  The whole setup—the pool, spa, outdoor kitchen—was an excellent place for a party. Impressive without being over the top. Another couple with a little girl joined the group. Aidan went over to introduce himself.

  “You must be Sloane’s brother. I’m Samantha, and this is my husband, Nate, and this is Lilly.” The little girl held her arms up to Aidan, so he put down the drinks, lifted her, and held her against his hip.

  “Nice to meet you. You’re the hotel people.” They owned a fleet of hotels, including the Lumber Baron, and were Brady’s bosses.

  “That would be us,” Nate said. “How you liking Nugget and the fire department?”

  “So far, so good.” He glanced over at Dana and saw her sitting at an umbrella table alone. “Brady’s making pizza. Come on over and grab a drink.” Aidan led them over to the oven.

  “Here, let me take her from you.” Nate collected Lilly, who had attached herself to Aidan like a barnacle. “She likes you. Lilly’s usually shy around people she doesn’t know.”

  “Kids just love my brother.” Sloane grabbed Aidan by the arm. “Can you help me with something over here?”

  She dragged him to the other side of the pool. “What’s with you and Dana?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing, my ass. Why are you kissing her in the middle of my dinner?”

  “I didn’t realize I had to get permission from you to kiss a pretty woman. Did you call to ask me whether you could kiss Brady?”

  “Give me a break, Aid. You’re going through a bad breakup and she’s going through . . . a fire.”

  “Sue and I have been broken up for nearly seven months. And in case you forgot”—he looked at his watch—“she’s married to someone else now.”

  “Don’t do this to Dana. Don’t use her to get back at Sue.”

  “Clearly you don’t know Dana. And as far as getting back at Sue, she doesn’t give a shit who I’m kissing.” Oddly enough, it didn’t bother him. He’d been too busy enjoying the kiss with Dana to even let Sue enter into the picture.

  “I don’t get you.” Sloane threw her arms in the air and walked away.

  He went to grab the beers he’d set down and join Dana, who was no longer sitting alone. The woman, Harlee, was with her, discussing something about clothes, but she got up to go when Aidan joined them.

  “What was that about?” he asked Dana.

  “She liked my dress and wants to give me stuff she doesn’t wear anymore.”

  “That’s nice. Hey, I’m sorry about Griffin and Lina. I never would’ve intentionally put you in this situation. But it seemed to go okay.”

  “It’s not like we’re enemies or anything. It’s just delicate, but Lina was gracious about it.”

  “How long were you and Griffin together?”

  “I wouldn’t say we were ever together, just dated. Griffin was always too hung up on Lina. Before me, they’d been a couple, then broke up while she attended USF. After she transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno, they got back together.”

  Aidan nodded. “You still have feelings for him?”

  “Nope,” she said, but Aidan didn’t much believe her.

  It seemed to him that she tried a little too hard to avoid Griffin. Hey, not his concern, although he hated like hell that he’d put her in a difficult position. Then again, all social situations seemed to be painful for Dana. She i
nteracted with people just fine, but he got the impression she felt like an outsider. He didn’t know why; the townsfolk were pretty inclusive.

  “I’ll get us some pizza,” he said.

  “Good, I’m starved. And then, after we eat, we can go.”

  “Relax! We just got here.”

  Aidan grabbed two plates and piled them with individual pizzas. Brady gave him an inquisitive look, the question clear: WTF is going on between you and Dana? There was nothing going on, but people should mind their own business. For some crazy reason, his entire family believed that at the eleventh hour Sue would come running back. Aidan knew differently, and a part of him was relieved. It was done between them. Her choice, not his. He wasn’t the bad guy. But now he could move on.

  “Tri-tip and chicken should be up soon,” Brady said and pointed to a table loaded with platters and serving bowls. “Salads, beans, chips, and guacamole are over there.”

  “You need any help?” he asked Brady.

  “Nah, I’m good here.” He moved a few pieces of chicken away from the flame.

  “Nice ring you got my sister, by the way.”

  Brady gazed over at Sloane, his face splitting into a big grin. “I like that it’s official. There was a time when the idea of commitment. . . marriage . . . it sent me running for the woods. Not with your sister, though. So maybe it’s all about being with the right person.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Aidan lifted his plate. “I better get this to Dana before the pizza gets cold.”

  He grabbed a wad of napkins and some silverware and brought the pizza back to the table. Dana passed him his bottle of beer and methodically cut her pizza into six perfect slices. Aidan just ate his whole, using his hands.

  Dana took a bite. “Wow, this is good. I think it’s the best Margherita pizza I’ve ever had.”

  Aidan fanned the roof of his mouth. “Good but hot.”

  “What did Brady say to you?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “Bull. He and everyone else now thinks I’m your rebound woman.”

  “Because we kissed? Nah, we were just goofing around. No one thinks that.” Except for Sloane, who definitely did.

  She took another bite of pizza. “Of course they do. Obviously you’ve never lived in a small town before.”

  He flashed a flirtatious smile, enjoying working her up, then pulled her into his lap. “Should we give them something to talk about?”

  She quickly scrambled away, dragging that round rear end of hers across his groin, leaving him stiff as a rod. To hide the evidence of his arousal, Aidan tucked his lap under the table.

  “Knock it off, Aidan. I’m not your rebound girl, your consolation prize, or a good-time distraction.”

  “I never said you were. You’re my friend.”

  She glared at him. “You always kiss and hold your friends in your lap?”

  “Not my firefighter ones, that’s for sure. They’re hairy and don’t smell as good as you.”

  The truth was, he didn’t flirt with his female friends either, but he really hadn’t meant anything by the kiss. Dana was just fun to antagonize. And he liked seeing her go from uptight, cookie-cutter suits to sexy, low-cut sundresses. He liked watching her convert from stickup-her-ass real estate agent to out-of-her-shell hot chick. Most of all, he liked being the one to provoke the transformation.

  “Looks like our main course is ready.” Aidan watched Brady take the beef and chicken off the grill. “Let’s fix ourselves a plate.”

  “I’m stuffed from the pizza, but I don’t want to pass up a chance to taste Brady’s cooking. I’ve only had it one time before. I was meeting a client at the Lumber Baron when he was the chef there. It was only breakfast, but it was fantastic.”

  “According to Sloane, he caters every wedding, party, and event around here. Haven’t you been to any of those?”

  “Nope. This is my first Brady Benson party.”

  He wondered why. This wasn’t the kind of town to leave people out, yet she hadn’t gotten an invite to Tawny and Lucky’s wedding. She might not be outgoing, but there was nothing dislikable about Dana. If there was, and he didn’t know about it, Sloane would’ve told him. It seemed to him that she’d intentionally turned herself into the town wallflower.

  “Well, let’s do it.” He got to his feet and helped her to hers.

  “I understand you’re trying to forget Sue,” she whispered and gazed across the pool to Griffin. “And frankly I don’t mind people thinking that you and I . . . flirt, or whatever. But try to behave yourself.”

  “I’ll try,” he said, attempting to look contrite while pinching her ass.

  She danced away and he got waylaid by Harlee, who introduced herself and told him that she owned the Nugget Tribune, a digital-only newspaper.

  “I want to do a story on fire season, especially given how bad it is this year. I’m interviewing Captain Johnson for the piece. But I want to do a sidebar on fire safety tips. Would you be up for that?”

  “Absolutely.” He liked being in the paper, and despite Sue’s admonitions that he was calling too much attention to himself, he used to be quoted all the time in the Chicago Tribune.

  She took down his cell phone number and Aidan caught up with Dana at the buffet, where she deliberated over whether to go for the chicken or tri-tip.

  “Just take a little of both,” he told her.

  “I don’t want to seem like a pig.”

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake.” He grabbed one of the serving forks, speared her a couple of slices of beef and a chicken breast, then proceeded to fill his own plate. “There’s enough food here to feed a small country. No one cares how much you eat.”

  “Where you going?” She clutched his arm. “Our table is over there.”

  “Yeah, we’re joining the party now.” He put one hand at the small of her back and maneuvered her over to Sloane’s table. He felt her stiffen, but to her credit, she didn’t complain.

  They took the chairs next to Harlee and Colin. Griffin, Lina, Samantha, and Nate sat across from them. Lilly was more interested in playing under the table.

  “Brady, come sit,” Sloane called.

  He brought a platter of grilled shrimp. “Tell me what you think. I’m testing a new seafood vendor for the hotels.”

  Brady didn’t have to ask Aidan twice. Scooping up a large spoonful, he put some of the prawns on Dana’s plate and took the rest for himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sloane watching. Griffin too.

  “I heard a rumor that you and Brady want to hold your reception here,” Harlee said to Sloane. All eyes turned to his sister.

  Sloane in turn looked sheepishly at Griffin. “Don’t worry; we planned to talk to you about it first.”

  “Seriously, you want to have it here, by the pool?”

  “We were thinking of doing a tent over there.” Brady pointed to the lawn overlooking the golf course. “Maybe do one of those dance floors over the pool. What do you think?”

  “I think it would be awesome.” Griff high-fived Brady, then put his arm around Lina. “We’ll let the other residents know we’re throwing a private party.”

  “Nah.” Brady waved his hand in the air. “We’ll invite everyone in the development. That way no one will be pissed about losing out on their amenities for a day.”

  “Another wedding to plan!” Samantha gave Sloane a hug. “I’m so excited for you guys. To think Lucky and Tawny’s is just two weekends away.”

  “How is that coming along?” Sloane asked.

  “Perfect,” Sam said. Aidan knew she was Breyer Hotels’ corporate event planner and, like Brady with the catering, pitched in on local parties. “Completely organized, and by the time they come back from their honeymoon their house should be finished, right, Colin?”

  “Barring any unforeseeable setbacks we’re good to go. Then we move on to Dana’s house.” Colin gave Dana a thumbs-up.

  “Are you loving the plans?” Harlee asked her.

&n
bsp; “I am.” Dana swallowed a shrimp before continuing. “I can’t believe how big it’ll be.”

  Apparently, the news hadn’t reached Sloane yet because she had a questioning look on her face.

  “Dana’s adding a second story with all the bells and whistles,” Aidan supplied.

  “You’ve seen the plans?” Sloane asked.

  “Of course,” Aidan smiled at Dana and caught Griffin watching.

  What was it with him? Aidan wondered. He seemed to be paying a little too much attention to a woman he’d dumped for someone else. It irked Aidan. Maybe Griffin got off on pitting two women against each other. Made him feel like a big man. Aidan was just about to shoot him a dirty look when he felt something tugging at his knees. Under the table, he found Lilly pulling herself up, using him to keep balance.

  He pulled her onto his lap to shrieks of delight and a big toothy grin.

  “How old is she?”

  “Eighteen months,” Nate said.

  Lilly gazed at Aidan with big, adoring brown eyes and he fell in love. He definitely wanted one of these.

  “Who knew I had a big flirt on my hands?” Nate said, and everyone at the table laughed.

  “Kids love the big oaf,” Sloane said. “It’s one of those unsolved mysteries.”

  The ring of Aidan’s cell phone filled the air, and for a second he felt too paralyzed to pull it from his pocket. What if it was Sue?

  “Aren’t you planning to get that?” Brady asked.

  “Yeah.” He handed Lilly off to Dana, got up from the table, and walked a distance to check the phone’s caller ID. He stared at it for a few seconds and took a deep breath. “Whaddya we got?”

  “A suspicious brushfire near Upper Jamison Creek Campground in Plumas-Eureka State Park. About fifty acres so far. Looks like I have to call you in early.”

  “You’ve got it, Captain.”

  Chapter 9

  The day before the Fourth of July, Ray Rosser’s lawyer finally called Dana. The old man wanted the buyer to come up thirty thousand and they’d have themselves a deal.

  Knowing Ray, he just wanted to taunt his lawyers, who were champing at the bit for their fees. And just to throw a monkey wrench into the situation, Clay McCreedy had caught wind of the offer, stomped into Nugget Realty and Associates, and was sitting in the conference room this very minute waiting to have a word with Dana.