A Lick of Flame
Page 1
Dedication
To Sue-Ellen Gower for helping me make this story shine!
Chapter One
Madison Kelly had never seen anyone work a crowd quite like Sean Adams could.
Wild, sexy and playful, this small-town firefighter was pure temptation in every sense of the word. There wasn’t a single woman in the coastal town of Beachville, Maine, who wasn’t eager to crawl between the sheets with the sexy hero and put all her erotic pleasures in his capable hands. Especially since he won the state’s Mr. Fireman championship a few years back, a charity event that gained him widespread recognition and resulted in his own little fan club.
There was no denying that everyone wanted a piece of Sean, including all the reporters and media personnel on board the yacht who were covering the Boys of Beachville Calendar event. Sean’s popularity—not to mention a few disturbing letters sent by his groupies—was the main reason Madison was there overseeing his security.
Much to her dismay, she wasn’t immune to his boyish charm, but as a security specialist hired to oversee his calendar campaign, such a distraction could only mean trouble—for the guy she’d vowed to protect and also for her heart.
Keeping one eye on Sean while he posed shirtless for the cameras, and the other on the lascivious group of professional women vying for his attention, Madison cruised along the wooden deck of the anchored, thirty-foot yacht as it gently bobbed in the Atlantic waters. The magnificent vessel was currently on loan from Sean’s uncle and provided a gorgeous backdrop for his photo shoot.
A salty breeze whipped over Madison’s face as she tilted her chin to steal a quick glance out over the gorgeous, deep blue ocean. The silky waves glistened in the fading afternoon light, creating a heady, romantic ambiance. As Madison took pleasure in the sight, she couldn’t help but think about love and passion, sex and seduction—not that she’d ever been romanced on the high seas, or anywhere near it as of late.
Not since the incident.
Without conscious thought, she pulled her long dark hair forward and covered the ugly scar running the length of her right cheekbone. Memories of the horrific night she’d been shot and left for dead rushed to the forefront of her brain, but she quickly pushed them back. Now was not the time to be thinking about the shootout or the resulting factory blaze that nearly ended her life. She wasn’t a cop anymore, which meant she needed to concentrate on her new career as a security specialist, and focus solely on the crowd swarming Sean.
Redirecting her attention, Madison drew the sultry sea air into her lungs and leaned against the stern. As she crossed her arms and settled herself against the back of the boat, a wild wave came out of nowhere and soaked the camera crew snapping pictures near the port side of the vessel. The majestic cruiser swayed in response to the sudden turbulence and a few girlish squeals carried skyward on a breeze.
“That’s a wrap,” Drake Drummond, the head photographer shouted as he twirled his index finger in a circular motion, a gesture for the captain to head back to shore.
Madison gripped the polished brass rail at her back to brace herself, but unfortunately, since Sean had yet to find his sea legs, he lurched forward, completely unprepared for the abrupt turn.
She was about to go to his assistance, but the sea of women surrounding the sexy calendar boy swallowed him whole, and while a few seemed more than eager to keep him afloat with their inflated bosoms, it became glaringly apparent to Madison that none had noticed Sean’s uneasy state, or the gray pallor of his normally bronzed skin.
But she noticed. Oh yeah, she noticed it all right. Because when it came to Sean, she didn’t miss a thing. Not just because she’d been hired to oversee his campaign, but because he’d been the star of her fantasies since she was a junior and he was a senior in high school.
Good God, here it was some ten years later and she was still aware of the man who didn’t even know she was alive. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew full well that she was alive. After all, it was Sean who had carried her battered body from the blaze that’d nearly killed her. If not for his heroic efforts, she’d be dead today.
His powerful, athletic physique aside, what she mainly noticed about Sean was the way he moved with casual confidence, his easy, playful demeanor, and his determination and conviction when protecting the citizens of Beachville. But right now, as he stood there trying not to show his discomfort in front of the media, what Madison noticed the most was the sexy, blonde bombshell shoving her way through the crowd like a hungry shark tracking its prey.
Senses on high alert, and deciding it was past time to toss Sean a lifeline, Madison pushed to her feet and made her way toward him. Her eyes gauged his every movement as she approached, and when he lifted his head and those passionate baby blues of his met hers, her flesh quivered in erotic delight.
In a valiant effort to maintain her composure, Madison sucked in a tight breath and let it out slowly. Damn, she hated how Sean could reduce her to a jittery, lovestruck teen without even trying. She was a professional, not one of his wild, promiscuous groupies, and it would serve her well to remember that.
With that last thought in mind, and refusing to let her feelings overshadow her work, Madison straightened to her full height of five foot nine and shoved the crowd aside to give him air.
“Time to get you belowdecks for a break,” she announced, but when she reached his side, she lowered her voice for his ears only. “You don’t look so good, Sean.”
“I don’t feel so good, either,” he murmured as he rubbed his hand along the stubble shadowing his jaw.
“You need to lie down.”
He nodded in agreement and warmth passed over his eyes when he said, “Thanks, Madison. You’re a real lifesaver.” The genuine sincerity in his voice captured her attention and did the weirdest things to her insides.
“Let’s go,” she said, but before she could get him below deck, the blonde bombshell tried to muscle past her.
“I’ve got this,” the girl purred, and intimately touched Sean in a public display of affection that annoyed Madison more than it should.
With her former officer training taking over, Madison said, “No. I’ve got this.” Even though she spoke calmly, the authority in her tone stopped the pretty reporter cold.
Looking miffed, the girl turned back to Sean. When she thrust her breasts forward, Madison stiffened, fully expecting them to burst out of her skimpy halter dress and put someone’s eye out.
“Don’t you want me to take care of you, baby?” She pouted her lips in a seductive manner and added, “I know just what you need.”
Looking ill at ease as the girl mauled him, Sean peeled her long manicured nails from his bare chest and placed them at her sides. In a tone that was both firm yet placating, he said, “It’s okay, Tara. Madison is just doing her job.”
Innocent, doe-like eyes lost all their allure as they turned on Madison. Madison met her gaze unflinchingly and widened her stance in a challenging manner. Honestly, if she could single-handedly disarm a street thug, she could sure as hell handle an oversexed reporter.
After giving Madison a onceover, Tara opened her mouth to speak. But when Madison continued to hold her gaze, Tara seemed to change her mind.
Tara turned back to Sean and blinked thick lashes over hopeful eyes. “Call out if you want me. I’m just a shout away.”
As Madison watched the exchange, she thought more about Sean and the wild, vivacious women who threw themselves at him. Honestly, she saw no reason why he shouldn’t go for it. Sean might be a guy who wasn’t in any hurry to settle down, but he was an adult and his sexual escapades weren’t hurting anyone, least of all the women he crawled between the sheets with—women who knew full well what to expect from the heroic firefighter.
Feeling heat flare between her legs and hating the carnal way her body was reacting to that last thought, she bit out, “Let’s go,” with much more force than necessary.
Sean tossed her a grateful smile and the warmth in his gaze seeped under her skin and curled her toes. With her body moistening all over, she reached for the cabin door, but gentleman that he was, he pushed it open for her. As a firefighter, it was simply in his nature to take charge, so it shouldn’t have surprised her when he instinctively placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her down first.
Madison was about to insist he go first so she could watch his back—after all, she was the one in charge—but the feel of his warm fingers on her flesh had shockwaves rocketing through her. As her mind went on an erotic journey, it awakened the woman in her and she couldn’t help but wonder what those calloused hands of his would feel like tracking along her neck, her breasts, between her legs. Before she could stop it, a strange noise crawled out of her throat and she nearly lost her balance.
“Whoa, you okay?” Sean asked.
“Fine,” she rushed out. Needing to escape his intimate touch before he threw her off her game, she ducked her head and hurried down the stairs.
When she reached the bottom, she turned and watched Sean’s long strong legs negotiate the three steps behind her. Feeling a bit breathless as she zeroed in on his hard thigh muscles, she glanced past his shoulders, trying to focus on something other than the sexy sight of him, and what it was doing to her insides.
Seconds before the door slammed shut behind them, she caught Tara glaring at her with pure hatred in her eyes. Tara’s aggression triggered alarm bells in the back of Madison’s brain and had her old cop senses going on high alert. Sean was a firefighter and a hero, a combination that brought out the crazies. Madison knew firsthand how hostile and possessive groupies could get when they felt threatened.
She arched a brow and questioned, “Girlfriend of yours?”
Sean pulled a face and gave a quick shake of his head. “She did a story on me after I won the state firefighting championship and we dated a few times afterwards.” But when he cast his eyes down in thought, and a worried look crossed his face, the hairs on Madison’s nape began to tingle in warning. Sean scrubbed his hand over his jaw and asked, “How did she ever get on the list, anyway?”
Madison reached for the sheet of paper in her pocket and examined the guest list given to her by the public relations firm handling the campaign. She scanned it then looked up at Sean. Even though she was tall, she still had to tilt her head to meet his eyes. But when she did, she wished she hadn’t because everything about him screamed sex and one-night stands.
It wasn’t as if Madison had anything against one-night stands. She didn’t. She just knew that one night in bed with a guy like Sean would be emotional suicide at best—one touch would leave her aching for more. It wasn’t like she had to worry about that happening, anyway. Sex between the two of them would never occur. One, she wasn’t his type, and two, the dry spell since the incident had proven just how undesirable her ugly scar had left her.
She pushed down the lump in her throat and turned her attention back to the list. “You’ll have to check with the project manager on that. My job was to check identification against the list, and Tara’s name was definitely on it.”
When Sean fell silent again, Madison’s body tightened. Tara might be a professional reporter, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a groupie. Since groupies were a special breed, and weren’t known for calm, logical behavior, she took Sean’s concerned look, as well as Tara’s deadly glare, very seriously.
Madison cocked her head and studied him. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“No,” he said absently, and turned his attention to the cabin. His body brushed hers as he took a moment to peruse the bedroom—a small space that put them in very tight quarters.
Maintaining professionalism and refusing to think about how close his body was to her, or how that rich sandalwood scent of his fired her blood quicker than a shot of espresso, Madison eyed him carefully, taking in his rigid stance as well as the troubled look on his face. She studied his body language a moment longer and noticed that everything in the way he was avoiding her direct gaze spoke of secrets, and plenty of them. There was something about Tara he was keeping from her, and if she was going to do her job, she needed to be privy to those deep, dark secrets.
She was about to press, but he turned from her, threw himself on the king-sized bed, and let loose a long agonized moan. It reminded her that he was still feeling ill and in need of rest. The questions would have to wait, she decided.
Madison scanned the small room until she found a door leading to a bathroom. She walked into the cramped room, and as she turned on the tap, she caught sight of her mussed reflection in the mirror. Unlike the perfectly styled women abovedeck, not only were her work clothes flat and unattractive, the damp ocean mist had played havoc with her dark curls and left her cheeks stained and ruddy. She quickly tried to fix herself, and then stopped short, deciding her efforts were pointless. A touch-up wasn’t going to change the fact that she wasn’t Sean’s type, and it certainly wasn’t going to erase the scar that made her undesirable.
She grabbed a cloth from the rack, dampened it and redirected her focus. “What’s with the seasickness anyway?” she called out.
“I hate boats,” he admitted.
That gave her pause, especially since his family made their living off the water. Not only were they cruising in his uncle’s rental yacht, his parents owned a whale-watching business that took tourists on deep-sea tours.
“Didn’t you grow up around them?”
“Around them, not on them.”
“So why did you agree to a photo shoot on the water then?”
“I’m a firefighter. I’m not supposed to be afraid of water.”
“You’re afraid of water?”
“No, boats,” he repeated, and she heard a teasing lilt to his voice when he added, “Weren’t you listening?”
Madison grinned as his mischievousness taunted her libido and elicited a shiver from deep within. There was just something about his playful nature that got to her in the most erotic ways.
“Which again brings me back to my original question,” she said, working to keep her voice level. “Why did you agree to a photo shoot on the water?”
“I guess I figured it was time to face my fears.”
Damp cloth in hand, Madison stepped from the bathroom, leaned against the doorjamb, and perused the gorgeous man sprawled out on the mattress, a man who was gracing her with a half smile that had her hormones reacting with urgent need. He looked rumpled and sexy and so damn inviting, it turned her legs to jelly beneath her. Good God, it was all she could do to keep herself vertical in his presence.
Madison diligently tried to appear unaffected as a tremor vibrated through her bloodstream. “And…” she questioned. “How’s that working out for you?”
He gave her a sheepish look. “I still hate boats.”
The discomforted look on his face was both ridiculous and adorable, seducing Madison in the most interesting ways. “Come on, Sean. What’s to hate?”
He groaned. “Don’t ask.”
Intrigued, Madison laughed, enjoying the easy banter between them. Then it suddenly occurred to her that this was the first time she’d really talked to Sean on a personal level. They weren’t friends. Sure, he’d visited her in the hospital after he’d rescued her, but checking in on someone’s well-being wasn’t just in his nature, it was part of his job. He’d been kind and Madison had been polite, if not a little distant, because when it came right down to it, she didn’t want Sean’s pity. Soon he’d stopped coming, and while she missed seeing him, she figured it was for the best. She wasn’t the type of girl who could spend time with a guy like Sean without getting drawn
deeper and deeper into a place that could only end in heartache.
Dragging her attention back to the present, Sean rolled to the middle of the bed, disheveling the sheets beneath him, and she took that moment to pull herself together.
“So, what’s to hate?” she asked again, offering him a polite smile.
Stilling, he stretched his legs out and his eyes moved over her face when he said, “The rocking.”
Her smile dissolved as the provocative mental image of Sean rocking a bed played out in her mind’s eye. A wave of heat rushed over her body, and as her blood surged through her veins, it reminded her that she was a woman, a woman who hadn’t had her bed rocked in…well…ever, considering the fact that the men she’d dated in the past had cared more about their needs than hers.
Sean fingered the silk sheets beneath him and the gleam in his eyes turned wicked when he said, “It’s not that I have anything against rocking, mind you. It’s just that when my bed moves, I want to be the one moving it.”
On that note, Madison straightened her shoulders, crossed the room and handed Sean the cold cloth. He draped it over his forehead and shifted, as if he was making a spot for her to climb in next to him.
Unsure of his intent—and not about to get too close to him—she continued to stand and returned to professional mode. Schooling her features into courteous interest, she widened her legs, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked him over, noting that his color had returned to normal. “Are you feeling better?”
Sean stared at her long and hard, and a look she couldn’t identify crossed his handsome face. Then a split second later she thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes.
“Madison,” he began slowly, his voice a little rusty, unsure.
“Yes.”
His brows collided and he seemed to be struggling with his words. “Why do you ha—”
Before he could finish the sentence, the boat hit the side of the dock. The collision ripped her sea legs out from underneath her, and sent her spilling onto the bed with an undignified oomph.