What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 6)

by London Casey

  Allen looked over at her and smiled. “Sorry, we were talking shop.”

  “Feel free.” She gestured her acceptance, content to have a moment to regroup, and sucked at the ice melting in the bottom of her glass.

  The way she saw it, she had two choices: ignore the shocking connection with this stranger, or pursue it. She had the distinct feeling that a relationship with Seth would be exhausting, demanding. He struck her as a difficult man, with the strength of character exhibited by so many first responders. The sensible thing would be to avoid him, ignore the attraction. She didn’t want to be sensible. Even if it hurt, she wanted to know. Tender, patient lovers could come later.

  Eden braced herself for the jolt and carefully pressed her thigh against Seth’s. Ignoring the heat of the sidelong glance he threw her way, she pulled her cell out of her purse and touched the button on the side to check the ring tone. She knew he had seen her action. The phone vibrated in her hand as she lifted it to table level. She studied the display before turning to Ryan. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”

  Ryan’s eyebrows arched. He had seen that trick before, though usually it was employed to get him out of uncomfortable situations. “Of course.”

  She rose gracefully from the chair and moved toward the hotel lobby. She felt those stormy eyes burning into her. Halfway to the doors, she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyelids lowered in her best come-hither glance. Seth’s eyes narrowed and he turned to say something to Allen. Biting her lip, Eden exited the ballroom, being sure to exaggerate the sway of her hips just slightly. She turned a corner and found just what she wanted—an unused meeting room. The door was ajar, and she slid inside. The lights were off, the room small. She settled into one of the chairs, deep in the shadows, and waited.

  Eden wondered if he would follow her. She had given him a blatant invitation with that look. She couldn’t think of another way to get him alone, away from the other firefighters. She would not risk Ry’s hard-won camaraderie. If he didn’t take her up on the invitation, she lost nothing but a bit of pride. She might try to slip him her phone number at the end of the evening. Yes, that might work. Again, it cost her nothing but pride.

  She was nearly ready to return to the ballroom when the door opened. Light from the corridor outlined a tall masculine frame. She couldn’t see his face but she knew it was Seth by the way he filled the doorway. He shut the door behind him.

  Complete darkness blanketed the room. He didn’t speak and Eden wasn’t sure what to say. She knew the truth was too much, but untruth was not acceptable. She kept her silence.

  Seth bit off a curse and flicked the light switch on the wall, flooding the room with light. “Well?”

  Eden winced at the savage tone, blinking as her eyes adjusted. She hadn’t expected hostility. “I thought we might…talk. Without company.”

  Seth leaned against the door and narrowed his eyes. “What are we going to talk about?”

  “Some things I think need to be said before this goes further.”

  “This?”

  “You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you?” She blew out a soft sigh and clenched her shaking hands around the arms of the chair. “Ryan and I grew up together. He is as much a part of my life as my brother and my parents. We’ve never been anything more than friends. We never have been and never will be lovers. I think it is important to get that clear right away, because I will not give up my friendship with Ry.”

  Seth started to speak but she cut him off, needing to finish before she faltered. “I am very attracted to you. I would very much like to see whether that attraction goes anywhere.”

  “This kind of attraction goes straight to bed, sweetheart.”

  She released a low laugh, relieved that he was not unaffected. “But not tonight. I came here with Ryan, I intend to leave with Ryan.”

  “Why do you date him if you are not…involved?” His frown seemed more thoughtful than angry.

  She shook her head. “You misunderstand. I am very involved with Ry. It is simply not sexual.”

  His frown deepened. “I don’t understand.”

  Eden bit her lip. “Then you’ll have to accept.”

  He straightened from the door and prowled around the table, closing in on her. “What if that isn’t good enough?”

  “It has to be.” Curling her toes against the thin soles of her sandals, she resisted the urge to rise and meet him on even ground. “At least for now.”

  “Fine,” he bit out. “Do you have any other ground rules?” He stood so close she could smell the slightly smoky scent of his skin. His tension was nearly palpable.

  Eden let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding and tipped her head back to meet his eyes. “I would rather anything between us stay between us. By that, I mean that I don’t want it known around the company.”

  His cheekbones colored but his voice was flat. “Ashamed to be seen with me?”

  Her lips twitched. It was preposterous for him to even think so. “No, indeed. I just don’t want the inevitable gossip that will arise. You might want to consider that less gossip is to your advantage, too.”

  After a moment, he nodded, acknowledging her point. “Anything else?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing comes to mind. I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”

  “I have some rules of my own,” he said, leaning over her, crowding her backwards into the chair. Large hands covered hers, pinned her in place.

  Eden’s gaze slid away from his eyes and sought the safer territory of his tie. “What rules?”

  She was proud of the fact that her words were steady, if a bit thin. He was too close for her to be completely in control.

  “I don’t share.” He released one of her hands and cupped her chin, tilted her head and forcing her eyes back to his. “While I am in your bed, you don’t give your body to anyone else.”

  She blinked, startled by the condition. “Of course not.”

  “And there are some things we need to clear up. Are you on the pill? I just had my annual physical two weeks ago and I’m clean. How about you, sugar?”

  The way he said the endearment was almost insulting. Actually, it hadn’t occurred to her to wonder about the health issue, and that brought home how badly he rattled her. She swallowed a semi-hysterical giggle. “I’ve been on the pill for a while. No health problems.”

  “Good.” Before she could anticipate his action, his head dipped that last scant inch. The first brush of his lips against hers was light, barely a butterfly’s caress, but the shock of the contact shot through every nerve ending in Eden’s body. She squeezed her knees together.

  His lips were softer than she’d imagined, but the pressure behind them was firm. He brushed them across her mouth again, this time pausing to flick his tongue against the center of her lower lip. Eden shivered as heat arced through her. She parted her lips in invitation, wanting to taste him.

  Seth accepted the invitation, sliding his tongue along the inside of her lower lip before dodging through her teeth to greet her tongue. Eden tried to pour her confused emotions into the kiss, tangling her tongue with his and pressing into his mouth, ignoring her feelings of awkwardness.

  He tasted of mint and wine and hot, heavy desire. If she had been thirsty for him before, she craved him now. Her free hand glided up his arm, across his shoulder, until she touched his face. Her fingertips brushed across his cheekbone, then slid back to tangle in the dark hair at the back of his head. She tugged gently, urging him to break their kiss.

  He withdrew slowly, gliding his tongue along hers and glossing over her lips a last time before drawing back. His breath feathered over her lips even as he pushed himself upright by straightening his arms.

  Eden let her breath out in a shaky sigh. “You pack a punch, Mr. Ripley.”

  He reached into the inside breast pocket of the tuxedo and withdrew a pen and small notebook. He wrote quickly, then tore out the page and handed it to her. Eden glanced at
it long enough to see a phone number. “If I’m not there, leave a message. I’ll call you back.”

  She watched with something like shock as he turned from her and walked back toward the ballroom, leaving her sitting, still stunned, in the chair.

  Seth strode back toward the ballroom alternately cursing and lecturing himself about looking gift horses in the mouth. He was cursing himself because she got to him. Not just a physical interest, either, though that was shockingly strong. He needed to know what that creamy skin tasted like. He needed to know what sounds she would make as he plunged into her. He needed to have her, and the need was like a dragon inside, breathing fire and clawing to get out.

  With a single kiss, she had him as hot as he had ever been. If she hadn’t pulled back, he might have forgotten where they were and fucked her right there. She made him want to taste her every secret, and made him want that so badly, he was willing to overlook his misgivings about her relationship with Edwards. He scowled. He didn’t like that about himself, that he would consider sacrificing his rules for a chance to get inside her.

  “You know, I can’t imagine why a man wearing Eden’s lipstick on his mouth would be looking so irritated.”

  Seth stopped short. Great. Just great. “Edwards.”

  Edwards’ lips twitched. “Please, Ry is fine. So, care to share the reason for your irritation?”

  Seth’s eyes narrowed. “Well, let’s see. Your friend,” he began, emphasizing the word with a tinge of irony, “propositioned me. I kissed her, thoroughly, and I believe she and I are going to have hot, blinding sex at the first available opportunity.”

  Ryan blinked. Then, to Seth’s consternation and shock, he erupted into laughter. “Well, then, will I be taking her home, or will you?”

  “You will. Her preference. Why are you laughing?” He was off balance. What was so amusing?

  Ryan grinned at him. “I assume she told you we were only friends, right? Eden is nothing if not disgustingly honest.”

  Seth nodded slowly, puzzled and irritated.

  “It is true. We are nothing more than and nothing less than friends. It won’t do any good to try to pick a fight with me over that. Especially since, if you are seeing Eden, we will likely see a lot of one another.”

  Seth considered this information. “So you’ve never had sex with her?”

  The other man’s eyebrows rose. “No. As far as I know, Eden hasn’t had sex with anyone. You’ll be her first. Be sure to wipe off that lipstick before you go back in.”

  Seth was left staring, shell-shocked, after him. A virgin? Did virgins kiss like that? And what the hell was wrong with Edwards that he hadn’t hit that?

  Chapter Three

  Bone tired from her shift, Eden pulled into her garage and headed into the townhouse. She stopped cold in the living room at the sight of a dark head on her couch. For a brief, hot instant, she thought it was Seth. Hoped it was Seth. Her breathing accelerated. The head turned toward her. She let out a breath, disappointed and relieved.

  “Michael. What are you doing here? Don’t you have to work this morning?”

  Michael Daley regarded her with solemn brown eyes. “Ry asked me to talk to you. I don’t have to be in until this afternoon.”

  Eden shook her head. “And what are we talking about?” She dropped her purse on the coffee table and toed off her shoes.

  Michael sat up on the sofa and moved to one end to make room for her. She leaned back on the arm of the sofa, facing him. He lifted her feet and peeled off her socks, dropping them on top of the shoes. He picked up the bottle of hand sanitizer from the table, where he had obviously put it earlier. Eden raised her eyebrows.

  Michael smoothed the gel over her soles. Tingling as it dried, the gel had a welcome cooling effect on her tired toes. Once he’d destroyed every germ with the sanitizer, he began massaging her feet with strong, long-fingered hands.

  Eden leaned her head back. “This must be serious,” she sighed, holding back a groan as Michael massaged the arch of her foot.

  Michael smiled at her. “We’re a little worried about you.”

  “It’s Seth, isn’t it? You both think I am going too fast, making a mistake. Damn, that feels fantastic.”

  Michael considered as he switched his attention to her other foot. “We’re concerned that your hormones may be overtaking your head.”

  “Diplomatically put, Mr. Assistant District Attorney. However, this isn’t just hormones. It’s electricity and fire and … do you remember when you first fell in love? I feel shaky, nervous, but powerful at the same time. That isn’t just sex, Michael.”

  Never mind that the sex had not yet occurred.

  “Does he feel it, too?”

  Eden shook her head, pulling her feet from his lap. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. He’s hard to read and it worries me some. But I have to try. I can’t spend the rest of my life wondering what might have been.”

  He nodded. “Well, I’ve done my duty. I’ll let Ry know it did absolutely no good. When are you seeing him again?”

  “He gave me his number. I’m not sure.”

  Michael leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. He met her eyes. “Will you tell him?”

  “No. You know I wouldn’t.”

  “A man like that will want more concrete explanations. You’ll either have to be completely honest or you’ll have to cope with his unwillingness to trust past a certain point.” Michael stood and leaned to brush a kiss across her forehead. “Good luck, angel.”

  Her mouth twisted and she shied away from the truth of his words. “Thanks. I have a feeling I’ll need it.”

  After Michael left, she shrugged philosophically and pushed to her feet. Upstairs, she stripped and dumped her slacks and oxford shirt in the hamper, then headed straight for the shower to wash off the sweat and stress of a twelve hour shift. It hadn’t been bad, and her next shift wasn’t until Friday night.

  After a quick shower, Eden fell onto her bed. Deep rose drapes kept the room dark despite the high-climbing sun outside. She stared at the ceiling, considering. She hadn’t spoken with Seth since the event on Saturday, deliberately giving herself time and space. She needed, despite what she had told Michael, to make sure it had not just been the hormones he had aroused that dictated the call. Now, Wednesday morning, she was ready to tackle calling him. Maybe. Maybe after she slept. No, she wouldn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep, without making the phone call first.

  Clutching the sheet of paper with its boldly scrawled number, she picked up the phone. She concentrated on taking slow, even breaths. He probably wasn’t home. Firefighters’ schedules were worse than ER doctors. He was probably either on duty or asleep and wouldn’t answer the phone. It rang twice.

  “Yeah?” His voice was gritty, dark, and a bit hoarse.

  She had woken him. She bit her lip, undecided on whether to speak. She closed her eyes, and a picture of him, sleepy and rumpled, sprawled across the bed to grab the phone popped into her head. The image did alarming things to her pulse. “Seth.”

  Her eyes flew open. Damn. She hadn’t meant to do that. That one word had been husky and full of longing, full of the image now burned into her brain. Eden heard the rustle of sheets as he sat up in bed. She pictured the sheet falling down to his waist, baring that massive chest. Was he smooth-chested or hairy? Her breathing was faster now.

  “Eden.” Her name slid across the line with fluid sensuality. She could practically feel it.

  “You are killing me, here, Seth. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “Waking me upset you?” There was a note of amusement in his sleep-roughened voice.

  She shook her head, but realized he couldn’t see her. “No. Picturing you naked in bed, just waking up is doing that.” Her eyes closed again.

  Silence. For several seconds, Eden thought she might have been too forward, too blunt. She had always been one to speak her mind, even when it wasn’t necessarily popular. Then she heard his harsh intake of breath and
what sounded like a low growl.

  His voice was rough. “How do you know I’m naked? Maybe I’m wearing boxers.”

  Eden’s heart raced in her chest. “No, you sleep naked. I am almost positive.” She bit her lip. This was not how she had anticipated this conversation going.

  “Maybe. Maybe you’d like to come over and find out.”

  Her breath was coming in shallow gasps. “No, I am in no shape to drive. You have my hormones in uproar and I just got off shift at the hospital. I won’t be fit company for hours yet.”

  “So you called to tease me? Be careful when you play with fire, little girl.” She could almost see his eyes narrow, reflecting the annoyance in his tone.

  Eden’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for this conversation to head this direction. I called to see if you wanted to get together, maybe have dinner.”

  There was a raspy exhalation, as if he were physically letting go of the sexual tension. “Dinner. You have an interesting way of assuring a positive response. When did you have in mind?”

  Eden shook her head to clear it. “I don’t know what your schedule is like, but I’m free until eight Friday night, when my next shift begins. Then, I’ll be off Saturday morning, but I’m not great company just then.”

  More rustling from his end, as if he were shifting in the bed. “My next shift starts noon Thursday. How about tonight? Otherwise, it will have to wait until next week.”

  Eden considered for a moment. It was really too soon, she wanted more time. “That’s fine. Do you have someplace in mind?”

  “Have you ever eaten Ethiopian food? There is a great restaurant in Georgetown we could try.”

  “Zed’s? I love their food. That sounds wonderful.”

  “Zed’s, then. How about seven?”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Good. Do you want me to pick you up, or meet there?”

  “Pick me up. No sense in both of us fighting for parking.” Eden gave him directions to her townhouse, as well as her phone number.