Playing With Fire

by Alison Bliss

  Cowboy’s hand fisted on the counter. “I’m captain of the fire department, so that makes it my job. Besides, that jackass couldn’t find his balls with both hands. He damn sure isn’t going to solve this case.”

  Bobbie Jo touched his hand, offering him comfort. “I know you don’t feel like he’s doing enough,” she murmured. “But your department’s already so thinly staffed. And with the loss of your chief…”

  I cringed, realizing which fire they were talking about.

  “I hate to see you working so hard,” she added. “You need to take a day off and catch up on your sleep.”

  I’d noticed the dark circles under his eyes, but had attributed them to late night bar outings I imagined he was accustomed to. But hell, what did I know? I also thought his nose looked a little more crooked than the last time I saw him.

  “Today is my day off, and it’s just now getting dark outside.” Cowboy rubbed at the back of his neck, then glanced at his watch. “When the library closes in half an hour, I’ll be heading home and hitting the sack.” Then he grinned at Bobbie Jo. “What are you doing here? Checking up on me?”

  “You being in a library is most definitely a newsworthy event, but no, I didn’t come here to make fun of you. That was just a bonus.” She smirked at me as she reached for Austin and pulled him into her arms.

  No, Bobbie Jo, don’t say it!

  “I stopped by to see Anna. She moved here a few weeks ago.”

  Damn. She said it.

  Cowboy’s face warped with confusion. “Who’s Anna?”

  Bobbie Jo quirked a brow at his question, but gestured to me, anyway. His piercing gaze followed, and I gave him a fake, strained smile. Though he hadn’t recognized me, it still hurt that he hadn’t even remembered my name.

  “I didn’t know you were friends with Bobbie Jo.” He glanced back to her and said, “Your friend and I bumped into each other earlier. Could’ve sworn I punctured her voice box or something. She barely said two words to me.” He turned back to me and grinned. “You must not like strangers.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip, not sure what to say.

  “Strangers?” Bobbie Jo laughed. “What, you don’t recognize her?”

  Her comment made Cowboy blink, and me wince. Damn it, Bobbie Jo. I wanted her to stop helping me.

  His glittery green eyes scanned up and down my slender body, and I could only imagine the shades of red my face turned. “You know, you do look awfully familiar,” he said easily. “Did we sleep together?”

  Oh, good grief.

  Bobbie Jo was patting Austin on his back, but froze mid-pat. “Seriously, Cowboy?” She gave him a stern, motherly glare. “You don’t even know if Anna’s someone you’ve had sex with?”

  I cringed. Obviously, he thought sex with someone like me would be unmemorable. But did Bobbie Jo have to actually verbalize it?

  When he just shrugged, Bobbie Jo shook her head in disgust, then placed the yawning turtle back into his green stroller shell. “After dealing with Jeremy earlier today, I don’t even have the energy to smack you in the back of the head.”

  “You’re still dealing with that shit stain?” Cowboy snarled. “Guess I’m gonna have to kick his ass.”

  She peered up at him in confusion. “For what?”

  “For being a dick.”

  “Yes, he is. But he’s also Austin’s father…even if only in the biological sense.” Bobbie Jo finished buckling her son into the stroller and straightened. “Look, I know he’s your long-time rival, but is there ever going to be a time I mention Jeremy’s name that one of Austin’s four godfathers don’t threaten to beat him up?”

  Cowboy grinned. “Nope.”

  “Fine. But I don’t want you or the other guys to do anything to him. I can handle Jeremy myself.”

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, I realized it was almost closing time and noted that the people milling about had greatly dwindled in numbers. I still hadn’t even taken out the sack of garbage I’d left by the back door.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” I said quietly. “I need to take the trash out back before I close up.” That would allow me time to settle my nerves.

  After vacating the room I grabbed the bag of garbage, stepped out the back door, and tossed it into the big blue dumpster on the side of the library. I took a few deep breaths while fanning my hot face, then returned inside and rejoined Bobbie Jo and Cowboy just as she was about to leave.

  “You know, darlin’, you really do look familiar,” Cowboy said to me as Bobbie Jo stored the baby’s teething ring. “I just can’t place how we met.”

  Of course, he couldn’t. I sighed. “I could just tell you.”

  “Aw, now where’s the fun in that?” Cowboy gave me a quick wink.

  “Oh, Lord,” Bobbie Jo said, rolling her eyes. She looked up at me. “Sorry I can’t visit with you longer, but I need to get Austin home and ready for his bath. I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can go to dinner or something this week.”

  “Sure,” I replied.

  Bobbie Jo pushed the stroller toward the door.

  “Let me know if you want me to stomp Jeremy’s ass into the ground,” Cowboy called out after her.

  She turned back long enough to give us a half-hearted wave, so I planted a smile firmly on my lips. But it was a ruse. The last few patrons had used the self-checkout scanner and had already vacated the library right before Bobbie Jo. That knowledge combined with the nervous energy zinging under my skin left me flustered. Deep inside, I was angst-ridden by the thought of being left alone in the same room as Cowboy.

  To busy my trembling hands, I stood at the desk with my back to him, fiddling with a stack of flyers for a chili cook-off to be held over the weekend. I straightened the lime green papers until they were all neatly aligned with the edge of the counter.

  Cowboy reached past me, brushing my body lightly with his, as he placed the book he held on the counter. “Mind holding onto this for me until tomorrow?”

  The scent of his cologne lingered in the air. I turned toward him, carefully measuring him with my eyes. “You can check the book out.”

  “No library card.”

  “Oh. Okay, I can issue you one. I’ll just need your driver’s license and—”

  “Won’t work.”

  I paused, not entirely sure what he meant by his rude interruption. “All right. If you don’t have identification, then a utility bill with your name and address will suffice.”

  “Sorry. No can do.” He smiled at the puzzled look I gave him. “I have identification, but very few people in this town know my real name, and I’d like to keep it that way. If I told you what it was, then I’m afraid it might be all over town by morning.”

  “Excuse me?” When he grinned at my surprised tone, I lifted my chin to portray my exasperation. “If you’re suggesting I’d speak to anyone about the library’s confidential records,” I said, my tone bordering on contempt, “then you’re—”

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa! Hold up, darlin’. I wasn’t doing any such thing. Relax a little. Good Lord, are you always this uptight?”

  My eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Guess so. Judging by your clothes, I should have figured that.” Cowboy grinned and leaned one hip lazily against the counter next to me. Then he gave me a quick once-over and his eyes twinkled with shameless mirth, as if he were enjoying my exasperation…and proving his point.

  I glanced down at my clothes and shook my head in disbelief. My black skirt fell respectfully below my knees and my long-sleeved blouse was buttoned all the way to my throat. I imagined my old-fashioned attire probably bored most men since it was about as stimulating as watching grass grow or a car rust. Which is exactly why I wore it, you jerk!

  I gaped at him, not caring if he saw how offended I was. And I was offended. “Well, excuse me if I’m not dressed to your liking. I’m sure the kind of women you’re used to shed their clothes whenever you enter a room, but as you plainly see,
I’m not like most women.”

  When he stepped closer, I assumed he did so to intimidate me with his overwhelming masculine presence. I straightened my spine, ready to give it right back to him. But instead he said, “Did you know your blue eyes brighten when you’re all fired up?”

  “I don’t care. And furthermore… Wait, what?”

  As if he couldn’t control himself, Cowboy reached up and removed the thick, unattractive lenses from my face.

  I stiffened. “What do you think you’re doing?” My low voice sounded almost breathy.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his arm and went for the clip in my hair. I tried to move away, but he blocked my escape route with his body, forcing me to stand in place as he freed the red strands I had twisted onto the back of my head. My wavy locks tumbled loosely around my shoulders.

  Cowboy cocked his head, scrutinizing my new look, as I crossed my arms and drew my lips into a thin line to show my petulance. It only made him grin more. “You know, I was going to say you looked like an angel. But that’s not quite right. With your fiery red hair, deep blue eyes, and that rebellious little pout, I think you look more like…a fallen angel.”

  “You’re kidding, right? That’s the best line you have?” I rolled my eyes and scoffed under my breath. “And here I thought you were actually supposed to be good at this.”

  He ignored my comment and leaned his chiseled face closer to mine, rubbing one calloused finger along my cheekbone. His deep voice took on a sexier note. “All that innocence and compressed sexuality wound up tight inside you…just waiting to be let loose.”

  I resisted the urge to blow out the breath I was holding. Okay, so maybe he’s better than I thought.

  In an attempt not to come across as weak or feeble, I lifted my chin, but my nerves wound tighter, electrified by the way he penetrated me with his green eyes. “And let me guess, you think you’re the man to unlock it?”

  “I’d damn sure like to try,” he said with a suggestive shrug of his brows.

  The smile he wore reached his eyes, and although I tried to maintain my composure, the natural charm he exuded drew me in.

  I let out a quick, irritated breath. “My God! Bobbie Jo was right. You’ll hit on any Homo sapiens with a pulse.”

  He blinked at me, then a grin broadened his face. “Is it my imagination or did you just confess that you’re into chicks? Because if that’s part of the deal—”

  “Oh, Lord,” I said, snatching my hair clip and glasses from him. “Homo sapiens is a species of bipedal primates, a group to which humans belong. It’s definitely not whatever dirty thing your mind conjured—”

  Before I finished my sentence, the glass doors slid open and a brunette with a short blunt haircut stepped inside. She was a gorgeous girl with an athletic body, most of which she showed off by wearing itty-bitty things she obviously had mistaken for shorts. She stopped in the doorway, put a hand on her pushed-out hip, and eyed Cowboy with irritation.

  “Mandy…?”

  “I thought that was your vehicle parked out front, Captain. Where the hell is your radio?”

  “I didn’t want it squawking while I was in here, so I left it in my truck. What does it matter? It’s my day off.”

  “Well, you might want to get your ass in gear and come with me. We’ve got a problem.” Mandy scanned the room until her gaze stopped on me. “Might want to bring her along, too,” she said in a clipped tone before spinning on her heel to storm out.

  “Hold up, Mandy. Where’s the fire?”

  She stopped in the doorway and looked back at us over her shoulder. “At the library.”

  Cowboy’s head snapped to me, then back to Mandy. “But we’re in the library.”

  “No shit,” she said. “That’s the problem.”

  Cowboy made it to the door before he realized I wasn’t behind him.

  As Mandy’s words had sunk in, I’d panicked and my throat had closed, rendering me speechless. My stunned mind grasped the danger I was possibly in, but my frozen limbs couldn’t seem to react to the notion.

  “Hey, what are you waiting for?” he asked, staring back at me. “You plan on staying inside a burning building?”

  My body bristled with fear, and a strangled sound released from my mouth as terror-inducing recollections and smoke-filled memories choked me. No, I can’t do this. Not again.

  I staggered a step forward, gripping the counter to keep myself upright, but I felt the blood drain from my face.

  “Christ. What the hell’s wrong with you?” When I didn’t answer him, he moved toward me with an outstretched hand. “Anna…?”

  He must’ve thought I was in shock. And hell, maybe I was. One second I was standing there in complete silence, frozen in place, and the next I was humming a tune under my breath to keep the painful, all-consuming memories at bay.

  No doubt he was utterly confused by my reaction. Nothing was stopping either of us from evacuating the building. Nothing, except me, that was.

  His hand clamped onto my wrist. “Damn it, come on! Snap out of it.”

  Thankfully, I did. With one touch, he’d somehow grounded me back to reality.

  Gathering my strength, I forced my legs to move as Cowboy tugged on my arm and headed for the door with me in tow. By the time we made it outside and caught up to Mandy in the parking lot, sirens were blaring in the distance.

  “Those are our boys,” Mandy announced proudly. “I was driving past when I saw the flames.” She motioned to the side of the library, where an orange glow illuminated the dark alleyway. “At first, I thought you were here because of the fire, but then I looked through the window and saw you inside with a book in your hand. Don’t know which surprised me more.”

  Cowboy gave her a petulant look. “What’s on fire?”

  “Oh, um…I’m not sure, but I think it’s the dumpster. I called it in over the radio and had Reynolds grab my bunker gear from the station in case they needed any help.”

  “Good thinking,” Cowboy told her.

  Flashing lights swung across the parking lot asphalt as two wailing fire trucks pulled in and rolled to a stop nearby. Several uniformed firefighters spilled out and sprinted in the direction of the fire. A tremor ran through me. With Cowboy’s hand still latched onto my arm, I had no doubt he felt the physical vibration reverberate through my body and into his.

  Our eyes met briefly, then he glanced to Mandy. “Go suit up, Barlow.”

  “Aren’t you coming, Captain?”

  “No. The crew can handle this one without me.”

  Mandy hesitated, wrinkling her forehead in puzzlement, then ran for the trucks.

  The moment she got out of earshot, I looked up at Cowboy. “If you need to go—”

  “What happened back there, Anna? Why’d you freeze up?”

  And just like that, reality smacked me in the face. There was no way I could explain it to Cowboy without telling him more about me than I cared for him to know. Or anyone else, for that matter. Like he said, news traveled fast in small towns.

  “It was nothing. I’m sorry.”

  “No need for apologies, darlin’. I only want to make sure you’re okay.” When I didn’t say anything in return, he dropped the subject and focused his attention to the firefighters in action.

  Even though the reinforcements had everything under control, Cowboy kept a sharp eye on the men as they hustled back and forth between the trucks and the fire, laying hoses and opening water lines. They were obviously capable of handling themselves, but he stayed on top of them by occasionally shouting orders from the sidelines where he babysat me.

  We couldn’t see the fire from our position in the parking lot, only the orange glow coming from the side of the building. Every time the flames shot higher, red-hot embers released into the air and then dissipated, before the ashes floated away in the evening breeze. Although I was awestruck by the lethal beauty, the pungent smoke littering the air took me back to a time I didn’t want to remember. I was still a lit
tle shaken, but the last thing I wanted was for Cowboy to witness one of my physical or mental meltdowns.

  Moments later, the flickering light vanished. Judging by how fast the blaze dwindled, and what knowledge I had of fires, I gathered this one hadn’t been very large. If so, he probably would’ve left me in someone else’s care while he led his team.

  No surprise there. He liked to be in control. And it was sexy as hell.

  A young fireman approached us, suited up in his bunker gear. “Engine four crew is heading back to the station, Captain. The rest of us will stick around for a few and make sure the fire stays out.”

  “Sounds good. Tell Barlow to fill out a report and have it on my desk by morning,” Cowboy ordered.

  The kid nodded and headed back to the trucks.

  “Come on,” Cowboy said. “You can walk over with me, and we’ll check out the damage.”

  Shock blasted through me, as if he electrocuted me. “No, I can’t!” But then I glanced back to the side of the library where the orange glow had emanated, and my nerves shriveled back into their rightful place. “I mean…the fire.”

  He looked at me strangely. “Fire’s out, remember?”

  I exhaled a slow, calming breath. “Right. Uh…okay.” God, he probably thought I was a lunatic.

  I trailed behind him as we made our way to the side of the building, where the dumpster sat. As we neared the site of the fire, my steps dragged until I ended up stopping completely.

  Mesmerized, I stared at the large smoldering metal bin, imagining the flickering flames as they surrendered to the force of the water the firemen had pumped into the dumpster. Then I made the mistake of shifting my eyes to the scorch marks on the library’s exterior stucco wall. A building I had inhabited while the dumpster was burning. Jesus.

  An involuntary shiver ran through me as my legs liquefied. I forced myself to stay on my feet, though, rather than drooping like a wilting flower. I could handle this. I had to. But as rattled as my fragile nerves were, I couldn’t handle much more tonight.

  Cowboy took a look inside the dumpster, shook his head, and then walked toward me. “Do you smoke?”