by Morgan Fox
“Where’s he taking you?”
“He said pizza, but I’m not sure where exactly.”
Brynn grimaced as if she’d swallowed a bug. “Pizza? Can’t he afford to take you somewhere nicer?”
“What’s wrong with pizza?” She loved pizza, and his suggestion to grab some hit the spot. “I’m not really into those fancy places that have hour and weeklong reservations. I want to grab a beer and a slice and not have to worry about starving before I even get a table.”
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind the bar. “Who do I have to impress?”
“A certain fireman, I’d say.”
She grinned. “And that is why pizza works. Wouldn’t it be better to get to know someone in a natural setting rather than one that could simulate a false impression?” She shrugged. “To me, casual is a better way to discover who someone really is.”
“You’re overthinking things,” Brynn told her, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t care either way as long as the food’s good and the sex is better.”
Zerina wished it were that simple for her. She didn’t want to be used or to even use him for sex. She’d done that enough in her life, finding men to sleep with. It was time for something different. It was time she stopped being afraid that she’d get hurt and start focusing on what could make her happy. No one was going to do that for her. She had to do it for herself, and a man like Jeremy actually liking her and wanting to spend time with her was a good start.
“I not going to sleep with him,” she said, stiffening her spine. “At least not right away.”
Brynn rolled up her nose as if she smelled a skunk. “Why not?”
Because I need something more than sex. I need to like myself for who I am and I want him to like me for the same reasons. “I just don’t feel like rushing this time.”
Brynn huffed out a breath. “Suit yourself.” She cupped her breasts and shifted them around in her purple and black corset. “Wish me luck. I’m gonna go flirt with those firemen a bit.” She winked. “Don’t worry, I know Jer-Bear’s off-limits.”
“Jer-Bear?” she repeated, liking the name more than she should.
“What? It’s cute.” She winked. “Have fun tonight. No matter what you decide to do and how many times you decide to do it.”
Brynn’s naughty laughter died as she sauntered toward the crew, Jeremy glanced up to see her watching him, and he paused, smiling. Glancing around, he put down his hammer and came over to her. She held her breath as he closed the distance between them.
“Hey,” he said, his smile broadening. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“I know. I guess I’m just eager to get back to work. Besides, Jason did tell me that I needed to be available in case there was something you needed.”
“So I can thank Jason for my date with you, then.”
She grinned. “No, you can thank me for saying yes.”
He leaned toward her, only a small space separated them. “Ever since you said yes, I’ve been completely distracted by you. I can’t think of anything else.”
She licked her lips, her breath caught. She knew the feeling.
“Seven o’clock can’t get here soon enough.”
Glancing down at his firm chest, she felt the heat of his body and wanted desperately to touch him. No! Not yet. “You better get back to work. I’m sure your crewmen don’t appreciate you taking unnecessary time off.”
He brushed the backs of his knuckles over her cheek. “I’d argue that it was very necessary.”
A shiver rocked her as his touch set fire to her flesh. She was melting and he hadn’t done more than gently touch her. The rasp of his voice was dangerously sexy and mind numbing.
I’m doomed…
He placed his finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I hope you’ll let me kiss you tonight. I have a feeling you taste as exquisite as you look.”
Her jaw fell open, her eyes wide. She was tempted to press to her toes to let him have a little taste. But before she could, he slipped away to return to work. Her brain had gone all mushy and her body languid.
“Don’t forget to give me your address before you leave.” His mouthwatering smile had delicious heat pooling between her legs.
Yep, I’m doomed…
Spending time with Jeremy might prove more difficult for her than she bargained for. She would soon find out.
* * * *
Jeremy had to roll his tongue back into his mouth as Zerina opened the door to her apartment. She wore a hip-hugging black skirt, a body-contouring red shirt, which squeezed her breasts the way his hands itched to do, black combat books that stopped mid-calf and her makeup and hair was done exactly the way he liked. The low-cut shirt revealed a bit of a tattoo that dipped down from her shoulder and embraced the top of her left breast. Damn, he wanted to drag his tongue over every inch of her body art, tasting her so thoroughly she’d beg him to sample other areas.
“Wow,” he managed. “You look amazing.”
A slight blush filled her cheeks. “Thanks. Did you want to come in for a bit, or are you ready to go eat?”
“I’m starving. I’m thinking of ordering a large pie just for me.”
She smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’m hungry, too.” She grabbed her helmet and closed her apartment door behind her.
He led her to his motorcycle. “Are you sure about the bike?” he asked, scanning over her short skirt.
“I don’t mind if you don’t,” she said, sliding her helmet over her head and fastening the strap.
His cock pulsed in his pants. If she only knew just how much he didn’t mind. “I’m good.”
He got on his bike, put on his helmet, and readied it for her. He wished he could’ve said he had more restraint, but the moment she swung her leg over the back of his bike, he glanced back to see just how much of her creamy white thigh he could see. Inwardly groaning, he closed his eyes. If he could burn the memory of her body in his mind forever, he would.
She snuggled up behind him as he drove them to his favorite pizza shop, the only place in town that still used a real brick oven. There was nothing like eating a pizza loaded with amazing toppings and cooked just enough to brown the bottom, but not burn.
She moved off the bike and removed her helmet, placing it on the backrest of his bike. He did the same, placing his on the seat. Once they were inside, he selected a table for them in the back, but close to the kitchen. “I like sitting here. The oven is right there.” He pointed over the counter. “It smells awesome.”
She smiled. “I’ve never been here before.”
“I think it’s one of those places that has so many regulars they don’t have to advertise. One of the guys from the station told me about it. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
“Pizza’s my favorite food. I could eat it every day.”
A slow grin tugged at his mouth. Good. They had something in common. “Me, too.”
“Hey, Jer. How you doin’?”
Gotta love an Italian waiter with a New York accent.
“Hey, Tony. I’m good.”
“What can I get you?”
“I’ll have an iced tea,” he said, eyeing Zerina.
“Me, too,” she replied.
“Comin’ right up.”
Leaning forward, she lowered her voice. “You must come here a lot. He even knows your name.”
“Yes. I’m a once-a-week kind of guy.”
“Good to know. If I get the craving for pizza, I know who to call.”
“You better,” he said, hoping she wasn’t kidding. He cleared his throat. “What do you like on your pizza?”
“Everything but anchovies. I’m a meat lover for sure.”
Good. Another thing in common. “Sweet. They make a killer meat pie.”
Tony returned with their teas and he quickly placed the order for a large pizza with all the meats. Once Tony walked away, Zerina asked him, “So do you really think you’ll be done with everyt
hing at Iron Horse in a week?”
“Ready to get rid of me?”
She cocked her head. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just eager to bartend again. I miss my nights.”
He nodded. “It must be hard to suddenly be up during the day and sleeping at night.”
“It is,” she said, releasing a sigh. “I’m not a day person. I prefer to work at night.”
“I don’t have a preference. I’m so used to having to be flexible with my sleep, a firemen’s curse, that I don’t mind either way anymore.”
“How long have you been a fireman?”
“A little over a year. But I’ve always wanted to be one. As a kid, it’s all I ever wanted to be. What about you?”
She took a sip of her tea, her eyes darting around the room. “I don’t know.”
He didn’t know why, but he felt like she wasn’t being honest. “You didn’t always want to be a bartender, did you?”
She shrugged her shoulders, inhaling deeply. “When I was younger, I considered being an interior designer.”
Looking at her colorful, sexy style, he could picture that as her occupation perfectly. “I can see you doing that.”
Surprise blanketed her expression. “You can?”
“Hell yes. The colors and patterns you’ve selected were perfect. Jason was right to ask you to handle that for him.”
She blushed again. He loved that he could make her do that. She was adorable.
“Thanks. I thought Jason was trying to torture me.”
He chuckled. “How so?”
She grimaced as if she were in pain. “I hate pretty people.”
His laughter grew. Oh, she really did have an issue he had to figure out. What was so wrong with blond hair and blue eyes?
“It’s not funny,” she said, laughing a little herself. “I was teased a lot as a kid by all of the snobby, popular kids. They hated me.”
“The blond, blue-eyed kids?” She smiled as he leaned forward. “I bet they teased you because you made them jealous.”
She laughed hard. “Whatever. You’re just saying that because you want—” She pressed her lips together, letting her words fall flat.
“Finish what you were going to say.”
She shook her head. “No. I need to stop doing that. I need to stop assuming you’re trying to hurt me just because you can.”
He furrowed his brow. “You still think I’m trying to hurt you?”
“Look, Jeremy, I’ve never allowed anyone to get close to me that wasn’t one of my girlfriends. I don’t trust people. When I was younger, I learned that people, especially kids, can be cruel and hurtful. I stopped giving people a chance to break my heart.”
He could understand that and he appreciated her honesty. He imagined it took a lot for her to confess her feelings. “When I was a kid, I looked like a nerd. I was scrawny with a severe overbite. My parents didn’t have much money, so I dressed in clothes my mom picked up from the thrift store. I got my ass kicked at least once a week for my lunch money.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I wish I was. It took me a long time to get over that. But when I graduated from high school, I got my life together. I had my teeth fixed, started working out, went to college, got a degree, and applied for the firefighters position. I didn’t get the position right away, but I eventually did. I think that all of those people who pushed me around when I was a kid helped me to fight harder for what I really wanted out of life. I didn’t want to be that scrawny kid anymore, the one that couldn’t take care of himself.”
Zerina’s mouth gaped. “I never would’ve guessed that.”
“Don’t tell me, you see me as the high school jock with the hot blonde on his arm, maybe even the guy who screws whoever he wants behind the bleachers and drinks beer in the school parking lot?”
She cringed. “Yes. That’s exactly how I pictured you.”
“Surprise. Looks can be deceiving.”
“I understand that better than most. I grew up with very little. My parents did the best they could, but I was still the ugly girl with the weird hippy parents. The mean girls in school put a target on my back. I was made fun of every day. They even had the popular boys pretend to like me so they could laugh at me when I thought they were serious.”
“And there it is,” he said, finally understanding her. “You think of me like you do those assholes from your high school.”
“I did.” She paused, licking her lips. “I might have been wrong.”
“Might have? Hey now,” he replied with a laughter in his tone.
“Sorry,” she told him, smiling. “Trust issues, remember?”
“Right. We’re going to have to work on those.”
The pizza arrived and he was pleased to see the smile on her face grow. “Oh, my,” she muttered, eyeing the pie. “It smells amazing.”
“Taste good, too,” Tony said with a strong, almost forced accent, while placing a slice onto each of their plates. “You kids enjoy.”
“Thanks, Tony,” he said, watching Zerina peel a pepperoni from the top of her pizza. When she closed her eyes, savoring the bite, he knew he’d done well. “Do you like it?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, almost purring. “It’s delicious.”
He took a bite and couldn’t agree more. “So tell me, why haven’t you pursued interior decorating?”
When her expression turned dark, he wished he’d kept his mouth shut.
Chapter Five
Why hadn’t Zerina become an interior decorator? Now that was the million-dollar question. It wasn’t for lack of money. She made a good living bartending. She could’ve paid outright for college and training. She had a creative eye and wasn’t afraid of color or sharing her opinion. The only thing over the years that had stopped her from moving forward was her fear that people wouldn’t take her seriously, that they wouldn’t give her a chance. She spent so much time worrying about what other people thought of her, she hadn’t been able to unglue her feet to pursue something she loved.
She picked at her pizza. “I’m not sure,” she told Jeremy, not wanting to divulge that simple fear of failure and rejection prevented her from fulfilling her dreams.
How lame was that?
“We’ll there’s no time like the present. You’re young enough to still do it.”
That was true. She was only twenty-five and had sense enough to put money in the bank. She could easily transition into a part-time decorator and still work at the bar. Trouble was, she’d have to find clients, and that brought her back to her fear of rejection.
“I like working at the bar.”
“I think that’s cool, by the way. Iron Horse is going to be awesome once the changes are made. The place will bring in new clientele for sure.” He took another bite of his pizza. “Maybe you could pick up a little decorating business on the side. A referral from Jason could go a long way.”
She sighed, wanting to change the topic. Talking about her failures was the last thing she wanted to do. “Maybe,” she said and then asked, “What about you? Firefighter one day, construction guy the next. How does that happen?”
“My dad was a handyman, and he taught me how to fix everything that broke around the house so he wouldn’t have to.” He laughed. “I got pretty good at it.”
“I bet the last thing your father wanted to do was work on things at home after a long day of working on everyone else’s.”
“Exactly. So I learned how to knock down walls, reframe walls, put up drywall, fix electrical issues, lay tile. You name it, I did it.”
She took a bite of her pizza, savoring the flavor, before asking, “Why do contract work at all?”
“Extra money,” he shared, sipping his tea. “Working one day and off for two frees up a lot of time. A lot of firemen have secondary jobs.”
She hadn’t realized that, but it made sense. That was something she could do, divide her time to earn dual incomes. If she decided to pursue a decorating position, that was.
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“So you ride motorcycles, too?” he asked, just as she took a bite of her pizza.
She grinned, swallowing. “I do. I love them. My brother used to race dirt bikes and I’d go watch him. I got into riding, but not racing. That wasn’t my thing. I preferred the enjoyment of it. Not the stress of race day.”
“I agree. I’ve never been on a dirt bike though.”
“You should try it at least once. It’s very different from the smooth roads you’re used to.”
“I bet,” he said, taking another bite.
Before she realized it, she’d devoured two large slices and was fuller than she’d ever been. “Wow that was so good.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
Tony came over with some foil and wrapped up the remaining pieces. Then he dropped off the check and Jeremy paid the tab.
“You must come here a lot on your bike,” she pointed out.
“Why do you say that?”
“He didn’t just put your pizza in a cardboard box. He put it in foil so you can stick it in your saddle bag.”
“Good eye,” he cheered, grinning. “I always get a large, too. I love cold pizza for breakfast.”
“I agree.” Cooking was something she avoided as often as possible. Preparing a meal for one was more of a hassle than it was worth. Cold pizza was a two-meal solution.
“Maybe you’ll join me for breakfast one day.” The moment the words left his mouth, a surprised expression poured from him, as if he feared she’d take the statement the wrong way. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that I’d like to have breakfast with you one day.” He cringed. “Wow. That sounded so different in my head.”
She blew out a breathy laugh. He was as charming and sweet as they came, and for whatever reason, the idea of having breakfast with him didn’t make her nervous. She liked that he wanted to see her again, whether it was meeting her somewhere to have breakfast or waking up beside her. “It’s okay, Jeremy. I’d like that.” She smiled. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all.”
A warm flutter moved through her, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if it was food she was referring to or something else. Then, she figured it out and again, she wasn’t nervous.