Burning Desire

by Marie Harte

  Carrie turned to her and whispered, “He’s holding his own with your dad. So far. Five bucks says he does or says something to get your dad scenting blood.”

  Bree subtly leaned closer to her friend and whispered back, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean if you don’t want to give me five dollars right now, stop looking at Tex as if you want to do him. Again.”

  “What?”

  Her father looked over at her. “You okay, honey?”

  Tex just sipped his beer and wandered to the fireplace mantle to study some family photographs.

  “Carrie’s sharing gossip. I’ll be right back.”

  He chuckled and rejoined Tex, pointing out a few pictures of himself and his station house back in the day.

  Bree tugged Carrie with her down the hallway into Charlie’s crafting room. “What are you talking about?”

  “You have that ‘I’ve been fucked by a cowboy’ look.” Carrie shrugged. “Meh. I figured it would happen. Just not this soon.”

  Bree felt hot and cold at the same time. “Seriously? You can tell?”

  Carrie smirked. “And now I know.”

  “Damn it! This isn’t funny. My dad will have a fit if he finds out. And then he’ll do something nasty to Tex’s career.”

  “Nah. Your dad is way too professional to let personal feelings interfere with his work.”

  “You’re not that dumb.”

  “Hey.”

  “He once almost got my PE teacher fired for flirting with me, and the guy was only trying to correct my form playing tennis.”

  Carrie shrugged. “If you say so. But you can never be too careful with predators in high school.”

  “Seriously, Carrie. Help me out here.”

  Carrie leaned closer. “Fine. Then tell me. I want details.”

  Bree confessed, “On a scale of one to ten, he’s a twenty. And he’s huge. Happy now?”

  “Like, he’s a big guy? Or he’s a big guy?” She pointed at her crotch.

  Bree just smiled.

  “Man, if I were straight, I’d totally hit that.”

  “Hit what?” Melissa asked, finding them huddled by the crafting table.

  Carrie didn’t miss a beat. “I was telling your sister about the sexy barista who served me today. Had she been a little older, I’d totally have hit that.”

  Melissa frowned. “You’re so crass, Carrie.”

  “Crass my ass. I’m honest. I can give oral like nobody’s business. That’s truth, sister. That barista would have been lucky to have me. In so many ways.” She wiggled her brows.

  Bree tried not to laugh at the way Melissa’s eyes bugged out.

  “Maybe you should try me before you get all offended. Bet I can make you scream my name in less than five—”

  “Carrie really!” Melissa darted out of the room.

  “—seconds. And see, I was right,” she yelled after Melissa.

  Bree tried to muffle her laughter but found it difficult to calm down. Soon she was snorting with Carrie, the pair trying to contain themselves.

  Charlie found them and frowned. “Why are you two in here? Someone needs to go rescue Tex from your father, Bree. Oh, and dinner’s ready.” She turned around and left.

  Bree was still laughing when Carrie murmured, “I think Melissa wants me. You okay if I make a move?”

  That sobered Bree right on up. “Oh, yeah, Lady Loves a Lot. Go for it. She’s all yours, even though I’m pretty sure she’s never dated a woman before.” If she’d had one thought that her stepsister might take a liking to Carrie, or that Carrie actually meant it, she’d never have suggested it.

  Carried hooked a thumb at herself. “It shouldn’t have to be said that once you sample a taste of this, you never want to leave.”

  “Oh my God. That’s who Tex reminds me of. You!”

  Carrie grinned. “Aw, shucks, ma’am.”

  They snickered as they rejoined the family, now gathering around the dining table.

  Dinner passed nicely, though her father continued to grill Tex, who managed to fend off the heavy-handed interrogation with aplomb.

  “So, the Marine Corps, hmm?”

  “1st Marines, 1stMarDiv. Alpha Company.” Tex speared a hunk of salad and chewed with pleasure on his face.

  Bree made sure to keep her attention on her plate, especially when Carrie nudged her leg under the table and muttered, “O-face alert.”

  When she glanced up, she saw Melissa watching them.

  Melissa sat next to Tex across from Carrie and Bree, with their parents on either end of the table. Used to entertaining, Charlie cooked and served with the ease of long practice, and any attempt to try to help normally earned a subtle scold. She must have really missed Melissa to let her help with the bisque.

  Melissa hadn’t protested sitting next to Tex, though she remained quieter than usual throughout the meal.

  “Did you like your time in the service?” her dad asked.

  “John, really.” Charlie harrumphed. “Let the boy eat.”

  “It’s okay, Charlie.” Tex wiped his mouth. “I expected the grilling. I am taking his daughter around town, after all. I have to say, though, the one who’s scaring me is you.”

  “Me?” Charlie blinked.

  “I don’t think I can stop eating. You even make salad taste good. And I’m more a meat and potatoes or shrimp and lobster kind of guy.” He smiled at her. “This seafood chowder is dang amazing. My momma would want this recipe for sure.”

  “I’m happy to give it to you.” Charlie glowed with pleasure. “I like to call it Charlie’s Superb Seafood Bisque.”

  “Superb is right.” He winked at her.

  “Oh, you’re good.” Bree’s father sighed. “But you’re not wrong. I’m going to need to hit the gym tomorrow for sure.”

  “You should swing by Station 44 and work out.” Tex gave John a wicked grin. “Challenge Lieutenant O’Brien to meet you for reps. He needs the workout. The guys say he’s a little too fond of his wife’s banana bread, and it’s starting to show.”

  John’s face lit up. “Jan’s making him banana bread? And he brings it to work?”

  “He sure does brag about it, I can tell you that.” Tex chuckled. “But the last time, he wouldn’t let me have any. Told me I was gettin’ fat then made me do twenty push-ups just to get a piece. And he gave me the butt.”

  Bree frowned. “What?”

  “You know the end of the bread. The butt. And it was still delicious.”

  “Jan can bake.” John cleared his throat and darted a sheepish look at his wife. “But, uh, not as good as you, honey.”

  Charlie shook her head. “You should take lessons from Tex on how to charm a lady.”

  At that, John raised a brow. “So that raises the question. Just how many ladies are you charming at present, Tex? And is my daughter one of them?”

  ***

  Such a great question. Tex had been prepared for something like it, though he hadn’t thought the chief would be so direct. Bree looked like she wanted to crawl under the table. Carrie and Melissa watched, wide-eyed. Charlie, the sweet woman, audibly prayed for her husband’s manners to reemerge.

  “Now, Chief, a gentleman never tells. I make sure to keep my private life private, so it never interferes with work. And Bree is straight-up professional. We don’t mess around at all. Especially not when I’m technically on duty for these two weeks. Right, Bree?”

  “Oh, um, what?” She glanced up, looking guilty. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  Her daddy sighed. “Have you heard anything we’ve been saying?” His eyes narrowed, and he glanced from Tex to Bree. “Or is there something I should know?”

  “I don’t know if she’s been listening, but I sure have, John,” Carrie cut in with a wide smile. “You pretty much said
that Jan bakes better than Charlie. Then you asked if Tex was shacking up with any women lately, a not-so-subtle hint to keep his junk in his pants around your daughter.”

  Charlie choked on her water. Melissa gaped at Carrie, and Bree just covered her face, clearly used to Carrie’s antics. But Tex laughed so hard, he cried. “Hot damn, that’s a fine recap of the conversation, ain’t it?”

  John tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. “You, young lady, are a menace.”

  “Only because I work so hard at it.”

  Bree interrupted before her father could browbeat Tex some more. “Dad, did I tell you Carrie won her last mediation? And get this, to the tune of twenty-five million for her client!”

  “Wow. That’s fantastic,” John gushed, and Carrie, wicked, cool-as-a-cucumber Carrie, blushed with pride.

  Charlie toasted her, and even Melissa chimed in with a, “Wow, that’s pretty amazing, Carrie.”

  “That’s more than my fingers and toes can count,” Tex teased.

  Carrie chuckled. “Whatever, cowboy. You’re a lot slicker than you give yourself credit for. I can tell.”

  “Hmm.”

  Great, now Bree’s dad was looking at him with suspicion again.

  It was taking all Tex had to play the friendly guy when he kept remembering taking Bree against the wall, all heat and need and hunger. Best damn sex of his life. And that was saying something. He spared a short glance her way then drank more beer.

  To his horror, he felt himself getting hard and willed his erection away.

  A glance next to him showed Melissa watching him. When he met her gaze, she smiled.

  The chief sure had a handsome family. Charlie was beautiful, kind, and cooked like a dream. Tex could understand the attraction John had for his wife, and Melissa looked just like her. The woman was gorgeous, stunning, but in a different way than Bree. Melissa appeared harder, sharper, where Bree exuded sexuality. He could see Melissa wielding a whip and stilettos, whereas Bree would be the sex kitten in a baby doll teddy.

  Nope. Stop thinking about sexy clothing. Don’t go there.

  He focused again on his bisque, enjoying a second helping and trying to stop from needing a third. “I don’t mean to hog all your food.”

  “Don’t worry about it. She made a second batch for the crew at work.” John smiled. “I’ll be pretty popular tomorrow.”

  Heck, the chief was popular with or without Charlie’s fine cooking. Tex only heard good things about the guy. He treated everyone fairly, didn’t play politics so much as had earned a sterling reputation, and had started at the ground level, so even the newbies recognized the chief had their best interests at heart. Tex couldn’t see the guy yanking him around just for dating his daughter. Then again, everyone had warned him away, and Bree seemed pretty freaked about coming clean.

  He’d already messed up around her enough; he’d take her lead in dealing with her dad.

  “What about your family, Tex? What do they think of your job?”

  “Dad.” Bree groaned. “Is this a dinner or a shakedown?”

  “He’s just being friendly,” Melissa said, her first words at the table. “Don’t mind Dad,” she said to Tex. “He asks pushy questions to everyone who comes over for dinner.” She smiled.

  Tex smiled back. “I don’t mind. I’m an open book.”

  “A picture book for kids, I’ll bet,” Carrie added.

  Tex laughed. “You know, you’d fit right in with the guys at the station. C shift all the way, Carrie.” He turned to the chief. “To answer your question, my folks miss me, but they like what I’m doing with my life. I have three older brothers. All of us joined the service before we decided what we wanted to do. Only one of my brothers mistakenly joined the Air Force. The rest of us are Marines.”

  John grinned. “So was my dad. Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

  “Yep.” Tex nodded. “But when I got out, I felt like I wasn’t done serving my country. I just needed another angle. And I found it here.”

  “Why so far from Texas, if you don’t mind me asking?” Charlie asked. “I assume Tex is short for Texas.”

  “It is. I came out here with a Marine buddy. He ended up getting married and moved to Portland to be near family, but I stayed here. Fell in love with Seattle. I really like the Pacific Northwest.”

  Thankfully, talk turned to the area and weather, as well as great places to hike or ski, should he be so inclined. Which he was not.

  He did his best to act natural, but between the chief questioning him, Bree doing her best to ignore him, Carrie watching as if sitting at a damn movie, and Melissa staring a hole in his head, he felt pretty stressed throughout the meal.

  When it ended, he stood to help clear his plate and found the chief doing the same. Charlie darted toward the kitchen to fetch dessert.

  “I need to call your parents and tell them what a fine job they did raising you,” the chief said with a smile. “You ate all your food, cleared your plate, and called me ‘sir’. You’re either one polite young man or one hell of a liar and a suck-up.”

  “Geez, Dad.” Bree groaned. “Ignore him, Tex. He’s still testing you.”

  Tex snorted. “I’ve been through the wringer before. This is no different. And I have nothing to hide. Ask me anything you want.” But don’t ask if I’m sleeping with your daughter. Please don’t.

  He didn’t look at Bree but instead looked at Carrie, who was frowning at Melissa.

  “Hey, where’s your engagement ring?” Carrie asked.

  All eyes turned to Melissa, who froze then promptly burst into tears and darted from the room.

  Everyone stared at one another, confused, Tex especially.

  Charlie rushed back in from the kitchen and looked around. “I heard crying. What happened?”

  John shrugged helplessly. “No idea.”

  “Wait. She was engaged?” Bree’s eyes grew wide. She turned to Carrie. “How did you know?”

  Carrie looked smug. “I hear things.” To Charlie, she said, “Melissa’s not wearing her ring. And the fact she raced from the table probably means things aren’t going well with her Mr. Right.”

  Charlie frowned. “Was engaged? Oh, no.” She followed after her daughter.

  Bree gaped. “She’s engaged?”

  John sat back down. “I need a drink.” Then he looked at Tex. “How about you join me for a scotch in my study?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” He sent an apologetic glance to Bree, but she looked too stunned to accept it. He followed the chief into his study and sat when motioned to the seat across from a huge desk.

  “Sorry for the family drama. We normally don’t have all that much.”

  “Everyone’s got something. You should see my family. I have three brothers. One of them is married with a kid, the other is married and expecting, and my other brother is a handful, according to Momma and Daddy. Family dinners can be a nightmare.”

  John smiled. “I’ll bet.” He poured a glass of scotch for himself, but Tex politely refused. Then John sat and sipped. “Ah, that’s nice.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. I’m a hops man, myself. And I’m driving tonight, so I’m good with what I already drank.”

  “Tex, I apologize if I came across as invasive, but I love my daughter. Daughters, both of them, but you’re only involved with one of them at present.” The chief sighed. “I’ve been around firefighters my whole life. My father was a volunteer, you know. In northern Washington. And I’ve been around a long time. I know how men think. My daughter is beautiful. I think we can both agree on that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And I’m protective. I don’t know if she told you this, but I pretty much forbade her from dating anyone in our profession a long time ago.”

  “She mentioned it.”

  John nodded. “I just w
ant to protect her. Our job is dangerous, and a lot of us act out. With women, with alcohol or drugs, and all-around tough family dynamics. There’s a reason we have a high divorce rate.” He sighed. “I mean no offense, but I want Bree to have a happy home life. And that’s hard enough as it is these days. Adding more stress from our line of work makes it worse.”

  “I hear you. I know what you mean.” Tex should have let it go. But he couldn’t. “But, sir, that’s Bree’s choice to make. And this has nothing to do with me at all. I mean, it’s her life, period.”

  The chief looked taken aback.

  “My uncle tried this same tactic with my cousin. She’s a total cutie, sweet as can be, the whole package. And it blew up in his face. She married that bull rider and divorced his sorry, cheating ass two years later, after she’d gone and had a kid with him. But she learned, and now she’s married to a terrific guy on a neighboring ranch. My point is, nothing was going to make her stay away from the rodeo. Not Uncle Owen’s warnings or trying to scare away anyone who sniffed too close. I know I don’t have a dog in this fight, and I don’t have daughters. But I watch and learn, and I know for a fact telling a body not to do something is a surefire way to get them to do just that. If Bree wants to date a firefighter, she will, I’m sure. One thing I’ve learned about your daughter—she’s headstrong. All I’m sayin’.”

  Tex thought that had gone rather well.

  The chief leaned forward, his gaze piercing, and a little scary. Bree’s dad was a big guy with the brawn to back up that fierceness. “Well, let me tell you something, son. I do have daughters. And I have seen a broken heart or two. I can’t control what others do, but I’ll tell you this. If you want a career in this department, and you want to go far, you’d do wise to steer clear of Bree. Because even if you do end up stealing her heart, you’ll always have her bear of a daddy to deal with at work. You get me?”

  Well, fuck. But Tex couldn’t back down now. He leaned forward as well. “Sir, I respect the hell out of you. And this conversation really isn’t one worth having with me. But I’ll tell you the cold, hard truth.”

  “Oh, what’s that?” The chief leaned back and sipped his drink, imposing without trying to be.