Playing With Fire (Firehouse Fourteen Book 2)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  “Is that what this is about? You’re worried about Jay? Well don’t be. He’s fine and I’m sure he won’t even notice you’re there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings someone with him, because he always has before.”

  Angie sat back like she had been slapped. His words cut through her, piercing and sharp, and she swallowed against the emotion that choked her. She hadn’t even thought, hadn’t even considered the possibility that Jay might bring a date. And oh God, what would she do then? There was no way she could stay, no way she could act like that wouldn’t bother her.

  And Dave, damn him, still didn’t understand.

  “You know, Mike was right. You really are an ass.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Don’t you ever stop and think before you say anything, Dave?”

  “Think about what?” He glanced over at her and she wondered if he could tell she was upset, that his words hurt more than even she thought they would. He lowered his brows, worry creasing his forehead, then turned his gaze back to the road. Silence filled the truck for so long that Angie shifted in the seat and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

  “You’re not going to tell me that you’re upset about Jay. I told you before he wasn’t your type, that it wouldn’t work out. And I was right.”

  She didn’t even bother to open her eyes or look at him, just turned her head further to the side.

  “Whatever, Dave. You know best.”

  He must have missed the sarcasm in her words, must have missed the choked emotion in her voice, because he leaned over and patted her leg like she was a little kid.

  “I know. Don’t worry, you’ll have fun. You won’t even notice Jay’s there.”

  **

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” The words left Jay’s mouth before he even realized he was speaking them. Mike looked over at him, then turned to watch the truck bouncing along the rutted path to the clearing. She stiffened beside him, her surprise as clear as his own.

  “Well, this could be a good thing.”

  “I don’t think so.” He turned back to the tent he had just set up and started yanking at the pegs, ripping them from the dirt. Mike grabbed his arm, stopping him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m leaving.”

  “Jay, you can’t be serious.”

  “Yeah? Watch me.”

  Mike tugged on his arm again, pulling him away from the tent. She glanced back at the truck as it rolled to a slow stop, then turned back to him. “You can’t leave.”

  “Mikey, there is no way in hell I’m staying here if Angie’s going to be here. With her brother. I can’t do it.”

  She studied his face, her eyes searching, seeing too much, then released the hold on his arm. “Fine. I think you’d be a fool to leave but if that’s what you want, then go.”

  Jay turned, ready to tear down his tent again, then stopped and blew out a heavy breath. He straightened then looked back at Mike with a curse. “Why don’t you think I should leave?”

  A deep chuckle came from behind him and he turned to see Nick step closer. He gave Mike a quick kiss then smiled at Jay, his grin teasing. “Jay, you of all people should know when Kayla has an ulterior motive.”

  Mike playfully nudged Nick in the side and shook her head, telling him to stop. Jay looked away, their casual interplay striking a need deep inside him, a need he didn’t want to admit to but could no longer ignore. He wanted what they had: friendship, respect, admiration. And love, a deep, profound love.

  The thought jarred him, sending alternating waves of hot and cold through him until they joined and formed a huge knot in his gut. He looked over at the truck and watched as Angie climbed down and shut the door, pausing to glance around the campsite.

  Her eyes met his and he felt his gut clench and twist even more as their gazes held. Longing scorched him, the strength and need of the emotion mentally flooring him.

  Angie broke the contact and looked away, her gaze suddenly focused on the uneven ground at her feet. Jay inhaled deeply, a steadying breath to counter the imbalance he felt from just that one look.

  “That’s why, right there.”

  He looked over to see Mike grinning up at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “That whole look. Jay, you’ve got it bad for Angie. Just like she has it bad for you.”

  “Newsflash, Mike. We’re not seeing each other anymore, remember? Because she broke it off.”

  “Yeah, because of Dave, not because she wanted to.”

  “And your point is?”

  “My point is: I’ve never seen you give up so easily. Since when do you not go after something you want?”

  “Since it was made perfectly clear that it wasn’t going to work. I know better than to beat a dead horse—unlike someone else I know.” Jay kicked at the peg he had partially pulled up, then stomped it back into the ground with the heel of his boot, calling himself every kind of fool. He should be packing his tent up, calling it quits and heading home.

  But he didn’t.

  Mike kept grinning at him as she lowered herself into the camp chair then leaned back and watched him. “I’m not beating a dead horse. I just don’t want you to quit when I know how much you want it. How much both of you want it.”

  “Kayla, don’t push.” Nick leaned over and gave her another kiss. “I’m going to get something to drink. You two kids behave while I’m gone.”

  Jay swore to himself then grabbed his camp chair from the ground next to his tent, pulled it from the bag and set it up. Mike was watching him, a grin on her face as he slammed the chair into place before falling back into it.

  Mike didn’t say anything, just watched him with that stupid know-it-all grin he hated so much. She looked up as Nick approached with three bottles in his hands and took the soda he held out for her. Jay accepted the lone beer and twisted off the cap, taking a long swallow and trying not to look over at Angie.

  But his eyes searched her out anyway and he watched as she started pulling gear from the back of Dave’s truck. From the look on her face, she didn’t want to be there.

  He couldn’t say he blamed her.

  “Don’t give up, Jay. You two are good together.” Mike’s voice was suddenly quiet, serious, and he looked over at her, surprised. He hadn’t talked to her much about Angie, about how he thought he was feeling and what he was thinking. With Mike, he didn’t need to. She knew him better than anyone else.

  He looked away and took another swallow of beer, then shook his head. “It’s not that easy, Mikey. Not with Dave acting so self-righteous.”

  “Yeah. And what the hell is up with that anyway? He’s not usually such an ass.”

  “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with Angie being his little sister.” Jay couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his voice, surprised that he was even defending the man, not after everything that had happened. But Mike shook her head, her gaze thoughtful as she looked over where Dave was pitching his tent.

  “No, there’s something more going on. I told you that. He hasn’t been himself for the last couple of months, even before you started seeing Angie. I just think that made whatever’s going on worse.”

  “Gee, thanks Mikey. That makes me feel so much better.”

  She started then looked over at him, a small grin on her face. “Sorry, didn’t mean it that way.”

  Jay really didn’t feel like keeping this particular conversation going, so he let it slide and said nothing. He turned back and looked around the campsite, thinking that it was starting to look some kind of refugee camp.

  Tents were scattered in a loose semi-circle around a large fire pit, camp chairs and coolers and gear tossed in between. A large brick grill stood on the other side of the fire pit, with a large screened tent set up next to it that housed two picnic tables. About fifty feet behind the tents, backing against the woods for privacy, was a portable shower and two latrines. Not exactly the height of luxury, but they
were clean and functional, which is all they needed for the time they’d be out here.

  The shift had been coming here for several years, ever since Pete had gotten the property from his grandparents. Jay had no idea if he ever planned on building on it or not, but the secluded acreage was perfect for these summer camping trips, and everyone had always had a blast.

  Jay had a feeling this year would be the exception for him.

  He took another swig of beer then let his eyes drift back to where Angie was standing. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and a few strands had come free, waving around her cheek in the slight breeze. She stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable and out of place as she watched Dave set up their tent.

  Jay did a double-take then choked on the beer he had been swallowing. The tent Dave was setting up was a two-person tent—which meant it was really only big enough for one person. There was no way in hell both of them could sleep in that thing.

  His eyes searched the gear piled around Dave’s tent, coming to rest on another bag as memory of the last few years’ trips came back to him. This wasn’t the first time Angie had joined Dave on the trip. And each year before, they had each had their own tent.

  He wasn’t sure why he was just now remembering that, or why the realization made him happy. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste time thinking about it.

  “Hey Jimmy, can you give Angie a hand with her tent?” Dave looked up and called across the clearing, where Jimmy and Pete were wrestling with what was supposed to be tonight’s dinner.

  Pete looked over at him then shook his head, his gloved hands smeared with sauce and seasoning. “The chefs are busy.” His eyes darted around the campsite, stopping to rest on Jay. “Have Jay or Mike do it. And her tent can’t go next to yours.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Because we need to leave that area clear for the vehicles. You know that.”

  Jay watched the exchange with a sinking feeling and shifted in his chair. He looked around the camp and suddenly saw what had been obvious to Pete.

  A semi-circle of nine tents. The fire pit. The grill and eating tent. A clearing for the cars and trucks.

  And the next empty spot was right next to Jay’s, since he had been the last one to show up.

  Right before Dave.

  “Shit.” He lifted the bottle to his mouth and drained the beer, afraid to look around, afraid to look over at Angie, afraid that Dave was ready to lose his shit.

  He heard Mike laugh next to him but he wouldn’t even look at her.

  “I love it. This is great.” She laughed again and pushed herself out of the chair, then walked the fifty feet separating them from Dave’s tent. Jay watched as she said something to Angie, then grabbed her gear and led the way toward them.

  Jay shifted in his seat again and swore. “Sometimes I really hate your girlfriend.”

  Nick laughed and offered him a sympathetic smile. “You know how she gets once she has an idea stuck in her head. Stubborn doesn’t even come close.”

  “Tell me about it,” he muttered.

  Mike finally reached them, a glint of mischief in her eyes as she glanced at Jay. Angie stopped behind her, looking as uncomfortable as he felt. He glanced back at Mike, wondering how to tell her this wasn’t a good idea.

  “This is probably a bad idea.”

  Jay snapped his mouth shut as a flare of irritation went through him. His gaze shot to Angie and he almost asked her why she thought it was a bad idea.

  Almost. But he couldn’t ignore the misery and discomfort on her face, and he wouldn’t add to it. He sat the empty bottle in the chair’s cup holder and stood up, holding his hand out to Mike.

  “Mikey, why don’t you and Nick grab two more beers while I help Angie?”

  Mike all but threw the tent bag at him and quickly walked away, not bothering to hide her smile as she hurried past him. Angie didn’t notice, though, because her gaze was locked on his.

  “I know how to set up a tent, you don’t need to help.”

  “No worries.” He watched her for another second, trying not to notice how her arms were crossed so tightly in front of her, a sure sign of discomfort. He looked away and upended the bag then sorted through everything. “Do you have a ground cover?”

  “Oh. Um, yeah, it’s in here.” She bent over and rummaged through another bag, then pulled out the small tarp. He reached out for it, his hands brushing against hers and sending a shot of awareness up his arm. Their eyes met and they both just stood there, watching each other. Angie was the first to look away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

  Jay cleared his throat then busied himself with laying out the ground cover and spreading out the tent. Angie bent over, helping him straighten it, then handed him the pegs.

  “Let’s get the poles in first and set it, then we can put the pegs down.” Angie didn’t say anything, just nodded and started assembling the poles, sliding them together one at a time. Jay sat back on his heels and watched her, his gaze travelling along her body. Even dressed as she was, in loose shorts, an unbuttoned shirt hanging open over a tank shirt, and hiking boots, she heated his blood.

  He cleared his throat again and looked away. “You look good, Angie.”

  Silence greeted his comment and he mentally kicked himself for saying anything, then wondered if the next four days were going to be just like this. He didn’t think he could handle it if they were.

  “Thanks. You too. Look good, I mean.”

  Jay looked over at her and saw that she was staring down at the pole in her hands, another flush high on her cheeks. She took a deep breath then finally met his gaze, her discomfort clear.

  “I don’t have to put my tent here, I can find someplace else. I, uh, I don’t want to…” Her voice drifted off and she looked away, the flush growing deeper.

  “You don’t want to what?”

  “You know. Impose. Get in your way.”

  He held out his hand for the pole, almost surprised that she gave it to him. He ran it through the nylon sleeve and hooked it into the grommet, then looked back at her. “Why would you think you’d be in my way or imposing?”

  “Oh. Well.” She looked around, her gaze darting around the campsite before settling on his tent. She narrowed her eyes and looked over her shoulder, in the direction of her brother, then back down at him. Her eyes didn’t meet his, though, just settled on a spot somewhere over his shoulder. “Dave said you’d probably have someone with you.”

  “Dave said. Of course he did.” Jay clenched his jaw and shoved the other pole through the sleeve, using care not to tear the nylon even though he wanted to throw the damn thing like a javelin.

  Preferably straight through her brother.

  He stood up and brushed at his leg then looked back at Angie. “I didn’t bring anyone with me, Angie. There’s nobody I’d want to bring, and I haven’t seen anyone else since—I’m not seeing anyone. I have no interest in seeing anyone. So don’t worry, you’re not going to be imposing or in my way.”

  And damn his big mouth. For not planning on saying anything, he sure as hell just said a lot. He shook his head and grabbed the last pole, then leaned over and slid it in place.

  “I’m not either.” The words were spoken quickly, almost as if the speaker was afraid to say them and had to spit them out before thinking better of it. Jay looked over and met Angie’s eyes, noticed the rigid set to her shoulders and arms, and realized that she was already regretting speaking.

  “Great. Glad we’re both miserable.” He shook his head and motioned for her to grab one side of the tent, then lifted and set it in place. He didn’t bother looking at her again, didn’t want to see what effect his sarcastic words had on her, if they had any effect at all. He grabbed the pegs and walked around the tent, setting each in place and sinking them with the heel of his boot.

  “Do you have an air mattress?”

  “Yeah, it’s right here.” She handed him another bag and he took it, still witho
ut looking at her. He pulled the mattress out then turned toward the tent, planning on rolling it out once inside then inflating it. A strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping it.

  “Don’t worry, Jay, I’ve got it.”

  He glanced down at the hand gripping his shoulder, then up at Dave. His expression was bland, but warning was clear in his eyes. Jay shrugged his hand off and tossed the air mattress at him.

  “Whatever you say, Dave.”

  He turned around and walked away, his jaw clenched and anger ringing in his ears. But he still heard Angie’s deep sigh, heard her swear at her brother in a whisper. He turned to watch her and almost smiled when she ripped the air mattress from Dave’s hand and disappeared inside the tent, telling him she would do it herself.

  Almost smiled. But not quite. He kept walking, straight pass Mike and Nick, heading for his truck. He heard footsteps behind him, racing to catch up, but he didn’t stop until he opened the door of his truck.

  “Jay, where are you going?”

  “Into town. I need a drink.”

  Mike’s expression told him exactly what she thought—that he was a coward and running away. He wasn’t going to argue with her, even though there was a bit more to it than that. He just needed to get away for a little bit, to put some distance between him and Angie—and Dave—before he did something really stupid. If she wanted to call it running away, he wasn’t going to stop her.

  He climbed into the truck then looked down at her. “You coming?”

  She rolled her eyes then turned back to Nick, an entire conversation passing between them with that one quick look. Nick waved at them and she hurried around to the other side, climbing into the passenger seat and settling in. She snapped the seat belt around her as Jay started the truck and backed up.

  “The only reason I’m not arguing with you is because this means I’ll get to drive the truck back. You know that, right?”

  Jay said nothing, because there was nothing to say. She was right, because he meant it when he said he was going into town to get a drink.

  Probably several.