Playing With Fire (Firehouse Fourteen Book 2)
Page 21
“That’s really nice work, by the way.” She nodded her head to the tattoo again. “When did you get it done?”
He looked down at his chest then up at her and shrugged. “About three years ago. Um, excuse me, I need to go grab a shirtâ”
“No, really, you don’t. I’m kind of enjoying the scenery.” Her words stopped him cold and he froze mid-step, the tips of his ears turning pink. She watched the muscles in his strong throat work, and briefly wondered if he was trying to swallowâor trying not to choke. He didn’t say anything but he did turn to look at her, now only a foot away from her.
She swiveled on the stool and leaned forward, reaching out and tracing the outline of the tattoo with the tip of her finger. The muscle underneath was rock hard, the flesh firm and hot, scorching. His chest rose and fell with one deep breath before his hand shot out and closed around her wrist.
She slid off the stool and stepped next to him, looking up into his eyes, watching heat swirl in their depths.
“What are you doing?” His voice was a hoarse whisper, tugging at something deep inside her. But there was something else, a wariness, a hunger, a deep need that pulsed through him and into her.
“So I’m not the only one who felt it.” She breathed the words, barely aware of saying them out loud, wondering even as she said them what he was thinking.
What he would think if she leaned up and pressed her lips against the pulse beating heavily at the base of his throat? If she leaned up and pressed her lips against his mouth?
Anticipation, excitement, need. Heat. Desire. They swirled together, building, mixing with something else, something basic and primitive that pulled them closer.
Fire flamed in the depths of his eyes and her body burned from the heat of his skin, so close. His hand tightened around her wrist and she saw the hesitation, the confusion on his face. She thought he’d step back or push her away.
But his mouth crashed against hers, hot, hungry, demanding. She moaned as his tongue plunged into the recesses of her mouth, searching with greedy need. His hand released her wrist and she flattened her palm against his chest, against hard muscle and hot flesh.
His arms came around her waist and pulled her closer, his hands cupping her ass and molding her hips against his body. Another moan escaped her as he pressed the rigid length of his erection against her stomach, rocking against her with a throaty growl she felt clear down to the tips of her toes.
Her hands drifted up to his shoulders, wrapping around his neck. She brushed her fingers through the edge of his hair, surprised at the softness.
He deepened the kiss, the pounding in his chest matching the throbbing in her veins. She leaned in closer, needing to feel more of him, all of him, needing to lose herself.
He dragged his hand up her back, his calloused palm skimming the flesh as he dragged the hem of her shirt up. His touch was hot, searing, and she moaned again at the sensation, the sound lost in their kiss.
And then he pulled away with a ragged groan, his breathing harsh, heavy. Hooded eyes stared down at her, dazed. He blinked. Looked at her and blinked again.
He pulled his hands away from her body and stepped back, an expression of horror crossing his face before he looked away. Disappointment raced through her as she watched him run his hands over his face, his chest rising and falling with each harsh breath.
She reached behind her, searching for the stool, then slid onto it, a smile lifting her lips when he finally looked at her.
“Jesus Christ. Are you insane?”
She pretended to think about it, then shook her head. “No.”
“Really? So you make it a habit of just showing up at some guy’sâsome stranger’s house and…and…” He waved his hand between them, unable to finish his sentence. She watched him again, her lips pursed in thought. Then she shook her head.
“Nope, can’t say I do. This is pretty much a new one for me.”
He ran both hands through his hair, mussing the short length even more, then folded his hands behind his neck and looked up at the ceiling, his lips forming around silent words. CC grabbed the glass of water and took a sip, watching him.
“Why are you really here? And don’t tell me it was to drop off my wallet.”
She shrugged and put the glass down. “You intrigued me.”
“Intrigued? I intrigued you? So you show up at my house and tryâ” He waved his hand between them again. For some reason, his discomfort and confusion amused her, and she laughed. His eyes narrowed at her and he stepped away, adjusting himself. She didn’t even think he realized he did it, which only made her smile more.
“And what the hell would you have done if I hadn’t stopped?”
She lowered her gaze pointedly, then looked back up and met his eyes. “Well. I’m hoping I would have enjoyed it. A lot.”
*****
About the Author:
Lisa B. Kamps is the author of the best-selling series The Baltimore Banners, featuring “hard-hitting, heart-melting hockey players” (USA Today), on and off the ice. PLAYING WITH FIRE is the second title in her much-anticipated new series, Firehouse Fourteen, featuring hot and heroic firefighters.
Lisa grew up with an overactive imagination, strong encouragement from her parents, and an insatiable infatuation with the Peanuts gang. That infatuationâalong with an impatience she has yet to outgrowâjump-started her love of writing. After all, why should she be forced to wait a whole week to read the stories of her favorite characters when she could create stories for them whenever she wanted?
That love of writing continued to grow, along with all those voices in her head, even during her assorted careers: first as a firefighter with the Baltimore County Fire Department, then a very brief (and not very successful) stint at bartending in east Baltimore, and finally as the Director of Retail Operations for a busy Civil War non-profit.
Lisa currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons, one very spoiled Border Collie, two cats with major attitude, several head of cattle, and entirely too many chickens to count.
Interested in reaching out to Lisa? She’d love to hear from you, and there are several ways to contact her:
Website: www.LisaBKamps.com
Newsletter: http://www.lisabkamps.com/signup/
Email: LisaBKamps@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorLisaBKamps
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LBKamps
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LBKamps
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lbkamps/
Other titles by this author:
THE BALTIMORE BANNERS
Crossing the Line, Book 1
Game Over, Book 2
Blue Ribbon Summer, Book 3
Body Check, Book 4
Break Away, Book 5
Playmaker, A Baltimore Banners Intermission Novella
Seduced By The Game Cancer Charity Collection
Delay of Game, Book 6
Shoot Out, Book 7
The Baltimore Banners: 1st Period Trilogy
Books 1-3 Boxed set
On Thin Ice, Book 8
Coming Soon
FIREHOUSE FOURTEEN
Once Burned, Book 1
Playing With Fire, Book 2
Breaking Protocol, Book 3
STAND-ALONE TITLES
Emeralds and Gold: A Treasury of Irish Short Stories (anthology)
Finding Dr. Right
Time To Heal