“Holy cow, this cheeseburger is enormous!”
“Just wait until you taste it.” Kalvin watched in utter fascination as she carefully picked up the burger, opened her mouth, and took a large bite. The way her lips closed over the bun just before her teeth sank in had his system going into a riot of serious calisthenics. The sound she made as she slowly chewed, sultry and low and sexy as hell, damn near drew a whimper from his throat.
“Mmm,” she moaned and stretched a finger over her top lip to cover her mouth as she spoke around the bite. “It’s fantastic!”
Kalvin grinned, picked up his burger, and tipped his chin at her lap before taking a bite. “What did you buy at the bookstore?”
“A book.” Her eyes twinkled. “I was surprised to find so many in a bookstore.”
“Ha ha. What kind of book?” The tell-tale blush that rose to her cheeks had his grin stretching wider. “Ah, one of those kinds, huh?”
“Elen suggested it.” She set her burger on her plate and reached for a French fry. “It’s a romance. A ménage romance,” she elaborated. Her expression turned considering. “I’ll admit I find that interesting.”
Kalvin sure hoped so. If he got his way, he’d have her between him and Blaze by tomorrow night, showing her what a ménage romance was all about. He’d love it even more if he could make it happen tonight, but he figured the chief might get pretty pissed if he and Blaze had sex with her in the firehouse. “Have you ever been in a ménage?”
“My, you do like to pry, don’t you?” she teased. “No, but that’s not what I find interesting.”
Damn it, he and Blaze might have more work cut out for them than he’d expected.
“I meant that people who live that lifestyle would still want to read books plotted around the subject.”
“Have you read romance novels before?”
She drew her brows together as if puzzled by his question. “Of course.”
Kalvin popped a fry in his mouth, chewed it quickly, and swallowed. “Single male, single female plots just like the relationships you’ve had in your life, I’m assuming?”
She pointed a fry at him before chomping on it. “I see where you’re going with this. Touché, by the way.” She fell silent for a few minutes while she continued to eat. “Are you in a ménage relationship?”
Kalvin looked at her, noting she’d asked without sparing him so much as a glance. “Now who’s prying?”
Her brows winged up as she finally gazed at him. “Hey, my question wasn’t any more intrusive than the one you asked.”
“Touché.” That made her laugh. She had a great laugh. It was all music and sunshine and Kalvin suspected she hadn’t been doing it anywhere near enough lately. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend. Blaze and I are still looking for the right woman.”
“And Blaze would be your best friend, lover, both?” She gasped as if appalled by her own question. “I didn’t mean to imply—”
“That I might be gay?” Kalvin grinned at her. “It’s okay. No offense taken. Blaze is my best friend. We aren’t lovers.”
“Well, I hope you and Blaze find her.”
Kalvin studied her side profile as she resumed eating, wanting to tell her he and Blaze had already found her. He held back, knowing it was too soon. A comment like that would likely scare her away. He glanced at his wristwatch and stifled a groan when he saw his time had nearly run out.
“I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes. It’ll probably last about a half-hour. After that, I’ll be back at the firehouse. Why don’t you stop by? You can meet Blaze and we’ll give you the grand tour.”
A dart of fear flashed through her eyes and her gaze dropped to the insignia on his shirt. That damnable bottom lip disappeared between her teeth once again and he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
“Thanks, but—”
“Consider it a standing invitation.” Kalvin flagged Arianrhod as she passed and gestured for her to put his and Faith’s meal on his tab as he got to his feet. “Think about it. We’ll be around the firehouse until seven tomorrow morning.”
* * * *
Eyeing Delilah one last second, Kalvin Fitzpatrick turned and weaved his way through the tables scattered about the café dining room to the door. Delilah turned her head, watching him with a side-long look as he walked away. She couldn’t help but admire the way his T-shirt stretched over the wide expanse of his shoulders, giving her a tantalizing view of the muscle and sinew in his back as he pushed the door open, letting it close behind him. Through the glass, she got a final glance at his tight ass, lovingly hugged by a pair of black uniform pants, before he disappeared from sight.
She propped her elbows on the counter and buried her face in her hands as a sigh shuddered through her body. He’d frightened her at first. The sheer shock that had filled his stormy gray eyes when he’d turned and found her standing behind him had set off her warning bells. He’d acted as if he’d known her, as if she were someone he’d been waiting to show for a very long time, but hadn’t expected to see. When she’d spotted the fire department logo on his shirt, her warning bells had erupted in a shrill of emergency sirens. She’d fully intended to turn and walk away. That’s when he’d touched her.
Every cell in her being had come online at his touch. His grip on her arm had been equal parts gentle and insistent and had sent a tingling awareness shooting up her arm to rain fiery embers through her body. The line he’d laid on her that he’d probably pulled off a website dedicated to the best and worst pickup lines should’ve made her laugh in his face. Instead, it had made her smile even as it had sent a jolt of desire through her system.
That jolt both surprised and irritated her. She’d enjoyed talking to him. He had a hoarse, rusty voice that had sent tremors down her spine. She’d liked looking at him, too. She closed her eyes behind her hands and thought about the way a lock of his short, wavy black hair had fallen over one brow as he’d stared at her with an animal awareness that was very primitive and alluring. It had been clear he was attracted to her. Even now, she could feel the stark intensity of his gaze.
What would he taste like if she kissed him? The question had jumped to the forefront of her mind each time his truly kissable lips had stretched into a hormone-rocking smile. For the first time in over two years, she’d been acutely aware that there hadn’t been anyone in her bed since she and Joshua had broken up. While she was a ‘till death do us part’ kind of girl, Joshua had been a ‘till I’m out of sight’ kind of guy who had walked all over her heart and had left a bitter taste in her mouth for men.
She’d consoled herself by throwing her attention into her jewelry creations and opening Delilah’s Designs. At night, she’d found her solace with her trusty vibrating bullet and her vibrator she’d affectionately named after Colin Ferrell. Poor Colin. She’d hated losing him in the fire that had claimed her house along with everything else she’d owned. She was really going to miss him. He’d gotten her through so many horny nights. It hadn’t taken her long before she’d realized fucking her favorite toys was actually more satisfying than having sex with Joshua, probably because he’d saved his best moves for the women he’d been running around with on her.
Still, even the best sex toys on the planet couldn’t replace the warmth of a man. She missed the touch of a man’s big hands on her flesh. She missed the feel of a man’s cock pounding in her pussy. She missed…
“Is everything all right, Faith?”
Faith. It took a moment for Delilah to realize the female voice was talking to her. Guilt twisted in her gut as she lifted her head and forced a smile to her lips. She hated lying about her name, but she hadn’t wanted to take the chance that someone on the island would recognize Delilah Cassidy. The home base of Delilah’s Designs had been in Chicago, but the name had a thriving internet presence as well.
The name she’d chosen, Faith Randal, wasn’t a complete lie. She had mulled over what to call herself during her long hitch-hike ride south. Faith was he
r middle name. Few people knew that. She’d never cared for it much, but as she’d sat looking out the window of the big rig at the passing trees, she’d realized it fit her now more than ever. Faith was exactly what she needed to hold onto if she expected to get through this. Randal had been her mother’s maiden name.
Heat crept into her cheeks as she met Arianrhod’s gaze and saw the light dancing in the woman’s eyes. That light seemed more knowing than it should have, almost as if the woman knew the thoughts that had been going through her mind about Kalvin just before Arianrhod had interrupted.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.” She flattened a hand on her belly as she gaped at the half-eaten burger and fries. She’d eaten more in those few minutes of conversation with Kalvin than she’d eaten at one time in weeks. “I should have said it was delicious. If I eat another bite, I’m going to pop. You can bring the check when you get a moment.”
“There isn’t one.”
“But—” Delilah attempted to argue. She’d seen Kalvin catch Arianrhod’s attention just before he’d left, though he hadn’t made a move for his wallet. A tiny part of her had wondered if he’d stuck her with his check and hers.
“The emergency officials on the island keep a running tab with me,” Arianrhod explained. “They pay it in full twice a month. It’s easier for all of us that way. If they get a call while they’re eating, they don’t have to fumble with their wallets and I don’t have to chase them out the door for my money.”
Delilah smiled. “I can see how that would be easier.”
Arianrhod’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I’m surprised Kalvin left without taking you with him.”
“He said he had a meeting in a few minutes.”
Arianrhod tapped her chin with the tip of one siren-red painted nail. “It must be something to do with the fire department. That’s the only thing that would’ve dragged him out of here without you.”
Tingles exploded up Delilah’s spine, like tiny centipedes crawling down her skin. “I don’t know why you would say that. He’s obviously working today and we just met.”
Arianrhod shrugged. “You can call it a hunch.”
Delilah studied the woman. Did Arianrhod somehow think Kalvin knew who Delilah really was? Should she really call it a hunch, or would gift be a better term? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.
Arianrhod covered Delilah’s hand on the counter with her own. “I didn’t say that to alarm you. I’ve known Kalvin for a while. It wasn’t hard to see the man’s attracted to you.”
The centipedes settled down as Delilah pursed her lips. “I guess it wasn’t hard to see I was attracted to him, too?”
Arianrhod giggled. “Honey, I could feel the heat between the two of you across the café.”
Delilah turned and let her gaze sweep over the dining room behind her. Every table scattered about the floor and every booth that lined the three walls was occupied. All of the stools at the counter save for the one Kalvin had vacated was, too.
“Is business always this good?” She remembered the countless fantasies she’d entertained about Delilah’s Designs being packed like a sardine can. In the two years she’d had the shop, such a day had never happened, though she recalled many days where she or Ashley had rung up more than fifty customers during a shift.
Arianrhod pulled her hand back as she straightened. “At lunch? Usually. Dinner, not so much. Most of the islanders eat dinner at home and the tourists tend to visit the restaurants in the resort, order room service, or go for a romantic night at Starry Skies down the main drag.”
“I had room service in my suite last night,” Delilah confessed, not that she’d eaten much of the chicken Caesar salad and fruit she’d ordered.
“You should make Kalvin and Blaze take you to Starry Skies tomorrow night. The ambiance is incredibly romantic and the food is incredible.”
“Why would I…” Delilah shook her head. Arianrhod seemed to think now that she and Kalvin had met they were suddenly a couple. “Never mind. Kalvin issued a standing invitation for me to come to the fire department this afternoon.”
Arianrhod lightly slapped the counter in front of her. “You should go. You can meet Blaze.” She shot a cursory glance at the wall clock behind her. “Kalvin will probably be in his meeting for a while, but Blaze will be at the firehouse.”
Delilah shook her head. “I think I’ll just continue my solitary tour of the island. Mixing business with pleasure is rarely a good idea.”
Arianrhod gave her a funny look. “You’re on the island for business?”
Delilah hadn’t meant to put that to voice, though she had come to think of her stay on the island as a business trip. She was here to get away from Chicago, to clear her head, and figure out a list of steps to take in her efforts of discovering who was so intent on ruining her life.
“Not exactly,” she said, purposely being vague. “Let’s just say the business end is spending some much-needed time in my head. And I’m not exactly here for the kind of pleasure going to dinner with a couple of firefighters would likely yield either.”
“Would it make a difference if they weren’t firefighters?”
The alarm bells in Delilah’s mind sounded again. She scooted to the edge of her stool, preparing to walk away, but stopped herself from making such a rude move in the face of the kindness this woman had shown her. “It would make a difference if I was in the market for a man.”
“Ah.” Arianrhod’s lips stretched in a smile that met her eyes. “But there isn’t just one man on the market for you. There’s two. Don’t you think you should meet the second one before make such a rash decision?”
Delilah barked a laugh. “Are you sure you aren’t the one making rash hunches, rather than decisions?”
Arianrhod smacked her lips. “I’m positive.” She shrugged. “And, who knows, maybe Kalvin and Blaze can help you with the business portion of your trip, too.”
Chapter Two
Blaze Vardry let out a growl of fury as his gloved hands went to town on the punching bag hanging from the rafters in the firehouse bay.
Stupid, narrow-minded sonuvabitches.
The world was full of them and the United States had more than its fair share. The nerve that people would pass judgment on another person, take away their Constitutional rights, and make their life a living hell really stuck in his craw.
He danced back on the balls of his feet, changing his stance as he plowed another round of blows at the punching bag. Too bad for him the damn thing was filled with sand or grains or whatever the fuck it was filled with instead of body parts from the fuckers who were giving Tyler so much shit.
Why in the hell couldn’t he convince his brother to move to Silver Island? He’d spent the last half hour on the phone with him attempting to do exactly that. Silver Island was a Heaven created for men like Tyler. His brother could be himself here without all the ridicule and seething looks. He could work without being pushed out by bigoted bastards. Instead, he was insisting on staying in a state that barely recognized gay men as people.
“Damn it, why won’t you fuckin’ listen?” Blaze pulled back his right arm and landed his hardest blow yet just as he heard the unmistakable sound of a female giggle. He jolted as the punching bag went sailing back. He spun on one heel toward the sound and every thought in his head went scattering as shock sizzled through his system. Then the punching bag returned, slamming into his shoulder with a force that nearly knocked him on his ass, and he heard her gasp.
“Are you okay?” Her dazzling blue eyes were wide with concern, but barely contained laughter made her words wobble.
It was her. Holy mother of God, it was her. Blaze’s mind tripped and stumbled for something to say to her. Christ, how many nights had he laid in his bed staring at the ceiling rehearsing what he would say to her when she finally came to him? Usually, he was good with opening lines, but for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to scrape two coherent thoughts together now that she was standing barel
y ten feet away from him.
“I didn’t mean to distract you. It’s just that, well, it sounded like you were talking to that punching bag and it sounded so odd I couldn’t help but laugh.”
Heat crept up Blaze’s neck. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed about anything. He couldn’t remember the last time the sight of a woman had rendered him absolutely speechless either. Damn, he had to snap out of this before he started salivating at the woman’s feet!
Not that she wasn’t worthy of every bit of his saliva and more. Standing roughly five foot seven and weighing in at approximately one hundred and ten pounds, the woman had a body that could bring a man to his knees. He should know. His knees damn near buckled beneath him as his gaze did a leisurely slide down her body that had his heart rate soaring to the freaking moon.
“You’re her,” he heard himself say dumbly.
Her perfect brows inched together as she glared at him. The fear that flickered through her eyes only confirmed what his heart and mind already knew. Dyed jet-black hair and frightened blue eyes…Even if he’d never heard Arianrhod’s prediction, or whatever the hell it was called, he knew she was the one he and Kalvin had been waiting for.
“If you mean I’m the woman Kalvin met earlier at the Karma Café, then yes, I’m her.” Though her voice sounded steady and convincing, a trace of uneasiness remained in the expression on her angelic face.
So, Kalvin had already met her. Blaze briefly wondered if his buddy’d had the same reaction to the sight of her that he’d just had.
She walked closer to him, her hips swaying with each step like a well-oiled metronome. She shifted the small bag she carried to her left hand and held out her right. “Faith Randal.”
Blaze extended his hand and frowned at the boxing glove. “Just a sec.”
Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth, and her shoulders trembled with a silent laugh. “Can I help?”
Safe and Burning with Ecstasy [The Heroes of Silver Island 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3