Fourth Down

by Desiree Holt

  Oookayyy.

  Now it was her turn not to ask questions.

  “That’s my story for another day,” he said. “At least part of it.” There was such underlying bitterness Holly wasn’t sure she even wanted to know. But friends and all that, right?

  Time to change the subject.

  “So how about them Chargers?”

  Chase burst out laughing. “Talk about changing the subject.”

  But it did the trick. They argued back and forth about the merits of San Diego’s NFL team, and before she knew it, they were pulling into the parking area of her apartment complex.

  Holly unbuckled her seat belt and slid out of the car. “I had a really good time, Chase. This was fun.” When he got out on the driver’s side she added, “I’m good. No need to walk me to the door.”

  “My dad wouldn’t think I was a real gentleman if I didn’t,” he joked. “Come on.”

  His hand rested at her waist again, just above the curve of her butt. As before she felt the heat of his fingers as if each one was an individual brand. Only now that heat surged to other parts of her body and set a pulse throbbing between her thighs. Crap! This wasn’t supposed to be a sexual relationship, yet somehow sizzling chemistry kept rearing its head.

  They climbed the stairs to her second-floor apartment and she pulled the keys from the skinny purse she’d taken with her. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, then turned to thank him again, wondering if he’d say something about when they’d get together again. But when she turned she found him so close to her that her nose actually bumped his chin.

  Holly looked up at him, looked into his blue eyes that had darkened to navy, and forgot whatever she was going to say. Now she knew what that phrase “time stood still” meant. His very male aftershave tantalized her nostrils and her breath caught in her throat. He hesitated for a moment, as if waiting for her to push him away. When she just stood there, he lifted his hands to cup her cheeks and very slowly brought his mouth down to hers. The first touch of his lips was a soft, gentle brush, no more than that. When she didn’t resist, he pressed more firmly. Then he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, an easy back and forth movement, like the whisper of a butterfly’s wings.

  Holly wrapped her fingers around Chase’s wrists, not to pull his hands away but to keep them in place. Little waves of pleasure surged through her as he continued to tease and tantalize with his tongue. As if he’d sent her a silent signal, she opened her mouth and his tongue slid in smooth as silk. God, he tasted so good, like every pleasurable thing she’d ever tasted in her life. Heat bloomed in her sex, the walls quivered with pleasure, and her nipples became diamond hard. Her breasts felt so full they ached.

  She didn’t even realize she was pressing her body to his until she felt the swollen thickness of his rock-hard erection press against her mound. Oh, God! She knew she should back off, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. Finally, when she thought she might pass out from lack of oxygen, Chase lifted his head and locked his gaze with hers. He looked as blindsided as she felt, the same sense of shock reflected in his eyes. What the hell was going on here?

  “Chase.” She wet her lower lip, tasting him there. “What…”

  He touched the tip of a finger to her mouth, pressing it against her lips. “Shh.”

  And then he took her mouth again, in a kiss that was so scorching she thought for sure it would singe her down to the soles of her feet. It was unlike any other kiss she’d ever received. When he lifted his head at last, he studied her face for a long time before dropping his hands from her cheeks and linking his fingers with hers.

  Holly knew she should say something, but she just couldn’t make her mouth work.

  “Me, too.” One corner of Chase’s mouth kicked up in a half grin. “I think wow! about says it.”

  “B-But we’re just friends,” she protested. “We’re—”

  “Very good friends,” he finished. Then his smile disappeared. “We need to think about this, Holly. I carry some serious baggage, and I get the feeling you do too.”

  She huffed a sigh. “No shit.”

  He held her gaze for a long time. “I’m not always so good with surprises, Holly. I think I like this one, but… Can we sleep on it? I want to make sure we aren’t breaking any boundaries we set.”

  She swallowed her unexpected disappointment. “Sure. Of course. I think that’s the best thing. Boundaries are good. Don’t want to ruin a beautiful friendship before it really gets started.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he told her in a soft voice. He touched her lips again with his. “Not going to happen at all.” Another deep, intense look. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Before she could say anything else he was gone, jogging down the stairs and out to his car.

  She stood watching, even after he was long gone, her mind reeling and her body demanding. Finally, with every nerve on high alert, she closed and locked the door and headed for her bedroom. She had the feeling she wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.

  Chapter 11

  Chase thought the night would never end. He barely slept, tossing and turning until his bedclothes were wrapped around him so tightly he thought they might strangle him.

  At one o’clock in the morning, he got up and took an ice-cold shower. For a brief moment he was tempted to turn the water to warm, soap his hand, and repeat the performance of the other night. Anything to relieve the insistent need of his swollen, aching cock. But out of some perverse idea that he needed punishment for the erotic thoughts he was having about Holly, he let the freezing spray hammer his demanding dick into semi-submission. Unfortunately it didn’t do anything for the images running through his brain. Or the memory of those kisses—two kisses, for crap’s sake!—that turned his libido upside down.

  Jesus!

  He could still taste her mouth, a sexy flavor that made his taste buds send a message straight to his cock and balls. The same cock and balls that had kept him awake most of the night imagining them in the hot wet clasp of her body. And what was that scent that drifted around her? Something light and floral, not heavy like so many of the women he met. This one just tempted the senses. Maybe he could blame it on that kiss that morphed into an aggressive game of tonsil hockey.

  When he’d cupped her cheeks, her skin was so soft he wanted to stroke it and rub his face against it. And her mouth. Jesus, it was almost sinful. He knew he should have had second thoughts. But something had been sparking between them since their dinner out, something he was afraid could be way too dangerous if they pursued it, yet he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  The argument in his brain raged even when he dragged his body out of bed and dressed to head for the base. It persisted as he boarded his patrol boat, schedule for the day in hand, and watched while his crew cast off and took them out to sea. It was still with him as they chugged out of San Diego harbor looking for whatever waited for them out there on the Pacific Ocean.

  The smart move, he thought, was to tell her he didn’t think this would work out the way they expected, and it was better to stop being “friends” while they were, still, well, friends.

  Except that wasn’t exactly what he wanted. He wanted more of that hot, sweet mouth. He wanted to explore that incredible body that he’d seen in gym shorts and a tank top. He wanted to devour every inch of her. He wanted—

  “Jesus Christ, Chase.” John’s voice penetrated his consciousness. “What the hell is with you today?”

  “What?” He blinked and saw John standing right next to him, a strange look on his face.

  “I said, we got a radio transmission that there’s a fishing boat a couple miles out that they want us to take a look at. Someone’s suspicious of it.”

  “Oh. Okay. Got it. Let’s set a course for it.”

  “We already are,” John told him. “You looked like you were tripping in outer space, so I took care of it.”

  “Goo
d. Thanks.”

  It was actually something the man would do anyway, as his second in command.

  “So now do you want to tell me what the hell is going on with you?”

  Chase frowned. “About what?”

  John burst out laughing. “Oh, no, you don’t. You don’t get to pull that I-have-no-idea-what-you’re-talking-about card with me. I know you better. This is about Holly.” He slapped Chase on the back. “I told you one of these days you’d meet someone again and she’d shake you out of your self-imposed relationship exile.”

  Chase knew he had to be very careful here, giving information but not too much of it. Just enough to convey the right impression.

  “Holly is a very nice girl,” he said in a slow voice.

  “Well, you’re right there. I’ll give you that. But holy shit. You make her sound like you found her in the library stacks. I met her, remember? Twice. She’s just right for you. Hot and sweet at the same time.”

  She was all that, Chase agreed in his mind. Hot and sweet. The memory of the kiss zinged him again, and he willed his errant cock into submission.

  “We’re taking things slow.” He gave his friend a direct look. “Slow and sensible.”

  “Jesus, Chase. Now you make her sound like a pair of orthopedic shoes. What the hell’s with you? That woman is one sweet—”

  “Stop,” Chase growled at him. “I am not discussing Holly with you. I have no idea where this will go, and until I do, the only info I’m giving out is we’re seeing each other. Period.”

  John held his hands up, palms outward. “Okay, okay. Just checking up here. I haven’t seen you preoccupied by a woman in, well, longer than is probably healthy for you. I’m glad for you, buddy. I hope it works out.”

  “Thanks. Appreciate it. Now, let’s talk about this so-called fishing boat we’re supposed to check out.”

  He managed to stay on a fairly even keel all day. He was pretty sure he fooled John at the same time. His friend probably thought Chase was just newly besotted with a woman. Thank God he didn’t know the real dilemma—what to do with a supposed friendship that was on the verge of falling into a pool of sexuality—and something else.

  Friend, he kept repeating silently. Friend, friend, friend.

  But friend didn’t describe that damn kiss last night. Not even close. What scared him were the possibilities.

  Hadn’t he spent the past ten years repeating the same mantra—he’d never let a woman get close to him again? The danger with Holly, a danger that had blindsided him, was the gut feeling she could seduce his emotions as well as his body. He’d worked so hard to leave that danger zone, how could he let himself be sucked back into it?

  But holy crap! All he could think about after he left her last night was when he’d see her again. That kiss must have seared all his brain cells, because he was already counting the minutes until they were back ashore and he could call her. He said he’d call today, although he’d done it in a kind of offhand way in case he came to his senses when he woke up. If he did, he hoped she wouldn’t be pissed. But he was a man of his word. He said he’d call so he would. If he had any sense, he’d tell her he just didn’t think this would work out and could they remain friendly strangers. If that was even possible.

  The big problem was he didn’t want to remain friendly strangers with her. He wanted to do more than kiss her mouth. He wanted to taste every inch of her at great length. Lie in bed and talk to her about anything and nothing. Share intimate moments with her and funny moments.

  Fuck!

  He was going to do it all over again, idiot that he was. Maybe this time it would be different. He was different. He was older, more personally secure and his value as a person. The Coast Guard and football had done that to him. And just maybe it was time for him to learn to trust again.

  A tap on the shoulder from John brought him back to where he was.

  “I’m sure you’ll be happy to know we’ll be in port in fifteen minutes.” John grinned. “I’ll make sure we’re properly tied up and all the paper work is done if you have someplace you’d rather be.”

  He was so tempted to say yes, but this was his responsibility. He wouldn’t shirk anything for the environment that had done so much for him.

  He shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. But, uh, I probably won’t be working out with you guys tonight.”

  John laughed. “I figured.”

  “No, it’s not that. I, uh, have someplace else to be.” Like Pump It Up if she’d be there too.

  “Whatever.” John gave Chase a light, friendly shoulder punch. “Good luck, buddy. I hope this works out.”

  He told himself he wouldn’t call. He’d just wait and see if he saw her at the gym. Yeah, right. As soon as his feet hit the dock, he had his cell phone out and was punching in her number.

  * * * *

  Just because he said he’d call doesn’t mean he will. I should know by now what men are like. No matter what he said, it’s still true that men can’t be trusted.

  The cynical Holly’s voice was in her head.

  Then the hopeful Holly chimed in.

  But Chase is different. You can tell. Give him a chance.

  Okay, enough. She wanted to give herself a hard shake. She wasn’t at all the same giddy female who had given Brad such control in their relationship. She’d been so excited to be with him, so enamored of everything about him, she hadn’t seen the real person behind the facade. And with him she’d pretty much buried the real her. Not this time, though. Whatever happened here, she would stay in control. She would make her own decision. She promised herself that.

  I am in a good place in my life. I can control whatever happens to me. I can—

  She didn’t realize she was muttering under her breath until Cliff tapped her on the shoulder and asked, “Having another conversation with yourself, Holly?”

  She sent her disobedient mind a message and found a smile.

  “Just running over some lists in my mind.” Like a list of all the things his kisses made her feel. Or the way the heat of his touch surged through her body. Or—

  “Thought maybe you were daydreaming about Chase,” he teased.

  She bristled and snapped, “I don’t daydream, Cliff.”

  “Whoa!” He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Just teasing a little here.”

  Holly forced herself to take a mental step back. “Sorry, sorry, sorry. Just a little jumpy, I guess.”

  “I just wanted to tell you it was nice to see the two of you together yesterday.”

  As she relaxed, her lips curved into a smile without her even realizing it. “It was nice being with him.”

  “All joking aside, kiddo, I’m glad to see you dating a guy like him.”

  Holly lifted an eyebrow. “A guy like him?”

  Cliff nodded. “You know, solid, stable.”

  She laughed, remembering her last conversation with him. “You make him sound like the foundation of a house or something. He’s a nice guy, Cliff. We’re just taking this one date at a time. Seeing where it goes.”

  “That’s good. All good.” He gave her chin a knuckle bump. “You know I consider you a friend as well as a member of my squad. And a damn good member, by the way,” he added. “You’re a good student and a responsible firefighter. I’m proud to have you on my squad.”

  For a minute Holly thought she might embarrass herself by bursting into tears. She had been here for less than a year, and to get that kind of accolade had a huge emotional impact.

  “Thanks, Cliff. I appreciate the compliment.”

  “It’s not a compliment; it’s a fact. But I’ve had the feeling your social life has been a little on the stingy side. I’m glad to see you getting out.”

  “It’s really not a big deal,” she pointed out, wanting to downplay this. It was great that in such a short while, their plan seemed to be working, but she sure didn’t want people to have them married off already. “We’re
just kind of taking it one day at a time.”

  “Whatever works. Just wanted to say—”

  Whatever he was ready to say was lost in the blaring of the loudspeaker.

  “Engine 23, Ladder 17, Truck 19, Ambo 12. Structural fire at…”

  Holly heard the garbled information on the address as she ran for her turnout gear and scrambled to climb into the engine. The vehicle carried three persons. With Cliff in the shotgun seat next to the driver and Holly in the seat behind them, they were roaring out of the open bay in less than ninety seconds. All of them were focused on what they might find ahead of them.

  They all hated fires of any kind, but structural blazes were the worst. Unless it was an abandoned building, there were always lives at risk, maybe some already dead. Certainly people to be rescued. If the truck—the hook and ladder—was called out, it usually meant a multistory building, and who knew what in God’s name they’d find. The engine driver leaned on the horn as they approached each intersection, moving the big vehicle at a rapid pace with a skill and confidence Holly admired.

  The fire turned out to be in a three-story building in an older residential section of Sunrise. It was one of those houses from the nineteenth century that had been renovated and turned into apartments. The problem with those, even when brought up to code, was they were still inherent firetraps. As they turned onto the street, she could see smoke billowing from windows on the upper floors and people clustered on the sidewalk at the front.

  “Let’s see how many souls are still inside,” Cliff said as he leaped from the engine. “Ed, you get that hose unrolled. I’ll get someone from the truck to help you. Holly, better check to see if anyone is still in that building.”

  Three police cruisers were also there, blocking the other end of the street from oncoming traffic. Cliff was already in conversation with one of them, determining if everyone was out of the building or not. Not appeared to be the answer, so she and one of the men from the engine donned breathing gear and entered the smoke-filled building. Flames were already shooting from the upper windows, and clouds of smoke choked the air everywhere as they began the search for whoever was still in there.