“I just ordered a round of beer. It should be here any minute,” shouted the man who held their table, just as a waitress appeared and placed mugs on their table, along with a huge pitcher filled to the top with beer.
When Jake handed her a drink, she shook her head, wrinkling her nose.
“I don’t really drink beer. Never acquired a taste for it,” she said.
“What do you want, then? I’ll get you whatever you drink. Sky’s the limit,” he said and gave her a wink.
“Just a Coke is fine.”
“Aww, come on, Emma. Loosen up. Have a big-girl drink!” one of the women said, and she laughed.
“Okay, how about a rum and Coke, hold the ice?”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Jake replied.
Although she agreed to the one “big-girl” drink, Emma wasn’t about to lose sight of her objective, although she was having fun. One drink wouldn’t hurt, she thought.
After Jake’s return, Emma nursed the drink, laughing and joking along with the others until, one by one, several of the group coupled up and left the table, seeking out the dance floor.
“So, what’s your story?” Jake asked, speaking low, his warm breath fanning her ear.
Emma resisted the urge to move away and instead took a sip of the drink, giving herself time to answer.
“I’m not sure that I have a story,” she answered honestly. “I’m just here on a job.”
Someone brushed past her chair, pushing against it and jostling her. Jake reached out a hand to steady her. Again, Emma gently moved away. From the corner of her eye she caught the way he frowned at her action.
“It must be exciting doing what you do. Traveling all around the world, chasing after the next big story.”
“It can be,” she agreed, before taking a sip of her drink. Placing it down she said, “But, who am I telling that to? Your choice of career is definitely no walk in the park. Why did you choose to be a smoke jumper?”
He laughed, shaking his head at her. “No shop talk tonight. Let’s just have fun!”
Emma wanted to keep it light, but her reason for going out with them had been twofold—to keep up the good feelings with them so that they’d open up to her and get them to talk to her.
When the music changed, the fast, upbeat tempo giving way to a slower song, many others got up, wrapped arms around their partners and made their way to the dance floor.
“Would you like to dance?” Jake asked, turning to Emma.
“Me, oh, no. Thank you, though.”
At his crestfallen expression, Emma softened her rejection. “It’s not you. It’s just that this week has been hard. I just kind of want to chill, you know?”
She ran a glance over his face. The proverbial tall, dark and handsome, Jake was normally the type of man she went for. She told herself the reason he was hands-off was because of her job, ignoring the taunting voice in her mind that called her a bald-face liar, as she instinctively thought of Shane.
“Aww, come on, Emma—”
“I’ll dance with you!” One of the last remaining single women at the table piped in, and Emma released a silent breath of relief.
“Well…” Jake hesitated, his dark eyes darting back and forth between the young local girl and Emma.
“No, please, don’t mind me. Go ahead!” She encouraged him, trying to sound casual but desperately wanting him to go.
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Positive. Go on and dance!”
Left alone, Emma turned restless eyes to survey the dancing crowd. When the waitress came by with a fresh drink, she shook her head no. She’d barely finished the last one and wanted to pace herself.
She stretched, twisting her torso in her seat and grimaced when she felt a slight pang in her side. Her muscles throbbed from the physically intense week, and she decided to stand up and try to get the kinks out.
Leaving the table, she walked toward the dance floor and stopped at the rail surrounding it, watching the others as they danced.
God, she looked good enough to eat.
Shane’s glance rolled over Emma as she leaned against the sleek metal railing separating the dance floor from the sitting area.
She wore a simple black dress, but there was nothing simple about the way it clung to her curves. Used to seeing her in either workout gym shorts or after-hours jeans and T-shirt, he wasn’t prepared for what she looked like in anything else.
The bodice of the dress molded to her breasts and clung to her stomach, accenting a waist so small his fingers itched to see if his hands could span it around completely. The material clung to her rounded hips, the hem of the skirt flirting at the tops of her bare, shapely legs.
On her feet she wore strappy high-heeled sandals, whose ties wrapped up her feet and tied at her trim ankles.
He’d watched as one of the rookies, Jake, had sat next to her, his arm draped casually over the back of her chair. The satisfaction he’d felt when she subtly adjusted her body away, angling herself in the other direction, was one he was no longer interested in denying. It wasn’t doing him a damn bit of good trying to deny what was between them, anyway.
When the members of her table had left her all alone, he’d decided to make his move. It was time the two of them resolved what was between them, what refused to go away, no matter how much either one of them ignored it.
“Women don’t belong here. You don’t belong here. It’s nothing personal.”
Emma turned away from the crowd and stared up at Shane. In the dark club lights, he was able to make out the slight tensing of her body as he spoke, could feel the guard she seemed to put out, despite the nonchalant look that crossed her face.
“Last time I checked, this was a public bar. And women are welcome. In fact—” she leaned close as though whispering a secret “—women are quite the commodity here.”
“You know what I meant,” he said, and came to stand near her at the railing.
“Yes, I do know what you meant. But, you know what, Shane?”
“No, why don’t you tell me?”
“I’m getting tired of the whole hot/cold treatment. What is it with you and women anyway? What happened to the truce? Aren’t we beyond this now?”
Before he could answer, she held up a hand. “You know what?” She shook her head and stopped. “It doesn’t matter. I came here to have good time. And I’ve decided I’m done trying to prove myself to you, anyway. Arguing with you is not only futile, but ridiculous. I think I’d rather try and reason with an uptown broom with a bucket on its head than all of this back-and-forth with you anymore. I’ve had enough!”
After she spoke, they stared at each other. Moments later, Shane started to laugh, and soon Emma joined him.
Once their laughter had subsided, holding his side, Shane asked, “What in the hell does that mean anyway, and where did you hear it?” which caused her to start chuckling again.
She wiped the tears from her face caused by her laughter. “God…I don’t know!” She sniffed, shrugging a shoulder, a smile lingering on her face. “It’s just something one of my relatives I once lived with used to say. Don’t know which one, there were so many of them.”
The smile, the one that made his heart thud against his chest, flashed, softening her expression. She was still smiling when he placed a finger beneath her chin. Startled, she glanced up at him, questioningly.
“What?” she finally asked, when he said nothing, a curious look on his face.
“There were so many you can’t remember?” he asked gently.
At her frown, he clarified. “So many relatives you lived with?” His chest tightened at the bittersweet smile that replaced the sweet natural one from moments before.
“There were a few,” she replied nonchalantly. Shane cursed himself when he noticed the tension stiffening her body, her defenses rising.
He ran a hand over his head, spiking several strands over his head.
“Look, I didn’t come over he
re to harass you.”
“Could have fooled me,” she said, and turned away to watch the dancers on the floor.
He placed a hand on her arm, turning her back around to face him.
“Can we talk?”
“It’s too loud to talk here. And before you ask, I can’t leave. The others would wonder where I went.”
He breathed a sigh of relief at her answer. She didn’t say she didn’t want to talk to him, so maybe he could somehow redeem himself, climb his way out of the confusing mess he’d created with her.
“Come with me. We don’t have to leave the club. I’ll have you back before the others even notice you’re gone.”
“Like I said, I can’t leave.” Emma bit her bottom lip as though considering.
“There are two more floors. The second floor is a bit smaller, but the top floor is even more relaxed. Much more quiet. A good place to have a conversation.”
When she still hesitated, he held out his hand. “Please.”
She drew in a breath and placed her hand in his. Shane grinned. “I promise. You won’t regret it.”
Chapter 10
Emma doubted she wouldn’t regret it, but she followed him anyway.
Shane linked his arm through hers as he navigated them through the enthusiastic crowd and down a long hallway. He stopped when they reached a small elevator at the back of the narrow corridor.
“This way,” he said, pointing inside.
After going up two short flights, the doors of the antiquated elevator squeaked open and they stepped out.
Again, Emma was shocked—pleasantly so—as she looked around. Unlike the other two levels teeming with partygoers, this one was less populated, the music muted, with a more subdued, relaxed atmosphere, much more to Emma’s liking.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
In the middle of the enclosed roof was a sitting area, sprinkled with lounge chairs and small settees, all nestled around a cozy-looking, white-washed brick fireplace.
Couples milled around the open area. Most were arm-in-arm with a glass of wine in their free hand. As she followed Shane farther inside, she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening.
“That’s…different.” She stopped in front of an oversize chair, big enough for two.
Pearl-white, the opening was carved in an oval, the plush pillow seat a bright canary-yellow. The chair reminded her of an overgrown egg.
“This used to be an old warehouse. And before that, if the rumors are correct, it was a disco. The new owners took over a few months ago and totally renovated the old place, found a few retro-type pieces at an auction and kept some of the old stuff around, too.”
“It’s different,” she said, looking around. “But it’s cool. I like it.”
She allowed him to walk her farther inside before they stopped at the bar.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I think I’ve had enough. But, thanks.” She turned away, looking over the small dance floor, tapping her foot in time to the upbeat music.
He held out a hand for her to take, “Dance with me, then?”
She’d spent the greater part of the last few weeks trying not to think about what it would feel like to be in his arms. It had been hard enough over the last week, following him, the two of them constantly in each other’s company. Did she really want all that good angst to go up in smoke by purposely jumping from the frying pan into the fire?
“Come on. I won’t bite. Unless you want me to,” he said, and Emma laughed along with him at the cheesy line.
She placed her hand in his and allowed him to draw her to the dance floor. The music had changed, blending smoothly into one of her favorite old-school songs, the tune haunting her as the singer crooned about love gone wrong.
He pulled her against his body and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. After only a moment of hesitation she reached up and looped her arms around his neck, glad she’d chosen to wear the one pair of high heels she’d packed, as it made it easier to reach.
Their bodies fit together as though they were made for each other. Her hips aligned with his, her breasts molding to his lower chest. Emma glanced up at him. His eyes, bright, fathomless, stared down at her, his expression unreadable.
After a moment of hesitation she laid her head on his chest.
She felt a subtle change in his hold; his arms tightened around her body, and his fingers boldly moved down her back, landing in the curvature of her waist as he moved with her, swaying in time to the music.
For a long moment they simply danced, their steps naturally in sync as they gave in to the music. Emma allowed the moment to be what it was, enjoying it for what it was. A simple dance.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Shane whispered in her ear.
“Thank you. It’s been a while since I got dressed up, much less went dancing.”
He maneuvered them around a particularly enthusiastic couple, bringing her body closer to his in the process. They danced easily together, moving in small circles. It felt good, right, dancing with him, his hard thighs pressed intimately against hers, his strong arms wrapped around her waist.
“When I first heard about the jumpers, I was a wannabe thug. Young. Stupid.”
Emma drew in a surprised breath at the unexpected disclosure. She lifted her head from his chest and glanced up at him but said nothing, simply waited for him to continue.
“I grew up in foster care after my mom…died,” he said with a slight hesitation. “I wasn’t the best kid. I did a bunch of stupid crap.” He laughed, low and humorless. “I got in trouble, cut school a lot and got caught up with the wrong crowd.”
The music changed. The new song was still slow but was more upbeat in tempo, yet they remained close and continued to dance slowly, their bodies intimately shuffling from side-to-side.
“One night I went out with my friends. We took a couple of six-packs and we headed to a cabin we’d found on the outskirts of town. It was just supposed to be a bunch of us getting together, having some beer and goofing off.”
Emma felt the tension in his body as his arms tightened around her.
“What I didn’t know was that the guys had other plans. It seems the old man who owned the place had pissed off our self-proclaimed leader, Rob. The old man owned a liquor store in town and wouldn’t sell him any beer. Rob decided it would serve the old man right if we burned his place down. I didn’t know what they had planned. Had no idea the old cabin even belonged to anyone. I thought it was abandoned.”
“What happened to it, Shane?” Emma asked hesitantly when his jaw tightened.
Although his voice and face remained expressionless, being so close to him, she saw the remorse in his light blue eyes, the muscle tic in the corner of his sensual mouth belying his neutral expression.
Emma wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.
“They ran off after they set the place on fire and left me there. I couldn’t leave, couldn’t let it happen. But there was nothing I could do but watch. I was stupid. I should have left with them. There was no way in hell could I stop the fire. It was already spreading too fast,” he said, his voice gone rough from emotion.
“The old man’s place wasn’t too far out. I ran and ran until I found the nearest cabin and called the fire department. The smoke jumpers came as well. The fire had grown. It was spreading to the forest, and the fire department couldn’t handle it alone.”
Emma laid her head back on his chest. She felt her own chest constrict from the pain she heard in his voice and saw in his eyes.
“I was scared out of my mind. One more misstep and I knew I was headed for juvenile hall. After I called it in, I ran away. I—”
“You were the only one there, they would’ve blamed you. If you stayed, you would have gone to jail…maybe prison,” Emma broke in.
“Yeah, well, I felt responsible. All of his possessions…a lifetime of memories were gone. I ended up turning myself in anyway.”
The song ended, ble
nding into the next, and they continued to dance, oblivious to what was going on around them. “After it was over, I was sent to juvy, just like I thought.” She felt his shrug. “It was what I deserved.”
“And the others? What happened to them? Did they go to detention hall as well?”
“No. They never got caught. Besides, I was just as much to blame as they were.”
“But they were just as guilty. More so.”
“Yeah, but at that point it didn’t matter to me. I deserved whatever I got,” he replied grimly.
Although the other boys were the ones in the wrong, it was obvious to Emma that Shane held himself accountable. But in her mind he had been a young boy who got caught up with the wrong crowd and made a poor judgment call.
“One of the smoke jumpers came to my hearing. His name was Kyle. He was part of the crew that cleared the area. After the judge asked if I had anyone to speak up on my behalf, Kyle stood up and asked the judge for leniency. It was the first time anyone had done anything like that for me.”
Although they continued to dance, their steps slowed down to an easy shuffle back and forth.
“What happened then?”
“I was given a reprieve. The judge ordered five hundred hours of community service. Kyle asked that the service be with him, that I work off my community service at the smoke-jumper station outside of Lander. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. He saved my life.”
The faraway look in his eyes had cleared as he glanced down at her. Holding his gaze, she allowed him to lead her away from the floor, his arms tight around hers. After they finished dancing, with his arm still draped casually around her waist, they walked toward the lounge area, both lost in their own thoughts. Emma felt a new intimacy between them—Shane sharing a part of his story was him inviting her into his private world, one she sensed he didn’t share with many.
When they passed one of the odd-looking “egg beds,” she gave it an extended glance. Noticing her fascination, Shane stopped. He jerked his head toward the bed. “Wanna go inside? Looks comfortable, if a little odd,” he asked, one side of his mouth hitched up in a half smile.
Hot to Touch (Kimani Romance) Page 6