скачать книгу бесплатно
“Can I help you?” A tall, lean man with glossy dark hair grabbed a glass from the overhead rack. His eyes flashed with good humor and a dimple appeared in his left cheek when he smiled. She glanced around him, latching on to the man she’d come to see.
“Ah,” the bartender said with an amused smile. “Hey, September! You have company.”
September? Lily mulled that over, observing the decor behind the bar in an attempt to settle her nerves. Old license plates, sports memorabilia and beer signs were artfully arranged in between chalkboards full of menu items and fantasy football scores. A glass display case sitting on a shelf caught her attention. It took her a moment to realize a firefighting helmet sat inside. She cocked her head, noticing how the front of the helmet looked normal but the back was a lump of what looked like melted plastic. Must be a prop of some kind, because fire helmets weren’t supposed to melt, right? The men were covered head to toe in gear that could withstand flame and heat—gear that allowed them inside the chaos to rescue the people trapped inside.
Lily clenched her jaw. Damn. It.
Suddenly, cold liquid spilled over the curve of her lower back as someone rammed into her. Lily yelped and spun to see a very drunk man stumbling away with an empty plastic cup. Her arms went wide, chills racing down her spine and curving around her hip bones.
“Here,” a deep voice called to her. Lily turned around and glimpsed a fluffy white towel sliding across the mahogany bar top toward her. Her eyes tracked up from a broad chest to the face she’d wanted to see up close. Narrow blue eyes, framed by eyelashes so dark they made the blue brilliant. They were the kind of eyes that would glow seductively in a black-and-white photo, grab you by the ovaries and never let go. Square jaw, round chin...lips full enough to be soft, with a firm outline that promised they could also bruise.
Lily took the towel with a shaking hand. He was definitely as good-looking as she’d suspected. Her heart pumped. Smiling was probably a good idea. Lily gave a little grin—at least she hoped that was what it looked like because her cheeks were tight and hot.
“Thanks,” she managed to say, wiping the liquid off her back. Unsure what to say next, Lily dropped her gaze to the bingo board lying on the bar. Talking would probably be good, too. “Four corners—you won...” When was the last time her face had been this hot? Her scalp tingled; her gut tightened. Bingo talk was good, right, when her brain was otherwise at a loss?
The bartender chuckled softly, a deep sound that was somehow soothing. “Yeah.” He nodded to the board. “What do you think we should win?” We? His blue eyes were twinkling, and the way he leaned one elbow on the bar, his chest turned toward her, made it clear that he was flirting.
Lily propped her right arm on the bar. “Well, considering I had to wear this getup, a trip somewhere warm and exotic would be nice.” She let out a tiny relieved breath. This talking thing wasn’t so hard.
He set both forearms on the bar and gave her a quirky, self-confident smile that threatened to set her panties on fire. “Considering I was born and raised in Hawaii, I can’t argue with that.” He winked and backed off, leaving her mouth dry and her chest breathless. Before she could think of an appropriate response, he cocked his head.
“Beer?” His mouth opened to let the word out...closed again—the tip of his tongue peeking out to wet the lower lip. Lily’s heart rate jacked up. He leaned closer. The stubble over his jaw and down the sexy column of his throat made her itch to touch it. She swallowed hard, realized he’d spoken.
“No. No, I don’t drink.” She leaned back an extra inch from the bar. “Water, please.” He was already reaching under the bar and then produced a cold water bottle, cracked the top and set the bottle in front of her. Lily hesitated before taking it, pretty sure she was going to have to dump it over her head to cool herself down. Irritated by how flustered she was, Lily took a drink. The water was shocking to her parched throat. The bartender took a swig from a beer bottle and set it down, then extended a hand. Lily hesitated before shaking it.
“Garrett.”
“Lily.”
He gave a brief nod and turned to fill a glass for a waiting patron. A man in a fire department T-shirt slipped behind the bar, looked at Lily and put a finger to his lips as if to silence her. He opened a small refrigerator behind Garrett and took out two beers. Garrett spun around just as the man pulled the beers to his chest like a football and scurried out, dancing through the crowd.
Garrett cupped his hands around his mouth. “That calls for revenge, Mikey!” He turned back to her, his grin scrunching the outside corners of his eyes. His smile wrenched the breath out of her like a cold wind. The tension in her body let go. He was really too good-looking to be out in public.
A waft of perfume rippled by Lily as two blondes with pink-painted smiles shimmied up to the bar, eyes zoned in on Garrett. He gave them a nod, waved another bartender over to assist them as he leaned against the bar in front of Lily again. A flood of warmth pooled in her chest and spread down her arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a man’s full attention on her and it was terrifying...and kind of wonderful.
She leaned against the bar. “So why did you hit me in the head?”
His eyebrows raised and his smug expression deepened. “Did I? I’m sorry.”
Her eyes fell to the thick, strong lines of his neck, and she could feel her nipples perk up inside the bra. Lily resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest. Thank goodness the bra was hard, so he couldn’t see how her body was reacting. She huffed with a grin. “No, you’re not.”
Garrett leaned a little closer toward her. “Okay, Lily. Truth?”
One corner of her mouth tugged up. “Yeah, truth.”
Garrett reached out and touched her shoulder. Before she could object, his fingers wrapped around her upper arm and drew her closer over the bar. Shivers of pleasure dotted her skin, followed by hot streaks when his fingers ran down the length of her tattoo.
“I wanted to see your ink. Since I can’t leave here, I figured I’d get you to come to me.”
She shrugged off the lightness that admission gave her. The sensation of his warm fingers trailing along the big white-and-orange flowers on her shoulder and down to her wrist caused a fog machine to open up in her head. Slowly, his index finger outlined the arch and curve of the hunter-green leaves and lighter kelly-green vines that swirled throughout the artwork.
Lily drank in his appreciative expression as she cataloged the handsome lines of his round chin and the firm, masculine outline of his soft, full lips. She found herself leaning into the press of his hand, just as his fingers trailed away. Little wonder she was tingling from head to toe—it was the first time she’d been touched by a man in almost a year.
And her ex had nothing on Garrett.
“Beautiful work.”
She took a drink, immediately missing the feel of his hand on her, but hating how weak her legs were just then. With one touch, he’d thrown her into a fun house with a crooked floor.
“Thank you. Do you have any?”
A shout came from the other end of the bar; Garrett grabbed a bottle from the fridge behind him and tossed it to someone Lily couldn’t see. He turned back to her with a shake of his head. “Nah. I, uh...well, it’s probably a strike to my manhood to admit, but I have a thing about needles.”
She snickered despite herself. “You’re what? Six-two—”
“Six one and a half, thank you.” He took a swig from his beer around a chuckle. “I know, I know. Someone like me, scared of needles. It’s sacrilegious.” His voice was deep with a resonance that shivered through every nerve in her body. “Since we’re being truthful here, you should also know that I’m...” He looked around as if to see if anyone would overhear before locking his gaze on hers. “I’m also deathly afraid of spiders.”
She feigned horror. “No!”
He wagged his eyebrows, a move that was equally boyish and sexy, drawing yet another chuckle from her. Lily’s own brows came together with the realization that she was completely at ease. Sounds from the bar rushed in her ears—foreign and sudden, as if she’d blocked out the noise. Before she could ponder that, his fingers traced along her collarbone to the tie around her neck holding the coconut bra in place.
“As a native Hawaiian, it’s my sworn responsibility to tell you that I approve of your coconuts.” The pads of his fingers were rough, as if they’d known countless hours of manual labor and rowdy play. Lily’s skin heated under the gentle scrape of his touch along her neck, her knees threatening to give out altogether. Lily gripped the bar; Garrett’s hand sank beneath the shade of her hair, following the string to where the ends were tied. It would only take one quick pull—just one—and he’d have the strings free.
Her chest squeezed at the intimate, familiar way he touched her. She should have been indignant, not turned on and mesmerized by the hard and soft pressure of his fingers retreating along the path they’d come. Garrett’s hand fell away, but his gaze felt like a caress over her cheek. His voice was low, with a tinge of husky amusement. “So what flavors did you get?”
Her middle quivered as if she were about to perform improv in front of all these strangers. “Flavors?”
Garrett reached under the bar for a large plastic container. “The candy.” He produced a handful of packets, throwing them down on the bar. “Root beer. Orange dreamsicle. Berry.” He flipped one over. “Black licorice.” His smile fell at the same time she made a disgusted face.
She shuddered, a move that seemed to shake off most of the effect of his unexpected—if not welcome—touch. “Throw that away.” She laughed.
“Agreed.” Garrett tossed it in a trash can behind him. “So?” His eyes narrowed a bit, his head cocking slightly as if he was studying her. She reached between the faux grass of her skirt to the pocket of the khaki shorts she wore underneath and grabbed the packet.
“Oh, this? Orange dreamsicle.” Her brain started a little happy dance. It felt good to flirt with him, and, amazingly, her tongue-brain connection was working like a charm at the moment.
Garrett’s eyes tracked her movements. “Hmm, do you like that flavor?”
Lily shrugged, drawn in by the heat of his gaze. His pecs bunched close together as he shifted. She had to look; trying not to look at him was like trying to stop the earth’s rotation. “Yes.”
She’d flirted before, of course. But never with quite this much sexual undertone. Mostly, she had no idea how to respond, though her inner wildcat was trying her damnedest to play this game. It was fun and made her feel feminine and aware, for the first time in too long, that she was young and single.
Garrett slid a hand over to hers, his fingers briefly grazing over her knuckles. “In that case, you know where to come if you want more.”
Lily was halfway to taking a drink and nearly spilled the bottle at the grainy sound of his words. Tongue-brain connection lost.
Garrett moved back to help someone while Lily took a deep breath. The clink of bottles and glasses surrounded her; the low tone of Garrett’s voice washed over her as he spoke to a customer. He was quick to mix up a couple of drinks, flashing just the right amount of smile and charm as he interacted with a woman next to her. Lily did a double take to her left. A line of women had formed next to her, all glancing hopefully—excitedly—at Garrett. He’d ignored one woman in order to talk to Lily, but this line was too long and estrogen fueled to be defeated.
This was probably her cue that the fun was over. And it had been fun, and freeing and exciting and just the tiptoe back into a male-filled world she’d been hoping for. She turned to leave.
“Don’t go.”
Lily glanced back to see him holding up one finger in her direction, bidding her to wait as he set the last drink on the counter.
“You’re busy,” she said. It was true, but she didn’t really want to go. Still, being in the way wasn’t going to do either of them much good. Garrett’s attention was a balm for her ego, no doubt. Especially with the tension that had crept in earlier to eat up her fun.
He sauntered back over, pulled a bar towel from his shoulder and looped it around her upper arm, holding her steady. The sincerity in his eyes was way more than she was prepared for. Garrett gave the towel a gentle tug, making her body lean against the bar and bringing his mouth inches from her ear.
“Not too busy for you.”
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_2cb97a81-d1da-5308-94ea-71722406ac33)
GARRETT HAD BEEN in center of a raging house fire yesterday, and yet the adrenaline rush he’d felt fighting that flame didn’t compare a lick to the one Lily was giving him.
He’d seen her the minute she’d swayed into his bar a couple of hours ago; he’d had a hell of a time keeping his eyes off her so he’d quit trying. In a sea of stick-thin, cookie-cutter blondes, this tattooed beauty was a midnight dream come to life. She was tall and curvy, and the coconut bra she wore did little to hide the round sides of her breasts. The tie around her back was fashioned into a bow that accentuated smooth muscles and supple skin. A faux-grass skirt hung low on the curves of her hips—full hips that embraced a smooth, soft belly. He loved that she didn’t try to cover up her curves. The colorful tattoo sleeve, stick-straight, long black hair and red lipstick she wore only kicked his interest into overdrive.
He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in a long time. Usually the women he flirted with, and ultimately took home, offered the bare minimum of emotional connection. He was all right with that, and, though he was always a gentleman, he tended to seek out women who were single-mindedly interested in the same thing he was: sex without commitment.
He’d been in a bit of a dry spell lately, though. The work it took to flirt and woo his way through the bar scene to find a suitable woman was getting old. Flat. Boring. He kept telling himself it was okay to step back from the dating scene. But as the weeks of lonely nights and an empty bed went by, he wasn’t sure he knew what he was holding out for anymore.
Lily had just dumped an ocean all over his dry spell. She wasn’t his normal type, but she had fun written all over her. Looking at the crystal lights shimmering over Lily’s hair and the lushness of her body in that Hawaiian outfit made his libido adamantly agree. But long-term? Hell, no. Marriage led to kids, a house, a dog and all that jazz. All the things that could go up in flames in the blink of an eye. No way. He’d settle for a dry spell rather than let his heart take in too much, only to lose everything.
He’d been down that road too many times now, watching people he cared about suffer tragedy. Bad things happened to good people, wasn’t that the saying? Being a fireman, he saw it all the time, even among his own men. Divorce, deaths, affairs, accidents—all the things that jacked up the cost of love. No one was immune when fate decided to play a dark game.
Lily’s eyelashes fluttered, and her scarlet-red lips parted slightly. Garrett recognized her sensuality but had a pretty good inkling that she was completely unaware of how siren-like she was—and that she probably intimidated the hell out of the male population in general. She gave off a type of Brigitte Bardot pinup allure with a hard Jillian Michaels edge. Yet, when he’d made her laugh, Lily had looked genuinely surprised—she craved the attention, though outwardly, she tried not to show it.
Women like that—the ones who wanted you to notice them but didn’t always want you to know—meant he’d had to work harder to get what he wanted. And he’d never been one to back down from a challenge.
Before he could speak, a shout burst through the room. “Bingo!” A petite woman with bouncy cinnamon curls stood on a stool, shaking her plastic coconut-covered chest with her fists in the air. A collective cheer roared through the room. The woman spotted Lily, pointed at her and damn near bounced right off her stool.
“It’s her board. She won!”
Lily put her hands out quizzically. The woman cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “You won the grand prize!”
Well, wasn’t that just his luck? Garrett ran a hand over his belly, pleased with this turn of events. He recognized Pete Ambrose, sporting a fire department T-shirt and a smile, as he approached Lily and patted her on the shoulder. Lily spun so her back was to him, and though Garrett couldn’t see her expression, he could see that every muscle in her back tensed.
“Congratulations.” Pete’s deep baritone was loud in the sudden hush of the room. “What’s your name?”
Lily didn’t reply immediately. Garrett saw Pete’s brows drop a little.
“Lily,” she said flatly.
Garrett filled a couple of drink orders, still watching Lily from the corner of his eye. From somewhere in the back of the room, a female voice shouted, “Yeah, Lily!”
Pete gave a toothy smile as a camera flashed. “The grand prize includes movie tickets and dinner reservations at Chalet de Blume—and your escort? Did you see the fire department calendar that went out this year? You’ll be going with Mr. September.” Pete winked and gestured to Garrett.
Lily turned and looked blankly at the bar. If she realized Pete was talking about Garrett, she didn’t acknowledge it in any way. Instead, her forehead wrinkled as if she was remembering something or thinking way too hard. Garrett stopped filling glasses as he tried to read Lily’s reaction. Most women would be bouncing up and down at the news. Not that he was conceited or anything, but Garrett knew he had a certain effect on women. His pose for the calendar hadn’t hurt.
Lily shook her head, cutting Pete off and causing the already quiet crowd to hush even more.
“A date with a fireman?” Her voice was uncertain, her expression dropping into a scowl. She almost looked disgusted. Pete nodded, looking just as confused as Garrett felt.
“No, thank you.” Lily pushed away from the bar and squeezed her body between Pete and the crowd. Almost instantly, the curly-haired woman was at her side, grabbing Lily’s hand. Their heads leaned low together as they walked to their table. Prickles nagged at the back of Garrett’s neck. Her sudden mood change seemed to have left a tangible chill in the air.
Something had set Lily off, and though he really shouldn’t waste time worrying about what it was, he did.
Was it possible that she didn’t know he was Mr. September? It wasn’t a secret—anyone who saw the calendar and came to the bar knew it. But she’d said she wasn’t a drinker, so maybe she hadn’t seen it, hadn’t put the pieces together.
He wasn’t ashamed of his sexy no-shirt-pose-against-the-fire-truck picture—hell, it helped sell thousands of calendars across the county. The fire department needed that money, and he was glad to do his part. He was the assistant chief of the department, and, as such, had been roped into being part of the grand prize if the winner was a woman. Take her to dinner and a movie for a good cause. Lily, apparently, hadn’t liked that idea. It felt like a flat-out rejection, though a part of him said there was more to it than that. After all, she’d seemed to like him well enough at the bar.
Rejection wasn’t something Garrett took lying down. He liked the way she moved, the way she looked, and, after talking to her, he didn’t want to give up without at least finding out why she was rejecting the prize. When she slung a purse over her shoulder and hugged her friend, Garrett knew he had to make a decision. He spotted his best friend, Mikey, out in the crowd, cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled his name.
“Fill in for me. You’ve done it before,” Garrett said when Mikey came around. Before his friend could protest, Garrett set a bar towel on Mikey’s shoulder. “You owe me for grand theft Budweiser.”
Mikey ran a hand through his too-long brown hair. “Dammit.”
There were perks to owning the bar, like leaving whenever he wanted to chase a beautiful woman. Because he was pretty sure how this night would end if he could rekindle the spark he and Lily had had earlier—with some hot vertical dancing in his bed. Though he’d settle for a kiss, because those cherry-red lips had been taunting him all night. Lily was the first woman in a long time to make him want to put his dry spell out to pasture, and she’d been interested, too. He’d read that much like an open book.
Garrett pushed through the crowd as Lily disappeared out the side door. The street was deserted, one lone light pole flickering overhead. She’d just reached the sidewalk along the side of the bar when he caught up with her.
“Lily!”
She spun, surprise marking her face. Humidity settled over Garrett’s skin with wet hands as a crack of heat lightning flashed in the air. He looked up into a murky night sky and realized for the first time that it was sprinkling.
Lily didn’t speak as he approached; her hand clutched the strap of a small purse.
“You left before I could get your number.” He started to relax, then immediately cursed himself. Where had that come from? He never asked for numbers because he didn’t have to; women always beat him to it. The bucket under the bar filled with slips of paper and business cards with women’s names and numbers on them was proof of that.
The corners of her eyes crinkled as the wariness on her face deepened. “You—want my number?”
Garrett chuckled with a quick glance to the ground. “Thought I made that pretty obvious.”
Lily ran a finger through her hair before continuing on. Garrett fell into step beside her, hands in his front pockets. She gave him a sideways look, and another crack of lightning gave him a clear view of the shy smile on her lips.
They passed by the empty lot directly behind the Throwing Aces, the for-sale sign mocking him as they walked. He’d been after that lot for months, but the seller wouldn’t agree to his terms. He brushed off the thought as a waft of Lily’s perfume tickled his nose. They reached the line of trees that separated the empty lot from a competing bar. A small gazebo sat at the edge of the empty lot near the sidewalk and butted up against the trees.
Without overthinking it, Garrett gently grabbed Lily’s arm and pulled her onto the grass with him. Music from the hidden bar drifted out into the night, highlighting Lily’s light gasp as he tugged her close.
She came willingly, giving him the courage to just go with it. If she’d tensed at all, he would have backed away, but as Lily pressed against him, Garrett reveled in the fact that she was right where she wanted to be. He wanted to ask what had happened in the bar, but any questions he had flew away.
Garrett tried to hold back the deep groan that welled in his throat as he felt her soft body against him. Her perfume saturated the air and drew him in. His right arm looped around the luscious curve of her back and settled just above the rise of her ass. Maybe her chest was going faster—maybe it was his—but when he held her tighter, their breathing synchronized and their chests rose and fell together.
Yeah, he’d missed this.
Lily’s arm curved around his upper arm, her palm flattening against his shoulder blade. Her chin tipped up, her lips parted in a mix of surprise and something deeper—something that looked a hell of a lot like restrained want.
Garrett’s throat went dry. He could kiss her. Grab her chin and pull her lips to his. The music trickled into his consciousness, reawaking his plan to steal a bit more of her time. He wanted it—needed it—and he’d hold as many minutes as she’d give him. But he didn’t want to scare her off by being too forward. This was silly, but he was going with it. Anything to prolong their moments together.
“Dance with me, Lily.” She chuckled softly as he began to move her in a slow circle to the sound of the filtered music. Her hips swayed just slightly, her footsteps a little hesitant. He began a slow caress along her lower back, his fingers gently raking back and forth over her warm, silky skin. “It’s not fair, you know.”
