Light up the Night (Firehouse Three #2)(24)

Damn it, this wasn’t fair. She’d never been on a date as magical as this. And now things were weird and awkward and she didn’t know what to do.

Gravel crunched under their feet as the lights in the parking lot popped on. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Everly waited for Drake to unlock his pickup door.

Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Charlie had said. That might actually help her at this juncture. If it were up to Everly’s normal modus operandi, she would beg Drake to take her home and spend the rest of the night moaning to her dogs about the fact she was a chicken-shit who couldn’t handle a normal relationship with a man. But Charlie? Charlie was much bolder. Charlie knew what she wanted. If Charlie had just spent the last hour feeling up a delicious hunk of man-candy, and was suddenly faced with a chance of scenery, Charlie would just beckon the man into her lair and finish him off.

That’s it. Be bold. Be daring. Grab life by the balls and just go for Drake if you want him!

She had about ten seconds after Drake helped her into the cab and shut the door behind her to make up her mind. As Drake rounded the truck, Everly closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.

You can do this. Don’t think about it, just do it.

As Drake climbed into the truck and pulled his seatbelt across his lap, Everly’s heartbeat was normal, her breathing was steady, and there was only the slightest bit of tremble in her voice as she said it.

“Want to go back to my place?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she looked over at him. The sigh was like a sucker punch to her guts. Damn, why did he have to be so freaking beautiful? Those dark eyes speared her like they knew every last secret she’d ever had, and that dark hair just begged for her fingers to tangle in it. But his expression was unreadable, and for a long moment she wondered if she’d somehow screwed things up.

“I would love to.” A slow, hungry smile spread across his face, and her belly tightened down low, a throb setting up in her panties. Clenching her thighs together, Everly tried to keep her breathing even.

“Okay. Head toward the rescue, and I can direct you from there.”

The drive wasn’t a long one, but every second was pure anticipatory torture for Everly. She went back and forth, wondering if this was simultaneously the best and worst decision she’d ever made. She’d almost decided to throw the truck door open and make a run for it at the next stoplight when Drake reached over and took her hand.

“Relax, baby girl. You’re in control here. There’s no need to be afraid.”

His hand was big, warm, and strong, and it calmed her fears. She looked over at him, wondering exactly what she had done in a past life to deserve this night with this man. Her earlier questions were all so unimportant now. Even if this never happened again, tonight she wanted to be brave and take advantage of this.

Her directions were clear and confident, and when Drake killed his truck’s engine in front of her house, she was able to exit the truck with confidence. Hand-in-hand, they walked to her front door, and Drake kept up the contact as she opened the door for him. With a brief minute spent to turn her dogs out into the yard and then another in the kitchen to feed them, she marshaled her courage.

It was time. Everly led him wordlessly to her bedroom.

There. She could do this. There was no need to worry, because she was in control.

Lit only by her bedside lamp, the bedroom was full of shadows. The dimness gave her confidence as she pulled him toward the bed. He sat on the edge and watched her, a lustful light in his eyes.

Confident. Sexy. You can do this, Everly Pitts.

Her inner voice cheered her on as she stood between his knees and pulled her polo over her head. The air-conditioned air raised goosebumps on her skin as she opened the button on her shorts.

Standing there, clad only in her plain, white cotton bra and daisy-printed underwear, Everly smiled at Drake.

“Like what you see?”

He nodded, a mischievous smile curling his lips as he reached out and caught her around the waist, bringing her close to him. His arms were so hot and so strong as he held her tight.

“I want to like what I feel even more.”

“Then go ahead,” she said, marveling even as she said it at the woman who had taken over her body. Who was this bold seductress? It sure as hell wasn’t the Everly she’d been living as for the past twenty-eight years. “Touch me. There’s only one rule.”

“What’s that?” He asked as his hands spanned her bare back. God, his touch sent frissons of electricity straight to her damp and throbbing slit.

“Tit for tat. If it’s not naked on you, you can’t touch it on me.” She hiked an eyebrow at his T-shirt. “So, right now, you’re breaking the rule.”

Without another word, he whipped the T-shirt over his head and it hit the floor. Everly laughed as he pulled her into his arms once more, his bare skin heating her body.

“I’ve always been a happy rule follower,” he said as his hands began to roam once more and his mouth covered hers.



Drake wasn’t sure what had happened to give Everly this dose of siren confidence, but damn if it wasn’t sexy as hell.

She’d winked at him, Goddamn him, actually f*cking winked. Now he was kissing her as if he’d lost his f*cking mind, which, in a way, he had. And it was all her fault.

Standing there in her skivvies, she’d had the audacity to tell him to strip off his clothes. This girl. The one who’d looked like she was about to jump out of her skin when a handful of teenagers caught them necking down by the lake. He was harder than the f*cking bedpost, and with every move he made, he tried to tell her exactly how much he appreciated her impish confidence.