Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(31)

“There’s a live band starting in about an hour,” Shane said, motioning to the bartender. “What do you want to drink?”

“Beer is fine.” Ryan looked around the bar and noticed that it was full of women. Sexy women. If he was in the market for one, he’d be in the right place. The bartender set a bottle of ice cold beer in front of him. He brought it to his lips and took a long pull. It tasted damn good.

“I’m getting laid tonight,” Shane said with a grin. “With these odds,” he swirled his finger in a sweeping motion around the bar, “it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Ryan laughed. “No, it shouldn’t be hard.”


“You seem to be in a better mood.”

“Yeah.” Ryan nodded. “No promises about tomorrow though.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

Ryan wondered if she should spill all the sordid details about him and Jess or if he should just let it go. He took a deep breath. “There’s a woman. We have a bit of history. She just wants to be friends. I want more.”

Shane laughed. “It’s usually the other way around.”

“No shit.” Ryan finished his beer and bought another round. Their conversation turned to idle chitchat. Shane occasionally pointing out a potential one night stand, and Ryan offering his feedback. It passed the time until the band started to play. A horde of women flocked to the dance floor, shaking their asses and grinding with other women, evidently to get the men’s attention. It was fun to watch, but Ryan’s mind was preoccupied with Jess. She was the one and only woman he wanted.

“Hey there, sexy,” said a tall curvy woman who walked up and stood beside him.

“Hey,” Ryan said back, nodding and smiling. He found her attractive. “What’s your name?”

“Sarah.”

“Ryan.”

“Buy me a drink?” She smiled and moved closer to him.

Ryan raked his gaze over her body. “What are you having?” It wouldn’t hurt to buy her a drink or two. It’s not like he planned to do anything with her.

“Sex on the beach,” she shouted over the music.

The smile faded from Ryan’s face. That had always been Jess’s drink of choice. She said she drank it not only because it’s sweet, but also because it reminded her of the time they’d had sex on the beach. It was decision time. Stay, get shit face drunk and entertain himself with the woman standing beside him, or leave now, drive straight to Jess’s and beg her to reconsider the whole friend thing.

The bartender stood in front of him. “What do you need?”

“A sex on the beach, a shot of vodka, and a beer,” Ryan said, tossing a twenty on the bar. He sat at the bar with Sarah for over an hour doing shots and drinking. After a while, he realized he was feeling pretty good.

“Let’s dance!” Sarah grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the dance floor. She turned her back to him, took his hands, put them on her stomach and began to grind her ass against his crotch. Ryan went with it and spent most of the night pushed against her body. The band stopped playing just before two. Shane stumbled toward Ryan with a short blonde tucked under his arm. “Hey, man, I’m outta here.” He gave Ryan a fist bump and a wink.

“Have fun.” Ryan laughed. It was time for him to call it a night, too. He had to be up in five hours for his date with Jess. Uh, friend-date. Frate? Damn, what did you call it anyway?

“My friends are having an after party.” Sarah put her arms around his neck. “Want to go? We can find a room, have our own private party.” She smiled.

Having been dry humped all night on the dance floor, he was hornier than he cared to admit. Sarah was a sure thing. He’d had his fair share of one night stands before. One more wouldn’t hurt. Besides, it’s not like he was dating Jess or anything. An image of Jess flashed in his mind: her big brown eyes and sun kissed face, her plump pink lips and that tiny dimple when she smiled. He took a deep breath, resigning himself to the idea of going home and jerking off. “Thanks, but I can’t. I’ve gotta be up early.”

Sarah ran her hand down his torso and grabbed his crotch. “Are you sure?”

Ryan removed her hand. “No. But you go have fun.” He walked away. Christ, what was wrong with him, turning down sex like that? As he climbed into his truck, he wondered if he’d ever be able to have sex with another woman again. He shook his head. No other woman could ever satisfy him like Jess could. Ryan drove home slowly, glad he’d shifted to drinking soda hours ago. At least he still had half a brain left.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, the fifteen minute drive took him half an hour. When he finally made it home, he was surprised to find Jess outside, sitting on her porch, staring up at the sky. Why the hell was she up so late? He hesitated for a moment. Should he go over and talk to her? Or simply say hi and go to bed? He walked over and sat beside her. “You’re up late.”

She rested her elbows on her knees and looked at him with a smile. His heart raced and his cock thickened at the sight of her. It was a bad idea to come over here, he thought, especially considering how horny he was and how badly he wanted to take her to bed.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said after a moment. “Looks like you had fun tonight.”


“Why do you say that?”