Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(32)

She laughed. “Its two-thirty in the morning, you haven’t stopped smiling since you got home, and I know you’ve been drinking.”

“Oh really?” He raised a brow. “And how do you know I’ve been drinking? I stopped hours ago.”

“Because your cheeks flush when you drink. Right now they’re rosy pink. You smile all the time and when you do, your jaw softens and you get that dimple in your chin. And your eyes get hazy. When they get like that, they remind me of that stretch of beach we found, the one that was clear except for the hint of green seaweed.”

Ryan was dumbstruck. He had no idea she been so observant, so mindful of him. It was flattering. He flung his arm around her shoulders. “Okay, you got me. Maybe I didn’t taper off soon enough.”

She chuckled. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

“It would’ve been better if you’d been there.” Jess sat silently. Ryan worried he’d said the wrong thing, although he noted she hadn’t asked him to move his arm.

“Maybe next time,” she said. “Don’t drive next time. Call me and I’ll pick you up.”

He couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his voice. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

Jess stiffened at that but didn’t engage. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder. He instinctively kissed her forehead and then immediately regretted it. Friends didn’t kiss other friends. He had to remember that. She tilted her head and looked up at him. Their lips were close. It would be easy for him to kiss her right now, to feel her hot breath mixing with his, to feel her soft lips parting for him, to feel her tongue slide over his.

“Jess,” he whispered and licked his lips. She didn’t move and it was getting harder by the second for him not to lean down and kiss her. The look in her eyes told him she wanted it just as much as he did. “You should get some sleep.”

“You’re probably right.” She still didn’t move though.

Ryan caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and he held her gaze for several long moments before he finally asked, “What do you want, Jess?” She didn’t have to say anything. Her actions told him what he needed to know. Jess leaned in toward him, licked her lips, and her eyelids fluttered closed.

Ryan needed no further encouragement. He slanted his mouth over hers and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She reached up and cupped the back of his neck, holding him to her. His heart beat in his chest like a wild animal that had been captured and caged. Kissing her now was like the first time all over again. All the same emotions and excitement swirled through his body and mind. Jess kissed him back with urgency and need.

Jess pulled away first. He had no idea how long that kiss lasted, but it was much too short for him. “That’s what I wanted,” she whispered.

“Friends with benefits?” he asked, but lightly this time, no sting in his words. If that’s what she wanted, fine, he could live with that.

She moaned, in what could have been a yes or a no.

He dropped his forehead to hers and shook his head. “Oh, Jess, Jess, Jess,” he said on a sigh. This was so hard. He wanted to tell her that if she would just be with him, she could have him any time she wanted. And he wanted to tell her that he’d give her anything, anytime, anywhere—all she had to do was ask. But he kept his mouth shut for fear of ruining the moment.

She responded by pressing her lips to his and kissing him again. There was so much passion in that single kiss, it almost knocked him backwards. “Ryan,” she moaned into his mouth and then she pulled away abruptly. “I’m sorry.” She put her fingers to her lips. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t apologize.” He straightened and removed his arm from around her shoulders. It was time to get the hell home before he tried to make another move on her. He stood. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“See you soon.”

Ryan waited until Jess went inside before he walked across the yard and into his own house. If tomorrow was anything like the last few minutes had been, then he was totally and completely screwed.





Chapter 17


After only three hours of sleep, seven a.m. came too early, but Jessie was looking forward to the day. She shouldn’t have kissed Ryan last night. It was a mistake knowing she’d been so adamant about just wanting to be his friend. Kissing him sent the wrong message. To herself and to him.

But, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. She loved kissing Ryan. As she walked beside him, heading toward the entrance of the flea market, she vowed to do better. Today she wouldn’t kiss him, and she wouldn’t send him mixed signals. It wasn’t fair.


Ryan gently nudged her with his shoulder and smiled. Now that was a sight she could get used to seeing every day. Good grief! They were just friends. She couldn’t think those things about him. So what if he looked drop dead gorgeous in his blue jeans, sneakers, and polo shirt? So what if his eyes sparked every time they met hers? And so what if the sight and smell of him made her mind derail into wickedly erotic thoughts?

“What’s on your mind, Jess?”

How did he do that? How did he always know that her mind was racing? How did he say her name is such a way that it made her body flush with warmth and cause her to shiver at the same time? “Nothing, just trying to take everything in; this place is huge.”