like this was paining him, and she started to get a little insulted. “How about the Fireman’s Picnic?” she asked. “Do I get to be your date for that or do you already have a blond bimbo planned?”
“The picnic’s not for another month,” he said with the horror of men everywhere when faced with a decision more than five minutes out. “Just how long do you plan to play at this?”
“It’s for your mom,” she reminded him.
“How long, Leah?”
She stared up into his dark-caramel eyes. “I don’t know.”
He held her against her car, making her lose her train of thought. “You really think we can pull this off?”
She wouldn’t have to pull off anything, not that she’d admit that. “Hey, I once took method acting for an entire semester. Piece of cake. And it’s not like you’re hard on the eyes. Dating the hottest firefighter isn’t going to be a hardship.”
He stared at her for a long beat, giving very little away. “You think I’m hot.”
“You have a mirror, right?” She paused, giving him a chance to say that maybe she wasn’t hard on the eyes either, but he didn’t, and she decided to get out while she was ahead. Squeezing from between him and her car, she slid behind the wheel. She had to give him a little push to shut the door so she could drive off. Glancing back in her rearview mirror, she found him watching her go, a pensive expression on his face. He was confused.
She touched her still-swollen lips and thought, join my club.
She was two blocks away when her cell phone rang.
Jack.
“Hello?” she answered, breathless.
“I think you’re hot too,” he said. “Actually, you’re a knockout, Leah.”
She had to pull over and draw in some air. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Can you repeat that?”
“You’re a fucking knockout.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, but he’d already disconnected.
Jack pocketed his phone and looked at Kevin. “So a show of paws. Am I the biggest idiot on the planet, or the smartest?”
Kevin yawned.
“Yeah, you’re right. Idiot.” His only excuse was that she’d made him dizzy as hell, kicking him a little off balance and a lot off his toes.
He loaded Kevin into the truck and slid behind the wheel. Kevin climbed into the back, but halfway home he claimed the front passenger seat again, leaning in to lick Jack’s jaw.
“Why do you smell like beef jerky?” Jack craned his neck and looked in the back. Yep, Kevin had gotten into and eaten his way through the emergency kit.
Again.
But at least Jack wasn’t thinking about kissing Leah. Much.
He pulled into the duplex that he and Ben had bought together five years ago now. It was a two-story Victorian and freshly painted thanks to Ben’s recent handiwork.
Ben’s side of the house was dark, so Jack let himself and Kevin inside, not bothering with any lights since his immediate plan involved some serious shut-eye. He went for just that, but instead he ended up with hot, restless, erotic dreams involving Leah, both in and out of her black bikini.
Leah let herself into her grandma’s dark house and ran right into a soft body.
“Oh,” Elsie said, startled. “You’re still up?”
Leah turned on the light. “Are you okay? Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Oh, you know.” Elsie let out a little laugh. “My old bones creak and wake me up.” But Elsie didn’t look old. She looked…guilty. “Okay, so I was out. I…had a meeting.”
“At midnight?”
“Is it that late?” Elsie asked. “Huh.”
“Who did you meet?”
“Max Fitzgerald.”
Elsie was on the Historical Society board with Max. She’d complained about him for years and years, calling him a liver-spotted, tight-lipped, tighter-assed renovation nazi.
The name fit. “Why did you have such a late meeting? You forget to pay your dues or something?”
Elsie grimaced and pulled her coat tighter around herself, but it didn’t miss Leah’s attention that Elsie was wearing her good
“The picnic’s not for another month,” he said with the horror of men everywhere when faced with a decision more than five minutes out. “Just how long do you plan to play at this?”
“It’s for your mom,” she reminded him.
“How long, Leah?”
She stared up into his dark-caramel eyes. “I don’t know.”
He held her against her car, making her lose her train of thought. “You really think we can pull this off?”
She wouldn’t have to pull off anything, not that she’d admit that. “Hey, I once took method acting for an entire semester. Piece of cake. And it’s not like you’re hard on the eyes. Dating the hottest firefighter isn’t going to be a hardship.”
He stared at her for a long beat, giving very little away. “You think I’m hot.”
“You have a mirror, right?” She paused, giving him a chance to say that maybe she wasn’t hard on the eyes either, but he didn’t, and she decided to get out while she was ahead. Squeezing from between him and her car, she slid behind the wheel. She had to give him a little push to shut the door so she could drive off. Glancing back in her rearview mirror, she found him watching her go, a pensive expression on his face. He was confused.
She touched her still-swollen lips and thought, join my club.
She was two blocks away when her cell phone rang.
Jack.
“Hello?” she answered, breathless.
“I think you’re hot too,” he said. “Actually, you’re a knockout, Leah.”
She had to pull over and draw in some air. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Can you repeat that?”
“You’re a fucking knockout.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, but he’d already disconnected.
Jack pocketed his phone and looked at Kevin. “So a show of paws. Am I the biggest idiot on the planet, or the smartest?”
Kevin yawned.
“Yeah, you’re right. Idiot.” His only excuse was that she’d made him dizzy as hell, kicking him a little off balance and a lot off his toes.
He loaded Kevin into the truck and slid behind the wheel. Kevin climbed into the back, but halfway home he claimed the front passenger seat again, leaning in to lick Jack’s jaw.
“Why do you smell like beef jerky?” Jack craned his neck and looked in the back. Yep, Kevin had gotten into and eaten his way through the emergency kit.
Again.
But at least Jack wasn’t thinking about kissing Leah. Much.
He pulled into the duplex that he and Ben had bought together five years ago now. It was a two-story Victorian and freshly painted thanks to Ben’s recent handiwork.
Ben’s side of the house was dark, so Jack let himself and Kevin inside, not bothering with any lights since his immediate plan involved some serious shut-eye. He went for just that, but instead he ended up with hot, restless, erotic dreams involving Leah, both in and out of her black bikini.
Leah let herself into her grandma’s dark house and ran right into a soft body.
“Oh,” Elsie said, startled. “You’re still up?”
Leah turned on the light. “Are you okay? Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Oh, you know.” Elsie let out a little laugh. “My old bones creak and wake me up.” But Elsie didn’t look old. She looked…guilty. “Okay, so I was out. I…had a meeting.”
“At midnight?”
“Is it that late?” Elsie asked. “Huh.”
“Who did you meet?”
“Max Fitzgerald.”
Elsie was on the Historical Society board with Max. She’d complained about him for years and years, calling him a liver-spotted, tight-lipped, tighter-assed renovation nazi.
The name fit. “Why did you have such a late meeting? You forget to pay your dues or something?”
Elsie grimaced and pulled her coat tighter around herself, but it didn’t miss Leah’s attention that Elsie was wearing her good
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