A Lick of Flame (2 page)

Madison scanned the small room until she found a door leading to a bathroom. She walked into the cramped room, and as she turned on the tap, she caught sight of her mussed reflection in the mirror. Unlike the perfectly styled women abovedeck, not only were her work clothes flat and unattractive, the damp ocean mist had played havoc with her dark curls and left her cheeks stained and ruddy. She quickly tried to fix herself, and then stopped short, deciding her efforts were pointless. A touch-up wasn’t going to change the fact that she wasn’t Sean’s type, and it certainly wasn’t going to erase the scar that made her undesirable.

She grabbed a cloth from the rack, dampened it and redirected her focus. “What’s with the seasickness anyway?” she called out.

“I hate boats,” he admitted.

That gave her pause, especially since his family made their living off the water. Not only were they cruising in his uncle’s rental yacht, his parents owned a whale-watching business that took tourists on deep-sea tours.

“Didn’t you grow up around them?”

“Around them, not on them.”

“So why did you agree to a photo shoot on the water then?”

“I’m a firefighter. I’m not supposed to be afraid of water.”

“You’re afraid of water?”

“No, boats,” he repeated, and she heard a teasing lilt to his voice when he added, “Weren’t you listening?”

Madison grinned as his mischievousness taunted her libido and elicited a shiver from deep within. There was just something about his playful nature that got to her in the most erotic ways.

“Which again brings me back to my original question,” she said, working to keep her voice level. “Why did you agree to a photo shoot on the water?”

“I guess I figured it was time to face my fears.”

Damp cloth in hand, Madison stepped from the bathroom, leaned against the doorjamb, and perused the gorgeous man sprawled out on the mattress, a man who was gracing her with a half smile that had her hormones reacting with urgent need. He looked rumpled and sexy and so damn inviting, it turned her legs to jelly beneath her. Good God, it was all she could do to keep herself vertical in his presence.

Madison diligently tried to appear unaffected as a tremor vibrated through her bloodstream. “And…” she questioned. “How’s that working out for you?”

He gave her a sheepish look. “I still hate boats.”

The discomforted look on his face was both ridiculous and adorable, seducing Madison in the most interesting ways. “Come on, Sean. What’s to hate?”

He groaned. “Don’t ask.”

Intrigued, Madison laughed, enjoying the easy banter between them. Then it suddenly occurred to her that this was the first time she’d really talked to Sean on a personal level. They weren’t friends. Sure, he’d visited her in the hospital after he’d rescued her, but checking in on someone’s well-being wasn’t just in his nature, it was part of his job. He’d been kind and Madison had been polite, if not a little distant, because when it came right down to it, she didn’t want Sean’s pity. Soon he’d stopped coming, and while she missed seeing him, she figured it was for the best. She wasn’t the type of girl who could spend time with a guy like Sean without getting drawn deeper and deeper into a place that could only end in heartache.

Dragging her attention back to the present, Sean rolled to the middle of the bed, disheveling the sheets beneath him, and she took that moment to pull herself together.

“So, what’s to hate?” she asked again, offering him a polite smile.

Stilling, he stretched his legs out and his eyes moved over her face when he said, “The rocking.”

Her smile dissolved as the provocative mental image of Sean rocking a bed played out in her mind’s eye. A wave of heat rushed over her body, and as her blood surged through her veins, it reminded her that she was a woman, a woman who hadn’t had her bed
rocked
in…well…ever, considering the fact that the men she’d dated in the past had cared more about their needs than hers.

Sean fingered the silk sheets beneath him and the gleam in his eyes turned wicked when he said, “It’s not that I have anything against rocking, mind you. It’s just that when my bed moves, I want to be the one moving it.”

On that note, Madison straightened her shoulders, crossed the room and handed Sean the cold cloth. He draped it over his forehead and shifted, as if he was making a spot for her to climb in next to him.

Unsure of his intent—and not about to get too close to him—she continued to stand and returned to professional mode. Schooling her features into courteous interest, she widened her legs, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked him over, noting that his color had returned to normal. “Are you feeling better?”

Sean stared at her long and hard, and a look she couldn’t identify crossed his handsome face. Then a split second later she thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Madison,” he began slowly, his voice a little rusty, unsure.

“Yes.”

His brows collided and he seemed to be struggling with his words. “Why do you ha—”

Before he could finish the sentence, the boat hit the side of the dock. The collision ripped her sea legs out from underneath her, and sent her spilling onto the bed with an undignified
oomph
.

She landed with a thud on top of his hard body, and when his hands slid over the small of her back to balance her, and he aligned his hips with hers, she quickly rolled to the other side before she gave in to baser instincts and did something she might regret, something so completely and utterly unprofessional that would only end up embarrassing her.

As much as she liked the way his half-naked body felt beneath her, and as much as she’d like to act on her carnal desires, she certainly wasn’t about to seduce him. She knew he didn’t
want
her, and since they had to spend the next month in close proximity, the last thing she wanted to do was put a strain on their working relationship, or make things awkward between them.

A quick glance out the small, round window to the left of the bed told her they’d finished docking. She was just about to rocket out of the bed, but when a low moan sounded deep in Sean’s throat she turned to him, wondering if she’d knocked the wind out of him with her hard fall.

Madison pulled a face. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s not you. You’re a lightweight.”

She sat up, but when she caught the way he was staring at the ceiling, she drew her brows together and questioned, “What?”

He gestured with a nod, and when she glanced upward and spotted the enormous mirror showcasing the two of them on the bed, her eyes widened and she tried not to sound rattled when she said, “Oh.”

Sean nudged her playfully and burrowed close—too close. “What do you think that’s for?”

Oh, she knew exactly what it was for. So did he.

She swallowed the lump pushing into her throat and gifted herself with a moment to imagine what it would be like to make love to Sean beneath that mirror, his muscular body on top of hers, pinning her to the bed while he moved up and down, in and out—while he rocked her world.

Stifling a groan, she lied, “I wouldn’t know.”

She made a move to climb back over him, but Sean splayed his hands over the small of her back and held her to him. As her hard nipples pressed into his chest, a smile reached his eyes. His glance settled on her mouth, and for a split second she thought she spotted desire in his eyes. But she had to be wrong. Sean never noticed her. Not like this. And why would he begin to now, when he had a bevy of perfect,
flawless
babes above just waiting their turn in his capable arms.

As heat rushed to her face, she dipped her head forward. Taking her by surprise, Sean reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. A tortured look moved over his face as he exposed her ugly scar. In an instinctive move, Madison shook her hair free and inched back. She tried to clear his body and climb to her feet, but Sean grabbed her arm and stilled her.

“Madison.”

“What?”

Before he had the chance to answer, the door to the cabin flung open and a myriad of voices drifted downward. Madison let loose a relieved breath, thankful for the interruption because she’d seen the torment in his eyes when his glance moved over her scarred face, and the last thing she wanted from him was sympathy.

Madison quickly extricated herself from his arms and jumped to her feet. Drawing a fuelling breath, she smoothed her windbreaker over her body and made a move to go, but the strange hitch in Sean’s voice stopped her.

“If you’re not busy later, want to join me for a drink?”

Madison’s heart clenched when she spun back around. Sean was just being nice because it was in his nature. She was sure of it. “I’m on duty.” As she pushed the lie past her lips, the muscles along Sean’s jaw tightened and a look of hurt passed over his eyes, catching her by surprise.

Before she had time to consider it, Sean pitched his voice low and questioned, “Are you always on duty?”

“Yes.”

The truth was it was Friday and she’d made plans to meet her friends Allison and Haley later that night. They were heading to Harry’s for a few after-hours cocktails. But she didn’t want to tell Sean that, especially since it was one of his favorite hangouts.

His close proximity had played havoc with her senses all day, and with the way she truly felt about him—hell, she was probably already half in love with the guy—not only did she need a reprieve from his sexy playfulness, she knew that mixing Sean and alcohol was a dangerous concoction, one that could only prove lethal.

To her body, heart and soul.

Chapter Two

Sean’s cock hurt.

It hurt so goddamn much he didn’t even know what to do with himself anymore. Taking matters into his own hands did little to ease the tension inside him, or keep his blood pressure from rising to dangerous proportions. In fact, it only made him want her that much more.

Her, as in…Madison Kelly.

Christ, what he’d do to feel Madison’s soft, sensuous body writhing beneath his, to kiss his way down that long sensuous neck of hers until he reached her gorgeous breasts, her flat stomach—the sweet spot between her legs. What he’d do to open her pretty pink lips with the soft blade of his tongue and lick her sex until she begged him for more.

Oh, what he’d do to make her beg.

Everything from the way she moved to the way she crinkled that cute little nose of hers consumed his thoughts and had him wild with the need to fuck her, to bring her to never-before-known heights of excitement. He ached to drive his aching shaft into her, to slam her sweet pussy so hard and so deep that it drove every sane thought from her head. Maybe if he rendered her senseless, then she’d forget why she hated him so much.

Frustrated and uncomfortable from the pressure brewing deep in his groin, he shifted uneasily in his seat and rolled his tongue around a suddenly dry mouth. Reaching for his beer, he took a long pull, but the only thing that could quench his real thirst was a night with Madison. Groaning with need, he slammed the empty bottle down on the table with much more force than necessary and shot a glance around Harry’s Pool Hall.

“Something on your mind?” his best friend Cole Landon asked.

Instead of answering, Sean grunted under his breath and peered through the rambunctious Friday night crowd until his gaze settled on Madison. Goddammit, she’d said she was on duty and there she was laughing and having drinks with her friends. She’d clearly blown him off and he damn well didn’t like it. The truth was Sean was used to women throwing themselves at him. Most wanted the fantasy from him, treating him like he was an object. While he was happy to oblige, he knew those women didn’t want him for who he really was. They simply wanted to have sex with a firefighter, someone they considered a hero.

Honestly, Sean would love to settle down, but he’d yet to find a woman who saw the man beneath the uniform. That thought had his mind darting to Madison. She was the only one who’d taken note of his uneasy state on the boat, and even though she was on duty and it was her job to oversee his safety, the way she’d cared for him belowdecks had proved she was a woman of depth, a woman who saw below the surface.

He took a moment to peruse her as she worked her way around the pool table. She’d changed out of her work clothes and now wore tight jeans that showcased curvy hips and a lush ass. Then again, it didn’t matter what she wore, he even found her starched security uniform both provocative and arousing. His attention drifted to her pink T-shirt and he took in the words,
Pirates of the Caribbean,
emblazed across the front. The shirt not only brought out the warmth in her cheeks, but it hugged her full breasts in the most delicious ways. Ways that teased his hunger for her and had his throbbing cock rising to the occasion.

Not that he’d ever get the chance to sate that hunger.

Sean cursed under his breath and leaned back on his chair, unable to figure out why she refused to have drinks with him tonight, or why she always ran in the opposite direction whenever she saw him coming.

Cole gestured for the waitress to bring two more beers then planted his elbows on the table. He arched a brow and said, “Well, well. I never thought I’d see that day.”

Sean glared at Cole and curled his fingers, ready to knock that crooked grin off his best friend’s face. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Sean grunted.