Bad Boy's Kiss (Firemen in Love Book 2) (6 page)

The wheels turned in my head. Oh, crap. How had I not put two and two together sooner? Hell, I didn't know Trey had been dating
that
Rachael.

She and Anna were sisters, yeah. I'd also slept with her once before I moved to Waco. Did Anna know about it? Was that why she seemed to hate me so much?

“Rachael told me what you did to her.”

Shit.
“Don't know what you're talking about.”

“She had a big crush on you. You gave her some BS sob story about how you were being deployed in the army so she'd put out. Need I go on?”

“Look, man. Whatever she told you, I'm sure it's something of an exaggeration.”

He glared. “Back then, she was saving herself for marriage – until you worked your snake-charming magic on her.”

“She was a virgin? Never told me.”

He sighed and got back in the truck. I followed, and off we drove down the hill toward the main entrance.

“Point is, we all know what kind of guy you are – and so does Anna. Don't even think about laying a finger on her.”

“What if she puts her hands on me first?”

He slammed the brakes hard at the stop sign. “I'm serious. I love Rachael with all my heart, and if I let my punk-ass brother go after her sister, she'll never forgive me.”

“How about you let Anna make her own choices? She's a grown woman. She can decide what she wants for herself.”

Trey looked away, studying the red light intently as if deep in thought.

“Go on and whore yourself out to some other girl if you want. Just... Leave her be, okay? She's already been hurt more than enough. Doesn't need you adding to her pain.”

Sure, I could go after other women, but that was too easy. Anna resisted me. Fought against me – although any fool could feel how eager she was pressed up against me like that.

Well, she could fight it all she liked. She ought to know by now that when I was challenged, I wouldn't give up until I won the prize.

One way or another, I'd find out what she looked like under those clothes.

Chapter 5 - Anna

Bright-orange flames kissed the steadily darkening turquoise sky. A piece of kindling made a loud popping noise, sending a flurry of sparks from the grill onto the deck.

“Crap!”

I raced after the mess with a wet rag to smother the embers before a blaze broke out on my porch. Rachael seemed to think this was pretty funny.

“What's with you lately, Anna? You've been running about like a headless chicken all afternoon. Not that it isn't amusing to watch, but still.”

I tossed the dirty cloth at her. She shrieked as it landed in her lap with a plop.

“You should know 'what's with me.' I've got a thousand and one things to do before your brother gets here with Max. The house is a mess, I haven't showered yet, and this stupid grill is about to start the next devastating wildfire that'll wipe out every house for the next hundred miles.”

Her smile vanished. “Hey, it's going to be okay. You didn't have to volunteer to host a dinner party, you know? If it's too much for you, we can go out to a restaurant.”

Too much for me? Right. Rachael was a good sister most of the time, but I sensed sharpness in those words. We'd always been competitive, duking it out over test scores, sports, and of course, boys.

“I can handle it.” The coals were good to go. Better put the lid back on. “And of course I had to volunteer. I'm the only one with a house big enough for us all. You and Trey live in those small apartments. And we definitely can't eat in Max's RV.”

She took a long sip of her vodka and lemonade. “Max. Wow. I can't believe he actually came back here. He's got some nerve, showing his face here after all the trouble he's caused.”

I turned away from her and licked my lips. The taste of Max remained on them, and the memory of that kiss from three days ago was still on my mind.

I knew better than to let my curiosity get the best of me. During the day, I managed to shove his handsome face out of my mind. But at night, when I lay alone in bed, I was helpless.

In my fantasies, that kiss became much more. Last night, I had a dream of him so explicit, so filthy, that I woke up with soaked underwear. Then I was so painfully turned on that I couldn't go back to sleep.

My vibrator provided some welcome relief, but it just wasn't enough. It was his touch that I craved, in spite of how very bad he was for me.

Or maybe
because
of it.

“He certainly has broken a lot of hearts,” I murmured.

Her glass was already empty. She was halfway to drunk, but got up to refill her drink anyway.

“Yeah, including mine. He lied to my face and told me he was going to Afghanistan for the
army.
” She tripped over a loose board and cursed. “Said he'd be alone there for months with no woman to love him. The things he said to get in my pants...”

Thankfully, she trailed off as she made her way back indoors. Max really did have some nerve, didn't he? The guy lied to sleep with my sister, bailed on her, and now he was coming after me.

I wasn't sure whether to be disgusted or proud that he'd picked me as his next conquest.

They'd be here soon. Better get in the shower so I didn't smell like sweat, dirt, plant fertilizer, and chicken poo when they showed up.

Inside, Rachael was busy pouring a fresh drink. Three-quarters vodka, with a splash of lemonade – yikes. If she kept this up she'd be totally smashed by the time the guys got here.

When she spotted me watching her, she thrust the glass at me. Booze splashed out and soaked into the hardwood floor.

“You want some? If I were you, I'd be getting hammered right about now.”

I stared at the little bump in my belly. I'd been avoiding alcohol for the past couple of months with no problem, but eventually, someone was going to get suspicious. How much longer could I keep hiding this pregnancy? At the rate my tummy was growing, it wouldn't be long until everyone found out.

“No thanks. I've got iced tea.”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself. After what that dipshit Rich did to you, you deserve it. I mean, the asshole was dating you while he was
married.
And he didn't even have the balls to tell you the truth.”

The worst part was if he hadn't knocked me up, we'd probably still be “dating” this very moment. The day I took that test, I felt so sick. I thought Rich would come over and hold me. That he'd tell me we'd figure it out, and everything would be okay.

Instead, he told me – over a phone call – that this was an absolute disaster for him because he had a wife and kids at home.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, right?

Rachael took a swig of her lemon-flavored vodka and stumbled to my pantry for a snack.

“Where the heck's your potato chips? I'm starving to death.”

“Sorry. I usually make a batch every week, but I've been super busy lately.”

She rolled her eyes. “What woman makes her own chips? You realize how utterly pretentious that sounds? I mean, it's like a dollar fifty for Lay's at the store.”

“Well, I think they taste good. Anyway, there's a bag of Doritos in there somewhere.”

She muttered something unintelligible as she stuffed nachos in her mouth. “We just have the worst luck with men, don't we, sis?”

I tried to work out what she meant while I gathered my clean clothes from the dryer. Luckily, she continued explaining without me having to ask.

“That Rich guy was such a douche. I knew it from the minute you introduced us. He drives an electric car
and
drinks Starbucks, for God's sake.”

I didn't bother asking her what was wrong with either. I knew she'd just launch a tirade about how I was awful at picking out guys and how she could set me up with a friend of hers from work.

“And then there's Max. If anybody takes the crown for being a royal jackass, it's him.” Another glug of booze, down the hatch. “I mean, so what if he's got a huge dick?”

At that very moment, Max himself stepped in off the porch. His eyes widened as he slowly set a few grocery bags on the table.

“Y'all talking about me behind my back? It's not nice to gossip.”

Rachael spun around looking like she was going to pee herself. The glass slid from her hand, plummeted to the floor I'd just cleaned, and shattered into a billion tiny shards. Even then, with liquor dripping down her legs, she didn't move an inch.

“Oh, uh... Max! Hey there. So you're back in town.”

“For a little while, yeah.”

His gaze landed squarely on me. He didn't bother hiding his desire for me.

And of course, Rachael just
had
to tell me all about his penis size. I prayed he hadn't heard that part of our discussion.

None of this was going to end well for me, was it?

“We're here,” Trey announced as he wandered through the side door. “Now the party can really get started.”

Max nudged him. “I think your girlfriend's started the party without us.”

Poor Trey paled as Rachael stumbled through the kitchen, kicking bits of broken glass in all directions with every step.

“Hey, babe. Maybe we should go sit outside and get some fresh air, huh? It's a real nice night.”

“No way! There's mosquitoes out there and they always come after
me
.”

I waited for the two of them to leave the room before getting out the dustpan and broom. So much for getting cleaned up before my guests arrived.

To my surprise, Max got a roll of paper towels, tore off some sheets, and set to work scooping up handfuls of broken glass. I held the trash-can lid open for him in a daze.

“Didn't think this dinner would get so awkward so soon.” He dropped the debris into the bin. “Why don't you let me handle this mess? Then you can get the meat on the grill.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” I handed him the broom. “Busy day, huh?”

“Not really, believe it or not. I forgot how slow everything moves in a small town. Nothing's caught on fire since I got here. Guys at the station seemed bored out of their skulls.”

“Don't worry. With fire season kicking into full gear, you'll have more than enough to do soon.”

I dug through the bags on the table. Max had brought hot dogs, buns, sliced cheese, ketchup, onions...

“You didn't need to bring so much stuff. I've already got plenty.”

He shrugged. “Just thought I should pitch in. Ain't polite to show up for a meal empty-handed.”

I stuffed the cold items in the fridge. “You don't really strike me as a guy concerned with manners.”

“Hey, I'm not a total asshole.” He filled up the dustpan with the last of the glass. “Or maybe I'm just trying to make a good impression.”

He brushed against my butt on his way to the garbage can. Startled, I dropped the hot dogs on my foot. When I turned to stare at him, he winked. He'd done that on purpose!

“You've got some serious nerve, you know that?”

“What can I say? When there's something I want, I do what it takes to get it.”

“Too bad for you I'm not that easy.”

He sidled up behind me and whispered in my ear. The heat of his breath on my neck made me shiver. Suddenly, I wanted his hands on me so,
so
badly.

“And too bad for
you
that I love a challenge.”

Rachael shuffled into the kitchen just as Max pulled away from me. Despite being drunk, she was pretty darn astute. She paused, narrowed her eyes, and gave us both a very suspicious look.

Max cleared his throat and pretended to be busy unloading the groceries. Awkward? Yeah, that would be putting it mildly.

“Oh, Ray.” I put my arm around her and turned her in the other direction. “Can you tell Trey to mind the grill while I hop in the shower? And if you could cut some veggies up, that'd be great.”

At the mention of me getting in the shower, Max's eyes lit up. If Rachael hadn't been standing between us, I just knew he would have made a lewd joke.

Once I was under the hot water, I felt so much better. Today's work had been hard on me. I'd gotten up at dawn to tend the animals, mow the grass, collect eggs, and pick vegetables and herbs for the market on Saturday.

Then the railing broke on the steps, so I spent hours under the burning sun repairing it by myself. Normally, handling such stuff wasn't a problem for me – but having a baby in my belly made everything take longer, and it was only getting tougher from here on out.

Somebody knocked on the door. The sound made the soap tumble out of my hands.

“What is it?”

Max responded. “You got any other bathrooms in here?”

“Nope.”

“Mind if I come in and take a leak?”

I wasn't sure whether he was joking or serious.

“Yeah, I mind. Go pee outside in the bushes or something.”