Breaking Protocol (Firehouse Fourteen Book 3) (8 page)

The phantom feel of his hand brushed against her calf, and she remembered the look on his face when he had first touched the mangled flesh of her leg. Concern, not repulsion. She wouldn't lie to herself and say that something hadn't melted inside her at his reaction.

Then there had been the sound of his laughter, deep and rich as it drifted over her, the memory warming her almost as much now as when she first heard it. The sound had surprised her, so deep and rich, a little rusty at the edges, like he didn't laugh often. And something else had tugged and twisted and gotten all soft inside her at the sound. She wanted to hear his laughter again, see his full mouth lift into a real smile, see that smile light up those dark eyes and chase away the haunted shadows filling them.

It was such a girlie reaction, a need to comfort and feel, so completely unlike her, that she snorted in surprise.

So no, she wasn't going to hightail it anywhere—unless it was straight back into his arms. For whatever reason, she felt drawn to the Big Guy. And she hadn't felt drawn to anybody in a long time.

No, she wasn't going anywhere, whether the decision made sense or not.

Now she just had to convince the Big Guy that it was for the best.

Cars and trucks filled the parking lot, leaving room for only those adventurous enough to squeeze into haphazard spaces that were nothing more than ruts on a slight incline.

Or for a daredevil spitfire on a motorcycle that had no concept of the term speed limit.

CC slid the bike into a small clearing at the far back corner of the lot and cut the engine. She reached up and pulled off the helmet, her long hair cascading in waves down her back as she shook her head. She looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"We need to take these roads in the daylight when I can really open it up."

Dave stared at her, afraid to open his mouth, afraid his voice would come out as nothing more than a squeak. He eased his white-knuckled grip from the seat and flexed his fingers, trying to get the blood flowing back into his hands.

"No, really. We don't." He pulled his own helmet off and swung one leg over the side, nearly stumbling. CC pretended not to notice as she swung her own leg over the seat and set the kickstand.

How he let her talk him into this, he didn't know. She had shown up at his house two hours ago, unannounced. Granted, he had been thinking about her—had been doing little else, when he wasn't worrying about the messages, that is—but he was still surprised that she had just shown up.

They had talked a little, and then, before he realized it, they were on their way here, to Duffy's.

Because he had made the mistake of mentioning that this was where his shift had come tonight. No, he was adamant when he told her did not want to join them. He wasn't in the mood to socialize, wasn't in the mood to see his sister.

And yet here they were.

Dave still wasn't sure how that happened.

CC moved next to him and placed her hand in the center of his chest. Warmth instantly filled him at her touch. "Why do you look so confused, Big Guy?"

"I'm not confused."

"Hm. If you say so." She fisted her hand in his shirt and tugged, pulling him down until her mouth closed over his, hot, insistent, intoxicating. Dave groaned and snaked one arm around her waist, pulling her closer, his mouth feeding on her, his body already reacting to her nearness, to her touch.

She pulled away with a small groan, then tilted her head to the side and studied him. "Have you ever had sex on a motorcycle?"

"What?" Dave choked the answer, not believing she had just come right out and asked the question. "No. No, I haven't." Then he paused and looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "Have you?"

"Nope." She turned and studied the bike then looked back at him, her brows lowered in thought. "I think it's doable. Want to give it a try?"

"What? Here? Now?" Dave stepped back and shook his head. "I didn't just say that, and we're not having this conversation."

CC laughed and grabbed his hand then tugged him across the parking lot. "Don't worry, Big Guy, I was only joking. Sort of."

He pulled back, stopping her before they reached the door. "CC, this isn't a good idea. I haven't been here in months, and I'm really not in the mood—"

"Relax, it'll be fun."

"I don't think—"

She silenced him with another kiss, then leaned back and gave him a warm smile. "Tell you what. We'll give it an hour, and if you're still miserable, we can leave. Deal?"

Dave didn't have the chance to answer, because she just pulled him along until they were inside. The band was set up against the left wall, playing a nineties rock hit. The music was loud, upbeat, encouraging the crowd on the floor to dance. Those who weren't dancing were sitting or standing around the tables or bar, chatting or just watching.

CC paused just inside the door, standing on her toes to look around the crowd. Dave almost smiled, knowing there was no way she could see through the throng of people in front of her. Then he wondered what she was even looking for, since she didn't know anyone on his shift.

He tightened his grip on her hand and scanned the far wall, looking for everyone from work. Sure enough, there they were, in their usual spot tucked into the corner. He stepped in front of CC, intending to lead the way through the crowd, but stopped when she pulled on his arm.

"Let's go to the bar first. I want to get a drink."

"CC, I don't think—"

"C'mon, it won't be that bad." Then she pulled on his hand once more, pushing through the crowd until they reached the bar. And Dave wasn't sure how she did it, but she managed to find an empty spot, pushing between two guys until they made room for her.

CC gave them a smile then sat her helmet on the bar in front of her and leaned forward, looking around with curiosity. Dave's eyes scanned the bar area, coming to a stop on his sister. Surprise crossed her face when she noticed him, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He wanted to smile, or nod, or something to acknowledge her presence, but he was frozen in place. He saw the other bartender, Rick, start toward them, noticed Angie stop him with a hand on his arm and a shake of her head.

She leaned over and said something to Rick before making her way over to them. Her gaze moved to CC, full of curiosity, then drifted back to him.

Dave guessed that was a good sign, that she was the one coming over to wait on them and not Rick. Unless Angie had plans to tell him off or read him the riot act or something like that.

But she didn't. In fact, she didn't say anything when she reached them. She just stood there, her gaze moving silently between CC and him. And he had no idea what to say, his mind going absolutely blank.

How sad was it that he didn't even know what to say to his own sister?

But CC didn't have that problem, just jumped right in with a huge smile and friendly voice. "I'm CC. And you just have to be Dave's sister, Angie. I'd recognize the similarity anywhere."

Dave coughed, surprised at the thickened drawl in CC's voice, surprised at how sure and sincere she sounded.

Because he was pretty sure he and Angie didn't resemble one another, not in any way that would be obvious to a complete stranger. From the brief glance she flickered at him, a similar thought must have gone through Angie's mind as well. But she merely smiled and shook CC's offered hand, not saying anything.

In fact, none of them said anything amid the noise of the crowd and the music around them. Dave squirmed, feeling suddenly as uncomfortable as his sister looked in the awkward silence.

Then an elbow nudged him in the stomach, hard enough to cause his breath to leave him. He grabbed his side and looked down at CC, only to see her giving him a meaningful look with her wide eyes.

"Big Guy, don't be rude. Say hello to your sister."

Dave rubbed his side, taking a deep breath. Damn, he hadn't expected her to actually hit him like that. And he hadn't expected it to hurt, either. He looked down at CC, his eyes narrowed, only to see her roll her eyes. She reached out and patted his side.

"Oh please, I didn't hit you that hard. Besides, I'll kiss it later and make it better. Now go on, be nice and say hello to your sister."

He looked up and saw Angie watching them in surprise, one hand covering her mouth. If he didn't know better, he'd swear she was trying to hide a smile. Seeing that made a little of his tension disappeared. Not all of it, just enough that he didn't feel quite so much like a stranger to his sister. He tried to smile at her, the move stiff on his lips, and saw a flicker of something in Angie's dark eyes. And he realized that they were his eyes.

Why the hell had he never realized that before?

"Hey Angie. You, uh, you look good."

"Oh. Thanks." Her eyes slid away from his, toward CC and back again. "You, uh, you look...well, actually, you look like hell."

CC's sudden laughter did nothing to keep the scowl from Dave's face. He looked around, noticed the curious glances from the nearby patrons, then turned back. Angie and CC both were still smiling, ignoring the looks they were receiving from everyone else.

Ignoring Dave's scowl.

"I think I like you, Angie. Who knows, maybe we'll even be friends."

A very small part of Dave was gratified to see that his sister was taken completely off-guard. Angie watched CC for a long second, a half-smile on her face that didn't quite hide the confusion in her eyes. Then she turned to face him, her silent question loud and clear as it passed between them.

Who is this woman?

And under that, concern. Concern for whatever she thought she had seen in his face to make her think he looked awful. And maybe even concern about the woman standing next to him.

Dave wanted to assure her that CC wasn't quite as crazy as she seemed, that she was safe. For crying out loud, she was a cop. But he didn't think it was exactly protocol to be advertising that fact in a bar full of strangers.

So he just tried to smile at her again and silently reassure his sister that everything was fine.

CC nudged him again, not hard this time, then reached out and took the helmet from his hand. She placed it next to hers, then pushed both of them toward his sister. "Angie, would you mind putting these back there somewhere? I'm not sure how much room there's going to be at the table, and I don't want anything happening to them. I don't mind so much for myself, but Big Guy here won't ride the motorcycle without one."

"Motorcycle? Dave?" Angie stopped, one hand on each helmet, and looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. She blinked, shook her head, then turned to CC. "Dave, my brother, drove a motorcycle here?"

"Of course not, silly. I like him, but nobody drives my bike. He rode with me."

Angie's eyes widened even more, surprise clear on her face. "Your bike? So he rode here, with you. On a motorcycle. Dave. This guy right here?"

Dave clenched his jaw, irritation blooming within him. Did Angie really have to look so surprised? And did she really have to talk about him like he wasn't even here? He opened his mouth to say something, then immediately shut it when CC moved to stand next to him, sliding her hand up to the middle of his chest. Her other hand grabbed his and squeezed. Hard.

"Absolutely he did. Your brother is just full of surprises. Aren't you, Big Guy?" And then she stood on her toes and kissed him. Not a quick meeting of the lips, but a full, mouth-on-mouth, tongue-dueling kiss that made him momentarily forget where he was.

Until he heard a few cheers and whistles from the handful of people standing around them.

CC slowly pulled away, giving him a quick wink before she turned back to the bar. And Dave was pretty sure that the stunned surprise on Angie's face was a mirror of his own.

"Whenever you get the chance, Angie, could you be a dear and get us two beers? We're going to go dance." CC tugged on his hand and led him straight into the crowd, pushing people out of the way until she claimed a spot on the dance floor. The crowd had thinned out, leaving room for couples to sway to the slow song that was just starting.

CC stepped into Dave's arms, one hand resting high on his chest, the other on his hip. She shook a few thick strands of hair out of her face, then looked up at him with a smile. He cleared his throat and finally found his voice.

"What the hell was all that about?"

"All what?"

"That whole drawn-out southern belle thing you had going on back there."

"Oh, that." CC laughed, then looked up and batted her eyelashes at him. "Poor little old me. Maybe I should've added a few 'y'alls' and 'bless your hearts' while I was at it. Would that have been better?"

"I'm not sure, considering you don't look the part."

"Are you saying you don't like what I have on? Well, thanks. There goes my ego."

Dave tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer. "No, I happen to like your outfit quite a bit."

And he did. Her black jeans hugged her curves, making his palms itch to run over each inch of her legs. Her blouse was made from some billowy, flowing material, cut just low enough to showcase the full cleavage of her rounded breasts. The material was a shimmering forest green that reflected in her hazel eyes, turning them a unique shade he couldn't quite identify.

But what he really liked was her leather jacket, with its plain buckles and squared collar. The buttery soft material hugged her curves and nipped in at her waist, showcasing every womanly inch of her body.

He had been having fantasies about her in just the leather jacket during the entire ride over here, despite being worried she was going to send them both crashing to the asphalt.

"You didn't hear a word I just said."

Dave blinked and looked down, only to find CC smiling up at him. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Never mind. If that look in your eyes means what I hope it means, I'll forgive you and let you make it up to me later." She leaned forward and placed a kiss in the open V of his shirt, kicking his pulse up a notch. "What I was saying, when you were so adorably zoned out staring at my chest, was that I liked your sister. She's worried about you."

Dave opened his mouth to argue that he hadn't been staring at her chest, then snapped it shut again, thinking it was probably better not to say anything at all. CC grinned at him, but he chose to ignore it. "And why do you think she's worried about me?"