Spark Of Desire (14 page)

“That’s because you never really listened to Joe tell the story,” Jack said.

“Unfire?” Kate asked.

“There was a call to this address, and when the engine got here the fire was a couple of embers in a half-rotted stump. The tenant put it out with a bucket while they were standing there. She didn’t even let the captain do it,” Kevin explained.

Jessica broke away from Joe and crossed the yard, stopping to talk to a few other guys on the way. Kevin couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“There’s Guinness,” Dan said.

“Guinness?” Kevin turned his attention back to Dan in time to see him and Jack exchange an amused look. This was what he had been afraid would happen. They were catching on, and the rumors were going to fly.

“Beer. Jessica said she left some warm for you if you wanted to drink it in the true Irish way, or there’s some on ice.” Dan examined his can. “She said the canned stuff is better than the bottled. More like it is over there. This stuff is bitter.”

“It’s supposed to be.” Kevin found himself searching for Jessica again and forced himself to stop. She got Guinness for him? He was a complete heel. Sure he hated parties, especially parties in his honor, but she must have put hours of work into this, tailoring it for him. Good food, his music, special beer, and he hadn’t managed to say thank you.

“She’s hot, too.” Dan grinned. “I wouldn’t mind pulling a twenty-four hour tour with her. Showers would be fun.”

A growl developed in Kevin’s throat, but he caught it before anyone heard it. He’d predicted the moment Dan laid eyes on her, he’d be after her. Didn’t that prove she was attractive? Dan didn’t have bad taste in looks, just in brains. Kevin already knew she was smart. “Hands off,” he said, trying to keep as much hostility out of his voice as possible.

“Why, is she yours?” Dan asked.

Kevin turned to Dan, his jaw tightening. He still wanted to believe he didn’t even have designs on her, but it became less and less possible with each passing moment. “The brass doesn’t like the idea of couples in the department. I don’t want you costing her ranking.”

“That’s nuts,” Jack said. “Why would it matter?”

Kevin glared at him. He had plenty of reasons. Protectiveness for one. Sexual harassment for another. But he didn’t want to start listing those off now. It would look too much like he’d spent a lot of time thinking about it. Which he had. “Ask the captain. That’s what he told me. I need to talk to Bobbie.” He set off across the yard after Bobbie again. No matter where he went, she’d managed to stay on the opposite side of the yard from him. In the back corner of the yard he got trapped listening to another one of Joe’s war stories and before he could get away, Bobbie had vanished again. He sidled up behind Jessica with a can of Guinness in his hand while she was talking to a couple of guys from twelve because they were looking at her the way dogs stare at steak. The trick was reminding them she wasn’t fair game while not saying anything.

“Do they actually let you have as much as you can drink?” Roger asked.

“They sure do. If you go through the entire tour of the plant, at the very end you can drink as much as you can hold. Fortunately, the Gardai are very nice to drunken American women who think they can walk on water.” Jessica’s laughter worked through him like hot coffee on a cold day, warm and welcome.

“Is that what they call the cops over there? Gardai?” Pat Tobin asked.

“Garda is singular, Gardai is plural.” Jessica glanced over her shoulder at Kevin, and he saw her tense.

“Hey man, great party,” Pat said. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” Kevin said. He felt awkward standing this close to Jessica and not putting his arm over her shoulders, but then he would feel more awkward standing next to her and putting his arm over her shoulder. “Jessica did all the work.”

“Don’t I know it? I was really surprised when I showed up. When Bobbie throws a party it’s beer, pizza and Bob Seger.” Roger grinned. “I’m gonna talk my captain into requesting you once rankings come out. It’d be great to have somebody around who could cook again.” He winked.

Kevin felt himself glowering at Roger. A coil of jealousy heated in his chest. They were fawning over her. This was worse than a singles bar.

“You seem to think I’ll make it first try. You must have a lot of confidence in me.” Jessica tilted her head, and it was adorable. How a tall weight-lifting woman was adorable, Kevin didn’t know, but he did want Roger and Pat to stop looking at her.

Roger shoveled black bean salad into his mouth. “Kevin won’t let you down. He’ll do you right.”

“I hope so. If you’ll excuse me.” She stepped out of the group leaving Kevin with Roger and Pat. All three of them watched her go to the table and start moving things around, removing empty containers and making space.

“Where did you find her, anyway?” Pat asked.

“She works at the bookstore. I met her there.” Kevin watched Jessica walk across the yard toward the steps and stop to talk to a couple he didn’t recognize. A curly-haired man and a short woman. None of the old marrieds were around. Other than Kate with Jack and two other younger wives, it was all men. Even Dan hadn’t brought a date. Bobbie definitely did the invitation list. She’d made sure to include every eligible bachelor within reach to parade Jessica in front of. Another good reason to strangle her.

“If she doesn’t make the cut, I might have to marry her,” Roger commented.

Kevin turned around to look at him. Why was everybody talking about marriage all of a sudden? “What?” Roger, he remembered, was thirty-three. Much closer to her age and no gray hair.

“Hey, I’d do a lot for this cooking. If you need any help training her, let me know.” He peered around Kevin. “I see Cap. I’m gonna go talk to him.” Roger ducked past Kevin, headed for his captain.

Pat shrugged. “He’s been sore ever since Carl Mendes retired. He swears nobody can cook like that.”

“That’s not exactly the greatest reason to join the department,” Kevin snapped.

“There’s worse reasons.” Pat, divorced thirty-five-year-old Pat, winked. “Worse reasons to get married, too.”

Jessica was walking down the stairs from her apartment again. Even though he hadn’t wanted a party, he had to thank her for it. She’d done a lot of work, but he didn’t want anyone to see him talking to her, and he didn’t want to be alone with her either.

Kevin looked toward the entrance to the back yard and noticed another pair walking around the house. He recognized them from the bookstore. The woman from the coffee bar and the woman who shelved History. The female half of the couple he’d seen earlier was the magazine clerk too. Hopefully Mindi wouldn’t show up. Bobbie had wandered close enough that he could catch her.

He stopped behind her and waited until she turned around. When she did, she paled.

“I didn’t know you hated parties that much. Who hates parties?” she said. She’d been talking to three guys from Eleven, but they cleared out as soon as Kevin arrived.

“Bobbie, you know I hate parties. Why did you talk her into this?”

“It was her idea.”

Kevin scowled. “It was not.”

“Okay, so it wasn’t. Don’t be a baby. It’s just a party. Lighten up.” Bobbie folded her arms across her chest. “Or didn’t you want everybody else to meet your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Kevin hissed.

Bobbie smiled slyly. “That’s what you think. I think she has a different idea.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kevin’s head spun. Jessica, his girlfriend? Did she have designs on him? Was that the point of the party? To make him fall in love with her? He couldn’t. Not even if he wanted to.

“Nothing, clueless.” Bobbie licked her lips and grinned.

“You said she didn’t like men.” Kevin’s voice dropped to a low growl.

Bobbie shrugged. “I’m entitled to a mistake.”

“How do you know?”

“Girl talk. Are you jealous?” Bobbie batted her eyelashes at him.

“No, and we are not a couple.”

“Anything you say, big guy, but you should be having this talk with her, not me. I know who you’re not dating, even if no one else does.”

Kevin turned, looking over the yard. He didn’t see Jessica. Walking around the house, he saw her as she stepped through the door into her apartment. He might not be able to convince the rest of the department he wasn’t dating Jessica, but he could convince her. Running up the stairs, he leaned through the door. “Jessica!”

“Back here,” she called.

He stalked to the hall and walked through the door that had been closed when he first arrived before realizing it was her bedroom. In the far corner sat her bed, shoved against the wall. With its high head- and footboards, it seemed to have walls of its own. Covered with an Indian-patterned purple satin spread, it made a passionate cocoon he wouldn’t be able to forget soon. She stood in front of a dresser with a cake on it. It didn’t say anything, but it must be his birthday cake.

“Did you want something or did you just want to admire your naked cake?” she asked. Her voice didn’t sound sarcastic, rather it was pleasantly teasing.

His hands started to sweat when she said
naked
. “We are not a couple,” he said.

“I noticed.” She picked up the cake. “Anything else?”

He stared at her.
I noticed?
What kind of a response was that? He hadn’t considered what kind of response he was hoping for, but bland acceptance wasn’t it. She could be a little more heartbroken. A little upset. Some kind of emotion. Unless she really didn’t care. Damn, was he the only one who felt some kind of connection here?

She shifted the cake in her arms. “Can you move so I can take this to the kitchen and write on it? For a guy who wants a short party, you don’t seem to be interested in expediting the process.”

He stepped back, and she walked past him, carrying the cake to the kitchen. He followed. Bobbie needed to explain herself. She’d made it sound like Jessica had been telling everyone they were involved, but Jessica didn’t act like she’d ever considered the notion. So what did Bobbie mean? And why did he feel so let down? “What do you mean, you noticed?” he asked.

“Kevin, you have made it abundantly clear that you wish you’d never offered to help me.” She put the cake on the tiny counter and turned to take a bag of frosting out of the refrigerator. “Is
Happy Birthday Kevin
all right with you, or do you have a special request that isn’t more than seven words long?”

“What makes you think I don’t want to train you?”

“That is ten words and won’t look good on the cake, so
Happy Birthday Kevin
it is.” She leaned over the cake, squeezing frosting through the plastic tip. Her hair fell across her cheek, hiding her expression from him.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“I didn’t want to.”

Her voice sounded tight, like she might be fighting tears. The thought of her in tears alarmed him. He’d seen her push herself past where a lot of guys gave up and didn’t like to think what it took to make her cry. However, this was more the response he’d hoped for. Tears meant she wasn’t completely ignorant of him, so she must feel some kind of attraction too. “Then why did you put so much work into this party if you think I don’t want to train you?”

“Because I like to give parties and because you are training me. Even though you don’t want to.” She paused halfway through writing
Birthday
because she’d made an
h
that looked more like a
b
. “You want this?” She scraped the frosting off the knife and held out the crumpled
h
on the tip of her finger.

For an instant he considered licking it off and shook his head before thought managed to translate to action.

“Your loss.” She licked the frosting off her finger, leaving a smear of green on her lips. Kevin forced himself to look away. This whole conversation was taking too long, and there was a yard full of guys who would ride him mercilessly if they noticed. Still, he didn’t want to leave her right now. She still sounded upset and it had to be his fault. Plus, he hadn’t thanked her for the party yet. Getting a look at where she lived hadn’t cooled his desire at all. She had an apartment so welcoming and comfortable he’d gladly move in tomorrow. Everyone said she was a great cook and none of those guys would lie to be nice. She planned a party tailored for him and she used that cake decorator like a professional.

“You’re really good with that,” he commented.