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She climbed from his lap and he reluctantly let her go. He watched as she turned back to the pan of water while uttering words of comfort, her voice low and her eyes on her task. He had to admire her control. She might try to act as if nothing had happened, but her trembling hands suggested she had been shaken. Hell, his head was still reeling.
Hot. Passionate. How could she go from instant arousal to poised and unruffled? He couldn’t turn need off like a damn light switch. And she couldn’t hide her desire.
“Will you tell me what happened?” Her voice a tad shaky, she went back to the task at hand. “I saw you on top of that SUV … I thought you fell. Jared said you jumped.”
Talking about something other than that kiss might be a good idea. He remembered her reaction at the crash. Clearly, she’d been scared.
“I was just doing my job.”
“You weren’t on duty. Jared said you’d been to a bar.” Her tone was not accusing. Only concerned.
“Yeah. We had a few drinks.”
As if she needed to keep her hands busy, she twisted the cloth, water dribbling into the pan. “Even though you weren’t on call, you risked your life to save a woman.”
He loved being a firefighter, but he didn’t like being put in the role of hero. He hiked a brow and watched her from beneath his lowered lids, gauging her reaction.
“It’s what I do.”
“You do it well.” She smiled and pressed the cool cloth to his feverish skin.
The wailing sirens, the flash of red fire trucks, were exciting to a kid. Even now the roar of the engine, the blast of the horn, shot adrenaline through his blood stream. Not only the excitement, but the thrill of saving someone or helping people gave him a satisfaction beyond anything else. Nothing compared to the high.
“When I saw you on top of that car, I didn’t know it was you at first. Then when I realized …”
Expecting to find aversion or anxiety, he swallowed his disappointment and pushed her arm away. “That’s enough.”
“You do this every day,” she whispered.
“I told you. It’s my job.”
“It’s more than a job to you, isn’t it?” The catch in her voice caused him to glance up. Was she going to talk his profession to death? This was just what he’d been afraid of. He needed to set things straight.
“It’s my life,” he said holding her gaze. The strength of his conviction resounding in his voice. “It will never change. That’s what I do and what I want to do. What I’ll always do.”
“You’re dedicated,” she said with a smile. Her pleased expression threw him for a loop. “You save people, like that woman tonight.”
Was that approval he heard? Cassie confused his brain. Her sweet face lit up like …
Ah hell.
He didn’t want to be a symbol. He wanted between her thighs, but not if she gave herself as some damn hero devotee.
He scowled. “I’m not a hero. I’m just a man.”
“Oh, really?” She gave him a smirking grin. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“You have a smart mouth on you.” He’d like to taste it again. And every inch of her.
“And you look like the devil incarnate.”
He frowned. Guess he did look pretty rough. Although that hadn’t stopped her a moment ago.
She pressed the cool cloth to his side. Earlier, he hadn’t even realized he’d been burned. Hurt like a bitch, now. She was right. He should get it checked in the morning.
“This cut could probably use a few stitches.” Her gentle hands pressed a bandage to his side and lightly applied tape. Soft hands. He imagined them caressing the rest of him. Her fingers crawling across his chest. Her naked body lying atop his. Their legs intertwined. He already had a semi-erection, now it stiffened to an iron rod. He glanced at her to see if she noticed.
Her eyes focused on the bandage, the tip of her tongue slipped between her teeth. Boiling heat pierced his abdomen and spread up his neck. His hands flexed. He could grab her and make his imaginings real.
