One Fiery Night (5 page)

Maggie began to hop on one foot. Her teddy bear went flying and struck the back of the legs of the man in front of them. He turned around, spied the bear, picked it up and handed it back with a smile.

Josie thanked him quietly and then lifted Maggie into her arms just as the chief introduced Luke.

“Three nights ago, a single-family home went up in flames. Our very own Luke Puckett, also known as Lucifer, went into the unstable structure and rescued a mother and child. For this, the city and Firehouse 5 grant him an award for heroism! Luke, come up here.”

Applause exploded around her as Luke pushed forward and climbed the short flight of steps of the courthouse. He nodded to the chief as he accepted a plaque. Then he turned and allowed the mayor to drape a medal around his neck.

Josie zeroed in on his face, watching for a change in expression. Though he gave a tight smile, lines still bracketed his eyes and mouth. Something was definitely wrong. Did it have to do with her? Maybe after the ceremony, she’d discreetly slip into the crowd and catch a cab back to the hotel before he felt he needed to find her.

Feeling better about her plan, she listened as he gave a short acceptance speech. Then, to her horror, she and Maggie were invited up to the podium to have their pictures taken with their rescuer.

Her knees turned to water. Why she hadn’t thought of this request beforehand, she couldn’t fathom. She’d seen pictures like this in newspapers before. Of course they wanted a photograph with the victims he’d saved. They’d probably hang it on the firehouse wall too.

“Damn,” she said under her breath. Slowly she made her way through the press and up the steps with Maggie. Her little girl wrapped her arms around Josie’s neck and held tight.

Josie looked up and straight into Luke’s eyes. For a brief moment, his features rearranged themselves in a look of happiness, and then settled again into a frown.

Definitely catching that cab.
In fact, she couldn’t wait to immerse herself in the crowd afterward, disappearing from the event and from Luke’s life. She simply couldn’t take another rejection from him. He’d gutted her the first time. After losing her house and possessions, she was a walking raw wound, unable to deal with a single negative word from him or anyone else.

Luke leaned forward and spoke quietly into the microphone. “This is Josie…” He floundered for a moment, having almost given her maiden name. He recovered quickly. “And her daughter Maggie. I’m proud to be standing here with them on this beautiful summer day.”

She swallowed the gravelly lump in her throat. “Thank you, Mr. Puckett.”

His gaze shot to hers and his features convulsed at her formal address. She’d done it to put some distance between them. If he gave her even one soft look, she was liable to fall into his arms, Maggie or no Maggie. She’d have to explain later, but…

What was she thinking? She shook herself and tried to discern whether or not the press had enough pictures of her. Most likely she’d appeared dazed and disturbed, which she was. But the reason was less because she was going to have to rebuild her and Maggie’s lives than because of Luke’s sudden reappearance in it.

Luke said something more and applause sounded. Josie took the opportunity. Rushing down the concrete steps in her new high heels, she sped off through the throng of people, weaving in and out of bodies as fast as she could.

“Josie!” Luke’s voice sounded above the crowd. She didn’t bother to turn. In fact, she pushed herself faster.

She considered herself to be in good physical shape—she jogged and did yoga—but carrying a kindergartener for any distance was no easy challenge. She’d trained more easily for marathons.

By the time she reached the edge of the crowd, she was huffing and puffing. Strong fingers wrapped around her wrist, bringing her to a halt. She released an inner stream of curse words that would have psychologically damaged her daughter forever.

“Josie, what’s going on?” Luke stepped close—too close. She retreated a bit and placed a palm on the back of Maggie’s head, trying to keep her from noticing anything was amiss, but the little girl began to struggle to be put down.

When Josie didn’t respond to her demand, she flailed her legs, sending Josie off balance. She started to topple forward, dragged down by her daughter’s weight.

Luke grabbed Maggie up in one arm and righted Josie with a hand on her waist. He started to speak, then stopped dead and looked down at Maggie. She looked up at him with her angelic eyes and smiled.

His brows smoothed and he arranged his features into a mask. Then he set Maggie on her little sandal-clad feet. She started to walk off into the crowd and he grabbed her back. Firmly clasping her hand in his, he addressed Josie.

She stared between them, stunned. He was actually acting more like a father to Maggie than her own dad sometimes did. One time Josie’s ex had called, frantic, saying Maggie had wandered off while they were at the park. Josie had been panicked and livid in turns. She’d just been about to switch over the call to dial 9-1-1 when he gave a relieved yell. Maggie had been playing with some kids nearby and he hadn’t seen her go. The parents of the other children brought her back.

Josie had laid everything out for her ex at that moment, swearing she was going to take him back to court for complete custody unless he changed his ways. He hadn’t made a misstep since.

Luke shook his head like a dog that had just been shut out of the house. “Why did you run?”

“I—” She glanced down at Maggie, who was busy talking to Mr. Fluff. “I need to get home. I mean—” A blush scorched her face and throat.

He made a noise in his chest. Not just any noise—
the noise
. The one that ignited her. Hell, that was half the reason she’d fallen under his trance again. She had to distance herself with all haste.

Apparently sensing this, he shifted closer, completely barring her path. The crowd had dispersed and funneled around them. He continued to hold Maggie’s hand. “Josie, you think I don’t know something’s up?” Something dark and hurt sparked in his eyes. It gave her a pang to see it and know she’d put it there. Yes, he’d hurt her once, but she wasn’t in the business of slaughtering people’s emotions. She didn’t want to hurt him.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. His gaze changed to one of intense passion. He inched closer.

“Tell me why you wanted to avoid me.”

“I-I think we both know things didn’t work out well for us the first time…”

He dropped his gaze to his dress shoe. He scuffed it against the sidewalk. “I can’t argue with that, Josie.”

“Then why did you stop me from going?” She stared at her daughter’s little hand engulfed by Luke’s. He worked his thumb back and forth over Maggie’s fingers. Did he realize he was doing it?

A lump clogged her throat.

He captured her gaze again. “Look, I don’t have all the answers yet, but let me tell you this. I’m not willing to let you go.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, now, today. And later too. Just— Josie, can’t we do something together?” He looked down at Maggie, who was rocking her teddy and singing a lullaby. “Go to the park? Have hot dogs and cheese fries and ice cream?”

“Ice cream!” Maggie latched on to the only two words in the world that could draw her from her imaginary realm.

“Yeah, Josie. Come on.” He lowered his head toward hers with exquisite deliberation. His breath washed across her face. “Ice cream. And the carousel.”

“Horsies!” Maggie piped up.

Her chirping tone broke through the haze of need suddenly raging inside Josie. She straightened away from Luke, hoping he got the hint. She was not about to be seen necking with a strange man in front of Maggie. Yet her body screamed with frustration at her decision. Her traitorous nipples longed to be kissed and fondled. Her skin prickled with want of his touch. And her pussy pulsated heavily as desire pooled between her legs.

Maggie tugged on her hand. “Can we get ice cream, Mom?”

With massive effort, Josie tore her gaze from Luke’s to look down at her little girl. Her first instinct was to run from any more contact with Luke. Her heart was about to be crushed beneath his heavy firefighter’s boot, she knew it.

“How can I argue with you two?” she asked with a tense smile.

How could she argue with her heart?

Chapter Four

Luke stood back from the carousel and watched the colors blur by. The obnoxious music that usually got under his skin when he was jogging in the park now fed him an excitement he’d never known before.

As the carousel began to rotate, he kept his gaze riveted to it, waiting for Josie and Maggie to come into view. Maggie had chosen a white horse with rainbow reins. Luke had hoisted her onto its back and Josie took up a position beside her. When Luke jumped down and headed off, Josie had called out.

“Where do you think you’re going, firefighter?”

The words had sent a shiver of pride through him. “I’m going to stand on the side and keep an eye out for dangerous situations.”

The only danger was of him losing his heart to this woman all over again. As the two pale blonde heads flashed by, he saw they were both grinning and waving. His heart lurched.
I really am in too deep already.

For long minutes he grew lost in thought. If he and Josie had continued on, Maggie might have been his child. The instant the idea formed, he mentally stamped on the fragile image accompanying it—a vision of his nieces and nephews weeping at their father’s grave.

No, Luke wasn’t going to let that happen. No string of fatherless children would be left to grow up with a mother who struggled to rebuild their lives without him. Besides, Josie hadn’t been the one for him then. What made him think she was the one now?

She sent him a wave as they rounded again. Her long hair rippled behind her and the cloth of her summery dress conformed to her breasts. Maggie squealed as the horse went upward, her little legs kicking wildly.

Luke dug his hands into his pockets and waited for the ride to end. Confusion warred in his heart. On one hand, he felt the need to walk away and continue his life as it had been without Josie. But when he’d seen her flee into the crowd, his heart had seized with terror.

“Damn,” he said softly.

“Congratulations, firefighter. Our city needs more heroes like you.”

Shaken from his dark thoughts, Luke pivoted to the elderly gentleman who’d spoken. A smile instantly sprang to his lips at the sight of the dapper little suit, the hat no one wore in these modern times, and the adorable little old lady who held his arm. The pair looked like a couple out of a movie or a television ad.

“Thank you.” Luke nodded reverently to them.

“Here comes your little girl. What a cupcake!” the lady exclaimed as Maggie shot through the line of people to Luke’s side.

To his shock, she threw her arms around his thighs and pressed her cheek to his dress pants. He automatically cradled her head with his palm and looked up into Josie’s glowing eyes.

The old lady patted his arm. “Nice to see men like you still exist, sir.”

The couple toddled off together, arm in arm. Josie stood beside Luke, watching them go. “Did you know them?”

“No. I—” He looked down at Maggie, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Let’s get those hot dogs.”

With a tight feeling in his chest, he led the way through the old-growth trees and past the duck pond to the spot where the hot dog vendor always set up his cart. The smell of onions and chili topping wafted on the light breeze.

They walked three abreast. Josie drifted toward him like a magnet to steel. When her shoulder brushed his for the third time, she flushed deeply.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“Don’t?” Her voice held a catch.

He tilted his head back and stared at the pale-blue snatches of sky through the tree canopy. The rustle of pigeons taking flight filled his ears, followed by Maggie’s exclamation of delight.

Luke stopped walking and Josie bumped into him again. Without meaning to, he lifted his hand to cradle her cheek. “You don’t ever have to be sorry for touching me,” he said in a low, gruff voice.

Her eyelids fluttered and her ripe lips opened on a sigh. She caught his hand and pulled it away from her face. “Let’s just get those hot dogs.” She grabbed Maggie’s hand and hurried off.

His body responded to the sway of her hips beneath the floaty white dress she wore. His pulse tripped and his cock stretched against the fly of his pants. He vacillated between finding a trustworthy babysitter for Maggie to steal her mother away under a shade tree and removing himself from this dead-end situation as quickly as possible.

The woman had tried to start something up with his brother. And even if she was the perfect woman for Luke, he wasn’t in the market for a family.

By the time he caught up to Josie, she’d already purchased a hot dog and fries for him. He tried to press cash into her hand and she refused. “I have money, Luke. Just not a place to live.”

Feeling like more of a cad for preying on her emotions when she was at one of the most vulnerable points in her life, he followed the pair to a park bench. They sank down in silence and Josie situated Maggie with her hot dog, a napkin, and a bottle of juice.

“I’m really sorry about your house, Josie.”

She paused with the hot dog halfway to her mouth. “Me too.”

“I don’t know enough about your life. Where do you work?”

“Gordman’s Pharmacy. I’m the head pharmacist.”

He was relieved to hear she had used her degree and had a stable job.

“They’ve been great about giving me some time off while I get my affairs in order. I originally expected to work today, but then I heard about the award ceremony… Congratulations, Luke.” She stared at him so intensely, sweat broke out on his face and neck. Too easily he recalled how she felt beneath him, soft and warm, her body cradling his so perfectly, his cock nestled against her moist folds—

He shot a glance at Maggie. Seeing she was fully engaged in devouring her hot dog and feeding sips of juice to her teddy bear, Luke made his move. He buried his nose against the fragrant column of Josie’s throat and kissed the sensitive spot he knew would make her shiver.

She made a soft noise and tried to move away but he slipped his hand beneath her hair and clasped her nape firmly.

“Don’t fight it, baby. I can’t. You’ve been driving me crazy for days.”

Her breath came faster. “Luke—”

“I know, I know. Maggie.” He opened his mouth over her earlobe and swirled his tongue over it.

She clamped her hand on his thigh inches from his cock. It jerked to life, swelling to its full length in seconds.

“All done, Mommy!” Maggie jumped off the bench.

Josie jerked as far away from Luke as she could, which was mere inches. He stared at her profile, hungry for her full lips and to taste the bead of sweat that zigzagged from her hairline.

“Can I go look at the ducks?” Maggie asked.

The shore of the pond was approximately ten paces from the bench where he and Josie sat. Close enough to keep an eye on the child while giving him and Josie a minute alone.

“Sure, sweet pea. Just stay behind the rock wall.”

Maggie skipped away, glancing once over her shoulder at her mother. Josie smiled and waved.

“Thank you for the carousel ride, Luke. She needed something to brighten her week.”

“I wish I could do more.”

She looked at him hard. “You don’t think saving our lives was enough?”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It’s my job. Last night I battled a gasoline fire and cut a couple people out of a car wreck. It’s all in a night’s work.”

Her eyes darkened and he lost himself in them for a minute. Too easily he remembered the way they looked when she came on his cock. “I forgot you’ve been awake all night and…the night before.” A pink blush stained her cheeks. She glanced back at Maggie, breaking the spell between them.

He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over his face. Yeah, the day and night before she’d been wild in his arms as he loved her repeatedly. He slid an arm around her waist and dragged her across the bench until their hips bumped. Then he followed her gaze to where her daughter stood, talking to a pair of ducks and Mr. Fluff at the same time.

“I managed to snag about four hours of sleep after the wreck and before my shift ended this morning,” he said. “Listen, Josie, about that day in the hotel—”

She stiffened, her expression stony. “This is just like a bad movie.”

“You don’t even know what I was about to say.”

“I do know. You’re going to say we were once good, but then something happened and our relationship ended. Then the fire and the fear and the shock of finding each other again unexpectedly—”

“Josie.” He nudged her face up toward his.

She continued to ramble. “And our bodies just took over despite what our minds wanted—”

Fuck, he couldn’t stand to see her like this. It was like watching her cry after their breakup. What did he really want? He needed to make up his damn mind. Now. She had a child and a heart to protect. He wasn’t the type of guy to screw with a woman’s emotions. Was he jumping into the fire or running?

She bit into her lower lip ruthlessly. The flesh grew red around her very white teeth. The sight was a spear right to his groin. And his heart. No matter what turmoil was going on in his chest, he didn’t think he could leave her alone. He drew a deep breath and let his instincts take over, just as he did when he was on a call.

“That’s not what I was going to say. I wanted to tell you that I couldn’t wait to spend another night with you.”

She stopped mid-spew, her mouth hanging open. He ran his thumb over her lower lip and smiled crookedly.

“It’s all I can think about.” He meshed their fingers and kneaded the hollow of her hipbone with the other hand.

“Luke, are you sure?” The longing in her eyes filled him with protectiveness. He wanted to cover her with his body and shield her from the harsh world. Her and the little blonde girl who was now quacking like a duck.

He swallowed hard. This was surely how Ryan had felt about his wife and kids. As if he should personally build a bunker and tuck them away inside with all the treasures and luxuries that would ensure a happy existence.

Shit. He was in deeper than he thought.

He glanced at Maggie’s straight little back and then leaned in and stole a soft kiss from her mother. “I’m very sure. And, baby, this time I won’t have to run to the corner store for more condoms.”

* * * * *

Josie hooked a heel around Luke’s hip and jerked him against her. Her pussy throbbed with need and her panties were soaked through. If he didn’t strip her in the next thirty seconds, she was going to take action herself.

He groaned against her lips as his tongue swept inside her mouth. His flavors dizzied her. Musk and male with an underlying hint of the mint he’d sucked after dinner.

The three of them had rounded off their trip to the park with an ice-cream cone. Then they’d driven around the better sections of town in Luke’s truck, looking for apartments to rent. Following that, he’d taken them out for Chinese. He’d gone home to shower and change while Maggie’s dad came to pick her up. He was going to get her to school since Josie was without a vehicle.

Luke hadn’t even made it through the door of the hotel room before Josie attacked him. It was shameful really.

She slipped her tongue against his wantonly, wriggling closer to his broad chest. Running her hands over his muscled spine, she caught his shirt hem and swiftly divested him of it.

He rumbled a laugh. “Eager, I see.”

“I want you.” Her hotly whispered confession fell between them. He drew away to meet her gaze. A heartbeat throbbed in her ears, as loud as the roar of the fire had been in her home.

Then, as if a gun had been fired into the air, signaling the start of a race, they threw themselves at each other. He yanked her off the bed and stood her at the side between his knees, wildly kissing a path across her collarbones and down to her cleavage. In one swift yank, he removed her shirt.

She scrabbled at his shirt buttons, panting, gasping and then whimpering with need. He caressed her sides, moving upward to cup her breasts. She issued a not so quiet moan that made him raise his head and grin.

Her heart broke open a little more at the sight of that bad-boy smile. At this minute, she might have been twenty years old again. The familiar utterance left her lips before she could stop it.

“I’m in love with you, Luke.”

He stopped kissing her breasts and buried his face against her belly, clutching her tightly to him. His hands convulsed on her waist and he breathed heavily, as if he’d just run a marathon.

Josie’s throat closed off. What the hell was wrong with her? The tenderness between them didn’t equate to love—it was born from the feelings they’d once shared as young adults. This wasn’t love.

But her racing heart told her she was wrong.

Now what was she going to do? He hadn’t exactly responded to her revelation. In fact, he wasn’t moving at all. Which left her two options—continue to seduce him and get what she wanted physically or call it off.

To cover the blunder, she pressed on his shoulders, hoping he’d lift his head and she could kiss him. She’d been known to use her tongue for persuasive purposes. She was confident she could again, if only give her the chance. Right now, she had to make him forget she’d opened her big mouth.