To Tame a Wild Firefighter (Red Hot Reunions Book 2) (10 page)

“But we barely know each other,” Faith said, though it didn’t seem like she was buying her own protest. “I mean, it’s crazy to say something like that when we’ve only hung out a few times, and we don’t even—”

“I knew it the first night we kissed.” Mick reached over, threading his fingers gently through the hair at the nape of her neck. “We could have something special, Faith. You know it. I mean, the world doesn’t sparkle every time you kiss someone, and I was stupid to think—”

“Did you say sparkle?” she asked, her breath coming faster as she divided her attention between him and the road ahead.

“Yeah, I did. And if that’s silly, I don’t care.” Mick curled his fingers into a fist, trapping her silky hair inside his hand, praying that he could get through to her and convince her he deserved another shot. “Because it’s true. I see sparkles when I kiss you. The world lights up like—”

“A hundred cameras flashing,” Faith finished, sounding a little dazed as she eased off the gas pedal. “All at once.”

“Yeah,” Mick said, awe in his tone as his hand slid from her hair. “Exactly like that.”

Faith pulled to the side of the road, shoving the truck into park before turning to him with a serious expression.

“Mick?”

“Yeah?” He swallowed hard, not sure if she was going to hit him or kiss him.

“I am getting ready to say something to you,” she said. “And I am so dead serious about it, I cannot overemphasize the seriousness. Do you get me?”

“You’re serious.” Mick nodded. “Me too. I am completely serious.”

“I am scared to death of you,” she said, shocking him so completely that by the time he opened his mouth to respond, she was already pushing on. “I am scared of sparkles. I am scared of getting so into you and those sparkles that I lose the part of myself I need to be me.”

“I don’t want you to lose anything,” Mick hurried to assure her. “I like you the way you are and I wouldn’t—”

“Let me finish.” Faith held up a hand between them, the trembling of her fingers a testament to how much this conversation was affecting her. “But I am more scared of what you said before, of…staying in the darkness.”

Mick nodded, impressed that she was being so open with him.

“Because no matter how much I try to deny it,” she said, eyes dropping to the seat between them as she pulled in a shaky breath, “things have been feeling a little…dark the past year. I keep telling myself I’m not lonely and that I don’t date because none of the guys I meet live up to my standards, but…that’s not really true. I’ve been letting all the old, dark stuff keep me from giving anyone a real shot.”

She lifted her eyes, meeting his with a look so naked it made Mick want to wrap her in his arms and never let go. “But there’s something about you. I’ve never felt anything like what I feel when we’re together. I don’t know if you’re going to be good for me, or bad, but I don’t want to turn my back on those sparkles. I’ve got a feeling they don’t come around too often.”

“I have a feeling you’re right.” Mick cupped her face in his hand, brushing his thumb gently over her cheek. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “But don’t fuck this up again.”

“I won’t,” Mick promised.

Then he kissed her, and the sparkles were so bright they lit up the desolate stretch of Louisiana highway, like fireworks on the fourth of July.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Faith

“It was no problem at all.” Mick hefted her mama’s suitcase from the back of the truck with an ease that belied the massive size of the thing, while Pressie beamed from the airline’s curbside check-in, and Faith did her best not to make eye contact with her mother.

But even without making eye contact, she could see the delight vibrating through Pressie’s body.

Pressie was still in ecstasy that her little girl had arrived with a handsome man who had swept into Pressie’s dingy hotel room like a knight in shining armor.

She’d practically talked Faith’s ear off while Mick was gone fetching coffee and breakfast for the three of them, going on and on about how “gorgeous” and “gentlemanly” and “wonderful” Mick was and how proud she was of Faith for landing such a great guy.

Like Mick was a fish Faith had hooked and pulled onto land to gasp for water until he drowned, not a person with free will and a mind of his own.

The way her mama had talked about Mick would have been enough to turn Faith’s stomach, even if it wasn’t for the other part…the proud part.

Faith had never been a star student—more due to a lack of enthusiasm, than intelligence—but she had led her junior high volleyball team to a state championship, lettered in soccer, volleyball, and cross country in high school, and graduated top of her class at the fireman’s training academy. She’d also gotten straight A’s in her EMT certification courses, saved over a dozen lives, and was well on her way to her first big promotion.

But not once, out of all those accomplishments, had Pressie ever said she was proud. She’d congratulated Faith at the young athlete’s banquet in high school and eaten cake at the party Jake and Jamison threw her when she graduated from the academy, but that was it. She’d never once said she was filled with pride for her daughter.

The fact that the first time her mother uttered those words wasn’t because of Faith, but because of the man she’d managed to “land,” stung. A lot. Enough that when Pressie pulled her in for a good-bye hug, Faith could barely force her arms around her mama’s narrow body.

“Good-bye, baby,” Pressie said, a giddy note in her voice that made Faith’s nose wrinkle. “Thank you so much for coming to get your mama.”

“You’re welcome,” Faith grumbled.

Pressie pulled away, fluffing her short blond bob as she glanced over Faith’s shoulder to where Mick stood by the truck. “And thank you, Mick. You two have a nice nap today, and take good care of my baby girl on the way home.”

“I will, ma’am,” Mick said with a warm smile that Faith wanted to run over and wipe off his face.

Or kiss off his face.

Their kiss in the truck had been even more mind-blowing than their previous kisses. She’d never felt so close to someone. It was as if Mick’s soul had seeped into her skin, until she swore she could sense his every thought, and knew his every feeling. She could feel how much he wanted her, how much he cared about her, and how he valued the second chance he’d been given. The last of her doubts had vanished in the warm, wicked, wonderfulness of that kiss, and she’d driven into New Orleans feeling high on life and beautiful possibilities.

Now, she felt curdled, like milk that had gone bad at the back of the fridge and was sitting around festering, waiting to ruin someone’s morning cereal.

As she and Mick waved good-bye to her mom and swung back into Faith’s truck, Faith slouched in the passenger’s seat, glaring out at the unreasonably sunny day, wishing she knew where her sunglasses had gotten off to. She would like something to hide behind, a shield to protect her from Mick’s curious glances until she managed to purge the sour from her system.

“You want to talk about it?” Mick asked as he eased out into the airport traffic, heading back toward downtown and the hotel Naomi had booked for them.

“Talk about what?” Faith sniffed and turned to look out the window, watching the people dragging luggage and children into the terminal, on their way to destinations unknown. She’d never been on a plane before and couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to fly when she was a kid. Back then, she and Pressie had barely had money for groceries, let alone plane flights or vacations.

“The fact that you’ve been scowling since we left your mom’s hotel,” Mick said. “Did you two get into a fight while I was grabbing breakfast?”

“No,” Faith said, not intending to say anything else on the matter. Unfortunately, it seemed her lips didn’t get the memo. “She just drives me crazy,” she added with a sigh. “She wouldn’t stop talking about how amazing you are, and what a good job I’d done snagging you, and on and on, even when I told her I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Mick grinned. “Well, I
am
pretty amazing.”

“No, seriously,” Faith said, not in the mood to joke around. “To hear my mom talk, this morning was the first time I’ve ever done anything interesting. Apparently, getting a good-looking guy to drive me to New Orleans is the most impressive thing I’ve achieved in twenty-three years of life on this earth.”

Mick was quiet for a moment before he put a warm hand on her thigh and gave a gentle squeeze. “I think it’s obvious your mom’s priorities are a little out of order.”

Faith snorted. “You think?”

“Have I told you that I like it when you snort?” Mick asked, making Faith snort again, this time with laughter.

“Because I do,” he continued. “I think it’s sexy.”

“As my Aunt Helen would say, you ain’t right, Whitehouse.” Faith shook her head as she smiled over at Mick, admiring the way the morning sun lit up his strong profile.

He grinned back at her, his blue eyes sparkling though the shadows beneath betrayed the fact that he’d been up all night. “You feel better?”

“Yes,” she said in a grudging tone, smile still firmly in place.

“Then are you ready to help me find this hotel?”

“Sure.” Faith picked up his phone. A few moments later she had the info. “You need to head right out of the airport and get back on the highway,” she said, reading out loud from the screen. “According to this, we’re only twenty minutes away.”

“Thank God,” Mick said with a sigh. “I’m so tired I’m starting to hallucinate. I swear I saw a clown waiting at that last crosswalk.”

Faith twisted to look through the truck’s back glass and laughed. “You’re not hallucinating. There’s a guy in a clown suit, wearing a ball cap, and carrying a guitar case.” She turned back around and propped her feet up on the dash. “Looks like New Orleans is a pretty entertaining place.”

“Too bad all we have time to do is sleep,” Mick said with a yawn. “But I’m too beat to even think about seeing the sights.”

“Me, too,” Faith said. “A cold, dark room with some heavy blankets and a fan going sounds like heaven right now.”

Mick moaned. “Oh man, that does sound good. I love a cold room when I’m sleeping. And lots of blankets.”

“Guess we’re going to be compatible bed partners, then.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Mick asked, a husky note in his voice that made Faith blush.

“I’m going to be too tired for that too,” Faith warned. “So don’t get any ideas.”

“I know,” Mick said, laughing as he patted her leg with an affection that made Faith’s chest feel tight. “Just messing with you, Miller.”

“You
are
a mess,” she said before turning her attention back to their directions, ignoring the flutters trying to get started in her belly.

She had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before she and Mick took their sparkling to the next level—she wanted him too much to wait for months to be together—but she wasn’t ready yet. Things still felt too new, too raw. She’d never been as honest with a guy as she’d been with Mick this morning. She didn’t know if it was exhaustion that had made her vulnerable, or the sincerity in Mick’s eyes that had broken through her walls, but she was feeling a little shell-shocked. She needed time to adjust to the fact that she and Mick were a couple before they took things any further.

A couple. They were a couple, and Mick Whitehouse was her
boyfriend
. It was…surreal, but true.

He’d asked for the privilege on the way into the city, and she’d granted the title with all the seriousness of a nun swearing a novice into the church. But it
was
a serious thing for her. Mick was only her second boyfriend. Ever.

“Take the next exit,” Faith said, “and then turn right. The Carriage House should be on our left.”

Mick followed her directions, and within a few minutes, Faith’s battered pickup was pulling in front of a stately old mansion, complete with gigantic white pillars, antique lanterns burning on either side of the doors, and a gold plate on the bricks proclaiming the Carriage House a place of historical interest. Two live oak trees twined their gnarled branches together in front of the home-turned-hotel, blocking part of the second floor from view, but Faith could see enough to know Naomi must have paid big bucks for their rooms. Faith had never stayed in a place with pillars before, or with valets who rushed to open her door like she was visiting royalty.

“Welcome to the Carriage House,” the valet said, tipping his shiny black hat. “May I help with your bags, ma’am?”

“Um, thanks.” Faith slid out of the truck and grabbed her camo backpack from the backseat, clinging to the strap when the man reached to take it. “I mean, no thanks. I can carry it. It’s no big deal.”

“Of course, ma’am,” the valet—Thomas, according to his shiny gold nametag—said with a smile. “Do you have any other luggage you’ll need help with today?”

Faith shook her head, grateful when Mick appeared by her side and handed Thomas the keys to the truck and a ten dollar bill, thanking him before taking Faith’s hand and leading her up the wide brick steps to the door.

Faith glanced up at Mick as they walked, but if he felt self-conscious that they weren’t half as well-dressed as the valets, he didn’t show it.