She looked as if she was deciphering his words and then she straightened. “Oh. I didn’t—I mean I couldn’t.” She let out an audible breath. “I can’t.”
He studied her. Something burned in her eyes, something that came straight from her heart. He didn’t know what that something was, but he intended to find out.
“You’re blocking the aisle.” An elderly woman’s voice cut through the sudden tension. “Take it somewhere else.”
Chelsey cut her gaze to the small woman who instantly reminded her of her grandmother in both manner and appearance. The thought of her abusive guardian gave Chelsey a bad taste in her mouth. She let out a slow breath as she moved her cart out of the way. She didn’t know this woman’s life story, what she’d been through, what might have happened this morning. Even though she looked like Chelsey’s grandmother, that didn’t mean they were anything alike.
“Excuse us,” Grady said, at the same moment Chelsey said, “So sorry.”
The woman grumbled something beneath her breath as she pushed her cart past them.
Chelsey looked at Grady, who shrugged.
“Where were we?” He tipped his head as if in deep thought. “Oh, yeah. We were just talking about you going out with me.”
Grady rested his arms on the handle of his basket once again and her throat worked. God, his forearms and biceps looked so strong, his hands big and his body firm and sculpted beneath his T-shirt. Fire-ice blue eyes—that’s what she had thought the moment she had first seen him at the skating rink. She didn’t normally notice eyes, but in this case she was drawn in to his vivid gaze.
His lips curved into another smile. “How is Friday night? I can pick you up at 6:30.”
Taken off guard, she couldn’t think of a word to say. When it came, she found herself feeling disappointed, even as she said it. “No.” She shook her head. “I—just no.”
“Why not?” His expression was open and genuine.
“I—well.” She bit her lower lip.
“In other words, you don’t have an excuse.” He winked, clearly teasing once again. He reached into his back pocket. “Do you still have my number?”
She shook her head.
Do you have a pen?”
“I think so.” She dug in the cross-body bag before she produced a pen and handed it to Grady.
He opened his wallet and pulled out a business card for a local insurance agency. He crossed out the information on the front before flipping it over and writing the number she recognized as the same one he had left for her the first time they had met.
She watched him as he took her hand, opened it, and pressed the card against her palm. The warmth of his hand heated her through as he closed her fingers over the card.
“Call me.” He held her gaze. “I promise I don’t bite.” His lips quirked. “Unless you want me to.”
Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
“I shouldn’t tease you so much.” He smiled and released her hand, taking away the warmth.
“It’s okay.” She lowered her hand and almost said, “I like it,” but stopped herself and said, “I’m used to it with four younger brothers and sisters.”
“Good.” He reached for her as if he couldn’t stop himself and touched the soft skin beneath her ear. He slid his finger along her jaw. “Call me tonight.” He let his hand drop from her face. “I’m off, so I’ll be home.”
She wanted to grab his fingers and press his palm to her cheek. Even as she started to utter “No” again, the words got confused in her brain and she said, “Okay.”
His smile was devastating, his words husky. “I’ll talk with you later, Chelsey.”
She simply nodded, suddenly finding herself tongue-tied.
He gave her one last, long look before turning back to his basket and pushing it toward the dairy case. He opened the door, and grabbed a gallon of whole milk, and set it in his basket as the glass door closed.
She watched him leave, unable to move. He paused once to look over his shoulder and smiled before rounding a corner and disappearing from view.
Unable to move for a long minute or two, she sighed. She had no idea at this moment why she had been refusing to go out with Grady Donovan. She found herself wanting to chase him down and tell him she was ready to go with him wherever he wanted, now.
He was funny, friendly, and everything about him was so real. She felt like she could take him at face value—she didn’t think he was the type of man to put on a façade. He was straight forward, and clearly went after whatever it was he wanted.
And apparently he wanted her.
The thought made butterflies bounce around in her belly.
She shook her head. She couldn’t let this man get to her. She couldn’t go out with him.
Why not? The whisper of a thought floated through her mind. Just call him.
She felt almost like she was in a fog as she finished her shopping. Confusion made her drained and numb. Yet, at the same time, a tickle of excitement burned in her belly.
Truth was, she wanted to talk with Grady tonight. She would worry about the why and why not later. For now, she just wanted to hear his voice and chat with him. She was really looking forward to going out on a date with the man.
She bit her lower lip as waves of concern washed over her. She was driving herself crazy with wanting to go out with him and then going back to not wanting to see him again.
God, she was going to go out of her mind.
She pulled into a long line at the cashier and braced her elbow on the shopping cart’s handle before resting her forehead in her palm. She shouldn’t have said yes. She should not have agreed. What was the matter with her?
Tonight when she called him, she would say no for good and that would be that.
Right?
She sighed before straightening her back and strengthening her resolve. Right. She would say no for good and end this madness.
4
Chelsey stared at her cell phone. Moved her gaze to the business card with Grady’s confident male scrawl. Glanced at her cell phone. Looked at the card.
“Damn it, Chelsey.” She clenched the phone, dropped into a chair at the kitchen table, and placed her forehead on the smooth, cool wood. “Get a grip.” She groaned, rose and flopped with her back in the chair. “He’s just a guy.”
But some guy. He could have been in an ad for a physical fitness magazine. Or he could have posed for one of those luscious firefighter calendars.
It was all physical, right? She wasn’t thinking about what a great guy he appeared to be when she talked with him. He had such a great personality and he’d be so fun to be around. She was certain of it.
“Just a guy.” She tried to picture him in a wife beater with holes, and loose, stretch gym shorts. She worked to get the thought in her head of him kicking back in front of the TV with a can of beer in one hand, a bag of Cheetos in his other, and the remote on the chair’s arm, while scratching his balls.
Nope. The image didn’t fit the man she’d met. If he was watching TV, he’d be wearing a T-shirt and jeans, or maybe a team jersey and a nice pair of sweatpants. He’d look casual, a total guy, but not in the least bit like a slob.
Funny how she was already so positive of some things when it came to Grady, and she didn’t even know him. He was one hundred percent male, built like an athlete, and classy in a decidedly masculine way.
But then there was his intelligence, his sense of humor, his heart—the way he spoke about his family and Spot.
He made her wish for more… A family of her own to blend with her brothers and sisters, and even more love and laughter.
The man stirred things in her, too. Long dormant feelings that had awakened and brought her body alive. She wanted sex with the man in the worst way. Or rather, the best way.
Nope. Not going there, Chelsey.
She placed her phone on the tabletop and stared at it again. When she’d run into him at the grocery store, she’d been surprised, but she
’d been glad, too. She felt confident and comfortable around him in a way she never felt off the ice. It was an intense sensation of being safe and protected. As nuts as it sounded, he made her feel as if she could take on the world.
Jeez. She barely knew him and she already had crazy feelings for him. Feelings she had to put to an end.
She needed to get this done and over with, and tell him she couldn’t go out after all. One thing she’d never done, was call a guy she didn’t know well, a guy who wanted to date her. The shy side of her wanted her to toss his number in the garbage. Again. Her integrity knew it was only right to call him and tell him herself.
When he’d first asked her, she had been excited about going out with him—and here she was, ready to cancel a second time.
She’d never been wishy-washy, so why was she being that way with Grady? He set her body on fire in all the right places, and he was the only one who could put out those flames.
After sucking in air and letting out her breath several times, she picked up her phone. Another deep breath and she entered the code to unlock the phone. It took three tries. She looked at the card then used the keypad to dial his number. Before she pressed the connect icon, she straightened in her chair and braced herself.
When she pressed the icon, the call went immediately to voicemail. A combination of disappointment and relief scattered her thoughts in opposite directions.
She pulled them back together as she listened to the recording. His voice had a husky quality to it. She could just imagine him whispering in her ear while they were in bed together. “You’ve reached Grady. Leave a message and I’ll get right back to you.”
A shiver rolled over her body, followed by goose bumps prickling her skin.
She loved his voice and the way it made her feel. It was so sexy. It made body tingle all over. Dear lord, but she had to get her mind away from the direction it constantly wanted to head in.
A beep and then a pause. Oh, yeah. She needed to leave a message. She immediately dismissed telling him “No” in an impersonal way, like a phone message. Instead she left her number and disconnected the call.
* * *
Grady rubbed sweat from the back of his neck and forehead before drying his hair with a hand towel. He dropped the towel on a bench near the ice rink and grabbed his water bottle before downing most of the contents. At one time, he would have had vodka and Coke in his bottle, but those days were long gone. He’d just celebrated eight years of sobriety a month ago.
Yeah, a celebration.
Memories slammed into him. Non-memories, more like it, when he’d black out for hours and never remember a thing he’d done during his full-on drunk. College had been one big party. Alcoholism was in his blood from a long line of alcoholics in the big Irish family he was so proud of. He’d seen what his family went through at the expense of his mother, aunts, grandmother, and cousins. Every branch of the family on the Donovan side had at least one alcoholic.
Fuck. He’d been told he shouldn’t have touched the shit to begin with, because but of course he’d thought he could hold his liquor, unlike family members. One big lie to himself.
He finished chugging the water and jammed the bottle into his duffel bag. He’d never touch a drop of alcohol again. Not one fucking drop. But like any recovering alcoholic, it was one day at a time. One goddamned day at a time.
“Good practice.” David Hanley slapped Grady on the shoulder, jerking him from his dark thoughts. David frowned. “You okay?”
Grady returned fully to the present. “You bet.” Tension eased from him. “Looking forward to the league game this weekend.”
David nodded. “You’re going to kick ass. With you on the team, it’s like having a ringer. Sure you’ve never played in the pros?”
“I wish.” Grady shook his head and smiled even though the memory sucked. “I played in college until I blew out my knee and broke my leg in three places.” He didn’t mention that the injuries were due to rolling his car when he’d been drunk off his ass. He’d been fortunate no one had been with him—he’d creamed his car. His seatbelt and the airbags saved his sorry hide.
After being in ICU for a week, he had been in a hospital bed for another month. During that time, he’d gone through the tremors to the point they’d nearly had to strap him to the bed. Once he was through withdrawals, he went sober. AA had helped and he still made at least one meeting a week.
He swore he’d never touch alcohol again, and he hadn’t…until…
“Something wrong?” David’s frown jerked Grady back to reality.
Grady shook his head and slapped David on the back. “All’s great here, buddy.”
“Good.” David hitched the strap of a duffel bag over his shoulder. “Gotta have you sharp and ready for Sunday afternoon.”
Grady saluted David. “You bet, coach.”
David laughed. “Head home and grab some sleep.”
“I think I’ll do that.” Grady pulled his phone out of the side pocket of his own duffel. “See you later.”
David grinned and headed off in the direction some of the other players, who’d participated in the scrimmage, had gone.
Grady touched the screen and saw he had a missed call from a private number and had a message. He hoped both had been Chelsey.
His pulse kicked up a notch. He listened to the message and smiled when he heard her sweet voice as she left her number.
He slung his duffel over his shoulder as he pressed her number on the screen and brought the phone to his ear.
When she answered he said, “How is your evening?”
“I’m getting ready to go to bed.” She sounded tired. “Long day at my dress shop.”
He headed out the front doors of the skating rink. “I hope it was a good one.”
“It was.” She sounded tense. “I called you to tell you I can’t go out.”
He wasn’t surprised, but he had no intention of letting her off the hook. “How about this Saturday night?”
She hesitated. That pause told him he had her and he smiled at the warmth in his chest from the certainty that he was going to get a chance with this woman who had captivated him so completely.
“It’s only a get together, Chelsey, to see if we click. I think we will.” He already felt it, and he was certain she did, too.
“A get together.” She said the words as if tasting each one, and with a little more enthusiasm than he’d expected with her being tired and trying to put him off. “Where would you like to go?”
“Do you have a favorite place?” He felt like he’d just struck gold.
“O’Brien’s is on College Avenue,” she said. “It’s an Irish bar, of course. Or we could go to that great Italian restaurant down the street from all the bars. Giovanni’s.”
“Giovanni’s sounds perfect.” Grady preferred to stay as far away from bars as possible. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t go in and have a Coke with friends now and again, but going into bars wasn’t his first choice. “I’ll make reservations for 6:30 and pick you up at 6:10. Text me your address.”
“Okay.” She sounded shy and hesitant. “I’ll do that and I’ll be ready.
He grinned to himself as he reached his truck. “See you then.”
Not long after he climbed into his truck, his phone beeped and he saw that Chelsey had sent her address. He smiled.
Something in his gut told him Chelsey was special. Real special. Now if she would give him a chance to prove himself worthy of her.
After putting on his seatbelt, he jammed the keys into the ignition then paused. Was he worthy? He was a recovering alcoholic but there was always the chance he could be triggered to take a drink, which would lead to another. No matter what he told himself now, and no matter that he no longer craved alcohol and had been sober for eight years, he had to be realistic.
One day at a time.
He mentally shook his head. It wasn’t a matter of being worthy. He’d have to tell her sooner or later, but he preferred to ge
t to know her before he sprung, “I’m an alcoholic” on her. Some people didn’t want to have a relationship with someone who had a history of a drinking or drug problem. He’d never gotten into drugs, thank God, but being an alcoholic was just as bad.
He blew out his breath in a rush. He needed to get to his regular AA meeting and talk with his sponsor.
First he’d get home and pull his head together. The truck’s motor rumbled as he pulled the big vehicle out of the parking lot and headed home.
5
The firm knock at the door caused Chelsey to jump up from her seat in the living room.
Grady.
She straightened her spine and pushed her hair behind her ears, catching a whiff of the new light floral perfume on her wrists. All day she had been more excited about this date than she’d thought possible, and had been ready twenty minutes early.
Once she’d made the decision to go, she had also decided to be open to anything. If she felt as much of a connection tonight as she thought she would, and he felt the same, she would see him again. She wasn’t going to allow her fears to hold her back anymore. When she had skated competitively, she had never let anything discourage her or get her down. If tonight was a bomb, at least she’d given him a chance.
Her flowing royal blue dress swirled around her ankles as she walked across the room. When she reached the door, she put her hand on the bolt lock, took a deep breath, and peered out the peephole. Her blood thrummed in her ears. Even with the distorted view the peephole gave her, she could see how freaking hot Grady was.
Her heart thudded a little faster as she unlocked then opened the door.
For one moment she stood in place, letting his presence surround her as their gazes met and held. She couldn’t breathe as she took him in, drawing in every part of his sheer masculinity. His dark hair looked a little rumpled, and he wore a light blue collared shirt and black slacks. His clothing was loose, yet he filled it all out in a way that still showed what a great body he had.
Fire and Ice (Firemen do it Hotter Book 1) Page 3
