“A lot to be said for a man in uniform,” Cassie said with a sigh.
“Bet he benches five hundred pounds.” Tammy sounded breathless.
Cassie searched her friend’s face. “How do you know which one I was looking at?”
“Easy.” Tammy’s gaze turned to hers. “You always go for the dark-haired ones.”
Cassie smiled and glanced back to the men in blue. “There’s too many to choose from.” She threw the comment out as a jest. In reality, she held no belief that any of those guys would pay attention to her.
“And they’re coming in here.” Tammy said excitedly as she nodded toward the glass.
Sure enough, the entire group headed to the restaurant. Caught up in Tammy’s enthusiasm, Cassie couldn’t help but ogle the swaggering male hips. The men ranged in age from twenty something to probably forty, since one had some gray at his temples.
Silence filled the room, the firemen drawing the attention of every customer. When the door opened, the sound of the men’s voices carried throughout the quiet space of the restaurant. They’d caused quite a stir. Cassie forced her eyes forward. Tammy, of course, watched the activity with a total lack of inhibition.
By sheer willpower, Cassie resisted the urge to whirl around and gape like everyone else. She narrowed her eyes and bit her bottom lip.
“What?” Tammy asked, seeing Cassie’s scowl. “Did I suddenly grow a wart on my chin?”
Cassie had been trying so hard not to stare at the guys that she’d been completely unaware she was glaring at her friend. Tammy’s perplexed face came into focus and Cassie frowned. “Sorry.”
Tammy laughed. “Why don’t you bite the bullet and feast your eyes?”
“I don’t want to be transparently obvious.” Cassie stabbed at her lettuce.
“Why not? Everyone else is.” Tammy placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands, ogling the men in uniform.
“You don’t have to be so blatant about it.”
“I’ve never seen so much male testosterone in one place. Eight of them. Right here in the middle of this room.”
Jealousy prompted Cassie to suggest, “You could trade places with me.”
“Not a chance.” Tammy’s smile grew bigger.
“You’re embarrassing me.” Actually, she’d embarrassed herself with her senseless envy. Because, if she was to be honest with herself, she wished she had Tammy’s self-confidence. Cassie placed her fork beside her plate. “Now I’ve really lost my appetite.”
“Mine just increased.” Tammy’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Cassie resented her friend’s taunting. “Can you tone it down a bit?” She grabbed her beer bottle by the long neck.
Green eyes shot to hers. Their sparkle of glee now glinted with annoyance. “It’s been a while, okay? I may have two challenging boys, but I’m far from over-the-hill. I’m in my prime.”
Guilt made Cassie’s face flush. Who was she to criticize when—if she had the guts—she’d do the same thing? Tammy was her best friend. A single mom, she was pretty with strawberry hair, green lively eyes, and a face that always held a welcoming warmth. She loved food, had no willpower and was thirty pounds heavier than she wanted to be. They came to the Mexican restaurant on an average of once a week, which anyone with an ounce of good judgment knew that was no way to lose weight. Cassie had ordered a salad tonight, but she loved El Puerto’s food. With the chips and salsa, she would have to run an extra mile on the treadmill.
Expecting to exercise tonight, she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She suddenly wished she’d left it down where it could flow over her shoulders, so the lights in the ceiling would bring out the golden highlights of her natural blonde hair.
Her fingers tapped a rhythm on the wooden table while she sat there, looking daggers at her friend. She refused to turn around and display barefaced interest in the men who’d drawn such attention.
Oh, hell.
She was dying to have another look.
Chapter 2
This happened every time a bunch of the guys got together. People would stop whatever they were doing and watch. The clientele of this restaurant stared in awe like they’d never seen a firefighter before. Or a group of men in uniform having dinner, or drinking a beer instead of putting out a fire.
Hell, Mike was human just like anybody else. His job happened to be putting out fires. Saving lives, if it came down to it. He should be used to the attention but being called a hero made him feel uncomfortable. Since he’d been a little kid, he’d wanted to be a fireman and ride on a big red truck, like his dad. Of course, children only saw the glamor and excitement. Once he’d joined the fire department, he learned a whole new respect for the term firefighter.
After the day he’d had, he needed a beer more than food. Even though both shifts had come to eat, only the guys off duty would be drinking. His shift officially over, he was allowed. He ordered a combination platter and grabbed one of the bottles Laredo brought to the table. He took a long pull, allowing the frosty chill to sooth his dry throat.
The back of Mike’s neck prickled. He’d felt a singe earlier but chalked it up to patrons checking out the uniforms. Jared sat across from him, staring over Mike’s shoulder, giving one of his leering grins. Without a doubt, women had to be the reason.
Jared couldn’t help his pretty boy looks, and he had the charm to go with them. Since the team already had a Casanova in the group, the guys at the station called Jared Pretty Boy. He craved action, enjoyed life in the fast lane, and was not the type one usually found applying for a fire-fighting position. But he’d been an asset to the department. One thing Mike shared with him—there was nothing he valued more than his bachelorhood.
He lifted one hand and rubbed the skin on the back of his neck above his collar. Jared scrutinized him with a smirk.
“You’ve already found someone to hit on?” Mike asked.
“Can’t stand it, can you? Might as well turn around. She’s a real looker.”
“She must be. You’ve been staring ever since we sat down.”
“There’s two. One for each of us.” Jared flashed a smile. “The blonde only peeked once. She must be shy. Bet I could liven her up.”
“Maybe she doesn’t like pretty boys.” Although Mike had yet to meet a woman who could resist Jared’s charm.
“Whoa,” Jared said and dropped his chair back on all four legs. “Think I might change my mind. The blonde is the looker, but damn, that smile.”
“I heard that.” Cooper, the youngest and newest member of their group, spoke up.
“Good sign you aren’t deaf.” Jared took another pull of his beer and kept his gaze on the woman he’d been observing.
Cooper lifted his glass of iced tea. “Lucky you. You’re off duty.”
“You’re still in uniform,” Mike reminded Jared.
“Short stuff, here, can drive the rig back to the station.” Jared slapped Cooper on the back.
Cooper’s eyes lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree. The boy’s dream was to be the next man in line for driving the quint, so he jumped at the chance to drive one of the engines.
Cooper mimicked Jared and surveyed the two women. His eyes grew heavy-lidded and the boy’s admiring gleam drew Mike’s interest, finally making him curious enough to turn around and satisfy his own inquisitive mind.
A woman stared at him with a mixture of intrigue and apprehension. He shifted in his chair, just before her gaze darted away. The woman virtually had wrenched his gut. Jared was right. She was a looker. A beauty with blonde hair, a picture-perfect oval face, translucent eyes and full pouting lips. He guessed her to be in her late twenties, a few years younger than him. She didn’t seem to welcome the attention. If anything, she seemed cautious. Did she not know how striking she was? The look in her eyes said she did not. His libido gave a slight jump.
Damn.
“Get your own date,” Jared said with some potency and slid out of his chair.
/> Shit. Mike had been caught drooling. The redhead jerked with noticeable excitement and fluttered like a teenager. She said something to her companion. The blonde turned her disillusioned gaze to him. No invitation there.
But Mike had seen her earlier flicker of interest. She darted a glance at Jared, who, without wasting any more time and with the grace of a predator, swaggered across the floor to the ladies table.
Mike couldn’t hear their conversation from where he sat, but by their tone, and knowing his friend, there was a lot of flirting going on. With every moment that passed, he wanted to sneak another look, feast his eyes on the woman to see if he’d get the same reaction as before. He angled his chair so he could see them from the corner of his eye.
“She’s got to be the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen,” Cooper sighed with the admiration of a star-struck teenager. “She might be older than me, hard to tell with that ponytail, but—”
“Down, pup.” Mike’s voice came out more forceful than he’d intended. Shoving out of his chair, he stood and wondered what the hell he was doing.
“That’s right.” Jared laughed, entirely too cozy with the two women. He noticed Mike’s approach and waved a beer in his direction. “Hey buddy. Meet Tammy and Cassie.”
Mike gave a warm smile to an unmistakably delighted Tammy. “Hello,” he said, then turned to the golden blonde on the opposite side of the booth. Her smile was breathtaking. Maybe more reserved than her friend, but he’d bet this woman was not unapproachable. Her posture and keen scrutiny indicated she could handle anything and anyone. She’d evidently sized Jared up and was now doing the same to him. Her light green eyes sparkled and her lips curved in challenge. As if silently communicating, I know what you’re about.
Cooper was right. The blonde had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He allowed his gaze to roam lower. A tight shirt displayed full breasts with a hint of some serious cleavage. Not wanting to be rude, he allowed his consideration to linger only a moment before putting on his game face.
“Hope my friend, here, has been behaving himself.”
“He sure has. I’m Tammy.” The redhead waved a hand with bright-red tipped nails. “This is Cassie. Would you like to sit down?”
Cassie’s eyes flashed with surprise and possibly annoyance, but her friend ignored her. Jared slid into the booth beside the agreeable redhead. At the blonde’s reaction, Mike hesitated.
“Do you mind? We don’t want to interrupt your dinner.” He sure as hell wouldn’t move in where he wasn’t wanted. After a few seconds, Cassie slid over. It wasn’t the welcome he normally received, but he found himself relieved, so he scooted into the booth next to her. An alluring fragrance assaulted his senses. Not sweet, not floral, but damn … irresistible.
Out of consideration, he kept a suitable amount of space between them. The devil side of him threatened to squeeze closer and watch her squirm.
“This place sure livened up when you boys strolled in. How did so many uniforms manage to take a break at the same time?” Tammy asked.
“Training maneuvers this week. We deserve a treat at the end of a long day.” Jared eased back, propping one arm on the back cushion.
After the fiasco at the training site, they all needed a good stiff drink. At least they knew Ryan would be okay. The men were drained. Back at the fire house, they’d washed off the grime and hashed out the incident, going over the hellish episode again and again. The shaking of heads was getting them no answers, and the guys were hungry. No one had been in the mood to cook. They’d decided to go out.
“I see.” Tammy beamed.
Usually Jared went for the swimsuit-model type, but Mike could see the attraction. Tammy had a gleeful charm and a welcoming friendliness.
“What if there is a fire somewhere?” Cassie drew his attention. He took that as his cue.
“There are other departments and we left a skeleton crew at the station. Some of these guys are off duty.”
“Like me and Mike,” Jared said. “Since we have our trucks with us, if a call comes in, the guys are prepared to respond.”
“You must really like your job. I’m in awe that you risk your safety.” Her throaty voice swamped Mike’s nerve endings. And who could resist those compelling eyes?
Jared turned on the charm. “All in the line of duty, ma’am.”
Mike was ready to punch his buddy back to reality. But Jared had impressed the woman next to him. She giggled and her face lit up like she was sitting next to a superhero.
Mike turned to Cassie. “A few of these guys are still on shift. The rest will head home.”
“That’s a lot of trucks out there.” Tammy fluttered her eyelashes and tilted her head to gaze up at Jared. “Which one is yours?”
“Well now, funny you should ask. That’s my baby right there.” Jared pointed to a truck in the parking lot.
“The one with the long ladder?”
“Yep. That’s the one.”
Like hell. The quint was Laredo’s baby and he wouldn’t let anyone else touch it. Although, in all fairness, Jared had driven the quint before Laredo had joined Station Eight.
“It’s so long. How do you drive that thing in the city or around sharp turns?”
“Long arms,” he said, setting down his beer and extending one arm. “And lots of practice. I take care of her, give her what she needs, whether it’s a bath or a quart of oil, and she purrs like a little kitten.”
Oh Christ. Jared was pouring it on a bit thick.
“I just give the wheel a spin and she cuddles right up. Never lets me down.” Jared bared his pearly whites.
“Wow. It’s long and—”
“Fire,” Cassie sputtered. “Uh, ladder. I mean, it reaches up how many floors?”
Mike wanted to laugh at the double entendre. Tammy flirted just as outrageously as Jared. When she mentioned long, Cassie had jumped in as though she had to save Tammy from herself.
“That one is eighty-five feet,” Jared said, but Cassie continued as if he had not answered.
“Tammy. David and Christopher.”
Who were David and Christopher? Husbands?
Mike searched for rings on the girls’ fingers. Neither one had a gold band or a diamond. Cassie seemed nervous and her eyes were definitely trying to relay some message.
Tammy raised her arm and glanced at her watch. “Oh. Uh. I need to be going.”
“Another engagement?” Jared asked her.
“You have your duty. I have mine.” She gave an apologetic smile and reached for her purse.
Mike knew an evasive answer when he heard one. He guessed Jared had the same thought, for he stood without any coaxing.
“Nice to meet you, ladies. Maybe we’ll see you again sometime.”
“I hope so,” Tammy replied.
Mike turned to Cassie, wondering if she felt the same as her friend. He wouldn’t mind seeing her again. “I would like that.”
When she didn’t answer, he rose, making a point of brushing against her with his thigh. He heard her intake of breath and inwardly smiled.
Awareness.
Should he ask for her number—or take a chance of running into her at the restaurant again? Since she stared at the table, he decided he’d leave things up to her.
***
The guy was Don Juan in blue jeans. Cassie knew the type. Impossibly handsome, with a chest that indicated he spent many hours in the gym, or doing some other physical activity. Judging by every uniform at the firefighters’ table, an exceptional physique may well have been a requirement—or an end result. Who knew putting out fires could shape a man’s body like an Adonis?
Mr. Muscles had phenomenal shoulders. He looked like a line-backer. And his eyes had penetrated hers when they met. His gaze seemed to be searching for secrets or waiting for … for what? For her to give him her phone number?
“You ladies be careful driving home.” His deep voice soothed and, at the same time, generated electric shocks dancing along her spi
ne.
“I have to go. But Cassie does not,” Tammy stated firmly.
Cassie could have killed her. Tammy was the one who had drawn the guys over. Now she intended to go on her merry way and leave Cassie to the wolves? If Jared’s smile grew any bigger, she was sure fangs would emerge. Mike seemed less sinister, but her attraction to him screamed danger.
“Is that so?” Jared prepared to climb back into the booth, but Tammy pushed him as she climbed from her seat.
“Haven’t you ever heard, three is a crowd?” She grabbed his arm and tugged. “Gotta go.” Then the traitor held her hand up with thumb and pinky extended and mouthed the words call me.
If Cassie could have gotten her hands around …
She wanted to crawl under the table.
The sparkle in Mike’s eyes matched his teasing smile. At least he had the wisdom to slip into the seat on the opposite side. What kept him from bursting with laughter, she had no idea, because he looked like he was holding back. Her cheek suffered her embarrassment—she nearly chewed the inside of the damn thing off.
“If you could see your face,” he said before he laughed. A deep vibrating sound that sizzled her already sensitized skin.
“Don’t feel like you need to stay because of what Tammy said.” Gee, that sounded mature.
He spoke in a lazy drawl. “The funny thing is, Jared came over first and I’m the one still here.”
Funny? Not to her. At the moment, she was sweltering in a sea of embarrassment—part from Tammy’s obvious matchmaking and the other part from her own traitorous thoughts. The guy was seriously hot. She mentally shook herself. Was he making fun of her?
“Is this a contest? Am I some sort of prize?”
“What?” His brow scrunched up in a frown. “No. I only meant that Jared is usually the one who gets the girl. Now he’s gone. And before you say anything else, I know I don’t need to stay. But I want to.”
His eyes were a gorgeous shade of deep blue. She almost lost herself in them, until his gaze dropped to her cleavage.
Blood rushed to her face. Her looks had been a curse in high school. Others had told her she was pretty. At one point, she’d believed them. But she’d been cursed with big breasts, and girls with big boobs attracted all the jocks with only one thing on their minds. Being burned once was enough. She had no desire to repeat her mistake. She rarely dated and if a guy was focused on her chest …
MIKE The Firefighters of Station 8 Page 2
