“Yeah, right.” Cookie snorted with laughter. Tugging open the refrigerator, she restocked the roses. Her tattoo-covered arms moved with the ease of experience. “I’ve seen more of that dude the past two weeks than I have in the past two years. A hot man like that was made for more than friendship. And from what I hear, the two of you used to be…y’know.”
“Cookie, it’s complicated.” Jordan looked at the clock again before taking the remaining bunch of flowers from Cookie’s hands. She jutted her thumb toward the door. “Go on, girl. Beat it. I can finish restocking the case. Why don’t you go home? You and Veronica got here when the sun came up to get everything ready. Tomorrow you have to be up at the crack of dawn to set the flowers up at the church and the country club, and Veronica will be here at the shop all day. Not to mention that Mrs. Posman will pop a gasket if you’re late. Really, I’ve got it. My mom picked the girls up from camp today and took them back to her place for a little while.”
“Really? Thanks.” Cookie’s pierced eyebrow arched and her tone softened. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. How’s your dad doing?”
“Not good,” Jordan said flatly. “But the hospice nurse will be there tonight until about eight and it’s good for my mother to get a breather from all of it. The only time I see her smile is when she’s with the girls, and if anyone deserves a smile or two, it’s my mother.”
“Hey, Jordan…um…can I ask you something?” She bit her lip nervously. “It’s kinda personal.”
“Sure.”
“How’d the girls do when they met him?” Cookie shrugged and stuck her hands in the pockets of her ripped jeans. “I mean, he’s really sick. I remember when my grandpa was dying. It kinda freaked me out.”
“The girls stay downstairs,” Jordan said quickly. “They’ve never met him. But Lily has been asking about him.” She growled with frustration. “I just don’t want to make the wrong decision, and lately, it seems like that’s all I’ve been doing.”
“Gotcha.” Cookie nodded slowly and hesitated as though she wanted to say something.
“What is it?” Jordan prodded. She could tell that the well-meaning young woman had something on her mind, and even though they’d only known each other for a month or so, she’d already become something of a kid sister. Cookie’s outward appearance was rough and edgy, but underneath it all she was a sweet kid with a big heart. “It’s okay, Cookie. Tell me.”
“Your dad is dying, right?” Cookie asked, her light blue eyes studying Jordan’s. “I mean, like, soon probably.”
“Yes,” she responded quietly. “He is… It’s only a matter of time.”
“And he’s never met his granddaughters?”
“No, but it’s—”
“Complicated?” Cookie interjected. “I guess it is. Look, I know we don’t really know each other well, but if Lily is asking about it, why not let her meet the guy? He can’t do anything to hurt her, right?”
“Not really, but…I don’t know…”
“Sorry.” Cookie held up both hands and added quickly, “I mean, you told me some and I’m sorry if I’m outta line, it’s just that family is family, you know?” She made a scoffing sound and waved her hands quickly. “Ah, never mind. I’m punchy from lack of sleep and listening to that Posman broad yammer on about her freaking purple roses. Sorry, Jordan.”
“Hey.” Cookie started to leave, but Jordan grabbed her hand before she could get away and gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Cookie laughed. “Being nosy?”
“No.” Jordan smiled and held the young woman’s wide-eyed stare. “For being a good friend. When I was married to Ted—” She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. “Never mind. I’ll leave it at thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Cookie placed a quick kiss on Jordan’s cheek. She hurried to the door and pushed it open, but before she slipped into the back room, Cookie gave Jordan what could only be described as a wicked grin. “Then as your friend, I’ll say one more thing.”
“What?” Jordan adjusted the thorny stems carefully and yanked open the door to the case. “I’m all ears.”
“My lack-of-sex radar goes haywire around you and the chief.” She pointed at Jordan and laughed as the door swung shut. “You both need to get laid.”
“Cookie!” Jordan’s face heated, and in spite of the outrageousness of Cookie’s comment, she found herself looking out the window at the firehouse. “You’re crazy.”
Still laughing at Cookie’s brazen suggestion, Jordan finished stocking the case and closed it tightly. She leaned against it. If Cookie only knew how much Jordan wanted nothing more than to crawl into Gavin’s arms and stay there. But they’d both agreed—friendship was all there would be between them. Today, when he’d gently stroked her back to comfort her, it had taken every ounce of self-control to stop herself from falling into his arms. She wanted him. There was no denying that.
But like she’d told the girls so many times, sometimes what we want and what’s smart are two different things. Spending all this time with Gavin was what she wanted…but it sure as hell wasn’t smart.
Eyes closed, she pressed her back against the cool glass doors. A moment later she heard Cookie shout her good-byes. The familiar sound of the back door slamming shut shot through the room, and then there was silence. For the first time in ages, Jordan was alone.
Alone and with a head full of thoughts about sleeping with Gavin.
“Awesome,” Jordan muttered.
Rolling her eyes, she shoved herself away from the door and saw that it was after five thirty. Traffic on the street had slowed. As with most Friday nights this summer, people were strolling the sidewalks, but buying flowers wasn’t on their schedule. The lilies and hydrangea needed to be restocked as well, and given her current state of mind, work was the only cure. Jordan changed the sign on the door to Closed and flipped the locks, dutifully avoiding so much as a glance toward the firehouse. They were only going to be friends.
After their little spat today, maybe not even that.
Jordan tied her hair back with a spare elastic from a drawer behind the counter. Maybe their little tiff was for the best. She bumped the swinging door open with her hip and flipped on the little radio that sat on the desk. Perhaps music would help her keep her mind off Gavin. The sounds of Bon Jovi filled the workroom and immediately brought a smile to her lips. There was something about that band and their music that always reminded her of summer fun.
She yanked open the enormous metal door that led to the refrigerated storeroom and stood at the center for a moment or two before finding the lilies. Goose bumps erupted on her bare arms from the damp, cold air and she shivered, hastening her search. Jordan carefully pulled out a bunch of lilies, hurried out, and slammed the door shut with an undignified grunt. She puffed a stray lock of hair off her forehead, and when she turned around, she found herself staring into a pair of familiar green eyes.
Gavin.
Chapter 10
“Gavin.” His name rushed from her lips, and her hand curled around the long, cool metal handle of the storeroom door as she instinctively took a step back. With nowhere else to go though, all she did was press herself against the handle, which was now digging into the flesh of her ass. Swallowing hard, Jordan held the cluster of flowers against her chest, the only barrier standing between her body and his. She flicked her gaze to the door that led to the alley and then back to his fierce, hungry stare. “I guess Cookie left the door unlocked,” she murmured.
Gavin’s tall, broad-shouldered frame loomed in front of her. He didn’t make a move to come closer; the man simply stood there. His hands were curled into fists, arms at his sides, and he looked like a tiger ready to pounce. His dark brows knit together as he kept her pinned to the door with a look that practically devoured her. He wasn’t exactly blocking her exit. He caged her in with his presence more than his body. It wasn’t threatening or menacing the way it had been with Ted.
It was pred
atory and hungry.
Jordan knew she could have walked around him—that is, if her legs would cooperate. At the moment, doing more than standing there was above her pay grade.
“I saw Cookie leave a few minutes ago.” Gavin’s voice was tight, bordering on a growl. His jaw clenched and the muscle beneath his stubble-covered flesh flickered. “I wanted to speak to you without the peanut gallery chiming in.”
“Fine.”
Jordan eased away from the door handle and forced her body to move, quickly stepping around Gavin. She walked to the other side of the long, metal worktable and spread out the lilies. The ends didn’t really need to be cut again, but she had to do something other than stand there and simmer beneath his gaze. It was bad enough that her stomach swirled with a tornado of butterflies and her face felt like it was on fire. Grabbing the shears from the toolbox on the counter behind her, she started snipping the ends with more ferocity than necessary.
She could still feel his eyes on her.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work, Gavin?”
“Rick and Jeff have it covered for a few minutes.” He sidled nearer, his deep voice drifting over her seductively. “Rick knows how important it was for me to come here tonight, and I’ll be able to hear if we get a call.”
“Great. I’m so glad you can confide in him.” She snipped another green stem forcefully. “What did you want to talk about? Because you sure weren’t chatty earlier.”
“Us.” Gavin moved slowly around the table, and even though she wasn’t looking at him, she could feel him getting closer. “I made a mistake and I need to fix it.”
“Look, Gavin. Like you said earlier, let’s forget it.”
Jordan tossed the shears back into the box, scooped up the bits of stem scattered around the stainless-steel surface, and dumped them in the garbage underneath the table. She gathered the lilies into one big bunch and walked away from him around the other end of the long table, but he clocked her every move.
“It’s complicated, Gavin, and too messy. I knew this would happen, okay? We have too much unresolved stuff of our own, let alone between us, for us to be friends. If this keeps up, one or both of us will get hurt.”
Before she could get to the door of the showroom, Gavin stepped in front of her, blocking her exit. Puffing her hair off her forehead, Jordan forced herself to look him in the face. The moment she did, she knew it had been a bad move. Her gaze skittered over the sharp angles of his jaw. The baby fat of youth had given way to hard edges and shadows, but those glittering green eyes remained the same. They still made her stomach flutter and bored through her with his trademark intensity.
“We can’t be friends,” he said quietly. The line between his brows deepened. “I was fooling myself.”
“Fine.” Her heart thundered in her chest and blood rushed in her ears, the sound blocking out everything else. “We’re done. Move, please. I have to finish this and go pick up my girls.”
Good, she thought. He was being the brave one and saying what she didn’t have the courage to say. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and her breath stuck in her throat as she struggled to find her voice again. Clutching the flowers to her chest with both hands, she licked her suddenly dry lips, her eyes searching his. He remained resolute and unmoving. Damn him. What was his problem? Would he not be satisfied until she was a weeping heap on the floor?
“Please move,” she whispered.
“No.” His mouth set in tight line and a deadly, feral look flashed in his eyes. “We are far from done.”
“What do you want from me, Gavin?” she asked shakily as her vision blurred with tears. “Tell me what you want.”
“This,” he growled.
In a blur, he cupped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his. The kiss was hot, firm, demanding, and laced with desperation. Jordan moaned and opened to him as his tongue slid along the seam of her lips, seeking access. The flowers fell to the floor as she linked her arms around his neck and clung to him with fifteen years of pent-up need. His taste was foreign and familiar at the same time, and Jordan hadn’t felt desire like this in years—maybe ever.
His hands cradled her face, tilting her head to get a better angle as he kissed her and walked with her, backing her up against the wall. She tangled her fingers in his hair and met the hard demand of his kiss with equal urgency as they bumped into the unyielding surface of the wall. With anyone else, being pinned with nowhere else to go would be terrifying, but not with Gavin.
Jordan didn’t feel trapped. Far from it. She felt free. Unencumbered. Desired.
She had been such a fool.
This was what she needed, what they both needed. The taste of him and the pressure of his strong, hard body against hers sent the surge of desire boiling over with every delicious sweep of his tongue.
Breaking the kiss, Gavin trailed his lips down her throat. One hand cradled her head and the other swept down her side and over the curve of her hip, tugging her against the hard evidence of his desire. Jordan let out a gasp of pleasure as she pulled his shirt from the waist of his pants and slipped her hands beneath the fabric, damp with his sweat. The hot flesh of his lower back seared her fingers, and she clung to him as his mouth once again sought hers. Jordan whimpered when Gavin’s lips slanted over hers hungrily. Her tongue swept along his, meeting every hard, passionate stroke with equal fervor.
This was nothing like the kisses they’d shared in their youth. There was no awkward fumbling or tentative grappling. Instead the kiss was swift, sure, and all consuming, and Jordan could stay here forever. He tasted like cinnamon, and she fleetingly wondered if he’d been eating oatmeal cookies. That’s what the taste reminded her of. Cookies fresh out of the oven. Sweet, hot, and addictive. Those three words summed it all up, and as his mouth seared hers, she knew she’d never, ever get enough.
Gavin groaned as he grasped her wrists and pinned her arms over her head, kissing her deeply. The movement made her back arch and pressed her breasts against the hard planes of his chest. She shook with lust, need, and anticipation; she slid her leg up and hooked it over his hip, pulling him closer.
He suckled her lower lip before settling his forehead on hers. He held Jordan there, her body deliciously pinned between him and the wall. Gavin’s thigh had slipped between her legs and he put pressure on exactly the right spot. If he moved, even a fraction of an inch, she might come right then and there. Her sex pulsed with need and every nerve ending was on fire.
“I can’t only be friends with you, Jordan,” he whispered harshly.
Gavin tilted his hips against hers, and she whimpered as licks of pleasure flickered from her clit to her core. His fingers curled tighter around her wrists, and he brushed his thumb along her sweaty palms. Their breath mingled and their bodies shuddered against each other with every word that rushed from his lips.
“I thought I could do it, but there’s no way I can be around you and not touch you. Today, when you told me what your bastard ex-husband did, I could have killed someone. And then when we saw Tommy, I lost it. I’m sorry I snapped at you, but ever since you came home, I’ve had my head up my ass. I thought I could do it—just be your friend—but I was wrong.”
He kept her pinned to the wall and struggled to catch his breath, his chest pressing against hers with as it expanded and contracted. “Do you know how many times I’ve thought about this? About tasting you and seeing this look in your eyes? I’m feeling lots of things toward you, Jordan, and friendly is an understatement.”
“Gavin?” Jordan murmured as a grin curved her lips and she rocked her hips against his thigh. “Shut up.”
Before he could say another word, she popped up on her toes and covered his mouth with hers. Tangling her hands in his thick, dark hair, this time she took control of the kiss and pressed herself against him. In one swift motion, Gavin grabbed her ass with both hands and picked her up. Kissing her deeply, he carried Jordan to the table in one effortless strid
e. She hooked her ankles behind his back as he deposited her onto the cool stainless-steel surface and trailed kisses down her throat.
He nuzzled her breast and wrapped one strong arm around her waist, his fingers pressing against her, anchoring her to him. Desire erupted inside her as Gavin’s hot mouth covered her breast. She moaned when his teeth grazed her nipple through the fabric of her dress. Threading her fingers through his hair, Jordan held him to her. She gasped when Gavin slipped his hands beneath the hem of her dress and those long, warm fingers clutched her thigh just as the shrill sound of her cell phone chirped from the showroom.
“Don’t answer that.” Gavin stilled and lifted his head, that fierce, hungry stare boring right through her. His fingers clung to her tighter and he growled, “I’m begging you not to answer that.”
Through the fog of lust and the enticing sensation of Gavin’s rough, heated hands on her bare legs, Jordan needed a minute to recognize the ringtone newly assigned to her mother.
“It’s my mother,” she said in husky voice she barely recognized. “The girls are with her. I have to get it.”
Gavin’s grip tightened briefly. His mouth set in a firm line, and he nodded his reluctant understanding. Jordan mourned the loss of his touch as his hands slipped from her thighs and he stepped back, allowing her to hop off the table. Her legs felt positively rubbery when her feet hit the floor, and she didn’t miss the knowing smirk on Gavin’s face. Adjusting her dress so that her lace bra was no longer peeking out, Jordan hurried to the showroom and grabbed her ringing phone from the bag under the counter.
“Hey, Mom.” She pressed the phone to her ear as Gavin’s tall frame slipped in behind her. His muscular arms snaked around her waist while he nuzzled the ponytail off her neck and planted butterfly kisses on the sensitive flesh. She giggled and elbowed him, but he kept it up. “I’m sorry; I’m running a little late tonight.” Slipping out of his embrace, Jordan spun around and stepped back, wagging her finger at him. “I had an unexpected event at work.” Gavin waggled his eyebrows back at her, and she fought the laugh that threatened to bubble up. “Are the girls okay?”
Brave the Heat Page 13
