Taking the Heat

by Samantha Long

  "What do the tattoos mean on your arms?"

  His amusement evaporated. Absently he brushed his fingertips over a part of his left forearm sleeve.

  "What is that?" She asked softly, the only reason he answered.

  "It's a shield with the Celtic warrior knot on it." Finn battled the grief back, told himself that he wouldn't show weakness in front of anyone. He started when she laid a hand on his arm.

  She quickly withdrew her hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out."

  To keep the grief at bay, he turned back into that asshole. "Maybe you shouldn't touch people without their permission."

  Fire ignited in her eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't be such an asshole." She snapped back. "Maybe you should realize that not every woman wants to jump your bones, damn it."

  "Looks like someone's pissed that a guy turned her down." His voice lowered a few degrees. He told himself he didn't care about the hurt that flashed in her gaze. That it didn't matter that he was being a bastard. He couldn't let anyone close.

  She pushed on his chest. "That would hurt my feelings, you know, if I wanted to get in your pants. Which I don't. Because you're a complete bastard."

  His mouth twisted. She was going for blood, a warrior at heart. He admired her even as she irritated the hell out of him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the twins had stopped their game and stared at them. Finn grit his teeth, feeling his self-control splinter a little. He didn't care how much he might admire her, he had to walk away. Now. Without looking back at her or the twins, he headed to the stairs. Maybe if he went outside, got some fresh air, he'd regain control.

  Chapter Three

  Addie

  Addie hated Mondays. Mondays were the devil's balls, especially after the weekend she had. None of the guys at the bar had caught her eye, so she'd spent the weekend alone. After that idiot had argued with her, she hadn't wanted to spend it with any man.

  That was a lie. Addie was brutally honest, even with herself, so she leaned back in the chair behind her desk and sighed. She'd wanted to spend it with him. He'd lit a fire in her that she knew could get out of control but she wanted it anyway, which was stupid. He was hot, and broody, and had all those tight muscles and tattoos.

  He'd also had scars. Not physically that she could see, but when she'd mentioned the tattoos, she'd seen the shadow fall over his face. All she'd wanted to do was comfort him, which was weird for her, and he'd freaked the hell out. What a bastard.

  "What are you sulking about?" Gemma walked into the classroom, clothes much more conservative than Friday night. "I know you hate Mondays, which is why I brought you this."

  "Bless you." Addie took the proffered coffee cup and took a sip. "Thanks."

  Gemma settled on the corner of Addie's desk. "You're still thinking of that guy from the bar, aren't you? He got under your skin."

  Addie frowned, picked at the rim of her cup. Her nail polish was chipped, which meant she needed to redo them soon. The principal wanted everyone to stay 'professional'. "I don't understand what his problem was."

  "Carter said he's been like this every since he moved here." Gemma laughed when Addie's eyes widened.

  Addie smiled at her friend, not willing to cave. "You spent all weekend with Carter, didn't you? You like him."

  Gemma's answering smile lit her eyes. "I did and I do. You know I never stay all weekend, but there's something about him. He's sexy and sweet, which is a hell of a combination."

  "I missed out this weekend." Addie set the cup down, shrugged. "It's okay, though, I can handle the loss. Have you seen Autumn yet?" Autumn usually beat them to school.

  "She texted me a few minutes ago, said she's driving from Caleb's place." Gemma tapped Addie's phone. "Did you turn the sound back on?"

  "No." Addie sighed. She always forgot to turn the sound back on, and usually missed a lot of important information that way. She picked up her phone, realized she had messages from both her sisters, Autumn and Gemma. After reading and answering, she set it back down. "I'm going to dinner at mom's tonight."

  "I'm seeing Carter again. We talked about setting up a field trip for the third graders to go see the firehouse. Did you know they're Sanctuary Bay firefighters?"

  Addie didn't and couldn't quell her excitement that Finn lived in her town. "You said Carter told you that he moved here?"

  A mischievous glint twinkled in Gemma's dark eyes. "If you want all this info on Finn, you should ask him yourself." She laughed at Addie's face as she slid off the desk. "I've got to get my classroom ready. We're starting to learn about the Civil War and I have to set up the visual aids I made."

  "Good luck. We're doing comprehension and grammar."

  Gemma waved as she left.

  Addie's mouth twisted. On one hand she was excited to see Finn again on the field trip, especially if he was in his firefighter uniform. On the other, she was terrified of it. Just from that one night she couldn't get him out of her mind and she knew she stood on a slippery slope. She didn't want to fall.

  § §

  She walked into her parents' house that evening and immediately the stress melted from her body. There was something about hearing her family's laughter that brought a smile to her face no matter happened in her life. The scent of pot roast and potatoes reached her and her stomach growled. She didn't cook, didn't like to, so she only ate home-cooked meals when her mom made them.

  Helena and Lucia, her twin nieces, looked up when she entered. Lucia squealed, jumping up and down, and launched herself at Addie. Addie laughed and caught her, wrapping her in a hug. Lucia's light perfume tickled her nose and Addie's heart ached. Her sweet nieces were honest-to-God teenagers now. She could only imagine how Victoria felt.

  "Hey, Addie." Helena smiled and waved from where she stood, the Wii remote swinging from her wrist. "I passed the science test. I'll be in the advanced class next semester."

  "That's awesome!" Addie grinned and high-fived Helena. She tried not to be obvious as she checked her over, making sure that she was still okay with her mom dating again. Addie knew that any day now Nick would move in, but both her sister and he wanted to make sure the girls were well adjusted before that happened.

  In the beginning Helena hated Nick because of her douche-bag father, but after the wreck she was in, and her father didn't even bother to visit her in the hospital, Helena's eyes opened. She clearly saw Nick was a great guy now.

  "I know, I can't wait." Helena's eyebrow lifted. "Are you ready for some bowling?"

  "In just a minute." Addie tugged gently on the end of Helena's pony-tail. "I'm going to go say hi to everyone first."

  "Okay." Helena turned her attention back to the TV and started a game with her sister.

  Addie decided that the color in Helena's cheeks and the brightness of her eyes told her what she needed to know. She'd adjusted to her mom and Nick's relationship. When Addie entered the kitchen her mom was at the sink, washing the dishes she'd used during cooking. Victoria's boyfriend, Nick, stood beside her, drying the dishes when Cecelia finished rinsing.

  Victoria and Halle sat at the bar chopping vegetables for the salad. Her mother usually had salads for a side, but made them with a variety so no one tired of them.

  "Get your butt over here and help." Victoria waved her little knife to the stool between her and Halle.

  Addie grinned and went to help. Halle smiled at her and Addie worried because the smiles weren't nearly as bright as they used to be. For that alone she wanted to junk punch Halle's cheating ex husband. She'd gotten the satisfaction of hitting him in the face the night Halle found out about his dirty ways but sometimes wished for more. To help with dinner, she sat on the stool and started chopping red and yellow bell peppers.

  "How's work, Halle?" She watched her fingers as she worked.

  "Good, working in a hospital is hard but rewarding. I love the patients." Halle tucked a piece of her short, dark bob behind her ear. "It took a little while to get used to it, but I love it."

 
Addie nudged her. "I knew you'd like it."

  Halle rolled her eyes. "Because you're always right."

  "Yep." Addie laughed at her. "And how's the business, Vic?" She watched her sister tear her eyes from Nick's ass as he helped their mom. She couldn't blame her, Nick was a hottie.

  Victoria blushed when she saw Addie watching her. "It's going great. A lot more clients have signed up for work now that tourist season has dwindled down."

  "Helena looks great. Have you heard from Roger?" Addie wanted to junk punch the girls' father, too. And Finn. Maybe she should start a list.

  Victoria shook her head. "No, the damn bastard has completely fallen off the radar. Which is fine with me. They have Nick."

  "Yeah they do." Nick called over his shoulder. Cecelia giggled.

  Addie arched a brow at Victoria, who shook her head in amusement. She wanted desperately to tell her sisters about Finn, but that would have to wait. If she said anything about a man around her mother, her mom would have the wedding planned and grandkids' names picked out. She didn't want that kind of pressure on her. Her mother hated the fact that she'd decided to be a bachelorette for life.

  When dinner was ready, they went into the dining room, each putting their cell phones into a basket on a side table. Addie's fingers twitched, she felt lost without her phone in her hand, but rules were rules.

  Her dad sat at the head of the table and said grace. When he finished, he smiled at his family.

  If she could find a man like her dad, one that had that strength and conviction and absolute love for his wife and family, she'd maybe think about giving up her bachelorette status, but so far she'd only met total douchebags. Conversations immediately started around her and she was content with listening to her family's laughter and voices.

  "Mom, can I have a cell phone?" Lucia asked as soon as it got quiet.

  Victoria's mouth dropped. "Really? You want one already?"

  "I'm like the only one without a phone. The girls on the cheer squad keep asking when I'm going to get one." Lucia batted her eyelashes.

  Victoria turned to Nick, eyes wide. Addie would've giggled at how shell-shocked she was, but didn't think it'd go over well.

  "We'll talk it over and let you know," Victoria told her. When Lucia squealed, Victoria held up a hand. "That doesn't mean our answer is going to be yes."

  Lucia didn't seem to care, her face brightened.

  "You know, we didn't have phones when I was little and we did just fine," Wes, their grandfather, told them.

  "Yeah, but that was like, years ago."

  Addie tried to hold her laugh in and choked on her food. Halle patted her back until Addie could swallow, trying to hold back her own laughter. It was good to see her sister laughing. Trevor was lucky she didn't own a gun or his cheating ass would be dead.

  Later that evening, when she entered her apartment, she shed her work clothes in favor of yoga pants and a comfy t-shirt. She pulled her mass of black hair up in a messy pony-tail and removed her make-up, then sat on the couch to watch DVR.

  She was lonely. It wasn't normal, because she loved being alone. When all her sorority sisters wanted to get a place after college, she'd turned them down. She'd had enough of living with several women. Talk about drama.

  This loneliness was probably because she'd witnessed the solidarity between Nick and Victoria. Her sister went through enough with her ex-husband and Addie was happy she was happy. That didn't mean it would be a good fit for her. Independence suited her more.

  Maybe she should get a pet. A kitten would be cute, because she wouldn't really be home enough for a dog. She'd think about getting one.

  The next morning at school, Autumn waited for her in her classroom.

  "Hey, girl. You really need to turn your sound back on." Autumn stood from where she sat in Addie's chair.

  "Damn it." Addie reached into her purse, turned the sound back up. "What's up?"

  "Carter and Caleb invited us to the sports bar tonight. I think Finn's going to be there." Autumn waggled her eyebrows at Addie suggestively.

  "I don't know. He's too...intense. And a bastard. Why would I want to spend more time with him?"

  Autumn lifted a shoulder, let it fall. "You don't have to spend time with him. The twins were interested in you, and besides, you can show Finn what he's missing from your sexy ass."

  Gemma shot into the classroom. "Did you tell her about tonight?"

  "She doesn't want to go," Autumn said.

  Gemma set her purse down on the edge of Addie's desk. "That's a load of bull. You know you want to see him again."

  "I hate it when you gang up on me." Addie sighed. "Fine, I'll go. But only because you want me to."

  "You know that's not the only reason."

  Addie also hated when her friends were right.

  Chapter Four

  Finn

  He had no idea how he'd let the guys talk him into coming to this bar, knowing Addie would be here. For some reason he couldn't stop himself from wanting to see her again, even if she had a caustic attitude. After a quick glance around the bar, he saw his friends sitting in a booth near the back, facing one of the flat screen TV's hanging on the wall. He saw Addie sitting there, laughing at something Caleb said.

  Steeling himself, he crossed the bar, weaving through the tables until he reached the booth.

  "Hey man, I thought you were going to stand us up." Caleb slid closer to Autumn, making room across from Addie.

  "Had to finish some things at the firehouse." Finn lowered himself to the booth, thankful his back was to the wall and he could watch the people around him. He couldn't have people sneaking up, bringing on some of his memories of war. Addie's laugh quieted as he sat, and he flicked a glance her way. She wore shorts and a t-shirt with her hair in a pony-tail. He preferred how she looked now to Friday night.

  "Finn's a workaholic." Carter slid him a menu across the table. "He stays at the firehouse 24-7."

  "All work and no play." Addie tilted her head and he watched the curve of her neck. He felt himself harden and curled his fist on his thigh. "Do you not want to have any fun?"

  He heard the suggestion in her voice, decided to ignore it. "No."

  Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything else.

  "Jesus, Finn. What's gotten into you?" Nate shook his head.

  "Nothing." Finn picked up the menu, pretended to read the words on it. He couldn't focus, though, not with Addie sitting across from him. Or with the pressure that closed in on his chest. Too many people crowded the bar and his eyes darted through the crowd.

  An awkward silence followed until Addie spoke up. "It's okay, he's not bothering me. So, have you guys had any interesting calls lately?"

  Just like that, the tension in the air dissipated. Finn peeked over his menu at her, but couldn't figure out if she did that for him, or if she couldn't care less what he felt. The pressure in his chest eased as he looked at her.

  "We had to rescue a cat from the top of a sailboat this morning. The owner was afraid of heights and I didn't see her climbing up there to get him," Noah told her. The girls "awwed" at the same time and Finn forced himself not to roll his eyes.

  "I thought fire departments didn't do stuff like that."

  "In a town this small, we don't really tell the citizens no," Carter told Autumn.

  "I want a kitten." Addie twirled the straw in her drink. "I was thinking about visiting the shelter and seeing if they had any."

  "Really? You think you can take care of it?" Gemma winked at her friend.

  He wondered if Addie would take offense but she threw her head back and laughed a husky laugh that twisted his insides.

  "Yes, it's not like a puppy. They're pretty much litter trained when you get them, aren't they?" Addie's deep blue eyes twinkled and he resisted the urge to smile.

  "They're cute," Autumn told her. "I'll go with you when you want to pick one out."

  "Okay."

  "We've set up the field trip for next Friday, s
o the kids have time to get the forms filled out by their parents," Gemma said. "You boys better put on a good show."

  "We plan on it." Carter kissed the back of her hand before setting their intertwined hands on the table.

  Finn watched Addie's face, trying to read the reaction she had to Gemma and Carter. He couldn't figure out what she felt about it and wasn't sure he really wanted to. She seemed like a wild character, one that reminded him of one of his sisters, and he didn't want to get wrapped up in something like that.

  They ordered their food and he liked that she ordered nachos, which was one of his favorites. She even ordered extra jalapeños. A girl after his own heart.

  Throughout the meal he stayed silent, but observed his friends and especially Addie. The girl was a fireball of energy and laughter. She enjoyed life to the fullest and spread her joy to the people she was around, affecting even him. The muscles in his face stretched and he decided this girl was dangerous to his resolve.

  She shot him a few glances, and his pulse rocketed each time. Yeah, this girl was definitely dangerous.

  When the night was over, he squashed any temptation to follow her to her car and push her against it. After watching her all night he had one thing on his mind. He wanted to feel her lips against his, her hands in his hair, pulling him closer. He had no doubt she'd be a wildcat in bed.

  Instead he walked off without saying good-bye and headed to the only gym in town. He needed to burn all this extra energy swirling inside and he wasn't going to do it by having sex with whoever was around. He'd just see Addie's face anyway.

  His phone rang. "Hello?"

  The caller didn't say anything. In the background he heard muted conversations.

  "Hello? Anyone there?"

  Nothing but the talking in the background. A frisson of unease slid down his spine and then the dial tone rang in his ear. His mouth twisted and he put the phone back down. Told himself to relax, someone just had the wrong number.

  The gym was nearly empty this late. He headed to the lockers and changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, then taped his knuckles and went to the punching bags. He was the only one on them, so he relaxed a little.