Heart on Fire

by Brandy L Rivers

  He placed his hand on hers with a warm smile. “Your little girl is amazing. It’s that guy’s loss.”

  She opened her eyes wide, then shook her head. “Wasn’t his fault. I could have asked for a name, I could have done things different…” She looked away as she trailed off.

  He lightly squeezed her fingers. “So could he. It’s in the past though. You did nothing wrong.”

  She let out a sad laugh. “I feel bad Cherish doesn’t have a father. It’s not fair, but I don’t know how to fix it at this point.”

  “Life isn’t always fair, but your daughter has turned out perfect. Obviously, you’re a great mother.” He could see it in their relationship. Mila was everything to that little girl, and gave her all the attention she deserved.

  “Thanks. Part of the reason I don’t do bars, or a lot of drinking, is because of that night. Don’t get me wrong—I wouldn’t trade Cherish for the world, and I wouldn’t give up that one night, but I don’t want to find myself in the same position again.”

  “Okay, I get that, but I can’t see you as terribly irresponsible. Life happens. Seems to me you’ve made the best of your situation.”

  “Yeah, I have. She’s happy, and that makes everything worth it.” Her eyes shone with love as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

  “That’s what moms do.”

  * * * *

  On the way home, Kyle nudged her shoulder. “I have some double chocolate fudge ice cream, if you want a treat before heading home. If not, no big deal.”

  Still have all those papers to grade. Plus, he makes me crave things I haven’t wanted in years, and really don’t need.

  None of that stopped her mouth from watering—not only for chocolate—her brain clearly ignoring reason. What harm could dessert and friendly conversation be? Despite a walk down memory lane, she enjoyed the evening, and wasn’t ready to part ways.

  Looking back at him, she nodded slightly. “Sure.”

  His eyes locked on hers, his dimples deepening. “All right then.”

  The desire to reach out and trace the sexy indent beside tempting lips drew her. A dozen reasons saying no was the wise move filled her head.

  Pulling herself together, she amended, “But not for long. Okay?”

  “An ice cream cone, and then I’ll see you home. That’s all.” He gave her a slight bow and nodded toward his driveway. “Your virtue is safe with me.”

  She couldn’t stop the giggle. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m sorry if I tend to be overly cautious. I haven’t been around a lot of decent men, besides my brother and dad.”

  “I always wanted a brother, or a sister. What’s your brother like?”

  “Mason is amazing. He’s a cop, like my dad was.” She looked away as he opened the door.

  Once they were both inside, he asked, “Was? What happened to your dad?”

  Her eyes landed on a picture of Kyle and a man who could only be his father. A soft smile pulled at her lips. “He passed away a couple years before Cherish was born. He would have understood.”

  He turned to her, his head tilted to the side. “Understood what?”

  She flinched, realizing she shouldn’t have taken the conversation there, but now she had to explain. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my mom, but we don’t always see eye-to-eye. She never understood my decision to keep Cherish when I wasn’t married, and couldn’t name the father. Those conversations were the hardest.”

  A look of outrage flashed across his face as his hands clenched into fists.

  Mila sighed, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. “She’s very old-school where marriage and kids are concerned. Once Cherish was born, she loved her completely. Her new mission in life became finding me a husband.”

  She let out a bitter laugh. “She hasn’t figured out that most men want nothing to do with me once they realize I’m a single mother. The ones who do, like to remind me of my so called mistake. Cherish is my world, so they can all go to hell.”

  His hands flexed and his nostrils flared before relaxing. “How anyone can see a child as a mistake is beyond me. They sound like assholes unworthy of you, or Cherish.”

  Warming further to Kyle, she smiled. “I agree.”

  His tone softened. “For the record, some of us don’t find your situation to be a detraction.”

  She felt her face scrunch up as she tried to think of a response that was neither bitchy nor a wistful teenaged sigh.

  He reached over to squeeze her hand, sending sparks all the way through her system. “I’m simply stating facts, Mila. A lot of men don’t know an amazing woman when she’s staring them in the eye.” Then he stopped and looked at her with wide eyes, “Don’t take that the wrong way. I wasn’t making a move.”

  Relieved, and slightly disappointed, the tension flowed from her shoulders. “No worries. Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime. I mean that too. Don’t hesitate to come over if you want to hang out. Feel free to bring Cherish. You both make great company.”

  “Thanks…” She frowned, but attempted not to dwell on the mixed signals.

  One minute he seemed interested, but the next, he backtracked. Mila didn’t know what to think, but tried to take comfort in the fact she wasn’t looking for anything. Though a small voice in the back of her head told her she could make an exception for the fireman with a big heart.

  Changing the subject, she blushed slightly. “Does everyone like cherry pie? It’s Cherish’s favorite.” She rolled her eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, she often gets her way. When I can, I let her have it, but she generally deserves special treatment.”

  Amusement danced through his eyes. “I love cherry pie, and a happy little girl is always a bonus. I’m sure it’s going to be great. I honestly don’t remember the last time I had homemade pie.”

  One corner of her mouth lifted, as she remembered his earlier offer. “We have treats fairly often. Not every night, and not usually a ton, but I do enjoy baking with Cherish. If you have a sweet tooth, you can come over and get a bite. There are always cookies stashed somewhere, if nothing else.”

  He licked his lips. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Forcing herself to move, she took in the living room. Custom work on the molding, the banister, even some of the furniture was handmade, and all of it lovely.

  After running her fingers over one of the shelves, she turned to find him watching her. Her voice was breathy. “You have a beautiful home. Did you do all this yourself?”

  “Most of it. I like to work with my hands. It’s a hobby of mine.”

  “I’m impressed.” Kyle was so different than she expected. Sweet, caring, funny, and especially easy to be around. She craved his company more than she wanted to admit.

  “It’s a relaxing way to spend a quiet Sunday.”

  “Now I know who to talk to when I decide to remodel,” she teased.

  “I’ll remind you of that if you try any do-it-yourself projects without me.” He moved to the fridge and took down the ice cream before reaching into the pantry for chocolate-dipped cones. “One scoop or two?”

  “Only one. I need to get back to work on those papers. I’m trying to knock out as many as I can tonight so I don’t have to worry about them on Sunday.”

  His brow arched as he made eye contact. “Religious reasons? Or want a day to yourself?”

  “I like having a day off here and there. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but grading papers will never be the fun part.”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure it’s not. I can only imagine how great it must feel to see a kid catching on to something they didn’t understand. Tommy, from across the street, is excited about science for the first time in forever. Or so he tells me.”

  “What? You were talking to one of my kids?” She nibbled her lip, wondering why it seemed he showed up everywhere. Not that she was complaining. In fact, the opposite was true, she was flattered for some lame reason. But a piece of
her kept waiting for Kyle’s not-so-good side to come out.

  “He saw me helping with your flowers over the weekend, and asked me what I thought of you.”

  Her breath caught, her eyes widening. “And you said?”

  He grinned. “I told him you must be an excellent teacher, because you were certainly a loving and attentive mother. Then he proceeded to tell me everything Verna told you tonight. Students thrive in your class.”

  “I don’t know about all that. They’re all smart kids, well behaved. Better than the kids back home. They weren’t terrible, but it was a rougher neighborhood, with some territorial violence. Not gangs per se, but cliques that were far rougher than they should be.” She felt the heat in her cheeks and had to mentally put the brakes on her runaway rambling streak.

  “Tommy seems to believe you’re the best teacher he’s ever had, and he’s not prone to exaggeration.” He brought her one scoop of ice cream, while he ate two. “There’s more if you want it. I always have ice cream around for when my sweet tooth acts up.”

  That made her giggle. “Yeah, well you can’t tell by the looks of you.”

  “Oh?” One eyebrow rose. “And what makes you say that?”

  “All that muscle.” The heat rose in her cheeks. “Not that I’ve been looking, but it’s pretty obvious you keep in shape.” She wished she could hide her face without making the blush more obvious.

  “Why, thank you. You don’t do too bad yourself. I’m guessing you have some kind of program to keep yourself fit?”

  “Yeah, yoga. Cherish does it with me, I swear that little monkey’s better at it than I am.” A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

  He moved closer, his eyes locking on hers. “I don’t know about that, but the kid has some moves. I caught sight of her dancing in the yard the other day. Where did she learn to dance?”

  She nibbled her bottom lip. “We like to dance, but I do it behind closed doors and drapes so I don’t make a fool of myself. We turn on videos and have super-secret dance parties.” She fanned herself, feeling her cheeks flame.

  “Mila, you move with grace. I’m sure your dancing is anything but clumsy. In fact, I’m betting it’s a blast. One day, when I have kids, I’ll dance with them, without the drapes closed.”

  “Yeah, well, you can show off and probably not look like a fool. Not so much for me.”

  His eyes narrowed, as he took another step closer. “Why do you beat yourself up? Now don’t take this the wrong way, you’re beautiful, no denying it. I get dressing conservatively as a teacher. And I get not making a big fuss about clothes and makeup, because frankly you don’t need them. But you act like you aren’t worth the attention, and woman, you most certainly are. You’re funny, delightful, and easygoing. A joy to be around. So why put yourself down?” He moved closer, leaning against the island, next to the stool she was perched on.

  “I don’t,” she protested, but one dark brow rose. “Much?”

  “A lot,” Kyle replied.

  “Fine.” She sighed. “Look, I’m not interested in attention. I don’t need it, so I don’t put effort into drawing it.”

  He shook his head slowly. “Where the hell are you from? Because honestly, Mila, you’re stunning without the effort. Maybe more because you don’t seem to see yourself the way everyone else does.”

  “Some place where they put more value on appearance than they should.” She took the last bite of her cone.

  “I’m glad you’re here now.”

  The desire in his eyes made her nervous. She steered the conversation to safer territory even though she knew the answer. “What time is the barbeque?”

  His head tipped to the side. “Five.”

  “And should I bring more than dessert?”

  “Dessert is plenty. You don’t even have to do that.” He gave her an inviting smile. Then his tongue expertly licked a drop of ice cream from the cone before putting the last bite in his mouth. Seeing the pink tip flooded her body with need.

  “Right,” she squeaked, “I should go, still have work to do. Thank you again.”

  “Want me to walk you home?” He moved closer, crowding her. The way his eyes devoured her drove her crazy. She wanted to touch him, to kiss him, and she needed to do none of those things.

  “No, thank you. I’m right next door.” She forced herself to walk away at a normal pace. “Goodnight, Kyle.”

  “Goodnight, Mila.”

  She felt his eyes on her, and could hardly stand the note of sadness in his voice. Before she opened his door she turned back to find him inches away.

  The look in his eyes was tender. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. Again.”

  Even as the panic flared, it settled. Equal parts sincerity and desire lay in his eyes.

  Something her father always said came back to her. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Would it hurt to give this a chance, when he seemed to be everything she could hope for?

  She swallowed back her fear and offered a smile. “If it’s any consolation, I’m nervous around men in general. But, Kyle, I do enjoy your company, probably better than I should.” She took a quick breath and added, “If I didn’t still have work to do, I might consider staying longer.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Soon then, because I can’t get enough of your company.” He reached around her to open the door, and his scent enveloped her. Clean, strong, and very male. The rich chocolate ice cream had satisfied her sweet tooth, but there was one craving she was afraid to indulge.

  Nodding, she answered, “Tomorrow.”

  “Mmhmm.” The sound danced along her nerves, enticing. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mila.”

  “Tomorrow.” She scooted out the door and hurried home before he could touch her. If she let him, she wouldn’t want to stop. Her self-control was unraveling.

  Attraction was generally easy to overcome. Men learned about Cherish and ran the other way. Kyle, on the other hand, was undeterred. He seemed to understand they were a package deal, and she wasn’t used to that response. Her carefully built walls were starting to crumble.

  Except for that one night, almost six years ago, she didn’t lose control. She didn’t do reckless. Only the once, and never again. Yet, with Kyle, she wanted to. She trusted him, the same way she had trusted her phantom that Halloween night.

  Dangerous indeed. What if she was wrong about the fireman next door?

  She slipped inside and locked the door, resolved to finish grading those papers.

  * * * *

  Kyle flopped down on the couch and scrubbed his hand over his short hair. One question was on his mind. What is it about Mila Day that has me so enthralled?

  There was a daring woman lurking under the buttoned-down teacher. Passion’s fire burned in her eyes whenever she started to open up, but then she pulled it back in, hiding. He wanted to know who trampled her self-esteem so he could set them straight, preferably with his fists.

  His phone rang, and he dug it out of his pocket. “What’s up?”

  “Hey, so I hear Rene tried to get you to go to some big smarmy business party.” Gavin chuckled. “She called me to get the scoop on that teacher you’re so fond of.”

  Kyle grinned, recalling the way Mila lit up anytime she was talking about Cherish or teaching. How could anyone not like the way her lips curved into a smile, or the way her eyes filled with light?

  Gavin chuckled. “You with me, man?”

  What was the question? Oh yeah.

  Kyle groaned. “Yeah, Rene was being her usual self. She tried to bait Mila, who didn’t let it bother her. That seemed to get a rise out of Rene. I’m sure it won’t be the last I hear of it.”

  “My sister is a spoiled bitch. I swear I don’t know why you ever put up with her in the first place,” Gavin quipped.

  “Fuck if I know.” Sitting up, Kyle scrubbed a hand over his face, but a smile spread. “Mila gracefully let Rene’s shitty attitude roll off.”

  “So why did your pretty little teacher friend go home? When I drov
e by five minutes ago, she was headed up to her door. Alone.”

  “She has papers to grade, and I make her nervous.” He took a long breath and let it out. “Besides, she was working when I went over there earlier. She’s super organized and efficient, had her laptop set up, plugging in scores, filing the papers in a box of folders. Funny thing, she was listening to ‘Porn Star Dancing.’ It was real low, so until I got close I didn’t recognize the song, but she was tapping her foot, and mouthing the words while she worked.”

  Gavin laughed out loud. “You know, it’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. They’re wild in the sack. Always. You know how quiet Cadence seems when you first meet her.”

  “Yeah, let’s not go there. Cadence is like my sister.”

  “Let’s keep it that way,” he joked.

  Kyle dropped his head into his hand. “I don’t get it though. You’ve seen Mila. She’s a knock out, but she gets so nervous whenever I mention anything to do with her appearance.”

  “She’s a mom. Her first thought is of her kid. I have a feeling she’s very protective, which means she stopped thinking of herself as an attractive woman.”

  “She has to own a mirror. How can she not at least realize it’s the truth?”

  “Probably some asshole in her past. You’ll have to show her what you feel, what you think, what you want. Don’t leave out her little girl, because I have a feeling Cherish is the way to Mila’s heart.”

  He grinned. Gavin knew him so well. His oldest friend didn’t beat around the bush, and always told him the truth. “I’ve never been so drawn to a woman. Damn, it’s frustrating when she tries to push me away.”

  Gavin laughed out loud. “No shit. But you got to admit you show up everywhere she is. I know your intentions are good, but it’s starting to look like you’re stalking her, in the least creepy way possible.”

  “I can’t help it. The need to be near her is like an addiction I can’t shake—I’m drawn like a bee to pollen. I want to thread my fingers through those dark chocolate curls and taste her rose petal lips.”