Smoldering Heart_Fleming Brothers [Book 1]

by Jennifer Vester

  “Maybe you want me to tell you all the things I want to do to you in bed. I like that look you get on your face when you think I’m talking dirty.”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes. A deep blush stole across her face.

  “Would you like me to tell you that you’re beautiful? Is that dirty talk? You are. Perfect lips, perfect eyes. A face that could haunt a man.”

  She pushed her food out of the way and stood up. “You don’t know anything about me. You see a face and that’s the only thing you see. I’m sure those lines work on other women, but that doesn’t work for me.”

  “I wasn’t giving you a line, Maddie.”

  “Forget it. Thanks for lunch, but I can get the rest of the shop cleaned up today on my own.”

  “Not a chance,” I growled.

  She scowled at me. “Just catch your guy. I hope he doesn’t pull a gun on you the next time, but I guess that’s part of the adrenaline high that you like. Risking your life like that is insane. Just leave me out of your hunt this week because I’m not interested.”

  Frowning at her, I wondered why she mentioned my job again. It seemed to be her biggest hang up with me. The risking your life thing flew out of her mouth and it didn’t add up.

  She also didn’t seem to like compliments, which was a new one to me. In my experience, all women liked to hear them. Maybe it was a little too much at this point, but I wasn’t going to be the one holding back on the way I saw things.

  I was being truthful when I told her that she was beautiful. She probably heard it a lot. It wouldn’t have mattered if she was half as pretty, she still would have pulled me in.

  She had passion behind those eyes of hers as she continued to glare at me. Something she probably wasn’t even aware of, like how sexy she was when she bit her lip.

  “Partial deal.”

  “What?” she asked, still looking down at me.

  “I’ll get your dad to repaint the house, and change some furniture, if you go on a date with me. Nothing crazy. Just a date.”

  She chewed on her lip for a minute. “Fine. What do you mean by partial?”

  “I have a stipulation.”

  She gave me another frown. “That’s not part of the deal. You already said deal.”

  “I said partial deal. How bad do you want that paint and furniture?”

  She sighed and crossed her arms over her perfect breasts.

  “Two dates, and I get to kiss you.”

  “On my forehead? Once or twice?”

  I shook my head. “My choice. Deal or no deal?”

  She huffed. “Fine. Deal.”

  My dick wanted to stand up and cheer, but I played it off and shrugged. She had no idea what she'd just gotten herself into.

  “Deal,” I said.

  I stood up from the table and threw a tip down.

  She uncrossed her arms and looked up at me. She was about to say something when I pulled her close suddenly and took advantage of the bargain she'd just struck.

  My lips came down on hers before she was able to protest, and I invaded. My hand went to the back of her neck so she couldn’t pull away. She tasted like our meal but there was an element that was all Maddie. Sweet, innocent and addictive.

  I slanted my mouth over hers, the softness of her tits pressing against my chest. If we were alone, I might have tried to palm those gorgeous mounds. I had bargained for kisses, but I seriously doubted she would stick to the deal if I tried anything else.

  For now, my raging hard-on would have to learn some patience.

  I pulled back, sucking at her bottom lip as I did, and stepped away.

  Looking over at the table filled with staring firemen, I gave them a chin nod and turned to leave. Maddie was still standing in the same place with a dumbstruck look in her eyes.

  Yeah, I had this. She was mine.

  Chapter Seven

  ~Madison~

  Stumbling out of the café, I wondered what had just happened. My head was telling me that it was amazing, but my heart came to a screeching halt and sounded the red alert.

  My cheeks felt like they were about to catch fire with both embarrassment and lust. What a kiss! And it hadn’t even been that long or drawn out. But the intensity of it had been off the charts. It wasn’t like I’d been kissed much in my life, but I wasn’t exactly inexperienced. I knew what a nice one was, and that definitely wasn’t it.

  I touched my lips for a moment and looked down the street as I heard him exit the café behind me.

  “So,” he said as he circled around to stand in front of me, “The floor has to dry for a bit and that lunch was a little heavy. Is there anywhere around here to walk it off?”

  My eyes narrowed on him for a minute. Men didn’t say that. In my limited experience they tended to finish a meal and start planning for the next one immediately. But then again, that was based on my dad, and Jason, both of which were very much alike.

  Pointing down the sidewalk, I said, “Erm, there’s a park about two blocks down. Nothing much but it has a bunch of little shops around it and a playground.”

  When he turned, his hand slid behind my back, and he started to guide me in that direction. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to the park necessarily, I had so many things to do at the shop. But the sun was out, it was warm, and the man beside me was…interesting.

  The word seemed extremely inadequate. Dynamic? Or was that just because he'd saved my life? Intriguing? He seemed more like a bull in a china shop. A mystery. That was more like it. He wasn’t like the men I knew. Or maybe he was. The problem was, I was attracted to him and I hadn’t really been attracted to anyone in a very long time. But why him?

  As we fell in step with each other, he didn’t say much at all. He just kept scanning the street, then he would pause at a window of some random shop and peer inside. Antiques, odd choice. Knife shop, more like it. The bakery, probably thinking about his next meal.

  “Do you want some coffee?” he asked.

  Smiling I said, “Sure, but it’s not just coffee. It’s girly coffee.”

  His eyebrow lifted. “That means?”

  “Well, it’s not so thick that a spoon can stand in it and it’s not burnt.”

  He scrunched up his nose and gave a mock shiver. “Sounds terrible. Coffee has to be at least the consistency of mud before it’s actually good.”

  I shrugged. “Just a warning. Although it is espresso so maybe you’ll like it.”

  “Ahh, so I have to know the lingo like half caff, skinny, caramel, two shots of whiskey and hold the cream?”

  I laughed. “Uhm, I don’t think they have whiskey.”

  He opened the door and waved me inside. “Fuck, this is going to be terrible.”

  Shaking my head, I sighed and stepped in. Whatever this little adventure was about, he was at the very least entertaining.

  The small café we stepped into wasn’t very busy and we ordered fairly quickly. Although Owen pretended ignorance and kept making weird faces, when it came to his request he spoke the lingo like a pro.

  After he paid, again, we wandered out of the shop and continued our walk.

  I glanced over at him taking his first sip and watched his face. He nodded once and looked around.

  “That good, or that bad?”

  He winked at me. “I’ve had a few girly coffees. Have to say, this is pretty damn good.”

  “Okay, so you’re a guy with a licensed gun, hired to take down bad guys where they lurk, that likes to read, and drink frou-frou coffee. Owen, you’re odd.”

  “I’m not odd. Okay, I take that back. If you asked my brothers, they would say I was odd. But they’re my brothers, and by default, we have to insult each other on a regular basis or the planet might explode.”

  I laughed. “What?”

  “The world turns because there’s a natural order to things, right?”

  “Yeah, agreed,” I said, wondering where he was going with this.

  He shrugged and gave me an amused look. “Well,
if my brothers weren’t insulting me half the time, and vice versa, then the natural laws of the Fleming family would be thrown off balance. It’s how we show each other affection without actually having to say it. If I punch one of them in the face, it has a lot of love packed in there somewhere.”

  Laughing, I nearly missed the turn to the park. I bumped into him, then straightened as he caught my arm in a firm grasp and turned me the right way.

  His hands were rough against my skin. It was a small thing to notice, but it fit with his overall personality. Not quite cultured, all alpha male, and hands to prove that he didn’t mind working. And I had no doubt that he worked hard at whatever he did in his life.

  After taking a drink of my coffee, I asked, “So, have you had to deal with a lot of criminals?”

  He glanced down at his cup for a moment and looked thoughtful. “Yes.”

  I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. “And…”

  He glanced at me and let out a long breath. “Madison, the world is an ugly place. There are a lot of people doing bad things to good people. It’s just a fact. I know that’s not what you want to hear, because you live in a very safe city in a safe bubble, but it’s true.”

  I opened my mouth to retort, but he cut me off.

  “So, I’ve dealt with murderers, rapists, thieves. Anything you can think of at one point or another. They make you detach from things in a way.”

  “How so?”

  We passed by a custom jewelry shop, and he paused briefly to look inside before we moved on.

  “Well, you get a little jaded about people. For instance, that guy coming around the corner down there. Friend or foe? Is he looking for a tourist to rob, or a place to steal from? Is he a nice normal guy, or is he going to pull a gun?”

  I blinked and followed his gaze to the man that was headed in our direction. It just so happened that it was Patrick. He was wearing jeans and had a baseball cap on his head. He spotted me, then his eyes slid to Owen. For a moment, I saw him frown before he ducked into a small hardware store.

  “Well that was my delivery driver, Patrick, so I think we’re safe.”

  He smiled. “It was? Typical small town. Where everyone runs into everyone else twice a day.”

  I elbowed him. “It’s not that small. It was coincidence.”

  “Right,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. “Anyway, you just start to look at things differently after a while. So, the answer to your question is, yes, I’ve dealt with a lot of bad people. And the answer to the question you’re thinking about is, yes, it wears you down and makes it hard to sleep at night.”

  It felt weird to have someone answer my unvoiced query. It'd been in the back of my mind since yesterday. What sort of man would want to work around violence? My first answer would have been, a violent man or one that was so emotionally cut off, that it didn’t affect him anymore. For Owen, it seemed like it was more tiring than anything.

  “Do you think you’ll ever do anything else?”

  He smirked. “Definitely. I’ve worked with guys that do this sort of thing, and I look at them and think, fuck, that’s not what I want to end up like. I can’t really describe it, but it seems like something is missing after a while. And none of them have relationships worth a shit.”

  “Like marriages?”

  He shrugged as we got to the corner across from the park. “That, and no friends or family that they seem close to. A lot of their bullshit is just bullshit. But when you really start looking at them, there’s not a lot of anything else in their lives.”

  His hand slid into mine as he guided me across the street. There was very little traffic, with most cars parked in front of businesses. Most people were either at work, or window shopping as they made their way down the block.

  When we reached the other side of the street, he let his hand drop and I almost wished he hadn’t let go. It felt nice, my hand in his. Another strange reaction on my part.

  “Sounds like a lonely career. Or maybe just one that eats at people.”

  He nodded and smiled. “Yeah, that’s it in a nutshell. I was just thinking about that yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, I love catching criminals. But it eats at you after a while. Like little pieces just keep getting taken away day to day.”

  I pursed my lips and gave him an amused look.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You.”

  “I’m never letting you hang out with my fucking brothers.”

  “What?” I asked with a laugh.

  He shook his head. “They don’t think I’m that smart either.”

  “I didn’t say you were stupid. I just questioned your reading material earlier. You’re thoughtful, and I didn’t expect that response.”

  He pointed toward a bench set in the middle of a grassy patch under a shady tree. We walked toward it and sat down, with a full view of the playground several feet away.

  His arm rested behind me on the bench, and he scanned the area with those perceptive green eyes of his. I wondered if he was looking for mothers with machine guns, or just getting the lay of the land.

  “So, what about you,” he asked nonchalantly. “Do you ever want to do something different?”

  I shrugged. “No. I’m where I need to be. And I like what I do.”

  He turned toward me, and his hand reached over to touch the back of my hand lightly. There was a tingling sensation as he traced over my knuckles that caused me to shiver.

  His mouth lifted on one side. “Eh, I think there’s more to it. C’mon, Maddie.”

  I licked my lips and glanced over to a group of mothers gathering around the playground. They were sitting at a picnic table, with strollers and baby bags brimming over with blankets, jackets, and bottles for the children playing near them. It made my heart clench, wanting to be in the same circumstances. A family, one that included babies, and a life with more than what I had at the moment.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are we doing out here? The real reason, not just working off lunch.”

  “We’re talking. And we’re getting to know each other. Simple.”

  “Hmm, why do I get the feeling that this has to do with dating?”

  “It’s a park date. But you still haven’t answered my question. Nice deflection, though,” he said.

  “Okay, I like writing love notes for people.”

  Owen laughed, stopped, then laughed again. “Alright, why?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s fulfilling. I get to be the person that makes someone’s day. Fills them with a little bit of hope that someone thinks about them. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try me.”

  “Well,” I replied, gesturing at the group by the playground, “That doesn’t happen on its own.”

  “Correct, it usually happens with sex.”

  I smacked his arm. “Not that! Gawd, that’s not what I was talking about. I mean, generally people find someone, and build a family. Generally, that starts with courtship.”

  “Courtship? Who uses that word? You mean dating and sex?”

  I shook my head and sighed. “You’re an idiot. Forget the sex.”

  “Hey, we can talk about sex anytime.”

  “Shut up, Owen. I was trying to say, that I like making things like that happen. I get a chance to when I make cards and flower arrangements for people. Or even if it’s for people that are sick. It’s a nice thing to be a part of, even when you aren’t really a part of it.”

  He made a small gesture toward the women I was referring to. “You could be a part of that. It’s not like you don’t have an opportunity. Is that not something you want?”

  I hesitated for a minute, chewing on my lip.

  Owen leaned toward me, his lips brushing against my ear, and whispered, “It’s not a hard question, beautiful.”

  “I did,” I said, as he leaned back again. “When I was younger, I was a lot like Rachel is now. I latched on to things that I thought I could change or would mean something. I guess after my
mom died, I was really looking for a normal family. That sounds awful, but I wanted the whole package.”

  Owen didn’t say anything, just kept gently rubbing across my hand.

  “Anyway, I didn’t date much back then. Believe it or not, I was actually an ugly duckling.”

  Owen chuckled. “A what?”

  “I was all arms and legs, with absolutely no ability to dress myself. I was on several high school committees, though, and helped out my dad a lot when he needed it. I was kind of nerdy, if you want to use that term.”

  “Okay, so what?”

  I pulled back the hand he'd been touching and laid it across my stomach. “So, I was outgoing, I tried everything. I wanted to be the first on Mars and everything in between. But it didn’t get me any dates, because I was loud and overzealous sometimes. And for someone who wanted to go to Mars, with a kickass job, baby, and husband, that sort of wears you down. For me at least. I was kind of an outsider, you could say.”

  “So, now that you’re the most gorgeous woman on the planet, why don’t you date?”

  I shook my head. “Owen. Stuff happens. I thought I had a chance at that once, then it went away.”

  What I didn’t say to him, and what I really didn’t want to tell him, was that Jason had been that chance. When we met, we were young, and I'd liked him a great deal. He was social, outgoing and seemed larger than life. He was always surrounded with friends in school, played on the football team, and for some reason, liked me. It was a strange friendship at first and one that no one had really understood. But he'd been supportive, understanding, and had even joined in my crusades.

  After graduation, I'd grown to love him deeply. We'd been so intertwined that I honestly thought that there was no Maddie without Jason, and vice versa. It'd been an easy transition into his life. He'd never once excluded me from anything he thought or did. Not once had he told me that the things I wanted in life, were wrong to reach for. In a relatively small town, where everyone knew everybody else, he'd accepted me, exactly like I was, and made me love myself. We had two amazing years together when we finally started dating, filled with a lot of promise, just not enough time. Then the fire had happened, and nothing was ever the same. The one person that I knew really saw me, and understood me, had been snatched away.