Up In Flames: Body HeatCaught in the Act

by Lori Foster

  “Yeah, and at your age,” Zack retorted, “I’d have thought you’d outgrown your adolescent obsessions.”

  The three of them sat in the corner booth at Marco’s, a casual Italian restaurant they’d first discovered five years ago. It was central to where they each worked, in the downtown area.

  They came often, more so every year, it seemed, until now they met almost daily for lunch and often for dinner, too. None of them was married. Josh remained a confirmed bachelor, Zack was now a widower and Mick...well, Mick hadn’t met the right woman. His criteria were strict, but to his mind, marriage was forever. He’d seen the worst quite often, marriages made in hell and sustained with sarcasm and cheating and drink. He’d also witnessed that elusive best, unions overflowing with love and trust and support. No way would he settle for less than what he knew could and should be.

  Because of their different jobs—each of them stressful—and their lack of romantic ties, meeting at Marco’s was about as close to a domestic routine as the three men ever saw.

  The restaurant served as a place for celebration—a promotion, a new house, whatever came up that seemed celebration-worthy. They also commiserated with each other there, as when Zack’s young wife had died and he’d wanted to retreat from life, not seeing anyone, not doing anything except coddling his little girl. Or after Mick had gotten shot in the leg and missed several weeks of work, making him edgy.

  Mick’s life was all darkness and threats and caution. Ugly. Except here at Marco’s, and with the people he trusted—his two friends, his family.

  No one else. At least, not yet.

  No woman had ever snagged his attention long enough to build a trust, certainly never for anything serious. Until now.

  Now he was intrigued.

  “Mick, tell this fool that breasts don’t lift to the sun like a flower.” Josh laughed at his own jest. “If they’re damn near touching her chin, she’s wearing a push-up bra.”

  Mick glanced at Zack and grinned. “Josh is an idiot where women are concerned—including his insane fascination with breasts, which, I agree, he should have outgrown years ago.”

  Josh shook his head in a pitying way. “Men do not outgrow their fascination with breasts. You two are just weird.”

  “A real woman,” Mick told him, “would chew you up and spit you out.”

  “A real woman?” Zack asked, feigning confusion. “You mean someone with an IQ higher than ten? Why would Josh date anyone smarter than he is?”

  Josh said, “Ha-ha. You’re just jealous.” He grinned and added, “Besides, the ladies have better things to do with their mouths when they’re around me. Chewing is definitely out.”

  All three men laughed. “So,” Josh said, “if you two abnormal specimens aren’t turned on by a woman’s breasts—which should be soft and natural, not shoved heavenward—then what does do it for you?”

  Mick groaned. “Didn’t we have this discussion back in high school?”

  “Yeah, but it’s still interesting.”

  “Bellies,” Zack blurted.

  Josh raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

  For the moment, Mick felt content to just listen.

  “I love a woman’s belly.” Zack leaned back, smiling to himself. “Not all muscled up the way some women want to do these days. Just a nice soft smooth woman’s belly.” He nodded, confirming his own conclusions. “Very sexy.”

  Josh considered that, then nodded, too. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. Bellies are hot. But not belly button rings.”

  “No,” Zack agreed. “A good belly doesn’t need decoration.”

  “What about you, Mick?” Josh prodded. “Long legs? Great ass? What?”

  Mick took another bite of his BLT, almost by rote, not because he was hungry. He considered his reaction when he’d seen her for the first time. What had he noticed? What had caught his eye and kept him so interested, to the point he almost felt obsessed?

  He glanced out the dim window again. It was a miserable, dank July day, breezy, with fat purple clouds hanging low in the sky.

  She should be coming along any minute now.

  He’d first noticed her at his old neighborhood. He’d been there to rent out the upstairs apartment of the building he still owned, the same building he’d once lived in as a child. There were a lot of...unpleasant memories for him there, along with a few special ones. He kept the building as a reminder to himself that his life had changed, he had changed, but he was still a product of his upbringing.

  Evidently, she rented from the building next door, because she had come down the walkway to the street and headed toward the post office, letters in her hand. It worried Mick, because no one traipsed around unprotected in that area. To call it rough would be a gross understatement.

  But there she’d been, strolling along without a care. He hadn’t hesitated to follow her, making certain she remained safe, enjoying the back view of her as she strutted along, her stride long and sure and almost cocky.

  The sun was blistering hot that day, shining down on her blue-black, shoulder-length hair, hair so silky it appeared fluid when she moved. Soft, light blue eyes looked beyond everything and everyone, including Mick, as if a great distraction held her. He’d been nearly spellbound by her tall, willowy body with its incredibly long, slim legs and broad, fragile shoulders. Strangely enough, even when she came back out of the post office and went past him, again oblivious to her surroundings, he hadn’t noticed her breasts. All his attention had been on her face, with its strong jaw, straight nose, pale eyes.

  Mick wondered for an instant what Josh would think of his oversight.

  Because he wanted to meet her, wanted to get to know her and have sex with her until he passed out from sheer exhaustion, he wasn’t about to discuss her with Josh or Zack. So he merely shrugged. “It’s a combination of things, and it’s different with every woman.”

  Before either Josh or Zack could respond to that obscure reply, Mick saw her. Blindly, he laid his sandwich aside and twisted in the booth to better see out the window. Regardless of the drizzling rain, the gray sky, he’d expected her. A little rain wouldn’t chase her inside. No, not this lady. She jogged every day around the same time, the same place. Or at least she had for two weeks now. It felt like fate, seeing her first in an area where he owned property, and then here again, where he routinely visited.

  Zack, being a reasonable sort, hadn’t complained much when Mick had made him move so he’d have the window seat. Josh, though, was unreasonable, always. Outrageous bordering on obnoxious. He’d demanded, all with laughter and taunting grins, for Mick to admit who he was watching for. Mick had refused, but now it didn’t matter.

  The second he shifted his attention, going on alert, Josh noticed.

  “Aha! There you go, Zack. I think we’ll get to see this mystery lady any second now.”

  Mick told him, rather succinctly, what he could do with his speculations. But that didn’t deter Josh; if anything, it made him more curious.

  Both Josh and Zack twisted around, and they, too, watched through the window. The streets were crowded during the lunch hour. Open umbrellas jumped with the breeze as people milled up and down the sidewalk.

  And there she was, weaving in and out of human traffic as she jogged, her head uncovered, her clothes better suited to a bright spring day than drizzling rain. Funny thing was, she went right past them, inky-black ponytail bouncing, rainwater dripping off her nose and darkening her sweatshirt, and still Josh and Zack looked, searching the crowds.

  They hadn’t realized she was the one.

  Mick’s body knew that she was. Just seeing her now, bedraggled and wet and distracted, he wanted her. His muscles felt tight, his blood hot, his flesh prickly. Damn, if just watching her jog did this to him, how would it feel to kiss her, touch her, to slide deep inside her and hear he
r moan out a climax?

  He felt the stirrings of an erection and muttered a curse. Insanity, he decided, but it couldn’t be helped.

  To hide his reaction, he grinned and leaned into the corner of the booth. Now that she’d gone by, he could face Zack and Josh and still keep an eye on her for about half a mile on the long, straight street. He glanced, and saw there was almost no jiggle to her firm little butt in the skintight biker shorts. His large hands would cover that bottom completely, and he’d hold her still, keep her steady for his thrusts....

  Josh interrupted his very interesting imagery. “So? What are we looking for?”

  “Nothing now.” Mick deliberately sipped his coffee, knowing he had to get control of himself. And he had to get her; maybe after he’d made love to her for no less than ten days, he’d be able to get her out of his system.

  A comical look on his face, Josh stretched past Zack, nearly knocking his plate off the table, and pressed his nose to the window. He looked and looked and finally said, “Damn it, there’s nothing, no one, out there worth staring at!”

  Mick and Zack shared a look. Zack shrugged. “If you’re only looking for breasts, that could be. Maybe Mick was looking for something else.”

  Josh frowned at Zack. “No way. You know he’s straight. We’ve both seen him with women.”

  Mick spewed his coffee. Zack burst out laughing, and several women in the restaurant looked their way. They kept looking, smiling, flirting, and Mick shook his head. “You’re drawing attention to yourself again, Josh.”

  “Me? I’m not the one laughing like an idiot.”

  “You don’t need to laugh,” Zack told him, “to be an idiot.” Then slowly, as if speaking to a half-wit, he said, “I meant Mick was maybe looking at a woman who wasn’t top-heavy. Just because it’s your ultimate definition of what makes a woman, that doesn’t mean the rest of us agree.”

  Josh studied Mick. “That right?”

  “That you have strange ideas about women?” He took another sip of coffee and shrugged. “Yeah.”

  “I meant,” Josh said, exasperated, “is she...lacking in the upper works?”

  “As far as I can tell,” Mick told him, a little annoyed and not sure why, “she’s not lacking anywhere.”

  That only perplexed Josh more.

  Mick again peeked out the window, and to his surprise, he saw her turn at the corner, cross the street and start back toward him. There was no more jiggle from her front than there’d been from her back. When she was just opposite the restaurant, she slowed and finally stopped. She rested her hands on her knees while she breathed deeply, heedless of the light rain and his avid attention.

  When she straightened again, she stretched her arms high. Her shirt rose, showing a very sweet belly that Zack no doubt would have adored. Captivated, Mick continued to stare at her while a slow heat stirred deep inside him. She walked into the jewelry store located directly across from the restaurant, and Mick made up his mind.

  Pushing aside his plate, he stood. So many times over the past few weeks he’d considered following her, initiating a conversation, introducing himself. He didn’t want to rush her, but he’d dreamed about her twice, so he knew his fascination wasn’t about to go away. Now seemed like as good a time as any to make his move. “I’ll be back.”

  Josh and Zack stared at him, blank-faced. Mick was aware of a thread of urgency vibrating through his blood. It had been like that from the second he first saw her, and every moment after when he watched her. He couldn’t put his finger on it, couldn’t tell anyone outright what it was about her that appealed to him, what pushed him over the edge. He only knew he wanted her. Bad.

  As he dodged cars and puddles in the roadway, and muddy, slick spots along the curb, he wondered—for about the hundredth time—if she’d been in the area awhile, or if she’d only recently moved in when he first saw her. He’d been buried in work for the past two months, putting in seventeen-hour days, so it was possible she’d been close by for longer than two weeks.

  He could get another assignment any day, so he had to take advantage of the opportunity now.

  He hoped like hell she was single. Since first seeing her, he’d studied her closely. There weren’t any rings on her fingers, but then he knew women who didn’t wear them, especially while jogging. Not once in the two weeks of his awareness had he seen her with anyone, definitely not a man, but that, too, could be a fluke.

  Mick turned up the collar on his windbreaker and darted across the sidewalk, trying to keep as dry as possible. He didn’t have to look behind him to know both Josh and Zack would be craning their necks, their noses pressed to the window, spying on him. It was totally unlike him to chase a woman.

  It was totally unlike him to be interested enough to bother chasing.

  Thunder boomed, echoing over the street and rattling windows just as he stepped through the jewelry store’s ornate front door. Air-conditioning hit him, chilling his damp skin. He brushed his hair back from his forehead and looked around. Glass cases were everywhere, some large, some smaller to showcase a certain piece, and there, in the far corner, she stood. Dressed in her running wear she looked very out of place, conspicuous and unique in the upscale, glitzy store. She also looked sexy as the original sin with her skin dewy from the drizzle and sweat, her cheeks flushed from exertion, her hair as much out of the ponytail as in, wet and sleek.

  Damn, he thought, annoyed with himself. She wasn’t that pretty, was in fact kind of plain. She wore no makeup, but her lashes and brows were as dark as her hair. Her nails were short, clean. She had a nice body, strong and sleek, fine boned, but not overly curved, not typically sexy.

  Not the type of body to make him sweat at the sight of her.

  She didn’t give out signals or flirt or even pay much attention to men, not that he’d noticed.

  His eyes widened. God, maybe she didn’t even like men. That’d be a kicker, one he wouldn’t, couldn’t accept. Not when the mere sight of her turned him on. He didn’t just want her; he felt as if he had to have her, just as he had to sleep or eat. It was the damnedest feeling, and he wasn’t happy with it or himself.

  She didn’t appear interested in any particular item as she moseyed from case to case, peering inside, then shaking her head and moving on. For the moment, Mick was content to watch her. He slipped his hands into his jeans pockets, then quickly pulled them out again when he realized that negligent pose might expose the weapon in the waistband holster at his back. Being off duty, he didn’t need the gun, but he always carried it.

  In this day and age, his cover wouldn’t have been believable without it. Drug dealers, prostitutes, gamblers...they all expected you to be armed, and if you weren’t, you were considered an idiot, or worse.

  Usually, even when conditions didn’t call for a weapon, he managed to smuggle in the Smith & Wesson 9 mm in an ankle holster. There were times, though, when he had to go without, leaving him feeling naked, and those were the times when he got most tense, when the adrenaline rush was all but blinding. He always wanted a woman afterward, a way to release all that pent-up energy.

  He wanted a woman now.

  He wanted her.

  Moving closer, watching her, he was amazed that she didn’t feel his attention, so acute that it had him half-hard again with expectation. It had always been his experience that blatant staring was felt like a stroke of ice. But then, she was a civilian, and he’d already noted the first day he saw her how heedless she could be of her surroundings. It amazed him sometimes that people could survive with so little caution.

  The door chimed behind Mick and more people entered. Two men, dressed much like Mick in jeans and T-shirts, wearing sneakers, one in a ball cap. They appeared to be in their mid-thirties, clean, middle-class. As a cop, Mick automatically took in everyone and everything. He’d already noted the two salesladies, the older c
ouple looking at cocktail rings for an anniversary. He picked up on actions and quiet dialogue and expressions.

  Caution was as basic to him as breathing. And because he wasn’t a civilian, wasn’t oblivious, he immediately detected the sudden charge in the air despite the nonthreatening scene and apparently ordinary people. It had come in like the wind with the men, and Mick didn’t like it worth a damn. He had a keen sixth sense, and he trusted it more than he trusted appearances.

  The woman looked up, around, made brief eye contact with the two men who’d entered, then again with Mick. Their gazes locked and held for an instant, an instant that made his gut clench with awareness. She gave him a small smile, a simple, friendly smile that nonetheless heightened his tension, before she turned away again.

  Senses on alert, Mick followed her, not too close, in no way obvious, but keeping her within reach. Because the shop was small and crowded with displays, the air thick and humid from the rain outside, he could detect her scent. It was earthy and rich, warm woman, damp skin and clean female sweat. His heart punched hard, a little fast; his sex thickened. He’d been too long without a woman, too long without any sexual relief. Sometimes being a contrary bastard was a real pain.

  Her wet running shoes squeaked on the ceramic tile floor as she browsed, appearing to study the shop, not just the wares but the structure, the setup. Mick frowned as he watched her, further intrigued and a little distracted. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the men reach into his jacket pocket, and a silent alarm screamed inside Mick’s head.

  He jerked around, but not quickly enough.

  “Everyone stay still and calm.” The guy waved a SIG Sauer .45 around the room with menacing intent. “No one panic or do anything stupid,” he said with a sneer, “and I won’t have to kill anyone.”

  Damn, damn, damn. Mick took a quick, inconspicuous glance around. The elderly woman, clinging to her husband, looked ready to faint, while the salespeople stood motionless, frozen in horror. His movements so slight that no one paid him any mind, Mick edged closer to the woman he’d followed. She stared at the gunman, her blue eyes darker now with fascination, but he saw no real fear.