Burned: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants #8)

by Flora Ferrari

  Liam

  I sit down with my coffee black and mull over the paperwork inside the packet. I’ve got a mountain of forms to fill out and forty-eight hours to do it. I look up and shake my head in disbelief. I sign up to save people’s lives and then when I do I’m put on leave and asked to be a pencil pusher. As my head moves from side to side in disbelief I catch a girl standing up from her table. She sure looks familiar and she’s coming right towards me. She looks a bit young to be one of those women who hang out here across from the station trying to pick up a fireman for a night.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Logan?” Then it hits me. It’s the girl from the apartment building. I stand up and offer her a chair.

  “Yes, I’m Mr. Logan. Please have a seat.”

  “Mr. Logan, I’m Emma Jones. You saved me from that fire a few weeks back.”

  Damn! This girls is beautiful. I didn’t get a very good look at her the day of the fire. She was in her pj’s in a room full of smoke, but now that she’s all cleaned up, holy smokes! I do my best to keep my eyes from racing down her curves. It takes all my focus to keep my eyes locked on hers. Her beautiful, dark eyes. Wow, she is stunning.

  “Yes, I remember. It’s good to see you out and about in less life-threatening situations.”

  She smiles. “And you too,” she says. “Mr Logan,” she begins.

  “Please, call me Liam,” I say. Damn, I’m getting too friendly with her. I need to keep it professional right now.

  “Okay. Liam,” she says. “I-I-I just wanted to say thank you for what you did for me. I mean, it was a really scary situation but you weren’t scared. You came up there and you saved my life. If you hadn’t I wouldn’t be here today.”

  I could see her lower lip starting to tremble. “Please, don’t mention it. Really. I was just doing my job.”

  “But you weren’t,” she says. “I saw in the news. I mean it was impossible to not to see. You weren’t supposed to rush up there like you did, but you did, and I’m here today because of it. You’re a hero. My hero.”

  The moment I saw her I got hard, but when she says those words my cock strains to break free. Being called a hero by this girl has me wanting to slide these coffees off the table and take her right here and now.

  “Just doing my job. Really.” She stares at me like she knows something I don’t.

  “Mr. Logan. Sorry, Liam. Do you know who I am?”

  That was out of left field. “Come again?” What, she’s some kind of rich kid or somebody who thinks they’re important. Her words suddenly seem out of character.

  “Do you recognize me?”

  Am I on candid camera? What the fuck is this shit she’s trying to pull now. No way the boys would have set me up for this. This is seriously getting weird really fast.

  Then it hits me. There’s a little mole on her face. I’ve seen that before, but I can’t place it. I know I’ve seen this girl before.

  “Something’s familiar about you, but I can’t put my finger on it,” I say, realizing this girl’s not messing with me.

  “I’m your daughter’s best friend.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Emma

  Y ou’ve got to be kidding me. It is you,” he says. “Wow. Emma right? I’m sorry for not noticing. How have you been? How long has it been?”

  He does remember me. “It’s been a long time.” I count in my head quickly. “Sixteen years now.”

  “So you must be…”

  “Twenty-one. I was five when you last saw me. At Jennifer’s first school birthday party. Kindergarten.”

  A small noise escapes his mouth, quickly replaced by a smile. “Wow, time sure does fly.”

  “It sure does,” I say. And time certainly has been good to Liam. I had seen photos of him at Jennifer’s house, but never in person. Not for all those years. I could see in the photos that he was in great shape and very good looking, but now seeing him here in person I could really see the real him. There was something about him. When he recognized who I was there was this sparkle that suddenly shined in his eyes. It was like he was connected to a happier time. Back when he was together with his ex-wife and Jennifer was just a girl.

  And I quickly realized most of the pictures were outdated. He was older now. More refined. He had a calmness about him that boys my age didn’t. At first I though maybe it was just the situation weighing on him, but I could see now it was more of a maturity sort of thing. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere, at least definitely not like that night he had been when he rushed up those stairs to save me.

  “You’re…a young woman now,” he says. His eyes quickly take me in and then he comes back to my face. I’m not sure if he just checked me out or it was just more of a surprise to see me after all these years.

  “Yes, I’m in college. UT.”

  “Hook ‘em horns,” he says. “How’s college?”

  “It’s great. You know, probably about the same as when you went there.”

  He takes a sip of his coffee. His mood suddenly changing. “I was only there a semester. I stopped going once Nikolina got pregnant with Jennifer. I took a job with the station and she went off to Skopje.”

  “Skopje?”

  “Yeah, I know. Sounds like an Italian mouthwash. It’s the capital of Macedonia. It’s where she’s originally from. It’s very beautiful there. She said she wanted her mother around to help out. Looking back, it was the first sign that things weren’t going to work out between us. Sorry, these aren’t your problems.”

  “It’s okay. I never knew.”

  I could see how hurt he was just thinking about this. I felt bad for bringing it up and now I understood better why Jennifer loved her father so much, but wasn’t able to spend much time with him. It was her mother who had been pulling her out of school off and on when we were kids. It was one of the reasons she had trouble making friends. All the trauma must have made her shy, just like me. No wonder we bonded so well.

  I was surprised she had never told me this. And I was even more surprised now, that she hadn’t told me it was her dad who had pulled me from the fire. I really felt like I was getting in the way of this family.

  “Well,” I begin. “I just wanted to say thank you for what you did for me. I’ll never forget it.” Time to make a quick exit.

  “You’re welcome.”

  I stand to go and suddenly I feel a hand wrap around my forearm. If it had been any other guy trying to restrain me like that I would have been irate, but there was something about his touch. It was strong, but gentle at the same time. I felt electricity shoot through my body. His hand so big and strong. I could feel his rough skin on mine.

  “Stay,” he says. He’s looking up at me through those tortured eyes. I’m a sucker for helping people, animals, and anything that looks sad. This is different though. I can’t determine if it’s sadness or if it’s something else. I look at him deeply and know my pupils must be dilating, revealing my thoughts. The more I study his face, the more intensity I see. He’s not sad about his family. He’s sad I was about to leave.

  CHAPTER 6

  Liam

  E very single fireman who wasn’t on duty showed up. There are even news crews outside. They asked me for a statement, but I knew better than to give them one. I’m not going to say anything right now. I want to get cleared and back to work. Back to doing what I do best. Helping people.

  I’m shaking hands like I’m running for office. I might as well be. It’s a show of support that all the guys at my station are behind me. They’re putting pressure on the city and the chief to reinstate me. Hard to tell if it’s working or not, but in the meantime a drink sounds like exactly what I need. I grab a beer and make my rounds around the bar. The guys at the station have been coming to Frank’s for years. He’s retired now and spends most of his time behind the bar making sure we don’t go thirsty.

  Everyone wants to talk to me and I’m doing my best to make my way around the room to see if she’s here. We spoke for an hour in that coffe
e shop the other day and I was so taken back by how wise she was. She seemed like she was twenty-one going on thirty-five. The way she spoke. Her posture. How she was such a great listener. We really clicked and I couldn’t wait to see her again. She said she’d come tonight but I hadn’t seen her yet. Maybe she’d come later with Jennifer. It made sense.

  One person that definitely had showed up was Nikolina. That real estate guy she ran off with over a decade ago had decided to ‘trade her in for a newer model,’ she had told me last month. Funny…that’s about how I felt fifteen years ago. It started sixteen years ago with flights to Europe and ‘meetings’ she had to take for Jennifer’s benefit. I had assumed ‘meetings’ meant stuff at school. I would have never guessed it meant her making out with some guy named Bob inside the houses he was showing. A year later she dropped the bomb on me.

  But now she was trying to angle her way back in. I wasn’t having any part of it, but she was relentless. I figured she’d get the hint and find someone else, but it wasn’t working. I just didn’t want her showing up here tonight, causing a scene. Especially not if Emma took me up on my offer.

  A couple hours later the crowd starts to thin and I realize I’m out of luck. I head to the restroom and on the way I notice two girls at a table over in the corner. Jennifer gives me a sly little wave and I throw up my arms.

  “What are you two doing over here?” I ask.

  “Saw mom was on the prowl and all the guys wanted to talk to you. I knew my turn would come later.”

  But what about Emma’s turn? “Thanks for thinking of me, sweetheart.”

  “You’re welcome,” she says. “Dad, this is my friend, Emma. You probably recognize her from some of my photos.”

  Damn, she didn’t tell her we had met. I don’t keep secrets from my daughter. I process it quickly thinking Emma probably did it to protect me. I am still on administrative leave and who knows where this thing with her is going to go. I sure know where I’d like to go. Where I’m going to do my damn best to make it go.

  “Hi Emma,” I say, extending my hand.

  She puts her hand in mine and everything comes roaring back. The electricity of her touch. My cock hardens instantly. My desire for her intense and immediate.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Captain?” I hear as a hand is placed on my shoulder. It’s Smitty. He’s a great guy, and in any other circumstance I’d be happy to put in a good word. Just not this time.

  “Family time, Smitty.”

  “You’re joking me. Your daughters are h-o-t.”

  “Okay,” I say, wrapping my arms around him and helping him to a barstool. I ask Frank to call him a cab and hurry back to Emma and Jennifer.

  “Sorry about that. He’s three sheets to the wind.”

  “It’s okay, dad. Believe me…that’s a lot nicer than the approaches we get on campus sometimes.”

  I catch up with Jennifer for about twenty minutes before she says they have to get going. Apparently they’re headed to some big party later. Is Emma seeing someone? She better not be back with that boy who almost got her killed. I feel anger boiling in my chest and then breathe deep to calm myself down. I’ll ask Emma about his privately.

  I stand with the girls outside and help them into a cab. They’re gone and I head back inside the bar to say goodnight to the remaining guys who showed up to offer their support.

  Ten minutes later I feel a tap-tap on my back. I turn around and there she is.

  “Emma.”

  “Hey there.”

  “I thought you went out?”

  “I didn’t feel like it so I stayed in the cab and circled back.”

  “What about Jennifer?”

  “She saw some friends she knew. She’s okay.”

  “You decided to come back.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell Jennifer about how I came to see you.”

  “I was wondering about that. Let’s talk outside.”

  We step outside the bar and down the block a bit. If there are any reporters left this story will be too juicy for them to pass over. Not either of us need at this point.

  “Why didn’t you say anything to Jennifer?”

  “I don’t know,” she says.

  Don’t know because she’s feeling the same thing I’m feeling? I decide it’s not worth pressing right now.

  “Did you have fun tonight?”

  “Yeah, it was great. The people in there really care about you.”

  “Or they like two for one drink specials,” I say, wanting to keep the mood light.

  “We all like that,” she says.

  “We do, but there was something more that I enjoyed tonight. Something a lot more important.”

  She doesn’t say anything at first, sensing how my mood is more serious. “What’s that?”

  “You,” I say.

  She pauses again before giving me some politically correct answer. “That the person who got you into this mess was there to show you support?”

  “I don’t think anyone even noticed you were there. No offense. You arrived early and sat in the back the entire time. I’m not sure the media even went inside so I think you flew completely under the radar.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, not exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Fuck, it’s make it or brake it time. My career. My relationship with my daughter. Everything.

  “You didn’t fly under my radar. I sure noticed you.”

  “Thank you,” she says in a hushed tone.

  “Not only did I notice you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the coffee shop.”

  “How I can help you get your job back? I’ll do whatever you want. I don’t want this to be because of me.”

  “Everything is because of you now, but not like that.”

  Her pupils dilate and I can see her pulse is quickening. “What do you mean?”

  I pull her in close and kiss her. It’s nowhere near gentle. Her eyes shoot open in shock, but she doesn’t pull away. I go for another kiss, more gentle this time. I take her in, tasting the alcohol on her lips. We’re standing under a street light on the sidewalk just before midnight midweek. It’s like a spotlight is on us, and I don’t care. In fact I relish in it. I’m proud to be here with her. Shine the spotlight on us. I’d gladly give away everything for what I feel when I’m with her.

  Everything has happened so quickly, but when you know you know. She’s the one for me. There’s no point in trying to deny it, nor would I want to.

  I feel her hands try to wrap around me, but I’m too big.

  I hear the bar door open and reality kicks back in. She pulls away and straightens her clothes. I don’t even notice it at first. All I could see was her face. All I could taste was her lips. And all I could feel was my cock trying desperately to free itself and plunge deep into her.

  CHAPTER 7

  Emma

  I ’ve never been kissed so passionately my entire life. His kiss left no doubt about his intentions. And his cock pulsing against me reaffirmed his true feelings. I’d only had two beers over a few hours so I was far from drunk. I wasn’t even buzzed, at least until he claimed me so savagely. The feel of his stubble against my cheek. The way his strong arms engulfed me. His scent cloaking me from every direction. I was intoxicated by him, and I had to have more.

  But right now I had to think about him. If he was caught kissing me it could open him up to all kinds of trouble. I’d already brought enough problems into his life, so I had to stay smart…for both of us.

  The man walks out of the bar and fortunately there are a line of cabs already waiting. He hops in and the cab pulls a U-turn and is off into the night.

  I slide in closer. “Maybe out of sight a little more,” I say.

  He slides his feet back and I follow in short choppy steps. We both laugh, but there’s nothing funny when he quickly spins me around and I feel my back against the w
all of the building behind me and his lips crashing down onto mine.

  His hand slides up along my cheek. I feel his strong, calloused fingers against my skin as he pushes a locket of hair behind my ear. His cock like a steel rod pressing against me again.

  Richard was nearly half his age but never kissed me like this. He was never as hard as this either. It’s now glaringly apparent that getting him out of my life was just the wake-up call I needed. Liam was older, stronger, and bigger…in every way. I hadn’t spent much time with him, but I could see he was always clear with what he wanted. He didn’t have the time or need to play games. I liked his directness. The only time he had been careful with his choice of words was when we first met. When I approached and at first he didn’t know my intentions. With that out of the way I had no need to wonder exactly what he wanted, and what he was going to pursue with everything he had. And not to stop until he got it. Me.