“Laid something, that’s for sure.”
“Drew.” William glared at Drew and used his best big-brother tone. It clearly didn’t work any better now than it had then. Maybe he should use his dog handler voice next time.
Drew grinned. “Okay, okay. It’s your business.” His expression grew serious. “I have to admit, I was puzzled when I saw the story in the papers about you and Kathleen Bigsby. What’s—”
William gripped the handles of the treadmill. “What story?”
“You and Kathleen in a clinch at some fundraiser. The caption to the shot was ‘Wedding Bells?’ You didn’t know about it? It was in all the local rags and on the Internet.”
Shit. Had Danielle seen it? Even though she was the one who’d insisted on the nonexclusive clause in their agreement, he still felt like a cheater.
“Are you planning to marry this chick? And what does that make Dani? Your last fling before you tie the knot? That’s really cold, man.”
William hopped onto the ledges of the treadmill before he fell off. “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.”
“I can believe what I see. There was a photo. She was in your arms.”
“Kathleen and I have dated a few times. Nothing more than that.”
“So what’s this talk of wedding bells?”
“Ever since that Seattle’s Most Eligible Bachelor thing, every time the press sees me with a woman, they jump to that conclusion.”
“She’s very pretty.”
“What are you, my personal matchmaker? Kathleen’s a very fine woman, and she’d make a great wife and mother.”
Drew jumped onto the ledges of his machine and peered intently at William. “Sounds like they got something right.”
“I’ll admit I’ve been scoping out the women in my circle. Kathleen’s one of the best choices.”
“You’ve got some sort of list?” Drew asked, his brows hitting his hairline.
William rolled his eyes and stepped back onto the treadmill and started running. “You make it sound so mercenary.”
Drew followed suit. “That’s because it is. What happened to love?”
“I’m trying to find a woman who will be a great match for me professionally and personally.”
“And sexually? Have you and Kathleen… uh… done the nasty?”
“How old are you?”
Laughter erupted from Drew’s chest. “Look, I don’t want to know about your sex life, or lack of it. I just mean, don’t count that out. Sexual compatibility is critical. So if you’re involved with Kathleen, then you and Dani really are only roommates?”
“Drew,” William bit out in exasperation. “I’m not involved with Kathleen. We’ve just gone on a few dates.”
“Then you are involved with Dani?”
William growled and Drew grinned. “Come on. You’re involved with someone. A brother knows these things.”
“My lips are sealed.”
Drew’s grin fell and his face grew serious. “Just be sure, okay. If word gets out that Dani is involved with you, she’ll have to transfer to a new platoon.”
William’s grip tightened on the pulse meter. “And if there are no openings?”
“She’ll be off the rescue team.”
William’s stomach curdled. He’d known they were taking a risk, but for some reason, the possible impact to Danielle had never sunk in before. Drew’s economical and to-the-point statement drove it home like a battering ram.
“Good thing there’s nothing going on, right?” His brother slapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s hit the mats.”
William stumbled blindly over to the mats. Danielle could lose her position on the rescue team. How could she ever forgive him if that happened? He knew from his brothers how much work it took to make the team and how much it meant to them to be a part of that elite group of firefighters. Had Danielle truly understood the risks when she’d proposed their arrangement? Hell, Drew couldn’t be in Jamie’s platoon, even his being in Hollywood’s had been too touchy, since Jamie and Hollywood were best friends. Deep down, William had known, he’d just preferred to ignore it. Such a considerate lover he was.
“Are we doing this or not?”
Drew’s irritated voice pulled William back to the here and now. Hands on his hips, his brother waited on the edge of the mat. His face was hard, his muscles tensed, and for a moment, William wondered if he’d made a mistake asking Drew to show him some moves.
William shook it off. Drew wouldn’t hurt him… on purpose. “Let’s start.”
“Tell me what Dani did, and I’ll show you how to counter it.”
William did his best to replicate how Dani had flipped him over her shoulder the first time. “I ended up on my ass before I could even blink.” Drew just stared at William and grinned. Starting to feel uncomfortable, like Drew was making fun of him, William babbled on. “I don’t know how she did it. I mean, I’m almost twice her size.” Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. Drew was freaking him out. “What’s so fucking funny?”
“You,” Drew said, poking him in the chest. “The idea that little Dani could manhandle you like that has you all flustered.”
Yes. And no. She’d manhandled him in a lot of other ways too. He turned around, embarrassed. “I just thought I was stronger than that now. Guess I’m still a wimp even after all these years.” The words were barely out of his mouth when a palm smacked him between his shoulders and he was shoved forward.
“Enough with the pity party. So you got schooled by a girl. Big fucking deal. You aren’t used to fighting, that’s all.”
“Because you and Jamie did all my fighting for me.” William crossed his arms. Wimp.
Drew tugged on his arm. “Now’s your chance to strike back. Dani used a judo move on you. It was actually a great choice because your height and weight made it easier for her.”
William turned around and faced his brother. A second later, he was lying flat on his back, the air slammed out of his lungs. Drew leaned over him, his mouth curved into a sardonic smile. “Was that the move?”
If William’s eyes had been lasers, his brother’s hair would have been on fire. “You enjoyed that, you little prick,” he said as Drew pulled him to his feet.
“Damn right. It’s what you get for lying.”
“Drew—”
“Shut up and do it to me. I’ll walk you through the steps.”
After several attempts, William finally managed to flip Drew over his shoulder, feeling a curious sense of achievement when Drew’s back hit the mat with a resounding thud.
Drew quickly jumped up, his eyes bright with excitement. “Now here’s the counter move. When your opponent pulls your arm over her shoulder, she has to show you her back. That’s when she’s at her most vulnerable. Grab her by the waist with your free hand and use the arm she’s holding to put her in a chokehold. She’ll be at your mercy.”
At his mercy. He liked the sound of that. Really liked it. Drew made William repeat the move until he had it down pat.
“What else did she do?” Drew asked when he was satisfied with William’s performance.
This was going to be a bit tricky. How could he ask Drew how to keep Danielle from flipping him over in bed without giving anything away? “One time, I did manage to pin her… on a mat.”
Drew smirked. William chose to ignore him and forged ahead with the story. “Anyway, she did this thing with her leg and pushed on my shoulder. Again, next thing I knew, I was on my back.”
Drew rubbed his forehead, his lips pulled tight, clearly struggling not to laugh. “I can’t quite picture it. You’ll need to show me. I’ll be Dani.” He crawled onto the mat and sat down. “What should I do?”
“Lie flat.”
Once Drew was stretched out, William got in a pushup position above his brother.
Drew threw him a coquettish look. “I didn’t know this about you, hot stuff.”
“Fuck you.”
Drew laughed and in a perfect re
plica of what Danielle had done, he pinned William onto his back. Leaning in close, until their noses almost touched, Drew whispered, “Is this what she did?”
“Kiss me, and I’ll knee you so hard, your balls will be playing bumper cars with your tonsils.” William shoved his brother off him.
“Tell me again how you two got in this position?”
William stood, chest heaving with the effort to keep from blurting out the truth. “We were wrestling in the gym at my place. She was showing me some moves.”
“Oh, I’ll bet she was.”
“What are you trying to say, Drew?”
Drew held up his hands. “Nothing. Let’s do this again and I’ll show you a counter move. This time, you’re Dani.” After ten excruciating minutes of humiliation and in far closer contact than he ever wanted with his brother, William finally had a handle on a couple counter moves. He didn’t mind Danielle taking the lead in bed, but it was good to know he had a choice.
“You’re not very comfortable with this.” Drew studied William, an intense expression on his face.
“Comfortable rolling around on the floor with a guy? Fuck no.”
Drew laughed. Yeah, it was fucking hilarious. Drew bent at the waist as he tried to catch his breath. “You never did a team sport in high school; otherwise you’d have gotten over that pretty quick. No, I meant touching people, being touched.”
Averting his gaze, William nudged the edge of the mat with his foot. “I don’t have sex with my hands tied.” Usually.
“Good to know, brother. Although with someone you trust, that can be fun too.”
His brother brought up a good point. William trusted Danielle completely in the bedroom, but did it extend beyond that? He wasn’t sure. “I like touching women and being touched by them.” They’d never been the ones to bully him. “I’m uncomfortable with men doing it.”
“Why? Did something ever happen?”
“No. It’s just that there’s always someone bigger, stronger, who knows more techniques. It seems so fucking… vulnerable.” More vulnerable than being bound to a chair?
Drew smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Men are assholes.”
“Yes, we are.”
“But you know, you need to take risks for what you want.”
As William showered and changed, he wondered about his own choices. He could choose to be with Kathleen, a woman who would further his career goals and make him the center of her calm, organized, vanilla world. Or he could take a risk and pursue this thing with Danielle, a woman whose career might be ruined by him, who could no doubt become the center of his world and who certainly would shake up his calm, organized, vanilla life.
In the end, did he really have a choice?
Eleven hours into her shift, and Dani thought it would never end. Her lips curved up as she remembered why she was so tired in the first place. Will had surprised her by how enthusiastically he’d embraced the pony play. When her smile turned into a jaw-cracking yawn, she headed for the Beanery, as the kitchen was called, the reasons why long forgotten in Station 44’s colorful history.
A few years back, the City of Seattle had turned the station into a historic landmark, and Dani was glad it was protected. They’d modernized it and upgraded the facilities when it had gone through extensive seismic renovations last year, but it still had the feel of an old-time firehouse. The energy and fierceness of her predecessors, generations of brave firefighters, enveloped her whenever she was here. She chuckled to herself. Some of the old-timers would have been outraged to have a woman working here as part of the elite rescue team. Too bad. The brotherhood now included sisters.
Soft steps alerted her to someone coming down the hall. She leaned back to peek through the doorway and almost shrieked with delight. “Erica! It’s so good to see you.”
“There you are. Just the woman I was searching for.”
Dani pretended to lock her lips, then grinned. “I won’t tell Jamie.”
“Oh, I’ll see him after.” Erica winked.
It had only been a week since the lunch at the Caldwells’, but it had been several weeks since they’d had any privacy to chat. “So, how are things going? You both seem really happy since you got back from Hawaii.”
A flush colored Erica’s cheeks. “You should charge consulting fees. Thank you for giving me the courage to talk to Jamie. We had so many things to work out.”
“Nah. You guys did all the hard work.”
Erica’s eyes widened before she ducked her head and shielded her face with her long hair. Oh how Dani loved to tease her always poised and elegant friend. Based on what she’d gleaned about Erica and Jamie’s relationship, her friend wasn’t always so proper in the bedroom. It had been difficult for Erica to accept her sexual needs and to share them with her husband. Good for them. They were a perfect match. All they’d needed was a little prodding.
Dani’s relationship with Will was a much different story. They were a good match sexually, but that’s where it ended.
Erica touched Dani’s hand. “How was Texas?”
Inhaling deeply, Dani silently offered Erica a cup of coffee. They sat at the table with their drinks. “It was one of the toughest missions I’ve been on. So much senseless death, entire sections of towns razed to the ground.”
“Did you find any survivors?”
“We did. Thank God.”
“Then it was worth it.”
Dani nodded. Each life she and Coco saved made all the years of training, all the long days and sleepless nights, mean something.
“How are things with William?” Erica asked.
“He hasn’t strangled me yet, so I guess that’s a good sign. He does hate when I dry my delicates on the shower rod, but really, where else am I supposed to hang them?” Dani shrugged.
“Dani,” Erica admonished her gently. “Have you forgotten what you told me the night of the earthquake? Because I haven’t.”
To distract Erica and to reassure her that Dani and Jamie weren’t having an affair, Dani had confessed that she was in love with Will. She’d hoped that with everything that had happened since, Erica would have forgotten. So much for hopes. “That doesn’t change anything.”
“I’m not blind. I saw how he acted at the lunch.”
What could Dani say without exposing Will? If he wanted his family to know they’d moved beyond second-grade antagonism, he’d tell them. “We’ve become friends.” With benefits.
“That’s good. If you aren’t always trying to bite each other’s heads off, you’ll have a chance to talk and get to know each other. Maybe even—”
Dani put up her hand. “Don’t go there. You’ve been around the Caldwells long enough to know what Will’s plans are. There’s no room for me. Besides, he already has a girlfriend,” she said, her voice breaking on the last word.
“What? Who?”
Dani couldn’t help the traitorous spark that jumpstarted her heart. If Erica didn’t know about Kathleen, then it wasn’t all that serious. Right? At least not yet. She flipped open the laptop she’d brought along to read the news while she sipped her coffee. Turning it toward Erica, she showed her the photo of Will and Kathleen at the charity event. How ironic that Will’s date had been raising money for tornado victims Dani had spent days rescuing.
As Erica scanned the photo and read the article, her jaw dropped further and further. “This can’t be true. She’s all wrong for him.”
“On the contrary. She’s perfect for him. She’s got money and connections, and she’s cool and classy. Come to think of it, in appearance and personality, she’s a lot like—”
“Me,” Erica said, slapping her hands to her chest. “Which is why she’s so wrong for him. Sure, this Ms. Bigsby could help his career and the company—which is probably what his interest in her is really about—but on a personal level, she’s the opposite of what he needs.”
Dani took a sip of her coffee as she tried to find a kind way to say what she was thinking. “You get alon
g great with him. I’m sure she does too. She seems to be exactly what he’s looking for.”
“Unlike you.”
Dani scowled. “No need to rub it in.”
“Oh, honey. I’m not.” Erica put her hand on top of Dani’s and squeezed it gently. “Don’t you see? They’d make good friends, but they’re too much alike to be good… lovers.” She blushed and struggled to maintain eye contact.
It hurt to hear Erica say all the things Dani wanted to be true. She shook her head. “I disagree. If they have the same interests, they’d likely be very compatible… in bed.”
“Everyone needs a partner who will open them up to new experiences, challenge their limits. Even the best sex becomes boring if it’s always the same.” Erica patted her heated cheeks. Clearly she still wasn’t all that comfortable. But apparently she felt personal embarrassment was a small price to pay for their friendship, and Dani loved her even more for it.
What would Erica think if she knew about Dani’s sexual preferences? Would her friend be shocked? Think less of her if she found out? Dani was pretty sure Erica and Jamie were into some D/s, even if she didn’t know the details. Maybe Erica would accept her, maybe not. Either way, Dani couldn’t risk it. Couldn’t risk losing Will before her month was up. “You think I push Will’s limits?”
“You certainly push his buttons.” Erica grinned.
Dani wanted to laugh. Then she wanted to cry. “Maybe,” she choked out. “But the business is what’s most important to him right now.”
“Does this mean you and he haven’t…?”
Dani hesitated. She wanted to confide in her friend, but she’d promised Will to keep their relationship quiet. God! This was killing her. She wanted to shout her feelings for him from the top of the practice tower.
Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy) Page 15
