Love is a Fire

by Lyssa Layne

  She smiled remembering how good it felt. She walked over to him as he stood at the stove. She laid her hand on his bare back. “What are you making?”

  Now it was Nick’s turn to feel the heat of her hand race through his body. He leaned against the stove so that she wouldn’t notice how much he enjoyed her touch. “Secret recipe for hot chocolate, my mom’s.” He smiled and dipped the spoon into the mixture to let her taste. He blew on the spoon to help it cool off. She noticed how plump his lips were and had a strong desire to lean forward and kiss them. Instead, she opened her mouth and he deposited the delicious liquid in her mouth.

  “Mmm! What’s the secret?”

  He shook his head. “No, no, no. You may be cute, but I’m not just going to give up the family recipe.” He ladled out a cup for her. “Maybe one day you’ll find out. I’m going to jump in the shower so make yourself at home. Promise not to sneak out on me?”

  In a bit of shock, she nodded and mumbled, “Promise.”

  ***

  Nick stood in the shower letting the warm water run over him. He’d left the door cracked so that he could hear if she decided to make a run for it. He knew he’d probably scared her off with his comment about the family recipe, but it jumped out of his mouth before he realized what he’d said.

  Besides, she said she wasn’t available to date. Was she already dating someone?

  Engaged? And she didn’t date firemen, that was a change for him, usually the ladies were jumping on him when they found out. There was just something about this woman that he was drawn to and he thought she felt it too. What was it? Damn! He heard a door open, she must’ve left. He desperately called out, “Katy?”

  He was surprised when he heard her in the bathroom. “Yes?” He pulled the curtain back and stuck out his head. She was hanging up his towel. She sheepishly smiled. “I just got it out of the dryer.”

  “Thanks,” he said. He smiled and relaxed as she left the room. If she didn’t date, why was she still here? He turned the water off determined to solve the mystery. After drying off with the warm towel, he wrapped it around his waist and headed to his bedroom.

  He found a clean pair of sweatpants and dropped his towel. There was something about her that tugged at his heart. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. She exercised, ate right, and took care of her body which were all things he appreciated, but that wasn’t it either. Maybe it was the gentle, motherly way she took care of Patrick. He wasn’t sure, but from the second he saw her, he’d felt an intense connection to her. It was so strong that he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he didn’t get to see her again.

  He pulled on his pants and tried to figure out the best way to get to the bottom of Katy’s no dating rule. Nick turned around and grinned. He liked what he saw. Katy was sound asleep in his bed. He pulled the curtain closed and laid down beside her, pulling her close. She snuggled into his chest without waking and he knew this was the future Mrs. Nick Garrity.

  ***

  Katy burrowed her face into the man beside her. While she had sworn off men, she missed the intimacy of someone lying beside her, holding her close while they shared their body heat. She sighed as she enjoyed the moment. Then she quietly slid out from under his arm trying not to wake him.

  She walked to the kitchen to get a drink, reminding herself why she had vowed to stay single. Had she not hesitated, taken the broken collarbone then she wouldn’t be in this situation. But she was and Nick Garrity happened to walk into her ER. Of all career choices, he was a firefighter, a man she shouldn’t even give the time of day. She knew she wouldn’t be able to handle losing someone else, especially not him. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet and already Katy couldn’t imagine him not being a part of her life. She watched him sleep from the bedroom door thinking she could do this forever. However, her brain was screaming at her to get her stuff and leave. She bit her lip trying to figure out what to do.

  ***

  Nick lay in bed with his eyes half open watching her bite her lip. Damn, did she know how sexy that was? He had to fight every urge in his body to not jump out of bed and pull all the clothes off her. He could feel the blood rushing between his legs when he saw her start to turn away from the room. He opened his eyes and leaned up on his elbow. “Coming back to bed?”

  A startled Katy jumped and nervously giggled as she turned around to face him. She walked towards the bed slowly and said, “Yeah, I just needed a drink of water.”

  She sat the glass on the nightstand and lay down with her back to him. He pulled her against his chest and she could feel his hardness beneath his sweatpants. His hand slipped under her shirt and lightly grazed her bare stomach. She took a deep breath and guided Nick’s hand lower.

  Nick was surprised as he felt Katy move his hand to her waist. He was positive that she could feel his hard-on against her thigh by the way she was breathing. He slipped one finger into the waistband of the sweatpants she was wearing and slowly moved it back and forth. His finger ran over the thin fabric of her panties; he rolled the string between his thumb and forefinger. He wanted to take things slow with her but he was having a hard time controlling himself.

  Nick closed his eyes trying to control his desire to ravage her. He knew Katy didn’t date so if they had sex tonight, would she be done with him? Nick didn’t want that. In the short time they’d spent together, Nick knew he wanted to wake up next to her every day. He rubbed her bare hip and pulled his hand back. He rested it on her waist, the sweatpants keeping him away from her smooth skin. He kissed her neck softly and warmly whispered, “Let’s get some sleep.”

  ***

  She was slightly disappointed he hadn’t accepted her invitation. She could use some stress relief, get rid of some of the tension her whole body was holding. At the same time, she was relieved. It had been almost a year since she’d been with anyone and almost a decade since she’d been with anyone besides Jeremiah. At the moment though, she was too tired to dissect what had just happened so she scooted closer to Nick Garrity and drifted back to sleep.

  ***

  Katy woke up around nine in the evening because her stomach was growling loudly. Embarrassed, she rolled over hoping it wouldn’t wake Nick but he was gone. She sat up looking for him but she was alone in his bedroom. Crawling out of bed, she heard music coming from the kitchen and got up to investigate.

  As she got to the kitchen door, her nose was filled with the most amazing smell of garlic and rosemary. Apparently, her stomach agreed as it howled wanting a bite of whatever he was cooking. Katy clutched her stomach as if that would silence it, but Nick had already heard. He turned around grinning and walked over to her. He kissed her cheek. “There’s sleeping beauty. I’d ask if you’re hungry, but your stomach already answered.”

  He guided her over to the table to sit down. “Red or white?” he asked as he held up two bottles of wine.

  Katy pointed to the red and he poured her a glass. Her tastebuds were dancing from the velvety wine on her tongue when she commented, “You put the lid down, make your momma’s hot chocolate, and you even cook. How are you single?”

  Nick set a plate of poached tilapia with a side of steamed veggies in front of her. Inside, he was dancing by her comment, but he played it cool. He sat across from her and answered, “Truth? I’m ready to settle down, but most women I meet aren’t. Either that or they can’t handle the schedule I work.”

  Katy almost choked as he said this. She chugged her glass of wine to wash down the exquisite meal he’d served her. She knew she had to get out of here the first opportunity she had.

  Nick filled her glass as she set it down. “What about you? Why don’t you date…especially firemen?”

  She set her fork down and lied. “My schedule is crazy. Plus I live almost an hour away.”

  She took another drink of wine. She had thrown that last part in in hopes of politely scaring him off.

  “And no firemen?”

  She bit her lip and lied again. “We’d never s
ee each other.”

  Nick’s lips turned up as he saw her biting her lip again. “And here we are enjoying dinner despite our crazy schedules.”

  She finished her second glass of wine and shook her head. “Don’t get any ideas. You aren’t going to change my mind, Mr. Garrity.”

  She stood up and felt the wine hit her. He saw her sway and grabbed her hand pulling her into his lap. “I’m not?” He lightly touched his lips to hers and electricity shot throughout her entire body. She leaned into him returning the kiss. His hand, which rested on the small of her back, tightened as he picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen.

  4 CHAPTER FOUR

  Nick drove them both back to the hospital the next morning. He slid his hand up her thigh and squeezed gently. Katy placed hers on top of his, her lips turning up into a smile. His eyes sparkled with happiness and as he glanced at her, he saw Katy with the same look on her face. He was going to have to figure out some way to wipe this grin off his face before he got to the firehouse.

  He parked in the employee lot and turned the car off. He looked at Katy, the giddy look still on his face, and she laughed.

  “What? Still mad I beat you?”

  He chuckled with her. “I still don’t think ablation is a word.”

  He rubbed his thumb over her hand as she explained, “It’s a medical term. You can borrow my Med Terminology book to see for yourself, just don’t eat breakfast first.”

  She leaned over and kissed him softly. “I need to get inside before anyone notices I’m still wearing the same clothes I left here in.”

  He leaned his forehead against hers. “I guess.” He kissed her nose. “I’m going up to check on Doyle.” He paused then ran his finger down her jaw and leaned back looking into her eyes. “I had a great time yesterday. I hope we can do it again…soon.”

  Katy gave that gentle smile of hers and kissed him softly one more time before she answered, “Soon.” And with that, she grabbed her keys and slipped out of the car.

  ***

  Katy quickly changed into scrubs shoving her jeans and sweater in the bottom of her locker. She finished lacing up her tennis shoes when Tiffany walked in and handed her a coffee. She took in the fragrant aroma of the caffeine, knowing she would need a lot of it to get through her shift. As she did, Tiffany glanced over Katy from top to bottom and grinned. “You got laid!”

  Katy laughed and took a drink of her piping hot lifeline. She stood up and headed toward the hallway not responding to her comment. Tiffany was hot on her heels. “Spill. Every detail, don’t leave anything out.”

  Katy kept smiling, ignoring Tiffany. As she reached for the door, it swung open and Jeremiah walked in wearing a frown, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. He pulled Katy into an embrace. “Knockout, you’re okay! I was so worried.”

  Katy and Tiffany exchanged a confused look as he let go. “I went by your house yesterday, but you weren’t home. I was worried about you and thought you might need someone after…” he glanced at Tiffany, but continued knowing that Katy always told her everything, “—you kissed me.”

  Tiffany’s jaw dropped, Katy grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Thanks for the concern, but I stayed at Tiffany’s…you know with the weather and everything. I’ll see you at rounds.”

  The two women walked down the hallway in silence until Tiffany couldn’t handle it any more. She grabbed Katy’s arm, making her spill the coffee. Katy gasped as the hot liquid landed on her pants. As she pulled the fabric away from her leg, Tiffany loudly implicated, “You kissed Jeremiah and then slept with the fireman in the same day?”

  Katy stopped what she was doing and looked around to see who heard then whispered, “Sshh! Yes, I kissed him, but it meant nothing and I did not sleep with Nick! At least not in the sense you are thinking.”

  Tiffany shook her head. “Your face says it. I haven’t seen you this happy since you passed your boards.”

  A smile crept onto Katy’s face again. “Yes…I’m happy, but we didn’t have sex. We hung out, got to know each other, played Scrabble.”

  Tiffany’s face looked disappointed. “Played Scrabble? It’s official, you’ve lost your sex drive.”

  Katy thought about laying close to Nick, the heat of his hand on her hip, fingering her lace panties and then that delectable kiss in the kitchen followed by a heavy make-out session on the couch before he suggested they play Scrabble. Blood rushed through her as she remembered the way he’d turned her on the night before. Her smile got bigger as she pictured him dropping his towel, seeing his bare skin as he pulled on his sweatpants and then climbed into bed with her. Tiffany was wrong. Her sex drive was definitely not lost.

  ***

  The crew of Engine 58 crowded around the proby’s hospital bed. Nick was lecturing them on how this was just another reason they shouldn’t be smoking which only opened the door for them to take more jabs at Patrick. Nick knew the proby didn’t mind the jokes, Patrick was just appreciative that the entire crew was here checking on him. Nick understood what it was like to try to become a part of the team in hopes that one day he’d be part of the FDNY family.

  “Come on, guys, lay off the proby. He’s had a rough couple days.” Nick said trying to defend him.

  “Rough couple days? He’s been the object of a gorgeous doctor’s attention, I wouldn’t call that rough!” Jesse berated and shot Nick an inquisitive look.

  “Hell, I’d burn myself up, too, if I had that hot little number all to myself,” Murph said and pulled out a cigarette as the doctor walked in. Dr. Katy Malone snatched it from his mouth and simply said, “Seriously?” while she shook her head.

  The guys pointed at him, laughing and teasing him that he’d been caught. Katy glanced over at Nick and caught his eyes. The two shared a secret smile as she checked Patrick’s chart. As he looked away, Nick saw Jesse raise his eyebrows at him.

  Katy lightly touched Patrick’s hand. “Things look good. If you consent, we can do your skin graft this afternoon.”

  Patrick nodded. Katy asked, “Do you have any family you’d like me to speak with?”

  Patrick looked around the room at the crew. Katy understood and leaned over to him whispering, “You’re going to be in good hands. I’ll call the station as soon as you’re out of surgery.”

  He nodded and smiled while the Chief shook her hand to thank her. Katy turned to leave but caught herself stealing on more look at Nick. She bit her lip remembering the touch of his hand on her the night before. He tried to hide his smile, and the bulge in his pants, as he winked at her and sat beside Patrick.

  She had barely entered the hallway when Jesse punched his arm. “You scored with the doctor!”

  The guys all looked at him to see if it was true and saw him with a huge grin on his face but he was shaking his head no. “Scored no, got to know her yes.”

  That didn’t stop them from teasing him and giving him grief until the Chief ordered them to head back to the station. The crew left the room but Nick hung back. He patted Patrick’s leg. “You’re in good hands. She’ll take good care of you and I’ll come check on you after our tour.”

  Patrick nodded. “Thanks, man. Nick…I hope things work out with her.”

  Nick smiled. “Me too.”

  ***

  On the way back to the station, Jesse stayed quiet as long as he could. He couldn’t take it anymore so he blurted, “Why her?”

  The cab of the fire engine was where Jesse and Nick always had their best talks since it was so loud that they could only hear each other and no one could eavesdrop.

  Nick looked at him, breaking his gaze out the window as he was lost in thought. “What?”

  “Why her? Why do you think she’s Mrs. Garrity?”

  Nick smiled. He hadn’t told Jesse that he knew she was the one, but his buddy knew him well enough to have figured it out.

  “Because I can’t stop thinking about her. All day yesterday while I was with her, I didn’t want her to leave and I can’t sto
p thinking about when we can be together again.” Nick sighed as he was already wanting to kiss her soft lips again.

  Jesse rolled his eyes. “That’s shit, man. Get her in the sack and that’ll pass. You need to get over the wife, kids, and white picket fence. Enjoy bachelorhood!”

  Nick shook his head and glanced at his watch, twenty more hours until he could see her again.

  5 CHAPTER FIVE

  Katy sank into the warm bath water until the bubbles touched her chin. She felt her muscles relax and let out a long sigh. It’d only been two weeks since the pile-up on the Parkway and, aside from work, Nick and Katy spent every free moment together. Unfortunately, with their crazy careers and mismatched schedules, the time didn’t amount to much. Still, it didn’t deter them as they both wanted to be around the other as much as possible.

  They unspokenly agreed that she would stay at Nick’s since he lived in the city, closer to both their works. This made the most sense so that they could spend more time together and not waste any free time commuting. She made a quick trip to her house to get clothes and was slowly making herself at home in his place. Nick did his best to make her feel at home, too. He had gone to the store to buy her a toothbrush, loofa, and some peach scented shampoo not to mention finally throwing away the last three years subscriptions to Sports Illustrated and moving his weights to the guest room.

  The fruity smell filled her nose as she leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. With her eyes shut, she pictured Nick. Last night, she’d laid in bed with no clothes on, desperate for his touch. Despite their instant attraction, both emotionally and physically, they’d done nothing more than make out like high school kids. While she’d been abstinent for almost a year without it ever bothering her, she suddenly wanted nothing more than Nick’s kisses and gentle touches.

  Her nerves started to tingle at the thought of him and his enticing body. He’d walked into the bedroom last night, a towel wrapped around his waist after his shower. He didn’t see her as he hummed an upbeat song. In the short time they’d been together, she noticed he constantly hummed. She smiled taking in his toned muscles, his large frame that made her feel so small yet so safe at the same time. She cleared her throat to get his attention. He glanced in her direction and judging by the movement under his towel, he liked what he saw.