Burning Up (Flirting With Fire Book 1)

by Jennifer Blackwood

  Her brows gathered together. “You’re sure? That won’t bother you?”

  It scared Jake how not bothered he was at the thought of Erin sleeping ten feet away.

  “I insist.” Hell, her brother might bust his kneecaps if he even looked at her the wrong way, but what was he supposed to do? Make her sleep in the hall? He’d rather drive her back home now and risk the wrath of his sister than contemplate that option.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I have to go check and make sure that my sister isn’t murdering the groom.”

  “If you need a hand burying a body, just give me a text. I’ve been doing CrossFit.”

  He cocked his brow, smothering his grin.

  “Don’t let the short stature fool you. Tire-flipping, butt-kicking machine at your service.” She shoved up an imaginary sleeve and flexed her biceps.

  There was that word again. Cute. Every muscle in his body tightened as he resisted the pull to reach out and caress the exposed sliver of skin between her shorts and tank top. “Put those away before you hurt someone,” he said.

  Manicured fingers hooked around the loops of her shorts as she smiled up at him. She moved across the room, dropping to the edge of the bed. It was amazing how much Erin had changed over the past decade. At seventeen, she’d been pretty in that sweet-girl-next-door kind of way. Now her blonde beach waves, cutoff shorts, and toned legs screamed anything but sweet. He pushed back thoughts of those legs draped over his shoulders.

  As if her body was in tune with his thoughts, she uncrossed her legs and recrossed them in the other direction. The material rode up even higher, exposing more tanned skin. He bet her skin was as silky as it looked. Desire prickled down his spine, quickly going to other areas that did not need any excess blood flow at the moment.

  Yeah, he needed to get the hell out of here. And fast.

  He cleared his throat. “I’ll have my phone on me in case you need anything,” he said, patting the pocket of his jeans and coming up empty. And then he remembered that he’d plugged in his phone to charge since it was almost dead when they’d arrived. He pointed to the nightstand. “Just need to grab that and I’ll be on my way.”

  Taking the safe route, he walked the perimeter of the room, trying to stay as far away from Erin as possible. Too bad he had to reach over her to get to the phone.

  “Here. I got it.” She grabbed for the phone and stood abruptly. In the span of a breath, her body pressed against his, her breasts brushing against his chest. He retreated a step, and his back hit the wall. Christ. Her body felt good against his. Too good. It took every ounce of restraint not to grab her arms, spin her around, and pin her against the wall.

  She handed him the phone. “Sorry. I’ll get out of your way now.”

  She mashed her lips together, and pink rose in her cheeks. What he wouldn’t give to see where that flush ended, below the deep swoop of her top.

  He gripped the door frame to the bathroom and clenched his jaw tight. Get it together, asshole. He hated that he had to keep reminding himself of who she was and just why it was such a bad idea to be sharing a room with her. And to think, given any other circumstances, he’d be getting ready for his shift tomorrow. With her brother.

  “Right.” He cleared his throat. He was doing that often enough now that it could be considered a chronic condition. “Well, I better get going.”

  Twenty minutes later, not even setting the table decorations on fifteen tables was enough to dull the memory of her curves. He shook his head and re-formed another ribbon on the centerpiece. He just needed to make it through the next forty-eight hours, and he could get back to his normal routine, one that did not include any thoughts about Erin Jenkins.

  He never was good at lying to himself.

  Erin sat at the edge of the bed and stared at the door. It’d been an hour since Jake had disappeared in such a hurry, one might think his pants were on fire. At least the guy knew how to properly stop, drop, and roll.

  Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

  JAKE: Meet me at the barn in twenty? Got caught up in decorating.

  Erin stared at the text. It’d be easy for him to come back to the room and pick her up for the rehearsal dinner. So what was up with him? He’d been acting weird ever since the ride up.

  She stood and walked over to the window. She was done being the little sister, the third wheel. She’d make the best of this weekend, with or without Jake Bennett.

  ERIN: No problem. C U there.

  Chapter Six

  Erin slipped into the corridor of the artfully distressed red barn that had been turned into an event hall. Cool night air whispered across her skin as the door swished shut. Goose bumps flecked her forearms and legs, and she held the tiny excuse of a shawl wrapped around her arms tighter as she took a moment to breathe. It wasn’t that she had an issue with crowds—she worked with six classes of forty students every day. Or even the fact that it’d be the entirety of Jake’s very large, equally loud family at the rehearsal dinner. It was the fact that he’d looked at her with such . . . she didn’t even know how to explain it, besides the fact that he looked like he was going to eat her alive. Not that she’d object. It’d be a hell of a way to go. The fact that a single touch sent him running for the hills didn’t bode well for her, though. There was a good chance that if the resort wasn’t tending to her raccoon-infested room, she might have preferred to keep the wildlife company. It seemed like a safer option.

  Jake had been helping his sister set up for the past hour, and Erin had taken the opportunity to take in the grounds of the sprawling resort. Crazy to think a mere three-hour ride over a mountain pass put them in high-desert conditions, and the fragrant Japanese maples and oak trees were now replaced with red rock, dirt, a smattering of ponderosa pines, and the occasional tumbleweed. White-tipped mountains towered in the distance behind the lake Josie and Tom would be married in front of tomorrow. If Erin had to pick a destination for her future wedding and had access to unlimited funding, this place would rank high on the list.

  Booming laughter swelled in the hallway, and Erin’s fingers bit into her palms as she convinced herself to walk into the room of people she knew so well yet who were also complete strangers, since she hadn’t talked to them in the past decade.

  As soon as she rounded the corner to the expanse of the main room, her gaze immediately connected with Jake’s. Even from across the room, his baby blues blazed brightly against his shirt, the color a carbon copy of his eyes. His tongue ran across his lower lip, and there her lady bits went again, sounding the alarm. Danger. Danger. Panties may disintegrate if you get within five yards of Jake Bennett.

  He scooted out from the table and quickly made his way over to her.

  “You look”—he swallowed hard, his eyes a little wild—“gorgeous.”

  Erin smoothed her hands down the skirt of her dress. She’d been working hard lately to take compliments. Years of nitpicking every detail of her appearance was a tough habit to break. “Thank you.”

  More of that weirdness from before filled the air between them. Was it just her? Or did he also feel as if plucking out her eyebrows one by one would be more pleasant than this?

  “You’re not having seconds thoughts, are you? Because if you leave, my mother threatened to set me up with the neighborhood cat lady.”

  “What’s it worth to you to keep that suit cat hair–free?”

  “I can promise a slice of pizza and a beer,” he said.

  A smile tugged at her lips. What type of monster could pass up two of God’s greatest gifts, right next to DQ Blizzards and dry shampoo? “Make it two slices and a Hefeweizen, and I promise I won’t duck out.”

  “Deal.”

  Whatever it was that hovered over them dissipated as soon as Hazel sprinted up to the two of them.

  She had the same raven-black hair as the rest of the siblings, but unlike Jake’s baby blues, Hazel’s eyes were a dark green. “Erin! I was so happy to hear Jake brought you as his plus-one.”<
br />
  She and Hazel had kept in contact over social media—the occasional comment or like on a picture or wishing each other happy birthday. But, besides her best friends, Sloane and Madison, she had let other friendships fade away over time. Her ten-year reunion was set for this winter, and other than Hazel, there wasn’t really anyone else she wanted to catch up with. Bonus points—now she wouldn’t have to spend extra money on a flight for the reunion because she was about to catch up with her now.

  “This resort is absolutely gorgeous,” Erin said.

  “It might be a crime scene by morning with the murderous looks Josie was giving Tom earlier. Who knows,” Hazel said.

  Their oldest sister, Josie, had always been a little high-strung. One time when Erin had stayed the night, she’d grabbed a hairbrush out of Hazel and Josie’s bathroom to brush out a few knots. Josie had lost her mind when she found one of Erin’s blonde hairs in there the next morning. So it didn’t surprise her that the planning and executing of a wedding was cause for some stress.

  “I’ll make sure to watch out for the chalk markings and evidence tags,” Erin said.

  “Crap.” Hazel looked around toward the entrance of the barn. “I have to go help get the pizza. Catch up in a bit?”

  Erin nodded.

  As Hazel disappeared through the barn doors, Erin turned back to Jake, who looked more uncomfortable by the second.

  “Ready to head to the table?” he asked.

  As long as they kept talking, they seemed to be going back to their normal selves. Totally fine. She had this handled. She was a teacher, after all. Talking was her forte, and if she needed to spend the rest of the night talking about layers of the earth and the solar system, well, Jake would be a very informed individual.

  “Lead the way.” She motioned toward the table, where guests now boomed with laughter.

  His palm pressed into the small of her back as he led her to the table that seated more than thirty of Jake’s relatives and the wedding party.

  The laughter died down as soon as Jake and Erin made their way to the foot of the table. Things like This is so awkward and I really hope I remembered to blend my makeup into my jawline played in a loop while the party looked her over.

  “Everyone, you remember Erin,” Jake said. “She’s back from California for the next few weeks.”

  Shouts of “Hello” and “Welcome” echoed through the barn. A little too loud, but she could attribute that to the half-empty pitchers of craft beer and bottles of wine on the table. Right. Who needed to be nervous when the whole wedding party was tipsy?

  Jake guided her to the empty chair next to his, and to his right sat a girl around the same age as most of Erin’s students. With her bright blue eyes and dimpled chin, the girl was the spitting image of Jake.

  “Erin, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Bailey.”

  “Bailey, this is Reece’s sister, Erin.”

  Bailey gave a small smile. “You don’t have a menagerie of cats, do you?”

  Erin held up her hands. “I can’t even manage a houseplant. Cat-free zone in my apartment.”

  His daughter punched his biceps and smiled. “You found a normal one on your own, Dad. I’m so proud of you.”

  Jake shot a pointed look to his daughter. “What Bailey means to say is that she’s pleased to meet you.”

  Bailey shrugged and pulled out her phone, her smile fading. “That, too.”

  “She’s a little upset because her best friend bailed on her last minute,” Jake murmured into Erin’s ear.

  Erin couldn’t help but notice the protective growl in his statement. What a complete 180 from High School Jake. Even though he was plenty nice back then, just the way he looked so tenderly over at his daughter ratcheted his hot points up several more notches.

  The double doors on the opposite end of the barn sprang open, silhouetting Jake’s older sister, Julie. “Pizza’s ready!” she shouted as she cradled several boxes in her arms.

  She, Hazel, and a few other people who also held several pizzas set the boxes down on a buffet table and popped them open. The smell wafted over to Erin, and it called to her like free Jamberry samples in her favorite Facebook groups. Her stomach gurgled in response.

  “Your pizza bribery awaits.” Jake jutted his chin toward the table.

  Being hooked up with a cat lady seemed like unfortunate happenstance. But she wouldn’t leave Jake up shit creek without a paddle in terms of wedding-date status this weekend. Plus, who couldn’t be won over by deep-dish pepperoni? A monster.

  She scooted back from the table and made her way to the food, standing in line behind the rest of the family members eager to snag a few slices as well. Jake stood directly behind her, and their bodies were close enough that the heat from his body warmed her skin. Just one step back and she’d be pressed against his chest. It didn’t help matters that every time he moved, she’d get another quick whiff of his cologne. The subtlety of it made her want to bury her face into his shirt. Which . . . would 120 percent be a bad idea.

  Wedding date. That was it. Just as a favor for a stolen bagel.

  Stop being stupid. She quickly brushed the thought away because all it would do would put her in a spiral of angst that rivaled how she’d felt in high school. She’d had ample opportunity to date these past ten years. None of her boyfriends had even come close to making her feel the way Jake did when he was in the same room. Desperate. The kind that made smart women turn stupid. And, boy, was her dating IQ dropping at an alarming rate.

  Yup. Closing in on the single digits.

  She focused on the six boxes of pizza sitting atop the white linen-covered table. So many choices. They all looked delicious in a definitely-nose-diving-the-healthy-eating way.

  Jake’s breath whispered along the shell of her ear. “You can have anything you want.”

  She jumped in response. Earth to Erin. Don’t just stand here like an idiot. She grabbed the pizza server and reached for a slice of pepperoni.

  They were discussing pizza, right? Because “anything” might really stand for “shoving all these pizzas to the ground and being ravished on the table” instead. That’d work for her.

  He chuckled. “Yes, I was talking about the pizzas.”

  Oh no. The pizza server clattered to the table, the slice of pizza going with it. She quickly grabbed the slice and shoved it onto her plate and inwardly groaned at the stain she’d just left on the pristine white linen.

  “Did I really just say that out loud?” she asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just here for the pizza.” He grabbed the server off the table and plopped a couple of slices of some type of meat overload option onto his plate.

  Please, let the floor just swallow her up right now. She managed to make it from the buffet to the table without talking, spilling anything, or telling her deepest, darkest secret. No one needed to know about her obsession with watching those oyster-shucking videos on the Internet with all the gorgeous pearls.

  Erin shifted on the folding chair, placing a napkin over her lap. Most of the party had already made it back to their seats and were gorging on their slices of pizza. Smiles and laughter floated around the room, sending warmth radiating through her. She bit the inside of her cheek. Jake’s family had always been nice, welcoming. Their motto was The more, the merrier. Which was a good thing, because there were enough grandchildren, cousins, aunts, and uncles to cover every event at the Olympics. This was in stark contrast to her family. Sure, she had her mom and Andie and Reece. But besides their grandma, they saw extended family only every few years.

  Josie and Tom sat at the head of the table. Her pale-blue sundress matched his button-up, and she wondered if they’d planned this or if it was just coincidence. “They look so cute together.”

  Jake followed her gaze and bit back a laugh. “Bridezilla over there color-coordinated their outfits.”

  “I think it’s sweet. It’ll make for some great pictures.” Erin should be taki
ng notes because Josie had this wedding on lockdown.

  “That’s what she said. Although not as nicely as you.” He pointed to the groom. “See the way Tom’s clenching his fork? That’s a cry for help.”

  She giggled. “You’re awful.”

  Erin reached for the silverware set to her left just as Jake reached for his water. Warm fingertips brushed against the back of her hand, and Jake pulled back immediately, like she’d shocked him. Or she had bubonic plague. Awesome. Add this to how he’d practically run out of his—their—room earlier, and this was ego-boost central tonight.

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he murmured.

  “Jake, honey, can you get more ice?” Jake’s mom called from down the table. Sadie had the voice of someone who smoked a couple of packs of cigarettes a day. She was a delightfully round woman who came up to Erin’s shoulders, which wasn’t saying much since she was five foot six on the best of days.

  Without as much as a glance, his chair scratched against the hardwood floor as he backed away from the table. “Sure.”

  Erin caught his hand before he could make it past. “Mind if I come, too?” The thought of sitting at the table and making small talk was enough to give her hives. Plus, she’d get this weirdness all out in the open because she wasn’t going to spend all weekend with him if he was going to act like a spooked horse.

  Jake looked from the hallway back to the table, clearly debating his strategy. After a few moments, he nodded.

  “I think it’s in the storage room over here,” he said. It was to the point where he wasn’t even looking at her now. What the hell had she done?

  Before he could disappear into the room, she grabbed his arm again.

  “Jake.”

  He swiveled to face her, his eyes nearly melting her into a puddle of goo. Girl. Get ahold of yourself. It’s just a freaking man. Her body and mind were obviously on different terms. “Yeah?”

  “Listen, this is just getting weird. Right? It’s not just me?”

  He quirked a brow. “Weird how?”