Nursing the Flame, page 5
They made their way through the crowded club and out the front door, past the bouncer.
Amber leaned against the brick building and sucked in the night air, closing her eyes.
Oh man, she hadn’t realized how hot and crowded it was in there until she was outside.
So much better out here.
Something hit the wall next to her, and she cracked an eye open to see Jarren leaning beside her.
“You’re a gorgeous girl,” he murmured.
“Thanks.”
“So, where do you go to school?”
“I’m not in school. I’m a firefighter.”
“Wow, really?” His eyes rounded and he looked her over. “I can see it, actually. Those legs are killer. And I bet you could strangle someone with those thighs.”
She raised a brow.
He stopped laughing and cleared his throat. “Sorry, that was inappropriate.”
“It was.”
At least he’d owned up to it. But any attraction toward him had vanished at that comment. Still, she felt the need to be polite.
“How about you, Jarren? Tell me more about yourself. Where’d you go to college?”
“I’m taking a gap year.”
“Gap year?” She frowned. “Isn’t that usually like after high school?”
“Yeah. I just graduated.”
Oh god.
“So you’re like . . . nineteen? How are you even at this club?”
“Almost nineteen. Fake ID.” He grinned. “I look old for my age, right? I assume yours is fake too?”
She groaned. “Well, this has been fun and all, but I think I’m going to call it an evening.”
“Hey, wait a minute. What’s wrong? You can’t be that much older than me.”
“Umm, old enough that I probably could’ve babysat you.” She waved him away. “Thanks for the dances, but I’m out.”
He looked like he wanted to argue before he sulked off.
Amber pulled out her phone to check the time. Almost eleven.
Even though it was a Saturday night, she didn’t get the luxury of staying out late since she worked in the morning. Which was also why she’d given herself a one-drink limit.
Still, it was better to squeeze in a few hours of flirting and fun before she called it a night. And yet, lucky her, all the flirting had been wasted on a barely legal guy with a fake ID.
She groaned and straightened, ready to make her way back inside, when something across the street caught her attention.
Wait, not something, someone.
She squinted her eyes. Was that Reggie?
He was with a woman, a redhead, who was about to get into a rideshare car, it looked like.
She placed her hand on his cheek, kissing him briefly on the lips before settling into the vehicle.
Reggie tapped the roof, and the car drove off.
So that was her. Reggie’s hot date they’d all be talking about.
Amber scowled.
Well, it sure looked like it had gone well tonight, judging by the kiss she’d planted on him.
A prickle of disappointment gathered in her belly.
Go back into the club. Dance. Forget him.
Still on the curb across the street, Reggie’s gaze lifted and perused the club.
Oh god. Her eyes widened. He was going to spot her.
His gaze scanned from right to left and moved right past her.
He doesn’t recognize me.
The realization had the air spilling in relief past her pursed lips.
His gaze snapped back, almost comically fast, and locked on hers.
Crap.
Even from across the street, she could see the stillness in him and the widening of his eyes under those glasses.
Even in her skimpy dress and heavy makeup, she’d been recognized.
He continued to gawk, probably second-guessing himself. Which just made her feel kind of sorry for him.
Well, there was no hope for it. She lifted her hand in greeting and yelled, “Hi, Lieutenant.”
*
Son of a bitch.
It was actually her.
Reggie blinked to stop himself from ogling, then glanced both ways before jogging across the street to where she stood.
He forced his voice to sound natural and light. “How come no one told me that Amber had a twin?”
She burst out laughing, looking a little self-conscious. “Okay, come on. Yes, I’m wearing a dress, but it’s still me.”
That wasn’t a dress. It was basically red paint on her body. There wasn’t a curve or a muscle that wasn’t highlighted.
He’d never seen Amber in something so figure-hugging.
The way the dress was cut gave him an intoxicating view from his vantage point at half a foot taller than her.
The pale swells of her breasts lifted above the neckline, letting him look down at the curves and the shadowy valley between.
He lowered his gaze to where her waist dipped in before her hips flared slightly. And then those legs.
Damn.
His blood pumped quicker and heat stirred inside him.
This is Amber. Stop it.
“You’re, uh, wearing makeup too,” he added dumbly, glancing back at her face.
Nothing too heavy, but whatever she’d done certainly highlighted how beautiful she was.
Those eyes. They seemed so much brighter. Crystalline blue and sparkling with amusement in the streetlamp.
“Hey, I told you I wore makeup when I go out. Don’t get all weird because you’re seeing it.” She gestured to him. “What about you? Is that a button-down shirt? Damn, Lieutenant, you clean up nice.”
“Reggie,” he reminded her.
“Oh right, sorry.”
“Amber!”
He glanced to his left, just in time to see some blond guy rushing toward her.
“Oh no,” she groaned.
The young man stopped next to her. “What if I dressed up as a Viking for you? Is that what you want me to do?”
What the hell?
Who was this weirdo?
“Jarren, no. Please, just go away.” Amber looked like she was between laughing and fleeing.
Reggie placed himself between her and the other man. “Is there a problem here?”
“No, it’s fine.” She placed her hand on his arm, and Reggie met her gaze.
Something flashed in her eyes. A realization, and something bold and definitive.
“Actually, Jarren, I should’ve been more honest with you,” she murmured. “I’m already taken.”
She stepped forward, grabbed the back of Reggie’s head, and kissed him.
Chapter Six
Shock rendered Reggie still.
What the hell?
Before logic could take over, instinct kicked in, and he settled his hands on her waist and brushed his lips against hers.
He’d only just gotten used to the softness of her mouth and experienced the slightest taste of her before she pulled away.
Amber glanced to the left, where Jarren had been standing. The guy had disappeared.
“Okay, that worked. Thanks, Reg.”
When she slapped him on the arm, “good old buddy” style, he blinked in dismay.
Amber had just kissed him.
The realization sank in, making him itch with a growing need and dread.
She’d actually kissed him. And why? To ward off some guy hitting on her?
“Hey, I was wondering where you went off to.”
He glanced over to see the familiar face of Tara approaching. She had her arms around another woman, both looked a little concerned.
“Sorry, Tara. I was burning up in there,” Amber admitted. “I should have let you know where I was going.”
“It’s that vodka tonic you downed with the speed of a frat boy.”
Ah, so Amber had been drinking the hard stuff. Her spontaneous kiss made a little more sense.
“There’s some shady people that come through here.” The comment came from the woman who Tara had her arm around. “Sometimes people slip things in drinks. We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“No one slipped anything into her drink.” Tara shook her head. “You made it, Jess, then I handed it to her, and she drank it within a minute.”
Amber flushed. “I’m fine. I completely admit to drinking it too fast and on an empty stomach.”
“Where’s that guy who was following you around like a puppy?”
“Good term for him. Puppy. He’s eighteen.” She snorted.
Reggie gave her a sharp glance, his lips twitching. “Damn, you like them young.”
Her elbow in his side made him laugh.
Jess sighed. “Shit. We always get a few that slip in past the bouncers.”
Tara unwound herself from her girlfriend. “Are you ready to head out, Amber? I can drive you home really quick and then come back.”
Amber hesitated. “We can stay longer. I feel bad dragging you away so early.”
Before he could second-guess whether it was smart or not, Reggie offered, “Hey, Tara, why don’t you let me take her home?”
Tara gave him a narrow-eyed look. “You sure?”
“Amber and I both have to be up early for the same shift in the morning.” Reggie waved her off. “It’s Saturday night. Go have fun.”
“I’m only agreeing because I like and trust you, Reggie.” Amusement glimmered in Tara’s eyes. “I don’t hand off my buzzed bestie to just anyone.”
“I’m not buzzed, I’m relaxed. Vodka takes the edge off.”
“Oh, is that what that was?” He meant it to be a joke, but even to his own ears, it sounded a bit on the grim side.
“What what was?” Tara glanced between them.
“Nothing.” Amber grabbed his arm. “Thanks for taking me out tonight, Tara. Love you, my friend.”
“Love you too.” Tara pointed at Reggie. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“You’re good. My truck’s a couple blocks from here.” He glanced down at Amber’s wedge sandals. “You okay to walk in those?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please, I just danced for an hour in them. Just as comfy as my station boots.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” A slight smile tugged at his mouth, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how she looked in that dress. Those pretty eyes. And that kiss.
They walked past the older buildings in Pioneer Square, where people drifted out from clubs and restaurants, and then farther from the crowds.
It grew quieter as they left the populated areas. There were fewer people around. Soon they were in a well-lit, cleaner-looking alley that cut through to a parking lot to where his truck was.
He drew in a deep breath, and the smell of her perfume tickled his nostrils. Something sweet, with a hint of spice.
The blood in his veins heated and quickened, and he bit back a groan.
Damn it.
He couldn’t even get a semi with Nicole, but one look at Amber tonight and it felt like his dick was about ready to spring to life.
Everything was different now. It’d been slowly changing the last couple of days, but that kiss . . . had fucked up everything.
Frustration mixed with his growing desire for her. Blindly, he caught her arm and stopped her.
“Why did you do it?”
*
Amber blinked, glancing down at the strong fingers wrapped around her upper arm.
Heat bloomed where he touched her and spread low through her body.
“Why did I do what?” She wet her lips.
The kiss. It had to be what he was asking about. But she still played dumb. She lowered her gaze so he wouldn’t see the guilt and embarrassment in her eyes.
What had she been thinking to plant one on him like that?
“You know what.” He moved his fingers from her arm to her chin and gently tilted it up so she had to look at him.
The heat in his eyes stole her breath.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she admitted faintly.
“If you were going to kiss me—go and break all the damn rules—you should’ve really kissed me.”
Her breath caught. “What rules?”
“So many rules. One being The Bro Code. You don’t get involved with the girl bro.”
She blinked. “I’m the girl bro in this scenario?”
Was there really some kind of Bro Code thing, and she was part of it?
“Amber.” He closed his eyes, looking like he was barely restraining himself.
From what, though?
Her pulse quickened.
Don’t ask him.
But the other part of what he’d said wouldn’t leave her alone.
“And what do you mean by I should’ve really kissed you?” she blurted. “Lips on lips qualifies as a ki—”
This time it was his mouth that covered hers. It wasn’t just lips on lips. It wasn’t gentle or tentative. It was demanding and full of need.
It was nothing like she would’ve expected from the nicest guy she knew, but it was everything she wanted.
Amber whimpered, opening her mouth to him when his tongue demanded inside.
Oh god, the taste of him.
She reached up to hold his shoulders, but he pulled back just enough to grab her wrists, using one big, calloused hand to pin them above her head against the brick building. His mouth claimed hers again.
Whoa.
The desire for him before had been at a slow simmer, but that little move there had put it at a boil.
A moan spilled from her, and he caught it with a punishing lash of his tongue against hers.
He moved closer until his solid body crushed her firmly against the wall. The bulge of his cock strained against his jeans, pressing into her belly.
If she needed any further proof that he wanted her, that gigantic thing trying to rip through the denim was it. There was no more pondering on whether Reggie was big or not.
Her nipples tightened painfully in her thin bra and she tugged at her wrists, testing to see if he’d let her go.
Nope.
Moisture gathered between her legs, and she rocked her hips against him.
She caught his bottom lip and nibbled, which made him give a low growl that sent shivers through her.
He swept his free hand down her side before closing over a hip. Then he ground against her, dragging another low moan from her throat.
His mouth left hers before he buried his lips against the curve of her throat and shoulder. He caught the flesh in a soft bite that had her crying out before he started to suck.
Her head spun, and pleasure radiated in a sharp path to the juncture of her thighs. As if he knew, he maneuvered his leg between hers, so his thigh ground against her aching center.
A low groan ripped from her throat and she pressed herself down against him. Riding him.
“Damn.” His low, rough words had her eyelids drifting open again.
He watched her, his eyes glittering hot and possessive, before he swept his gaze down her body. He lingered on her breasts and tightened his hand on her hips, pushing her down harder onto his thigh.
“Reggie,” she whispered, licking her lips. “What are we doing?”
And why did I ask that stupid question aloud?
Sure enough, it was as if she’d doused ice water on him. Realization dawned. Clearly, he was remembering who he was with, and his eyes snapped closed.
She could almost hear him mentally counting to compose himself. After maybe ten seconds, he released her and stepped back.
“I need to take you home.”
Her heart constricted. In seconds, she’d gone from riding his thigh to being taken home—and not for more sexy times.
“So that’s it, then?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
The finality and harshness of the three words had her flinching.
Her cheeks flamed red as she straightened and moved away from the wall.
“Home sounds great.” She strode past him, farther down the alley, then paused to look back, flustered. “I don’t actually know where you’re parked, so you’re going to have to lead the way.”
He stared at her for a moment before giving a small nod and moving past her.
“Seeing you in that dress was a mistake.”
She kept pace with him. “Are you blaming an article of clothing on what just happened?”
“No,” he rasped. “I’m saying I’m not going to go a day at work without looking at you in the turnout gear, but remembering what you look like in that dress.”
Her anger softened a bit, and humor slipped back in. “That sounds like a ‘you’ problem. Bet you’d really get a kick out of knowing what my bra and panties look like.”
He turned and the look he cast her should’ve made her wilt, but she held her ground until his gaze slid lower to her breasts again. Her nipples were still rock hard, straining against the bra and dress.
He clenched his fists at his side, as if he were trying not to reach out and touch her.
Did he even know how much she wanted that?
“What’s happening between us, Reggie?”
“Nothing is happening. Nothing can happen.”
“Is that because of this little Bro Code thing?” she mocked.
“It’s because of a lot of things.”
“Wait, just so we’re clear. Have you guys sat around and talked about me? Made some kind of Don’t get involved with Amber because she’s one of the guys pact?”
The flash of unease on his face confirmed what she’d made to be a joke.
“You can’t be serious,” she muttered.
They arrived at his truck, and he opened the passenger door for her.
“It’s not just that. We work together, and I’m also your superior. It could cause all kinds of problems. It’s messy, and I don’t need messy.”
“But you do want me.”
His mouth thinned. “Men are easy. We want anything with some tits and ass. Especially if you kiss us first. But make no mistake, Amber. I already regret what just happened.”
It couldn’t have hurt more if he’d slapped her. Thank god he chose that moment to walk around the truck to the driver’s side, so he didn’t witness the blood she could feel draining from her face.
She didn’t speak a word, not when he started the truck or during the drive home. And he didn’t try to get her to talk, either.
Amber leaned against the brick building and sucked in the night air, closing her eyes.
Oh man, she hadn’t realized how hot and crowded it was in there until she was outside.
So much better out here.
Something hit the wall next to her, and she cracked an eye open to see Jarren leaning beside her.
“You’re a gorgeous girl,” he murmured.
“Thanks.”
“So, where do you go to school?”
“I’m not in school. I’m a firefighter.”
“Wow, really?” His eyes rounded and he looked her over. “I can see it, actually. Those legs are killer. And I bet you could strangle someone with those thighs.”
She raised a brow.
He stopped laughing and cleared his throat. “Sorry, that was inappropriate.”
“It was.”
At least he’d owned up to it. But any attraction toward him had vanished at that comment. Still, she felt the need to be polite.
“How about you, Jarren? Tell me more about yourself. Where’d you go to college?”
“I’m taking a gap year.”
“Gap year?” She frowned. “Isn’t that usually like after high school?”
“Yeah. I just graduated.”
Oh god.
“So you’re like . . . nineteen? How are you even at this club?”
“Almost nineteen. Fake ID.” He grinned. “I look old for my age, right? I assume yours is fake too?”
She groaned. “Well, this has been fun and all, but I think I’m going to call it an evening.”
“Hey, wait a minute. What’s wrong? You can’t be that much older than me.”
“Umm, old enough that I probably could’ve babysat you.” She waved him away. “Thanks for the dances, but I’m out.”
He looked like he wanted to argue before he sulked off.
Amber pulled out her phone to check the time. Almost eleven.
Even though it was a Saturday night, she didn’t get the luxury of staying out late since she worked in the morning. Which was also why she’d given herself a one-drink limit.
Still, it was better to squeeze in a few hours of flirting and fun before she called it a night. And yet, lucky her, all the flirting had been wasted on a barely legal guy with a fake ID.
She groaned and straightened, ready to make her way back inside, when something across the street caught her attention.
Wait, not something, someone.
She squinted her eyes. Was that Reggie?
He was with a woman, a redhead, who was about to get into a rideshare car, it looked like.
She placed her hand on his cheek, kissing him briefly on the lips before settling into the vehicle.
Reggie tapped the roof, and the car drove off.
So that was her. Reggie’s hot date they’d all be talking about.
Amber scowled.
Well, it sure looked like it had gone well tonight, judging by the kiss she’d planted on him.
A prickle of disappointment gathered in her belly.
Go back into the club. Dance. Forget him.
Still on the curb across the street, Reggie’s gaze lifted and perused the club.
Oh god. Her eyes widened. He was going to spot her.
His gaze scanned from right to left and moved right past her.
He doesn’t recognize me.
The realization had the air spilling in relief past her pursed lips.
His gaze snapped back, almost comically fast, and locked on hers.
Crap.
Even from across the street, she could see the stillness in him and the widening of his eyes under those glasses.
Even in her skimpy dress and heavy makeup, she’d been recognized.
He continued to gawk, probably second-guessing himself. Which just made her feel kind of sorry for him.
Well, there was no hope for it. She lifted her hand in greeting and yelled, “Hi, Lieutenant.”
*
Son of a bitch.
It was actually her.
Reggie blinked to stop himself from ogling, then glanced both ways before jogging across the street to where she stood.
He forced his voice to sound natural and light. “How come no one told me that Amber had a twin?”
She burst out laughing, looking a little self-conscious. “Okay, come on. Yes, I’m wearing a dress, but it’s still me.”
That wasn’t a dress. It was basically red paint on her body. There wasn’t a curve or a muscle that wasn’t highlighted.
He’d never seen Amber in something so figure-hugging.
The way the dress was cut gave him an intoxicating view from his vantage point at half a foot taller than her.
The pale swells of her breasts lifted above the neckline, letting him look down at the curves and the shadowy valley between.
He lowered his gaze to where her waist dipped in before her hips flared slightly. And then those legs.
Damn.
His blood pumped quicker and heat stirred inside him.
This is Amber. Stop it.
“You’re, uh, wearing makeup too,” he added dumbly, glancing back at her face.
Nothing too heavy, but whatever she’d done certainly highlighted how beautiful she was.
Those eyes. They seemed so much brighter. Crystalline blue and sparkling with amusement in the streetlamp.
“Hey, I told you I wore makeup when I go out. Don’t get all weird because you’re seeing it.” She gestured to him. “What about you? Is that a button-down shirt? Damn, Lieutenant, you clean up nice.”
“Reggie,” he reminded her.
“Oh right, sorry.”
“Amber!”
He glanced to his left, just in time to see some blond guy rushing toward her.
“Oh no,” she groaned.
The young man stopped next to her. “What if I dressed up as a Viking for you? Is that what you want me to do?”
What the hell?
Who was this weirdo?
“Jarren, no. Please, just go away.” Amber looked like she was between laughing and fleeing.
Reggie placed himself between her and the other man. “Is there a problem here?”
“No, it’s fine.” She placed her hand on his arm, and Reggie met her gaze.
Something flashed in her eyes. A realization, and something bold and definitive.
“Actually, Jarren, I should’ve been more honest with you,” she murmured. “I’m already taken.”
She stepped forward, grabbed the back of Reggie’s head, and kissed him.
Chapter Six
Shock rendered Reggie still.
What the hell?
Before logic could take over, instinct kicked in, and he settled his hands on her waist and brushed his lips against hers.
He’d only just gotten used to the softness of her mouth and experienced the slightest taste of her before she pulled away.
Amber glanced to the left, where Jarren had been standing. The guy had disappeared.
“Okay, that worked. Thanks, Reg.”
When she slapped him on the arm, “good old buddy” style, he blinked in dismay.
Amber had just kissed him.
The realization sank in, making him itch with a growing need and dread.
She’d actually kissed him. And why? To ward off some guy hitting on her?
“Hey, I was wondering where you went off to.”
He glanced over to see the familiar face of Tara approaching. She had her arms around another woman, both looked a little concerned.
“Sorry, Tara. I was burning up in there,” Amber admitted. “I should have let you know where I was going.”
“It’s that vodka tonic you downed with the speed of a frat boy.”
Ah, so Amber had been drinking the hard stuff. Her spontaneous kiss made a little more sense.
“There’s some shady people that come through here.” The comment came from the woman who Tara had her arm around. “Sometimes people slip things in drinks. We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“No one slipped anything into her drink.” Tara shook her head. “You made it, Jess, then I handed it to her, and she drank it within a minute.”
Amber flushed. “I’m fine. I completely admit to drinking it too fast and on an empty stomach.”
“Where’s that guy who was following you around like a puppy?”
“Good term for him. Puppy. He’s eighteen.” She snorted.
Reggie gave her a sharp glance, his lips twitching. “Damn, you like them young.”
Her elbow in his side made him laugh.
Jess sighed. “Shit. We always get a few that slip in past the bouncers.”
Tara unwound herself from her girlfriend. “Are you ready to head out, Amber? I can drive you home really quick and then come back.”
Amber hesitated. “We can stay longer. I feel bad dragging you away so early.”
Before he could second-guess whether it was smart or not, Reggie offered, “Hey, Tara, why don’t you let me take her home?”
Tara gave him a narrow-eyed look. “You sure?”
“Amber and I both have to be up early for the same shift in the morning.” Reggie waved her off. “It’s Saturday night. Go have fun.”
“I’m only agreeing because I like and trust you, Reggie.” Amusement glimmered in Tara’s eyes. “I don’t hand off my buzzed bestie to just anyone.”
“I’m not buzzed, I’m relaxed. Vodka takes the edge off.”
“Oh, is that what that was?” He meant it to be a joke, but even to his own ears, it sounded a bit on the grim side.
“What what was?” Tara glanced between them.
“Nothing.” Amber grabbed his arm. “Thanks for taking me out tonight, Tara. Love you, my friend.”
“Love you too.” Tara pointed at Reggie. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“You’re good. My truck’s a couple blocks from here.” He glanced down at Amber’s wedge sandals. “You okay to walk in those?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please, I just danced for an hour in them. Just as comfy as my station boots.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” A slight smile tugged at his mouth, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how she looked in that dress. Those pretty eyes. And that kiss.
They walked past the older buildings in Pioneer Square, where people drifted out from clubs and restaurants, and then farther from the crowds.
It grew quieter as they left the populated areas. There were fewer people around. Soon they were in a well-lit, cleaner-looking alley that cut through to a parking lot to where his truck was.
He drew in a deep breath, and the smell of her perfume tickled his nostrils. Something sweet, with a hint of spice.
The blood in his veins heated and quickened, and he bit back a groan.
Damn it.
He couldn’t even get a semi with Nicole, but one look at Amber tonight and it felt like his dick was about ready to spring to life.
Everything was different now. It’d been slowly changing the last couple of days, but that kiss . . . had fucked up everything.
Frustration mixed with his growing desire for her. Blindly, he caught her arm and stopped her.
“Why did you do it?”
*
Amber blinked, glancing down at the strong fingers wrapped around her upper arm.
Heat bloomed where he touched her and spread low through her body.
“Why did I do what?” She wet her lips.
The kiss. It had to be what he was asking about. But she still played dumb. She lowered her gaze so he wouldn’t see the guilt and embarrassment in her eyes.
What had she been thinking to plant one on him like that?
“You know what.” He moved his fingers from her arm to her chin and gently tilted it up so she had to look at him.
The heat in his eyes stole her breath.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she admitted faintly.
“If you were going to kiss me—go and break all the damn rules—you should’ve really kissed me.”
Her breath caught. “What rules?”
“So many rules. One being The Bro Code. You don’t get involved with the girl bro.”
She blinked. “I’m the girl bro in this scenario?”
Was there really some kind of Bro Code thing, and she was part of it?
“Amber.” He closed his eyes, looking like he was barely restraining himself.
From what, though?
Her pulse quickened.
Don’t ask him.
But the other part of what he’d said wouldn’t leave her alone.
“And what do you mean by I should’ve really kissed you?” she blurted. “Lips on lips qualifies as a ki—”
This time it was his mouth that covered hers. It wasn’t just lips on lips. It wasn’t gentle or tentative. It was demanding and full of need.
It was nothing like she would’ve expected from the nicest guy she knew, but it was everything she wanted.
Amber whimpered, opening her mouth to him when his tongue demanded inside.
Oh god, the taste of him.
She reached up to hold his shoulders, but he pulled back just enough to grab her wrists, using one big, calloused hand to pin them above her head against the brick building. His mouth claimed hers again.
Whoa.
The desire for him before had been at a slow simmer, but that little move there had put it at a boil.
A moan spilled from her, and he caught it with a punishing lash of his tongue against hers.
He moved closer until his solid body crushed her firmly against the wall. The bulge of his cock strained against his jeans, pressing into her belly.
If she needed any further proof that he wanted her, that gigantic thing trying to rip through the denim was it. There was no more pondering on whether Reggie was big or not.
Her nipples tightened painfully in her thin bra and she tugged at her wrists, testing to see if he’d let her go.
Nope.
Moisture gathered between her legs, and she rocked her hips against him.
She caught his bottom lip and nibbled, which made him give a low growl that sent shivers through her.
He swept his free hand down her side before closing over a hip. Then he ground against her, dragging another low moan from her throat.
His mouth left hers before he buried his lips against the curve of her throat and shoulder. He caught the flesh in a soft bite that had her crying out before he started to suck.
Her head spun, and pleasure radiated in a sharp path to the juncture of her thighs. As if he knew, he maneuvered his leg between hers, so his thigh ground against her aching center.
A low groan ripped from her throat and she pressed herself down against him. Riding him.
“Damn.” His low, rough words had her eyelids drifting open again.
He watched her, his eyes glittering hot and possessive, before he swept his gaze down her body. He lingered on her breasts and tightened his hand on her hips, pushing her down harder onto his thigh.
“Reggie,” she whispered, licking her lips. “What are we doing?”
And why did I ask that stupid question aloud?
Sure enough, it was as if she’d doused ice water on him. Realization dawned. Clearly, he was remembering who he was with, and his eyes snapped closed.
She could almost hear him mentally counting to compose himself. After maybe ten seconds, he released her and stepped back.
“I need to take you home.”
Her heart constricted. In seconds, she’d gone from riding his thigh to being taken home—and not for more sexy times.
“So that’s it, then?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
The finality and harshness of the three words had her flinching.
Her cheeks flamed red as she straightened and moved away from the wall.
“Home sounds great.” She strode past him, farther down the alley, then paused to look back, flustered. “I don’t actually know where you’re parked, so you’re going to have to lead the way.”
He stared at her for a moment before giving a small nod and moving past her.
“Seeing you in that dress was a mistake.”
She kept pace with him. “Are you blaming an article of clothing on what just happened?”
“No,” he rasped. “I’m saying I’m not going to go a day at work without looking at you in the turnout gear, but remembering what you look like in that dress.”
Her anger softened a bit, and humor slipped back in. “That sounds like a ‘you’ problem. Bet you’d really get a kick out of knowing what my bra and panties look like.”
He turned and the look he cast her should’ve made her wilt, but she held her ground until his gaze slid lower to her breasts again. Her nipples were still rock hard, straining against the bra and dress.
He clenched his fists at his side, as if he were trying not to reach out and touch her.
Did he even know how much she wanted that?
“What’s happening between us, Reggie?”
“Nothing is happening. Nothing can happen.”
“Is that because of this little Bro Code thing?” she mocked.
“It’s because of a lot of things.”
“Wait, just so we’re clear. Have you guys sat around and talked about me? Made some kind of Don’t get involved with Amber because she’s one of the guys pact?”
The flash of unease on his face confirmed what she’d made to be a joke.
“You can’t be serious,” she muttered.
They arrived at his truck, and he opened the passenger door for her.
“It’s not just that. We work together, and I’m also your superior. It could cause all kinds of problems. It’s messy, and I don’t need messy.”
“But you do want me.”
His mouth thinned. “Men are easy. We want anything with some tits and ass. Especially if you kiss us first. But make no mistake, Amber. I already regret what just happened.”
It couldn’t have hurt more if he’d slapped her. Thank god he chose that moment to walk around the truck to the driver’s side, so he didn’t witness the blood she could feel draining from her face.
She didn’t speak a word, not when he started the truck or during the drive home. And he didn’t try to get her to talk, either.
