Feisty Firefighters Bundle Read online

  She turned away and scrubbed at the yogurt stain with a napkin. Though the stain didn’t come off, she slipped the jacket back on anyway. Buttoning it, her back to him, she softly said, “You scare me.”

  “Does it help to know you scare me, too?”

  “Actually, ‘scare’ isn’t a strong enough word,” she clarified. “Terrify works better.”

  He came up behind her, torturing himself with the feel of her spine and curved bottom against his chest and groin.

  At the contact, her fingers fumbled on her buttons.

  Reaching around her, he brushed her hands away and took over the task. “It’s not like you to be so fidgety.”

  “I’m nervous. Marriage proposals do that to me.”

  Surrounding her as he was, he could hear her every breath, could smell her sweet, sexy scent. Felt her small tremors. Wildly protective emotions rose in him, powerful and suddenly certain. “Amber…” His arms folded around her. His mouth found its way to her ear and was heading toward her jaw when she straightened.

  “I’m having enough trouble keeping my thoughts together,” she said shakily, facing him, pressing her hands to her heart. “If I let you kiss me now, I don’t know what will happen.”

  “Really?” That pleased him. “What could happen?”

  “You know very well what.”

  “I want to hear you say it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know all you have to do is look at me and my thoughts scatter. I certainly can’t concentrate when you put your mouth on me. I can hardly breathe.”

  His smile spread a bit. “Maybe you concentrate too much.”

  “Yes, well, it’s a bad habit of mine.”

  “Are you ever going to answer the question?”

  She drew a deep breath. “I know it’s rude, but I need some air.”

  “You need to think.”

  “Yes.”

  Well-versed in this particular play, he followed her out, but she was stopped by Nancy at the front desk and handed a stack of messages that made her sigh.

  Dax watched while she flipped through them with quick impatience. And saw her, really saw her-the weary eyes, the slight bruises beneath them, the tension in her body.

  She was truly exhausted.

  Nancy added a pile of files that needed immediate attention. On top of that, she placed a virtual mountain of correspondence, all of which required review and a signature.

  It had to be at least a week’s worth of work.

  Amber took everything stoically, she even managed a smile for her employee, but Dax saw right through her.

  “Put it in your office and let’s go,” he said quietly.

  Nancy held up a finger before Amber could move. “The Garrisons. They want to see that property again.”

  “Terrific,” Amber muttered.

  “Today.”

  “They’ve seen it five times this week.”

  “I know. But they want to see it again and they want to see it with you.”

  Amber drew in a slow, purposeful breath, and Dax wondered how it was that only he saw her growing exhaustion. He knew how hard she worked, knew how much time Taylor demanded, and added it all up.

  It equaled a breakdown for Amber.

  “Call them then,” she said wearily. “Tell them I’ll pick them up at-”

  “Tell them they can see the damn property by themselves,” Dax interjected. He took the stack of work from Amber’s arms. “You’ve done enough today. You’re taking off.”

  Both Amber and Nancy stared at him.

  “Ms. Riggs is leaving for the day,” he announced for anyone listening. “She won’t be back until morning.”

  “I will most definitely be back today,” Amber said, her eyes on Dax. “I just need some air.”

  “You’re going to get your air.” Dax smiled his most charming smile. “But you won’t be back today.” Taking her hand in a grip of steel, he tugged her from the office.

  “Dax…would you stop!” Her heels clicked noisily as she raced along beside him. “I have important business to attend to.”

  “You most certainly do,” he assured her, ruthlessly tugging her along. “We were in the middle of something.”

  “I know, but I can’t just leave, not now-”

  “Your air,” he reminded her. “You needed to get out so fast you couldn’t answer my question. Remember?”

  Her lips tightened, but she remained silent until they exited the building.

  It was a glorious Southern California day. The sky was a deep, brilliant blue and scattered across it were little puffs of white clouds.

  A picture-perfect scene.

  Now if only the woman next to him could slow down enough to enjoy it.

  Instead, she spun on her heels away from him and started walking.

  Dax spared a moment to admire her stride. “I’m coming with you,” he called.

  “Like I could stop you.”

  He moved to keep up with her. She was pale, but never faltered. The slight wind tossed her hair, played with the hem of her skirt. Dax avoided thinking by concentrating on traffic. He avoided touching Amber by keeping his hands in his pockets.

  Three blocks later, they came to a park. All green and woodsy, it had a series of trails and welcoming benches. A perfect place to ask a woman-for the third time-to marry him.

  A perfect place for his future to be decided.

  They were hidden from the street by trees. The sounds of birds singing drowned out any traffic they might have heard. They were alone, isolated, surrounded by beauty.

  “Well,” he said after a moment.

  “Well.”

  They stared at each other stupidly, and Dax wondered if she could possibly be as attracted, as confused, as totally, irreversibly in love as he was.

  Then he saw the unmistakable signs-red-rimmed eyes and damp lashes.

  Dammit.

  “I’ve thought about…you know,” she said, her voice a bit ragged.

  “You mean about spending the rest of your life with me?” he asked gently. “Is that why you’re crying?”

  She looked away. “It’s been hard being a single parent. No family support, few friends. Both are my fault, but it’s fact.” Then she turned back to him. “Having you in my life, taking responsibility for helping with Taylor, it’s been a real gift.”

  “But?”

  “But I can’t accept your offer. It’s generous, kind and almost overwhelmingly irresistible, but as I told you before, I can’t do it.”

  “Mind if I ask why?”

  “It’s obvious neither of us were meant for marriage.”

  “I don’t believe that,” he said softly. “And I don’t believe you believe it. Don’t chicken out here, Amber. Don’t hide, not from me. Tell me the truth. I deserve that much.”

  “You know the truth. I’m not marriage material, and you…you like women too much to give it all up just because we have a baby.”

  “First of all, I stopped looking at other women the moment you came into my life.”

  “Which time?”

  “Both,” he told her grimly.

  “I understand getting married is a logical solution to the unexpected unit we’ve become.” She hugged herself. “We have a baby. We both love her with all our hearts. We’re willing to share her, but the truth is, neither of us really want to be separated from her. Getting married would solve that.”

  “Yes,” he agreed, sliding closer. “It would also solve another, deeper problem.”

  “Which is?”

  “I want you.”

  “You-” She closed her eyes. “You just had me recently. A few times as a matter of fact.”

  The memory, as well as her tone, made him smile. “I want more than sex,” he clarified. Because the admission was a new one for him, and scary, his humor vanished. “I’ve never said this before about anyone else, but sex with you isn’t enough. I want to spend nights together. I want to be together. I know we started out in a whirlwind, that w