Fanning the Flames (Romance Firemen Series) Read online

  Great meeting u 2! Wanna come over for coffee w/me & Francine sometime?

  Pine & 2nd Ave, above the Greek deli. We're on vacation, so anytime!

  She read the message over and over, making sure there was no possible way that he could interpret it as anything other than a friendly, non-romantic invitation.

  Why are you so worried? she asked herself. You told him you only want to be friends. You know it’s on the level. She pushed the idea that Brendan could be anything more than a friend to the back of her mind and went to raid Francine’s closet for a dress to wear to the Symphony.

  Chapter 4

  “That was amazing!” Cassie was as excited as a child as she slipped into the backseat of Nick’s Town Car, clutching her playbill.

  “It was well-played. Much better than I expected,” Nick conceded with a smile. “Although that may have been more to do with the company than the music.”

  “You honestly don’t like Beethoven?” she asked.

  “Deep down I suppose I do,” Nick said. “But my dad gets a lot of free tickets sent to him and he hates concerts, so I’ve been his seat-filler once too often. You can only hear Hammerklavier so many times before you start longing for something pure and minimalist. Speaking of which, Philip Glass is performing his etudes at the Carnegie next month. Care to join me?”

  “In New York?”

  “We could make a weekend of it.”

  “I’ll…check my calendar.” Cassie leaned her head back. This is crazy, she thought.

  I’m speeding through Boston in the back of a Town Car – a chauffeur-driven Town Car, for Pete’s sake – with a multi-millionaire. This is the third time we’ve met and he’s talking about taking me to New York for a weekend. Is this how things are meant to happen? Has someone been holding out on me about relationships after college?

  “You’re very quiet,” Nick observed. “Is everything ok?”

  “I’m great, it’s just…were you serious? What you said about the Carnegie? Was that for real or were you just kidding?”

  “I’m not really much of a kidder, Cassie. Was I coming on too strong?” For the first time, Nick looked slightly disconcerted.

  “No! Not at all!” Cassie hastened to reassure him, then realized the disservice that would do to them both. “Maybe a little,” she corrected herself.

  “I suppose I’m kind of old-fashioned, Nick. Or maybe I just suck at dating, I don’t know. I might sound totally naïve and inexperienced, but I should probably tell you that I take things slow. I’ve only ever had one serious relationship in my life, and I don’t really do casual dating, so I don’t know what I’m doing here or what I’m supposed to be doing or anything. I had a great time tonight and at the benefit, but I just don’t want to make you think anything’s going to, you know…happen, okay?”

  Cassie took a deep breath, wondering if she had just made herself sound like some prudish teenager from the 1950s.

  She glanced at Nick, who sat silent and serious beside her. Was he angry? Had she made him think she was ready to jump into bed with him? She watched him, every muscle tense. After what seemed like forever, he spoke.

  “Ok. I apologize if you felt I was rushing you. I’ll be more careful in the future. That is, assuming that you want us to continue seeing each other. Believe me, I have no expectations. I enjoyed your company the other night, and I'd like to keep seeing you. You know, we’re not that dissimilar. I’ve only had one serious relationship, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely true.”

  Nick began to tell Cassie about his romantic history. He’d had the usual starter romances and casual flings as a teenager and throughout college, but it wasn’t until he began working on his Master's at Sarah Lawrence that he had met someone he truly cared about. Her name was Elaine, and she was perfect.

  Their attraction to one another had been obvious from the start. They began dating within a week of meeting. Within a month, they were living together. By Thanksgiving, they were engaged.

  At their families’ insistence, they waited until after graduation to get married, but not a moment longer. They went straight from graduation to City Hall.

  “Nobody thought it would last until graduation,” Nick said with a sad smile. “But we were crazy about each other. For five years we were crazy about each other, two before we got married and three after.”

  “And then what happened?” Cassie was caught up in the story. Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “That’s the really sad thing. I just don’t know. We were so happy, and we were talking about having kids. We’d picked out our dream home, we’d just finished decorating it. Then one day I came home from a trip and she’d packed her bags. Told me she was in love with someone else and had to be with him. Threw her stuff in the car and left.

  He sighed, “I still don’t know who the guy was. All the way through the divorce I wouldn’t let anybody tell me his name, because if I’d known who he was or where they were, I would have killed them both. The night she walked out I went kind of crazy, drank too much, trashed a lot of things. I was an emotional wreck. Then eventually, once the divorce came through, I started to climb back out of the pit. Threw myself into working for my dad, the travel writing...and my poetry, of course.”

  Ah, Cassie thought. That explains the teenage angst. He was working through this stuff.

  “I’ve been on a few dates since then,” Nick continued. "But this is the first time there’s been a second date, and certainly the first time I’ve wanted there to be a third. Although, I realize I’ve probably decreased my chances considerably by telling you all this.”

  Cassie’s soft heart swelled. “I really appreciate you telling me,” she said, giving Nick’s hand a friendly squeeze. “Look, things are kind of all over the place for me right now. I’m moving in a couple weeks. I'll be getting used to a new roommate after years of living with someone I know really well. And this…whatever this is, it’s blowing my mind a little. I don’t want to say yes we’re definitely dating when I don’t feel sure of myself.”

  Nick frowned. “You know, you’re the first girl who ever said anything like that to me. But it’s fair, I guess."

  “Thank you for understanding.”

  "I’ve got to go to England for a few weeks to deal with some business for my dad. How about we have dinner when I get back and you can tell me how you’re feeling then?”

  “That sounds good,” Cassie said.

  They travelled the rest of the way in companionable silence. Nick dropped off Cassie on Pine Street with nothing more than a cool, social kiss on the cheek.

  Chapter 5

  A few nights later, Cassie found herself dreaming of Brendan. They were back in Sonar, surrounded by the familiar flashing lights and deafening bass, but the dance floor was empty except for the two of them, and somehow, despite the fact that they were indoors, it was raining.

  Water cascaded down from what should have been the ceiling but was somehow the sky, soaking them both so their clothes clung to their skin. Cassie could make out every ripple of Brendan’s taut muscles through his drenched t-shirt.

  She was vaguely aware that she was dressed in Francine’s slate blue silk, pasted to her like a second skin beneath the downpour, clinging to every curve of her body.

  The music changed, becoming soft and slow, and Brendan pulled her close. They swayed together, wrapped in each other’s arms. Cassie felt the slow, sensual trickle of the water droplets down her back. She gazed into Brendan’s emerald eyes.

  With gentle fingers, he swept a few strands of wet hair from her face, and then he leaned down and touched her lips with his. She felt his strong hands caressing her face and neck, holding her fast as she parted her lips, welcoming his tongue as he slid it into her mouth.

  The kiss deepened, growing hungrier, more urgent. Lost in his touch, she tipped her head back and shivered with delight as he trailed kisses down her throat. She whispered “Oh Brenda
n…don’t stop…”

  He traced the neckline of her dress, grasped the silk at the lowest point, and ripped it open to the waist. Cassie gave a little cry of release as the material shredded, knowing that she wore nothing underneath.

  Within a moment, Brendan’s hands were on her breasts, squeezing, stroking, circling her hardening nipples with his thumbs. He moved his head down to take them in his mouth, and as he grazed them lightly with his teeth, he felt her gasp.

  Brendan pulled her gently to the floor. He slipped his hand underneath Cassie's skirt and up her thigh. Conscious of nothing but her desire for his touch, she opened her legs for him. As he covered her face in tiny kisses, he began rhythmically caressing her clitoris, sending waves of pleasure through her body.

  She writhed in his embrace, pressing herself against his hard, toned body, breathing harder and faster as the pace of his strokes grew more rapid.

  Then he was on top of her, inside her, thrusting hard and groaning her name. She buried her face in the crook of his neck to stifle the scream that was building inside her as she came.

  Cassie woke dazed and disoriented. She looked around as if searching for the familiar surroundings of her room. As reality flooded in and she realized that the encounter with Brendan had been a dream, she glanced over at her clock.

  It read eight o'clock. The third of June. Friday! This was the day she’d arranged coffee with Brendan!

  She jumped out of bed and headed for the shower, feeling as hot and sticky as if the night of lovemaking had been real.

  Brendan arrived slightly late, carrying a promising-looking bakery box. He looked exhausted. Cassie flushed as she opened the door for him, her imagination flashing up images from her dream.

  “Sorry I'm late,” said Brendan, handing Cassie the box. “I brought these as an apology. Last night was busy. When I got back to the station, I put my head down for a moment and woke up four hours later. I figured you’d appreciate it if I scraped off some of the grime, so I thought I’d jump in the shower and risk being five minutes late. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No problem,” Cassie said smiling, leading him into the kitchen where the coffee was already brewing. “I can’t imagine what a busy shift must be like for you!”

  “Ah, it’s not so bad.” Brendan gratefully accepted the coffee and took a seat. “Lots of false alarms last night. We'd get back from one call and another would come in. Mostly it was just a lot of driving and double-checking, figuring out who’d been smoking in their hotel room, that kind of thing.”

  “Do people do that a lot?”

  “They do. You’d think they’d look at the smoke detector in their room and think hang on, maybe I shouldn’t, you know, smoke in here – but apparently not. So everyone gets kicked out into the parking lot in the middle of the night and me and the guys get to turn up looking all heroic and then tell everyone there’s no fire after all. It’s quite anticlimactic, although I do wonder what happens to the smokers after we’ve left. Do the other guests chase them out of town?”

  “I know I would!” Cassie flipped open the box Brendan had brought, revealing an expertly chosen selection of donuts. She offered them to him.

  “I bet you would!” Brendan laughed, picking out a cinnamon twist. “A fierce little lady like you. We’d have to stick around for a bit just to hold you back!”

  Cassie tried to suppress the image of Brendan in his fire fighter's uniform restraining her, grabbing her around the waist, and hoisting her off the ground as she kicked and fought to be let go.

  Change the subject, Cassie, she thought. Any second now the blush is going to start creeping across your face, and he’s going to know exactly what you’re thinking!

  “Brendan, hi!” Francine wandered in to join them. “Great to see you! Did you bring donuts? Oh my God, you are the best!”

  Cassie, breathing a sigh of relief, got up to grab a cup for her roommate.

  *****

  It turned out that Pine Street was on Brendan’s route home from the station, so it became his routine to drop by after shifts. He always brought donuts and he'd stay a while, keeping them laughing through the otherwise stressful process of getting Francine’s stuff packed and into storage.

  From time to time, the dream would surface in Cassie’s head and leave her a little flustered. She hoped he wasn’t noticing her tongue-tied moments, but the glint of amusement in his eyes told her he was.

  Each morning, Francine would cross off another day on the planner, bringing them closer to the date marked “Francine to Poland, Cassie to live with strangers!” The apartment became a little emptier as more of their belongings went into boxes.

  Cassie could hardly believe it had been three years since they’d moved in together, newly graduated, and thrilled to have found jobs near each other. For Cassie, living with other people was going to be strange.

  Then, with less than a week to go before the move, Cassie got a call from her new landlord. A pipe had burst in the apartment above hers, bringing the ceiling of what would soon be her room crashing down. The damage was extensive, and the repair would take at least a couple of weeks. All the landlord could do was apologize for the trouble and offer her a discount on the rent.

  Cassie hung up the phone and sat staring blankly at her packed boxes. Crap, she thought. What am I gonna do? The new tenants are due to move in here the day after we move out. Her cell rang again. She scrambled to answer it, hoping it would be the landlord with a solution.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Cassie. It’s Nick. I just thought I’d call and see how you are. I hope that’s ok.”

  “Hi. How’s England?”

  “Great! I’m always happy to be in London. Have I caught you at a bad time? You sound rather stressed.”

  “I’m fine. Ugh, no, I’m not fine. I just got a call from my landlord – well, the landlord of the place I was supposed to be moving into on Monday. A water pipe burst and the ceiling collapsed, so now I can’t move in. And I can't stay here past Monday because there are people moving in."

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Nick said. “Do you have someone you can stay with?”

  “I can't think of anyone. All my teacher friends are out of town and my parents moved to Fort Lauderdale last year. I guess I’m gonna have to put my things in storage and go down to Florida for a while.”

  “I may have a solution. My family has a summer home on Louisburg Drive. I’m the only one using it this summer, so you’d be welcome to stay there for as long as you need to.”

  “Nick, I don’t know, that’s very generous, but-”

  “Look, think about it. You don’t have to make a decision right now. Actually, I was calling to ask if you’re free tomorrow night. I’ll be back in town and I’d like to take you to dinner. We could talk about it more then.”

  Cassie thought about it for a moment. She felt overwhelmed. On the one hand, she was feeling stressed and unable to face Nick’s particular brand of intensity. On the other, she had promised that she’d go to dinner with him when he came back. And she did have to eat.

  “Sure,” she replied. “Let’s have dinner.”

  “Great. I’ll pick you up at eight. Text me the address.”

  Just as they hung up, the doorbell rang. Cassie dived to answer it, suddenly remembering that she was expecting Brendan to stop by.

  “Hey Cassie,” he greeted her with a hug. “What’s wrong?”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “It is. You look like you’ve been hang gliding over hell. Let’s get the coffee started and you can tell me about it.”

  Grateful for Brendan’s comforting presence, Cassie poured out the whole story, including Nick’s offer of a room in his family’s summer home. Brendan gave it careful thought while eating an apple fritter.

  “Louisburg Drive?" he said. "That’s a fancy address.”

  “It's a fancy area," Cassie said, already feeling better by talking with Brendan. “When I was a kid, we used to play on the private
beaches. But we always got chased away."

  “Are you...considering it?”

  “I don’t know." Cassie paused. "I'm not sure I have any other options.”

  Brendan looked pensive. “Is Nick the guy you’ve been sort of seeing? In all the times we’ve talked, you’ve never mentioned him by name.”

  “Does that matter?”

  “Well, you told me that you’d talked to him about taking things slowly. Don’t you think that moving into his family’s house might be a bit…contradictory?”

  Cassie slammed her coffee cup down. “Are you jealous?”

  “What?” Brendan laughed. “It’s just a thought, Cassie.”

  “Well, you know,” she said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with Nick and I think it’s something I want to pursue. Yes, this might be taking things a little faster than I had planned, but maybe I should be a little less cautious anyway. Sometimes you’ve just got to take a chance in life!”

  “So you’re going to move in with someone you’re not sure about to prove that you can take a chance?”

  “You know what? Yes! That is exactly what I’m going to do, and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop judging me for it.”

  Cassie turned her back to him and rinsed her coffee cup in the sink. "It's a temporary situation, and at least I’ll know I gave things with Nick a shot.” She was wondering which of them she was trying to convince.

  “It’s your decision," he said. "Just think about it, that’s all I’m asking. It might be better to stay with your folks for a bit than to risk getting yourself into a tricky situation with this guy.”

  She turned from the sink and looked at him. “Thank you for your concern, Brendan, but I think I can handle it.”

  When Francine walked into the apartment, she was surprised to find Cassie and Brendan in separate rooms, Brendan repairing a broken hinge on the hall closet and Cassie cleaning the top of the stove.