On Fire (3 page)

Rocky’s gaze was on her back and she couldn’t help reacting, feeling her body
tingle. Why did he have to be so charming…so handsome? She wanted to mop his
face with that hideous rib sauce.

Turning toward him, she said nothing for long seconds.

He came forward and she realized she had no place to go. He’d backed her into
a corner in her own home. He stood over her, quite tall and quite broad. His
breath smelled like peppermint chewing gum. Brown hair fell over his brows and
she had a strong urge to brush it away from his face.

If he stepped several inches closer, his hips would be touching hers. She
felt her knees weaken.

In an even tone, he said, “Go out to dinner with me.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Then I’ll make you change your mind,” he said with conviction, straightening
and heading for the door.

She followed him, braced her hand on the door frame as he retreated. “What
are you going to do?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Have you read the newspaper?” Mariah asked.

Kate rolled over in bed, gazed at the clock. “It’s 5:30 in the morning.”

“I know. I just gave the baby her feeding.”

“I don’t do early morning really well,” Kate mumbled, accidentally knocking
over the book on her nightstand when she moved the clock back in place.

“Well, since you won’t get the newspaper, I’ll read it to you.”

Sitting up on her elbows, Kate stifled a yawn, but was instantly alert as
soon as Mariah began to read. “The guys on A Shift at Station 6 extend an
invitation to Katherine Largo for dinner at the Rib Shack. We know you don’t
like the place, but you haven’t eaten there the way you should and we’ll show
you what a good time you’re missing. Please respond in tomorrow’s edition.”

Wide awake now, Kate shoved hair from her brow. “Why that…Rocky! He did this
to me. Now what am I supposed to do?”

“Say you’ll go. I already told you, you should have accepted when he first
asked you. So what if he’s a firefighter — and a hot one at that, pardon the
pun!” Mariah chuckled and Kate figured it must be postpartum delusion making her
friend see humor in this.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Why not?”

“Because…I have no reason to go. I wrote my review, I stated my opinion, it
should stand at that. I’m done. Time to move on.”

“That’s not what I heard in your voice when you talked about him the other
day. You’re very interested. I wish you’d admit that. It’s been too long since
you’ve gone out. It’s time you take the plunge.”

Kate let the comment go, reflecting on her reasons of late for staying in at
night. There really weren’t any good ones. Nothing that made any sense anyway,
other than she didn’t want to get hurt or make herself vulnerable.

But she had to detach herself from the whole concept of this particular
dinner date. This had to do with retaliation, a rebuttal…a changing of her
mind — which she would never do. That restaurant was horrid.

“I’ll think about it,” Kate finally managed, then changed the subject. “How’s
the baby?”

The conversation was cut short when the baby needed changing and Kate hung
up, putting the pillow over her head while wondering what she should do.

The next morning,
The Idaho Statesman
was printed without her
response. And the following day, another invitation appeared. This went on for
four days until Kate was called into the managing editor’s office and was told
the city had gotten behind the story. Everyone was intrigued, and it would be in
her best interest to go.

So that night when her phone rang and Rocky’s voice filled the receiver, she
said, “How did you get my number?”

“City directory.”

“It figures.”

A long pause drew out. Kate sighed. “Okay. Okay. Fine…I’ll go out with you.”

Rocky rang the doorbell dressed in a black leather jacket, riding boots, a
wool pullover and jeans. He’d pushed his Ray Bans up his forehead. He held on to
the handle of a gym bag.

The afternoon was sunny, but had a bite to the air. He always liked this time
of year. It wasn’t quite spring, but winter wasn’t hitting as hard. There was a
promise of warmer weather, but he kind of liked it colder. Colder weather meant
football, which he enjoyed a lot more than baseball or basketball.

He waited for the door to open, thinking about how good this was going to be.
Kate wasn’t going to know what hit her. The guys at the station had offered
suggestions. And Mariah had been a real help, too. She seemed like a nice lady.
Even Rocky’s best friend, Tony, had had a comment or two.

Rocky reflected for a moment on how well things had turned out for Tony. For
a while there he’d really been worried about the guy — he had gone through a
tough divorce a while back — but he’d come out of it okay. More than okay,
actually, now that he thought about it.

It was hard to believe but it was eight years ago that he, himself, had
divorced. After being single for this length of time, Rocky had no urgent need
to remarry. But he did have his moments where he wanted female company that
wasn’t superficial — quality time.

He’d found the bar scene unappealing and chose to do outdoor activities on
his days off. For some reason, since meeting Kate, thoughts of her stayed in his
head a lot more than they should have.

He knocked again. Seconds later, the door was opened and she stood there
looking like a knockout. She wore a red sweater, her hair swept up in a partial
style with a clip. Her lipstick matched her sweater, a soft red that got his
attention. Her eyes were made up, outlined lightly by a smoky shadow. And she
looked killer in jeans, the denim fabric hugging her curves like a second skin.

There was no doubt about it. She was a very attractive woman.

“Hi,” she said. He heard a hint of nerves in her tone.

Rocky grinned, leaned into the door frame. “Hi.”

“Well, I’m ready. I guess. Just let me get my purse.”

Rocky put a hand on her shoulder, startling her before she could turn away.
“Hey, you look great. Now take off those clothes.”

“What did you just say?” Kate gasped.

“I said, you’re going to have to take off those clothes.” Rocky leaned toward
her and she could smell the clean hint of soap clinging to his skin. “You really
do look great, but what you’re wearing isn’t going to work. So I brought you
these.”

He extended his arm and Kate reluctantly took a gym bag from him. Inside was
a pair of black biker boots, a black leather coat and a pair of gloves.

Gazing into his brown eyes, she said, “You’re not serious?”

“Never more.” He stepped inside the town house, and Kate couldn’t do anything
but close out the winter snap to the air.

“What is all this stuff for?” She looked at the clothing in the gym bag once
more and had a sinking feeling she knew the answer already.

“For the bike ride.”

“That would be a ‘no’ for me to ride on a motorcycle.” She’d never liked
them, never dated anyone who rode one. Even though she did find a sort of
bad-boy appeal to a man straddling a big chrome and metal machine, it wasn’t for
her. She was beginning to get the picture now. “So you want me to emulate the
whole concept of your Rib Shack, from the motorcycle ride, to I’m sure, drinking
beer on the patio even though it’s probably only like fifty degrees outside.”

He grinned. “You’re pretty and smart.”

Kate groaned. “I’m not going to do it.”

Walking into the center of her living room and bracketing his hands on his
lean hips, he replied, “That’s what Mariah said.”

“Mariah?” How did her best friend figure into this?

“I called her at the hospital. Me and the guys didn’t know what size you
wore. She filled us in.” With a quirk of his brow, he added, “Told me a few
other things, too.”

“Like what?” she blurted before she could stop herself. She was going to kill
Mariah for playing a part in this. Mariah had taken a liking to Rocky Massaro,
for some odd reason that Kate didn’t get. Yes, he was good looking. Yes, he was
heroic. Yes, he was very charming and personable. But he was still the enemy and
Kate wasn’t about to jump ship and go to the enemy’s side — even though she’d
agreed to this ridiculous date.

“Like how you haven’t been on a date in a year.”

Yep, Kate was going to kill Mariah all right.

Putting his hand on the small of her back, Rocky steered Kate toward the
hallway. “We have to get going. So hurry up and change.”

“I’m not going,” Kate suddenly said, digging in her heels.

Rocky’s face came very close to hers. She could smell the spearmint on his
breath. “Sweetheart, if you don’t go, the newspaper is going to question why.
What’s your answer going to be?”

She bit her lip, contemplated that a moment. “Give me five minutes. And I’m
not promising I’ll even wear this stuff.”

Kate came out of the bedroom feeling ridiculous. She’d changed her sweater,
but now wore the boots and gloves, and the heavy leather coat. All she needed
was a dew rag. Not that she would have put
that
on.

Rocky waited, arms folded across his broad chest. “You look good in my coat.”

She’d wondered. The worn leather smelled like him as she’d slipped her arms
into the sleeves. “Are these your gloves, too?”

“Yep. But the boots belong to one of the firefighter’s wives.”

Kate gazed down at herself. How did things get to this point?

“Don’t frown,” he said with a laugh, making her lift her chin to gaze at him.

He took her breath away and it unnerved her. He was the first man to catch
her attention in a long, long time. She was trying to figure out why when he
came toward her, held out his hand and brushed her hair from her brow. She
froze, tingles cascading through her entire body. That he had this kind of
effect on her put her out of sorts.

“It’s going to be great,” he reassured. “You’re being a good sport about
this.”

In an effort to lighten the jumble of feelings cascading through her from his
touch, she said, “I’m almost always a good sport, but this is really testing the
limits. I hope I don’t fall off your motorcycle.”

“You won’t.” He gave her that disarming fireman grin. “Because you’ve got me
to hang on to.”

She locked up the town house, then walked to the street with Rocky where a
black and chrome motorcycle was parked. She wished she could say the boots
pinched her toes, but the leather was soft and supple. She kind of liked the
extra height the heels gave her. She even felt marginally decadent in the black
leather coat.

She knew nothing about motorcycles, but the Harley emblem on this one was
proof the bike was expensive and nothing insignificant. It was sleek and mean,
the chrome tail pipes shined to a mirrorlike perfection. Two helmets rested on
the black leather seat. He handed her one.

She wasn’t sure how the chin strap worked and he helped settle the protective
helmet on her head. So much for her hair, but she was glad he was being safe.
His strong fingers brushed the sensitive underside of her chin, her neck. She
shivered.

When he had the clip in place, he didn’t readily move his hands away. For an
instant, she thought he might kiss her. He stayed too close for too long. Her
heartbeat went jagged, and she leaned her body toward his. His eyes connected
with hers, and for a long moment, he stared, trying to read her thoughts. She
grew utterly infatuated, a longing filling her, the likes of which she hadn’t
experienced in a long, long time.

A car drove passed, breaking the spell, and Kate blinked as she took a step
backward.

Rocky straightened, regained his own composure from what she could tell, and
swung a leg over. “Sit behind me,” he commanded.

“Where should I put my purse?”

“Give it to me.”

He secured her purse in front of him, something she hadn’t expected for a big
macho-guy type. The gesture endeared.

Kate got on and Rocky turned over the motor, the bike purring to life. She
felt the rumble of steel and metal beneath her, the power of the machine. She
hated to admit it, but when he took off, she smiled as the cool wind hit her
cheeks.

Rocky felt the soft weight of Kate’s arms around his middle. He’d taken a few
women out on the bike, but not so much this winter. He’d sort of decided not to
date for a while after a breakup last summer. He had a good group of firefighter
friends, he enjoyed going to BSU football games, tailgating, watching sports,
and occasionally, trying his hand in the kitchen. He wasn’t great, but he could
make a passing-grade meal.

Kate was the first woman in a long time who interested him — maybe at first
just because of who she was. The more he got to know her, though, the more he
thought she was attractive, funny — even when she wasn’t trying — and a
challenge when she was digging her heels in.

Her fingers interlocked over his belly, the gloves on her hands a size too
big. He liked looking down and seeing her arms around him.

Turning the corner, she fought it and he had to touch her arm and talk loud
enough for her to hear him.

“When I turn, you’ve got to pretend like you’re a part of my body. Don’t
stiffen up. I can feel you, the bike feels you. It’s awkward.”

“I’m sorry.”

He squeezed her wrist. “No, don’t be. Just relax.”

“I am,” she shouted in the wind and over the bike’s rumbling tail pipes.

Rocky laughed. “If you’re like this relaxed, I’d hate to see you tense.”

He switched gears on the bike, followed the road past Warm Springs and onto
the stretch of highway that lead to Lucky Peak. The day was cold, but not
biting. He’d guess the temperature to be about fifty or so. Maybe a little
warmer when the sun was bearing down on them.