Playing With Fire (Firehouse Fourteen Book 2) (5 page)

"On my count."

"All set?"

"I'm right behind you, Jay."

"And three."

Jay grunted as he lifted the bottom rail of the chair, feeling the brunt of three hundred pounds of humanity bear straight down into his arms. He stepped back with his left foot, feeling air beneath it before it finding the next stair. Mike had a tight grip on the back of his pants, leading him down each step, guiding him by word and touch, one by one.

Above him, he could hear labored breathing: the heavy wet sound of the patient's gasping, the steady breathing of Dave's exertion as they made the descent step by agonizing step.

Dammit, why were the heavy ones always on the top floor?

They reached the landing and righted the chair, quickly transferring the patient to the stretcher then wheeling him to the medic unit. Jay jumped in behind Dave, helping him get the monitor back in place while Jimmy Hughes, Dave's partner, switched the patient to the onboard oxygen.

"Need anything else?" Jay asked as he stepped out of the medic.

"Nope, we're good. Save us some lunch." Dave grinned then motioned for Jimmy to get going. Jay slammed the back doors shut and watched as the medic pulled away. He groaned and stretched his back, then wrapped his arms around himself to stretch his shoulders.

"What's the matter, Jay? Getting old?" Mike nudged him as they walked back to the engine and he shot her a dirty look.

"Ha ha, very funny. You can carry him down next time." This was the third time this month they had been called to the patient's apartment, and Jay had drawn short straw all three times when it came time to carry him down the stairs. He didn't want to think how much worse it would be in a few weeks, when summer finally arrived.

"Nope. You lost, fair and square. Deal with it."

Jay ignored her and climbed into the engine, propping his foot on the seat in front of him and strapping himself in before the engine took off. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back in the seat, wishing the roar of the engine was loud enough to drown out his thoughts.

Tonight was the night he was supposed to meet Angie for dinner, and he still had no idea what he was going to do about it. Hell, he still didn't know what had possessed him to even bring it up. To ask her out. And he hadn't even really asked her—he'd pretty much just told her. It had not been one of his finest moments.

But he had been watching her all night last Saturday, trying not to be obvious because he didn't want Dave to catch him. Christ, he could just imagine what would happen then. She had looked frazzled for a good part of the evening, and he hoped it hadn't been because of him.

And every damn time he tried to come up with a way to distract himself, something else happened and he found himself looking back at the bar, his eyes automatically finding Angie. Watching her.

It was like he was suddenly obsessed and couldn't get her off his mind, and he had no idea why. Couldn't stop thinking about her. In fact, he hadn't been able to stop thinking of her since the morning he dropped her off at the vet clinic.

The morning after his truly shining moment, when he had damn near slept with her. When he had damn near fucked his friend's little sister.

To make matters worse, he was pretty sure Mike had caught him watching Angie and figured out something was going on, if the look she had given him was any indication. That was when he had finally gone to the bar, just to get away from Mike. Yeah, sure it was. Then Angie had made that stupid comment, saying she'd pay him back for the alternator. Yeah, something had short-circuited in his brain.

So tonight, he was meeting Angie for dinner.

Jay rubbed his hands over his face and looked over at Mike, wondering if maybe he should talk to her about all of this. Surely she'd have some advice for him.

Or maybe knock some sense into him.

Which was exactly what he needed, because he still couldn't believe he was meeting his friend's sister. For a date.

No. It was not a date. It was just dinner. So she wouldn't feel the need to pay him back.

Yeah, he just needed to keep telling himself that. Maybe he'd finally believe it by the time tonight rolled around.

His radio squealed and he leaned down to turn it up at the same time Pete turned around in the seat up front and banged on the cab window. He raised his index finger, holding it up and twirling it in a circle.

Jay unbuckled his harness and grabbed his gear, jumping into the turnout pants as the engine's siren began its long wail. He shrugged into the coat and quickly snapped it closed then sat back down, pulling the straps of the breathing apparatus over his shoulders and fastening them. Mike banged on the engine hood to get his attention, giving him the thumbs-up when he looked at her.

Perfect. They were headed to a working fire, which was the next best thing to getting his mind off the situation he had gotten himself mixed up in.

The best thing would be if he didn't have to show up at all.

**

Angie glanced at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes and tried convincing herself that she really wasn't a fool. Her argument fell flat, though, because only a fool would wait more than an hour before admitting they had been stood up.

So yeah, as painful as it was, Angie had to admit she was a fool, because it was past seven o'clock and there was still no sign of Jay.

And she was still waiting.

She propped her chin in one hand and idly drew circles in the puddle of condensation left by her drink. A flare of painful disappointment shot through her chest and she ruthlessly pushed it away, thinking that it wasn't worth wasting the time, effort, or even energy in being disappointed.

No, it was better to be thankful that she had decided to sit at the bar instead of getting a table, because wouldn't that have been an even more pathetic picture? She shook her head and admonished herself for entertaining the idea that this was going to be an actual date.

It was a little tough having a date by yourself.

Angie signaled the bartender and asked for her check, then handed him her credit card as soon as he brought it over. Now that she had decided to finally leave, something she should have done an hour ago, she didn't want to wait a minute longer than she had to.

And she had no one else to blame but herself for her foolishness. From embarrassing herself by throwing herself at Jay that night at his apartment, to getting excited when he suggested they meet for dinner, to waiting entirely too long for him to show up. It was her own fault, all of it. And it was no more than she deserved for spinning some stupid fantasy around a silly crush. No wonder all of Dave's friends thought of her as some kid—she had been acting as silly as some love-struck teenaged girl.

The bartender came back with her receipt and she quickly signed her name, leaving a generous tip before sliding the receipt to the edge of the bar. She finished the last of her drink, grabbed her bag from the back of the stool, then stood up.

It was time to push all thoughts of Jay from her mind. She had studying to do and work to finish, things she had let fall behind because of some stupid adolescent crush on her brother's friend. Well, no more.

She pushed through the door of the restaurant and into the warm evening air, ignoring the patrons that were still waiting on tables to open up. She turned down the sidewalk and crossed into the parking lot, already making a mental list of things she had to do, when she heard someone call her name. Her steps faltered and she looked around, wondering who would be calling her when a car horn blared behind her, followed by the squeal of rubber against asphalt.

A force knocked into her, pushing her out of the way and startling her more than the car she had inadvertently walked in front of. Her pulse rate jumped frantically as the car went by, the driver shouting an obscenity at her. Angie ignored it, more concerned about the solid body so close to hers. She reached up and pushed against the chest that was mere inches from her nose, trying to escape her would-be rescuer.

"Holy shit, Ang. Did you not see that car? You almost got hit!"

Angie stopped struggling and looked up as her mind slowly started registering what happened.

Someone had called her name, distracting her, and she had nearly stepped into the path of an oncoming car.

Only to be rescued by the same person who had distracted her in the first place.

Jay.

She pushed away from him with enough force to break the hold of his arms around her and stepped back, surprised at the look of concern on his face. Instead of reassuring her, his expression fueled her sudden anger. If he hadn't called out to her, if he had bothered showing up on time, she wouldn't have nearly walked in front of the car.

Which meant everything was his fault.

She pushed the hair from her face and stared at Jay, her jaw clenched and her mouth pursed in a straight line as she fought with herself to keep her temper. She wanted to rail at him, to yell and let him know exactly what she thought.

But her insides were still shaking, her hands still trembling from the close call, and she couldn't get the words to make the journey from her mind to her mouth. So she said nothing, just turned away from him and continued walking to her car, determined to ignore him.

He caught up with her, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Angie, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong. Good night." She brushed his hand from her shoulder and kept walking, wishing she could be wittier and let him know exactly what she thought. It would have been even better if she had just kept her mouth shut because her stupid voice sounded a little shaky. At least to her. Maybe Jay didn't notice.

She reached her car and leaned down to unlock it so she could open the door, wanting nothing more than to go home and put this disastrous night behind her. But Jay was beside her once again, his body between her and escape.

"I'm sorry I'm late. We had a fire and didn't get relieved until late and I was going to call except I don't have your number." His explanation was rushed, as if he realized that she wasn't interested in hearing it, that she wasn't going to give him time to explain.

And he would be right, because she
wasn't
interested. It didn't matter, because she had already realized she was a fool for thinking anything could come of her stupid crush and she was now over it. So she looked up at him and gave him a small smile and nodded.

"You don't have my number? That's funny, because I could have sworn that you called Dave the other day. But hey, no problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things I need to do." She tried pushing him away so she could open the door but he still wouldn't budge. She stepped back and fixed him with what she hoped was an intimidating stare. The move backfired, because he was giving her his own intimidating stare, one definitely more effective than hers.

"I meant I didn't have your cell number, and I couldn't call the house."

"Really Jay? And why's that?"

"You know why."

"No, I don't. Why don't you explain it to me?" She knew what he would say, of course. He couldn't call the house because Dave might answer the phone. And God forbid if he let her brother know that he planned on meeting her.

Jay didn't answer, just looked down at her with those eyes she found so mesmerizing. And he still didn't move, the seconds stretching around them as his warm gaze searched her face. A small smile suddenly tilted up the corner of his mouth. "At least let me buy you a drink to make up for being an ass."

The man infuriated her. He thought he could just smile and offer to buy her a drink and that would be that? Well, why wouldn't he think that, after she had all but thrown herself at him? And the worst part was that she was tempted to say yes.

Which infuriated her even more.

So she clenched her jaw and pushed against him one more time, grateful that he actually stepped back. She tossed him a look then opened her car door and slid into the seat.

"Not interested, but thanks anyway." She ignored the look of surprise on his face as she jammed the key into the ignition and closed the door. She threw the car into reverse and backed out of the parking space, only partly disappointed to see that Jay had taken a step back, because she would've taken perverse pleasure in running over his foot.

She straightened the wheel, jammed the car into drive, and wasted no time in pulling away. A horn blared from behind her but she paid no attention, only wanting to put distance between her and the man watching her before she changed her mind and did something stupid.

Like take him up on his offer of having a drink.

But that didn't stop her from watching his figure in the rearview mirror, and imagining that she saw a look of disappointment etched into his face as she drove away.

"You're awfully quiet tonight."

Angie looked over at her brother, noticing the frown on his face as he leaned against the door frame separating the living room from the dining room and watched her. She offered him a shrug and turned back to the television set, pretending to be engrossed in the drama playing across the large screen.

"Just tired, I guess."

"You're working too much. You're going to burn yourself out if you're not careful." He walked over to the sofa and pushed her feet off to the side then took a seat, which forced her to shift positions. She shot him a dirty look then pushed herself to a sitting position, curling her legs under her.

"Is there a reason you have to sit there, when the love seat is completely empty?"

He gave her a surprised look, the slash of one brow raising in question. "I like this spot."

She shook her head but said nothing, just tried to let her attention go back to the movie. It didn't work. Of course, she hadn't really been paying attention to begin with.

"So did you hear what I said?"

"About what?"

"About you burning yourself out. You're working too much."

"No, I'm not. And I'm not burning myself out."

"Yeah, well, I think you should think about cutting down your hours at the bar. Better yet, you should just quit."

Angie let out a heavy sigh, putting more emphasis on it than she should. They had already had this conversation. Repeatedly. And she didn't feel like getting into it again.

She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume, hoping Dave would take the hint. Instead, he took the remote from her hand and put the television on mute. "I'm being serious, Angela."

She grimaced at the use of her full name and turned to face him. There was no use in even trying to pretend to watch television now, even if she had been interested in the program.

"You don't have a say in what I do,
David
. That control freak stuff might work at work, but not here."

"Control freak?"

"Yeah, control freak. All your ex-military, Mr. Medic control stuff."

"Angela, we're not talking about me, we're talking about you and I'm telling you, you need to think about what you're doing."

"No, we're not talking about me, because I'm not putting up with this anymore." She pushed herself off the sofa and jammed her feet into her slippers.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room. Away from you. Alone."

"Angie, wait."

She turned and looked down at him, feeling some of her ire disappear at the look of concern etched deep into his face. How could she be irritated, when she knew he was only trying to watch out for her? She sighed and sat back down. "Dave, you have to stop treating me like a little kid."

He sat back as if she had slapped him. His brows lowered in a frown and small creases showed at the corners of his eyes, making him suddenly look older than his thirty-two years. The fight left her as quickly as it appeared. He had been distracted lately, worn-out and tired. And he really was only looking out for her, even if he didn't realize she didn't need it.

"You're my kid sister, Angie. I'm always going to worry about you."

"There's a difference between worrying, and treating me like I don't know what I'm doing. And you've been doing that for two years, ever since you got back. You have to stop, Dave. I know how to take care of myself."

He watched her for a long minute, his dark eyes boring into her, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle, before he finally looked away and sighed. "Listen, I know you can take care of yourself. I just don't understand why you feel the need to wear yourself out between the internship and school and the bar. You need to slow down, do something for fun."

Angie almost laughed. If he only knew. But she didn't think he'd find any humor in the things that she'd done the past several weeks, so she said nothing and hoped that maybe he would understand what she was trying to say. "Dave, I do make time for fun. And I enjoy working at the bar. It's an escape for me."

"Will you just think about cutting back your hours?"

Angie sighed. So much for trying to get him to understand. "No, Dave, I won't. Not unless it really becomes an issue, which it won't."

A flash of irritation flared in his dark eyes and she braced herself for another lecture. But he surprised her by merely shaking his head. "We can talk about this later. At least remember to take off for the camping trip. It's coming up, the end of June. Plenty of time for you to ask off."

A feeling close to panic rushed through her at the reminder. She had completely forgotten about the annual family camping trip that Dave and his shift went on each summer in West Virginia. It was a completely rustic experience, with everyone sleeping in tents and cooking over an open campfire. The four days were filled with stories and hiking and even rafting or kayaking along the river. She had gone the last two years and surprised herself by having so much fun in what was essentially the middle of nowhere.

The thought of going now didn't fill her with fun. No, it filled her with panic.

Because Jay would be there.

And she didn't think she could handle being stuck in the middle of nowhere for four days with Jay, no matter how many other people would be there. She opened her mouth, not sure what excuse she would give Dave to get out of going, but was stopped from saying anything when the phone rang.

Dave looked at her strangely and she had the funny feeling that he knew she was going to try to get out of it. He didn't say anything, though, just leaned over and grabbed the phone, answering it with his usual gruff, "Yeah?"

Angie closed her eyes, thankful for the distraction, no matter how short-lived it would be. But even a momentary distraction was better than nothing, because it gave her a chance to come up with a better excuse for not going.

"Hey Jay, what's up?"

Angie's eyes shot open at Dave's greeting and she silently berated herself for letting her heart race at the sound of Jay's name. Telling herself once again that she was a fool, she stood up from the sofa, ready to head to her room and just call it a night. Her foot was on the bottom step when Dave's next words stopped her.

"Angie? Yeah, she's here." Dave paused, turning to give her an odd look. "You want to talk to Angie? My sister? Yeah, okay, hang on."

Dave held the phone out to her, his gaze direct and curious. Angie stared at him, then looked down at the phone in his outstretched hand. She had the sudden impulse to run straight upstairs and lock herself in her room but stopped herself from giving into it. Barely.

"It's Jay. He wants to talk to you." Dave stood up and walked toward her, holding the phone out to her with a look that clearly expressed his confusion.

She was sure she had a similar expression on her face as she slowly reached for the phone. Dave continued to watch her as she took it and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" Did she imagine it, or had her voice shook ever so slightly? And why was Dave watching her so closely?

"Hey. I, uh, I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

"No."

"Okay, good. That's good." There was a pause on the other end and Angie waited, not sure if he expected her to say anything. "Listen, about tonight. I just wanted to tell you again I was sorry."

"Oh. Um, okay, sure." Her eyes darted back to Dave and she squirmed under his scrutiny.

"I know you're probably going to say no and I can't blame you, but I really would like to make it up to you. Maybe Friday night, if you're not working? I'm off, so I won't run late this time."

"Um, I'm not sure." Angie gave her brother a dirty look then turned away, heading into the dining room for some privacy.

There was a short laugh from the other end of the phone, and she couldn't tell if it was supposed to a funny laugh, or a sarcastic laugh.

"You're not sure you're working? Or you're not sure you want to go?"

"I'm not working, no."

There was another pause, broken by a soft sigh. "So does that mean you want to meet?"

"I'm not really sure." Angie looked over her shoulder, not surprised to see that Dave had moved from the living room and was now standing behind her. Not so close that he was breathing down her neck, but close enough to make her acutely aware that he was listening to every word. She gave him a look meant to tell him to mind his own business, which he, of course, completely ignored.

"Could you help me out here, Ang? I don't understand exactly what you're saying. Did you want to meet, or not?" There was another pause, but before she could say anything, she heard something that sounded suspiciously like muttered swearing coming from the other end. "Dave's right there, isn't he? Dammit, I knew it was a bad idea to call you at home. Listen, just tell him I'm checking up on how the alternator is working or something."

"Really? Like that will work? Yeah, the alternator's fine, thanks." She didn't try to keep the disbelief from her voice. Did he really think Dave would buy that? So okay, her brother actually stepped back and moved a few feet away from her, a look of something that almost resembled relief crossing his face. But she wasn't naïve enough to think he wasn't going to question her about the call.

"So about Friday night. Yes, or no?"

Angie clenched her jaw, not sure if she should be insulted at the way he was asking her out—if that's what he was really doing. He was probably asking out of guilt or pity, or a combination of both. And she planned on telling him no, she wasn't interested. Right up until she opened her mouth. "Yeah, sure."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it. Listen, I'll call you tomorrow night from work, since I know Dave won't be there. Are you going to be home?"

"Yup, all night." She knew she sounded less than enthusiastic, and figured Jay had to pick up on it. But if he did, he didn't let on because he just chuckled, the sound deep and warm in her ear.

"Great, I'll talk to you tomorrow night." And he hung up before she could respond, before she could tell him that no, she changed her mind, she didn't want to go out Friday night.

She lowered the phone and stared at it for a few seconds, then walked back to place it in the charger. Dave watched her the entire time but didn't say anything, and she actually thought she was going to get away without answering any questions.

Right up until she turned to head upstairs to her room.

"So. Jay called you." Angie turned and looked at him, not trying to hide her annoyance. "What did he want?"

"He was just asking about my car."

"Hm." Dave watched her, his dark eyes serious as they studied her face, and she had to force herself not to squirm under his scrutiny. "It didn't sound like you were just talking about your car."

"Really Dave? Why the third degree? What else would we be talking about?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

"Nothing, Dave. We were talking about nothing, okay? I'm going to bed." Angie turned and walked away, feeling Dave's stare clear to the base of her spine as she made her way upstairs.

She made it to her room and barely refrained from slamming her door shut. She was upset, but she didn't know what upset her more.

The fact that she couldn't seem to say no to Jay.

The fact that her brother still treated her like a little kid, checking on her every move.

The fact that she realized Jay was right, and knew Dave wouldn't be happy about her seeing him, even if it was just one time.

All three reasons were more than enough to upset her, and she didn't like the feeling.

At all.