“Like?” His curiosity piqued, he stood with his hands on his hips.
“Well. Does Latham Hills have their own fire department?” The building where Fireside was located seemed to be an old, renovated firehouse.
“Yeah. We have three stations, but most of the firemen are volunteers.” His brow furrowed. “Why?”
“Well, I was thinking, they probably do a lot of fundraising. I know back home they do. Unfortunately, while the fire departments and EMT services are some of the city’s most important assets, they’re not always funded accordingly.” When I realized I hadn’t answered his question, my excitement growing as I had a batch of new ideas I desperately wanted to write down, I explained. “You could host a fundraiser here. It’d be cool to have it in a place like this, with all its history, and the memorabilia you have hanging on the walls. Maybe a bachelor-fireman date auction. Or…” My face lit up and my eyes widened. “You could host a photo shoot for a fireman calendar.”
He scowled. “A calendar? An auction? You mean with, like, half-naked men around?”
“Think about it.” I leaned in closer to him, like I had a secret, even though there was no one else around to hear us. “Yes! It’d be perfect. Your restaurant would be in the background. We could do a group shot outside or something. So when people are flipping through the calendar, and trust me, those sell like my nana’s peach pie at a church festival, they see your place in every shot. Women will line upand some men,” I added with a wink in response to his growing scowl. “And they’ll want to come here to see if they can spot any of the firemen. An auction will bring in tons of people, women mostly, for a night of drinking and food. You can increase your clientele on days when there is no game, easily.”
He was silent for a moment, appearing to think it over. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. It was a long shot, and I was a bit rusty with my ideas. Maybe meat-market auctions and sexy calendars were too passé.
“What other ideas do you have, though?”
“Lots,” I said, and let out a breath when I realized he wasn’t completely blowing me off. He really did want to hear my ideas.
By the time three in the morning rolled around, the tills were finally counted and we were just locking up the restaurant. My head was spinning with more ideas, even as I explained the ones I’d already thought of.
Declan and I had both been jotting down notes for the last hour. While he double-checked to make sure the door to the alley was locked, I had to cover a loud yawn. But we had at least a half-dozen inexpensive marketing and advertising ideas to follow up on in the next few days.
“So you did this kind of thing before?” he asked, resting his hand on my lower back. I let him guide me to his black pickup. He waited by the open door while I slowly climbed in.
“Sometimes. I did more public relations and helping business with their image, not as much marketing. It feels like it was in another life though.”
I wasn’t even sad to admit it. It was simply the truth.
My life before I began kowtowing to Kevin about everything seemed like another plane of existence.
“It’s too bad you quit,” Declan said, watching while I buckled the seatbelt. “You’re damn good at it.”
I turned to him and smiled. I didn’t know if he could see it in the darkness, but I did know he couldn’t see the butterflies that were stirring in my stomach from the simple compliment.
Because whether Declan knew it or not, that was the first compliment I’d been given in what felt like years.
“Thanks, Declan,” I replied.
His smile in return told me he knew exactly what he’d done.
As I watched him walk around the front of his truck and climb in, then start it and pull into the empty street with ease, I wondered how it was that he seemed to know me so well.
When I hardly knew who I was anymore.
My eyes jerked open and I blinked when the truck stopped moving. I jolted awake to find myself sitting in the cab of Declan’s truck in his narrow driveway. He was already walking around the front of his truck to get to my side. He opened my door before I unbuckled myself.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
He held out his hand for me to take hold of. “It’s late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.”
I smiled and placed my hand in his, letting him help me down. “It’s a four-block drive.”
He laughed softly and let go of my hand, then set his at my back and ushered me toward the front door. “Takes a while to get used to this kind of schedule,” he said as he unlocked it.
We stepped in, me going first, and I couldn’t help but suck my bottom lip in between my teeth.
His hand on my back felt so good. Warm. Comforting.
Delicious in a way that shouldn’t be possible.
Perhaps I was still slightly sleepy.
Boomer trudged around the corner, welcoming us back home, as he tended to do every night.
He slid his front paws forward, sticking his butt up in the air while he stretched, and then yawned as he reversed the move.
My hand covered my mouth as I fought my own yawn.
“Let me help you up the stairs,” Declan said. He guided me toward them before another yawn forced its way out of my mouth. “I’ll take care of Boomer once I’m done.”
I didn’t know what made me shiverknowing he was taking care of me, or that he was also taking care of my dog. Boomer and I had lived a life surrounded by people for the last several years, yet it had been a lonely existence.
In a week, Declan managed to begin chipping at my walls of seclusion, forcing me to open up, and yet it hadn’t seemed forced at all. I was giving parts of myself to him freely, and I knew that whatever I gave him, whatever small pieces I felt comfortable sharing, he was taking care of them.
He was taking care of me, and he was taking care with the bits and pieces he was giving me.
It all left my body feeling energized. Wanting something.
And when was the last time I’d wanted anything except freedom?
“Declan?” I turned to face him as we reached the doorway to my bedroom.
“What is it?”
I swallowed my trepidation and my nerves. For once in my life, I was going to go after what I wanted.
What I desired.
Something good for me.
Consequences be damned.
I licked my lips and watched his eyes drop to follow the movement, and then I took a shaky step forward. “I want you to know,” I whispered, rolling onto my toes and placing one hand on his shoulder to steady myself, “that I want to explore this with you, too.”
Before he could respond, I brushed my lips against his cheek, tasting him for the very first time.
It was like what I imagined a first hit of heroin would be. Head-spinning.
I was even more unsteady as I let him go, rolling back off my toes.
I’d taken one step away when his arm snapped out and was at my back, pulling me flush against him.
“Can’t tease me with just a tiny taste like that, sweetheart.” One side of his lips curved up just as his mouth descended, slowly, giving me time to pull away. I didn’t.
I leaned closer, my breath coming in short, panted spurts.
“What do you want, then?” I whispered.
“Just a kiss. Just one more kiss.” His head tilted and his lips brushed against mine. I gasped on an inward breath at the delicious way his slightly unshaven beard scraped my heated skin. His lips were soft but firm, gentle but commanding. Then his lips pressed against mine more firmly.
And I was tasting him, the tip of his tongue brushing against mine. I was floating on the clouds, falling…flying.
“Declan,” I whispered, finding my hands gripping his waist.
A rush flowed through me. I savored every moment, every taste of him, and every touch of his tongue against mine.
It was the best kiss.
It was the best feeling in the world when a low groan slipped from his throat. I was affecting this large, powerful man.
I shivered, pressed myself more firmly against him. His hands at my back glided upward until they were clasped at the back of my neck.
I melted into him, loving the feel of his hands on me. So strong and possessive, yet so gentle. As if he knew exactly what I needed and wanted nothing more than to give it. To me.
The kiss went on far too long, and ended much too soon.
I swallowed and opened my eyes to see Declan’s dark-brown eyes on mine. My gaze dropped to his lips as he licked them.
“I think I’m going to need more than that,” he said, lips stretching into that grin I’d been seeing all day. “But for now, you need your sleep.”
He reached around me, wrapped his hand around the doorknob, and pushed open my door.
“In you go, before I go back on my word and push you further than we should go tonight.”
My lips twitched, fighting a grin, and my fingertips pressed against my lips. I wanted to seal the taste of him into my skin.
I looked at him, opened my mouth to tell him that if he walked through that door with me, he wouldn’t be pushing me past anything I didn’t want to give him, but I changed my mind at the last moment.
The kiss was huge.
It changed everything.
If we decided to move forward, I wanted to ensure I wasn’t making another colossal mistake.
“Good night,” I whispered, shuffling past him into the room.