Flashpoint

Chapter 8

It had been a shitty day all around, Zach thought as he got out of his truck. He’d had another unpleasant phone call with Tommy, who refused to tell him what was happening with the arsons. Then he’d covered for Cristina on three calls and as a result, hadn’t been ready for their monthly inspection, and the chief had chewed him out.

Zach had almost not come tonight.

But now, looking into Brooke’s eyes, he was suddenly glad he had. Very glad. Just taking her in, he felt a visceral reaction clear to his toes. For the first time since he’d met her, she wasn’t dressed for the practicality of their work. No uniform trousers and matching shirt, no steel-toed work boots, no carefully controlled hairdo that said. Back off. The rest of me is wound as tight as my hair.

Not that that look didn’t have some hotness to it.

But tonight she was in a pale blue sundress of some lightweight material that hugged toned limbs and a body that reminded him she was in shape.

Great shape.

She’d left her hair down, the strawberry blond strands falling in soft waves just past her shoulders, lit softly by the moonlight. A few long bangs were swept to one side, curving along her cheek and jaw, emphasizing her face.

A beautiful face.

Looking at him.

Smiling at him, with just a hint of nerves.

And he stood there, a little stunned, because when she smiled for real it lit up her face and her eyes, revealing humor and a sharp intelligence, and…and a sexual awareness that sparked his.

Hell, his had been sparked from the moment he’d first set eyes on her, but once he’d realized she wasn’t going to play, he’d tried like hell to redirect.

She wasn’t going to play. Playing wasn’t her thing. He needed to remember that. He really did. Turning, he headed down the beach. Not to the party, not yet. He needed a moment-

“Zach?”

Alone. He’d needed a moment alone, away from her, to clear his head, where he couldn’t see her looking at him, so sweet and sexy, smiling that smile-

A little breathless, she ran around to the front of him, one hand stopping her loose hair from sliding into her face, the other spread on her dress as if to keep it from blowing up in the wind.

Torn between hoping for a gale-force wind or running away, he stood there instead, rooted to the spot. “You look…”

“Silly, right?” She smoothed down the fabric but the breeze continued to tease the flimsy material, lifting it, revealing her lovely thighs for one all-too-brief, tantalizing glimpse. “I know. I should have stuck with something more practical-”

“Amazing,” he managed. Even the sound of her voice lifted his spirits. Somehow she made him feel better by just being. “I was going to say you look amazing.”

“Oh.” She flashed another kill-him-slowly smile. “It’s just a dress.”

“I like it. I like the lip gloss, too.” It smelled like peaches, and he wondered, if he leaned in right now, would she let him have another taste of her?

Just one.

Who was he kidding? One taste wouldn’t cover it. Neither would two. Nope, nothing less than an entire night of tasting would be good enough.

Tipping back his head, he stared up at the star-littered sky, taking a moment to draw in the salty air, to listen to the waves.

But that moment didn’t give him the peace he needed. Not when she was still looking at him, her gaze wordlessly telling him that she wanted him, too. “You should head on over to the party.” He gestured with a hitch of his chin to the bonfires already going about a hundred yards down the beach, and the growing crowd.

In spite of what Zach thought of him, the new chief was extremely popular.

“Can we walk first?” Brooke gestured in the opposite direction. “Just us?”

Walking alone with her on a moonlit night along the beach? A fantastically bad idea.

“Please?”

No. Absolutely not.

She held out her hand. “Sure,” his mouth said without permission from his brain, and taking her hand, he led her down the path to the water. There they kicked off their flip-flops and walked with the surf gently hitting the shore on their right, the cliffs on their left and the moonlight touching their faces.

Pretty damn romantic, which didn’t help.

A wave splashed over their bare feet and legs, and the bottom of Brooke’s dress got wet, clinging like plastic wrap.

Perfect. Just what he needed. Brooke all wet.

Letting out a low laugh, she gathered the material in her hands, pulling it up above her knees as she backed farther up on the sand.

He thought she’d turn and head toward the party, but she didn’t. She kept going.

And like a puppy on a leash, he followed.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked.

He took in her profile, the small smile on her glossed lips, the few freckles across her upturned nose, her hair flying around her face. “Yes,” he agreed. “Beautiful.”

Her gaze flew to his. “I was talking about the scenery.”

“I know.”

“But you weren’t looking at it.”

“No.”

“I…” She let out what sounded like a helpless sigh. “You were saying that I’m beautiful?”

“Yes.”

“See, that’s the thing.”

“There’s a thing?”

“Well, you make me feel a thing.” She looked away. “A few things, actually.”

Uh-huh. And that made two of them.

The breeze continued to toy with the wet hem of her dress and his mind at the same time. He took in the empty beach, the myriad alcoves and cliffs lining the shore, forming lots of private little spots where they could escape to without being seen.

Where he could slowly glide that dress up her legs and-

“Ouch.” She hopped on one foot, then bent to pick something up. “A shell.”

He traced his finger over it in the palm of her hand. “I used to have jars and jars of these when I was little.”

“You grew up here?”

“Yep. Santa Rey born and bred. My parents were surfers. I think my first words were surf’s up.”

She laughed, but then the sound faded. “You miss them. Your parents.”

Lifting his eyes from the shell, his gaze collided with hers. “It was a long time ago, but yeah. I miss them.”

“I lost my dad before I was even born, and I still miss him.”

“What happened?”

“He died in a car wreck. My mom…she didn’t really recover. She never settled in one place again, or with one man.”

“That must have been rough on you.”

“Not as rough as losing both parents.” She squeezed his hand.

Yeah, it’d been rough. He and his parents had lived in an old apartment building on the beach. It’d been rundown, but it had fed their surf habit. He’d remembered every second of the night their building had caught fire. Every second of hearing his mother scream in horror at being stuck in the kitchen, surrounded by flames. Every second of watching his father battle those flames to try to get to her. The fire department had been volunteer at the time. They’d done the best they could, but their best hadn’t been enough to save his parents. Their rescue effort had been a recovery effort pretty much from the start.

“Your older brother raised you?”

“He did.”

“Does he live here, too?”

“No, Caleb’s a high-powered attorney in L.A. Driven and ambitious…we’re very different.” He smiled. “He’s still after me to do something with my life.”

“Firefighting isn’t doing something?”

He shrugged. “Well, it’s not going to get me fame and fortune, or into a cushy old-age home.”

“You don’t care about any of that.”

“No.”

She nodded, looked down at her fingers, then back into his eyes. “We’re very different, too. You and I.”

“I know.”

“Are you okay with that?”

Zach felt a smile tug at his mouth. “I happen to like the differences between a man and a woman.”

She let out a soft laugh. “I meant that you’re laid-back and easygoing, and I’m…not.”

“I don’t judge my friends.”

“Yeah, about that.” Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “I have a question.”

He hoped like hell it was something like, Can I kiss you again?

She hesitated, then shook her head. “I need to walk some more.”

“Okay.” But he was saying this to her back because she’d already started walking, not along the water this time, but up the sand toward the bluffs, where they could move over rocks the size of houses. She did just that, climbing one, reminding him that she was a capable, strong woman who spent her days lifting heavy gurneys.

He followed behind her, enjoying the way her dress bared her back, her arms, how it kept catching between her legs.

With a huff of frustration, she finally hiked the dress to midthigh so she could move easier, a sight he greatly enjoyed from his lower vantage point.

Her panties matched her dress.

Then she vanished from view. “Brooke?”

“Up here.”

He found her on a ledge the size of his pickup truck, sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, her face turned out to the ocean, the waves tipped in silver from the moonlight. “Isn’t it amazing?” she whispered.

Yeah. Yeah, it was, but she was even more so. He sat next to her so that their shoulders touched, and for a long moment neither of them spoke.

“The waves are mesmerizing.” She sighed. “I could watch them all night.”

“You should see them beneath a full moon.”

“I’ve rarely taken the time to just sit and watch waves. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve never taken the time to just sit and watch waves.” She let out a long breath and looked at him.

“You had a question,” he reminded her.

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. “I was thinking maybe I’m too rigid. For instance, I shut down this thing between us without giving it full consideration. I said I wanted a relationship, but the truth is, I’m leaving in a matter of weeks. I couldn’t really have a relationship, anyway. Plus, you were right about me not relaxing enough. Letting loose. I need to try some of that.” She paused and looked at him for a reaction.

“Okay,” he said carefully. “So…”

“It’s just that I’m not exactly sure how to start.” She flashed an insecure smile. “I’ve always been in school, or working. It’s not really left a lot of time for anything else. I mean, I’ve had feelings for guys before, of course, but…but not in a while. A long while, actually.” She paused again. “Do you understand?”

He was trying.

With a sigh, she took his hand. “I’m attempting to come on to you.” She brought his hand up to her chest, over the warm, creamy skin bared by her halter dress to her heart.

He looked down at his long, tanned fingers spread over her, feeling the curve of her breast beneath his palm, and the way her heart beat wildly, and then stared into her eyes.

“Just once,” she said very softly, “I want to be wild and crazy without worrying about anything. No meaning, no strings, no falling for anyone, just…let loose.”

“I want to be very clear,” he said, just as softly. “You’re looking to-”

“Have sex.”

“Have sex.” She wanted to have sex. Just once. Had she been dropped here by the fantasy gods? How the hell had a shit-spectacular day turned so perfect?

“Zach? Am I doing this wrong?”

He let out a low laugh-it was for real. “You’re not doing anything wrong, believe me. But…” He looked around them, at the rock. “Now?”

“Yes, please.”

Again, he laughed. Laughed. “Here?”

“Here.” His entire body reacted to the thought, so apparently he was on board with the here and now.

“Just the once,” she clarified.

“To be wild and crazy.”

She smiled. “That’s right. And no falling. No messy emotions. Promise me.”

“No falling. No messy emotions.” He was so ready, his board shorts had gotten restricting, but he hesitated. “Brooke. What if that doesn’t work?”

“Well, of course it’ll work. We’ll take our clothes off and lie on them, and then-”

He interrupted with a smile. “Trust me, I know how to do that part. I meant, what if once isn’t enough? What if we still go up in flames when we look at each other at work? What if afterward, someone gets hurt?”

“Won’t happen,” she said so firmly that he was momentarily stymied by the fact that she was so sure she wouldn’t want him again. “You just promised me no falling,” she said. “I promise it right back. I’ll be leaving town before I can start worrying about any sort of meaningful relationship.”

True, all true, but…

“Besides, I’m not exactly the type to ignite any sort of wild passion, so-”

“Whoa.” He was still reeling from her certainty that she would get him out of her system so easily. “What?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I’m awfully buttoned-up, Zach. Ask anyone.”

“I’m asking you.”

“It’s years ingrained. Far too long a story to tell you now, but-”

“Give me the CliffsNotes version, then.” This he had to hear. Not the type to ignite wild passion? Was she serious?

“I just put the prospect of sex on the table,” she said. “And you want to talk? See? Proof right there that I don’t ignite passion.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’re going to have sex on the table. Or on the rock.” He smiled when just the words brought a blush to her cheeks. “But first I want to hear the long Brooke story.”

“Really?”

She sounded so surprised that it squeezed his heart. Had no one ever bothered to try to get beneath her skin? “Really.”

“Well…you already know I came here from back East.”

“Boston. And before that, Florida.”

“You remembered.”

“I’m a good listener.”

“And a good cook. And a surfer. And-”

“This is about you,” he reminded her.

“But see, that’s my point, Zach. I’m not good at a bunch of things like you are. I’ve never had the time to be. Before college, I lived in South Carolina. Before that, New York. Before that, Virginia. Before that…so many other places I can’t even remember them all.”

“Because your mom liked to move around a lot after your father died.”

“Yeah.”

So Brooke had been dragged around like a rag doll, with no say in her life until she’d been on her own. No wonder she liked her careful control. “Sounds tough.”

“It doesn’t matter-this isn’t a poor-me story. My point is, I got my uptight analness from my childhood, or lack thereof, but I could be worse, and yes, I realize you’re thinking that’d be quite a feat, but it’s true. In any case, I’ve led a sort of wanderlust life.”

“When all you really wanted was stability. Comfort.”

Again, she revealed surprise that he got her. “Yes. And then my grandmother died and shocked everyone by leaving me her great big old house, chock-full of sixty-plus years of stuff, even though she didn’t know me. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. I couldn’t just let strangers box it up and get rid of it.”

“Of course not.”

She looked around, at the rock, the ocean, gesturing wide. “So here I am.”

“So here you are. In a house. A home, actually. That’s probably new to you.”

“Very.” She lifted a shoulder. “At least for another few weeks, until the job’s over, and the house sells. It’s going on the market this weekend.” She met his gaze, and in hers the truth was laid bare. No matter what happened, despite the danger of caring too much, or falling a little too hard, she didn’t want to miss out on this.

Neither did he. The wind kicked, stirring the warm evening. Her bare arm bumped his, a strand of her hair slid along his jaw as he slowly pulled her closer.

She tipped her head up to his, eyes luminous as her hand came up to his chest. She waited until their mouths nearly touched before she held him off. “I’m going to let loose tonight, Zach.” Her fingers dug in, just a little. “Consider yourself warned.”

His pulse leaped. So did other parts of his anatomy. “I think I can handle it.”

“Sure?”

“Very,” he murmured, stroking a hand down her hair, her back, cupping her sweet ass and scooting her a little closer, closing his eyes when her mouth brushed over his jaw, then met his.

Oh, yeah. He ran his hands down her body, half braced for her to come to her senses and stop him.

Any moment now…

Instead, she kissed him just the way he liked to be kissed, long and deep and wet, and raw, helpless pleasure flooded him.

And instead of her coming to her senses, he lost his.