Page 29 of Living with Fire
“And yet,” I hear Nate say. I look to him and find him looking pensive, and I know he’s thinking about how we went for brunch this morning, how he’s invited me to stay the night in his home, and how he’s feeding me once again.
I give him a warm, grateful smile. And yet I find myself not wanting to do anything on my own while this man is around. “And yet he knows more about me than anyone else in this city.”
“There’s a story there,” I hear Liam murmur to Brody.
At least I think it’s to Brody. I’m not entirely sure since I’m too busy looking at Nate who is studying me curiously, questions in those bright blue eyes. I told him I didn’t really know anyone in Santa Rosé, and I’m sure he’s remembering that part of our earlier conversation.
“Why don’t we all order dinner, grab a booth, and you guys can tell us all about it,” Liam suggests.
Nate’s eyes shift to him for a second, and then back to me, asking me silently if I’m okay with that idea. He doesn’t want to pressure me into having dinner with his friends, something I’m thankful for, but I’m enjoying their company, and I think it’ll give me more insight into who Nate is. Despite the fact that I shouldn’t be interested—I have no business liking a man right now, and I don’t want to lead Nate on—I want to get to know him better. Besides, I’m going to be staying in his house tonight, and I should probably know a little about him for me to do that.
At least it seems like a good justification.
“Sure. What’s good?” I ask, and the four of us order dinner before we grab one of the booths that line the same wall as the main door of the place.
I squeeze in on one side with Liam across from me, Brody beside him, and Nate taking up space beside me. We took one of the extra-long booths, one that can fit six but comfortably seats three firefighters and me, and I can still feel the heat coming off Nate’s body beside mine. The air between us feels charged, like it’s ready to snap and crackle the second one of us looks at the other, or gets too close, threatening to touch.
“So, how did this all come about?” Liam asks, gesturing between Nate and me. “And don’t tell me that Nate pulls you out of a burning building and asks you out to dinner because I won’t believe it.”
I turn to look at Nate at the same time he’s glancing in my direction. His eyes tell me that he’s just as aware of me sitting next to him as I am of him, and I need to suck in a deep breath to keep my thoughts clear of things like moving closer to him, touching him, or wanting to kiss him.
He’s got fantastic lips, the bottom one just a tad fuller than the top one, and I’m pretty sure they would feel incredibly sweet and soft if they were on mine, just like the man himself. Or maybe they would be hard and commanding, more like the man I met at the fire, ordering his men around, determined to get me out of the building safely. Then I realize I think he would be both, remembering the shot he made me, which causes me to lick my lips while I’m still staring at his.
Shit. I shouldn’t stare. My eyes pop back up to his and I can see his have darkened again as he watches me. I’m pretty sure all the guys are waiting for me to say something, but my ability to think like a rational human seemed to go out the window the second I looked at Nate’s lips. Distraction can be a bitch.
“Please tell me you’re seeing this,” Liam says.
“I’m not blind, dude,” Brody replies, “Just not as vocal as you.”
It’s enough for me to pull my eyes away from Nate, shaking my head to clear the thoughts of lips, kisses, and wanton eyes. “What was the question?”
Brody snorts and Liam smirks, gesturing once again between Nate and me, this time with his beer bottle. “You two. How’d you hook up?”
“We haven’t hooked up,” Nate corrects quickly, his tone hard and unyielding, a clear warning to Liam.
He’s taken the ribbing that Liam has been feeding him since we got here, but I can tell by his tone that he’s drawing a line. It makes butterflies erupt in my stomach, making me feel safe and respected, a feeling I haven’t felt with many men besides my brothers and dad. I realize that since the first time I met him he’s made me feel at ease, though I didn’t recognize it in the elevator the other day. I was far too irritated with men in general to see much of anything.
“And we didn’t meet at the fire,” I tell the two men across from us. “We actually met the day before in an elevator.”
Liam chokes on the beer he’s currently drinking, and I know I’m damn lucky I’m not wearing it when he covers his mouth with a hand, liquid sliding out from under it. His eyes dart between Nate and me, wide with what I think is shock. Brody whistles low between his teeth, his eyes focused on Nate, subdued surprise etched in his features. Based on their reactions, I’m gathering Nate told them about our interaction.
“You’re elevator girl?” Liam says, incredulous, his eyes settling on me while grabbing a napkin.
I feel my cheeks heat, and dare a glance at Nate, making sure I don’t look at his mouth. “You told them about that?”
Nate shrugs, his neck redder than his face. “I didn’t think I would see you again,” he says by way of explanation. “And I only told him,” he adds, pointing to Liam. “He just has a big mouth.”
“You say that like you wouldn’t have told Brods,” Liam says, slinging an arm around the other man. “Don’t leave the big lug out like that. It’ll hurt his feelings. Right, Brods?”
For such a quiet, reserved guy, he sure has expressive eyes. They turn on Nate, and I nearly “aww” at the puppy dog look in them, like he’s truly hurt that Nate wouldn’t tell him about our interaction. I suddenly wonder if Nate should have warned me more about Brody than Liam. It’s always the quiet ones you need to watch out for, and I feel like Brody is proving that right now. The two of them are probably a lethal combination for the ladies.
“Jesus, you two,” Nate mutters, scrubbing his hands over his face and then through his hair.
His clear irritation makes me giggle and I throw a shoulder into his side to tell him it’s okay. It’s the wrong move because I’m suddenly acutely aware of him, even more than before, and how solid and hot his body is. An image of him moving above me flashes in my mind and I press my thighs together instinctively, need washing over me.
I can feel his eyes on me again, watching, and I chance a glance up at him, inhaling sharply at the look I see in his eyes. The same need I feel is reflected back to me, and if we were anywhere but in a very public place with his two best friends watching us, I would say to hell with all my baggage and fling myself at him to find out exactly what those lips would do.
I don’t understand what it is about him that’s making me react to him like this. Sure, I’ve lacked in the personal relationships department for the last six months, but that doesn’t explain this reaction. I was lacking when I accepted a date with Preston, and I never behaved like this or had thoughts of wanting to throw myself at him.