Burning for the Fireman Read Free Page A

asked. If she was into the things
that happened at Eclipse, I couldn’t imagine every experience to be that much
of a letdown. Most of the men there prided themselves on taking their women to
amazing heights. But I had only seen her there once and she hadn’t hooked up
with anyone. I knew I had to tell her I had seen her there. I had a feeling
she’d view that omission as a lie.
    She took a nibble of breadstick, chewed slowly and then
said, “The whole idea of spending time with someone, going on awkward dates,
not having sex until you know him better…all that stuff is a waste of time. The
men I’ve come across have been selfish, expecting me to give them everything
and while they give nothing back in return,” she told me quietly.
    I took a moment to think about what she said. True, dates could
get awkward and every man had a different expectation. But I was still somewhat
confused.
    “What do you mean, you get nothing in return?” I asked.
    The server appeared beside the table with our dinners,
momentarily stopping our conversation. We ate in silence for a few minutes
before I couldn’t stand it anymore. Dying with curiosity, I wanted details.
    She sighed and leaned forward in her chair and I did the
same, bringing our faces closer.
    “Is this conversation going to stay between us?” she asked.
“The last thing I need is to be the brunt of all the jokes at the fire
department.”
    I reached for her hand and her gaze lifted to mine. I felt
the jolt of our gazes clashing sizzle down into the pit of my stomach.
    “Of course, everything stays between us. The guys do like to
joke around but they’re harmless and I don’t tell them everything,” I replied.
    Her eyebrows came together and a couple pearly teeth came
down to chew on her pink lip. I knew she was deciding whether or not to trust
me—I was already starting to learn her facial expressions.
    I wondered who had betrayed this woman so badly that she
wouldn’t open up to anyone. Her reticence reminded me of myself.
    Still she hesitated and I reached for her hand, giving it a
reassuring squeeze.
    “I’ve never…” she began quietly, glancing around us, “you
know, finished with a man.”

Chapter Three
     
    It took me a minute to realize what she was saying and when
I did, shock didn’t begin to describe the emotion racing through me.
    “I’m very sorry to hear that,” I told her quietly.
    Her face flushed as I stared at her and I decided to let her
off the hook for now. She was tense and uneasy all of a sudden and I wanted her
to relax with me again.
    Changing the subject, I asked her about her favorite music
and movies, and we discussed all the normal things people chatted about on
first dates. It had been years since I’d sat and actually talked to a woman.
Suddenly the old first-date routines didn’t seem so boring.
    She was funny, spouting out short, sarcastic quips whenever
the conversation got awkward. Allie was as cynical as I was about relationships
and their worth. But we had both reacted to the breakups and heartache
differently.
    I had done almost the exact opposite of what she’d done. My
aversion to relationships caused me to have sex only with women who already
knew the score, to keep things light and easy so they didn’t expect anything
when the night was over.
    I found myself telling Allie things I hadn’t spoken of for
years and some things I’d never talked about. I told her about losing my older
brother in a fire my first year on the job and about the woman who had broken
my heart in college by sleeping with my roommate.
    I discovered Allie wasn’t close to her parents and had moved
out here after she found her sister in bed with her fiancé. I offered to kick
his ass and she assured me she would give me his address, making me laugh.
    As I watched her finish her meal, I knew she was the kind of
woman who would expect more. Unless I could convince her otherwise…but I wasn’t
entirely sure I wanted to do that.
    I liked