The Firefighter’s Woman 2 Page 7

  He stalked into the fire station and headed to his office while calling out, “George, anything I need to know?”

  George followed behind him. “Nope. Surprisingly, everything’s been quiet around here, chief. No fires. No kittens stuck in trees…”

  Evan cracked a smile. “Great, thanks. Tony around?”

  “Out on an errand. You need me to tell him you’re looking for him?”

  “No.” Evan wasn’t in the mood for his advice and just wanted to know if Tony would be barging in any second. Tony had a level head, and everything he’d told Evan up till now had been solid, but Evan already knew he was operating on emotions alone. That would get him into trouble after while, but he wasn’t ready to concede defeat. Not when Marlena still didn’t know the truth. He had to convince her to give him that one chance to explain.

  Evan made a series of phone calls to find out where Marlena was now. He wasn’t surprised to learn she was at the Y, but from the reports he was getting, Crunch had sent her back with a whole entourage, including cameramen, choreographer, producer, and more. It sounded as if they were going full steam ahead with a video. Wasn’t that a little fast?

  Finding no alternative but to head over there since Marlena wasn’t taking his calls, Evan slipped on his fire retardant jacket that blazed Forest’s End Fire Department on the left side of his chest and across the back. He left his personal vehicle at the curb and hopped into the fire chief’s Jeep. When he turned onto the road leading to the Y, it was to come face-to-face with not only heavy traffic, but a line of people peering in windows and trying to get into the Y. Officers were attempting to keep people moving, but it was difficult.

  Glad of his credentials that would get him in the building without a problem, Evan took the parking space one of the officers cleared for him, and after greeting the man, fought his way through the crowd to get into the Y.

  Inside the building, the noise level was lower. However, somewhere nearby, music played. Evan stepped over a million thick cords covering the floor, heading toward the back. Instead of the front room where Marlena taught her classes, the Crunch group had chosen one farther into the interior of the building.

  While Evan had no trouble getting inside the Y, he was stopped cold by two huge guards outside the room where he assumed Marlena was.

  “Sorry, you don’t have authorization to come in here,” one of the men told him.

  Evan’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, is that right?” He flicked a thumb over his shoulder. “So, you can show me your permit for setting up this wiring? Because it looks to me like a fire hazard, and I do happen to be the fire chief in this town.” He held his hand out, palm up, as if he was waiting for the man to hand him the paperwork.

  “Uh…uh…” the man stuttered. The one guard looked at the other. His companion shrugged, unsure, but they both appeared ready to dig their feet in and not move.

  “You know,” Evan began slowly, “small town fines can be hefty, more so than big cities’. I mean, I don’t know how much you two are paid. If your employer decides to take it out of your salary because you…”

  Both of the men stepped aside, and one even tugged the door open for him. Evan saluted them and walked into the room. The scene that met his eyes sent him for a loop, and then anger ripped through his gut.

  Three cameras were set up at different angles facing the center of the room. A smattering of women in exercise clothing were standing at the edge of the open space, and along the sides of the room were several people in casual dress, but clearly not exercisers. He assumed these were producers and whoever else Crunch used in the production of their videos.

  What caught and held his attention was the man with his damn hands all over Marlena. He stood behind her, his hands on her hips and his head bent to whisper something to her. As the sensual music played, he moved her hips and swayed with her. He lifted one hand to gesture to her before returning to her body. No reasonable explanation as to why this asshole was so free with touching her came to Evan’s mind. He didn’t hesitate for an instant, but instead stalked over to the two of them. “Marlena!” he growled. “What the hell is this?” He turned his attention to the Romeo too free with his hands, but the man planted his feet in a firm stance and seemed to bulk up all of a sudden as if Evan should be intimidated by his size. He wasn’t. In fact, he bet the muscle was more show than anything.

  “You don’t belong here,” the guy told him. “This is a closed set.”

  Evan didn’t budge.

  Marlena interrupted their stare off. “Evan, what are you doing? Get out of here. You’re messing up this opportunity for me.”

  Evan caught the nod Romeo gave to someone behind him. He turned in time to sidestep the lunge one of the guards directed at him. For that pathetic attempt, Evan started after Romeo, but Marlena positioned herself in front of him. “Please, just come in the hall.” She cast an apologetic glance to the woman who had come to meet her in the first place. “I’ll just talk to him. Can we take a quick break?”

  The woman’s tight-lipped expression showed she was less than pleased at the interruption. She gave a clipped nod. Marlena grabbed his arm and almost dragged him out to the hall. When the guards followed, she held her hand up, and they stopped several feet away. But this time, they weren’t going to back off. Those muscles, Evan was pretty sure, were not for show. He might be able to handle one, but not both at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself, but the memory of that idiot touching Marlena made it difficult.

  “Why was he all over you like that? You can’t tell me that kind of thing passes for exercise these days.”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “For your information, he is one of the top choreographers for the fitness industry. I’m lucky to work with him, and he was just giving me pointers on how to improve my own techniques.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you came at him like that. This shoot is just a trial run to see if I work well in front of the camera, and the small town local appealed to the executives, so that’s why we came here. If I’d known you would act like a damn fool, I would never have come back.”

  Evan’s mouth went dry. “Never have come back? So is that how it is? You’re the one leaving now? Is it to spite me, to punish me for leaving years ago?”

  “Get the hell over yourself!” She clenched her fists and appeared to try to calm her anger as well. He felt like the biggest fool for acting the way he was and saying what he had, and yet, he couldn’t stop himself. He felt crazy, out of control. This wasn’t him, but he was helpless to stop the downward spiral—probably not until he had ruined all chances of a reconciliation.

  “Marlena, just let me explain about the check. It wasn’t what you thought, and I don’t care that you took it. You deserved that and more. However, like I said, it wasn’t what you thought.”

  Her brow crinkled as if she didn’t know what he was talking about, and then it cleared as comprehension dawned. She turned on her heel and marched off. He had no choice but to follow. Marlena led him to her locker, and to show just how pissed off at him she was, she jerked the lock, zipped through the combination three times before she could make it work, and then slammed the door a little too hard when opening it.

  After rummaging through her purse, she pulled something out. She handed it to him. Evan looked down to find his check, the one he’d written years ago to pay her for the yard work. Just as his mother had said, it was made out for five thousand dollars. Marlena had never cashed it.

  He met her stormy gaze, but couldn’t find words to say. “Marlena, I never meant—”

  “We’re done. You get that, Evan. Done!” She slammed her locker closed. “As you can see, I didn’t cash that check. I’m not the piece of gold-digging trash your mama thinks I am. I don’t need you, and I damn sure don’t need your money. So I’d appreciate it if you stay out of my life.”

  When she walked away to return to her work, Evan’s heart seemed to stop. He finally got it. No matter what he said or what he did, she was lost to him. The only consolation was he got the impression that she no longer believed he had tried to pay her to leave him alone. She’d said his mother just now and didn’t lump him in with her. But his actions lately and the fact that he’d left could not be taken back as far as Marlena was concerned. Tony was right, as well. He should have backed off before he’d made a fool of himself.

  The damage was done. If Marlena ever needed him, he would be there, but from now on, he would stay away from her. She deserved to be happy, and if that happiness did not include him, well, he was ready to accept that—no matter how much it hurt.

  Chapter Twelve

  Marlena sat in Tony’s restaurant having a large chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side for dipping. While she enjoyed the food, she was a little lonely, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Evan. A couple of months had passed since she’d last spoke with him, and from the news she gleaned around town, he was keeping himself busy with work. The day before, a new rumor had surfaced, one that had him linked with one of the local women, but Marlena hadn’t been able to verify it without letting anyone know she was interested.

  Now that the trial video was done and looked good, there was no threat to her screwing up the opportunity that had been presented to her. At this point, it was all up to those who made the decisions with Crunch. Funny how they rushed her into the trial shoot, and now they were taking their sweet time to decide if she was a good fit for where they were going in the fitness industry. Max, the choreographer she’d worked with, had told her there was much more to the process than she knew about. There were many meetings, market analyses, and more. She’d thought he was just trying to impress her, but he was probably right. She just needed to be patient.

  After she’d walk
ed away from Evan, she’d had time to calm down. All of sudden, the impact of what happened between them hit. In the back of her mind, she had believed Evan would convince her to forgive him. Or, somehow, she would have it confirmed that he was the jerk she thought he was.

  Shana and others told her about how Evan had traipsed all over creation trying to find her, to talk to her. A man just looking for sex wouldn’t act like that, and she thought she had glimpsed pain in his eyes when she’d dropped him once and for all. Now, the damage between them was too great. It was over. She couldn’t go back, and he no longer wanted her if he really was dating someone else.

  Marlena considered Max’s invitation to let him buy her dinner. She couldn’t miss the interest in his eyes, and now that she looked back on it, she had to admit, Max had been a little touch happy when he’d trained her. The man was good at what he did, and his body was hot as hell. However, she felt no real attraction to him.

  “And I won’t if I don’t give up on a certain someone,” she muttered.

  “Oh say it isn’t so, my beautiful African violet,” Max quipped. “You’re not giving up on me, are you?”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re an idiot, Max.” She’d long since taken him off the pedestal where she’d first placed him. He was a regular person just like her. “What are you still doing in town? I thought after the project was complete, you’d return to New York.”

  He took the seat opposite her without being invited. Marlena sighed. Max wasn’t going to back off until she dated him. The man believed he was irresistible to women, and maybe he was given his sculpted body—at least to women whose hearts still belonged to them. Marlena should give him a chance, if not to see whether they could connect on an emotional level, at least to break the hold Evan had over her heart. Decision made, she relaxed a little and nibbled on a forkful of salad while Max spoke.

  “I couldn’t leave without you and me going on a date, but when I called your cell, I didn’t get an answer.”

  She dug in her purse and pulled out her cell. Glancing at it, she frowned. “Dead.” She hadn’t charged it for a few days, which was unlike her, especially since she was waiting to hear from Crunch. “I’ll plug it in when I get back home. My mind has been all over the place.”

  Max reached across the table to take her hand. Marlena resisted the urge to snatch it away and sat, allowing Max to caress her skin. The smallest tingle trailed from her wrist, traveled up her arm and on to her nether regions. She was either horny, or Max knew some erogenous zones on the female body. A knowing look came over his face while she squirmed in her seat. He leaned across the table toward her. “Do you know what the top ten erogenous zones are in a woman?”

  Had he read her mind? She shook her head.

  “They are—”

  Someone passing the table caught Marlena’s attention. She froze in place, eyes wide, and breath coming in puffs. Evan strolled along at the side of a woman with a slender model’s body. Her hair, although almost reaching to her waist in glorious blonde waves, did not cover the fact that Evan’s hand rested on her lower back.

  Jealousy and pain choked Marlena. Her fork clattered to her plate, sounding loud in the noisy restaurant. Evan hadn’t looked back at all. His attention was wholly on the woman, and Marlena couldn’t blame him. She was drop-dead gorgeous. That’s what he’d wanted all along, she figured. He’d been slumming with her, trying something new. No. She closed her eyes a moment, trying to get a grip. Evan wasn’t like that. She knew now. He had cared for her, but maybe it wasn’t meant to be. This type of woman was probably who he should be with anyway. She’d meet with his mother’s approval for sure.

  “Hey, you,” Max called to her. “Feeling okay?”

  She pulled in a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Yes, just felt a little ill for a second. Listen, I’ll be right back. I’m going to the ladies’ room.” Before he could ask any more questions, Marlena left the table.

  In the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face, but as soon as she glanced up into the mirror, she burst out crying. The noisy sobs wracked her body, and all she wanted to do was sink to the floor and curl up like an infant. This was all her fault. She was the one who’d blown it. When Evan had come back, she could have made a choice. She could have forgiven him or let him go. She hadn’t done either, and now she was suffering hard for it. The pain that tore at her seemed worse than the pain of losing him the first time. Knowing everything had been a lie, that he’d never written that check to make her go away, made it that much worse.

  After a good fifteen minutes of trying to pull herself together, she got the tears to stop and rewashed her face. A couple of quick touches freshened her makeup, and she left the bathroom only to slam nose first into a man passing by. Marlena muttered an apology as she looked up and stopped when she saw it was Evan.

  “It’s you,” she said needlessly.

  “Hello, Marlena.” His voice rumbled over her raw senses, making her want to fling herself into his arms. Her hand came up, before she knew what she was going to do, to rest on his chest. His heart pounded beneath her palm. “You shouldn’t…” he began.

  She stood on her tiptoes and leaned up to capture his lips. Evan responded immediately, his lips parting. She slid her tongue into his mouth, and he curled his around hers. Greedily, they devoured each other, moaning, and pressing hard together as if they needed to be one. Marlena felt Evan’s erection against her belly. She moved her hand down to cup it, to stroke and squeeze it until Evan was almost growling.

  After a few moments, he brought his hands down heavy on her shoulders and pushed her back. His breathing was ragged, his skin flushed, and his eyes dark. “We can’t.”

  She stared at him in shock. The sadness, maybe even pity, she saw in his eyes floored her.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and to her humiliation, he turned and walked away.

  Marlena sagged against the closed bathroom door. He’d rejected her. She’d come at him, but he’d pushed her away. It really was too late. She was the stupidest woman on the planet. Not many women could claim to have the perfect man, a good man, who loved them the way that Evan seemed to love her. But she had let him slip through her fingers.

  At first, she considered running back into the bathroom to hide, but then she realized that would do no good. She needed to get out of there. If she stayed any longer, she’d make a bigger fool of herself than she already had. Max would just have to understand that she wasn’t feeling well. Besides, it wasn’t like they were out on a date. All Marlena wanted to do was to crawl under the covers in her bed and pretend none of this had ever happened.

  * * * *

  Evan watched Marlena rush back to her table, say something to the dancing idiot, and then hurry out of the restaurant. Everything in him wanted to chase after her, but he resisted. He would no longer chase her. In truth, when she’d kissed him, it had felt so incredible, he wanted to never let her go. However, he had to remember that he was with Anita now, and Evan was not the type of man to cheat.

  He had kissed Anita plenty of times, and while she was a beautiful, desirable woman, touching her did not bring Evan half the arousal that a kiss from Marlena did. He closed his eyes, remembering it. She’d trembled in his arms, causing him to drag her closer with a craving to consume her. His lust had gone haywire until he remembered that Anita waited at the table. As he walked away from Marlena, if she had called out just once, he would have been back at her side.

  Fantasizing about her was pointless. She’d always been attracted to him, but that’s as far as it went. She didn’t believe in his love for her, didn’t forgive him for his mistakes. Their relationship was doomed.

  With a sigh, he opened his eyes and focused on his date. Maybe with a few more months behind them, he and Anita would work out. His love for Marlena would fade, and he could see his future with someone other than her. He wasn’t exactly sure about it being Anita though. Her inane chatter grated on his nerves way too often.

  “So, let’s go back to your place after dinner, huh?” She winked at him and leaned forward to show off her cleavage. Evan didn’t deny he liked the view she gave him, but damn, did she have to be so obvious about what she wanted? She wasn’t like other women who longed for a relationship and had visions of something serious. Anita appeared to want one thing from him. Evan could almost laugh at how cheap it made him feel.