The Firefighter’s Woman 2 Page 8

  He blocked the view of her breasts with his menu. “Sure you want to take it there so quickly, Anita? We’ve been dating only a couple weeks, and work has interfered a few times.”

  She pouted deep rose lips that were perfectly shaped. “I would think you’d jump on the offer. I mean I’m giving you all this.” Her hands glided from her shoulders downward. He guessed she cupped her breasts. Evan found himself wondering if they were real. Probably not. His shaft tightened all the same at the image she planted in his head. Either way, he wasn’t ready to go that far with her. He told himself it had nothing to do with lingering feelings for Marlena and everything to do with being the kind of man who needed an emotional connection to the woman he dated. Damn, now he sounded gay. He sighed.

  No, from the reaction his body went through pressed against Marlena, he was most definitely not gay. With a low growl at still not releasing her from his mind, he slammed the menu on the table. “You know what, fuck it. Forget dinner. We’re going back to my place.” Anita squealed in delight and stumbled after him when he took hold of her hand to leave the restaurant. At the front of the building, he stopped. “Wait here while I run and get the truck.”

  She nodded, dancing with impatience from one spiked heel to the other. Evan swung away to jog down the street and around the corner to retrieve his vehicle. When they had arrived, all parking nearby had been filled. He did double time to where he’d parked, but paused when someone called out his name. A scan of the opposite side of the street showed a group of his fellow firefighters strolling along. Evan waved, but didn’t slow down. The sooner he did this, the better. Then, whatever hold Marlena had on his heart would be broken. He had to believe that.

  By the time he slipped into his truck and zipped back around to Tony’s, the firefighters were clustered outside the entrance. They all hooted and whistled, making a racket. Irritated that his men didn’t have more respect for their positions, Evan double-parked and jumped out. He pushed through the guys to see what the ruckus was about and came to a shocked halt at what he saw.

  One of the men had bent Anita over his arm and pretty much had his tongue down her throat. Evan stormed over and jerked the guy off her before smashing his fist into his subordinate’s face.

  “Whoa, hey,” some of the others called out.

  Evan rounded on them. “You have something to say to me?” he roared.

  They held up defensive hands. “Uh no, chief,” they said in tandem.

  George stepped forward. “Chief, no disrespect, but it’s not like all the single guys—and hell even a couple of the married ones—haven’t had her already.” Evan cursed. George waved his hands wildly. “Not me, not me, chief! You know I’m loyal to Sharon.”

  The others laughed. Someone shouted from the back. “Yeah, cause she’d have your balls in a sling or castrate you.”

  George frowned. His face turned beet red. Even Evan knew that was true in the short time he’d been back. Sharon was a fireball, time enough for George. But he did think the man was a good person. He almost didn’t want to ask George to elaborate. George was blunt at all times and wasn’t known to lie. Evan glanced at Anita. She was busy staring into a compact mirror, fixing her lipstick. If the kiss had been forced on her, wouldn’t she be more upset? Come to think of it, she’d been holding on just as much as she was being held. His heart sank.

  He turned back to George. “You’re telling me…”

  George nodded. “She’s a fire banger, chief.”

  “A what?”

  The other man shrugged with an apologetic expression on his face. “One of those women who gets off on having sex with firefighters. Like I said, many of the guys have been with her. We thought you knew, that you were just with her to you know…work out some frustration.”

  Evan clenched his fists at his sides. Several pair of eyes watched him to see what he would say and do. He wished he was anywhere but here going through this damn humiliation. He glanced over at Anita again. “Is this true?”

  She frowned and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t appreciate how these guys are putting me down. You should defend me, Evan. I mean, you know where we were going, right?”

  He stared. Did she think he should get on the guys simply because they told him what kind of woman she was, and that his incentive should be because she would spread her legs for him? He couldn’t believe her. She didn’t deny one word. “We’re done,” he said, a flatness to his tone.

  “Evan,” she whined and pouted. She reached to take his arm, but he stepped away. Her beautiful face darkened in anger once again. “You’re making a mistake. I know how to please a man, and it’s for sure you’re not getting it anywhere else. I heard the rumors.”

  Evan could have wrung her neck with pleasure. What the hell had he been thinking coming back here? He’d forgotten how everyone knew everyone else’s business, and they weren’t ashamed to admit it. Maybe he should just leave and not come back this time. Besides, now that he wasn’t on speaking terms with his mother, and Marlena was no longer in the picture, what difference did it make if he never saw Forest’s End again?

  He turned to head to his truck. “I’ll take you home,” he called to Anita over his shoulder.

  The guy who had been kissing her darted forward. “I’ll take her, chief, seeing as you and her broke up and all.” The dolt looked too eager with his split lip and swelling jaw.

  Evan paused. Apparently, this was one firefighter she hadn’t blown. Disgust turned his stomach. “Fine, whatever. See you around.”

  Evan jumped into his truck, threw it in gear, and sped on screeching tires out of the area. Tomorrow, his superior would have his resignation. His life was turning out to be a great big pile of crap. Maybe now might be a very good time to dip into his inheritance and just disappear.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Of course Marlena had heard. It was all over town how Anita and the men had made Evan look like an idiot. Her heart hurt for him. But it was just like him. Evan was tough and strong, but he was also kind and considerate. He believed the best of people. Why would he give any weight to rumors about what a slut Anita was, especially when she threw on the charm and bounced her big, fake boobs?

  Marlena rolled her eyes thinking about it. Yeah, she had been jealous of the woman while Evan was seeing her. But she couldn’t help wondering if his heart had been stomped. If he had begun to care about that whore, then he was more than humiliated. He was hurt. She began to think about how he had been there for her when she’d broken it off with Tyrone. Evan needed a friend.

  Clad in a cute powder blue summer dress with a curved front neckline and center ruche details, Marlena surveyed herself in her mirror. While she thought she looked good in the outfit that didn’t extend past mid-thigh, she hoped Evan wouldn’t get the impression that she was trying to win him back. She wasn’t trying to, but being a friend didn’t mean a girl couldn’t look sexy too.

  She slipped her feet into platform heels that matched the blue in her dress, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door. She’d called a taxi to pick her up since Evan’s house was farther than she felt comfortable walking. The ride wasn’t exactly a taxi, but more like a local older man who was trying to make a couple extra bucks. Forest’s End didn’t have taxi cabs. The drivers would starve if they even bothered.

  A short while later, they pulled up in front of Evan’s house. Marlena’s heart pounded, and while her dress material was light, it felt sticky against her heated skin. If she didn’t get a grip, she’d be all sweaty before she reached the door. She paid and waited until the driver left before she headed up the walkway.

  Evidence that Evan had money was everywhere in this cute little place. The rose garden on both sides of the walk filled her nose and brought the calm she fought for. To her disgust, Marlena started imagining herself chasing behind Evan’s kids in the huge back yard she got a peek at from the side of the house. She shook her head. “Back to reality.”

  Another few minutes were wasted during her battle with herself to ring the bell. When she finally raised her hand to do it, the door opened before she could. Evan stood there, a look of confusion on his handsome face. A powerful craving to throw herself in his arms came over Marlena. She barely restrained herself.

  “Hi,” she said.

  Evan blinked. “Uh…hey.”

  She played with the hem of her dress, it being short enough to reach without her bending. Evan’s gaze followed her hand and lingered. She probably looked like a slut herself. Maybe this was a mistake.

  “I thought you needed a friend,” she blurted out, since she was there. “I heard what happened, and I know you don’t want to talk about it. But you were there for me, so I wanted to be here for you. Like I said, as a friend.”

  Silence followed her rambling.

  When she’d began, she’d closed her eyes and ducked her head, but now she braved a peek up at him. His expression was frozen in place, unreadable.

  She started to turn away. “I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry, I—”

  His arm came around her waist, and he all but hauled her into the house. When the door closed on her only viewable exit, she faced him, more than a little nervous about his intentions. Evan brought his hand up beneath her chin and made her look at him. “Am I right in thinking this is your way of reaching out to me, like you did in the restaurant?”

  She bit her lip. The memory of their kiss at Tony’s crowded out all other thoughts, and fired up desire in her body. With no physical stimulation, her nipples tightened, and she was pretty sure her cream had just wet her panties. Friend, friend, friend, she chanted to herself. It wasn’t working.

  “Not exactly.” He’d shot her down once. Only now she realized she might look like a stalker when he was no longer interest
ed, girlfriend or no girlfriend. “See, I figured—”

  His lips covered hers. Marlena almost tipped over backward at the surprise, but Evan’s arms came around her a second time. He scooped her close and brought his palms down to her ass. A squeeze and then a lift at her rear sealed their bodies together. Marlena didn’t hesitate to wrap her legs around his waist and deepen the kiss by sliding her tongue into his mouth. She moaned, loving his taste, loving him. She needed him like air.

  While they continued to kiss, Evan carried her across the room and through a doorway. They passed into a living room from what Marlena glimpsed through slitted eyes. Evan laid her on a couch and followed her down, one muscled thigh parting hers. She arched her back, set off even more by the feel of his hard-on. She could kill to get inside his pants and curve her fingers around his thick shaft.

  Evan seemed to read her mind. He leaned back a little, staring into her eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he fumbled to open his jeans, and when he presented his erection, Marlena grabbed for it. She stroked him from base to tip, eliciting grunts of pleasure from him. She watched as his eyelids lowered and his head went back while she fondled him. How she loved making him feel good.

  “You like my touch?” she asked between nips to his neck and tugs on his dick.

  “Hell, yes,” he growled. “You know I do, Marlena. No one can do it like you. I don’t want anyone to do it but you. I’d like to think you feel the same.”

  He opened his eyes and followed her example by pinching the buttons of her blouse open. When he found the tight tips in her bra, Marlena almost cried at the pleasure he brought. Was he kidding? Of course no other man could make her as needy as Evan. And no man could satisfy her the same way. “Yes, it’s the same.”

  Her admission was enough for him. He jumped from the couch and stripped. Marlena feasted her eyes on him, drinking in every ripple of his muscles, every contraction tantalizing her senses. There was a slight sheen to his ripped abs as if he had been doing physical labor before she’d come. She wanted to lick it off. A white man with a tan was the sexiest sight in the world, she thought. Evan’s smooth, taut skin made her want to pant like a dog and beg just as hard.

  When he was finished undressing, he leaned over to help her remove her clothing. Nervousness hit Marlena’s system. That time on Fort Madison Hill, it had been night time. While she knew her body looked better than it had in the past, there were the ravages of having been overweight. After he’d been looking at the perfection that was the blonde, would he be disgusted with her? She almost chewed her lip considering it.

  “Come on, baby,” Evan encouraged her as he removed each article of clothing. “I need to see you now.”

  Marlena didn’t say a word. She let him strip her, and when he had removed her dress, followed by her soaked panties, he paused and shouted. Marlena dared to look into his glazed eyes, surprised to find excitement.

  “How could I forget how pretty you are down there?” he admitted. Warmth stole over Marlena. Evan shifted his hands beneath her ass. “I need to eat you, baby. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Are you joking?” She howled herself when his mouth made contact with her heat. His tongue delved deep inside her, and he scooped her creamy juices into his mouth like a desperate man. He moaned with each lick, making greedy feeding sounds that had Marlena bucking and holding his head against her. “Evan! Oh goodness, eat me, please.”

  He raised her hips, pressed harder. When he found her swollen nubbin and clamped his lips over it, Marlena lost it. She screamed and churned her hips, her orgasm crashing over her body. Whining and crying out that he better not stop, she let go of his head and tore at the couch cushions. Evan didn’t slow down until two aftershocks rocketed through Marlena and all the strength had left her body.

  By the time he raised his head with a wide grin, she panted, trying to catch her breath. But Evan’s desires hadn’t fully been met. He didn’t give her more than a few seconds before he came for her again. He reared back on his knees and heels and grasped her hips. Dragging her down to him, he guided his shaft to her delicate folds and then pushed inside.

  With one hand around her waist, he stared down at her body as if it was a treat. His other hand ran over her belly, up to first one breast to tweak the nipple, and then to the other. Marlena spread her legs wider, arched against him, while Evan pumped deep inside her. He tightened his grip on her and drove harder.

  Tears filled Marlena’s eyes. “Evan. I-I love you.”

  He sucked in a noisy breath and pulled her up so her chest was to his. All the while, he didn’t lose the connection between them. If anything, from this angle, his rigid shaft ground deeper. Marlena thought she might faint from how good it felt, but Evan’s nibbling at her ear and kisses along her throat awakened every nerve in her system.

  “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone,” he whispered. “I’d be willing to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”

  At his words, it was Marlena’s turn to gasp. This time, she did cry on his shoulder, and Evan waited until she pulled herself together to pursue his climax. They strained together as if wanting to be one. Marlena encircled Evan’s neck and arched into him while he caught hold of her hips. He ground her into him, pumping with maddening speed. When he shouted a curse, she knew he was ready to explode. Warmth filled her, and she rocked atop him until Evan collapsed, taking her with him.

  “Mm, now that was good,” he murmured with his eyes closed.

  She slapped his shoulder, still sitting on his lap. “Just good?”

  He forced heavy-lidded eyes open. “Beyond the best fantasy. Of course we’ll have to do it a few more times to be sure it surpasses all else.”

  “Of course.”

  “How’s fifteen minutes from now, in my bed?” he suggested.

  She laughed. “You’re insatiable.”

  He ran his fingertips down the side of her face and tweaked one of her curls. “When I have the chance to enjoy my sweet mocha woman, you better believe I’m taking advantage of it, at every opportunity.”

  A hand on her hip, she rolled her eyes. “Your woman, huh?”

  He shrugged. “Okay, my friend. My beautiful, perfect friend who will just happen to have my last name and live with me and have my babies.”

  Marlena’s mouth fell open. “You’re serious?”

  The laughter left his eyes, and his grin faded. He cupped her face, leaning forward and capturing her gaze. “Marlena, I love you with all my heart. I made stupid mistakes in the past, but no more. I promise you that. If you give me a chance, I will do all that’s within my power to make you happy and make up for the hurt I’ve caused you. I’ll go wherever you go. I’ll support your career, so if it means leaving Forest’s End, that’s fine with me.”

  Marlena’s eyes widened. “You’d leave your job. For me?”

  “You’re my life, sweetheart. Don’t you see that? You were my life back before I left. I was the fool who didn’t see it. I was miserable in New York alone, but I was too stubborn to give up and come home to you. Trust me when I say I suffered. When I came to my senses, the first chance I got, I flew back here. At the time, I felt it was fortunate that the job of fire chief opened up, and even bowled over that they gave it to me. It seemed like fate.”

  “And then I threw the monkey wrench in when I wouldn’t believe you loved me, especially after all the lies your mother told.” She sniffed. “I should have confronted you, but it seemed like the only viable explanation for you leaving. That I was this fat loser a man like you could never love. I made it a goal to prove that I was worth something, to myself and to you. I think I was just as lonely without you. And as wonderful as it was making that video with Crunch, it just doesn’t mean a lot when the camera’s turned off and the pats on the back die away. At night, there’s no one there to love me.”

  Evan drew her tight in his embrace. “There is someone there, baby. I’m there. I’ve always been there in spirit, but I want to be there physically. Will you let me?”