Into the Fire (3 page)

He leaned against the doorjamb with
his fingers tucked into the pockets of his jeans; his earnest
expression held no hint of the anger she’d witnessed earlier in the
day. “That’s why I’m here. I don’t get it, Charly. When I left
Michigan, everything was copacetic between us. So what happened?
Why can you barely stand the sight of me now?”

She forced out a laugh. She
would unleash her rant now or never; after so long, wouldn’t the
release feel good, cathartic? “How can you even ask that? Bragging
to your buddies about what a freak I am in bed ran me out of one
‘house, and it’s a damned miracle the same thing hasn’t happened
with my precinct. That’s how I got my nickname, Nate. Because
I 
had
 to be an Ice Queen if I wanted to do what I loved. You
almost fucked my career up for me once. I won’t give up my life
because you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

Nate flinched as if struck. “What in
the holy hell are you talking about? I never said a word about us.”
He took a long step into the kitchen. “Not one damned
word.”

Charly held out a hand, halting him in
his tracks. “And yet it made the rounds anyway, conveniently right
after you left to go see the world. I’ve worked too freakin’ hard
to get where I am today to have you torpedo it again. While you
were out banging anything that moved, I was here, building a life.”
Never mind that she’d discovered, too late, how much she had
invested in their friends-turned-lovers relationship. Namely, her
heart.

Nate’s eyes glittered with anger, and
Charly knew she’d shown too much of her hand, how much his
desertion bothered her, even now. Her last comment was only
guessing on her part, but his sex drive had been phenomenal back in
the day. Enough to burn in her memory forever. But the need to lash
out at him, to hurt him as much as he’d hurt her, both by his words
and his departure, drove her actions now.

When he responded, his words were as
harsh as hers had been, just as driven by anger. “For your
information, I joined the Air Force and was too damned busy serving
my country to bang ‘anything that moved’. But, hey, I saw the
world, at least the sandy fucking parts. And what did you do? You
stayed here in boring old Ludington, even though you said you
wanted to get out more than anything. Look in the mirror before you
start casting stones, Sweetheart.”

Charly flinched at his words, because
they were true, and sat down with a thump; the hardwood dining
chair chilled her thighs. “The Air Force?” She’d never even
considered he’d done anything other than structural fires. She
hadn’t had time. No, she’d been too busy trying to forget him and
gain the respect of a bunch of smoke-eaters who didn’t want a woman
in their ‘house. Ever. She’d become the Ice Queen because she never
wanted to give up the one profession that had always called to
her.

Nate swiped a hand through
his hair. With one look at the expression on her face, the anger
seemed to run right out of him. “Jesus, Charly, would you look at
us? There’s more sniping going on here than in a battle zone, for
God’s sakes.” He gestured to one of the chairs. “You
mind?”

She shrugged, unable to form
words in response. His reference to combat could only mean one
thing. He’d been overseas, serving in the military or as a
contractor. His comment earlier suddenly clicked in her head. His
commitment had ended. He’d spent eight years doing things she
couldn’t even imagine. The concept was spectacularly hard to wrap
her mind around when she’d spent the last eight years cursing his
name and sticking pins in an imaginary voodoo doll.

He was looking at her in the old
familiar way, like he had back when they’d been friends. Like he
had whenever they were any place but in bed. Like he had in her
memory just a few moments ago. But now, everything had changed with
his words. She had to decide if those words made a difference in
the reality of today but knew, without even thinking about it, they
wouldn’t. They couldn’t, because she couldn’t afford to lose
herself to Nate again. She was an older, wiser woman than the girl
eight years ago, but damned if her body wasn’t reacting to his
presence as if anticipating a welcome-home fuck.

The chirp of her cell cut short any
response, or excuse, or even conversation that she might have made.
She rummaged in her purse and pulled the phone to her ear, praying
it wasn’t another torch. It was unlikely, so soon after this
morning’s blaze, but the very last thing she could concentrate on
right now was her job.

“
Hey Sweetie, what are you
up to?” A sweet, somewhat batty voice tittered.

“
Mom,” she breathed with a
sigh of relief. She looked up at Nate, who was watching her with an
inscrutable expression. “I’m visiting with an old friend of mine.
You remember Nate?” She watched him across the table; pleasure
spread across his face at her words. Even if she was still hurting
down deep from his words and actions, she also remembered that Nate
had always worn his heart on his sleeve. Could he possibly be
telling the truth? Even if he was, it didn’t matter in the long
run.

She briefly wondered who, if not Nate,
had flapped their gums, but then her mom’s voice pulled her back to
the present.

“
Oh, he was such a sweet
boy. Where’s he been?”

“
Around the world and back,
Ma. Can I call you back? We’re catching up.”

Florence Davis’ response was a dirty
little chuckle. “I’ll just bet you are. Call me later,
dear.”

Charly disconnected, shaking her head.
Her mom might be getting a bit senile, but in some ways, she was
sharp as a tack. She still caught anything that might even begin to
approach a sexual innuendo. She missed her mom, but Florence had
decided sunny Baja was more her speed these days.

Taking a deep breath, Charly raised
her gaze to Nate. Maybe, just maybe, she’d find a way past what had
happened eight years ago, to rediscover the friend she’d lost. Now,
she needed a new explanation of what in the hell had really
happened when he bailed. She deserved that much, at
least.

Placated, she asked, “Would you like a
glass of wine? We have a lot of catching up to do.”

*

Nate looked at Charly over the rim of
his wineglass. She was even more stunning now than she’d been eight
years ago. Her face was just as beautiful, with those begging-to-be
kissed lips and fathomless blue eyes. Life had given her a few
lines, but hard work had toned her body to perfection, something
he’d been too angry to appreciate earlier this morning.

He’d like nothing better than to
stretch her out across the dining room table and sample the changes
time had wrought, but he knew his desires were too much, too soon.
Given the fact he still couldn’t remember what one of his
ex-girlfriends had even looked like, he figured he had
time.

He would need time to reforge their
friendship, to regain her trust. He’d burned her, and badly, by
being a prick and not keeping in touch. Winning Charly back would
be a challenge he’d relish. She was his; she just didn’t realize it
yet.

“
So after Texas, I was sent
to Germany then came back to the States, California. Deployed to a
few downrange locations for a couple of rotations, then decided I
was done.”

He’d seen Charly glance at his ring
finger, even though both knew the symbol meant little or nothing.
Many firefighters didn’t wear a wedding ring on the off chance it
might cost them a finger.

He answered her implied question. “No,
I didn’t get hitched. Came close once, but, when push came to
shove, it didn’t take. I guess from your earlier comments, you
escaped marriage’s wicked web as well.”

She laughed, without
sounding tired or bitter. “I spent the first few years dodging
roaming hands and flashers in the ‘house. That’s when I became the
Ice Queen. Someone definitely blabbed about my, um, preferences. If
it wasn’t you, I have no clue who it might have been. After that, I
funneled everything into the job, into making Detective.” She
stopped and looked down at the wine glass framed between her
fingers and then glanced up at him. Her expression was more than a
little pissed. “Who in the hell spied on us, Nate?”

Nate considered it, troubled. “I don’t
know, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out.” What they’d shared had
been so completely, soul-deep personal he couldn’t fathom someone
watching or listening to them. Yeah, he’d get to the bottom of
this, and damned soon. For right now, though, he focused solely on
gaining Charly’s trust back.

“
Do you have to work
tomorrow?” Even though his question was innocent, he knew she’d
read more into it. He was interested in seeing her
reaction.

She gaped at his change in topic for a
split second, but her body responded to his query faster than her
mind. Her nipples pebbled beneath her LPD tee, giving her
away.

“
Yeah, why?” her voice was
calm again, despite her body’s reaction. She’d gotten much better
at controlling herself. What he wouldn’t give to break through her
composure; her shell of ice was beginning to thaw, at least toward
him.

“
Because I’m off-shift for
another day, and I don’t want to keep you up too late.” He pushed
away from the table and rose. “Thanks for the talk, and the
wine.”

There was a brief flash of confusion
in her eyes before she stood and followed him to the front
door.

He turned on the stoop. He’d told
himself he wasn’t going to do it, but he couldn’t resist one little
taste, for old time’s sake. He needed one kiss to tide him over
until she came to him willingly. He dipped his head, and she met
him halfway. Her lips were soft and hot against his; her mouth
sweet as a memory. Just the taste of her shocked his cock into a
hard spike, and he had to stifle not only a groan but also the
impulse to dive in and plunder. He’d do it right this time to show
Charly he deserved a second chance.

He pulled away, with her taste
lingering on his lips, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
He hid a satisfied smile at the way her nipples pressed against her
shirt, even as she batted away his hand and took a long step
back.

That was his Charly, feisty until the
very end.

She looked at him hard; her expression
flinty. “Good night, Nathan.”

She could have slammed the door, but
she didn’t, which made the risk he’d taken all the more worthwhile.
He just needed to play his cards right and keep in mind his end
goal: Charly, in his bed, bound and begging for release.

He walked into the night and began to
whistle.

Chapter Three

Charly tossed restlessly; the sheets
tangled around her legs while thoughts spun endlessly in her head.
Why the hell couldn’t Nate have left well enough alone? Why
couldn’t she? Dammit, no matter how much she still found him
attractive as hell, she wasn’t going to put her heart on the line
again.

Before Nate left all those
years ago, she’d thought she had nothing vested in their
relationship. She’d been wrong. A few days of missing him made her
realize what she’d lost. Then, the rumors had started, and she’d
transferred the sadness in her heart to anger, pure and simple.
She’d been trying to forget him for the last eight years, and now
that huge elephant was back in the room--her bedroom--whether she
liked it or not.

Quite simply, he stole her rational
thought. She’d never even asked why he hadn’t kept in touch. The
question would have exposed her weakness more than she liked. A
simple call or e-mail would have completely negated the
misconception she’d been living with, but he hadn’t had the
courtesy to extend so small a gesture. If his inaction didn’t show
how he’d truly felt about her back then, then nothing did. She’d
been a roll in the hay to him, nothing else.

A tiny part of her wanted to exact a
bit of revenge ... to use him as a sex toy and then walk away once
she had his heart. Except that would be petty, and she was a bigger
person now, wasn’t she?

She’d responded to his kiss tonight
out of pure instinct, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t let her hormones
rule her life. Not anymore.

Rolling over, she gritted her teeth.
She’d better figure out how to deal with Nate, and soon.

* * * *

When she walked into the
precinct the next morning, she was tired and fuming-- not so much
at Nate, because he was what he was: a man. He’d been her friend,
once upon a time, and she’d love to get to that place again, if for
no other reason than she could use a friend. However, she doubted
he’d let them be friends.

No, she amended, she was mad
at herself because, somewhere deep in the night, she realized she
believed what he’d said. That belief had sent her into a night of
angst over Nate and the choices in men she’d made since he’d left.
She’d never explored her fantasies with anyone but Nate because no
one else had inspired the trust needed for such an encounter. Now,
she believed he’d never uttered a word. He’d never lied worth a
damn, and that wasn’t something that changed over the years. Now,
he was trying to build her trust again.

Regardless of who had
started the rumors, too many years had passed for her to get
wrapped around the axle over them again. She’d proven herself, both
at the firehouse and in the PD, and her solid reputation would
shield her somewhat. But, damned if she wouldn’t give her eyeteeth
to find out who had it in for her that much.