Flirting With Danger Read Online Free Page B

wasn’t…girlie. I wanted to be the
     reassuring presence because I had the skills to fix the problem. Not that it’s always
     possible to fix it.”
    “No.” He grimaced, then shook his head. “You’ve always been one of the boys, huh?”
    “Yes. So, that’s my reason for joining.” She studied his shadowed profile. “What about
     you? What was yours?”
    “Well, it wasn’t always my dream job. In fact, I’d never given it a thought until
     I met Joe. Remember Joe?”
    “I’ve heard of him.” All she knew was that the senior firefighter had died on the
     job. That had been before she joined the service. “Because he was a firefighter, you
     wanted to be one too?”
    “That was part of it. Thing is, I had a liking for adrenaline, but I decided to put
     it to good use by fighting fires. That way, I could get my fix, and I’d be helping
     the community as well.” He paused. “You live in Parkside, don’t you?”
    With a start she saw that they’d arrived in the neighboring suburb without her being
     aware of it. She’d been so focused on listening to Aaron, he could have taken her
     anywhere and she wouldn’t have noticed. Well, that was embarrassing.
    She directed him through the leafy streets to her home, and they came to a stop outside
     her small, turn-of-the-century, stone-fronted house.
    As Aaron twisted in his seat to give it an assessing look, she suddenly saw the house
     with impartial eyes. “It’s not like this inside,” she said in a hurry. “I’m renovating
     it bit by bit, and the garden is the last thing on my list. I’ll get around to it
     eventually.”
    “You’re renovating it by yourself?”
    “Pretty much. It’s slow work, but I’m not in a rush, so it doesn’t matter. The good
     thing about living alone is that there’s no pressure.”
    One eyebrow rose as he said, “There are other benefits.”
    “Well, naturally. No arguments about the color of the paint. No complaints about my
     choice of appliances.”
    “You can eat pizza as often as you like, watch sport all day long on TV rather than
     painting.”
    “True. There’s that too.”
    He laughed. “Definitely one of the boys.”
    Was it her imagination or had he moved closer while she was looking at the house?
    “And yet you don’t look anything like a boy tonight.” He tugged on one of the curls
     sitting on her shoulder. “I wonder if it’s all an act.”
    She swallowed. Definitely closer. His scent surrounded her and it was more than just
     his aftershave, she realized. It was all him, and it was intoxicating. She tried to
     conjure up a facial expression that said she was immune to his masculinity.
    “You look beautiful.” Shuffling nearer still, he reached out a hand.
    She drew in a sharp breath. “What are you doing?”
    His eyes narrowed, and one side of his mouth kicked up into a knowing smile. “I was
     going to lift your bag out of the back. What did you think I was doing?”
    Cringing inside, she tried to hide her embarrassment by saying quickly, “Nothing.”
    His hand, which was still in midair, lowered slowly till it rested on her shoulder.
     “This, maybe?”
    She started to speak, to deny thinking any such thing, but he stroked her cheek with
     his thumb, and her words evaporated, leaving only a whimper behind.
    “Or what about this?” He slid his hand around to the back of her head, cupped it,
     and leaned forward to touch his lips to hers. Lightly. The barest of contact, really,
     but it was enough to make her hormones fizz like the bubbles in the champagne she’d
     been drinking.
    He pulled back, and she gaped at him. She couldn’t believe he’d kissed her. She couldn’t
     believe that she wanted him to do it again, but it seemed her body had taken control
     of her brain, and every molecule of it was crying out for a rerun.
    But he wasn’t moving. Why? Why wasn’t he moving?
    And then she understood. If she wanted more, she’d have to make the first move.
    With a shudder of