Need You for Mine (Heroes of St. Helena) (13 page)

And wouldn’t you know it, Chief Lowen, the tightest ass in the entire department, actually blushed. “I can’t tell good art from a ketchup-smeared napkin, but I can wear my uniform and award a trophy.”

“The kids’ work is more about telling a story and sharing it with others,” Harper said, placing a hand on Lowen’s arm so that her comment came off as genuine sharing of information, a connection rather than a correction. “If you could say something nice about each artist’s work, it would make their little days. Especially when they see how smart you look in uniform.”

Adam was quickly learning that Harper wasn’t concerned with conforming to society’s standards of beauty, like most people he knew. Her mission was to make sure every one of her kids felt special and that their uniqueness was celebrated.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Wonderful. I was hoping to set up a display at the event this year, maybe by the stage, since the focus of the piece is real-life heroes. So maybe you and Adam”—those soulful blue eyes were aimed his way—“could judge it together. Our very own fire chief and the man who inspired the project would be the talk of the kids for months to come.”

“Inspired the project?” Adam asked, unsure who was blushing more, him or the chief, but it was obvious why this town was so protective of Harper. She wasn’t just a resident, she was their bright light.

“When you dropped by the other day with cookies and talked to the kids, they couldn’t stop talking about how exciting meeting a real hero was.”

“As long as my wife can come along,” Lowen said, sending a relieved smile Adam’s way. “She wants to meet the woman responsible for taking this one off the market.”

“So the rumors on Facebook are true?” McGuire asked. “
You’re
dating Five-Alarm?”

Everyone looked surprised, except for Chief Lowen, who looked surprisingly pleased by the news. Pleased that the guy who was gunning for lieutenant was spending his private time with someone the department could get behind. Someone other than his goddaughter.

Then there was Harper, mouth open, trying to form the word
no
only nothing came out. At first he thought she was just embarrassed being caught in a fib. But then her eyes went wide with panic, her face flushed fully, and Adam watched, knot in his stomach, as the embarrassment quickly turned to humiliation.

“No. Adam and I aren’t, um . . .” She cleared her throat and sent him a small smile that was all apology and agony. “I lied,” she finished, then threw her shoulders back, and damn, if her courage in the face of utter mortification didn’t cause something inside of him to rear up.

“You lied?” McGuire asked, and there was something about his humorous tone that had Harper fidgeting with her hands.

She was taking in every surprised look, every questioning glance through a skewed filter. A filter that was the unfortunate side effect of expending energy and too much heart on a guy who didn’t deserve it.

Harper nodded, her smile small and tight, as if it were the only thing holding her together. The last time she’d tried to look this brave had been when Dr. Dildo made it clear he wasn’t interested in what she had to offer. Which was a hell of a lot, if you asked Adam.

Her hurt over the rejection was so deep it tore at his gut then, and he sure as hell wouldn’t let her go through that again. Not in front of a station full of guys.

“She lied about when we started dating.”

“I did,” she said at the same exact time McGuire mumbled, “She did?”

“She did,” Adam said, slinging an arm over her shoulder and pulling her to him, as if she was his. Funny thing about that, she kind of felt like his. Had since their first kiss. “I realized how special she was a few months back, when we were shooting the latest Cuties with Booties calendar. Then I bumped into her at her grandma’s shop, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her, so when she asked if I would do some modeling for her grandma’s shop I said,
Hell yeah
. A chance to spend time with her? That was a no-brainer.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Harper whispered, and he could hear her voice crack.

He looked down into her eyes and felt himself drowning in the emotion he saw there. “I know. I want to,” he said gently.

“Well done. The way to a lady’s heart is always through her family,” Lowen said, looking at Adam as if reciting the eleventh commandment. He turned to Harper. “I guess that’s how he sweet-talked you into helping plan Beat the Heat.”

Now it was Adam’s turn to gasp.

Harper, however, looked as if she was going to throw up. Or bolt. Not that he blamed her. She’d come here to help him out, and her quick thinking on her feet, outlining a vision that Lowen could get on board with, had somehow caused her to be drafted into his shit storm. Not his intention.

“Harper is one of the most creative people I know,” Adam said. “She’s friends with just about everyone in town and would no doubt throw a party that reflects the town’s wishes.”

“Slippery slope,” Harper quietly said to Adam, referring to his own lie by omission, and pushed through a smile that was so big it could have been seen from space.

With a look that said he had this, Adam added, “Even though it was the perfect solution, we realized that our private relationship would be a conflict of interest.”

They may not have slept together, but the whole town had seen their kiss. So no one was more surprised when Lowen shrugged, as if he hadn’t delivered a three-day training last spring on the negative impacts of mixing department business with personal interests, and said, “I don’t see the problem.”

The man sounded relieved at the information that Adam wouldn’t be left to his own devices. Harper looked horrified, whether it was over the idea of coming clean about their relationship after his big speech—and tanking his shot at lieutenant. Or being drafted into planning Beat the Heat—and spending the next two weeks with him. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that the direction had changed and someone was about to feel the heat.

“In fact, I think it’s a great idea. The papers will love it. ‘Local art teacher brings small-town traditions back to St. Helena’s Beat the Heat.’”

Harper took in a deep breath and he saw the word
no
forming on her lips, then she looked at him and
slippery slope
didn’t even begin to describe what Adam felt. Suddenly, he didn’t want to be Five-Alarm or the guy who played beer pong on his days off. Hell, he was too old for beer pong.

He had no business having a girlfriend and wouldn’t even know what to do with one. But he liked who he was around her, and how he felt. And the idea of spending a little more time with her seemed right.

Harper’s eyes went soft, just like his heart, and she tightened her hand around his, a little too tight for comfort, but a show of support all the same. Then smiling at their audience, she said, “What can I say? He had me at hello.”

W
hy did you do that?” Harper asked when they stepped outside of the fire station away from prying ears, still shocked Adam had publicly claimed her as his girlfriend.

Correction, he’d said
private relationship
, which now that she thought about it wasn’t very far from
private dancer
, but she knew exactly how his boss had taken the news. “Now they all think we’re really dating.”

His brows lowered over his eyes. “As opposed to the pretend dating we were doing before?”

“That was different. It was before our deal.” And before that second kiss. And before he’d said all of those sweet things about her. Which, having an actress for a mother, she knew was for authenticity of his role. But in that moment, when he’d said them, she’d started to believe them. And that was the most terrifying part. “The deal where I would clear things up with everyone? Which I did, right before I came here to let you off the hook for modeling.”

“The deal changed,” he said, casual as can be. “And now you have a model for your shoot.”

Harper set the cookie box on the hood of her car and turned to face him. “I told my grandma this morning that we weren’t dating. I told her that I’d lied. Which is pretty much like admitting it into a blow horn in the middle of town.”

Adam smiled. “How did that go?”

“She didn’t believe me. She said I was lying about lying.” Harper rolled her eyes. “In fact, no one believes me. It’s like they’re all convinced I can’t handle a casual relationship. Something about a bad habit of collecting people.”

Adam was quiet for a long moment, studying her. “Do you want to collect me?”

Whoever succeeded in stealing his heart would be an incredibly lucky lady, but Harper wasn’t that lady. She was struggling to get the safe bet interested—there was no way she could lure a man who passed through people’s lives like smoke. “I only collect people who want to be collected.”

“Then why are you looking at me as if you want me to kiss you again?”

“I do not.” If anything,
she
wanted to kiss
him
. Wanted to kiss him until that troubled expression vanished and he looked like the guy who could handle anything again. Because he might be acting calm and as if what happened back there was no biggie. But it was.

And they both knew it.

Watching his plan fall apart in front of the one man he needed to impress was heartbreaking. Not that anyone else noticed. Adam hid his disappointment well, adopting a fireproof exterior. But Harper knew what being discounted felt like, knew how bad it stung. Adam was rarely, if ever, overlooked and she felt the urge to comfort him. What a ridiculous notion that was, wanting to comfort a guy who considered himself indestructible.

“And we will not, so if it looks that way, just know it’s not on purpose, and walk away.”

“Walk away from kissing my girlfriend?” His brows lifted and he took a step closer. “That would look odd.”

“I’m not your girlfriend. And—what are you doing? Back up.” She put her hands out to stop him from getting within lip-smacking range, her hands settling on the hard planes of his chest. It didn’t help. He was closing in fast. Almost as fast as her heart was pounding.

Unsure if he was going to kiss her because he wanted to, or to prove a point, she added, “Although I’m sure there are many girls in town who would love you to kiss them.”

He paused a scant inch from her mouth. “Just not this girl?”

“Sorry.”

Challenge lit his eyes and he tilted his head lower until his lips were right there. A whisper away from touching hers. And all of the air whooshed out of her lungs. “You’re a terrible liar, sunshine.”

He pulled back and with a wicked wink turned to prop a hip against her car. He opened the box of cookies, settled on a confetti cake kringle, and offered her one.

Her stomach did a backflip at the thought, but she declined. “I’ve already had three this morning. A fourth would come off as greedy. Plus if I’m helping with Beat the Heat, I’m going to want to fit into my shorts.”

“I prefer the dress anyway.” They both looked down at her dress and she decided that maybe it was time to toss out her shorts. “And you know you want another.”

There were a lot of things she wanted. Some things were better for her than others. Telling herself that carrots are a vegetable, and therefore healthy, she grabbed a caramel pecan carrot cookie and took a bite. Her eyes slid shut in pure ecstasy as the sweet and salty combo of the caramel and nuts melted on her tongue.

She heard a light chuckle and opened her eyes. “Just because you’re my boyfriend doesn’t mean you know me,” she teased.

He didn’t laugh. In fact, his smile faded and he let out a slow breath. “I didn’t plan it to go down like that, it just came out,” he said. “Lowen wasn’t buying anything I was selling, McGuire was being an ass, then you started talking about jars, candles, art projects . . . me. Turning what was a shit idea into something amazing and real. So amazing that Lowen became interested.” Adam slid her an uncertain look. “And by association, he became interested in me.”

“So you decided to take that interest and lie to him about being in a relationship with me?” Harper said quietly.

“Slippery slope, remember.”

As if she could forget. That one little lie had complicated an already complicated situation. Then again, it had also given her a chance to get to know Adam, someone she’d known her entire life, but never really
knew
. The more time she spent with him, the more layers she uncovered, and the more she liked what she saw.

But did he? Or did he find himself in a jam, needed an out, and she was the closest willing female? If so, and this was another one of his on-the-fly solutions, then what?

“What happens when your chief finds out we lied?”

“Who says he has to?”

Harper choked on her cookie, because surely he didn’t intend on keeping up the façade. “Fibbing to a sales rep who lives two hours away is one thing, but lying to the town would be impossible.”

He stared at her for a few beats, then turned to face her, placing one hand on either side of her hips, pressing her between her car and his body. “Then we won’t lie.”

“What do you mean?” she breathed.

“This.” He placed his hand on her hip, and she moved slightly from the spark. “Don’t move, just stand here for one minute.”

“This isn’t a good idea.”

“One minute, Harper. That’s all I’m asking.”

She didn’t remember agreeing, but she didn’t move either. Couldn’t. Adam’s hands were cupping her hips. They were standing so close she could smell the sugar from his cookie.

He didn’t kiss her, didn’t give her some sweet line to sway her decision, or sweet-talk his way around her common sense. He didn’t do a single thing from the Five-Alarm Casanova handbook. He just stood there, as the cars passed by on the street and a light breeze stirred her skirt against his thighs, while he silently stared into her gaze. And what she saw staring back made breathing impossible.

It also made saying no impossible.

Respect, humor, friendship, and connection—it was all there. So was hunger. A hunger so intense she could feel it heating her skin until her dress felt constricting and her heart pounded as if to escape.

“Whatever this is between us,” he said, his voice a rough whisper, “it’s real.”

“It’s just chemistry,” Harper said, then wanted to laugh. She
hadn’t felt chemistry like this—ever. At least, not reciprocated.

“I’ve felt chemistry before, sunshine, and this is something different.”

For the first time in her life Harper didn’t mind being different. Because whatever this was felt exhilarating. Sensual.

Alluring.

And God knew she wanted to allure, and be confident she could do some alluring on her own. “So I help you with the picnic and you what? Hold my hand in public?”

His face carefully blank, he said, “You want me to pose half-naked for Clovis’s new campaign, and the only way Lowen would ever sign off is if it were done as a favor to you—the town’s favorite sweetheart, who happens to be my girlfriend.”

“
Chantel
wants you to model for the line,” she said, because,
wow
, that sounded very contractual, and not the least bit chemical. Or alluring. “Men’s underwear.”

“Like David Beckham for Armani?”

“More like Michael Jordan for Hanes,” she lied, because his expression was turning too smug for her liking, and her heart was a little too soft to agree to this deal. “And I’ve changed my mind. This won’t work.”

Obviously stuck on comparing himself to Beckham, Adam leaned down and licked the caramel off her cookie. “You, me, under the hot lights in nothing but silk undies? It will work, I promise. And if you’re still unsure, I’ll take it slow.”

She set the remainder of her cookie in the box and pushed at his chest—only he didn’t move. “I just said I changed my mind. I told you this won’t work, and your solution is to talk about sex?”

“I’m a guy. Every solution includes sex,” he said, as if that were written on one of the tablets Moses brought down from the mount. “As for this not working out, your hand proves that wrong.” She looked down to find her palm had slid down that stone stomach of his, to tangle in his waistband.

Horrified, and a little turned on, she snatched it back. “You’re not my type.”

“Then you won’t want to collect me,” he said, but something about the way he said it had her wishing she could take back the words.

Five-Alarm Casanova with his panty-melting wink and ladies’ man charm wasn’t her type. But funny, focused, and slightly vulnerable Adam with his quick wit and contagious smile got to her. And that was who she was talking to right then—not the playboy, but the layers beneath.

“Adam—”

“No, it’s okay. The truth is you don’t need me,” he said, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “You think you do, but you don’t. You’re so good at reading people, bringing them into your world. Every time, you deliver on your potential. God, you’re so damn real, Chantel will want to re-sign with Clovis with or without me.” He got quiet. “But I need you, Harper. You saw the look on Lowen’s face. I’m bound to fuck this up without your help, and I’m so damn tired of fucking up.”