Putting Out Old Flames (23 page)

“I love you, too.” A tear escaped from the corner of her eye, and rolled down her cheek.

Chance's body sagged. Dropping his forehead to rest against hers, he muttered, “Thank God.” A second later he pinned her with a glare. “Then why the hell are you crying?”

After the thirty seconds of hell she just put him through, Jane had the nerve to laugh.
Laugh!

“God, you're dumb sometimes. But that's a common fault with your gender, so I forgive you.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but she pressed her finger across his lips. “Chance, do you really want to argue right now?” She shimmied her body beneath his. “That would seem like a great waste of our time.”

Chance groaned. “Do that again.”

“What?” She smiled. “This?”

Her slow undulations rubbed her body over all the right places on his.

“Damn,” he whispered. And because her smile held just a little too much of triumph over Chance for his liking, he did a little rubbing of his own.

A needy sigh escaped her lips, sending an arrow of heat through Chance.

He pressed against her. “Say it again,” he growled.

“Which part?”

“You know damn well which part.” Pressing in, he ran his hand down her thigh to hook behind her knee, brought her leg around his back.

“You want me to tell you you're dumb again now?” she teased. “I don't want to hurt your ego at this most critical time.”

“Jane.” His voice was a warning, a plea.

Her breath caught when he bottomed out. She wrapped her other leg around his waist. Fluttering her eyelids open, she pierced him with her gaze. “I love you. God help me, I love you so much.”

A flare of primal satisfaction surged through him. She was his. His to love. His to care for. His Janey-girl.

Their future blossomed bright in front of him. Laughter, tears, brothers and sisters for Josh. With Jane by his side, Chance knew that even the bad moments would be good.

She rocked her hips, impatient, and Chance's thoughts narrowed from his wide-open future to the five-feet-something of Jane's body and nothing else.

He always wanted it to be good for his partner, but never had it felt as important as this. This wasn't just sex. It wasn't even making love. Chance had always felt like he'd been making love to Jane. There'd always been emotion behind it.

But this felt like a consummation. A turning point. And he was damn sure going to make it good for Jane.

So he went slow, and watched her body. He cataloged each reaction. Watched with pleasure as blood flushed her chest a pretty pink. Felt the burn of each of her ten fingernails as she raked them down his back. His thoughts tried to scatter, his body demanding its mindless pleasure, but he corralled them back to Jane.

A bead of sweat rolled down his spine. The slow pivot of his hips was killing him. He groaned. It felt so good, but he couldn't feel his toes, and it was killing him. When little whimpers escaped from her mouth, Chance told himself it was okay to thrust faster, it was what Jane needed, too.

Tugging at her lower lip, he sucked it into his mouth. She tasted of coffee and sugar. His favorite pick-me-up. He pounded harder.

He was pleading with her to
get there, get there, get there
, but it must have been only in his head because his lips were always full—of her mouth, her earlobe, her breast. If he wasn't past the point of reason, Chance might have worried about his raging desire to consume her. He wanted every part of her. To bite her, lick her . . . oh God, he wasn't going to last.

He needed to concentrate on something, anything other than Jane and the feel of her tight heat, her silky skin. He grunted with the effort. And then, thank the heavens, he didn't have to think, because she was there, her body writhing and clutching at his, her breath held tight in her lungs as her eyes went liquid, her gaze unfocused.

Chance stared into those whiskey eyes, got drunk on the ecstasy he saw there. Digging his fingers into her hair, he held her tight, wanting this moment to last forever but begging for it to end because he needed relief so badly it hurt.

She cupped his cheek with her hand. “Chance,” she whispered, and he was gone.

His mind went white, his brain's only purpose to send bliss shooting through his body.

He threw his head back with a howl, and poured everything he had into her. He didn't worry if it was enough, what he had to give, if he and the woman beneath him could make it work. This was Jane. She was his.

It was more than enough. It was everything.

J
ane accepted the drink with a smile. So far, the charity ball was a success. The finger foods Allison catered were delicious, there were plenty of names filling the silent auction forms, and the drinks were flowing. What they'd made on liquor sales alone would be a big contribution to the charity. Jane had told Chance his idea to set up a pay-bar for mixed drinks was silly; everyone would just drink the wine that was provided with the ticket purchase. She was too happy at the sight of the bulging credit card receipts to be put out that she was wrong and Chance was right.

She'd let him be right on some things. Occasionally.

In fact, the only fly in her ointment right now was the man standing next to her, tugging at his crooked bow tie. Leon had been a perfect gentleman, fetching her drinks, chatting about his new partner at game night, being no more boring than usual. Nothing was wrong with Leon except the fact that he wasn't Chance.

She stole a glance across the wine cave. Chance stood beside the entry doors, greeting any latecomers. The winery had placed two urns on either side of the entry, each containing a small faux tree, their branches lit with white lights and glowing pink blossoms. That, paired with the swathes of white lights draped over the wooden beams crisscrossing the ceiling, lent an ethereal feel to the ball.

Chance tossed his head back, laughed at something the mayor said. Jane's stomach did a backflip. He was breathtaking, so full of life. His energy had always drawn her, pulling her into his orbit.

And he said he loved her.

“Why are you smiling?” Leon asked. Poor guy must have known he hadn't said anything amusing.

Jane raised her wineglass to her lips. “Just enjoying the party.” Chance glanced over, found her immediately in the crowd. His gaze was searing, the emerald-green empire dress she wore feeling invisible. The mayor put a hand on his elbow, and Chance turned away to speak with the older man.

Releasing her breath, Jane tapped her fingers on her glass. She wanted to go over to him, spend the evening at his side. She looked over at the crowded dance floor that had been laid by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Maybe she could even convince him to dance, although that had never been easy.

But she'd promised herself she'd keep her obligation to Leon, and that included being a better date. She focused on him. “How's work going?”

“Uh?” He scratched his chin. “Fine? I mean, not much happens in Judge Nichols's courtroom. All I have to do is announce him. But I've started reading a new book. An Isaac Asimov. It's pretty good.”

Jane didn't like science fiction and didn't want to start talking about it now. “The turnout's pretty good, don't you think?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Leon checked his watch.

“And the auction setup is great.” Jane looked at the far wall with satisfaction. The row of tables along the wall held twenty items that Pineville had donated, each with a placard describing the article. Framed photographs accompanied gift certificates, showing what the certificate could purchase. And next to the table, standing on easels, were two-foot-high poster-board photos of the bachelor firemen who were being auctioned off.

That seemed to be a favorite spot for the women to congregate.

“Uh-huh.” Leon chewed on an ice cube.

Jane pursed her lips. This was going to be a long night.

Judge Nichols and Mr. Harraday were ambling around the room, and Jane flagged them down. “Mr. Harraday, I didn't think you'd be coming.”

“Why?” He jabbed his cane into the floor, narrowly missing her foot. “You think I'm too old to come to a ball. That's discrimination.”

“Saul.” The judge shook his head. “You know she didn't mean it like that.”

“I didn't think you'd want to come, what with there being a couple hundred people in one room and all.” Stepping forward, Jane smoothed a crease in the lapel of his worn suit. A patch of bristly hairs had escaped his attempt to shave his neck. “You look very handsome, and our fire department appreciates your support.”

He harrumphed, but his cheeks turned pink.

“How are the two of you enjoying the ball?” Judge Nichols asked. “Everything turned out great, Jane.” With a curious glance at Leon, he said, “I'd thought you and Chance were going to come to this together. You two have another fight?”

Jane bit back a retort. They weren't
always
fighting. The man just excelled at frustrating her.

“No, Chance and I are fine.” Jane patted Leon's arm. “Leon and I had agreed to come together a long time ago. And it's nice to go out with a friend sometimes.”

“I wouldn't have minded if you wanted to go with Chance,” Leon said.

Jane sighed. Of course he wouldn't. As long as there was food and drink, Leon would have been content to eat his way across the buffet, flying solo, playing sudoku on his phone. Well, she wasn't going to tell Chance that little tidbit.

“So, are the two of you having a good time?” she asked.

Harraday tugged at the knot in his tie. “'Course not. Why didn't you have any of them lady firemen up for sale? There's nothing here for a man to buy. It's discrimination.”

Judge Nichols pursed his pink lips. “Pineville has only one female firefighter, and she's married.”

“Besides,” Jane added, “there's lots of items in the silent auction that you can bid on.” Jane ran through the list in her mind. Nothing popped up as something the old man would like. “There's the, uh . . .”

“I've already made my bid,” Harraday cut in. “I got the firefighter experience.”

The firefighter experience? Jane shut her jaw with a snap. No way could Harraday do the rappelling. Even climbing into the fire engine would be a challenge for a man with a bum hip. Strapping into a harness and scaling the side of a building? She didn't even want to think about how badly Chance would mock her if old man Harraday made a successful rappel after all her whining.

“There's still an hour left in the silent auction,” Leon pointed out. “Someone might outbid you.”

Judge Nichols shook his head. “The top five donations win the day with a firefighter, and Saul made a very generous bid. He'll win it. He probably won't survive the experience, but he'll win it.”

“I'll be fine,” Harraday grumbled. “God wouldn't give me the easy way out before my move into Meredith's place.”

“You're moving in with your daughter?” Jane asked. Harraday gave a brisk nod of his gray head. “That's wonderful news.”

“Why?” he barked. “Just because I turned the sprinklers on you, you want me out of town?”

Judge Nichols widened his eyes. “You did what?”

Jane waved her hand. “There are no hard feelings over that.” Just thinking about rolling around on the ground with a wet Chance did funny things to her stomach. No, she didn't want to make a habit out of a sprinkler attack, but she didn't begrudge the older man his fun. “I'm just happy you're going to be living with someone who cares for you. And you can help out watching your grandkids. It's a good solution for everyone.”

Harraday narrowed his eyes, obviously searching for the flaw in her reasoning. Finding none, he cocked his head. “I don't want to be a full-time babysitter. Or a manny as you kids call it. I don't like my grandkids that much. But I could help out.” He pursed his lips. “Yeah, Meredith might even be able to get some part-time work if I'm there to help out.” His chest lifted.

Jane smiled at the man, understanding his position. It must be hard to go from a self-sufficient adult to being cared for. Everyone wanted to feel needed.

“But I'm not going till after I'm a fireman for a day.” Pointing a bent finger in her face, he said, “Tell your boyfriend he'd better not go easy on me just 'cause he thinks I'm old. I can still do the job and I want the full experience.”

The judge slapped his friend on the back. “I'm sure Mr. McGovern would be happy to throw you out of a window. Now let's leave the young people to enjoy themselves.” Nudging Leon with his elbow, he nodded his head to the dance floor. “You should take your date for a spin.” With a smile and a wink, he led Harraday away, slowing his pace to match.

Leon looked at her, eyes wide. “Uh . . . Did you want . . . ?”

Taking pity, she shook her head. “It's okay. We don't have to dance.”

Ignoring his relieved sigh, she watched Harraday poke the back of Chief Finnegan's leg with his cane until the large man moved out of the way, a frown on his face.

Jane grinned. Chance had a whole day to spend with Harraday. With his insults, his complaints, and his physical assaults with his cane. No matter how well the physically challenged man did on the rappel, Chance would be too exhausted by the end of the day to bother saying “I told you so” over his idea being a success.

An arm circled around her waist, and Jane jumped before realizing it was Chance. “You scared me,” she said.

Chance smiled. “Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. Putting out his hand to the other man, he nodded. “Leon.”

“Hi, Chance.” Leon took his hand, his knuckles whitening as Chance squeezed. His eyebrows rose. “Uh”—he tugged his hand free, flexed it—“how've you been?”

“I've been doing real well.” Chance looked down at Jane, pulled her tight against his hip. “Real well.” Turning back to Leon, he said, “I want to thank you for entertaining my girl tonight. I'll be taking over after the ball.” He bared his teeth. “Do you mind if I steal your date away for a dance, Leon?” He herded Jane toward the dance floor, not waiting for an answer. “I won't keep her long.”

That surprised Jane enough to ignore the fact that she felt like a fire hydrant next to a dog. “You want to dance?” Her voice oozed disbelief.

“Yeah, I want to dance. With you.” Finding a vacant spot on the floor, Chance pulled her into his arms.

“Since when?”

“What do you mean?” Placing his hand on her lower back, he tugged her closer. “It's a ball. You look amazing. I want to dance.”

Jane snorted. “I had to beg you to take me to prom. And junior prom.” Chance opened his mouth. “And spring fling,” she continued. “You, Chance McGovern, don't like to dance.”

His eyes crinkled. “When you're a kid, the only reason a boy dances with a girl is to get close to her, try to convince her to sleep with him. We were already sleeping together. Didn't need to dance you around.”

Jane huffed in exasperation, but couldn't fault his logic. “What's changed? We're sleeping together now.”

“Men aren't all raging hormones like boys are. I knew you wanted to dance, so I asked you to dance.” Lowering his head, he whispered in her ear, “Besides, I don't think I could get away with taking you to the floor and screwing you senseless. Some of the cops in attendance might object. So holding you close is the next best thing.”

Jane forced her voice steady. “So nothing's changed then. Still using dancing as a substitute for sex.”

He swiped his hand lower, quickly returning it to her lower back, but not before sending a streak of heat straight to her core. “Now you've got us figured out. Every man in here is only dancing because we're not allowed to do what we want to be doing. Public indecency laws are the sole reason dancing exists.”

Jane cocked her head back to look him in the eyes. “Are you sure it's just the men?”

He growled. “Baby, screw Leon—wait, poor choice of words. Forget about Leon. Spend the night with me. Right after the bachelor auction, let's get out of here. The guys and their wives at the firehouse will be expecting to watch Josh for several more hours yet.”

She sighed. “It's just one night. I'm not going to ditch Leon now.” Turning her head, she saw the bailiff playing something on his smartphone while wolfing down a mini–pot pie. “Although he'd probably be happy if we ended the evening early.” She straightened her spine. “No. I'm not going to ditch him. But I will come over to your house later. It looks like Katie will be occupied, so it should be easy to sneak me in.”

Chance craned his neck around. Seeing Katie wrapped in Carter's arms, Chance scowled. “I don't like him.”

“Of course you don't.”

“No, I mean it.” A vein in his neck pulsed. “He's too old for her.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Katie told me he's twenty-six. Not exactly a May-December romance.”

He set his jaw. “I don't like it.”

Jane rubbed his shoulder. “But you're going to accept that your sister is an adult and can make her own choices on who she dates. Right?”

He stared over her head.

“Right?” She stepped on his foot and ground down. Just a little.

Chance jerked his foot out from under hers, stumbling into the guy next to them. “Christ! Yes. I'll be nice to my sister.”

Resting her head against his chest, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Good.”

“As long as you make sure to come over tonight.”

“Okay.” The lapel of his tux tickled her nose and she wriggled it. “I'll distract you from locking your sister up by occupying you with sex.”

“Going to need a lot of distraction.” He rested his chin on her head. “And you're going to need to bid on me tonight for the bachelor auction.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I organized the event. I don't think I should bid. Wouldn't that be some sort of insider trading?” Although she wanted to, the idea of raising her hand in the crowd, showing everyone how much she wanted him, made her stomach tense. If things didn't work out between them, she'd be the fool who couldn't even buy Chance's love.