Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy) (21 page)

“He hasn’t strangled me yet, so I guess that’s a good sign. He does hate when I dry my delicates on the shower rod, but really, where else am I supposed to hang them?” Dani shrugged.

“Dani,” Erica admonished her gently. “Have you forgotten what you told me the night of the earthquake? Because I haven’t.”

To distract Erica and to reassure her that Dani and Jamie weren’t having an affair, Dani had confessed that she was in love with Will. She’d hoped that with everything that had happened since, Erica would have forgotten. So much for hopes. “That doesn’t change anything.”

“I’m not blind. I saw how he acted at the lunch.”

What could Dani say without exposing Will? If he wanted his family to know they’d moved beyond second-grade antagonism, he’d tell them. “We’ve become friends.”
With benefits.

“That’s good. If you aren’t always trying to bite each other’s heads off, you’ll have a chance to talk and get to know each other. Maybe even—”

Dani put up her hand. “Don’t go there. You’ve been around the Caldwells long enough to know what Will’s plans are. There’s no room for me. Besides, he already has a girlfriend,” she said, her voice breaking on the last word.

“What? Who?”

Dani couldn’t help the traitorous spark that jumpstarted her heart. If Erica didn’t know about Kathleen, then it wasn’t all that serious. Right? At least not yet. She flipped open the laptop she’d brought along to read the news while she sipped her coffee. Turning it toward Erica, she showed her the photo of Will and Kathleen at the charity event. How ironic that Will’s date had been raising money for tornado victims Dani had spent days rescuing.

As Erica scanned the photo and read the article, her jaw dropped further and further. “This can’t be true. She’s all wrong for him.”

“On the contrary. She’s perfect for him. She’s got money and connections, and she’s cool and classy. Come to think of it, in appearance and personality, she’s a lot like—”

“Me,” Erica said, slapping her hands to her chest. “Which is why she’s so wrong for him. Sure, this Ms. Bigsby could help his career and the company—which is probably what his interest in her is really about—but on a personal level, she’s the opposite of what he needs.”

Dani took a sip of her coffee as she tried to find a kind way to say what she was thinking. “You get along great with him. I’m sure she does too. She seems to be exactly what he’s looking for.”

“Unlike you.”

Dani scowled. “No need to rub it in.”

“Oh, honey. I’m not.” Erica put her hand on top of Dani’s and squeezed it gently. “Don’t you see? They’d make good friends, but they’re too much alike to be good… lovers.” She blushed and struggled to maintain eye contact.

It
hurt
to hear Erica say all the things Dani wanted to be true. She shook her head. “I disagree. If they have the same interests, they’d likely be very compatible… in bed.”

“Everyone needs a partner who will open them up to new experiences, challenge their limits. Even the best sex becomes boring if it’s always the same.” Erica patted her heated cheeks. Clearly she still wasn’t all that comfortable. But apparently she felt personal embarrassment was a small price to pay for their friendship, and Dani loved her even more for it.

What would Erica think if she knew about Dani’s sexual preferences? Would her friend be shocked? Think less of her if she found out? Dani was pretty sure Erica and Jamie were into some D/s, even if she didn’t know the details. Maybe Erica would accept her, maybe not. Either way, Dani couldn’t risk it. Couldn’t risk losing Will before her month was up. “You think I push Will’s limits?”

“You certainly push his buttons.” Erica grinned.

Dani wanted to laugh. Then she wanted to cry. “Maybe,” she choked out. “But the business is what’s most important to him right now.”

“Does this mean you and he haven’t…?”

Dani hesitated. She wanted to confide in her friend, but she’d promised Will to keep their relationship quiet. God! This was killing her. She wanted to shout her feelings for him from the top of the practice tower.

Thankfully, Erica took pity on her. “Okay, you can keep your secret. But, you know it’ll come out eventually.”

Not if she could help it. They had a little over two weeks left before their arrangement ended, and she was going to make the most of it. If keeping it a secret let her have Will, then her lips were sealed with Super Glue.

And she’d use the same glue to repair her broken heart after he told her goodbye.

William had just parked his car outside O’Riley’s, when his cell phone beeped. Thinking—hoping—it was Danielle, he checked his messages. It wasn’t from her though. Chad wanted to know if he was free.

Having dinner with Drew at O’Riley’s. Want to join us?
William texted.

A minute later, Chad replied:
b right there
.

William pocketed his phone and pushed open the heavy wood door to the pub. The interior was dark and smelled of grilled meat and spilled beer. Not his typical place at all, but Drew swore the pub had the best ultra-spicy chicken wings on the planet. He smiled. What would Kathleen think of such a place? He could easily imagine her lips curled into a sneer as she picked her way through the sticky tables and sweaty bodies. Danielle, on the other hand, probably frequented this place often. It was a regular hangout for the local cops and firefighters.

Drew was seated at a booth in the back, a large pitcher of beer and three mugs already on the table. Draft. William shuddered. This was going to be a long evening. But when his brother looked up, eyes bright and a smile on his face, William relaxed. He didn’t spend nearly enough time with Drew anymore. They’d been very close growing up, and he wanted to get back to that place.

He dropped onto the opposite bench and indicated the extra mug. “I see Chad texted you too.”

Drew frowned. “No. Haven’t spoken to him all day.”

“He’s on his way. Who’s the mug for then?”

“Hollywood said he was bored, so I invited him along. That’s not a problem is it?”

“Not for me.” He’d met Jamie’s friend and fellow lieutenant on many occasions. Other than his enormous ego and thinking he was God’s gift to women, Hollywood was a nice enough guy.

Raising his hand, Drew signaled the waitress. “We’ll need a fourth mug and another order of wings.”

The waitress, a pretty perky blonde, flashed Drew a flirty smile and ran her nails down his arm. “Anything else you need, handsome?”

Drew grinned. “Not just yet, sweetheart.”

William laughed when Drew’s gaze followed the sexy sway of the waitress’ ass all the way to the bar. He cuffed the side of his brother’s head. “Hey, I thought this was a guy’s night.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the view.” Drew shot him a sour look, then poured beer into two of the mugs. “Not all of us have a hot babe at home.”

William raised his mug and they knocked their glasses together before drinking deeply. He barely managed not to gag. Drew smirked. “It gets better after the fourth or fifth pitcher.”

“Christ, I hope so.”

The waitress arrived with a plate of steaming wings. He grabbed one and bit into it, hoping it would kill the bitter taste in his mouth.
Holy shit!
Were these things coated in molten lava? Flames ignited from his lips to his stomach, singeing his esophagus.

When his face turned red, the waitress laughed and nudged Drew’s shoulder. “You should have warned the new guy. Guess I should bring him some water, huh?”

William grabbed the pitcher and downed great gulps, trying to put out the fire in his throat.

“Told you they were the best ultra-spicy wings.”

“I’m not sure what’s worse,” William said, when he’d finally doused the flames. “The disgusting excuse for beer, or these undercooked lumps of Tabasco sauce.”

“Whiner.”

“You have no taste buds. Probably burned them off eating this crap.”

“Need a referee?” Hollywood asked, plopping onto the bench beside Drew. “I forgot my whistle, but I can yell pretty loud.”

“Hey man.” Drew clapped him on the back. “It’s good to see you.”

Hollywood turned to William. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”

“A friend of my brothers’ is a friend of mine.”

Drew snorted. “Yeah, and he takes that
very
seriously. Did you know Dani’s staying at his place, in Jamie’s old room?”

His jaw clenching, William kicked his brother under the table. Hadn’t they just talked about what could happen to Danielle’s job if word got out about their living arrangements?

Hollywood looked between the two brothers before nodding and staring intently at William. “It’s okay. Dani told me when she first moved in. She’s not only a fellow firefighter; she’s my friend. I’d never do anything to hurt her.” His blond brows furrowed. “And I’d beat the shit out of anyone who did.”

Message received.
William brought his mug to his lips and sipped, suppressing a grimace. “Good to know. I’d hate to have to kick your ass.”

It was pure bravado, of course. At six four and over two hundred pounds of muscle, the blond giant would be lethal. Hollywood’s brow smoothed and he smiled. “You’ve got balls. I like that.”

Drew poured the newcomer a beer from a fresh pitcher and topped off the other mugs. Hollywood had just started to swallow when his eyes rounded and horror flashed across his face. Beer sprayed out of his mouth all over the table, and William. “What the
fuck
happened to you?” Hollywood bellowed.

Turning to see what had him so horrified, William caught sight of Chad, and his lungs seized. His baby brother’s face was bruised and swollen, his lip split. The telltale black and yellow of a shiner was slowly spreading under his right eye. William’s chest tightened in sympathy as Chad gingerly lowered himself into the booth while holding his ribcage. “What the hell?”

Chad glanced around the table, his eyes skipping over Hollywood. Drew shoved a full mug of beer across the table. “Maybe this will loosen your tongue.”

“Thanks.” Leaning close to William, Chad hissed, “You should have told me
he
’d be here.”

It took William a moment to get past the sight of his brother’s battered face and make sense of his words. “Hollywood? I didn’t know. Is there a problem?”

“He hates fags,” Chad said, his tone flat and obviously louder than he’d intended.

“Not true,” Hollywood said. “I just don’t like
you
.”

Drew elbowed him in the side. “Shut the fuck up, Hollywood. I want to hear what happened.”

Chad shrugged, then winced when the movement jarred his ribs. “Some homophobes decided I’d make a great punching bag. Saved you the trouble,” Chad said, sneering at Hollywood.

William glared at both men. “Can the attitude, both of you. Chad, start at the beginning.”

Chad swallowed the rest of his beer. When he reached to refill his mug, his face contorted into a grimace. Hollywood smacked his hand out of the way and did the honors. “Talk,” he said, his voice a deep growl.

“Liam and I were on a call. It was a pretty simple case, a teen with a few cuts on his arm. We bandaged him up and left. When we got out, several pinheads were spray painting my ambulance again. I yelled at Liam to call the cops. They took off and I gave chase.”

“How many?” Hollywood asked.

“Four.”

“Not the smartest thing you’ve ever done,” William said. What had Chad been thinking, taking on four guys alone?

Chad cracked his neck then rubbed it. “Probably not.”

“I take it you caught up to them,” Hollywood prodded.

“Yeah. I thought I was the shit tackling the slowest guy. Figured the cops could question him about the others. But then his three buddies came back and jumped me.”

“How’d you get away?” Drew asked.

“Liam’s brother. He’s a cop. Anyway, he was only two minutes away when Liam called him. As soon as he showed up, the guys took off.”

“That’s it?” Drew asked, his right brow in a skeptical arch.

Chad spun his mug between his fingers. “Yep.”

“No, it isn’t.” Hollywood glared, his hand slamming down on the top of Chad’s glass.

William’s little brother was no slouch. He met Hollywood’s glare and held it. “Yes, it is.”

It was clear Chad was hiding something, but what and why? William’s eyes flicked between the two men, both determined to win the staring contest. He remembered a detail Chad had mentioned earlier. “What did they write on the ambulance?”

Chad clenched his beer with both hands. “It’s not important.”

“Chad,” William said, using the voice he’d used on Danielle.

“Okay. I’ll tell you. Fuck. They were after me, all right? I was the target.” His gaze bore into Hollywood. “Happy now?”

“What. Did. They. Write,” William barked.

His brother stared into his empty beer glass. “A ‘C’.”

“For Chad?”

“No.”

Hollywood continued to watch Chad, his lips thinning, his eyes burning with rage. Clearly he knew and was pissed.

“One of you better fucking tell me right now.”

“‘C’ for cunt,” Hollywood said, his voice softer and gentler than William had ever heard it.