Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy) (8 page)

His spine tingled. He stroked harder, faster. Finally, the dam burst and with a vigorous jerk of his hips, he came in a splatter against the shower tiles. Leaning on the wall, he worked to calm his breathing, to calm the blood thundering in his ears. When his teeth started to chatter, he shut off the water. Where was the elation that usually claimed him after a good orgasm? He didn’t feel dirty, exactly.
Unsatisfied
was probably a better description.

This had been but a cheap replacement for what he really wanted: Danielle. Now more than ever, he was determined to have her, to enjoy her for a month, to enjoy her until real life and his responsibilities demanded that he get serious and find himself a wife.

Danielle was a fun-loving woman with a generous heart. He’d give her what she needed, what they both needed. But he’d have to take it slow. She seemed more skittish than he’d expected a woman like her to be. Perhaps some of her cockiness was really just bravado.

Unless…

Unless tonight had all been part of a plan. A plan to make him crazy for her. Was she trying to seduce him? He laughed out loud. Hell, she’d done that the first time she’d leaned forward and given him a flash of her pert breasts. He’d been ready, willing, and able to go all the way tonight. To make love to her in the moonlight.

She certainly wasn’t a virgin. She was much too self-assured around men for him to believe that. No, Danielle was a twenty-eight-year-old independent woman of experience. That much had been clear from her reaction to him going down on her. So what then was her plan?

Besides having run into her at family gatherings for the last few years where they’d made politely distant conversation, he’d never really spoken to her. Definitely not enough to figure out what her game was. Next time he had the chance, he’d sit her down and find out more about her past, her present, and her dreams for the future. Not that he’d be a part of them. Still, knowing more about her would help him understand what made the delectable Danielle tick. Because if there was one thing he knew without a doubt, it was that he was going to have her. Every which way to Sunday.

And some ways that hadn’t yet been invented.

Chapter 5

“Okay, kids. Now that we’ve talked about how Coco and I work together on search-and-rescue missions, who wants to see how we play hide and seek?”

The group of forty or so first and second graders erupted in squeals and clapping. Dani petted Coco’s head in a calming gesture. Who knew so much noise could come from such small bodies?

“Great,” she said. “Who wants to volunteer?”

A chorus of “I do! I do!” filled the room. Dani scanned the eager young faces, trying to decide who she’d pick. Most of the kids were straining to raise their hands so high they were on their knees. A few had their hands tucked tightly under their arms, as if worried she’d take any sight of a finger for a raised hand. Clearly not dog lovers. And not what she needed today.

Off to the side sat a little boy with dark hair. He’d listened with a rapt expression while she’d given her little speech. His gaze had kept straying to Coco, and he’d grinned widely each time she’d made the slightest sound. So why wasn’t his hand raised? He snuck another glance at Coco, longing in his eyes. When he lowered his gaze, he pounded his fists on his knees.

“You, in the green shirt,” she called.

When his head jerked up, his eyes were the size of quarters. He pointed to his chest.

“Yes, you. Would you like to hide while Coco tries to find you?”

He gulped, looked around at his classmates, then nodded. She waved him over. “What’s your name?”

“M-Matt Walker.”

Did he stutter, or was he just nervous? “Do you like dogs, Matt?” she asked.

“Yes. But m-my dad says I c-can’t have one.”

Poor kid.
Listening to him struggle to express himself, Dani’s heart broke. This was why he’d hesitated.

Taking his arm, she drew him closer. “Would you like to pet Coco? She likes to have the back of her neck scratched, right here behind her ears.”

Matt’s eyes flicked over to hers and she caught a hint of nervousness, but then he smiled and reached out his fingers. Coco sniffed them and pushed her head under his hand. The boy’s delighted laugh lightened the mood, and soon all the children joined in. Over in the corner, the teacher picked up a tissue and dried her eyes. Dani couldn’t miss the grateful smile on her face.

Dani waved Lieutenant Angie Parks over. Angie wasn’t her boss… exactly. Jamie was her boss, but since Angie was the search-and-rescue coordinator, Dani was something of a dotted-line report to her.

“Matt, this is Lieutenant Parks.”

Angie crouched down and shook Matt’s hand. “Call me Angie,” she said, smiling to put the kid at ease.

“Angie will go with you,” Dani explained. “You can hide anywhere in the school yard. In five minutes, we’re all going outside and Coco will search for you. Okay?”

Normally, they’d have hidden the child in the school to simulate situations where they had to find kids who’d hidden from gunmen or fires and were too scared to come out on their own. But there were too many kids and not enough space for Coco to run around in the small classroom.

Matt took Angie’s hand and went to hide. While they waited, Dani let the other children come up to pet Coco one by one. It was fun for the kids, and it helped to confuse the scents of the children and make Coco’s task a little tougher.

When the five minutes had passed, the teacher had the kids line up and instructed them to follow Dani’s rules once they were outside. As quietly as forty children could, they followed Dani into the schoolyard. The teacher brought up the rear.

Dani knelt beside Coco and unhooked her leash. “Find it.”

Coco barked once and with her nose to the ground, ran along the perimeter of the fence. Clearly on the trail of some scent, she tried to squeeze through a gate. “Leave it,” Dani shouted.

Immediately, Coco changed direction, her nose in the air this time. Dani was extremely proud that the dog had mastered both air and trail tracking. Coco circled half the yard, then with a bark, took off like a rocket toward the playground equipment.

She sniffed at the slide and ran through a big pipe tunnel. When Dani next saw her, she’d bounded up onto a platform and run into the covered section of a climbing structure. Squeals of childish delight mixed with sharp happy barks.

Coco had found her mark.

Dani motioned for the kids to follow her quietly. When they’d reached the structure, Matt and Angie crawled out into the open. Matt laughed as Coco licked his face. His eyes sparkled when he waved to her. “C-Coc-co found m-me!”

The children cheered, jumping and clapping. Angie helped the boy down and Coco proudly loped over to Dani. She’d done well and she knew it.
Little diva.
Bending down, Dani ruffled Coco’s fur and gave her a treat. “Good girl.”

When she stood, her heart tightened, seeing Matt surrounded by his classmates. They congratulated him and asked questions about his adventure. He beamed.

Angie came to stand beside her. “You did a good job picking that boy. I bet this will go a long way in helping him get over his shyness.”

“I hope so. He seems like a great kid.”

“What made you choose him?”

How could she tell Angie the kid had reminded her of Will? Of the sort of boy she imagined Will fathering someday. She shrugged and said instead, “He seemed to need it the most.”

After they’d said goodbye to the kids and their teacher, they climbed into Angie’s department-issued SAR Command SUV. “You’re really good with kids,” Angie said as they pulled out of the parking lot. “You should do more of these in-school appearances.”

“Now that I know Coco can handle it, I’m more than happy to. It was fun.”

Angie nodded. “That dog’s got the perfect disposition to be around children, which will be great when you have some of your own.”

Dani looked up, startled. “Oh, I’m not planning on having any kids.”

“Really? Why not? It’s none of my business of course, but I think you’d make a great mom.”

“Sure, if you don’t count the high-risk job, long hours, and missed holidays.” She stared out the side window. “I see how hard it is on the guys and their families.”

“Many of them make it work.”

“That’s because they’ve got wives at home who do all the heavy lifting.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want a man or children. In fact, sometimes she wanted a family so bad, it hurt. Every time one of the guys announced a new baby on the way, she’d cry herself to sleep for days. She knew it wasn’t going to happen for her.

Not unless she quit her job.

That wasn’t even an option. Despite opposition from her family and friends, she’d worked hard to become a firefighter, to make the rescue team. Being a firefighter was everything. It’s what she was. Who she was. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Angie threw her a sidelong glance. “That’s true. But it can work. I’ve made it work.”

“You’ve got kids?” Dani asked, surprised.

“Three very rambunctious brats.”

The affection and humor in her tone had Dani’s eyes misting. To cover it up, she made a joke. “What do you do with them when you’re on shift? Do you have one of those
au pairs
”—she waggled her eyebrows—“or is your mom really helpful?” Though that certainly wouldn’t work for her. Just the thought of having her mother constantly underfoot made her shudder dramatically.

Laughing, Angie pulled into the parking lot of Station 44, where Dani had left her car. “My mother’s not the maternal type. My husband, Tom, takes care of them. His schedule is more flexible than mine.”

She tried to imagine Will playing stay-at-home dad, how he’d grimace when the baby spat up on a thousand-dollar suit. It was like something out of a sitcom. Angie eyed her, perplexed. Dani sobered up quickly. “What does your husband do?”

“He’s a writer.”

“Ah.” That explained a lot. “He got any writer friends?” she teased.

Angie patted her arm. “Don’t give up on having a family, Dani. If the right man comes along, he’ll love you enough to work it out. You don’t have to choose between a career and kids. This isn’t the 1950s.”

Dani nodded. “Thanks, Angie. For everything.”

As she settled Coco into her car, Dani couldn’t help but wonder if her Mr. Right would ever show up. It was really asking a lot of a man. Take Will, for example. He was everything a woman wanted in a husband. But even if he could someday accept her exhibitionism and find a way to incorporate it in their lives, he’d never accept her career. No matter how much he claimed to respect firefighters, he wouldn’t want one for a wife. What man would?

There just weren’t that many available writers to go around.

“Mr. Caldwell, there’s someone from the fire department here to see you.”

William stared at the intercom and replayed his assistant’s words in his mind. Larissa knew his brothers and would have announced them by name. So it wasn’t one of them. Was it Danielle? But why would she come here? Christ. Had something happened to one of his brothers, or to her?

Ice formed in his chest, and with panic building, he jabbed the talk button. “Send them in.” Whatever this was about, he needed to get it over with quickly, like tearing off a Band-Aid, before his imagination turned it into something far worse.

He walked around his desk to meet his visitor. He’d told Danielle he had nothing but respect for Seattle’s bravest and he meant it. But that didn’t stop him from worrying about his brothers. And now he was going to worry about her too.
Damn.
A visit to his office couldn’t be anything good. A trickle of sweat snaked down the side of his cheek. He swiped at it impatiently before it could stain his shirt collar.

Danielle walked in, a smile lighting her face, and held up a bag. “I brought Jimmy John’s.”

He sagged in relief against his desk.

When she noticed his reaction, she dropped the bag on one of his guest chairs and went right to him. She smoothed her hands down his cheeks and held his gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Feeling like an idiot for getting worked up over nothing, he tried to grin, but he just couldn’t manage it. He cleared his throat. “You took ten years off my life.”

Her expression went from concern, to confusion, and finally, to comprehension. “You thought it was bad news about Jamie or Drew or Chad. Christ, Will. I’m so sorry.” She looked away. “I should have called. Actually, I should never have come here in the first place.”

When she made a move to step away, he caught her around the waist and hugged her close. “They weren’t the only ones I was worried about.”

Danielle slumped against him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I never even considered how you might react,” she whispered, her voice small and unsteady.

“I know.”

“I just wanted to surprise you with lunch.”

Using his thumb, he forced her chin up. “Color me surprised.” While he waited for her to return his smile, he stroked her tense lips. When one corner curved up, he asked, “So, what are we having?”