Up in Flames [The Heroes of Silver Springs 10] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (4 page)

He growled when his tongue met the barrier of her shirt, wanting to taste her breasts, needing to feel them in his mouth. His growl turned to a rumbling roar that got stuck in his throat when one of her hands moved between their bodies, turned, and cupped his cock through his jeans.

“Regina, ah, God. I want to feel you all over. I want to taste every inch of your body. I want to see you.”

Her hand that hadn’t moved from his hair picked that moment to let go. He felt her shift, sensed her reach, then blinked when light flooded the room.

Smiling, Max lifted his head, leaning back slightly to look at her. He knew the instant his gaze met hers it was over. Her light-blue eyes had darkened with her arousal and still exhibited the dilated pupils of the totally inebriated but, somewhere in the drunken stupor of her mind, clearer thought and horrified realization had taken hold.

Fuck!

Max slowly released her breasts, found the cups of her bra, and pulled them down to cover her boobs once more. He eased her shirt down, cursing himself way more than her for ever allowing this to go so far. What the hell had he been thinking? He knew she was drunk. He had no business taking advantage of a woman in her state.

Double fuck!

“Where are your keys?”

She stared at him, her eyes huge in her face, her lips swollen from their kiss, and he saw a muscle jump in the delicate line of her jaw.

Triple fuck!

Max braced himself, waiting for the slap he was sure his was about to receive. Hell, knowing Regina, she’d likely knock his lights out with a swift punch to the side of his head. He shifted his weight on his feet, and a new dread chilled his blood. Her knee was right there, perfectly positioned to lift and ram straight into his groin.

She blinked at him and shook her head as if his words didn’t compute with the thoughts going through her mind. “My what?”

“Your keys, darlin’. I told you I would bring you home, then go back for your car. I can’t do that without your keys.”

They were still in her hand. He realized that when she held them up for him. The ring was hooked around a finger that shook.

Max took the keys and stepped back, putting enough distance between them that he could easily avoid a suddenly raised knee to his balls or a right hook should she decide to throw one. Not that he would avoid it. Hell, he deserved both and more after kissing her that way, after touching her, and attempting to, what?

Fuck her?
He was crazy about this woman. If this had gone all the way tonight, it would have been far more than a quick fuck to him.

Make love to her?
Nope. Nada. Definitely not! He was not in love with Regina Zimmer. He just wanted to…

Go.
Yep. It sure as shit wasn’t what he wanted to do right now, but it was damn sure what he was going to do.

“Lock the door behind me. Get some sleep. I’ll park your car in the drive and leave the keys under the doormat outside.”

She opened her mouth to speak as Max gently moved her aside and reached for the doorknob. He didn’t give her a chance to say whatever it was she’d been about to say. He opened the door, closing it quietly behind him, and stomped down the front steps to the sidewalk and his truck, thoroughly disgusted with himself.

* * * *

Silence drove EMT Terri Vega nuts! She glanced at her wristwatch, thumbing the button on the side to illuminate the face, and figured a good ten minutes had passed in utter, maddening silence since she’d given over the driver seat to Max after they had delivered Regina Zimmer’s car to the fire investigator’s house.

And isn’t that interesting? The lieutenant and Regina Zimmer. Who would’ve thunk it?

Terri damn sure wouldn’t have, and, judging from Max’s surly expression since he’d taken over the wheel, the night hadn’t gone the way he’d planned.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Max shot her a look that would’ve made a lesser woman hunker down in her seat. Terri straightened instead, turning more to face him as she waited for his response. She gave it a full minute before she tried again.

“Look, I’m not trying to pry, LT, but if you need to talk, whatever secrets you’ve got going on are safe with me.”

“I don’t have any secrets, Terri.”

Terri pursed her lips. Well, okay. In that case, he shouldn’t have a problem talking about whatever or whomever had pissed in his late-night Cheerios. “I like her. Regina,” she qualified. “I don’t know her well, but she seems…sweet.”

Max actually snorted. “You’re right. You don’t know her well.”

Terri made herself as large as she could in the passenger seat of the truck. “Did that fiery red-headed fire investigator let her temper loose on my lieutenant?” She smacked the dashboard. “Turn this truck around right now. Let me at her. Nobody messes with my favorite lieutenant that way.”

The corner of Max’s lips twitched. “I’m your only lieutenant.”

Terri waved a hand dismissively. “Details. Details.”

“And she’s been letting that temper of hers loose on me since day one.” He sighed, and the hint of the smile he’d obviously been attempting to hide vanished. “Except twice.”

Terri nodded slowly. “The New Year’s Eve party and tonight. She was knocking back the spiked punch at the New Year’s Eve party pretty good. Seeing as we just picked up her car from the Paradise Lounge, I’m guessing she was hitting something pretty good tonight, too.”

“Rum Runners.”

Terri moaned dramatically. “Mmm, I love those.”

Max finally chuckled. “Yeah, apparently Regina does, too.”

“So, you’re not going to give me the scoop on what happened tonight, are you?”

“No.”

Terri let the finality of that word hang in the air for a moment before she shot it down. “You’re hot for her, aren’t you?”

Max slid her a noncommittal look that had her gasping.

“You are! Holy shit! I’ve known you for what,
years
, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have the hots for a woman.”

“I’ve been with women,” Max said a tad defensively. “I’ve been on dates.”

“Nobody ever hears you mention it at the firehouse. A couple of the guys have wondered if you’re playing for the other team, even though no one truly believes that.”

“If I were playing for the other team, everyone would’ve known it. Your buddy Thad is the man I would’ve gone for and neither Adrien or Cameron would’ve stood a chance.”

Terri cracked up. Firefighter/engineer Thaddeus Carter was her best friend, confidant, and gloriously out-of-the-closet gay. He was also in a fairytale ménage relationship with DEA Agent Adrien Bingham and FBI Agent Cameron Stone.

“How’s that going for him, by the way?”

Terri rolled her eyes as the green demon of jealously reared its ugly head in her belly. “He’s so blissfully happy it makes me want to puke. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled he’s so happy, but, gosh, he’s spending his life with not one, but two gorgeous men and he’s practically bursting at the seams every day.”

Max glanced at her, one brow lifted. “Envious?”

“Damn right, I am. And don’t think I’m letting you change the subject. We were talking about Regina. More interestingly, your apparent attraction to the sizzling fire investigator.”

“No,
you
were talking about Regina. I’m driving, and it would help if you told me where I’m going.”

“Your place.” Terri didn’t miss the way his foot eased onto the brake at that. Nor did she miss the expression that flashed over his face when he shot a look at her this time. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or smack the shit out of him. She knew what the guys on B-shift thought of her—solid EMT, professional on shift, and the queen of flings on her off time. She honestly couldn’t deny any of it either. She liked men, loved her independence, and preferred to be footloose and fancy free. At least, she had until recently. For the last several months, and definitely since she’d met Doctor Owen Banks, she’d been considering putting on her staying shoes, trying out a relationship for a while, and maybe even letting herself fall in love.

And wouldn’t you know the one man you consider having all this with turns out to be a guy who’s lumped you into the “just friends” category?

“My car is in the parking lot at your apartment, remember? You picked me up there.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. It’s been a long night.” His foot returned to the gas pedal, and the truck picked up speed. “You never told me why you were at the apartment complex tonight. Obviously, you were hanging with Rayne, Cory, and Ford. Did y’all have a little party or something?”

“Or something.” Terri shrugged. “Your sister invited me over for a girl get-together, along with Veronica, Tina, Bailey, and Angelina.”

Max chuckled. “I bet Cory and Ford enjoyed that one, the apartment being overrun by women and all.”

“Come on, you know those two would let your sister get away with murder, even if Ford is a cop.” Thaddeus wasn’t the only one who’d found happiness with two men. Max’s sister, Rayne, had snagged Narcotics Detective Ford Harris and Terri’s EMT partner, Cory Nox, by the heart and had held on tight. “Ford’s working tonight and Cory headed for the sanctity of the bedroom the minute everyone started to arrive. Veronica brought over some new stuff she’s going to be stocking at Romantic Illusions. We had a couple of glasses of wine, they chatted about their husbands…” She shrugged again. “That’s about it.”

She refused to admit how uncomfortable she’d been. At first, it had felt great to be included in a gathering with the wives of the men on B-shift, but it hadn’t taken long at all before she’d started to feel out of place. They were wives, as blissfully happy in their marriages as Thaddeus was in his relationship with Adrien and Cameron, and she was alone. What could she contribute to a conversation about taking care of her man, about stressing over his safety when the tones dropped, and especially about what kind of father her man would be when their baby was born?

“Veronica was the last to get there, and Rayne used the time to talk to the rest of us about planning a baby shower for her.” That conversation had started her wistfulness-ball rolling. Almost absentmindedly, Terri flattened her hand over her belly. Veronica Wolcott was getting huge. In a matter of months, she and the captain would be parents. What would that be like? Terri wasn’t certain she wanted children of her own. She’d made an offer in passing to Thaddeus that if he, Adrien, and Cameron ever decided they wanted a child, she would be happy to carry the baby for them. She’d meant it, but that baby would be theirs, not hers.

Terri pushed the thoughts aside and slid a mischievous look at Max. “Rayne’s thinking we’ll probably need more room than her apartment for the baby shower. We all agreed it would be a great idea to let the party spill over into your apartment. You know, since you live right across the hall. We’re figuring we can open the doors to both apartments and let the girls mingle between the two.”

Max groaned, the sound of a man in true pain, as he pulled the truck into the parking lot of his apartment complex and slid into the empty slot next to her car. “I don’t suppose it occurred to any of you to talk to me about this first?”

“Of course it did,” Terri said, tongue in cheek. “I just did, didn’t I?”

Max briefly closed his eyes, shaking his head, and let out a half chuckle. “Yeah, I guess you did.” He switched off the truck, but, rather than getting out, he turned in his seat to face her. “Listen, Ter. I really appreciate you helping me out tonight.”

“It was no big. The party, so to speak, was winding down when you called. I volunteered so Rayne didn’t have to get out. Not to mention, I was pretty sure she wanted to spend some quality time with Cory.”

“Yeah, I still don’t understand this whole threesome thing she’s got going with Cory and Ford, but it works for them. She’s happy and, somehow, they manage to work it so she’s got individual time with Cory and Ford as well as plenty of time when it’s all three of them.”

“They’re in love,” Terri said simply and felt the green demon’s eyes light up once more. She squashed it, ruthlessly tossing a bucket of water on its fiery eyes as she watched Max. He wasn’t done. She could tell he wanted to say more, but seemed to be searching for the right words. “I won’t say anything to anyone about tonight. You know, about you being with Regina and all.”

Max raked a hand over his spiky dark hair. “Thanks.”

Terri smiled as she reached for the door handle. “And if you change your mind and decide you want to tell me what really happened tonight, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks,” Max said again. A hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, but it disappeared almost as fast as it came. “You don’t happen to know why she’s been spending so much time at the firehouse the last few months?”

“You mean why she’s been hanging in the captain’s office?” Terri remembered three distinct times when the fire investigator and Dean Wolcott had spent more than a half hour in his office, and there could have been more. She shook her head. “Not a clue. You and I aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed, though. Firehouse grapevine being what it is, no one has figured out why. We’re pretty certain it has nothing to do with the job. Our department hasn’t had any major fires that were arson related in a long time.”