Where There's Smoke by M. J. Fredrick Read Free Book Online Page A

and he stumbled over his words. “Then I guess he'll be a little upset knowing you gave it to me."
    "Probably.” She turned without taking her eyes from Seth, tucked her hand through her fiancé's arm and strolled away.
    "She's almost married and she's coming onto you?” Lauren asked incredulously. God, what was wrong with the world? She should be grateful she wasn't in a relationship if that was how they ended up. It was actually amazing her parents had made it thirty years. “In front of her fiancé?"
    "Well, that certainly wasn't the point I expected you to jump on.” He turned his attention back to his spaghetti. “It's not like I knew."
    "But geez, she found you attractive enough that she considered cheating."
    "Lauren, if she was going to do it with me, I probably wasn't the first. Or only."
    "But her fiancé was gorgeous. Why would she want anyone else?"
    "Slumming.” He stirred the melting ice in his soft drink.
    "What?"
    "No matter what popular opinion is about firefighters now, we're still blue collar.” He tugged at his shirt collar. “All brawn, no brain. It gives them a thrill."
    She'd never heard Seth so self-deprecating. “I guess it's my turn to say, they don't know what they're missing, huh?"
    "We're a pair,” he said with a small laugh, probably afraid he'd already revealed way too much of his insecurity tonight.
    "So, ah, the girlfriend remark, that was to chase her away?” she asked cautiously, not sure she wanted to hear the answer. God, why had she even asked?
    "It put us on even footing."
    Only she wasn't sure if he meant him and Angela or him and Lauren. “Are you ready to go?"
    He glanced up, a little surprised. “All right.” He paid and then took her arm as they walked out. Had he always touched her so casually, or had she just become aware of it? She couldn't imagine not ever having been aware of the warmth, that little buzz of pleasure that radiated from his hand.
    Watching that woman come on to him stung even though she'd seen it happen countless times since he was fifteen. Never before had her stomach coiled and writhed. She'd resigned herself years ago to settle for his friendship. What had changed to make her think of him as a man and not her best friend? Was it the full body tackle? No, that couldn't be it—she always knew he had a penis and muscles, lying on top of her hadn't revealed that information. The way he'd taken care of her when she was hurt? No, most of that had been guilt.
    The image that kept coming back was Seth in the ER helping the little girl who'd almost drowned. He'd been Focused Seth, Sure Seth, at once compassionate and efficient. She'd seen a different man in the ER that day, a man, a grown-up, not the boy she always goofed around with. Watching his confident movements, his unwavering effort to save the child's life, reached down into the part of her that she'd buried, the part that nurtured the hope Seth would one day love her as she loved him.
    But what had changed with him?
    Lauren's uncharacteristic silence as they rode back to the house in his truck made Seth uneasy. Damn, she wasn't thinking, was she? They'd been having a lively, if confusing, conversation before Angela. And after, well, Lauren hadn't said much. He kept going back to that tier thing she'd been talking about. He figured that was where her mind was. What made her think she wasn't good enough for him, anyway?
    Well, yeah, okay, he'd gone out with some gorgeous women, drop-dead beautiful women, probably more than his fair share. But none of those relationships—if he could call them relationships—had lasted a month. He was not a long-term guy, not by any stretch of the imagination. It apparently was in his genes.
    Lauren had at least had one long-term serious relationship, so she knew how to stick. God knew she was smarter than him by a long shot. She was out of his league. He needed to remember that. If he hurt her, and he would, he'd lose her forever, and he couldn't risk it. She