Free Ignite by Karen Erickson Page B

wore. The heavy boots on his feet. And those tattoos that covered his arms, those were new. Every single one of them. They were hot too. And mysterious. She wanted to know the meaning behind them all. Made her want to unbutton his uniform shirt slowly and reveal the T-shirt beneath. She had a feeling it clung to his every muscle just right . . .
    â€œDoes your grandma have you outside digging in the dirt or what?” West asked, pushing her out of her thoughts.
    Harper blinked up at him. He must’ve seen the confusion on her face because he leaned in a little closer, his voice low as he said, “You’re kind of dirty.”
    Ah, if he said that while implying a different, more scandalous meaning, she would be blushing. But she really was dirty. She glanced down at herself, wiping at the front of her shorts. More like absolutely filthy. “I’m cleaning out her office right now. It’s sort of a nightmare.”
    He whistled low. “Sounds rough.”
    â€œTrust me, it is.” Though nothing was as rough as fighting wildfires, going on medical calls, car accidents . . . all the stuff West did on a daily if not hourly basis. He probably thought she was a complete and total joke, griping about cleaning out a stupid file cabinet and getting paper cuts. But damn it, those little slices in her skin hurt . “How are you doing? Is your first shift back in Wildwood going well? Are we keeping you busy?”
    â€œSo far, it’s been good.” He glanced back at the table where the others from his station sat finishing their meals. “And today was extra busy. Finally got a chance to stop off for a late lunch.”
    â€œWell, we’re honored you chose the BFD.” She smiled, trying to fight the nerves bouncing in her stomach from the way West watched her so carefully. “How was your food?”
    â€œDelicious, as usual.” His gaze dropped to her lips, lingering there, and her lips tingled as if he’d reached out and physically touched them. She shouldn’t react this way, right? She’d broken up with Roger only a few days ago and she was already having physical feelings for someone else. Granted, those feelings were for someone she’d harbored a secret crush on for years, but still. It was wrong.
    Wrong, wrong, wrong.
    â€œGood to hear it.” Her smile wavered when his expression turned serious. Deadly serious. She had the sudden urge to run. “I, um, should let you get on with your afternoon, then. Take care, West.”
    She started to walk away, but he stopped her just by saying her name.
    â€œHarper.” She turned to face him again and he reached out, rubbing his thumb across her cheek, just beneath her eye. She sucked in a breath when he touched her, awareness prickling from his nearness, his fingers on her skin, however briefly. “You had dirt on your face,” he explained.
    â€œOh,” she said weakly. God, could she sound dumber? Her knees wobbled and she tried to smile at him but failed miserably. “Thanks.” She went to move past him, but he stopped her again, his fingers circling her wrist.
    â€œWhat are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.
    Was he actually asking her out on a date? No freaking way. He hadn’t let go of her wrist. Did he feel her pulse fluttering wildly under his fingers? Probably. And there was nothing she could do about it either. “Um, digging through piles of old receipts in my grandma’s office?”
    His eyes warmed, his lips curling into the faintest smile. “Sounds exciting. How about after you get off work?”
    â€œUm.” She swallowed hard, hating that she’d said um twice like some sort of idiot. Don’t blow this! “Nothing, really.”
    â€œWant to come over? I was hoping I could get your input on something.” When she sent him a puzzled look he continued. “Your grandma wants me to paint the interior walls at the condo. I had some other