Free The Firefighter's Appeal (Harlequin Superromance) by Elizabeth Otto

different.
    Nonetheless, she couldn’t read anything into her body’s reaction. The dreams that had resurfaced since the night of the fund-raiser were enough to set her back. All those firemen had triggered the anxiety she was trying to overcome, and Lily wasn’t going to risk going down that road again.
    Despite her resolve, her gaze flicked to his lips. They were model perfect, soft yet undeniably male. The kind of lips that could kiss you tenderly good-night or grind you to aneurysm-worthy pleasure.
    She squeezed her eyes shut and sidled to the left. The space was narrow, causing her chest to bump his, making her gasp and stiffen. He dipped his head, his hair tickling her temple as his gravelly voice filled her ears.
    “Are you a vegetarian, Lily?” His expression was a tease and a dare rolled into one sexy smolder as he shifted to let her out of the office.
    “Yes.”
    Garrett paused before replying with a light chuckle. “Seriously? I was expecting you to say no. Either way, plan on staying a bit tomorrow.”
    Lily pulled in a slow breath. There would be no staying. She was inspecting property lines, not—
    “I’m the client, remember?” he said. She must be wearing her reluctance like a perfume. “Indulge me a little. Please?”
    “The client.” Her voice trailed off before her brain broke free of its sexy-Garrett stranglehold. “Of course. However—”
    There was loud thump from the room next door, followed by a long muffled groan. Both of them looked at the wall, as if they could see what was happening on the other side. From the sound, it was obvious Roan had fallen off the couch.
    They turned back to look at each other, and Lily didn’t miss Garrett’s eye roll and sigh. He ran a hand over his face and was suddenly transformed into a man who looked as if he could sleep for a week. It was as though he’d taken off a mask, reducing him from cocky, confident Garrett to someone with a lot of weight on his shoulders.
    “I’m going to check on Roan.” He thrust a hand out. Lily took it for a firm shake, interest in his transformation niggling at her. It shouldn’t matter, but it piqued her even so because in that moment he wasn’t a hotshot fireman. He was just a man who radiated hidden sadness and deep responsibility.
    And that rubbed her both ways: wrong and right. Wrong because she didn’t have time to care what was going on under Garrett’s surface, and right because she’d be a complete bitch not to at least wonder.
    Their hands parted more slowly than she would have liked, prompting Lily to make a half turn toward the hall and her exit.
    “I’ll clear my schedule and meet you here at noon.”
    “Okay.” He followed her down the hall until he stopped at the employee lounge. “Oh, and, Lily?”
    She didn’t look back. If she did, he’d see how badly she was trembling. “Yes?”
    “I’m not opposed to you wearing that coconut bra again.”
    His voice was lighter, and the sound made her pause and look back. His weariness was gone and the usual confident charm had returned. His cocky grin seemed a bit out of place, as if it was a mask he hadn’t quite gotten to fit right. True colors? It was hard to tell which were really his. Not that she’d be finding out.
    Lily turned back to the exit without a reply. The last thing she needed was to try to figure out a complicated man. She just wanted to secure this job, pack her bags and get the heck out of Danbury.
    * * *
    “T HREE WEEKS ?” L ILY slid to the edge of her bed, taking the comforter with her until it bunched against her butt. She held the phone away from her ear, stared at it a moment to be sure she wasn’t still asleep.
    Doug’s gruff voice floating through the receiver made it clear she was awake.
    “It’s what you wanted, right?”
    The blanket—and Adam the cat, who Lily hadn’t noticed—landed on the floor when she abruptly stood, excitement prickling her skin. Hell, yes, this was what she wanted. She just wasn’t