One Fiery Night Read Online Free PDF Page A

kissed each tip before heading to the bathroom.
     
    Josie’s limbs tingled and her sex throbbed with pleasure. But she could hardly breathe as she listened for Luke to come out of the bathroom. What was taking him so long?
    He regrets it. I know it. She curled onto her side and pulled the sheet over her head. Damn, she’d done it again. Positioned herself in a relationship that was sure to fail. And after her ex replaced her with the redheaded bombshell from work, Josie didn’t think her deflated ego could handle another rejection. A rejection that was sure to come. Luke had dumped her once. He’d do it again.
    But hadn’t she seen tenderness in his gaze? Hadn’t he told her he still loved her?
    She released a ragged sigh. The last thing she needed right now was a rocky love affair. Her divorce had been final for a little more than a year but she couldn’t just drag men into Maggie’s life without upsetting her.
    Why had she allowed Luke to barge in and kiss her like that?
    The answer was simple. She still carried that small flame of love for him. Their past was all mixed up with the fact that he’d saved her and Maggie’s lives. And she was feeling more than despondent right now. She’d thought his touch might ease that, and it had for a short time. Now the weight of the world bore down on her, pressing on her chest so she couldn’t do more than breathe heavily around the gathering sobs.
    The soft click of the door opening sounded like a shot. She jerked and whipped the sheet down, fighting to still the panic in her chest. This was much worse than a one-night stand. Their history made everything seem magnified. She’d truly loved this man, had even entertained notions of marrying him after college and living happily ever after. But following a trip to his family’s house for a school break, Luke had gotten antsy and clammed up. When they returned to the university, he’d dumped her.
    She remained curled on her side but when his footsteps sounded near the bed, she shot him a glance. Lines of strain formed around his eyes and mouth but the instant their gazes connected, his expression softened.
    He sank to the edge of the bed and her weight rolled toward him. The scents of their lovemaking clung to him and suddenly she wanted him again very badly. But not at the cost of her heart. She had to gain some distance.
    Scooting into a sitting position, she folded her knees to her chest. She covered her nudity with the sheet but not before he got a good look at her. The hunger was back in his eyes.
    “Why did you really come here?” Her question hung between them, weighting them to reality. They’d fucked—not made love—because their bodies still called to each other. But he didn’t want her. No one did, right?
    He opened his mouth and then shut it.
    Oh no. That couldn’t be good.
    He found her fingers through the sheet and enfolded them in his fist. “Let’s just say I couldn’t stay away from you.”
    Her heart jumped at his words. Did he mean them though? As long as she’d known Luke, he hadn’t been just a Romeo, delivering lines that would woo a woman into his arms. He was a great guy. Genuine.
    But she should still send him out of her life. She couldn’t afford to compromise her heart again.
    He inched nearer. She wanted to close her eyes against the sight of his broad chest, which rippled with muscle.
    “Josie, talk to me. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” He stroked a stray lock of hair off her cheek with enough tenderness to bring her to her knees if she hadn’t already been sitting.
    She drew a deep breath and released it. What came out of her mouth was not the accusation that he’d wrongfully seduced her or the demand that he leave her room.
    “I want to hear about you. Tell me what you’ve been doing with your life besides fighting fires and rescuing people.”
    A grin stretched his handsome features. He gave a rumble of a laugh and leaned forward until their