Play With Fire

1. Donovan

Chapter One

Donovan

Leaning against the bar at Wildlands Lodge, I took a long pull from my beer and scanned the bar and restaurant. It was a busy night here, but then, even a slow night was crowded. I was tucked into a corner with a good view of the room. As I glanced around, my gaze landed on a woman playing pool in the corner nearby.

I idly wondered if she was a tourist. Willow Brook, Alaska was a small town, but it was smack dab in the middle of summer, which meant the town was teeming with tourists. Pushing off the bar, as if drawn by an actual force, I found myself walking in her direction.

Her dark amber hair glinted under the dim lighting in the bar, and fell down her back in a cascade, almost reaching her waist. With a flick of her hand, she brushed it over her shoulder as I approached. She wore jeans and cowboy boots paired with a loose red blouse. Somehow, I just knew there were curves to die for hidden beneath that silk.

She was in the midst of a game with several men and looked well on her way to being tipsy. While I’d initially walked over here without thinking much about it, as I got closer, I noticed the hum of tension in the air. Two of the men near the table were leering at her.

There were different kinds of men. It was one thing to appreciate a woman—hell, that was what I’d been doing—and it was another thing to look at them as if you could do whatever the hell you wanted. I felt as if I’d walked into a pack of dogs jockeying for position. To make matters worse, this woman wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to it. She was focused on the game. My hackles rose.

As she leaned over to take a shot, one of the men slid his hand over her a*s. In a flash, she spun around, pulled her fist back, and clocked him right in the nose.

“Get your hands off of me!” she declared, swinging her pool stick in his direction.

She clearly didn’t need help.

“What the f**k?!” The guy who’d been the recipient of her fist wiped blood off his nose.

“Don’t grab my f*****g ass.”

One of the other guys snickered. “Well, sweets, you can’t just waltz in here and show off your a*s like that.”

“Oh, hell f*****g no,” the woman said.

I threaded through the cluster around her. I didn’t even know who she was, but I needed to get her out of the middle of this mess.

“I’m playing pool. That doesn’t give any of you idiots the right to touch me,” the woman stated, swinging her pool stick around again.

I caught the end of it and tugged it out of her hands. While I’d be happy to watch her whack a few of these assholes, it might not work out in her favor. Glancing around at the guys, I said, “Okay boys, break it up.”

“Hey, she f*****g hit me,” the man with the b****y nose retorted.

“Yeah, well, you grabbed her a*s, and she didn’t appreciate it. So, like I said, back the f**k off.”

The bartender, Mike, stepped to my side and leaned over. “Heads up, that’s Jasmine Phillips, Levi’s sister. She drove here, so I’m about to take her keys. Mind giving her a ride home?”

Ahh f**k. Levi was a friend of mine. We were both firefighters at Willow Brook Fire & Rescue. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be the one giving his sister a ride home, but more than that, I didn’t want to see her caught in the middle of this.

“Not a problem,” I replied, glancing at Mike. “I’ll call Levi once we get her out of here.”

Wading into the cluster, Mike dealt with the guys, while I stepped to Jasmine’s side. Just as I was about to open my mouth, she spun to look at the guy who’d copped a feel. “And don’t grab my a*s again.”

With a huff, she turned back to face me. Sweet hell. She was f*****g beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes snapping fire. My body had all kinds of thoughts about her. She was flat-out gorgeous, with that fall of dark amber hair and those deep sapphire eyes.

Before I had a chance to speak, Mike stopped in front of Jasmine. “Hand ’em over,” he said, holding his palm out.

“Hand what over?” Jasmine asked, narrowing her eyes at Mike.

“Your keys. This is Donovan Ryan, if you haven’t met him before. He works with Levi, and he’s giving you a ride home,” Mike explained matter-of-factly.

“What the hell?” Jasmine asked, her gaze bouncing between us.

“Look, you’ve already hit one guy. You’re drunk, and you’re not driving anywhere,” Mike said flatly.

Jasmine glanced between Mike and me, clearly not pleased with this turn of events. After a taut moment, she shook her head. “No, I don’t need a ride.”

“You climb behind the wheel of your car, and I won’t hesitate to call the police. They can probably walk here faster than you can back out of a parking spot,” Mike said, not even the least bit ruffled by how pissed off she seemed. “Way I see it; you’ve got three choices. One—ride home with Donovan. Two—I call Levi and he’ll come get you. Three—the guy you hit might actually decide to call the police because you hit him. Take your pick.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine. Do I have to give you my keys if he gives me a ride?” she countered, thumbing in my direction.

When Mike shook his head, she turned her attention to me. “Nice to meet you, Donovan.”

I simply nodded, too busy trying to tell my body not to notice she was sexy as sin.

Mike c****d his head to the side. “So you’re riding with Donovan?”

Jasmine nodded and then spun around, stalking across the floor ahead of me.

“Looks like I’m outta here,” I said with a chuckle.

“Levi will appreciate it,” Mike murmured as I walked past him.

Jasmine’s hair swung just above her hips as she threaded her way through the tables before disappearing down a hallway in the back. I caught up to her quickly, reaching her just as she stumbled slightly in the hallway when she tried to dodge a group of people walking in from the parking lot.

“Dammit,” she muttered under her breath.

I caught her elbow to steady her but the moment she shook me loose, she promptly stumbled again, bouncing into the wall. Leaning against it, she rolled both shoulders against the wall, eyeing me. Her dark blue gaze swept up and down my body.

“Damn, you’re handsome,” she said, her mouth lifting at the corner in a slow grin.

I took a breath and kept my eyes focused on her face. “You like to swear when you’re drunk,” I countered.

I was acutely aware of the shadowed valley between her breasts with her red silk blouse slipping and sliding when she lifted a hand to brush a loose lock of hair out of her eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with swearing?” she asked.

“Nothing at all.”

Jasmine stared at me, her rich blue gaze assessing. “You must be new to Willow Brook. I don’t think I know you.”

“Depends on what you mean by new. I moved here about two years ago when I joined a hotshot crew. That’s how I know Levi. How about we get going?”

Jasmine eyed me for another few beats and then pushed away from the wall. When I lightly gripped her elbow this time, she didn’t shrug me off. We stepped out into the cool summer air. It was going on nine p.m., the sun only now making its final bow for the night, leaving a crescent of orange just above the mountains in the distance. The sky was streaked with orange, red, and gold.

Jasmine came to a quick stop when we were about halfway through the parking lot. She lifted her head and took a deep breath, letting it out with a gusty sigh. “I love the air here. It’s the best air,” she murmured softly.

The summer air in Alaska was earthy, scented with spruce and the crispness of the mountains surrounding us. Swan Lake stretched out in front of us just beyond the parking lot behind the lodge.

Jasmine looked toward me, her gaze considering. “I bet you’re not an asshole,” she said flatly.

“I’d like to think not,” I offered, uncertain where this topic was headed.

The anger, bravado, and recklessness with which she’d carried herself up to this point disappeared in a flash. It was as if she was deflated by nothing more than a thought.

After her announcement, she stepped closer. Before I even realized what the hell she was doing, she leaned up, slipped her hand around my nape, and kissed me. For a flash, I was so startled I didn’t even move, and then her mouth was moving over mine, and I reacted.

Threading a hand into her glorious hair, I tugged her to me and swiped my tongue across the seam of her lips. She moaned into my mouth, the sound nudging me back to sanity. I tore my lips free and gave my head a shake.

“What the hell was that?”

She smiled, her eyes glittering. “I couldn’t help it. Your mouth is too damn sexy.”

At that, she traced my lips with her fingertip, the feel of her touch like fire.

“You’re gonna have to take me to Levi’s,” she announced next as her hand fell away.

“I’ll drive you wherever you need to go. Come on,” I said, turning away because I couldn’t keep looking at her and not want to kiss her again.

She walked along with me, her stride slower now. She gave off a sense of weariness and sadness. Once we were situated in my truck, she let out a deep sigh and leaned her head back against the seat.

“Levi doesn’t know I’m here, by the way,” she murmured.

Great, just great. I was going to take her to Levi’s, but I had a feeling that there was some kind a story behind why she was in town without her older brother knowing, and I had no idea what it was.

All I knew was Jasmine was beautiful, she drew me to her like a f*****g magnet, and the second her vulnerability flashed in her eyes, I wanted to take care of her. That was a dangerous feeling.

I knew where Levi lived, so I simply started driving in that direction. Jasmine was sound asleep by the time I arrived at Levi’s place. I climbed quietly out of the truck, considering whether I should go knock first, or carry her in.

Glancing to the darkened windows of Levi’s home, I realized I’d likely be waking him and Lucy up as it was. Rounding to the passenger side, I opened the door. Carrying the delectable Jasmine Phillips was not something I wanted to do, or rather it was something I definitely wanted, so that wasn’t smart. Steeling myself, I reached around her to unbuckle her seatbelt, gritting my teeth when she sighed softly in her sleep.

Her body was warm and lush. I could feel her lithe build and the soft curve of one of her breasts against my chest. f**k me. I ordered my c**k down and walked swiftly to the door. After a quick knock, I waited. Several moments passed before Levi answered, a look of confusion on his face.

“What are you doing here? And what the hell is Jasmine doing with you?”

“Short version—she was at Wildlands, the bartender took her keys and asked me to take her home.”

All in all, that summed it up nicely, minus the messy details.

Levi’s eyes widened as he ran a hand through his rumpled hair. He and Jasmine shared the same blue eyes. It was obvious I’d woken him up. “What the hell?” he finally muttered.

“Yeah, she mentioned you didn’t know she was here.”

Levi looked completely flummoxed, but he nodded and opened the door, gesturing me through. With Levi pointing the way, I carried Jasmine to the couch and set her down. Between her unexpected kiss and the way it felt to hold her in my arms, I was doing battle with the state of my body.

I followed Levi into the kitchen. “Thanks, man. Anything I should know about?” he asked.

Standing there, I contemplated whether it would be better if he heard from me that Jasmine hauled off and punched a guy who grabbed her a*s, or through the grapevine.

I decided hearing it from me was better. “Well, the bartender asked me to take her home after some guy grabbed her a*s, and she hauled off and punched him.”

Levi’s eyes widened, and then he shook his head slowly back and forth. “Do you happen to know who the asshole was?”

“Nope. She can hold her own though.”

“Oh, she can,” he said with a wry chuckle. “Thanks for bringing her home.”

“Not a problem. See you at the station.”

Driving home through the falling darkness, the only thing my mind tripped over was the feel of Jasmine’s lips against mine. With a hard shake, I forced my attention off of her, watching as the moon rose ahead in the sky, stars claiming the fading light.