Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
AMbrOSE
Catalina slides her glasses on as I secure the top of the ladder with the rope. I’m not taking any chances with this woman’s safety.
A thick black fringe of lashes frames her large cinnamon doe eyes. Her cheeks blaze, and her eyes round as she stares at me, filling the air with a tension thick enough to cut.
“Wow, I had no idea you looked the way you look,” she says too fast, pressing her lips firmly together.
Women usually drool over Hollywood me, not firefighter me. For some reason, her words make me want to believe she’s seeing the man, not the part I played.
“Is that a good or a bad thing?” I ask with a lopsided grin.
“No comment.”
“No comment?” I furrow my brows. “As in ‘I take the fifth.’”
“Exactly. In order not to incriminate myself.”
“Incriminate away. I’m a firefighter, not a cop.” Early fall day aside, why am I sweating like this all of a sudden?
“I could ask you the same question, you know.”
“You mean, about your appearance? I have excellent distance vision, so I knew exactly how you looked from the bottom of the tree …”
“Oh, God, when you could see up my skirt?”
“There was that, too, but I tried not to peek. Key word being tried.” I wink, and her cheeks ignite.
She shakes her head ruefully. “And you’re that Hollywood guy that everyone’s talking about. Great!”
“Oh, you know about that?” I ask, confused. I’ve never met a woman who knows who I am and doesn’t care.
“No offense, but I’m more into books than TV.”
She says it with a little shrug, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. Somehow, though, that small gesture shrugs off half my baggage with it. It feels surprisingly liberating.
“So, you’re telling me I’d have to be one of those shirtless guys on the cover of a romance novel to get your attention?” I tease despite knowing better.
Her luscious lips form a thin line, eyes quickly scanning me. I’m pretty damn sure she likes what she sees, though she’s hard to read.
“Do you ask every girl you rescue that?”
I chuckle deep in my chest. “Only the pretty ones.”
“A firefighter and a flirt. You’re like one of my book boyfriends.”
“So, you read firefighter romances?” I ask, face still plastered in a goofy grin.
“Guilty as charged,” she confesses, lifting her chin imperiously. “What about you?”
I scrunch my forehead, mildly puzzled by her question. “No firefighter romance for me.”
“I mean, do you read?” She knits her forehead.
“Of course. I’m a voracious reader.” I lean toward her, whispering, “Sometimes, I even fit it into my downtime at the station.”
“Downtime at the station? Does that happen often?”
“We work forty-eight/ninety-six shifts, which means forty-eight hours on and ninety-six off. Chief keeps us busy with equipment checks, station maintenance, physical training and drills, and of course, emergency response. But I usually manage to fit some in.”
“Did you get more reading done at the TV studio?” she asks politely.
I shrug. “I’d rather not talk about that.”
“Why not? I hope I’m not getting too personal—”
I shake my head. “No, I’m just not a big fan of that Hollywood stuff. Hate it, actually. I did the show to pay for school. Not proud of it.”
Catalina sighs with relief. “So, you’re okay with me not being a fan of the show?”
“More than you could possibly know.” The more I learn about this pretty, nerdy girl, the more I like her. But time to stop flirting and get back to work. “Enough about me. Let’s get you out of that tree.”
She nods, steely determination lighting her face. “I’m going to help you get on the ladder, and then, we’ll head down together. I won’t leave your side until you’re safely back on solid ground.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounds wan, and her face looks pinched.
“If you’re having second thoughts, I can call for that ladder engine.”
“No way. I’ve got this.”
“And I’ve got you … the whole way down.” Her cheeks flush, matching the heat circulating through my blood. “One step at a time until we reach the bottom.”
“Oh, but you’ll have the perfect view of my torn skirt and underwear.”
“Guess that’s one way to break the ice.”
“Are you always this funny mid-rescue?” she asks
“I prefer to think of it as charm.”
She snorts.
When I keep her joking and laughing, the panic fades. That’s at least the excuse I give myself for all the unnecessary flirting.
Her knuckles go white on the rung, then slowly relax. It’s stupid, but the fact she believes me when I say she’s safe hits me harder than it should.
As we descend, she asks, “So, if you hate celebrity and all of that, then why are you participating in the bachelor auction tonight?”
“To raise money for Three Nations Animal Rescue. They do amazing work, and I want to support it.”
“So, you care about rescue animals? Like Dumpling?”
“Absolutely. I’ve raised lots of money over the years to help organizations like that. It’s my passion.”
“Mine, too!”
“After everything I saw in L.A., helping animals feels pure. No cameras. No bullshit.”
“Understandable, I guess.” Suddenly, her eyes dart to the ground, and she inhales sharply. “I really need to quit looking down.”
“That’s right. Concentrate on one step at a time. I’m right behind you and won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Thank you,” she whimpers. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
My pulse races, my body wanting to believe her on multiple levels. What in the hell is this woman doing to me?
To diffuse the tension, I say, “I don’t believe that for a minute. All you needed were your glasses and a second wind.”
“And laughter. It helps make me feel less freaked out.”
I reach the bottom, and Catalina follows, visage radiating triumph as she turns around, facing me. Our bodies are within inches of each other. Heat and relief pour off her in waves. So does soul-deep attraction.
I need to let go of the ladder. Instead of steadying the metal frame, I cage her between my arms.
“Are you going tonight?”
“Tonight?” she repeats, starry-eyed.
“To the auction?”
“Oh, yes, I’m helping out.”
“Really?”
She nods. “Roxy, who runs the rescue, is a friend of mine.”
“Ahh, okay. In that case, maybe I’ll see you there.” All of a sudden, the auction I’ve been dreading is filled with newfound possibility.
Every cell in my body says to kiss her. Every shred of reason says don’t. Her breath brushes my jaw, warm and sweet, and I swear I could lean down a few inches and taste summer itself.
I straighten, stepping back and running my hand through my hair. “Maybe we could get coffee or dinner later? Get to know each other better?”
“I don’t know. Won’t you have your hands full with the auction?” she asks.
“Only tonight. Some other time, then?”
She looks down at her shaking hands, pressed together in front of her.
I long to reach out and grab them, intertwine my thick, work-hardened fingers with her dainty, pale, pink-tipped ones.
If they feel as soft as they look, I might have a hard time letting go.
“I don’t know. I’m not into all that fame stuff. ”
“Me, either.”
Catalina twists her hands, eyes dilating and melting into two ebony pools. She licks her lips sensually, nostrils flaring, and cheeks pink as the petunias blooming near the fence. “I feel jittery.”
“Adrenaline. It’s normal,” I explain gruffly, tracing the delicate curve of her sculpted Cupid’s Bow with my eyes.
“Is that why you do what you do, Ambrose?”
The way she says my name incinerates me. “You mean firefighting?”
“Yes, and rescuing people. Is it like an adrenaline thing?”
“Avery, honey,” Ms. Dupont hollers. “Is Cat down yet? Tilly’s here if you need an extra hand.”
“Tilly?” I ask, ruing the broken moment.
Catalina nods. “She helps care for my grandma when I’m at work.”
“Where do you work?”
“The DMV.” The corners of my mouth turn up, already hatching a plan in my head. Considering the auction will be a shit show, I’ll have to find another way to see this woman again. “Maybe I can steal you away for lunch sometime.”
She shrugs. “I can never thank you enough for your help today. You really saved me from a bind.” Catalina says, eyes almost begging me to kiss her.
“Will you give me your word that you’re going to quit climbing trees without ladders? Or at all?”
“But why, when I have a firefighter on standby?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, my chief would love hearing that.”
More fodder for the station laugh track. But I can’t help myself. I like this girl. I like her grit and courage, her well-placed sass. She could keep me on my toes, make me laugh at myself instead of feeling so damn insecure and serious all the time.
“All kidding aside, you really were a lifesaver today,” she says.
Bid on me tonight, then. The request hangs on my tongue. But I can’t ask a virtual stranger something like that.
I reply, “No need to thank me. It’s my job, Catalina.”
“Speaking of job, I’d better get back to work.”
I back away from the delectable beauty. I could almost swear disappointment flickers in her gaze, but I can’t be sure. I do know one thing, though. I absolutely have to see her again. And not at the bachelor auction. My stomach roils at the thought of what she’ll witness tonight.
Suddenly, I have it! “Dumpling. What does she look like?”
“A big, fluffy tabby cat with green eyes and one lopsided ear. She wears a collar with a name tag, too.”
“I’ll look for her while you head back to work, and if I find her, I’ll take her back to my place. Give her an insulin shot and feed her … until you can pick her up.”
“You would do that for me?” She looks stunned, like a deer in headlights.
“Of course. I’m still the new guy around here. Be nice to have someone real in my corner.”
“Real? What do you mean?”
I nod. “Yeah, someone who sees me for who I am instead of a fictional part I once played.”
“I can do that.”
I’m full-on smitten, unable to control the smile that makes my cheeks ache. I can’t remember the last time I felt this happy.
“In that case, I need Dumpling’s meds, some of her food, and your telephone number.”
I tell myself it’s practical, helping with Dumpling. But deep down, I know I’m clawing for a reason to see her again.
“Done,” she whispers, that smoky little voice of hers sending shivers of need through my core.