CHAPTER 2

"Hi" I greeted him with a smile. "I um, I needed the fire department's assistance yesterday. I was stuck in a house that caught fire and I wanted to say thank you."

I held out the cookies with a friendly smile. He smiled back and stepped toward me, taking them from my hands and looking inside.

"Well thank you, young lady. They are much appreciated. Is there a particular fireman I can address these to?"

I opened my mouth but quickly closed it again. I shook my head slowly. "I didn't get his name. I was kind of, well I, I passed out."

The older man chuckled. "Happens to the best of us. You know what this fella looked like?"

"Well he was in fireman gear." I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. I was so awkward sometimes! "He had green eyes and a British accent," I spit out in a hurry.

Awareness seemed to dawn upon the man's face as a smirk slowly began to grow across his aging features. He turned his back to me and hollered into the firehouse. "Rayles!"

Heat burned my cheeks as I quickly dropped my gaze to my well-worn sneakers. They were my favorite, and most comfortable pair. That along with my jeans and t-shirt with the restaurant name emblazoned across the front didn't give me the most flattering first impression. Not to mention my hair thrown up in the messy ponytail I had done this morning. At least my make-up was on point thanks to stupid Scott.

I sighed as I shifted on my feet and debated just bolting. Why was I even concerned with my appearance? It's not like I was going out on a date.

"What you hollering about?" A new voiced asked with a British accent as I raised my eyes.

A younger looking man walked toward us. His brown, wavy hair fell messily all around his head down to his chin. It was swept up and back in the front as though he had run his hands through it excessively throughout the day. He was tall, nearing six feet, and had a lean yet muscular build. His voice had a boyish charm yet he eluded sex appeal without even trying. He had on tight black jeans and a black shirt with the fire departments name upon it and a skintight, long-sleeved undershirt.

"I'm guessing you saved this young women's life yesterday," I heard the older man say but my eyes were too focused on the younger fireman to move. "Seems she came to say thank you."

The younger fireman's gaze shifted to me. I lost my breath as his green eyes settled upon me. My heart rioted and pounded in my chest as those haunting green eyes wandered up and down my body. I felt utterly exposed and inexplicably aroused. How I'd love to run my fingers into his hair and taste his full, red lips.

I blinked rapidly, banishing the thoughts as I held my hand out and tried to control it from shaking. "I'm Kendra Edwards."

He grinned and it seemed to take over his entire face and reveal a mouthful of perfect, white teeth and dimples upon his cheeks. "Preston Rayles," he said as he took my hand into his and shook it.

I stood staring at him like an awestruck teenager and held onto his hand long enough to make it awkward. "Thank you." I went to pull my hand away but his grip tightened and held onto me. I looked down at our joined hands, heat spreading through my body. "Thank you for saving my life yesterday."

"You're welcome."

The humor I heard in his voice drew my eyes back up to his gorgeous face. Those green eyes were gleaming with amusement upon me, sparkling like a dashing movie star. 

I was knocked completely off guard by his good looks. I tried to process a logical thought in my fluttering brain. "I brought the cookies for you."

"I'll have to get 'em back," he replied, still holding onto my hand. He spoke with a slight slowness, as though he thought out every word before speaking it.

I glanced around and realized the other fireman had left. "I hope he doesn't eat them all."

"It's alright," he replied, his voice lowering slightly. "There's something else I'd rather eat."

My face whipped back to him, my cheeks burning hot. Surely I had heard him wrong. "Excuse me?"

"There's other stuff to eat," he replied with innocence as he let go of my hand and glanced behind him. "We've got a kitchen here."

I nodded my head slowly at his explanation as my eyes narrowed slightly. "Good."

"It was nice meeting you, Kendra."

My heart fluttered as my name slipped from his lips in his British accent. "You're not from around here?" I internally groaned at the words I hadn't meant to speak aloud.

"How'd you guess?" he chuckled in amusement.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Lucky guess. I should go."

He nodded as I took one more look at him before turning to leave.

"Kendra!"

I whipped around like an anxious schoolgirl. "Yeah?"

His face had suddenly turned serious, his green eyes dull and hard. "How'd you get that bruise?"

Nerves shot through me at my secret being exposed. "What bruise?"

He stepped toward me, his booted feet thundering in my ears. He stopped within inches of me and raised his hand. I flinched and silently cursed myself for being so skittish.

He held his hand in mid-air as he searched my face, seeming to ask permission, before very slowly moving his hand to my face and tracing his fingers over my cheek. My skin tingled and heated at his touch.

"This bruise," he whispered softly.

My breath caught as I stared into his eyes. "I fell."

"Onto someone's fist?" His voice had a roughness that startled me.

"No," I forced out as I took a step backward, putting space between us. "Of course not. I fell and hit the post on the bed yesterday when I was lightheaded from the smoke."

I was good, perhaps too good at lying. It didn't seem to work on him though. He stared at me with disbelieving eyes and judgement written across his face.

"Thank you, again. For saving me. That's all I came here for."

His grin slowly returned to his face as his features lightened. "You sure about that?"

"Of course," I shot out in annoyance. Sure, he was smoking hot but his cockiness was igniting anger within me. "Why else would I be here?"

"I have a boxing match this weekend. You should come see it."

I was speechless at his sudden turn of conversation. He could switch gears so quickly and casually it was hard to keep up. "You box?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Its nothing professional but its entertaining nonetheless."

My eyebrows rose. "Punching another human being is entertaining?"

"It is if you're not the one getting punched," he replied, his voice lowering and becoming somber.

I nodded my head slowly as his green eyes seemed to bore into me and expose my deepest secrets. Or perhaps he was undressing me with his eyes. The thought made my cheeks burn. I had to get away from him. I don't think I have had a rational thought since he approached.

"I'll try to go," I breathed out as I turned to leave.

"Give me your number," he called out.

I looked curiously at him but he spoke before I could.

"So I can send ya the address." His boyishly handsome grin spread across his face like the first morning rays of sunshine in the morning as his dimples punctuated his cheeks.

He pulled out his phone as I rattled off my number against my better judgement.

"I'll see you around," he smirked as he finished typing my number into his phone.

"Yeah, sure," I replied off balance as I slowly turned and walked away.