Burning Desire

Thank God, he understood.

“Thanks for the warning,” Mason went on. “I appreciate your consideration for not wanting to blur the lines between business and pleasure, if that’s what this is. But all the same, my reason for asking you out has nothing to do with the fact that you’ve seen me with my shirt off. Plenty of people have seen me with my shirt off, and I didn’t ask them out on a date.”

Sabrina’s face flamed. “Like I said, that came out the wrong way.”

Then she started walking again, grateful that Mason did the same, in silence. At her SUV, Mason helped her get the bags into her trunk. Sabrina was ready to be on her way and forget about this strange interaction with Mason.

Until he said, “Despite what you said, I actually would like to take you out to dinner. Would tomorrow work for you?”

Sabrina looked up at him, shocked. So he was serious. This wasn’t going according to plan, not at all. She was truly hoping that they could simply part ways, so she could put the unprofessional parts of the day out of her mind.

“Why?” she found herself asking.

“Call me old school, but I’d like to take you to dinner because I find you incredibly attractive and I’d like to get to know you better.”

His words stumped her. She hadn’t expected him to say that. He was way too gorgeous to be single, let alone interested in her.

“Mason, I’m flattered, but—”

“Don’t say no. I’ll take you somewhere nice, we’ll enjoy a delicious dinner and we’ll talk.”

“I’m flattered, I really am. But I’m sorry. I—I’m just not interested.”

Mason looked at her, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Oh. You’re involved with someone?”

“Do I have to be involved with someone to say no to you?” Sabrina asked. She crossed her arms over her chest, unaware of the defensive gesture.

“That would be one explanation.”

She laughed without mirth. “Quite the ego you have, don’t you?”

“Maybe I’m completely off base, but I thought I felt something between us. Some sparks. Especially...”

“Especially what?”

“Especially when you had your hands on my body.”

Sabrina felt a rush of heat, which she attributed to embarrassment. “Really? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

“Oh. Ohhh.” Mason’s eyes widened, as if he finally understood something. “Are you telling me that you’re not into men?”

For a moment, Sabrina was too speechless to react. Then her lips parted, and she gaped at him. “Because I’m not interested in going out with you, that means I’m gay?”

“It’s a possibility.”

Sabrina was suddenly enraged. There was a part of her that wanted to throttle him. He was smiling good-naturedly, as if this was all just fun and games for him.

“No, I’m not gay. I don’t appreciate your caveman tactics. If no one has ever had the guts to tell you no before, let me be the first one.”

Instead of being frazzled by her comment, Mason’s eyes lit up with humor. “Caveman?”

“Well, you certainly seem to have Neanderthal attitudes about dating.”

“Caveman, Neanderthal. Go ahead, don’t hold back. Tell me what you really feel.”

Sabrina gritted her teeth, and then closed the door to the back of her vehicle. She was beyond ready to get out of there.

She went to the driver’s-side door, but Mason followed her. “Are you planning to take off? Without even a goodbye?”

“You are getting on my last nerve,” she muttered.

“What was that?” he asked.

Sabrina spun around to face him. “You want to know what I think about you? I think you’re attractive man. One who has an honorable job. But a guy like you has a hard time hearing no. And because no one tells you no, you expect everyone you ask out to say yes. Right now, you’re completely baffled as to how I could possibly reject you. So you assume I must be gay. That’s why I said you have a caveman attitude. It is offensive for you to assume that I’m not interested men, simply because I’m not interested in you.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever called me a caveman before.”

“I call it as I see it. And with your archaic—”

Before Sabrina even knew what was happening, Mason suddenly bent down, slipped his arms around the back of her knees and hoisted her over his shoulder.

Sabrina screamed. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“I’m going to take you somewhere so I can have my wicked way with you.”

“Let me down!”

“Why? According to you, this is how I operate, right?”

Sabrina could see people’s heads whipping in her direction, smirks across their faces. Two people who had just exited a car nearby raised their cell phones and began snapping pictures.

“This is humiliating!” Sabrina went on.

“But I’m only doing what you expect of me. You said I’m a Neanderthal. In fact, you said that about three times.”

“Let me down!”

“Not until you take back what you said.”

“Mason! I swear—”

He then slowly slipped her down his body. Her breasts pressed against his rock-hard chest as he lowered her. Her heart was racing, her pulse pounding in her ears. She gripped his shoulders instinctively, for balance, but the moment her feet hit the ground, she pounded on his chest.

She should have slapped him, but he had already made a spectacle of her and she didn’t want to draw more attention to them.

“How could you?” she asked, her chest heaving up and down. “People are staring! Taking pictures! I’m probably going to end up on the internet somewhere!” Mason grinned down at her, an easy smile on an undeniably handsome—and arrogant—face. “And you think this is funny?”

“One thing you’ve got to know about firefighters is that we like to joke around. Our jobs are so intense, it’s important to find ways to make it light.” He shrugged his shoulders. “And, you did call me a caveman. I believe, from what I’ve learned about caveman, that they’re prone to knocking woman over the head and taking them over their shoulders.”