“HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Sophie, happy birthday to you.”
The firefighters had strong, hardy voices, and some sang in harmony like Liam and his brothers often did when they performed in the pub. He watched them from the other side of the room where he was refilling the coffee urn. True to his word, Liam had fixed something special this Thursday morning: French toast filled with apples and cream cheese, served with a fruit cup. Now he was glad he’d fussed, though he wished Sophie had told him it was her birthday today.
As usual, the guys were joking with her. “So, Sophie baby,”
Jim Mackenzie said. “Getting up there, aren’t you?”
“A whole thirty-two. What are you now, Cap, fifty?”
“Wiseass. Forty-five.”
The young rookie who seemed to have a crush on Sophie was wide-eyed. “I can’t believe you’re that old.”
“You just don’t get it.” Cooper glared at Torres. “Don’t you know nothing, pork chop? Never say something like that to a woman.”
“Why?”
Sean Murray—Liam was getting to know them and this one was their driver—shook his head. “He’s hopeless.”
Sophie squeezed the rookie’s arm. “I’ll tell you later, Jules. I know you meant it as a compliment.”
Finished with the coffee, Liam headed back to the kitchen. “Great meal,” someone from another company called out to him.
“Thanks.” Feeling melancholy, he crossed to the Sub-Zero refrigerator, took out the chicken stock he’d frozen last week and left it to thaw on the counter. He was thinking about Sophie and her birthday, and then his mind went to other birthdays...
I got you a birthday present, Kitty had said on his last birthday before she got sick.
Yeah? He’d pulled her close. All I want is you.
Hmm. She handed him a box. That’s sort of what this is.
He tore open the paper. Inside was a red negligee that had him practically swallowing his tongue. Good Lord.
She’d stripped then and donned the frothy confection. The lovemaking had been wild...
Today, alone in the kitchen, he sighed heavily. Damn it, he hated when these memories ambushed him. He was doing better and didn’t wake up every day thinking about his dead wife. As a matter of fact, he was seriously considering asking Sophie for a date. Kitty would want him to see other women and finally, he wanted—really wanted—to be with a woman. He’d been seriously wondering what it would be like to make love to Sophie Tyler.
The kitchen door opened and in walked the woman he’d been thinking about a lot lately. When she’d come in this morning, she’d changed out of her uniform into some pressed jeans and a soft pink sweater. She’d left her hair down, and it curled thick and heavy at her collar. “I brought you some birthday cake.” She held up three pieces covered with gooey chocolate frosting. “My favorite.”
“The guys know you well,” he said, oddly jealous of that fact.
“Yeah.” She set the cake on the counter. “It’s probably too early for you to eat this.”
“Not sure I can down three pieces, Soph.”
“Mikey and Cleary might like some after school.”
“They will. Thanks for thinking of them.” He hitched a hip against the counter, hoping she’d stay and chat. “What will you do on your birthday?”
“If I don’t have to work, I usually go to the Carusottis.”
“Ah.”
“Then tomorrow, Hannah’s taking me shopping and to lunch to celebrate.” Her eyes shadowed.
“What?”
“I wish Nate were here. But he’ll probably call me.” She fidgeted with the watch that circled her wrist. She rarely wore jewelry, but today she’d stuck little gold hoops in her ears as well. “I guess I should be going.”
“Get some sleep before you head out to your friends’ house. I heard you all talking about your calls on the tour.” He grinned. “Got the term right, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
She raked a hand through her hair, messing it. “We were up all night.” She smiled.
So did he. He wished he could think of more to talk about so she’d stay, but he was like a teenager with a new girl and he was afraid he’d start stuttering.
Finally, she said, “I guess I’ll see you in a few days,” and turned from him.
He watched her walk away. Her hips swayed gracefully; she had a nice butt, and today the soft denim clung to it. He liked the way her hair bounced when she moved. The entire package that was Sophie Tyler made him say, “Hey, wait a sec.”
With her hand on the door, she looked over her shoulder, a question in her eyes. Whipping off the towel around his waist, he covered the distance between them in three long strides. She was tall, but still he had height on her. He circled her around to face him and smiled down into her eyes. This morning they were the color of warm steel. “Every girl should have a birthday kiss, don’t you think?”
Those eyes widened and a slow smile spread across her face. “Yeah, I guess I do.” She moved a bit closer. “You up to it?”
“I am, lass.” Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across hers. For a moment, she was utterly still. Then she raised her hands to his chest and pressed one against his heart. Liam might be out of practice, but he remembered the signals. He drew her flush against him. She went willingly, tangling her legs with his. Assaulted by the flowery scent of shampoo and soap, he increased the pressure on her lips. She slid her hand up and locked it at his neck. He opened his mouth and she opened hers, then he explored her, tasting a kind of sweetness he’d forgotten existed. She made a sound of pleasure and it made him moan.
Steeped in the feel and taste and scent of her, he didn’t know how long it was before he drew back. She stayed close and opened her eyes. They were sparking with arousal. He was hard against the fly of his jeans. She grinned; so did he.
“Happy birthday, Sophie. And sweet dreams.”
She didn’t say anything before she left.
But that was okay.
Turning back to the stove, Liam started whistling. His body hummed, and the painful pressure below his waist was intense. But that was all right, too. It was good to feel the sexual kick again. It was good to feel alive. Glancing at the door, he chuckled. “You pack quite a punch, Sophie baby.”
o0o
“OH, MAN, BUY that skirt. It makes your legs look like a model’s.” Hannah watched Sophie in the mirror of a dressing room in their favorite consignment shop in SoHo. She loved coming down here to the trendy bistros and elegant cast-iron buildings with distinctive architecture. “I’ll bet that’ll make the O’Neil boys take notice.” When Sophie didn’t react, she added, “Even the quiet one.”
Still waters run deep, Sophie thought, remembering the kiss in the kitchen yesterday morning. The surprisingly hot, mind-numbing kiss. Who would have thought?
Hannah laughed. “I knew it. You blushed like a Nebraska virgin. Tell all.”
Smoothing down the folds of the shiny gray skirt with velvet inserts, Sophie purposefully widened her eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t bullshit me. I know the signs.”
Sophie grinned into the mirror. “All right. I am attracted to him. What’s more, I like him. And his family.”
“Me, too. As we said, they’re eye candy.”
“They’re nice people.”
Hannah perused the black tops she’d picked out to go with Sophie’s skirt. “They seem to be. Nothing serious with the dude, though, is there?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“He’s got a ready-made family, hon.”
“Whoa. It was only a kiss.”
“A kiss? Shut up!”
Damn, now she’d done it. She’d had no intention of telling nosy Hannah about what happened with Liam in the kitchen, even though the woman was her best friend. But that encounter had been on her mind, and she’d slipped.
“It’s just a chemistry thing.”
“Hmm.” Hannah handed Sophie a silky top, cut low and fitted at the waist. Sophie wasn’t a twig—you couldn’t be in her job—and she weighed a lot more than others would think, but she was toned and this shirt would look great on her.
“So, was it slow and easy, like he is, or hot and heavy? You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Slipping off her cotton T, Sophie poked her head through the neck of the top. It slithered down her body, making her shiver. Or was it thinking about Liam’s mouth? Oh, hell, what fun was it to have the hots for someone and not share the buzz. “It was intense.” She met Hannah’s eyes in the mirror. “Smokin’.”
“Think he’ll ask you out?”
“Maybe I’ll ask him out. Like you did with Dominic.”
Hannah glanced away.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Sophie dropped down next to Hannah on the bench. “Is something wrong with Dom?”
“Maybe us both.” Her tough friend’s eyes filled with worry. “We haven’t been using protection for a year.”
“Protection?”
Sophie was thinking about firefighting gear when Hannah added, “When we have sex.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because we want a kid. And we’re in our freakin’ thirties. Once we decided to tie the knot, we didn’t care if it happened before or after the wedding.”
“It didn’t happen?”
Hannah shook her head. “I’m worried something’s wrong.”
“Have you seen a doctor?”
“This week. Dom’s not happy about doing it, but we’re going.” She shrugged. “You know the research about smoke eaters.”
Sophie did. They often had trouble conceiving a child. Exposure to extremes of heat had been linked to male infertility and there was a possibility of birth defects in the offspring of exposed mothers and fathers. Many of the chemicals in the fire environment could adversely affect reproduction. “Hannah, lots of the guys have kids. Normal kids. And the women on staff do, too. You should wait to hear what the doctor says.”
“Dom will have to jerk off in a jar.”
Sophie laughed. “Maybe you can help.” Her comment made Hannah smile. “Do you want to talk more about this?”
“No, let’s wait, like you said. It’s time for lunch.”
“If you’re sure." Sophie stood and looked in the mirror again. “Should I get this one?”
Hannah appraised. “What do you think?”
“I look good.”
“There you go. We’re buying the whole outfit, sister.”
“Right.” Sophie never had a sister, but this was what it would have been like. She hoped like hell everything was okay with Hannah.
The risks firefighters endured took all different shapes and forms.
o0o
LIAM GROANED. What had he been thinking? This was a colossal mistake.
“Come on, little brother, get with the program.”
The program, as Dylan called it, was apparently to preen in front of the mirror in a men’s store in the garment district over on Seventh Avenue. Right now, Dyl stood in the three-way glass and admired the way the gray pants and a matching shirt fit his trim torso. Before Liam could jab him, Aidan came out of the dressing room. He looked sharp in a navy cotton sweater and knife pressed slacks. He nudged Dylan out of the way and took center stage at the mirror.
“You two give Narcissus competition,” Liam said.
“We look great, don’t we, bro?” Aidan commented, still staring at himself.
“I look better,” Dylan quipped.
“And you’re both so modest.”
They turned on him at once. Always a bad thing. Dylan went first. “You could use some confidence. The chicks dig it.”
“Chicks?” Aidan choked. “Oh God, C.J. will cut your balls off if she hears you say that.”
“Hey, I got another blonde joke.”
Aidan glanced over at Liam. “Not yet. Let’s get this guy into some decent rags.”
Well, Liam had asked for this. Staring at his khaki slacks and sweatshirt, he sighed. He always ordered his clothes from L.L. Bean. Correction, Kitty had ordered them, and he kept up the practice when she died. They were nice, serviceable things that, truthfully, he never thought much about before.
Aidan stepped forward. “You said it was time for a change, Liam.”
“I know. For a lot of things.” He glanced away. “It’s just that every time I change something, it closes another door on Kitty.”
“Maybe those doors need to be shut to move on.” Dylan’s voice was gentle, though his words weren’t.
Liam thought of Sophie. “I wanna move on.”
“Then, come on, let’s get you outfitted.”
It took some time. But they joked through it...
Dylan: “Man, that sports coat is the bomb. Maybe I’ll buy it instead...”
Liam: “I can’t afford this. I got kids to support...”
Aidan: “Jesus, Liam, don’t tuck that shirt in. Have we taught you nothing?”
Liam: “Yeah, not to be such prima donnas. You guys are something else.”
They finally left the store with the sports coat, some new shirts, a great sweater and more pants than Liam needed, including jeans that cost twice what he normally paid.
They took a cab to a little Thai restaurant in the Village they’d all been wanting to try. They ordered shrimp soup and papaya salad to start with. After the soup was delivered, Liam expected the Spanish Inquisition. He got it.
“So, why the interest in new clothes?” Dylan asked.
Liam tasted the dish. “Hmm. Lime juice in this.”
“Come clean,” Aidan told him, though he was chowing down, too.
“Fine. Like I said, it’s time for a change.”
“Don’t bullshit us. Remember when I started to date after Stephanie left me?”
“You bought a new wardrobe.” This from Aidan.
“Spill it, Liam.”
He took more time, biting into a huge juicy shrimp. Though he was a private person, he could talk to his brothers. “Okay, I want to date. “
“You’ve been dating.” Dylan’s gaze zeroed in on him. “It’s not another PTA-er, is it?”
“No. I’m gonna ask Sophie out
“I told you you could have her.”
“It’s just a date.”
Aidan joined in. “Did you ask her?”
“Not yet.”
“How do you know she’ll go with you?”
Liam fiddled with his napkin, afraid he’d flush and give himself away. “I just think she will.”
Dylan’s shrewd gaze assessed him. “Something already happen?”
“Like I’d tell.” He sobered and put down his spoon. “It’s just a date. Don’t expect anything to come of it.”
“You never know,” Aidan announced proudly. “Look at what happened to me.”
Dylan stared over his shoulder. Because he didn’t join in the razzing again, Liam asked, “What?”
“I hope it is just a date.”
“Why?”
“Because of what Sophie does for a living.”
“The danger?” Liam asked.
“Yeah.”
Aidan stared down at his empty bowl for a second, then back up at them. “It can be managed.”
“For you maybe. Though we’ve yet to have C.J. go on protective duty.” Dylan faced Liam squarely. “Nothing personal, but you’re not made of the same stuff as Aidan is.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“He’s tougher than you. You’ve always been the sensitive one in the family. And you’ve suffered a lot of loss.”
Liam had given this some thought. He waited until the waiter cleared their dishes, then served the papaya salad. “Nobody’s safe, Dyl. Kitty was a freakin’ housewife and never did anything more dangerous than walk across a New York City street. And she died.”
“That’s one way to look at it, I guess. “ Dylan didn’t seem convinced and just picked at the greens and fruit.
“Anyway, I can’t believe Sophie would be seriously interested in somebody like me. It’s just a flirtation. And it’s fun.”
“You’re an O’Neil.” Dylan’s tone was insulted. Teasing again. “The weaker sex is putty in our hands.”
“That reminds me,” Liam said. “Who was your date with last night that had Hogan spending the night at our house?”
“A redhead.”
“Now there’s a surprise.”
“Tell you what? You spill what happened with Sophie, and I’ll tell you about my night.”
“You first,” Aidan said.
“Shut up, kid, you’re not part of this.”
Liam grinned. “Scissors, paper or rock?”
They all laughed at the old game they played as teenagers to choose who would go first. It made Liam feel good.
Almost as good as the prospect of asking Sophie Tyler for a date.