1. Rescue Me

1

RESCUE ME

BLAKE WILSON

Six Years ago

T he Rescue Me Date Night in St. Louis sounded like a great idea at the time. Women flocked to this event hoping to meet a first responder. At least, according to some guys I met attending K-9 training for Search and Rescue Operations with me in the city all week.

After they’d heard I’d broken up with my girlfriend back home, they insisted I come here tonight, promising I’d find a woman to rebound with before the night was through. At first, the distraction from the crap happening back in Kissing Springs pleased me. But at this meat market? Forget about it.

I was too old for this scene. Twenty-eight snuck up on me too fast.

I swiveled on my barstool and glanced around the crowded bar, not finding any of the guys I came with. Likely they’d all met the women of their dreams by now and moved on.

I couldn’t yet. Despite plenty of gorgeous women here, I wasn’t up to the task of putting myself out there again. This break up sucked. My gut had told me to drive home after our final training session today and I should have listened.

“Ugh. Come on.” A woman’s irritated voice caught my attention next to me as I turned back around to the bar, intending to nurse what was left of my bourbon. Then I’d head back to my hotel room and get a good night’s rest before driving home in the morning and face an empty house.

“Sir? Hello?” She waved her hand to catch the attention of the bartender, with no luck.

“Hey, dude. This chick needs a drink,” I commanded above the din of the bar and pointed my thumb at her, counting that as my good deed for the day.

“Uh, thanks.” She smiled sweetly and tucked her hair behind her ear. She was cute, at first notice. The longer I studied her, each second that ticked by, I realized she was downright beautiful. Shy, though, probably someone most guys would overlook. I’d say mid twenties, long golden hair in waves around her shoulders, full lips, blue eyes—exactly my type.

Perhaps that was my problem with my ex. Her red hair should have been a clue she’d break my heart.

“Whatcha need, babe?” The balding bartender asked with an abrasive voice.

“Water, little ice, no lemon,” she said in a sugar-coated tone to combat his, even batting her lashes.

“You called me over here for that?” He scoffed.

“Are you a DD?” I asked her, glaring at the asshole.

“A what?”

“Designated driver.”

“No. I just turned twenty-one, and not sure what to drink.”

Damn. That young? I arched a brow. My interest level dropped. Nothing wrong with young women, but I didn’t need company that badly tonight.

Still, I nodded to the guy and matched his gruffness. “Get her the water.”

“Thanks.” She fidgeted her fingers around a tiny black purse with one hand, while the other tugged down her black mini-skirt. The beauty’s discomfort in this situation was clear; probably hadn’t been to a bar since she turned legal age and this huge event must be a little daunting as her first. I was that awkward age once.

“Twenty-one. Damn. I recall that birthday when my buddies got me good and drunk. I woke up the next morning lying in the bottom of a canoe tethered to a dock at a lake, missing my boots. Had to walk home barefoot and plotted my revenge pranks on all of them every step of the way.” I chuckled. “Good times I’ll never forget.”

Robbie and Kipp and the others—we’d been friends forever. My cousin Kipp was lucky and found the love of his life early. He and his wife Tracy started their family, while Robbie and I both had long-term girlfriends, until recently.

The sting of my ex’s cheating sent my hand clutching my drink again. I took another sip. This city brand of liquor didn’t have the same flavor as Lockland’s Distillery back home, but the burn was all I was after; something to rival the pain. Hopefully, I’d get over her fast.

“At least your friends left you your clothes. Walking home naked wouldn’t have been much fun.” A bright smile followed her comment, the gleam of her teeth and the sparkle in her eyes like sunshine breaking through my clouds.

Hm. Appealing. I gifted her with a smoldering smile of my own. “What’s your story? Why are you legal age to drink but not drinking a drop? You here with friends?”

“I’m here with my brother, Dirk, and his girlfriend, Darcy. There. She’s in the purple dress on the dance floor.”

I twisted my head and skimmed the dance floor. The chick she referred to danced rather cozily between two men, not making it clear at all which was the brother.

“Since it’s your birthday, I insist. Let me buy your first drink. Have you ever tried any alcohol at all? Beer? Wine?” I noticed the bartender headed our way with the glass of water.

“I’ll just have what you’re having.” She bit her bottom lip, a move I attempted to ignore before my cock swelled.

“This is bourbon, sweetheart. If you’ve never had it before, I’d have to teach you a thing or two about drinking it.”

“I have time. Unless you’re here with someone else?” Now her lashes fluttered at me. There was no denying her attempted flirtation or the attraction between us. But I fixated on the age gap between us.

“Bourbon for the lady, and one more for me,” I informed the bartender.

“I need to see ID,” he responded, thankfully performing his job.

“Really? Guess I can cross that off my list, getting carded for my first time. A lot of people say I look older than my years.” She made light of it while she dug into her purse for the card.

“I’m a shitty judge of age and rules are rules.” He nodded curtly after giving her card a thorough inspection.

“Since we’re about to share in your first bourbon tasting experience, we should be on a first name basis, don’t you think? I’m Blake.” I held out a hand.

“Olivia. Although everyone calls me Livvie.” Her hand slid into mine, warm, soft.

“Very nice to meet you, Olivia. ”

Hands connected, our eyes locked. With a vulnerable air about her, all that sweetness wore down my defenses. Young or not, my protective instinct came out, without knowing if she needed it. But hell, her brother could pound me into the floor for even touching his sister for all I knew.

I dropped her hand. I didn’t need to get all kinds of involved with anyone on my last night in St. Louis, anyway. But some drunk asshole walked by and stumbled into her, pushing her forward into the bar. My hand shot out, practically shoving the dude off of her. I continued to send him the scowl of death until he surrendered with his hands up and scooted out of my sight.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I vacated my seat, offering it to her. “Have a seat.” She took it and crossed her legs, drawing my eyes to the creamy, taut skin of her thigh and knee. After a little too long there, I walked my gaze upward to her shoulders, where her royal blue sleeveless blouse showed off a trio of pretty moles, each one daring me to lick them.

“So why aren’t you out dancing like Darcy?” I leaned in and asked.

“It’s too crowded. Why are you at the bar, not out there mingling and finding a woman to rescue?”

“I am—with you.” I cast my best smolder at her, a half of a sly smile I’d perfected in the mirror ever since my teen years. People back home liked to call me grouchy, saying I only showed one emotion on my face, but I simply reserved the best parts of myself for someone special. It produced the exact result I expected, but better. A healthy pink glow rose to her cheeks.

“Then consider me rescued tonight,” she purred. Damn, too bad I don’t live here.

“Actually, darlin’, I broke up with my girlfriend last week. I caught her cheating, so it was over. In fact, she’s supposed to have moved out of my place while I’ve been here in the city for training this week.”

“Oh. Well, Blake, on the bright side, you’ll get your place all to yourself.”

I grinned. “True. I did put my things into storage so she could move in originally. And I had a really nice set of black leather couches.”

“There you go. Every time you want to be sad over her, think instead about how good those couches will feel.”

Perhaps I should give this stunning young woman more credit. She’s more than the age on her ID. She’s a ray of light.

“So, what do you do, Olivia? Are you in college?” I asked.

She nodded. “Are you a firefighter? Some kind of hero?”

“Not a hero, but newly promoted to start up a team of?—”

“Livvie! There you are. And who do you have here?” Darcy bounded up, interrupting us, and took an obscene glance up and down my body.

“A nice man I’m talking to.”

Nice? Sure, as a first responder, I possessed a certain good scout charm. But there were plenty of people in Kissing Springs who’d labeled me the bad boy of KSFD. What can I say? I’d earned a reputation in high school and it followed me well into adulthood.

While her friend talked, my eyes raked over every inch of Olivia. Pleasantly curvy, and I liked it.

“He’s handsome,” Darcy shouted behind a hand into Livvie’s ear as if she whispered, but anyone within five feet could hear. She also swayed, slightly off balance and slurred her words. “Listen, Dirk and I are headed out to another bar to meet a friend, but we’ll be back later.”

“You’re leaving me?” Livvie’s brows furrowed, as did mine.

“Looks to me you’ll be fine. You have this guy.” She winked and waved as presumably Dirk came up. Without a care for Olivia, his own sister, he wrapped his arms around Darcy’s middle and carried her away with a yelp and a giggle.

“What the hell? They just left you on your birthday like that?” I scowled as our drinks arrived.

“Yeah. So much for celebrating.” She studied the time on her watch. But that look on her face and the air about her shifted like the sun went down. Her sadness too much for me to take in. “If I hurry, I can catch the ten-thirty bus back downtown. It’s the last one that runs on Fridays.”

“Sweetheart, there’s no frigging way I’d let you take the bus home this time of night. Do you have money for a cab?”

She shrugged. Over her shoulder, I noticed the douchebag sitting on the other side of her, eyeing her ample assets. I caught his eye and scowled at him. He got the hint and turned the other way in his seat.

Shit. I couldn’t leave her alone. No telling who might take advantage of her. My protective urge nagged at me to ensure her safety. “Hey. We’ll drink up and then I’ll pay for your taxi.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“No, I insist. Downtown St. Louis at night isn’t a place for a girl like you to be.”

She snorted. “I’m not a girl, I’m a woman. I’m twenty-one. I’ll be fine.” She grabbed the glass and downed a huge swallow of Bourbon, as if to prove she could handle herself. But her eyes watered and she gasped.

“That’s exactly what you don’t want to do the first time you drink bourbon, Olivia. But don’t worry. The burn doesn’t last long, then it warms you up inside.”

“I need to leave,” she croaked and hopped off her stool.

What the—? I turned and followed her through the crowd until we got outside. The damn scout in me had to ensure she’d be okay. As fast as she was on four-inch heels, I caught up and grabbed her by the elbow, then swung her around. “Let me make sure you get home.”

Her hands landed on my pecs, with her head tilted up at me. The streetlight illuminated her face with a sexy glow. My jaw hit the ground, and all I could do was stare at her beauty.

Her eyes dropped to my lips. Her tongue darted out and licked hers. Sexual energy zapped between us at levels I’d never experienced with any woman before. My cock sprang to life, with ideas of his own for how to celebrate her birthday, and seriously fucked with my thoughts.

What was it about her that made me want to take her back to my hotel room and fuck her tenderly all night long, as if that’d be a way to save her sweet soul from the world?

“Blake…” she whispered, then lifted on her toes, brushing her lips on mine. “I know we just met, but I don’t want to go home yet. Please. It’s my birthday. Give me a memory. Anything. Something good I’ll never forget…”

Her plea hit me so raw, I couldn’t resist her. The word no never even made it to my lips. Instead, the lights blinking from a diner sign across the street dragged my attention away briefly.

“Come on. The birthday girl must blow out a candle.” Surely a place like that would serve up slices of cake. I took her by the hand and we ran across to the eatery when the traffic was clear, the sound of her laughter urging me on. From that moment forward, I knew I’d do anything and everything in my power to keep a smile on her face all night long.

The alarm in my hotel room went off bright and early at six in the morning. I had set it that way all week to report to training on time and forgot all about changing it. I slapped the button and made it stop.

Groggy, half awake, I listened for sounds because there should be a sexy woman waking in my bed next to me. She wanted something good to commemorate her twenty-first birthday, and I more than delivered, pleasing her senseless with my mouth and cock.

My lips curved into a tired, sly smile, knowing how her body moved with mine, shyly at first, then with such sinfulness—But wait. It was too quiet.

“Olivia?” I turned under the sheets, expecting to see a mound of wild blonde curls on the pillow, but the bed was empty. I lifted my head and scanned the room. Yep. Empty.

She’d left a note on the bedside table, though.

Blake,

Thanks for the best birthday ever. You gave me a night I’ll never forget.

Olivia