Dammit, she didn’t want to be charmed. Didn’t want to feel this bubble of giddy pleasure gurgling inside her. “It looks like a flower box,” she said, sliding off the bright red ribbon. “Did you visit the competition?”

He reached out and ran one fingertip down her cheek. “You don’t have any competition, Toni.”

Everything inside her did something that felt suspiciously like melting. She wanted to call a time-out. Give herself a few minutes to regroup. To steel herself against him. It simply wasn’t right how he turned her to mush like this.

Not trusting her voice, Toni opted to remain silent. She removed the lid, separated the layers of white tissue paper and stared. At twelve long-stemmed roses made from-

“Chocolate,” she murmured, looking at the glistening candy flowers mounted on extra long lollypop sticks.

“Somehow roses remind me of you.”

Warmth rushed into her cheeks. Before she could think up a reply, he continued, “I figured since you deserved roses and like chocolate…” His words trailed off and she looked up to find him staring at her with a serious expression. “I know I agreed to just one dinner, to just one night, but after last night…I want more.” He reached out and took her hand. “I think, at least I hope, you do, too.”

God help her, part of her did want more. The lonely and he’s-so-sexy-and-funny-and-charming-and-sexy part of her wanted another night like last night. Who wouldn’t? But her cautious side, the part that needed to live for herself and concentrate on her fledgling business told her that she was playing with fire. And with a firefighter no less-the one profession she’d vowed to avoid at all costs.

“Toni…” He entwined their fingers. “I’ve gone on lots of dates but never one like last night. There’s something between us, something I’ve never felt before. I felt it the first time I looked at you.”

“That was lust, Brad. I’m sure you’ve felt that plenty of times.”

“But not like that. It was lust but more. And I’m old enough and experienced enough to know the difference.”

“I told you…I don’t want a boyfriend.”

“I didn’t particularly want a girlfriend, but here we are.”

Toni’s heart was thudding so hard she wondered if he could hear it. In light of his honesty, she couldn’t in good conscience give him any less. “The problem is…I’m scared. I really don’t want…this. Not now. Please try to understand-I’ve spent the last few years fighting to reestablish myself, first after the end of my disastrous firefighting career and then after finally pulling away from my smothering family. I’m finally on my own. I don’t want to give that up. And I have a business that needs all my attention. I can’t ignore my responsibilities.”

“I don’t expect you to give up anything. Wouldn’t want or ask you to ignore your responsibilities. One of the things I like about you is that you aren’t a clinging vine. And if it makes you feel any better, I’m scared, too.” He lifted her hand and touched his lips to the backs of her fingers. “How about we be scared together?”

Toni tried to summon her willpower, but couldn’t seem to find it. Which was scary and frustrating and downright annoying. She finally heaved a resigned sigh. “You know, I don’t want to like you.”

“I don’t want to like you, either.” One corner of his lips quirked. “Especially if you aren’t going to like me back. Problem is, I do like you. A lot.” He reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, an intimate gesture that made her heart stutter. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

“You already asked me that this morning.”

“And you said no. Which is why I’m asking again.”

“You didn’t argue about it this morning.”

“That’s because cowboy wisdom taught me that there’re two ways to argue with a woman-and neither one works.” He shot her a devilish grin that dissolved whatever was left of her knees. “So instead of arguing, I figured I’d just ask again.”

“Just one more little dinner?”

“You’ve got to admit, the first little dinner went pretty damn well.”

Did it ever. She had to face facts-maybe there was a woman on the planet who could say no to another date with this guy and his chocolate roses, but she wasn’t that woman. What harm could one more date do?

“Okay. One more little dinner. Do you like pasta?”

“Love it. You want to go to an Italian place? Francini’s on Moore Street is very good.”

“Actually, seeing as how we couldn’t wait to leave the restaurant last night, what would you say if I asked you to eat at my place? I’ll cook.”

He treated her to another one of those slow, devastatingly sexy smiles. “I’d say I’ll bring the wine.”

8

BRAD PULLED the cork from the bottle of merlot and glanced at the clock on his kitchen stove-ten minutes to eight. Perfect. Toni was due to arrive in ten minutes for what would be their third date. And based on how well the other two had gone, it was going to be a fantastic night.

Leaving the wine on the counter to breathe, he took a last quick look around his small ranch house. The place was freakishly neat and clean-hell, he’d even vacuumed. Not that he was normally a slob, but he’d made sure there were no dust bunnies or dirty socks littering the floor for Toni’s first visit to his home. Candles lit? Check. Soft jazz playing? Check. Lights dimmed? Steaks marinating? Check, check. Condoms in the bedroom? Check. Condom in his jeans’ pocket? Check. And God knows he needed one there. He’d learned very quickly to be very prepared when he and Toni were alone together.

He heard her car pull into the driveway and shook his head at the anticipation that rushed through him. He couldn’t ever recall experiencing this acute sense of eagerness. He’d never wanted to see a woman more. Touch one more. Share a meal and conversation with one more. Make love to one more.

He hadn’t seen her since she’d made him dinner at her place three nights ago, but she hadn’t been out of his thoughts for an instant, and he suspected that that was going to be an ongoing affliction. Hell, she hadn’t been out of his thoughts before he’d made love to her. Wasn’t much chance she would be now that he knew what every inch of her skin felt like. Tasted like.

Their date at her place had been…incredible. In addition to being beautiful, smart, witty and sexy as hell, the woman could cook. She’d bewitched him in the kitchen with her delicious pasta, then blown his mind in the bedroom. Three times. He hadn’t been able to see her the following night as he was scheduled for a shift at the station, or the night after that as she’d already had plans with her friend and coworker Jayne. Which brought them to tonight.

He was relieved she’d accepted his invitation without an argument, although he hadn’t been thrilled when she’d referred to tonight as their third one-night stand. If she still thought this was just sex…well, she was dead wrong.

His common sense told him that he needed to take things slow-that he’d spook her if he came on too strong. And it was just a good idea in general not to rush into emotional entanglements. Of course, in the past that had never been a problem. How ironic that now, with Toni, he was more than ready and willing to zoom ahead, and she was the skittish one.

So he’d take his time, let her take hers, allow their relationship to bloom slowly, but in his heart, he knew time wasn’t going to make any difference. In his heart-his heart that Toni had stolen the very first time he saw her-he didn’t doubt for a minute where this was going to end up.

A knock sounded on the door and he drew a careful, calming breath. Right this minute, his goal was not to pounce on her the instant he saw her. In spite of the inferno raging in him, he’d be cool. Refined. Well-behaved. They had the whole night ahead of them. He was perfectly in control. No problem.

Then he answered the door. And in a heartbeat, cool, refined, well-behaved and in control took a direct hit. She was just so damn appealing and gorgeous, with those big brown eyes and full pink lips and dark curly hair. His gaze skimmed over her tan knee-length raincoat which was belted at her waist, then lingered on her bare legs and high heels. Clearly she was wearing a dress. Lucky him.

He took her hand and drew her forward, leaning down to give her a kiss-a kiss he forced himself to keep deliberately light. Because if he didn’t, they wouldn’t make it out of the foyer.

“C’mon in,” he said, stepping back, proud of his restraint in not pouncing on her like a starved dog.

“Thanks.”

She moved into the small entrance and he briefly closed his eyes, breathing in a lungful of the subtle flowery scent she left in her wake. Damn. How was it that she smelled better than any woman on the planet? He took a few extra seconds closing and locking the door so he could corral his badly dented willpower. Then, after drawing another calming breath, he turned around.

“I hope you like…” His voice trailed off as he watched her open her raincoat. The garment slithered down her arms to puddle at her feet. She stood before him, naked except for her heels and a pair of tiny red-and-white-striped panties. He froze in place-although how that was possible when he felt as if he stood in an oven he didn’t know.

“You hope I like what?” she asked in a smoky purr.

Damned if he could remember. His gaze zeroed in on her erect nipples. “Huh?”

“What’s the matter, handsome? Cat got your tongue?”

He had to clear his throat-twice-to locate his voice. “Actually, I think I swallowed it.”

“A pity, as I was hoping you’d be putting that talented tongue to good use.” She turned, revealing that her barely-there panties were a thong. “I redeemed the gift card you gave me from Mimi’s Intimate Apparel.” After finishing a slow twirl that left him feeling more glazed than a doughnut, she stepped toward him with a sinful sway of her hips.