Fighting For Jemma Read online

  Frank called over his shoulder to the three guys waiting for him to return. She didn’t recognize any of them from Medina High school. “Go ahead and take my turn for me, Bobby.” Then, to just her, “Frankly, I’m not very good at pool. I’d rather hang out with you guys and toss a few back.”

  Frank reached for the pitcher of cold draft beer in the center of the table, and then grabbing one of the empty glasses the waitress had left for the group, filled it for himself.

  She caught Calliope’s eyes rolling back and her silent questions. Who is this fucking guy? Who the hell does he think he is? Jemma didn’t want to be rude to her colleague, though he was making the situation rather awkward. She sighed. Frank was a decent enough fellow, just not her type. But she was worried how the others might react to him just joining them, and hoped they did not find his behavior as rude as it seemed.

  “The more the merrier.” Angel was quick to fill the awkward moment.

  Jemma was grateful to him and even more grateful he was astute enough to whisk her off to the dance floor with his next question.

  “How about another dance, Jemma?”

  A slow song had just come on, and though she was reluctant to dance so close to a man she found incredibly attractive, she also didn’t want Frank to offer and have to reject him.

  “Sure,” she stated enthusiastically and slipped her hand into Angel’s outstretched one. Again, sparks ignited along her skin as they touched. She glanced at her hand to see if she could see them as they went off to the dance floor once more. When he pulled her into his arms, she could feel Frank’s disappointed eyes on her.

  Again, Angel proved he was a skilled dancer as he kept time to the music, and though he kept a respectful distance, she felt the intense heat from his body. He was just too attractive. Too delicious, she thought, putting all thoughts of the stuffy Frank out of her mind. She glanced up at him and found his eyes on her.

  “You’re a very good dancer. Thank you for getting me out of there.” She indicated the table with a nod of her head and gave him a megawatt smile for rescuing her from an awkward moment.

  He laughed and the rumble came deep down from inside his chest. It did things to her. Unexpected things.

  “You’re welcome. I sensed something was off with that guy. But, why do you make it sound like you’re surprised I’m a good dancer? It’s Texas after all. Plus,” he stopped to wink, “I’m actually good at a lot of things.”

  The innuendo of his comment did not fail to hit its mark, especially when he seductively lowered his voice to make the comment sound sexy as hell. She felt the ember of flame that had begun to burn in her core burst into a conflagration.

  Her cheeks pinkened at the suggestion, but she couldn’t help but smile encouragingly at him. She liked Angel. It was fast, but her gut told her he was one of the good ones. Her aunt Eden had always told her to trust her gut when it came to men.

  Angel made a guttural noise and cleared his throat before speaking. “Jemma, you are very beautiful. I’d like to get to know you better.” He stared at her lips. “I want to kiss you.”

  She surprised herself by responding quickly, “I think I’d like that, too.”

  Her assent was all he needed, and he dipped down his head to her short stature, and captured her cherry lips with his own. At the slightest of touches, he guided the kiss. Tentative at first, and then firmer when she began to respond. He felt the need inside her building. He allowed his hands to stroke her back and then to go lower, to her bottom. He didn’t want to force this, so he told himself to be gentle with her. He felt her tremble at his slight touch, but she didn’t pull away. A good sign. When he broke the kiss, her eyes fluttered open, and the sparkles in the cornflower blue eyes hit him like a Mack truck. She was so pretty. So incredibly delicate in his arms.

  She spoke before he could find the words to speak. “You’re a good kisser, too.” Her bright smile and the mischief in her eyes made him laugh.

  “Told ya,” he teased. He resisted the urge to follow up the first kiss with a quick second, but he knew there would be one of those before the evening was over. She was not the type of woman you wanted to rush. He did, however, pull her just a bit closer for the rest of the dance.

  When the music ended, they made their way back to the table. Jemma was relieved to see Frank back at the pool table with his friends. But she did notice him on occasion glaring at her. Perhaps this was what he needed to see in order to have him stop hitting on her at work. She put thoughts of Frank aside and focused on having fun with her friends. And Angel.

  The rest of the evening flew by too quickly, and Jemma began to feel remorseful that it was coming to an end. Angel had stayed by her side the entire evening, and though he had casually thrown his arm behind the back of her chair, he hadn’t tried to kiss her again or ask her out. When the bartender announced the last call, her friends ordered one more round and began to discuss their plans for the next day.

  “I’m excited about going to the Batcave after breakfast tomorrow,” Lars stated. “I’ve always fancied myself a dark knight sort of guy. Ha-ha!”

  The group laughed and Calliope teased, “More like the Joker.”

  Lars ruffled the top of Calliope’s hair, something a big brother might do to his younger sister. Jemma was happy to see her friend worked with such a tight knit group of people and that they got along so well. She knew they all lived together during the off season in a big antebellum house they were renovating and where Brittney Hart planned to make her home base for research.

  Jemma was excited about the bat caves, too. She enjoyed taking her students to the Bracken Cave on field trips. It had been her suggestion to Calliope that her storm chasers might enjoy one of San Antonio’s natural wonders that didn’t involve chasing tornados. She was anxious to share her knowledge of the bats and the caverns with her newfound friends.

  “Have you ever gone to the Bracken Cave, Angel?” Calliope asked.

  Jemma knew where this was going. It was just like her to push when things weren’t happening fast enough for her. Jemma glared at her friend.

  “Um, no, actually, I haven’t.”

  There was something different about Angel’s voice when he answered her, and Jemma had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was he having second thoughts about her? Decided he didn’t want to see her again?

  “Well, all of us are gonna have a late lunch, early dinner type of thing tomorrow and then head over to the Bracken Cave around five for a tour and to see the bats take flight. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

  Calliope glanced back and forth between Jemma and Angel to make it clear where she was going with this. Well, do you want to see Jemma again, or not?

  Angel swallowed hard and looked at Jemma. He’d been planning to ask her for her phone number when the evening ended because he definitely knew he wanted to get to know this beauty a little bit better. But of all things to get invited to see, the caves in Bracken was something he hadn’t seen coming. Though he was a veterinarian and appreciated most animals, there was one animal he was absolutely terrified of and that was bats. He had an irrational fear of them that stemmed from his own childhood. He could see the worried wrinkles furrowing Jemma’s brow and hated that his pausing had created doubts.

  “Sure, why not?” He shrugged his shoulders, trying to make it appear nonchalant. It had been a long time since he’d seen a bat, and perhaps he could get through it. Instead, he regretted agreeing to it the moment the words came out of his mouth. But he had to go. He had to do it to see Jemma again. One thing was for absolutely certain, he could not admit that he, a 6 foot 6 giant nicknamed Short Shit, was terrified of wee bitty bats to the beautiful woman that he just met and wanted to impress. “I may have to get there a little bit later because I will be working over at the 4G ranch to check on their cows. It’s insemination time.”

  All but Jemma burst into laughter. Lars choked and spewed beer all over the table. Wylder began to clap him on the back with
tears streaming down her own cheeks. Lars continued to choke and his face turned beet red while Wylder clapped harder. The German obviously hadn’t expected what had just come out of the vet’s mouth. For those that didn’t grow up around ranches and ranch hands, well, it wasn’t every day normal conversation to be having. But insemination time, to a Texan, was part of the lingo.

  “Just be sure to wash your hands before you come,” Calliope teased while holding her sides from laughing so hard.

  Jemma groaned at the in-poor-taste joke, but she too began to laugh as Lars continued to sputter from the alcohol that had gone down his windpipe amidst the new burst of laughter caused by Calliope.

  A glance at Angel showed he didn’t mind Calliope’s comment in the least. He laughed along with the crowd and was able to take a joke, albeit, a bad one.

  As the group made to leave, Angel walked out with them. When some of the guys announced they wanted to fill their bellies, Angel offered to walk Jemma and Calliope down the block to their hotel for them. The guys, with Wylder sandwiched between them, headed to a diner across the street for a late-night meal. The hotel was just down the block, so it took a mere minute for Angel to escort Calliope and Jemma to their hotel.

  As Jemma turned and made to wave goodbye at the exit, Angel grabbed her hand. “Can I have a minute?” he asked over her head to Calliope.

  Sensing what was happening, Calliope intuitively knew the new couple needed a moment alone. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby, Jemma. Give you two a moment.”

  Jemma nodded in appreciation as her friend slipped inside the hotel through the electronically controlled sliding glass doors.

  Jemma then turned to Angel who still clasped her hand. “I just wanted to tell you how much fun I had tonight with you and your friends, Jemma. But especially with you. I’m so glad we got to meet, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow night.” Jemma, yes. Bats, hell to the no!

  He looked sincere as he gazed down at her and picked up a curl of her blonde hair, but there had been a moment when she had felt unsure. Jemma wondered if he was being truthful, and stared into his dark eyes. Her aunt had always told her to trust her gut. She licked her lips before speaking.

  “That’s funny because you didn’t look too happy when Calliope suggested it earlier. I was beginning to have my doubts.”

  Angel tugged on the blonde curl of hair. The girl was smart and observant, he noted. He gave her a big smile and tried to shrug it off. “Well, the truth is, I was planning on getting your number and calling you. I had hoped that we could do something on our own. A little more private. To get to know each other better. But, I’m fine with hanging out in a group, too. Anything to see you again.” Even seeing bats from hell, he thought glumly, but kept up the facade of a smile. “So maybe that’s the look you saw earlier,” he suggested, though his voice dropped to a sexy whisper. He cleared his throat. “Just me wanting to be alone with just you.” He added the wink to make it look more authentic.

  “Oh.” Jemma laughed at his charm, but the huskiness of that final statement made butterflies take flight in her belly. And though she had just met the man, she knew they had chemistry. She was afraid that when they were alone, she wouldn’t be able to resist him. And at twenty-nine, she may just very well lose her virginity to the man standing before her. If he felt half of what she felt every time they accidentally touched, they would combust.

  Into flames.

  She took a shaky breath before speaking. For a teacher she was never usually at a loss for words. For a thirty-four-year-old man he had the most boyish grin on his face. But he was sexy as hell, and Jemma knew she wanted to see him again. He was gorgeous, charming, intelligent. Everything she ever dreamed of. A veterinarian who loved animals, and not a firefighter, who was the only kind of man on her do-not-date list.

  “Well,” she licked her suddenly dry lips. He was still waiting for an answer. “I think that can be arranged.” When his eyebrow shot up, asking a silent question, Jemma merely pulled out her cell phone. “What is your phone number?”

  As he rattled off the numbers, she tapped them into her phone. Then she typed a few more things and hit send. He felt the telltale sign of an incoming text message from his own cell phone that was strapped in its case on his hip.

  When he went to reach for his phone to see her message, she tugged on his other hand to stop him. “Wait. Read it later. Please.”

  He saw that she was blushing, and, God, did he want to make that rosy glow come to her face for other reasons. He stayed his hand. Her blush and comment only made him even more curious to see what kind of message she had sent him, but being the gentleman she deserved, he would do as she requested. Instead, he pulled the blonde beauty toward him and kissed her once more like he had been longing to do since their first kiss on the dance floor.

  The moment his lips slid over hers, she opened for him eagerly. She was ready for it, and greedy. Though at thirty-four he was an experienced man, kissing this woman was different than any of the others before her. It was like a silly fairytale. When he kissed her, he actually saw freaking fireworks. Fireworks! For him, it sealed the deal. She was the one. The one his mother had been waiting for him to meet. The one that had possibilities.

  Chapter 4

  Over a late breakfast with her dear friend Jemma admitted how much she liked Angel. Calliope was excited for her. “So, you think he is the ONE?” Calliope asked, popping a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth.

  Jemma nodded excitedly. “I can’t believe I’m saying it. I know we just met. But yes, he is so nice. So handsome. There was just something there. I don’t know how to explain it.” She felt like a teenage girl with her first crush.

  “Well, it’s about damn time, girlfriend.”

  Both women giggled like school girls. Jemma was sure her friend had been about to give up on her. Calliope had been in love before, had been burned, so she had never been one to push Jemma into having sex for sex’s sake. But Jemma had always been the shyer of the two. Calliope had always encouraged Jemma to at least get out and look. In college they had gone to the frat parties and the clubs, but no one had ever made her feel like she had with Angel last night.

  “I’m telling you, Callie, I had about given up on finding a man living in Tarpley. The only guys around there are firefighters, and you know I stay away from those guys. I just couldn’t risk it.”

  “I understand. Because of your father, but girl, it’s such a shame. Firefighters are such testosterone hunks of man flesh,” Callie teased her. “You know I buy the firefighters’ calendar every year just to drool over the pictures.”

  “I know. There are some gorgeous ones,” Jemma admitted. “I’ve met a few of the Tarpley VFD, and yes, there is definitely some man candy in that little group. But I don’t know all of them. I try to avoid the station at all costs. There are just too many sad memories of my dad. I do see Pops from time to time. He checks in on me.”

  “Pops?” Calliope poured herself some more coffee from the carafe and pushed her plate away. She had eaten her fill.

  “Yeah. He’s the chief. He always checked in on me and Aunt Eden about once a month. Like clock-work.”

  Pops had been the one to tell her about her dad all those years ago. She loved the man, and had grown up running around the station with many of his foster children. The men had just laughed and didn’t mind having the children underfoot, as they called them, when they were just cleaning up the station or doing chores for Pops. Her dad had dragged her there whenever he was allowed to. But seeing him was always a reminder of the night she found out he’d been killed.

  “He sounds like a good sort.”

  Jemma picked up her juice and took a cool, refreshing sip. “He is. And they all are. Some of the older guys that still work there were friends with my dad, but it’s just too painful, you know? That’s why I want someone who has a nice, safe profession. That’s all. I’m all alone now. I can’t risk giving my heart and having it broken by the death of s
omeone I love.”

  “You know, there is risk even with safe guys.”

  Calliope’s eyes turned wistful, and Jemma let it go. She knew whom her friend was thinking about, but did not want to bring up what was a sore subject for her. Instead she just reached over and patted her hand, and then quickly changed the subject.

  “Well, let me tell you, Angel is hot. I have not been that attracted to anyone in a long time.”

  Calliope’s eyes brightened with the change of subject matter. “Oh, hell, yeah! You do not have to worry about Angel in the looks department. That guy is as hot as they come. What was it like kissing him with that beard?”

  “You are too much!” Jemma squealed, though she agreed with her friend wholeheartedly.

  Angel had told her he was a mix of Irish and Mexican. He was tall and built like an Irishman, but he also had the dark, swarthy good looks of someone with Hispanic or Latino heritage. On the plus side, he said he lived in Banderas, which wasn’t too far from Tarpley, so she had high hopes that meeting him could develop into a budding romance. She was ready to try dating again. It had been awhile since her last boyfriend.

  After their late, leisurely breakfast Calliope said she wanted to head into town to get a haircut. She had been on the road for quite some time and wanted, no deserved, she said, a little pampering. She and Wylder didn’t get to do much of that traveling around with a bunch of brawny guys. Her boss, Brittney, had given them a week off before the storm season really got underway. Calliope had gone to spend the previous week with her folks before coming to the San Antonio conference that kicked off the storm season. Her friend would be busy for the next few months chasing storms. After the conference the team had decided to tag along on Calliope’s weekend visit with Jemma. Brittney and her son Donar Rai would be meeting them the next morning and then the group would follow the storm routes Brittney had meticulously plotted out. They would travel through Texas and into Tornado Alley and then back again for the next six months following the everchanging weather patterns.