Sean punched him in the arm. “Never,” he agreed. “But there’s a first time for everything, and in your case this better not be it.”
Hank’s gaze narrowed and his expression turned serious. “Why all the paternal concern for a woman you barely know and aren’t interested in?”
Sean wasn’t precisely sure himself. “She’s Deanna’s friend,” he said, which was the closest he could come to summing it up. “And something tells me Deanna would be royally ticked if she thought I was throwing Ruby to the wolves, or to one wolf in particular. People seldom spot your finer qualities through all the bull.”
“Then by all means, I’ll be on my best behavior,” Hank assured him. “I won’t even try to cop a feel of those gorgeous breasts of hers.”
Sean grinned at the concession despite himself. “Something tells me that’s the last thing I need to worry about. I’m pretty sure Ruby can handle someone with roving hands. She’s probably had a lot of practice. Maybe you should consider getting to know her for her mind.”
“That body, and she has a mind, too?” Hank asked, his expression incredulous.
Sean scowled at his joking. “Go to hell.”
Hank laughed. “But if I do, who’ll show Miss Ruby and the kid around and get them out of your hair so you can practice seducing the lovely Deanna?”
“It’s not about seduction, and I’m sure I can manage on my own, if it comes to that,” Sean said. “In fact, showing them all around myself might be the smarter way to go.”
“Forget it. Ruby’s mine. You can have the single mom with the vulnerable look in her eyes. Just one question, though. I thought that was the type you tended to avoid like the plague. So what’s up with this Deanna? How did she get under your skin?”
Sean sighed, not even bothering to deny Hank’s claim that Deanna had gotten to him. “I wish I knew.”
The walk to the fire station a few blocks from the apartment hadn’t taken nearly as long as Deanna would have liked. She’d wanted to postpone this encounter with Sean Devaney for as long as possible, but with Kevin running ahead and demanding that she and Ruby hurry, they’d made it to the station in record time.
All the way over she had tried to prepare herself for the physical impact the sexy firefighter was likely to have on her again. She told herself that appreciating a man’s body wasn’t a crime, that it certainly wasn’t anything that required some sort of commitment. She even consoled herself that her stomach probably wouldn’t even flutter when she saw him again. It had probably been a one-time thing brought on by her overwrought condition on the day of the fire. Maybe he was really a toad.
But when Sean walked into view in his snug jeans and tight T-shirt, looking like a walking advertisement for testosterone, that weak-kneed effect slammed into her again. Deanna was forced to face the possibility that it hadn’t been seeing the burned-out wreckage of her home that had drawn all the air out of her lungs that day. Maybe she’d just been subconsciously looking for an excuse to fall into this man’s powerful arms.
Beside her, Ruby sucked in a breath. “My God, he’s every bit as gorgeous as I remembered,” she said in a stage whisper that Sean could easily hear.
“Stop it,” Deanna whispered, her cheeks flaming. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“A work of art that impressive is meant to be appreciated,” Ruby retorted with a grin, her gaze never wavering as Sean sauntered toward them. “And if you tell me that you don’t see it, then I’m giving up on you and taking another shot at him myself.”
“Okay, yes, I see it,” Deanna admitted. “Now hush.”
Ruby ignored her plea and leaned down to whisper, “I still say he has the hots for you. Just look at that glint in his eyes. He hasn’t even glanced at me once.”
“It’s probably there because he knows you’re talking about him,” Deanna retorted with exasperation.
Fortunately, Kevin raced ahead to literally launch himself at Sean. Deanna noticed he caught her son without breaking stride, and after one last glance in her direction, he focused all of his attention on Kevin. Deanna’s heart instantly melted. She liked the fact that he treated Kevin as if what he had to say was important. Ruby had been right. Sean was a man who understood a boy’s desperate need for attention. She was forced to admit it was a trait that could get to her if she let it.
Because she was so shaken by the discovery that any man could have that sort of impact on her after years of general immunity to the male segment of the species, she resorted to brisk politeness when Sean finally reached them. When he held out his hand, rather than shaking it as he’d obviously expected, she slapped an envelope of cash in it.
“I really appreciate what you did for me,” she said, the words stiff and formal and not nearly as grateful as she’d meant them to be. “This is half of what I owe you. I’ll have the rest in another week or so.”
He gazed directly into her eyes. “Yeah, well, that’s something we should talk about.”
Deanna blinked at his somber tone. “Meaning?” she asked, noting that he didn’t put the envelope into his pocket. In fact, he looked as if he had every intention of giving it right back to her.
Sean didn’t reply. Instead he glanced across the room. “Hey, Hank,” he called to another fireman, who looked to be a year or two older. His craggy features weren’t as handsome as Sean’s, but there was a confidence about him and an irrepressible grin that would definitely appeal to most women. “How about showing my man Kevin here and his friend Ruby around the station, while Deanna and I talk? We’ll catch
