The Firefighter's Cinderella. Dominique Burton

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СКАЧАТЬ To finally reunite with his brother had healed something in his soul that he’d thought couldn’t be mended.

      Over the years, C.J. had dated scores of women, going through one woman after another. But when he’d stood as best man at his brother’s wedding, just a little over a year ago, he had realized that he, too, wanted to find love and have a family of his own.

      The discovery had shocked the daylights out of him. Until he’d been able to figure it out for himself, he’d never mentioned it to anyone. Then tragically, a week later, Tim had been diagnosed with cancer, and C.J.’s whole world had fallen apart.

      Just as he had thought he could put the pieces of his life back together, he’d discovered he was wrong. Life was just an endless journey of despair. All he could do was hide his pain and throw himself into work….

      “Sir? Do you need help?” the valet was asking.

      Embarrassed, C.J. collected his thoughts and climbed out quickly. “No.” He could see that Tasha was still struggling to emerge, and he was the man for the job. He walked around the Lexus, sending the smitten valet running with one look.

      “Can you get out?” he teased. “Or do you want me to call the station for backup?”

      Tasha was ready to explode. “You know I need help,” she said impatiently.

      He bent a little lower. “Did I hear a please with that?”

      The look she shot him was pure frustration. Tasha hadn’t changed. Once you got her riled, she was fun to watch.

      “Tasha? Stop!” he ordered, when she grasped one leg, intending to lift it out of the car.

      She looked up at him, and he could see he’d pushed her too far. Her green eyes were livid and her full mouth tense. If he kept gazing at her, he was likely to jump in the driver’s seat, take her back home and kiss her senseless.

      “Stop what?” she retorted.

      He smoothed his thumb over his lower lip, trying to focus on the evening and not on the beautiful woman he wanted to keep for himself.

      In a swift motion he picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Her body felt so right against his, as if they were made for each other. Her perfume wafted around him, driving him crazier with every second.

      He looked down to check her reaction. The flush on her cheeks gave her away. “You look incredible tonight,” he said.

      Their eyes met once more and the vulnerability he read in hers only made her more desirable. “Thank you.” She averted her gaze. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”

      He kept walking. “Are you ready to speak about Tim and the charity tonight?” he asked. His emotions were mixed. He knew how much she’d loved Tim. Was she still in love with his memory? Would she ever let him go?

      “Who told you? It was supposed to be a secret.”

      “Gina McGinnis confides in me,” he replied. Their eyes locked yet again and a feeling of desire filled him, to the point that he lifted his head, needing to figure out if he was imagining what he felt.

      “C.J.? Please put me down. I’m not a child and I feel utterly silly being carried this way.”

      Ignoring her protests, he carried her at a brisk pace, heading for the elegant entryway of one of San Francisco’s most famous hotels. She put her arms around his neck while he maneuvered them through the doors.

      “We’re here now, C.J. I can walk.”

      He set her on her feet and struggled to compose himself. “I believe the lady is safely in the hotel.”

      On that note C.J. let her go. He needed some time to think. Though he hated to pull away from her, a part of him needed to go into hiding where nothing and no one could hurt him.

      He was keenly aware of the living, breathing beauty who’d brought him to life.

      But how did Tasha view him? As a man … or a connection to the past? One tied to Tim.

      There was no point in kidding himself. C.J. had started to have feelings for her, but she was in love with the memory of his wealthy best friend.

      Except that it wasn’t love. Tim had been her childhood crush. An obsession.

      Tonight C.J. felt a connection between Tasha and himself. They had chemistry. That was a great starting point. There was no reason she couldn’t move on now with another man—and why couldn’t that man be him?

      TASHA NEEDED TO GET a handle on herself or tonight could turn into a disaster. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to cope with all the emotions attacking her.

      For the moment she would blot out the world and focus on the problem at hand. Put all the issues in her mind into a courtroom box to be dealt with later.

      The technique was one she used to calm herself down before a big case. Her problem was how to shrink a six-foot-three fireman to fit into that box.

      Come on, Tasha. There was just too much to do tonight without the distraction of pine and spice wafting past her nostrils. Every time Captain Powell got close, her knees went weak.

      When an Adonis in a tux became her hero for the day, it was hard to believe she could be as spineless as the girl next door, following him like a puppy dog.

      Was she really so shallow? Tim had been gone only a year, yet she found herself attracted to his best friend. Was that because she still missed Tim?

      Or was she attracted to C.J. for himself? The therapist she’d been seeing since the funeral had told her she had to let Tim go and move on. But with C.J?

      “Tasha, are you all right?”

      “Oh … you came back.”

      “From the little boys’ room. Of course I did. You went blank for a moment and I was a bit concerned.”

      Tasha could feel another blush coming on.

      “Where do you want to go now?” he asked.

      “I’m in charge of the banquet. I had a ton of assistance from my party planner, but since this charity is my brainchild, I’ve helped where I could and—”

      “The charity was your idea?” he interrupted. His expression grew unreadable. She felt tension between them.

      “Yes. I went to the McGinnises and my parents with a way for us to put our grief to use. We both know Gina McGinnis is an amazing charity worker who could run a foundation blindfolded. So I pitched the idea of the Tim McGinnis Firefighters against Cancer Foundation.”

      “I had no idea.”

      “I could do the legal work, but didn’t have the time, money or know-how to start the actual foundation. I’ve been touched by how the community has rallied to support it. I’m convinced this charity is going to make a big difference in the lives of many firefighters and their families in the Bay area fighting cancer.”

      “Now it makes even СКАЧАТЬ