God, this was a mistake. Only you could come up with such a bizarre idea — just to get a laugh out of your friends. Well, they were laughing. All at your expense, though.

Your flushed features were not dismissed by him. Charles’ calloused fingers circled the rim of his bottle. His gaze was sharp as he studied you, a blank expression upon his face. But he was noticeably flustered as well.

Attempting to flirt with a firefighter in the bar was not on your bucket list.