The hot firefighter, p.11
The Hot Firefighter, page 11
And, he was so confident about his plans – cocky, even. He’d messaged me last night telling me he wanted date number two to be the next day, and I’d agreed. But now, I worried I was getting wrapped up in his spell, like I might not be able to resist. All I could think about was what might’ve happened if I hadn’t seen Pam yesterday evening.
“I… I just don’t know.”
“Got something else big planned?” he asked. “Come on, you’re going to spend your night on Pam’s couch, watching TV and eating take-out. You can’t tell me this doesn’t sound more fun.”
He wasn’t wrong – it did sound fun. But, going off on a day trip with him felt like a huge leap, like we were taking things further faster than I’d been prepared for.
“And, look at you,” he said, glancing down at the nice-ish dress I wore, along with my matching shoes. “It’d be a hell of a shame to let an outfit like that go to waste.” He grinned, and his words sent a now-familiar shiver of arousal up my body.
And, it didn’t help matters that I wanted to screw him like crazy.
I’d talked about the issue last night with Pam over some wine, trying to figure out what the hell I should do.
“Just hook up with him!” she said, as if it were the biggest no-brainer imaginable. “You obviously want to, right? The best thing to do would be to get it out of your system. Because right now, you’re so into him that it’s making you act crazy.”
“I know what you mean,” I’d said. “I feel like I’m playing with fire hanging out with him.”
She’d nodded. “You are. But, you know what they do in forests to make sure fires don’t get out of control?”
“Go on,” I’d said, eager to hear how her mind was working.
“Before lightning hits and causes a fire to burn totally out of control, they light fires on their own – controlled blazes, that’s what the call them. Just a little fire to keep things under control.”
“Pam!” I’d said, shocked, but laughing all the same. “That’s… That’s terrible!”
“Just saying! I mean, you’re hanging out with this guy for a reason, right? And if you’re going to hook up with him, you might as well do it on your terms.”
Her words had stuck with me all through the rest of the evening, and right up to the moment, standing in front of him in my shop.
A trip to Seattle to go to the zoo. It actually sounded fun.
But, the sexual tension would be out of control.
“Let me… Let me check my appointments,” I said, fishing my keys out of my purse. “Just want to make sure I’m good if I can’t make it back early tomorrow.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll wait out here.”
Right at the moment he spoke the words, however, the sky opened up and rain began to come down in sheets. “No way you’re standing out in this,” I said as I fumbled through the ring to find the right key. “Come on!”
I unlocked the door and opened it up, the two of us stepping into the salon, and the roar of the rain dying down as the door shut. The lights were off, and I slipped out of my coat and hung it on one of the chairs as I walked further into the salon.
“Say,” he said, taking off his own coat. “Mind giving me a trim while we’re here?”
I turned to see a big smirk on Kyle’s face.
“Funny,” I said. “You’re really taking advantage of the free haircuts deal, you know?” I grinned right back at him to let him know I was only screwing around.
“What can I say? When I can get a woman like you to cut my hair, you can’t really blame me for not wanting to go back to shaving by myself in my bathroom.”
Another surge heat ran through my body, the same surge that happened whenever he said anything that hinted at how much he wanted me.
“Cute,” I said, not even close to describing how I felt about him at that moment. “Let me check something in the office.”
Before he had a chance to respond, I hurried through the salon and stepped into the back office. I did actually need to check something out with the appointment book, but mostly, I wanted to give myself a moment or two away from Kyle to give myself a chance to wrap my head around how I was feeling.
There was a small, one-way mirror in the office, and after I flipped through the appointment book to find what I was looking for, I watched him for a time. He slipped off his coat, revealing his sculpted upper body packed into a white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled enough to expose his ropey forearms.
At first, I’d intended to think things over. But the more I watched him, the more I took in the sight of his incredible physical presence, the more I knew exactly what I wanted. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the office, determination running through me.
“Hey,” he said, flicking his eyes up at me. “You ready to-”
I closed the distance between us as quickly as I could, locking my lips on his so fast he didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence. I fell into the kiss, just like I had the day before, and Kyle didn’t waste a moment before putting his hands on my hips and pulling me close.
We kissed more and more, my mouth opening to allow his delicious tongue to move past my lips. I grabbed onto his broad shoulders and held the muscles tight, the idea of his body against mine taking me to the stratosphere of arousal.
I thought about the day before, how he’d put his hand on my inner thigh as he’d kissed me, moving up and up, drawing so close my pussy I felt like I might scream. And, he did it again.
When I couldn’t take anymore, when I knew I was at the line of giving into him, I had another moment of clarity. I took my lips from his and gazed up into his eyes.
“We… We should get moving.”
So much for a controlled burn.
Kyle didn’t look disappointed. If anything, the sly expression on his face suggested he was having plenty of fun playing the game.
“Sure,” he said, squeezing my hips one last time before letting go. “It’s pouring now, but the storm’s moving east. If we hit the road, it should be nice and mild by the time we get to Seattle. That is, if you’re still up for it.”
“A spontaneous road trip,” I said, giving the matter some thought. “You know, I think that actually sounds kind of nice.”
“Perfect. Let’s get moving – daylight’s wasting.”
We left the salon, and I glanced back over my shoulder one last time before we stepped out. I was reasonably sure I’d made the right call by putting the kibosh on things before I let Kyle bend me over one of the cutting chairs and have his way with me, but part of me was still majorly turned-on by the idea.
He was parked right outside, and just like always, he opened the door for me to get into the car. The moment we were on the highway on our way out of Silver Peaks, the green of the surrounding forest passing in a blur, I knew I’d made the right call.
“I can’t get over how…good this feels,” I said, turning my eyes back to the highway ahead.
“I knew it would,” he said. “You probably haven’t left Silver Peaks since the fire, right?”
“You’re right. I got so wrapped up in what happened that the idea of heading out of town hadn’t even occurred to me.”
“It’s what I had in mind when I thought up the trip. As corny as it sounds, a vacation isn’t just a vacation away from where your body is, but where your mind is, too. It’ll do you some good to have a change of scenery, even if it’s only for the day.”
I kinda-sorta hoped it’d be for more than a day. The more time I spent with Kyle, the more I wished I could go back in time and tell him yes when he’d offered me to move in with him for a time.
Maybe it wasn’t too late.
We spent the trip talking about nothing in particular, switching off DJ duties on his Spotify. I learned Kyle was a major classic rock fan, telling me that his dad loved to listen to Steely Dan and CSN and all the rest.
“It’s the music of my childhood,” he said at about the halfway point in the trip. “Not to mention my way of keeping my father in my heart.” The hard look on his face after he’d said the words let me know I’d stumbled onto something important to him.
“What happened to your parents?” I asked. I placed my hands over my mouth right after I spoke. “Sorry, that was way too personal.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “I lost them both a few years ago in a freak accident.”
He was being vague, and I didn’t dare press for more information. But still, I couldn’t help but feel a little curious. Who were his parents? Why didn’t he want to share anything about them?
“But,” he said, “it’s been a lo-”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. A bang sounded out, the car lurching to the side. Kyle’s hand shot out and pressed me against the seat.
“Hold on!” he cried.
The car veered off the road, and all I could do was scream.
14
KYLE
The sound was like a gunshot.
And as I grabbed hold of the wheel, turning the car off the road, I had the craziest idea that the sound was someone from the company, one of my enemies, who wanted me out of the way.
Maybe they were taking a pot-shot, hunkered down on the side of the road with a rifle.
It was crazy, and I was being paranoid.
Fucking focus, I told myself as I kept one hand on the wheel, the other on Dana.
I glanced behind me, making sure there were no other cars close by as I slowly careened across the lanes. The embankment was a soft slope, and I made sure to bring the car to an easy stop as I pulled off the road.
Once we were at a complete stop, I turned to Dana and gave her a once-over. Her eyes were wide, and her chest rose and fell. But she looked okay.
“You alright?” I asked.
She started straight ahead for a long moment before snapping out of it. “Yeah,” she said. “Just scared out of my mind. What happened?”
“You hear that bang? Pretty sure that was us hitting something on the road. Or, just the tire going out. Let me check.”
I hopped out of the car and walked around, a few motorists speeding past me. Sure enough, one of the tires was blown out. I went back around to the door and stuck my head in.
“Just need to change the tire. Stay put – it’ll only be a second.”
She nodded, still in a state of shock. I had to admit, I felt bad for putting her through that, as much out-of-my-control as it was.
I grabbed the jack and the spare and went to work. I’d changed more than a few tires in my day, so it was no problem. But, the big issue was that it was time intensive. It was Sunday, which meant the zoo would be closing earlier. We didn’t have time to waste on something like this.
After twenty or so minutes of work, I had the new tire on. And as I lowered the jack, I felt someone’s eye on me. It was Dana. She was standing by the driver’s-side door, watching me with arms crossed, a focused expression on her face.
“You been standing there the whole time?” I asked.
She smiled, looking a little flustered. “Sorry, I got bored. And…it’s kind of fun to watch someone work with their hands. Kind of surprised that you know how to change a tire.”
I finished lowering the car and took the jack out. “And, what’s that supposed to mean?” I asked with a wink.
“I don’t know. Just not used to seeing a rich guy like you do things on his own. Don’t you usually have staff for stuff like this?”
Rich guy? Well, so much for keeping that part of my identity a secret.
I opened the trunk and tossed the jack and blown tire into the back. I dusted my hands and went back around to the driver’s side and climbed in.
“Rich guy, huh?” I asked with a smirk as I turned the engine over, checked behind me, and pulled back onto the road. “Now, what makes you think I’m a rich guy?”
Her eye glinted, as if she’d been waiting for me to ask. “Well, there’s your fancy credit card. And, there’s your home in Halbrook. And then, there’s this…” She tapped the dashboard of the car. “I’m no detective, but I think I’ve got a pretty good case that you’re a little better off than I am, at least.”
I said nothing as I drove on, trying to figure out how to answer the question. Like I’d thought, it was only a matter of time before she found out. I didn’t want it to be so soon. Still, I had to give her something. Not a lie, really, but something to satisfy her curiosity.
“Someone’s a little nosy,” I said with a smirk.
“I’m not trying to be. But, you have to admit, I’ve got a reason to be curious.”
I took in a slow breath and let it out. “My parents passed, like I mentioned. And when they did, they left me their estate. It was a pretty decent amount of money, enough to be comfortable for a little while. And, this was my dad’s car.”
There. It was a good explanation, and none of it was a lie. Maybe a lie by omission, but not a true-blue lie.
“I see,” she said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong – I’m not a gold-digger or anything. I don’t care if a man has lots of money. If anything, it’s better that he doesn’t.”
Now that was a strange statement.
“What do you mean, it’s better that he doesn’t? You afraid of a man with money?”
I was joking around with my comment, but the shocked expression on her face, like I’d found out something she hadn’t been prepared to reveal, was enough to make me take notice.
“No!” she said, the word shooting out. “Not that. I mean, I just think that a guy who doesn’t have a ton of money has, you know, a more down-to-earth approach to life. I think that’s attractive.”
She was bullshitting – not a doubt in my mind. But, I let it go. I’d accidentally come across some information that she hadn’t wanted to share, and I knew it be best not to pry. I was keeping my own secrets, after all.
We drove on, the towers of Seattle, the Space Needle rising above them all, appearing in the distance. “I can’t believe we really did this,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe we actually drove to Seattle just for the day.”
It was pretty damn adorable, I had to admit. It was clear she didn’t get out much, and knowing I was doing something that’d take the bullshit she’d been through off her mind made me feel good.
I caught sight of the Black Petroleum building as we drove through the city, and part of me wanted to point it out and say, “you wanted to know where I got my money from? Well, there it is.”
But, I didn’t, of course. No need for her to know about any of that.
We drove to the zoo, and to my chagrin I saw we were only an hour away from closing. “Shoot,” she said. “We’re running behind.”
I grinned as we climbed out of the car. “Then, we’re going to have to make the most of the time we’ve got.”
She matched my smile with one of her own. “I’m game.”
Dana came over to me and took my hand into hers, leading me excitedly through the parking lot to the front gates of the zoo. Before she had a chance to react, I handed the black, metal card she’d noticed before over to the clerk, buying two VIP tickets.
“Damnit!” said Dana as the clerk gave me our tickets and my card. “You beat me again!”
I laughed as I handed her ticket over. “I keep telling you, you’re going to have to be fast if you’re going to beat me on paying.”
“No kidding,” she said, shaking her head. “But, I’m going to beat you one of these days.”
“Challenge accepted,” I said. “But for now, let’s check this place out.”
We stepped onto the grounds of the Woodland Park Zoo, the many paths spreading out before us, all marked with signs. The place was lush and green, and I felt my mood perk up as we entered. The clouds even spread open, giving us a rare glimpse of sunshine and blue skies.
“Look!” said Dana, taking my hand and pointing. I narrowed my eyes to see what she was gesturing toward.
“It’s a crane! Isn’t it pretty?”
The long-legged bird stepped gracefully through the pond where it dwelled. But, it wasn’t the crane I was most pleased with – it was the excitement in her voice. She was really, really happy to be at the zoo.
“That’s a white-naped crane,” she said. “The zoo here has one of the best crane collections in the country. Some of these you can’t even see outside of Asia. Come on!”
She took my hand again, leading me through the zoo. We saw it all – or, at least, what we could cram into an hour. And, Dana was a hell of a tour guide. She knew far more about animals than I was expecting, and even managed to show up the guide the VIP passes provided for us.
“Okay,” I said, the two of us stepping out of the big cat exhibit. “When you said you liked animals, I didn’t expect…” I trailed off, not sure how to put it.
“What didn’t you expect?” she asked with a smile. “That I’d actually know my shit?”
“No, not that, at all. I just didn’t expect that you’d be making the actual people that work here look bad. Just saying that I’m impressed as hell.”
She winked. “I aim to please. But, you’re right – I know a little more about animals than any old layman might.”
Dana had a far-off look in her eyes as we made our way through the zoo. It was like she didn’t know how to say exactly what was on her mind.
“I never got to finish college,” she said, finally. “Hell, I barely got through the first semester of basic courses before I dropped out to go to beauty school. I didn’t get far enough along to declare my major, but if I did, I would’ve majored in biology, and then gone on to zoology.”
“That’s amazing,” I said with surprise. “Why’s that? Did you go to the zoo a lot when you were a kid?”
Her expression darkened. “It was actually the opposite of that. I never really got to do much of anything like that when we were little. I grew up poor, and we didn’t have money for things like zoo trips. But, animals were all I could think about. I’d read books about them – reading about African animals was almost like being able to take a vacation there.
“And, I was obsessed with Richard Attenborough – I’d watch all of his documentaries. I kicked butt in high school, totally determined to go to a good college and make my dreams come true.”
