Page 22 of Hearts on Fire

Simply put, they both needed to unwind. Scotti was glad they were both getting the weekend off. She'd waited for Naomi to change out of her surgery scrubs and now they were approaching Naomi's car.

“I'm too exhausted to make dinner,” Naomi whined.

“I have something at home. I have drinks too. How about we go to my place? You don’t have to eat alone or even think about what to eat. Sleep at my place, too, if you want,” Scotti offered. She knew they were just friends. As much as that thought made her sad, the desire to love and care for Naomi was rooted deep inside of her and friends or whatever, Scotti knew she would do whatever it took to look after Naomi in any way she could.

She could tell that Naomi was capable of falling asleep at the wheel if she drove alone as exhausted as she was. It was another reason she'd waited for Naomi. At least she'd gotten a little rest herself while she waited.

Naomi gave it a thought for less than a second and nodded. She didn't need to be cajoled at this point and Scotti's point was very valid. Scotti looked for a second at her tired green eyes and the strands of dark hair that had escaped her neat bun and were loose around her face. She might have been the most beautiful woman Scotti had ever seen.

It was Scotti who drove while they remained in an exhausted but companionable silence.

By the time they pulled into Scotti's complex, Naomi was already nodding off to sleep.

Scotti figured that Naomi may be fully asleep before dinner would be microwaved or they could have any of those drinks she talked about.

Naomi didn't appreciate being woken up after she'd fallen asleep for any reason, not even food. An emergency surgery was the only thing permitted to pull her out of bed, Scotti knew that.

Scotti, too, missed the comfort of her bed. So when they'd come in, she didn't interrupt Naomi as she dragged herself into the room and collapsed onto the bed.

Scotti, on the other hand, prepared dinner regardless, plating the meals and putting them back in the refrigerator to be heated up quickly in case Naomi woke up hungry at any point.

It was a few minutes past midnight when Scotti returned to bed and a few minutes later, she fell deeply asleep.

It was almost afternoon when either of them woke up. Naomi woke first. Famished, she went into the kitchen to find something to eat. Opening the refrigerator door, she saw that Scotti had plated up two portions of lasagne before she'd gone to bed. Naomi felt a twinge of guilt and mushiness that Scotti had even bothered.

She wanted to wait for Scotti, but her stomach was rumbling and threatening to turn her inside out.

Thankfully, by the time she'd put both plates in the microwave, Scotti was standing at the door.

Her messy blonde hair was even more undone from sleep. There were sleep marks across her cheek and she was leaning against the door with her arms folded. Her muscles were clearly defined and so sexy to Naomi. Her blue eyes looked sleepy.

The sight of her in this state made Naomi want to go over and plant a kiss on her lips. It was exactly what she did. She couldn’t resist.

She pulled Scotti into her and held her by her waist.

“Did you become a firefighter because you're already so hot?”

Scotti didn't want to grin at such a bad pun, but her lips had already spread and she had to bite them to stop herself from laughing aloud.

“That was a bad pun, Naomi,” Scotti giggled.

“Want to suggest something fire?”

This time Scotti actually laughed— a sound that thoroughly pleased Naomi.

“I saw that you put out dinner. Thank you, Scotti. It warmed my heart.”

Scotti blushed. She loved to be appreciated and her efforts noticed. Most of all, she liked it when Naomi herself said it. Deep within her, all she wanted to do was love and care for Naomi. Saving her life was one thing. Loving her the way she deserved to be loved was something else.

“I know we've kept dinner waiting for long enough,” Naomi said, a small smile playing against the corner of her lips, “but can it wait a little longer? I got hungry for something else when you walked in,” Naomi said.

Scotti furrowed her brows, trying to guess what Naomi was thinking. Naomi stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips to Scotti's and all became very clear.

“It's you I want to eat now,” she whispered, and Scotti flushed.

“Oh,” was all she could say, suddenly shy and aroused.

The shorts and tight tank top Scotti was wearing were, in Naomi's opinion- very sexy, and she let her know that in murmured words and the pressing of her body against Scotti’s.

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