Page 33 of Burn Point

I grinned at her. “That’s a nice thing to say.”

“It’s true. You’ve been through so much, but I can tell your energy is positive. It’s catching. Most people would still be trying to sort through their drama, but you are moving forward and making some bold steps.”

A hand slipped through my other arm, and I turned to see Kylie. She’d come with Mike and Leah, a situation that Thoren’s lady-friend had not been thrilled about.

Kylie leaned close. “Honey, bold would be slipping in and grabbing Nate’s fine ass while he was showering.”

“Not everyone can just walk up to a man and mess with his crotch.” Leah’s sweet voice was stern as she sent a playful glare at Kylie.

Kylie rolled her eyes in response. “It was one time.”

I stared wide eyed at Kylie. No way. “You grabbed a guy’s junk? Like a random stranger? Like, ‘He’s cute—I’m checking out his package’?”

Kylie flipped her hand at me as if the thought were silly. “Oh no, girl. It wasn’t like that at all. It was just Thoren, and I noticed his zipper was down. I was helping the guy out.”

I cracked up laughing. “Y’all are so great. I’m so glad that we met.”

“You think I’m joking. Girl, Nate is hot. I’d be all over him in a minute.” Kylie eyed Nate’s ass.

Jealousy bubbled up, hot and bright within me. Kylie ogling him rubbed me all kinds of wrong. Which was stupid. Because though Nate was undoubtedly hot, he wasn’t mine.

So, I swallowed that little bubble of jealousy and smiled at her. “He does have a great ass, doesn’t he?”

“Who’s up for another round of corn hole?” Nate and the guys had finished their discussion, and he now stood at one board, tossing a bag up and catching it. “And this time, Jordan and Kylie are not allowed to be on the same team.”

“I’m telling you that was beginners’ luck,” I yelled across the yard.

“I’m in.” Mike stepped up and grabbed a set of bags. “Me and Kylie, against Jordan and Nate. Y’all stand back and prepare for a lesson.”

And that settled it. “Oh, it’s on now! Come on, slick. Let’s show them how it’s done.” I high-fived Nate on my way to my spot next to Kylie at the other set of boards.

“You’re such a sandbagger,” Kylie griped after I sunk the first bag into the hole. Nate cheered for me, and I beamed at them both. The game was tight for a while, swapping leaders back and forth until Nate knocked Mike’s bag off the board and then sunk his next toss. I threw my arms up in victory and ran across to double high-five Nate. “Good job, partner!”

No, a game of corn hole didn’t normally warrant a level five celebration, but I was having so much fun with my new friends, it just spilled over.

We filed back to the house, got a refresh on drinks, and joked and laughed over perfectly grilled steaks. In time, the sun went down, and I turned on the porch lights that I’d strung around the railing. The guys told stories on each other, Leah and Kylie talked about the new yoga class they were offering. Bunny had extracted herself from our conversation to perch in Thoren’s lap. I didn’t like the way she openly flirted with all the men, and it seemed to bother Thoren too.

I was watching Thoren when he called, “Hey Nate, did I tell you I talked to the medic about the guy we ran after the storm?”

“The heart attack guy?”

A hush fell over the group.

“Yeah,” Thoren continued. “Saw the medics on another call. That guy lived.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“Yeah, they said he coded about the time they went en route, but they were able to get him back. Turns out he had a hundred percent blockage in one artery and ninety-nine percent in another. You don’t do that bolus, the guy dies. Chief is probably going to put you in for a commendation.”

Kylie flipped a beer cap at Thoren. “What’s a bolus, T-bird?”

Thoren snagged the cap and tossed it into the trash. Those two seemed to enjoy picking on each other, regardless of whether Bunny was around or not.

“Bolus is basically flushing the system via IV. In this case, Nate squeezed an entire bag of fluids into the guy before the ambulance ever got there.”

I shifted my gaze to Nate, astonished. “Wait. Is that the call you told me about? You legit saved that guy’s life!”

He looked down, muttering under his breath. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like he flushed a little, even as he said, “It’s part of the job.”

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