Page 75 of Burn Point

Jordan

In the days before the party, I spent my time doing some deep cleaning while Nate was on duty. He hadn’t asked me to, but I felt like it might be a nice thing to do. I’d gotten my work done early and had a couple of hours to kill anyway.

I made some dinner, but realized I’d made way too much and wondered if he’d eaten.

Jordan: Can I bring you food?

Nate: I would love that. How soon can you get here?

He was waiting for me outside the station when I pulled up in his truck. We were sharing a vehicle so that I wouldn’t have to drive Pearl while running errands. I took him to work, and he’d catch a ride from one of the guys the next morning.

He opened the door as I turned off the engine, dragging me out of the truck and into his arms for a drugging kiss.

“Hi, beautiful.” His eyes crinkled, matching his smile. “I’m starving, what’d you bring me?”

“Nothing fancy, just some meatballs. I thought we might have subs.” I blushed, feeling silly.

“Are you going to stay and eat with me?” He looked happy, like me bringing him dinner was the highlight of his day.

“Can I?” I sounded so pathetic and needy, but I really didn’t want to go home alone.

“Of course.”

“I’d like that. Eating alone at your house makes me feel a little sad. Which is weird because eating alone never bothered me before.”

Tender eyes met mine. “Well, grab the keys and let’s go grub.”

Nate carried the container in one hand and clasped mine with the other, strolling confidently through the bay of the firehouse and into the living quarters where he deposited me at a chair in the small dining area. I congratulated myself for not totally staring at his ass in his uniform pants. He got out two plates and filled them, coming to join me at the table. I couldn’t stop my grin at his domesticity.

“What?” he asked, looking amused.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Nothing. I just like seeing you like this.”

“How do I look?”

“Happy.”

He leaned over and kissed me. “That’s because I am.”

I ran my tongue over my lip, tasting him, watching his eyes flare as he tracked my mouth. “It’s a good look on you.”

“Don’t tempt me into pulling you into the bunk room and having my way with you,” he said quietly, eyes hooded.

Mine popped wide open. “No way. People do it at the station?”

He cracked up laughing. Clearly the man loved teasing me. “Only if they want to get fired.”

I let my face fall in disappointment, enjoying the banter with him. “And here I thought we might check out that cool ladder truck. See if those hoses make a nice bed.”

He chuckled. “That stuff only happens in TV shows.” He lowered his voice and leaned close. “But I’ll be visualizing that, now that you mention it.”

A loud alarm blasted through the station, echoed almost immediately by the radio on his hip. I nearly bolted from my seat, my heart rate instantly skyrocketing, as a flurry of activity broke out at once.

“Shit. I gotta go, babe.” Nate jumped up, pushing his chair back, then leaned over to kiss me.

Two other guys I hadn’t met yet came running. I followed all three into the bay, wondering what I should do.

The speakers in the bay were blasting a dispatcher’s voice. “911, Engine 4. Respond to the area of East Broad. Possible structure fire.”

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