Page 13 of Silver Fox Firefighters Next Door

I swallowed and slowly licked my lips, trying to figure out what to do. Run? Probably. That was definitely what I wanted to do. Tate was still holding his mug out, though, and my desire for caffeine proved to be stronger than my sense of self-preservation.

Tate laughed as I crept towards him. “Long night?”

I took his coffee, still several feet from him, and took a big gulp of it, burning my throat and not even caring. I put the mug down and moved to push it back towards him but he caught my wrist and gently pulled me closer until I was standing between his thighs.

“You look beautiful in Nash’s shirt.” He pulled me closer and pressed a kiss to my lips that made my stomach flutter.

Aiden had moved to put his mug in the sink and he eased me away from Tate. “I’m not complaining.”

I was still in shock from Tate kissing me when Aiden lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me. When he let me go to walk back around the island I stayed where I was, confused. I looked back and forth between the two of them, almost expecting one of them to laugh and tell me they were joking. Instead, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and realized Nash was standing in the hallway, watching.

My brain tied itself in a knot as I tried to think of what to say or what to do. I’d kissed two of them and had sex with Nash. None of them seemed annoyed or angry. They just seemed…happy to see me?

Nash walked over, kissed the top of my head, and patted me on the ass. “Morning. I need coffee.”

“Already made.” Aiden smiled at me. “I’m heading to the fire station. Want me to walk you home?”

“You’re welcome to stay.” Nash’s eyes roamed down my body. “More than welcome. Encouraged, even.”

“I have to go!” I winced. I hadn’t meant to scream but I definitely did. “Bye!”

I sprinted out of there. I slammed the door behind me and ran across the gravel lot between the cabins, let myself into Grandpa’s cabin and then froze in the doorway when I nearly ran Grandpa over.

“Whoa! What are you—” He looked me over and his eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Well, then.”

“I stayed at Billie’s!” I was still shouting. “I’m going to take a shower! See you later!”

I rushed to the bathroom and locked myself in with my back pressed against the door. Breathing much too hard for the small amount of activity I’d done running from next door to the bathroom, I knocked my head against the door. What the hell had just happened?

I glanced to my right and saw a woman who looked like she’d just done a walk of shame staring back at me. Smudged eye makeup, messy hair, and skin the color of a tomato. I couldn’t begin to understand why the guys had kissed me, or why I’d let them, but it definitely made no sense after looking at my reflection.

Wanting to scrub my shame away, I stripped and stood in the shower, just outside of the water stream, until it got scalding hot. I scrubbed and washed, conditioned and shaved, and only when my skin was bright red from the heat of the water and not from embarrassment, did I turn the water off.

I dried myself off slowly, lost in thought as I did. I was having a hard time processing how I’d gone from sneaking looks at my neighbors to sleeping with and kissing them. It was a lot. How were Tate and Aiden okay with me sleeping with Nash? I’d edited novels about women being with multiple men and I knew plenty of people in Harmony Valley lived life in groups instead of couples. Most of my friends in town were dating and/or trying to date multiple men at the same time. That was Harmony Valley, though. My neighbors weren’t from Harmony Valley. I barely felt like I was anymore.

I wrapped the towel around my body and stuffed my clothes in the hamper before opening the door and peeking out. It looked like Grandpa was still outside. I stepped out of the bathroom and moved in the direction of my room but then I heard it. A sharp shout and metal on metal.

CHAPTER 12

Eve

The sound of crashing and a loud grunt of pain that I recognized as Grandpa’s. I ran toward the sound. Out of the cabin and around it, I found him on the ground next to a ladder and a bucket of paint. He was groaning and swearing up a storm until he noticed me.

“Grandpa! Shit. Don’t move. I’ll get help.” I could see he was bleeding from a cut on his head and I went into emergency mode. Running towards the cabin next door, I screamed the guys’ names. “Help!”

The front door flew open and Tate ran out of the house with Nash on his heels. Tate jumped off the porch and ran to me. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Grandpa fell! He’s bleeding. His head is bleeding. On the other side of the house.” I was already running back towards Grandpa.

Grandpa was on his back, still swearing. He was holding his elbow and gritting his teeth. “Sonofabitch ladder. I’m going to scrap it and use the money to hire a lawyer. Then I’m going to sue the asshole who made such a shitty ladder!”

Tate knelt on Grandpa’s other side and I could see his eyes assessing everything he was seeing. “Well, Sheriff Hank. You still can’t fly, huh?”

Grandpa scoffed. “Get me up, would ya?”

Nash showed up with their medical bag and dropped it next to Tate. “Let us check you out first. What all did you hit?”

“I’m fine. I think I bruised my elbow and my ego. Other than that, this isn’t anything to make a fuss over.”

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