Page 40 of Five Alarm Kiss

“I said four,” she insisted.

Jake raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Pretty sure I can count to four, Princess.”

“He’s delusional,” Em said, “but it’s nice he has goals.”

Laurel laughed.

“Good thing you’re a grade school teacher,” Gage told her, “so you can tutor him.”

“I don’t know.” Laurel eyed Jake. “Some things are beyond my capabilities.”

While Gage and Emery cracked up, Jake regarded the woman sitting next to him. He didn’t miss the fact she’d sidestepped telling him what the last item on her list was, but he liked the fact she was finally giving him shit. She seemed more comfortable, and it was nice to find some bite hidden underneath that polite exterior.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to make myself bungee jump,” Laurel confessed.

“Tell your friend you don’t want to do it,” Em said.

“I did, but you don’t know Skye. She’ll never let me off the hook. And even if she miraculously did—which won’t happen—Britt would make me go through with it.”

“Was she the blonde with you at Hannah’s?” Jake asked. He knew Skye was the purple-haired one.

“One and the same.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Emery said, “but your friends sound a little pushy.”

Laurel grinned. “No wrong way to take it. They’re extremely pushy.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” Gage said, tilting his head Emery’s way.

“That’s it.” She pushed his arm off of the back of her chair, doing her best to sound indignant. “Your ass is sleeping on the couch, mister.”

“You know it’s against the law to threaten a cop, right?” Gage asked her.

Em rolled her eyes, even though she was smiling. “Off-duty cop.”

“Bungee jumping is easy,” Jake told Laurel. “I’ve done it a dozen times.”

Emery pounced on his words. “That’s right! He has. He should totally go with you.”

“I don’t know. If he’s done it that many times, I’m sure he’s tired of it.”

Jake didn’t miss the fact Laurel was talking to Emery about him, instead of actually talking to him. He made her nervous. Hopefully, in a she-was-afraid-to-be-alone-with-him-because-she-might-rip-his-clothes-off way and not an I-can’t-wait-to-get-the-hell-out-of-here-and-never-see-him-again way.

“You don’t know me well enough.” Jake waited for Laurel to look at him. “I never get tired…” He let his words hang suggestively in the air a moment before continuing. “… of doing the things I love.”

Laurel wet her lips, drawing his gaze like a magnet.

“It’s perfect!” Emery was full speed ahead. “He should help you with the list.”

“What?” Laurel squeaked. “No. He doesn’t need to do that.” She turned to Jake. “You don’t need to do that.”

“You’ve done axe throwing too, right?” Emery asked.

Jake nodded.

“See? It’s perfect! He can show you the ropes. It’s so much easier having someone there to help if you’re scared.”

Gage slung his arm around Emery and pulled her in. She melted into him and tilted her chin up for a kiss. When the two of them had spent twenty-four hours on top of Glazed and Confused Donuts for Em’s radio stations’ charity fundraiser, Gage had prevented her from losing her shit. She’d always been afraid of heights, but he’d managed to keep her calm enough to make it up and down the ladder to the roof multiple times, despite the fact she couldn’t stand his guts back then.

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