Page 11 of Just This Once

“Why are you acting weird?” Rachel leaned over to join me in my hiding spot behind the plastic menu.

“I’m not being weird,” I whispered.

I was definitely acting like a fucking lunatic.

She pulled the plastic menu down. “And who do you keep looking at?”

“Shh!” I scolded. “Stop it. Nothing. No one.”

“Is it the tattooed daddy over there?” Her eyes widened. “Or is it the lumber-snack next to him? Does the Warden have the hots for someone?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh my god, stop it. And don’t call me that.” I looked again at Whip and prayed we hadn’t drawn attention to ourselves. Thankfully he seemed oblivious to my ongoing meltdown in the back corner.

“They’re Kings, you know.” Rachel’s voice held an air of awe.

“Everyone knows the Kings,” Becca added. “Maybe you don’t know all of them, but you’ve worked with one or grew up with another.” She shrugged. “Who doesn’t know the Kings?”

Rachel’s pointed stare lingered after Becca’s attention returned to the menu. She sucked in a breath as realization lit up her features. Her manicured finger poked my arm. “Youdoknow him.” She scooted closer, scraping her chair along the floor. “Tell me everything or I swear to you I will stand on this table and make a scene.” The devilish grin and challenge in Rachel’s eyes warned me she wasn’t kidding.

For a teacher with a reputation of being a hard-ass, Rachel had a wild streak a mile wide. When I held her stare but didn’t answer, she moved, planting one foot on the seat of her chair.

I grabbed her forearm and tugged her down, her butt landing with a plop. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but shut up. Not the tattoo daddy, but the one next to him,” I whispered, praying my colleagues were too engrossed in deciding what food to order for the table to pay any attention to me.

I tipped my head toward Whip. “We hooked up just after I got to town. I don’t want him to see me.”

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Whip King? Why the hell not?”

Her head snapped back to me. “Is he terrible in bed? Does he have a micro-peen? Was he all jackhammer and no finesse?”

“No. Shut up.” A giggle tumbled from me. “Honestly, it was really,reallyamazing.” Even admitting that out loud felt forbidden and made me want to fan my cheeks.

“So what’s the deal, then? Saunter up next to him and go in for round two.” Her arms swept wide in invitation as if it would ever be that easy.

I pulled her arm back to her lap. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

I exhaled a frustrated sigh. “He’s a firefighter.”

Rachel’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit, that’s right.”

I sank lower in my seat. “Yep. And I didn’t know that until after we...” My hand rolled in circles between us. “You know.”

“He works for your dad? That is so freaking hot.” Rachel stared at Whip across the bar.

I rolled my eyes despite the pressure building between my legs. “It is not hot, it’s stupid.” More than stupid—epically fucked up. My stepfather was the fire chief in Outtatowner and would definitely havea lotto say about me hooking up with one of his guys. Not only was Dad slightly overprotective, but I had grown up with all the behind-the-scenes stories about the reckless and dangerous tendencies of the men he worked with. I also had firsthand knowledge of the kind of men in his profession.

Rachel frowned. “And you didn’t talk about your jobs before you let him go to Pound Town?”

My gaze whipped in his direction, and I lowered my voice. “We didn’t exactly do a lot of talking.”

Rachel hooted. “Oh, you dirty slut. I love it.” She bumped her elbow into the side of my arm. “I knew you were a good egg.”

A server came around, and I hastily ordered a vanilla porter before returning my attention to Rachel.

She squared me with a look. “You’re a big girl. Your dad shouldn’t have any say over who you fool around with.”

I shrugged. “I know. He’s just protective, and he’s always warned me about firefighters. Plus, I know from experience that they’re all either womanizers and cheaters or adrenaline junkies. Sometimes all three are wrapped up in an addictively hot package. Something about that type of man being caught up in the thrill of it all.” I chewed my lip. “But really that’s not the worst of it.”

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