Page 62 of Deck the Fire Halls

“Well, obviously, yes. Because...” I couldn’t help butlook at them again. They looked a bit like jeans but different, and they were snug. I meansnug. “Damn. I would go home and get changed but I have nothing that comes even close.”

“You look great. Come in, come in. I just need to make sure this fire is built before we go, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

He went to the fireplace and knelt down in front of it, giving me a wonderful view of how those pants stretched across his ass and thighs, and he carefully placed a bigger piece of wood on the fire. “It was dead cold so it was a good opportunity to clean it out and build a new one, ready to be lit when I get home.”

Oh right. The fire. Not the pants.

Concentrate, Rob. Jeez.

“I didn’t think a firefighter would have a wood fire in his house,” I mused. “Not that I’d given it much thought before, but you know, fire safety and all that.”

“Wood fires are fine,” he said. “If they’re properly maintained and have the correct grills and guards, of course. Most house fires start with an electrical fault or appliance. Dryers are common. Electric blankets, phone chargers are a big one too.” Then he snorted. “Sorry. Don’t mind the fire safety spiel that comes out every so often.”

I smiled. “It’s fine. I have a similar spiel about preventable diseases.”

He chuckled, stood up, closed the door to the fireplace, adjusted the damper, and put the grill in front of it. “Are you ready for your first ride on a Harley Davidson?” His excitement wascontagious.

“Uhhhh, yes?”

He came over to me and squeezed my arm. “You’ll be completely fine. I’m a safe rider, and we won’t go too far. I’ll take you for a scenic tour; then we can grab some lunch. How does that sound?”

“Good. I think. Iamnervous,” I admitted, though he could surely tell. “But I’m also excited.”

He took my hand. “Me too.” Then he led me through his kitchen to his laundry and mudroom, and if I thought my house was tidy, his was meticulous. Not one single thing out of place or even a speck of dust, that I could see, anyway. As he pulled on his riding boots in the mudroom, I noticed even the towels on the shelf were folded and stacked with military precision, his detergents neat enough for hospital surgical standards.

“Your house is very tidy,” I noted.

He laughed as he did up the second boot. “It’s my training. Fire hall requirements. I spend more time in any given day cleaning that place than doing anything else. All fire halls are the same.”

“Fire hall. I haven’t heard them be called that in a long time. I notice you say it a lot. Is that an industry thing for you to call it a fire hall instead of a station?”

“Nope. It’s a Canadian thing. Well, it is where I’m from anyway. But people know what I’m talking about when I say it.”

And then, as if he wasn’t already hot enough in all black and boots, he had to go put on a leather jacket. This was a riding jacket. Still insanely cool, but it was built for safety, should the rider meet the road.

And he was so dang hot it made my heart race.

“Well, I’m really glad that doesn’t make you ten times sexier,” I joked. “I’d hate to be distracted.”

He laughed and straightened my very uncool, sensible jacket. “If you enjoy today and think it might be something you want to do again, we’ll get you a proper jacket. Maybe some leather pants.”

“Me? In leather pants?”

He lifted his knee and tapped it. “Kevlar fabric. Kinda cool, huh?”

“Well, yes. The doctor in me, who has tended far too many motorcycle riders in the emergency department, fully approves. But how come you get the cool Kevlar pants, and I get leathers?”

He grinned without shame. “Because then I get to see you in leather pants.”

I walked right into that. It made me blush, and Soren let out a pained sound. My eyes met his and he put his hand to my face, thumbing across my cheek. “This color. It fucking kills me.”

Oh.

Of course, I blushed a whole lot harder.

His nostrils flared and he did that thing where instead of leaning in to kiss me, he pushed forward with his whole body, so not only did his lips meet mine but his body did too.

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