Page 69 of Chasing You

He slept in Adele’s bed more than he didn’t and woke him up with breakfast and coffee when he had an early morning shift. And it was clear Kash was doing it because he wanted to now, not because he was afraid he wasn’t being useful.

That was the difference.

That’s what mattered.

“Coming in?” Kash asked.

Adele realized he’d been lingering in the shower doorway for too long. He glanced down at the lip and knew that would need to be redone too. He could probably afford that with the thirsty people in town buying up their naked bodies.

He glanced at Kash and grinned. He hated being on display, but for him, it was worth it.

“Why do you need me for this?” Frey asked, staring around the room at all the mostly shirtless firefighters.

“Moral support,” Adele said. “I can’t ask my brother to come see me naked, but I don’t want to do this by myself.”

Frey turned and looked at him, his brow furrowed. “You’re really bothered by this, aren’t you?”

Adele shrugged. He didn’t think about it much, but yeah, he was. He didn’t like being mostly naked in front of anyone who wasn’t Kash. He didn’t like being the center of any kind of attention, and being stripped down for a photographer sounded like hell on earth.

“It’s not my most favorite thing.”

“So why are you doing this?” Frey asked him, sliding his chair closer. Their knees touched, and Adele felt warm comfort rough through him. “You have enough guys that you can say no.”

Adele bowed his head. “For Kash.” He’d told the guys at their last get-together about all the changes. That the station funding was fine, but that he wanted Kash to stay with him for good, and in order to make that happen, he had to make the place as close to perfect as he could.

They all volunteered to chip in, but Adele wasn’t about to put the burden on his family.

“It feels weird to make all of them do it when it’s not for some big charity,” he finished.

“Hey, we love Kash, and we’re happy to do this,” Hector said, walking beside Ridge. Hector was busy trying to attach pumpkin pasties to his nipples, and Ridge was using eyelash glue to attach flowers to spots on his torso and stomach.

“That’s going to rip all your hair out,” Frey warned him.

Ridge shrugged. “No worse than having my daughter rip out my navel ring.”

Everyone winced, and then Frey leaned in close and poked him in the stomach. “I see the scar. You had a navel ring? Why is that so hot?”

Ridge laughed. “Because it was hot. I got a lot of numbers when I wore crop tops.”

“And now look at you,” Hector said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Your life is all…well, I don’t know what the fuck kids watch these days. AreTheWigglesstill a thing?”

Ridge rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they’re a thing. Anyway,” he said, turning the conversation away from Ina, “it was a trade I was more than happy to make.”

“Is it true she was found in the baby box?” Hector asked.

Ridge stiffened all over. Everyone knew about that now. Someone had overheard Ridge saying it to Adele, and it had spread. But they didn’t know the details. Not even Adele knew everything. He knew that somehow, Ridge had been present for Ina’s birth, and he knew that three months later she was dropped off at his station with a note.

But that was it.

“So, do y’all take classes on how to be insensitive dicks before you apply for this job?” Frey asked sharply.

Hector threw up his hands in surrender. “Hey, man. I’m sorry.”

Ridge shook his head as he adjusted his last flower, then managed a smile as he looked up. “It’s cool. It’s…complicated, and I don’t like talking about it.”

“Never hesitate to tell me to fuck off when I’m crossing lines,” Hector said solemnly.

“Or,” Frey said, not one to pull punches, “work on not crossing lines, and stop putting the burden on other people.”

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