Page 62 of His Greatest Treasure

“We’re here!” Nova squeals, the click of her unbuckling her seat belt following soon after.

Avery appears as reluctant to move as I feel, but she’s gone in a blink, leaving my palm searing hot and hovering over where her thigh just was.

Nova pokes the back of my neck through the space beneath the headrest. “Let’s go, Ollie!”

For the first time in my entire life, I don’t mind the nickname.

My hand hoversover Avery’s back as I hold open the door for her and Nova to step inside the fire station. The little girl dives beneath my arm first, eyes wide and frantically looking around.

“So cool!” she gasps, staring through the windows behind the front desk that look into the engine bay.

The truck is there, doors shut and paint glistening. With the bay seemingly void of the squad on call, I contemplate risking taking them for a ride before I’m shutting the idea down. If I were on call, I’d find a way to make it happen, but asking the captain on shift for permission would be a huge use of time today.

“Lieutenant Bateman? What are you doing here?”

The rookie on desk duty stares up at me from his seat, his Vancouver FD shirt at least one size too small and gripping at the base of his throat in a way that makes me cringe. I’ve met him once or twice, I’m sure, but he’s not one of mine. If he were, I’d have made sure he weren’t suffocating every day in his own clothes.

“Giving a tour. Pretend I’m not here,” I mutter, forcing his eyes back to me when they wander to Avery with awed interest. “Pretendnone of usare here.”

He gulps, dropping his attention to the phone on the desk. “Captain’s out, but I’ll let him know you’re here once he gets back.”

“Sure.” It doesn’t matter to me if he knows.

Nova sets her hands on the lifted edge of the desk and peers over it at the rookie, expression open and curious. Sweet too.

“Is your name really Proby? That’s a weird name.”

I choke on an unexpected laugh and wait for him to answer her, feeling Avery’s stare hot on my cheek.

“Uh, no. My name’s Jake,” the rookie answers.

Nova spins toward me and tugs at my hand. “His name tag is wrong, Ollie.”

The name tag is a patch stitched into his shirt, no doubt done by one of the old guys on the squad. The name is given to all the rookies, but I’ve never thought about stitching it onto any shirts before. Maybe I should.

“Jake’s nickname is Proby. It’s a joke his friends have played on him,” I explain.

She cocks her head. “Like how you call me peanut?”

“Like peanut, peanut. He likes the nickname. Don’t you, Proby?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on him in a silent warning to agree with me.

“Yup! I love it,” he rambles.

Nova accepts the answer but doesn’t let it go. “It’s kind of weird.”

“Nova, don’t call people weird,” Avery chastises.

“I didn’t! Hisnicknameis weird.”

Avery sighs. “Apologize, please.”

“Really?” Nova pouts, arms folding over her chest.

“Yes, really. We don’t call people or their nicknames weird. It isn’t nice.”

I keep my mouth shut and watch Avery speak with such dominance and warning. Fuck me, she makes my cock stiffen in my jeans at the worst possible times. She’s being a stern momma bear, and I’m learning quickly that I’m very,veryinto that side of her.

“I’m sorry for calling your nickname weird,” Nova says quietly.

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