Page 37 of Protect

“Total goo fest.” Teddy giggles with her mouth full. “Let me ask you this, is there tension between you? The good kind?”

I narrow my eyes at her.

“What? This is the only drama I’ve got going right now, aside from the daily fights over snacks or dinner.” She giggles.

I blow out a breath and think back on how he looks at me, like no time has passed and it feels just like the time we spent together?—

“So, that’s a yes,” Teddy says, standing up to grab another slice of pizza with a knowing grin.

I shoot her a haughty look for busting me daydreaming.

“I don’t date hotshots.”

Teddy laughs and rolls her eyes, swallowing the last of her drink.

“Yeah, you said that already. Got yourself convinced yet?”

“So, Sup’s riding his ass the whole time, and this poor kid is shitting his pants searching the equipment room, the tool shed, looking everywhere for a trench digger, not realizinghewas the fuckin’ trench digger.” Cal chuckles, rummaging through the gift basket they had Scottie bring me, in search of snacks.

“Twenty goddamn minutes it took before it finally clicked in his brain that there’s no fucking such thing.” Opp leans back in his chair.

Cal pulls out two packets of chocolate covered almonds and tosses one to Opp.

“Shoulda' seen Sup, standing there with his arms folded across his chest and that fucking scowl on his face,” Opp says, tearing into the package and pouring the contents into his mouth.

“Fuck, I miss it already,” I say, scrubbing my jaw that I haven’t shaved in almost two weeks.

Opp stands and pats me on the shoulder. “You’ll be back, bro. Have you read the fire safety manual we gave you? Some useful shit in there for avoiding this next time.” He smirks

“Been studying every night, ya prick,” I mutter.

Opp digs through the basket and pulls out another sleeve of almonds.

“It was a bitch, though,” he says, pulling his phone out of his back pocket and opening his photos then scrolls for a second, before handing me the phone. I stretch my left arm out; it’s so fucking tight but thankfully it doesn’t feel like it’s still on fire anymore after four days of healing. I scroll through the pictures he has of the rest of their time in Skykomish, the last one of his drip torch in the center of a beautiful fireline. Blaze and smoke in the distance.

“So, no word on the next roll?” I ask. They’ve been home since yesterday.

“Fuck, I hope we get a few days,” Cal says. “Be nice to take Scottie to dinner, get some hikes in, sleep in a bed…”

“How long till you can come back?” Opp asks, crinkling up his garbage and doing his best hook shot into the trash. “Kobe,” he mutters as he lands it. I chuckle.

“At least another two weeks for this to heal up.” I nod to my wounds. “Three weeks tops, I think I’ll miss a couple rolls,” I say. “Maybe get to go home in a few days, we’ll see,” I add.

“Oh, sorry.” Violette’s voice sounds in the doorway. “I didn’t know you had company.”

I sit up straighter in bed; fuck me, she looks gorgeous today. She smiles at the guys and makes her way between them to update my whiteboard. Her light chestnut hair is braided down her back, a few wisps frame her heart-shaped face, and she’s wearing pale blue scrubs—the color on her is fantastic, and the way these ones fit her hips and are drawn in around her small waist?—

“He always stare at you like that?” Cal chuckles, asking Violette. “What a hazardous work environment.”

If I could hit him with my left arm I would.

“Christ…” I mutter. “I…was just thinking that color looks nice on you, Vi,” I say awkwardly to try to save myself from it looking like I was checking her out.

I mean…I was, but still.

Violette smiles then looks away, a pink blush starts to creep up the soft column of her throat. I love it.

“In his defense, he’s on pain meds so that’s why he’s drooling,” Opp adds from his chair in the corner.

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