Page 5 of Control Line

That still didn’t make it an easy pill to swallow. He’d always been a loner, so accepting that he couldn’t navigate life alone forever was still a work in progress.

After unburdening the grocery store of massive amounts of Dr. Pepper and groceries, mostly quick fixes since he’d be living the bachelor life for months, he headed up to the cabin.

“What in the actual fuck?” Annoyed was an understatement. There was a moving trailer blocking him from pulling all the way up to the cabin. Chief didn’t mention the rental being occupied; it never was. Barney’s irritation reached a peak when he realized he’d have to share space with another person for the foreseeable future.

After he snagged a grocery bag from the passenger’s side of his truck, he made his way to the front door. He would set it down and then give the asshole a piece of his mind. There was no way he was lugging his entire life and the rest of his grocery haul all the way up the drive.Not going to happen.

He had already worked himself up into a good lather.That’s a shame. We could’ve been friends if he wasn’t such an asshole.That was the thought that entered his mind when he noted all the hiking, climbing, and outdoor adventure gear in the back of the trailer.

Probably a typical bro dude just renting out for a month, come up to Sunnyville for some cool content to impress the ladies online. Barney figured this asshole could milk a month’s worth of adventure for a year on social media.

“I already hate him,” he mumbled to his shoes as he ascended the steps.

“Hate who?” Barney tripped up the last step, almost face planting on the wooden planks. As it was, he hit his knees hard and stared up into the heart-shaped face of an angel, framed in fiery red hair, with eyes as dark as sin.

Good thing he was already kneeling because he had zero qualms about worshipping at her altar. Too bad she was here with dude bro man, but then again, DBM would be out getting all hissick content,leaving this angel behind with spotty internet and no cable for entertainment.

A wicked grin twisted his lips. What kind of gentleman would leave such a beautiful lady to succumb to boredom?Certainly not me.

“Who do I hate? Why, the man who calls you darlin’ and wakes up in your arms, doll.”

Shock rounded her eyes. She offered him a tight smile and slow clapping as he rose.

“Wow, you’ve got such a smooth mouth, I worry about your ability to digest solid food. I mean, can you even masticate properly with no sharp edges in there?”

His laughter rocketed around them. “Oh, you’re a delight.” He spoke with sarcasm, but the sentiment was authentic. Fireman or not, he’d rather get blistered by her tongue than douse that flaming soul. He knew his next words would stoke the fire he saw burning deep.

“Get your man to move the trailer from in front of my cabin. I have a truck to unload. And in the future, tell him to park over there, where it’s designated. Driving up on the dry grass presents a fire hazard.”

The reaction he expected was swift and breathtaking. If he looked closely, he could almost see the flames crackling behind her eyes. Yogi Patrol just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting. He turned on his heels to head back toward his truck.

Barney could feel the anger radiating off of her. “I don’t have or need a man.” She stormed past him and grabbed an enormous box, hefting it like it was a kitten. Feeling a little bad about being an ass for his own amusement, he reached for the box. Instead of accepting his offer, she twisted to the side. “I’m perfectly capable, thank you very much, and I’ll move the trailer as soon as I get the rest of the heavy stuff. I just didn’t want to haul it from all the way over there.”

Her huffing wasn’t all anger, Barney was sure of it. He snagged the box from her grip before she could protest again. It was heavier than expected.

“Shit, woman, do you have free weights in here or what?” His respect for her grew. She hadn’t played the weaker sex and allowed him to help, even though the box weighed at least fifty pounds.

“Nope, just some of my favorite books.” She turned and grabbed another from the back, following him inside. “You know, to read. You know how to, I assume.” Barney liked this woman.

“I get by. However, if there are pictures, I can do it much faster.”

“Just set it anywhere,” she instructed as she unburdened hers onto the table and leaned against it. “Pictures as in Archie and Jughead or, wait, I know, you seem a more furry porn kind of guy, am I right?”

Once again, he couldn’t help but laugh. Barney’d had little to laugh about in the last months, and by the haunting look in her eyes, neither had she.

“Never understood the whole tail thing. I’m not judging you if that’s your thing, but I’ll pass. Actually, I’m more of a horror graphic novel or instruction manual type of guy. I guess I enjoy being scared and figuring out how things work.”

The answering smile she gifted him with was radiant. “Well, that’s an odd mash-up of nerdoms.”

“What about you, um, I didn’t catch your name? People call me Barney.”

“Sorry.” She swiped her hands against her thighs and extended one toward him. “Zamantha, but people call me Zee.”

“Good to meet you, Zee.” Barney shook the hand she’d offered and made more than one assessment about her from that alone. One, she wasn’t a girly girl. Her nails were trimmed short and painted a muted color. Not meant to catch attention. Her hands weren’t delicate. The palm was rough and used to work. But it was the handshake itself that was a huge giveaway. It was firm, decisive. Confident. She wasn’t a stranger to going toe to toe with people. She had piqued his curiosity and tented his pants.

Barney’s biggest turn on was confidence and Zee had it in spades.Sharing space with this woman will not be hard at all.He planned to enjoy the time they’d spend in close quarters. First step toward her bed, show interest.

“So, Zee, let’s see what sort of words made that box so heavy?” Barney didn’t wait for her answer. Boundaries had never exactly been his strong suit. He stepped up and peeled the strip of packing tape back and plunged a hand inside.

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