Page 26 of Control Line

Chapter Ten

All week, Barney berated himself for saying Saturday night instead of tomorrow night, because the anticipation was killing him.

It felt like he’d whacked off more times than his teen years combined. But he’d seen both their schedules and knew they wouldn’t have the same alone time until then. At least not non-exhausted or rushed.

Zee had some overnight hikes booked and the day use area was popping hard. He was dealing with more idiots with fireworks than the fourth of July. Plus, an inordinate amount of families were trying to make smores, complainingit’s just a little fire, what harm could it do?

Most Americans assumed forest fires dropped from the sky full size because their campfire, cigarette, bottle rocket, etc, couldn’t possibly do that much damage.Idiots.

It was a reminder of why he became a firefighter and why he hated people. Well, not all people. Not his sexy neighbor.

His routes had passed Zee’s routes more often than not during the week. He may or may not have planned it that way, but he wasn’t copping to it.

Each time it did, he stopped and gave her hikers his best Smokey the Bear speech so he could spend time with her. Even if it was just a few stolen moments along a trail.

The way her face lit up when he came into view made him feel bulletproof. It was the same each time regardless of when along the trail he accidentally, on purpose, ran into them. After she beamed at him with a shy yet knowing smile, she’d rest her hand on his shoulder as she introduced him to her hikers.

The same hand, he assumed, that had touched the pussy he was dying to taste. After those days, it was damn near all he could do not to stroll off into the woods and rub one out behind a rock.

That wouldn’t be good, a fireman getting caught with his pants down pulling a Pee Wee Herman in the woods near families having picnics and playing frisbee.

The best were the days he could catch them before they left for their hikes. He’d give his speech in the office of her cabin and then they would share coffee and a protein bar.

It allowed only moments for stolen conversations, so they made the most of it. Efficient and to the point, twenty questions style.

He’d just given his spiel to her hikers and joined them for their picnic lunch. Her trail today lined up with his for the second half.

He would have a few hours with her, but their conversation would still follow the same pattern it had when they had stolen moments. He liked it. It worked for them, plus he’d learned more about her that way than people he’d spent hours talking to.

And he’d shared more of himself than he ever thought he would with a woman. Zee was easy to talk to and smart. Shit, sometimes he felt like a moron around her because she was that kind of smart.

“So, doll?” He looked around at the hikers to make sure he was talking low enough. None heard him. “Are you looking forward to Saturday night?”

Barney took a bite of his sandwich and looked off into the distance, but he could see the blush creep up her face in his peripheral vision. He loved it. Before she could answer, he leaned closer, keeping his face to the horizon. “Pink blush is your color, doll.”

When Zee dropped her chin and did the tuck non-tuck thing with her hair, he groaned. She looked up at him and he shrugged. No shame.

God, she’s beautiful.

“You have no idea how sexy you are, do you?”

Barney didn’t expect an answer, but he got one. A deep one. She looked up at him with vulnerability and a twinge of pain that felt like cardiac arrest.

“I had to choose between being feminine and sexy or being taking seriously. I chose the latter.” She dropped her gaze to her sandwich and picked at the crust.

Two sentences spoke pages. She’d forfeited a part of herself to achieve her goals. Now that she had them, she didn’t realize that she’d never lost it. Not to any man strong enough to look for it.

“I don’t think you chose one over the other. I think you managed a perfect balance.”

The smile she beamed his way hit him like a fucking back draft.

“Did you take a class on saying the perfect thing at the right time or were you a born charmer? I bet your pickup game at the club is strong.”

There. There it is again. Barney had glimpsed it a handful of times during the week. At first, he just thought she was a perpetual smartass. That vulnerability she tried to play off as snark. Barney was learning the woman sharing a rock with him and eating a turkey sandwich.

“To answer your question. I was born with it, my mom nurtured it, and my dad enrolled me at the suave academy where I graduated magna cum laude.” He leaned in again, but this time he didn’t bother turning away or hiding the fact they were sharing a moment. “Emphasis on thecum.” He leaned back and popped the last bite of sandwich in his mouth, enjoying another flush of her cheeks.

After chewing thoughtfully, he added, “Don’t go to clubs or run lines. I prefer someone who wants to be with me the way I am, not because I misrepresented myself.”

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