Page 105 of Frosting and Flames

“What were you two talking about?” he asks, his tone insistent.

“Don’t be mad at me because you jumped to conclusions and incriminated yourself.”

“I wouldn’t have had to do anything if you’d stayed the fuck away from her.”

He cuts me off again as I sidestep him, and a tendril of fear snakes around my ribs. We’re in the middle of a crowd. He wouldn’t actually try anything, would he?

“Get out of my way.” I try my best to sound authoritative, but I’m afraid it’s not as firm as I’d like.

“Is there a problem here?”

My knees go weak with relief as Nick’s deep voice sounds from behind me. A moment later, his hand rests on my waist in a comforting, protective grip.

“Kyle was just leaving the cookoff.” I step back further into Nick, his steady presence calming my frayed edges.

Kyle sneers. “You’re kicking me out?” He gestures around us. “Of this family friendly town festival shit?”

I swallow hard. “Since you can’t seem to leave me alone, yes.” I have no idea if I have the authority to do that, but I’ll take my chances.

He looks between me and Nick, something nasty on his face. “You two make a cute couple, you know that?”

I’m silent, waiting for him to leave.

His attention turns to Nick. “Does she do that thing with you, too? When she’s sucking your dick and makes that sound in the back of her throat like she’s about to come herself?”

As Kyle’s crude words hit the air, all the oxygen departs my lungs, leaving me frozen with shock and anger. But before I can do anything about it, Nick is in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking my view of Kyle.

His whole body is rigid, like a drawn bow ready to snap. His fists curl tight at his sides, the muscles in his neck flexing. When he speaks, his voice is low and lethal.

“The only reason I’m not beating the living shit out of you right now is because it would ruin this event that Rachel’s put a lot of time and effort into. But you don’t talk about her like that. Ever. Get the fuck out of here.”

A shiver runs through me, not out of fear, but something fiercer. Nick’s defense. His protection. His loyalty. With him standing in front of me, not a single thing in this world could hurt me.

I move slightly, so I can see Kyle. He falters, his mouth opening and closing like he isn’t sure if he should push it. Even so, there’s a defiance in his gaze that makes me uneasy.

For one terrifying second, I’m afraid Nick might lose the tight control vibrating through him, his anger practically humming off of him. I place a hand on his waist, the same as he did to me earlier, and he keeps himself in check.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Kyle rolls his eyes and leaves. Nick and I both watch him walk across the lawn and toward the street, disappearing out of sight down the sidewalk.

Nick turns to me, his jaw still tight, shoulders rock hard with tension.

“Nick—”

“Not here.” He takes my hand, more gently than I thought him capable of at the moment, and leads me through the crowd to the fire station.

Inside, one of the other firefighters throws us a questioning look, but stays silent as Nick gives him a swift shake of the head. We keep walking and end up in a small room with bunk beds. This must be where they rest when on shift.

I perch on the edge of a bed, watching Nick as he paces the cramped area, back and forth. Agitation pours off of him as he runs his hands through his hair, his boots hitting the floor with sharp, purposeful steps.

He finally stops, hands on his hips, nostrils flaring. “Why was Kyle bothering you?”

I blink up at him, my mouth going dry at his hard tone, but before I can respond, he crouches in front of me, blowing out a breath.

“That came out harsher than I meant it to. I’m just trying to figure out why he’s starting shit.”

I tell him about running into Autumn and how Kyle told on himself, but don’t get to where he approached me alone a second time before Nick stops me, his brow furrowed.

“What do you mean, he’s trying to get back together with you?”

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