Page 21 of My Grumpy Fire Chief Next Door
"Occupational hazard, perhaps?" I smile at him. "Did you always know you wanted to be a firefighter?"
"No, actually that was not my original plan," he says and I raise my eyebrows so he continues. "I wanted to be a professional baseball player."
"Wow, really?" I feel surprised for a moment, but as I rake my eyes over his physique I realize he definitely has the build of a ball player. "Did you have a shot?"
"Well, when you're the star of your high school team it's easy to think you're a big shot," he smirks, "but who knows if that would have persisted in college. But that ship sailed a long time ago."
"What happened? Did you not play in college?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"Life threw me a curve ball, so to speak." He hesitates a moment, wiping his hand over his mouth.
"Let's just say my plans changed unexpectedly and....and I never went to college. I stayed here and started full time at the department. I was a volunteer during high school and the chief took pity on me and gave me a paid position."
There’s a pause, long enough for the words to settle between us.
I open my mouth to ask more, but he shakes his head.
"Let's save that story for...another time..." he trails off.
I can't help but wonder what happened to change his plans so dramatically, but he obviously doesn't want to talk about it, and I don't push.
We both look up at the windows as the wind kicks up again and I hear a sheet of rain beating against the window. A sudden, hard shiver rolls through me, stealing my breath. My legs curl tighter under me, and my fingers grip the mug like it might keep the cold out.
I should have grabbed a coat earlier or asked for a blanket sooner.
Noah straightens immediately.
“You're cold”. It's not a question. His voice has a different edge now. Rougher. Concern coating his words.
I nod once, lips pressed tight.
Chapter six
Noah
Her nightgown clings to her like a second skin, still damp with rain, tracing the delicate line of her spine and the gentle slope of her shoulder. Droplets glisten in her hair, catching the candlelight like tiny stars tangled in wet strands.
Her nose twitches. She sniffs quietly and presses the back of her hand to it. Her other hand rubs at her opposite shoulder like it’s a useless effort to create warmth.
I take one step closer, and I can hear the soft chatter of her teeth. The sharp inhale she tries to stifle. That subtle tremble that rolls through her body, like her muscles are giving up the fight. The air shifts inside me. Tightens. Burns.
I cross the room fast, in two strides or possibly three. She sits there, looking small and shivering. Soaked to the bone and her nightgown clings to her like a second skin, wet and near see-through in places, and I can see the full outline of her beneath it.
The narrowing of her waist. The sweep of her hips. The soft press of her chest rose and fell too fast. I swallow hard. My throat works like it’s fighting words, I don’t dare speak.
I should have known the thin fabric would do nothing to keep the cold out and given her a blanket. My chest constricts with guilt because I’ve been so busy staring at her that the thought doesn’t occur. Probably because I’ve been feeling warm… too warm.
Her lips are tinged blue, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. She doesn’t even raise her head properly. Just keeps trembling like she’s barely holding herself together.
Without thinking—it’s become harder to have coherent thoughts with her so close—I drop to my knees in front of her.
My hands circle around her arms, and the second my skin touches hers, it’s like striking a match to gasoline. She jolts.
So do I, as the chill of her body bleeds into my palms, but what slams into me harder is the fire roaring just beneath it. Her skin may be cold, but the heat between us? It explodes.
I drag my hands slowly up and down her arms, trying to coax warmth into her. Goosebumps ripple beneath my fingers as I touch her. Every pass sends a shiver through her, and I assume it’s still the cold. Her breath catches. She thrusts her chest out slightly. Her eyes lift to mine, wide and dark and hungry.
And then her gaze locks on me…nearly levels me.
