Page 27 of Inevitable Love
Instead of moving his hand away, he brushes his thumb across my lower lip, and I suddenly wish it were his tongue doing the work. My lips part on a gasp. His eyes grow dark with some emotion I’m unwilling to name.
I should not be imagining kissing him.
I should not be imagining myself straddling him in that chair and holding his hair while he uses those lush lips on my breasts.
I should not be getting all hot and bothered by my best friend’s brother. But is Alice really the problem? Jackson and I are better friends than Alice and I have been over the last few years.
I don’t want to lose his friendship, even if I have fantasized about peeling him out of those damn boxer briefs that did absolutely nothing to hide the near-constant erection he sported while we were out adventuring.
“You can’t look at me like that, Mags,” he whispers in a voice lined with velvet. I hate that we are in this brightly lit room, out in the open where anyone can see us, because I would absolutely argue with him and tell him to say that again, say anything using that voice, preferably against my neck. Or my clit.
“Like how?” It comes out on a breath. I sound as needy as I feel.
His hand falls away, and he clears his throat as he stands. I don’t miss how he adjusts himself before reaching to gather our trash. He’s a smart man, and stronger than I am, and I’m grateful. I was a heartbeat away from breaking our rule of keeping our hands off each other.
“Okay, I get where you’re coming from on the paint. You go pick out colors, and we’ll start the work after my next shift.” And just like that, we are back to the old Maggie and Jackson. “I like the sound of that one.”He flips a recipe from my short list of alternatives onto the top of the pile and stalks to the back room.
I grab the card to see which he’s picked and smother a snort. Of course he’s picked his favorite: cranberry-orange scones.
Chapter Ten
Jackson
“You guys want to grill tonight?” Kate asks. “We can run over to the grocery store. It’s been surprisingly slow, and I’m going stir-crazy. I need to get out of here.”
A collective groan rises from me, Cal, and Leo. We’re sitting in the bay on a gorgeous afternoon, playing cards at the folding table Leo brought in.
“You just had to go there, didn’t you?” Leo drawls.
She shrugs. “Running our asses off is better than being bored.”
“It’s fucking four o’clock. Now we’re gonna be up all night,” Cal grumps. “Charlie has a birthday party to go to tomorrow. Jules has to work, so that means I’ve got Charlie duty. And I don’t really want to be up all night, then have to deal with being nice at a toddler birthday party.”
Kate sends him a sadistic smile.
“I’m good to run all night, but I’d rather not. I’m helping Maggie paint this weekend,” I say.
“Well, nothing is set in stone yet. You guys keep?—”
The ground shakes, followed by the unmistakableboomof an explosion.
“What the fuck was that?” Cal’s eyes dart to the bay door, scanning the landscape beyond. In seconds, tones drop, and we sprint to the engine.
“Way to fuck us, Kate. And you didn’t even give us a kiss,” I yell, making the quick transition into my bunker boots and pulling up the pants. My coat and helmet are already in the cab. Cal is in the driver’s seat with the engine running by the time I climb up. He’s usually a step ahead of me in gearing up. I flip the siren as the vehicle rolls forward. We don’t even know where we are going, but given that blast, this has the potential to be a total shit show.
Kate shoots me the bird from the driver’s seat of the ambulance as we pass, and they fall in behind us.
“Engine Three,” the 911 operator calls out to our truck, and my heart rate kicks up even higher, “respond to the area of Bonisle Industries. Caller reports an explosion in the aluminum extrusion area of the facility.”
“Annnd our day just took a dump. A giant, massive one,” I mutter as Cal responds that we are en route.
The radio traffic explodes with multiple units responding because shit just got real. That factory is huge.
Cal lays on the horn, dodging traffic, and I embrace the rush that comes from knowing we are about to have our asses handed to us.
Debris covers the parking lot as we pull in. Large chunks of… “Holy shit. Is that the roof?” I ask, even though it’s obvious. It’s like my brain can’t comprehend the clusterfuck I’m seeing.
Deputy Chief Collins has beaten us in his quick-response unit and is talking to the factory liaison. He’s calm,cool, and collected, but then again, I haven’t seen the guy any other way but totally in charge.
