Page 3 of Merriment and Mayhem
She harrumphed, trying hard to tamp down the butterflies doing somersaults inside her stomach.
“Well, thank you for coming out,” she said, edging toward the front door. “I’m sorry for having wasted your time, but as you can see, I have the situation under control.”
As under control as possible, given the circumstances. She had a kitchen to clean and a new stove to find, cabinet doors to scrub and revarnish if not replace entirely; time wasticking, and the list of what she needed to do before she could put the house on the market was growing by the day.
Chen and Miller looked to their captain, who, with a tip of her chin, sent them outside, following at a slightly more sedate pace.
“One last thing.” Captain Keegan paused and pulled a small yellow notebook out of her pocket. “I need your name for the report.”
“It’s Everleigh. Everleigh Dangerfield.”
Captain Keegan jotted her name down with what looked like one of those tiny pencils they gave you when you played mini golf. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Dangerfield.” She tucked both the pencil and pad away. “You have a good night. Stay safe.”
“Thanks.” Everleigh hugged the door. “And again, sorry for the inconvenience.”
“All in a day’s work, Miss Dangerfield.” Pausing on the bottommost porch step, she turned and looked up at Everleigh, one corner of her mouth quirked in a slight smile. “My brother-in-law owns an appliance store in town. Olympic Appliances, just off Oak Street. Their Black Friday sale ended on Sunday, but tell him Lana sent you.”
Everleigh let out a huge breath and sagged against the door. Grandma Dangerfield’s life insurance had covered the funeral expenses and that was it. Everleigh’s job as a freelance UX designer paid well, but the cost of living in Seattle had risen exponentially over the last three years, with most of her paycheck going toward her rent and groceries and a rainy day fund. Shereallywasn’t looking forward to dipping into her savings account to pay for a new oven. A discount, no matter how small, would be a huge help. “Thank you!”
Captain Keegan waved and set off for the engine.
“Right behind you, Cap!” Brantley lingered at the threshold, and Everleigh couldn’t help but notice how much of the doorway he took up. She was bad with heights, but he was crane-her-neck-to-look-him-in-the-eye tall, especially when he was standing this close. Six four, six five, maybe, and he had the breadth to match. Broad shoulders and thick thighs hugged snugly by his turnouts.
Slowly, Everleigh dragged her eyes back up to his face, and it was a good thing she was holding on to the door because her knees instantly went weak.
He was staring down at her, watching her watch him, a cocky little smirk flirting at his lips that had no business being as attractive as it was. “Dangerfield, huh? Might as well just call you Trouble.”
Hilarious.“And I should call you what?” She lifted her gaze to his, looking up at him through her lashes. “Probie?”
“Nah, I haven’t been a probie in over a year. Miller just likes to give me grief ’cause he’s ... well, he’s Miller,” he said as if that explained everything.
She cocked a brow, fixing him with a look of faux irritation. “Seems to me like he’s not the only one good at giving someone a hard time.”
He winced, clearly mistaking her act for the real thing. “If I went too far with those cookie cracks—”
“You didn’t.” She had to bite back a smile at the look of relief that passed over his face, his shoulders relaxing as he exhaled. “It takes a lot more than a few jokes at the expense of my baking abilities to hurt my feelings.”
“Lackof baking abilities, I think you mean,” he teased, chuckling when she scowled.
“You think you’re real cute, don’t you?”
In the blink of an eye, his smile turned sly. “Better question is, doyouthink I’m cute?”
Laughter sputtered from her, and she didn’t need a mirror to know she was blushing, that there was a hot flush spreading across her face like wildfire. “You know, I’m starting to thinkI’mthe one who should be callingyouTrouble.”
He dragged his plush bottom lip between his teeth, dimples making another appearance. “Trouble can be fun.”
As if the words weren’t suggestive enough, his gaze flickered to her mouth, then back to her eyes, leveling her with a stare that felt a lot like a challenge.Your move,the look dared.
Her heart raced, the temptation to say,Fuck it,and throw caution to the wind, be reckless for a change, almost overwhelming.
Trouble can be fun.Something only someone who’d never been burned before would say. Unlike her, who’d learned the hard way not to play with fire.
Everleigh swallowed hard and looked away, avoiding the question. “You know, you ... you probably have fires to put out and ... I don’t know, kittens to rescue from trees.” He laughed, a throaty rumble of a sound that sent a shiver down her spine, her thin shirt doing nothing to mask the way her nipples pebbled beneath. She crossed her arms, praying that if he noticed, he’d just think she was cold. Shewasstanding in an open door without pants in December. “Don’t, uh, don’t let me keep you from ... from saving lives and stuff.”
Using those broad shoulders, he pushed off the doorjamb and stepped right into her space like he belonged there, standing close enough that she could smell him again. Close enough that she could feel the heat of his body. Against reason, like a moth drawn to a flame, Everleigh wanted him even closer. “I’m not working on Wednesday. You could letme take you out.” He grinned. “That way, you can keep me as long as you want.”
Everleigh’s breath left her body in a rush that had her slumping against the door. “You’re shameless, you know that?”
