Page 20 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
“Raffle, come here!” Axel calls, his voice firm but calm. Raffle ignores him at first, still too excited about me, but after another call from Axel, he reluctantly trots back, tail wagging.
As Raffle moves away, I feel a sudden chill that has nothing to do with the snow. Jace is looking at us, his expression tight, and I can’t quite tell if it’s irritation or something else in his eyes. The playful warmth I felt just moments ago fades a bit under his gaze, and I have an almost instinctual urge to put some distance between Tanner and myself. I subtly shift away, brushing snow off my coat and trying to act casual.
Axel clears his throat. “Sorry about that. We let Raffle out for a minute, and he bolted. He usually doesn’t run off like that unless he thinks something’s wrong.” He’s looking at Tanner, but I catch the way his eyes flick over to me, checking if I’m okay.
“Oh, well, everything’s fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “We were just...uh, taking a walk.” My cheeks flush a little, and I’m grateful for the dim light, hoping it hides the color. I quickly adjust my jacket, hoping that whatever we were up to is not apparent outright.
“Good to know,” he replies, his voice even.
Jace, however, doesn’t say anything. His jaw is tight, and he looks like he’s biting back words. I can feel his annoyance radiating off him, and it makes me want to squirm. Tanner must have told him and his friends about our date. Jace doesn’t look too happy about it.
Ben steps forward and gently extends a hand toward me. “Here, let me help you up,” he says.
I take his hand, feeling the strength in his grip as he effortlessly pulls me to my feet. I mumble a thank you, brushing snow from my dress.
I glance over at Tanner and see the flicker of annoyance in his eyes. Jace remains quiet, his eyes shifting between Tannerand me, still tight-lipped. Axel pats Raffle’s head, giving Tanner a knowing look, almost like the whole situation amuses him.
“Come on, Emily,” Tanner says, putting an arm over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Ben says. “The snow is only going to get worse.”
“Ben is right,” Jace says. His frown seems to be deepening by the second, and I’m surprised he hasn’t tackled Tanner away from me yet. “It’s not safe to be out here so late.”
Tanner turns to the three of them, his jaw tight. “Seriously, guys? We’re obviously in the middle of something. Can’t you take a hint? Get lost,” he snaps, waving his hand like he’s shooing away some pesky flies.
“Look, we didn’t just wander out here for fun,” Jace says, his voice tense. “Raffle was barking like crazy, and we thought something was wrong. And turns out we were right—you two out here in the snow like it’s some romantic movie scene or something. Ever heard of hypothermia? Or bears?”
Tanner scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Bears, Jace? Really? Try to be a little more creative next time.” He snorts, giving Jace a look like he’s just suggested they might be abducted by aliens.
Standing beside Jace with Raffle at his feet, Axel lets out a frustrated sigh. “Tanner, the point is, it’s snowing, and it’s not exactly the best idea to be outside right now. You’re acting like you’ve never been in a storm before.”
Tanner rolls his eyes again. “Oh, come on, Axel. We’re firefighters. We’ve faced worse conditions than a bit of snow.”
Axel’s expression darkens, and he steps forward, looking Tanner square in the eyes. “Yeah, but we don’t take unnecessary risks, especially when there’s no reason to. And we sure as hell don’t brush off concerns just because we think we know better. Besides, what about Emily? She’s a civilian.”
I stand there, caught in the middle of their little spat, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration bubbling up inside me.“Guys, really,” I say, trying to cut through the tension. “It’s fine. We were just…taking a walk.”
Jace snorts. “A walk? In this weather? Emily, anything could have happened. We were just trying to make sure you’re safe.”
“Yeah, safe from bears, apparently,” Tanner mutters under his breath, still clearly annoyed.
“Okay, enough about the bears!” I blurt out, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “We can all just go inside now.”
“No,” Tanner says firmly. “And seriously, Jace, you need to chill. It’s just a walk.”
Jace steps closer, his voice rising. “I’m acting like you should’ve used your head for once, Tanner, instead of your dick.”
I want to bury my face in my hands.
“You’ve some nerve, man,” Tanner growls. “Take that back. It was incredibly disrespectful.”
“What’s wrong is putting Emily in harm’s way after what she went through yesterday.”
“Thanks, but I think I can take care of myself. And Emily, too.”
I look between them, baffled by the sudden escalation.
“Guys, can we not do this right now?” I interject, trying to cut through the tension. But they’re not listening to me. They’re too busy arguing, their voices overlapping in a chaotic mess of accusations and defenses.
