Page 41 of On Cloud Nine

Think, Molly, think. You always ace this training.I’m not worthy of my bright red warden hat if I can’t get this under control.

“We’ve got to go.” Matthew grabs my hand, waiting for me to follow him.

The extinguisher hangs beside the front door, and I drop Matthew’s hand, sprinting toward it. “I can fix this.”

“Molly, what are you doing?” Matthew runs after me, but I’m on a mission.

I pull the fire alarm, sending the blaring of sirens and red lights through the studio. Sweat pours down my face. My mouth is dry. That fire needs to be stopped.

“Matthew, stay back,” I call out, unlatching the fire extinguisher from the wall.

Oh goodness. I hope I can remember how to use this thing.Okay, pull the pin.My breath clamors. My hands are unsteady.Molly,you’ve been the fire warden at ORO for five years. You know what to do.

I inhale a small breath, suppress a cough, and release the pin. I aim and squeeze the handle.

In a blink, I’m launched back by the pressure of the white foam exploding out of the can. The hose snakes around, and I gain control of it as best as I can, then point it toward the fire.

“You got this!” Matthew yells.

“She’s saving us! Our bowls aren’t going to be ruined,” someone whoops from outside.

The hose slips away from me again, flailing around.

“It won’t turn off.” I fumble with the trigger, but it’s stuck.

“Let me help.” Matthew’s fingers slide over mine, his torso pressing into my back.

We’re suddenly so close. So, so close.

Fire. Smoke. His chest against my head. The extinguisher drops to the ground.

He spins me around; relief skips across his face.

My heart pounds with the fury of a jackhammer.

I know the fire was small, but I’m certain the flames would have engulfed us before I even got to kiss him again.

I mean, talk about bad timing.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” A chant comes from outside, or from my mind. I can’t tell.

Matthew grips the curve of my jaw with intention. His eyes hungrily stick to my lips. Without thinking, I shoot up on my toes and crash my mouth onto his.

Wow. The taste of smoke intermingled with musk. He’s rugged, with a chin covered in stubble that tickles my skin. When he parts his mouth against mine, inviting me in, I struggle to resist the urge to intertwine our tongues.

Even though it feels so right, it’s also so wrong. Isn’t it?

I pull back, catching Matthew’s gaze, which is enveloped in darkness.

Did he want to keep going as much as I did?

“I—I, uh, I’m so—”

“No, it was just the moment.” Matthew steps back, adding distance between us and brushing his fingers through his hair. “We got ahead of ourselves,” he chuckles.

“Right.” I nod. Of course he didn’t want to kiss me. “All that adrenaline. The chanting. Don’t even worry about it!”

A peck, only the briefest brush of lips. We’ve gone three years without kissing, and now it’s happened twice in less than a month.

---