Page 13 of Irresistibly Wicked

“Flores.” As much as she was enjoying talking to him and still wanted to know why she felt like she knew him beyond the accident, she didn’t want to miss her class since she’d already paid for it. “I don’t want you to think I’m ditching you again, but do you need me to stick around to let you inside? Or to save you if you fall off a ladder? Because I’m late for a pole class.”

“No. I’m good. Wouldn’t want you to miss pole class.” The glint in his eyes was pure trouble.

The kind of trouble that made her want to stay, which was exactly why she had to leave. “Great. Then I’m going to take off.” She grabbed her keys from the foyer table and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. “Thanks for fixing the leaks.”

“Thanks for saving my life,” he said as they descended the steps.

She headed for her car. “Just doing my part to keep the single women around here happy.”

He laughed. “Like I said, you’re my angel.”

As she climbed into her car, she was laughing, too, and it felt really good to have something to laugh about.

Chapter Six

THE TELEVISION PLAYED in the day room at the firehouse, though Shauna wasn’t sure anyone was really watching it. The firefighters were all busy—Lance and Trey were playing cards, Mike was focused on his phone, as usual, and Paul was lying on a sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table, reading a thriller and working his way through a bag of Doritos.

Shauna was sitting sideways in an armchair, her legs hanging over one arm, tapping her pen on the word search she was working on. It was early Wednesday evening, and they hadn’t had a call since three. Downtime at the station had been the hardest part when she’d first become an EMT. She hadn’t wanted to let her guard down, for fear she wouldn’t be mentally ready when a call came in. Because of that, she’d stayed on high alert every waking hour, which she’d quickly learned could take a toll. Busy times like the beginning of today’s shift, when they’d had one call after another, had taught her to treasure the moments they had to breathe and recharge. Still, there was that underlying feeling of the calm before the storm, but she didn’t mind. Helping people who wanted to be helped was an easier storm to weather than wanting to help a best friend who wasn’t ready yet.

As she circled a word, she said, “Hey, Mike, you’re in my word search.”

“Yeah?” He glanced at her, smirking. “You found ‘sexy beast’?”

“No. ‘Pompous,’” she said.

The guys laughed.

Mike smirked. “When you’ve got the biggest engine in the firehouse, you earn the right to be pompous.”

“Then that would be me,” Paul said, his eyes still trained on his book. “As your sister can attest to.”

Lance snorted.

Howie sauntered in through the garage door. “Hey, Flores, you didn’t tell us you were into bikers.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not into bikers.”

“You did help that toddler who fell off his tricycle a few weeks ago,” Trey chimed in.

She rolled her eyes.

Howie hiked a thumb toward the garage door. “Well, there’s a Dark Knight in shining armor out there looking for you.”

Her eyes widened. “What?” She shoved her feet into her boots and bent to tie them.

“Who is it?” Trey asked.

“The guy she saved the morning of New Year’s Eve. Zander Wicked,” Howie answered. “Dude’s got a hell of a rep—careful Flores.”

No shit. What is Zander doing here?

Brian was home when Zander had finished working at their house yesterday afternoon, and Zander told him he’d be back today to finish the job. She hoped Brian hadn’t caused a problem. She headed for the door, and the guys hurried after her. She turned and glowered at them. “Do you mind?”

“What do you mean? I’m just going to check the rig,” Paul said.

“Me too,” Trey said, and the others said the same.

“Way to go, Flores,” Mike said. “Save a guy and pick him up. I need to try that.”