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Dammit. I shook my head from side to side and slammed my eyes shut. “Don’t tell me that! What’s wrong with you?”
He frowned, more confused than ever and I didn’t blame him because I was pretty damn confused too. I blamed it on the orgasms, it had my hormones all out of whack. “Why not? Afraid you might start to like me?”
“Damn straight I am!” I didn’t need to hide behind my emotions right now because I was very clear about what I didn’t want, not from Rafe.
He sat up quickly, letting the sheet fall without shame as he folded his arms once again and glared at me. “I’m not offended Janey. At all,” he said in a tone that indicated he was very much offended.
“Jeez Rafe, don’t go acting all butt hurt on me now!” I jumped from the bed and started to pace, aware that I was also completely naked and not really giving a damn, not when things were so serious.
“Butt hurt?”
“Focus, Rafe.” I rolled my eyes and stopped pacing, turning to him with a serious expression on my face. “You seem like the kind of guy who wants to be a confirmed bachelor and that’s not a judgment, just how I see things.”
“But?”
“But,” I sighed. “At some point I want to fall in love and get married, maybe even have a few kids and to do that, I can’t get hung up on someone who doesn’t want that too. Which means I can’t like you anymore than I like you now. Right in this moment. No! Wait! In the moment before you told me about the fire stuff. All right?”
Rafe shrugged, his mouth fixed into a half smile. “I can’t help it I’m a likable guy, Janey.”
I growled at him. It was a genuine growl and it wasn’t my finest moment, but it happened. I growled at Rafe like a wild animal. “Yes. You are. I like liking you. This much,” I told him. “Well this much from before,” I clarified again.
His lips twitched in amusement and I glared at him as I pointed a threatening finger in his direction. “What?”
“Don’t. Laugh.” My index finger was aimed at him like a weapon poised for detonation, which only increased the twitching.
“I’m not,” he insisted, raising both hands in the air to show he was no threat.
“Don’t,” I said when his shoulders started to shake.
“I wouldn’t. Ever,” he said, barely managing that last word before he erupted in a deep, contagious laugh. His laugh was great.
Really great, in fact.
And totally fucking annoying.RafePaperwork was the only reason I’d considered turning down becoming Fire Chief. But despite the fact that I spent more time in front of my computer or with a pen in my hand than I did out on the rig, fighting fires, I loved this gig. I didn’t get as much action as I used to, but now I got to shape future generations of firefighters, training them to do their best while minimizing the risk in a job that was inherently dangerous.
I had to smile to myself at the thought that Rafe Montgomery, former wild child, was all right with a life that was less than thrilling.
“I wonder what put that big smile on your face. Or who.” Reese stood in the doorway of my office wearing a grin that was pure mischief, proving that I was far too lost in my own damn thoughts if I didn’t hear her approach.
“Not that I’m unhappy to see you, bestie, but what’re you doing here?” Reese barely left her restaurant, a fact for which my always hungry stomach was grateful, but it also meant she was up to something today for sure.
She arched a brow at me and lifted her left hand to reveal a big bag of food, with her logo emblazoned on the front. In just a few steps Reese was at my desk and dropping the bag on the edge, just an inch from the edge. “This is for you. From Janey.” The words came out sharp and pointed, lingering in the air as she waited for me to say more. “From Janey,” she repeated expectantly.
“I heard you the first time.” And it wasn’t like I was keeping secrets, though I wasn’t sure how Janey would feel about people knowing about us since she only wanted sex. Yeah, I was a hypocrite for being upset about something I’d done to countless women but dammit, a man could be complicated too. Speaking of complicated, I wondered what would make Janey do something so public.
“You’re gonna ask any questions about why I brought you food? Why Janey asked me? Why she’s sending you food in the first place?” Reese stared and then shrugged. “Fine, if you don’t, I have about a million questions,” she said and proved it by taking the seat in front of me and resting her chin in her hand. I reached for the bag and Reese snatched it away at the last second.
