Page 18 of Rising Heat

“Relax—” I lift both hands.

“I’m not planning to fuck her.”

That one even I almost believe.

Mack glares.

“You mean that,” he says.

I consider it for half a minute then shrug.

“Probably.”

Mack closes his eyes, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Come on.”

He looks serious now.

“This house is the one thing in my life I don’t have to worry about. You know that.”

The humor goes out of me fast. Because I do know. The firehouse is chaos. The job is risk. The city takes and takes. This house is the one thing he never has to brace for.

“She’s not gonna ruin anything. In spite of what most people think, I do have some self-control.”

Mack studies me.

“And if she does?”

My mind goes right back upstairs. To Darcy standing in the middle of the living room sunlight, looking around like she forgot I was there. For a second she’d let herself have it—that look on her face, all amazement and relief. Then she’d caught herself and packed it back up.

“She won’t.”

His jaw shifts.

“You sound sure.”

“I’m sure she pays rent.”

Mack stares for a second longer, then lets out a breath that almost turns into a laugh.

“Oh, that’s cute. You’re thawing.”

“Shut up.”

“That’s my big brother.”

He walks to the stove and steals a forkful of chicken from the pan. I swat his hand away.

“Get your own.”

Mack chews, still unconvinced but no longer dismissing it outright, which with Mack is basically the first stage of acceptance.

We finish dinner the way we finish most things around here—without making a big deal out of it.

Mack rinses the plates while I pack up the leftovers, then we drift toward the living room. Highlights from last night’s Bruins game are already playing on the TV. I drop onto one end of the couch and stretch out. Mack takes the other, beer in hand, remote abandoned somewhere between us.

This part’s always easy. When the shift’s finally letting go of your shoulders. The city’s settling down outside. The game’s on low enough that neither of us is really watching it but we’d both notice if somebody turned it off.