Page 93 of Slow Burn

IT WAS AFTER midnight when Elijah and his team returned to the fire station.

Over eight hours at the fire site, and all of them were exhausted.

That didn’t stop the paperwork he was required to complete. But he needed to take a shower and complete a full decontamination for his gear. Then there was rehabilitating all of the equipment, restocking the fire trucks and ambulances, and another shower.

Fuck, he wasn’t going to be able to take a rest for a few hours.

By the time he got to the plethora of paperwork, it was after 2 a.m. Elijah kept reminding himself all he needed to do was finish the detailed incident report and summarize the call logs.

“Coffee!” he screamed from his desk, hoping someone was still in the kitchen area. If someone didn’t bring him caffeine in ten minutes, he’d get up and do it himself.

Nash was a dream come true as he sauntered into Elijah’s office. He slammed a mug of coffee on the desk, liquid sloshing over the rim.

“What the fuck?” Elijah grilled him.

“Maybe I should be saying what the fuck to you?” Nash yelled back.

This was outrageous. They busted their asses for hours to contain a fire that brought down an entire building, and his friend was pissed he had to get coffee for him?

Elijah glared at him. “It’s a fucking cup of coffee. I’ve been behind my desk finishing reports. I didn’t think you’d care about helping me out.”

Nash threw Elijah’s phone at him. “I don’t give a fuck about bringing your caffeine fix. What does bother me is my baby sister is texting my best friend about how she’s in your fucking bed waiting for you.”

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

Now wasn’t the time to ask Nash why the hell he was going through his phone. The damage was done.

“She was the reason you were actually showing your teeth and smiling today.” Nash put his hands on Elijah’s desk, leaning closer. “What the fuck is going on?”

What could he say to calm Nash?

His only option was honesty, but he was one hundred percent leaving out how he took her virginity. “We’re dating.”

“Dating!” Nash pushed off the desk and started pacing the cramped office. “You don’t fuck women who live near you because you hate commitment, yet now you suddenly think you’re good enough for my sister?”

“Fuck off!”

“No, no, I’m not going to fuck off. Not when you will, undoubtedly, hurt George. Of all the women to sleep with, it had to be her?”

Dragging his hands through his hair, he looked at Nash. “I’m not going to hurt her. Georgia is so much more than just someone I am sleeping with. I swear, she means something to me.”

“Hell, is she the one you were talking about when you told me I had no idea how good your sex life was?” Nash groaned. “No, don’t answer that.”

Unable to stop himself, Elijah smirked.

Nash pointed at him. “If you break her heart, I’ll do everything in my power to ruin your life.”

“Agreed.” Elijah didn’t hesitate. “I never want to hurt her.”

But Elijah couldn’t stop the nagging thought. Was he good enough for her?

CHAPTER

THIRTY-TWO

AS SILENTLY AS Elijah could manage, he crept into his bedroom and stopped to stare at his peach in his bed. Georgia was tangled in the bed sheets, her blond hair was all over the place, and her light snoring filled the air.