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She winks, and while my cock is definitely hard, there are other strange things happening in my body—a warmth radiating to my toes and a gallop in my heart that wasn’t there before. I know without a doubt that I’ve got to come clean, and if she decides she hates me, I’ll do whatever it takes to win her back, because I need this woman in my life.
“No, those are just one-man carries. There are two- and three-man carries, and we also use stretchers, ropes, straps, and chairs to move victims,” I answer.
Todd looks at his watch and st
eps forward. “It looks like our time is up. Does anyone have a question they have to have answered before we move on to the next class?” The group of kids sit quietly, no one raising their hands, and Claire claps hers together.
“All right, class.” She steps around the group and stands in front of Todd and me. “What do we say to these two firefighters for coming and talking to us today?”
“Thank you,” they all say in unison.
“I want you all to stand up and form a single-file line behind Tara,” she tells them.
The kids rise to their feet, and Claire turns to us. “Thank you so much for coming. We really appreciate it.” She wraps Todd’s hand between hers.
“It’s our pleasure. We’ll see you next year,” he says.
She nods and watches Todd walk toward the fire truck before turning to me. “I take it you haven’t come up with any excuses.”
I shake my head. “Not one.”
“Good.” She smiles, and I notice her clear eyes once again.
“You look good…happy,” I say.
“I have you to thank for that. And I have you to thank for calling Mo yesterday morning.”
I was hoping I wasn’t crossing any lines by calling Mo. Judging by the easy smile on Claire’s face, I think it’s safe to say I’m in the clear. “I take it you got your dog back.”
“I did.”
“That’s good.”
A bell rings. Claire’s eyes dart to the school and then back to mine. “Will I see you tomorrow night?”
“Absolutely.”
She turns to her class and starts them walking. I join Todd by the fire truck, but keep my eyes on her until she disappears into the school.
24
Trevor
“You’re here early.”
I toss the shovel and tool bag in the bed of my truck. “We’re ranchers. We always start early.”
Dad looks at his watch and lifts his brow. “I do, but you’re coming off a two-day shift, which means you usually sleep in.”
“I figured you could use a little extra help with Rhett back in Houston.”
And I didn’t sleep worth shit last night, so I was up anyway.
I tossed and turned all last night, trying to find a way to tell Claire about my involvement in her dad’s death and keep her interested in being with me at the same time. But no matter how it plays out in my head, it always ends the same way: with Claire hating me.
This is the reason I always kept my distance. I knew we would be explosive, and I knew that once I got a taste of her, I would only want more. Now I’m fucked because I either tell her the truth and risk her hating me, or I walk away first—and damn it, I can’t do that, not again.
“Son.”
