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“Hello?” I mewl in what I hope is a coy voice. But it seems Mason is speaking to someone else.
“Hey Chief,” he says. His voice sounds raspy and hoarse. “I know I’m scheduled for a shift today, but I’ve come down with something.” Then he turns his face away from the receiver and coughs. “I don’t think I’ll be able to come in today unless you want me infecting everyone.”
I blink, confused. “Chief? Mason, this is Charity, not the fire station.”
“Charity? What are you—” There’s rustling on his end and then he groans, like he’s just realized something that makes his entire body cringe. “I meant to call my boss,” he says. “Not you, Charity. Sorry about that.”
“Oh.” My cheeks warm and my heart drops to my feet. Stupid, stupid me. Of course this was an accident because Mason probably just wanted to hit it and quit it. What was I thinking?
“No it’s okay. It happens. I’ll let you go—”
“Wait, wait. Don’t hang up,” he growls.
I hesitate and merely listen, my finger still poised over the “end” button. “Why, what’s going on?” I ask in what I hope is a casual tone.
He lets out a muffled curse.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you, Charity. I just… well, what we did was taboo, sweet girl, and I don’t want to come on too strong.”
I scrunch my nose. Too strong? What is he talking about?
“Mason, I wanted to do what we did,” I say in a firm voice. “Yes, I realize that it was unexpected and forbidden, but I wanted it very much. And you don’t have to worry about coming on too strong because it was everything I hoped for and more.”
There’s silence for a moment, but then his low voice growls in my ear.
“Sweetheart,” he says. “I appreciate those words but you see, you’re young and you’ve never been with a man before.”
I cut him off.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know what I’m talking about,” I interject quickly. “Sorry for the double negative, but I really mean it. I wanted to be with you, and I want to be with you now, especially if you’re sick.”
There’s silence again from the other end of the phone, but then he heaves a sigh.
“Well, I’d love to see your pretty face—” he begins. That’s all I need to hear.
“I’ll be at your place in ten minutes, okay? If I can’t get in, I’ll assume something awful has happened to you, and I’ll break down the door if need be. Got it?”
He starts laughing on the other side of the line. “You’re a sassy one, aren’t you, Charity? But yes, I’ll see you soon. Can’t wait, baby girl.”
I grin to myself and hang up. Well, that was easy. Who knew Mason was so respectful of boundaries? I always pictured him as a cave man who just took what he wanted, but it seems the firefighter’s actually quite sensitive to social expectations and mores, which is good. But right now, I’m the one who doesn’t care about what other people think because I’m burning to see him.
With that, I shed my jeans and raggedy t-shirt in a hurry and put on a pretty pink dress with spaghetti straps. Then, I do my make-up in a natural fashion before scrunching my curls. Perfect.
With a secret smile, I grab my tote bag and hop into my car. But I don’t drive to Mason’s place right away. Instead, I swing by the grocery store and pick up all of the ingredients I need for garlic chicken turmeric soup. It’s great for colds, and works miracles to be honest.
Finally, I pull up to Mason’s house, which is a comfortable split level ranch on the other side of town. When he answers the door, my heart goes pitter patter. Even though he’s sick, he still looks gorgeous in gray sweatpants that hang off his hips just so, and a white t-shirt that emphasizes his broad shoulders and muscular chest. It takes all of my self control not to attack him on the spot as I smile.
“Hi,” I breathe.
He grins.
“Hey baby girl,” he says. “I’d kiss you except I don’t want to infect you with whatever I have. Come on in.”
Inside, the living room is comfortable and masculine. It’s not too big nor too small, and he’s got a lot of heavy wooden furniture, leather chairs, and of course a huge flatscreen TV above the fireplace. The kitchen’s off to one side and looks very functional.
Smiling, I set my purse down on the glass table by the door.
“Did you manage to get a hold of your boss?” I ask.
“Yeah. I called him right after I got off the phone with you.”
I nod. “So is everything going to be okay?”
He scrubs his face with one hand, suddenly looking tired.
