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Ambrose patted the couch and Barrett sat beside him, pulling the notepad off the table and flipping it open. “I was thinking about a few things, speaking of thinking.”
“Oh?” Ambrose leaned forward, trying to peer at the notepad. “What about?”
“Mostly about you coming up to Alpha tower and how you’ll look when I have you sprawled out naked in bed as the sun rises.”
Ambrose’s eyes widened. “Are you allowed to do that?”
“Think about you naked? I sure as hell hope so.”
He got a punch in the arm for that quip. “Smartass. No, having me in the tower during your fire watch.”
“Yeah, sure. People take their spouses or kids up there all the time.”
“Barrett.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” Ambrose put a hand over his and closed the notepad. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“I won’t, trust me. I wanted to take Dandi for the whole time, but those stairs don’t exactly make having a dog that high up easy. I think we can manage you for some visits.”
Those grey eyes narrowed but he saw the smile Ambrose was trying to hide. “I see how I rank. Below giant dog.”
“Well, if you want to move up in the ranks…” He breathed Ambrose in, let his other hand drift down a jean-clad thigh. “Kiss me.”
“You’re so easily swayed.”
“By you, yes.”
Summer
Four weeks later, the first weekend of Barrett’s fire watch
“How’s it looking up there, Bear?” Meredith’s voice was distant through the radio but it was nice to hear her. She was good company during the slow, quiet evenings as the sun set and his active watch ended for the day. He still had to keep an eye out for bonfires and fireworks, but he could rest his eyes as the darkness settled around him. “Pretty good. Haven’t seen any campfires and it’s been a little on the cool side.”
“Wait for mid next week. Supposed to get hot fast.”
He groaned. There was also supposed to be quite a bit of rain next week, and the tower got humid quickly. He’d have to pop all the windows and run some fans to keep from sweating to death. “Well, I guess I have that to look forward to.”
“What about the boyfriend? The one you promised to bring out this summer?”
Barrett grimaced. “Been a little busy, Mer.”
“Doing what, I wonder.”
“Ugh.”
She laughed. “I’m fucking with you. But I know you’ll bring him out.”
“After I take him out to see Val and Forrest. If Val finds out I let you lot meet Ambrose before her, she’ll have my head.”
“I would never get in the way of your sister. She’s terrifying.”
“You’ve met her once, Mer.”
“Yup, and she scared the fuck outta me.”
He snorted. “Okay, I’m getting off of here. Holler if you need anything.”
