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“Fuck off.” I shove my arms through my light jacket and grab my backpack. “For the record, they prefer the scruff. It tickles, they say.” I wink at Mitchell, offering him my baller smirk, and head out.
It’s common for strangers to stop by the station, offering their appreciation for rescuing their house or cat, the wedding album they insisted we run back to save. When I step into the garage and spot Makayla, it takes me by surprise. She doesn’t see me at first. Her hands are linked together as she twists them, stepping from foot to foot. No shocker, she’s biting on her bottom lip. She’s nervous as hell.
It sparks an array of memories from when we were kids. She always came off as big and bad, but there were moments when she allowed herself to be exposed. And in those rare moments, she seemed scared. Of what, I never knew. But it was like if she didn’t stay alert, a monster would jump from the shadows and swallow her whole. I messed with her because I wanted to wear her down until she confessed what secrets she was hiding. She never did. She continued to hide. Yeah, I was a jerk. I poked fun at her looks. She sure as hell had the biggest glasses I’ve ever seen, but they didn’t make her ugly. They just made the fear in her eyes more prominent. I don’t know why I ever called her ugly duckling. She wasn’t ugly. Even now, with that cute as hell nervous tick about her, I ache to break her down and make her confess all her deep secrets.
I stay hidden, just staring at her. I could do this for hours. But Brady ruins my plan when he walks into the firehouse.
“Hey, I know you. The girl who was going to murder Ben and feed his balls to your cat for dinner.”
Crimson blasts across Makayla’s face, and I can’t help but chuckle. It catches her attention, and she whips her head in my direction. “Uh. . . yeah. That’s me. Don’t worry. He still has his balls, and I don’t even own a cat.”
“Hmmm. . . shame. Would have been a great story to tell around the fire—”
“I’ll take it from here.” I walk up, interrupting their chat. Brady stifles a laugh and nods to Makayla. I stop in front of her, loving the way her body quivers. I don’t say anything, and it only intensifies her discomfort. Damn, she’s adorable.
She wets her lips and clears her throat. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I repeat.
She closes her eyes for a second and takes a deep breath. “I wanted to tell you I’m—”
“Go out with me.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“I said go out with me.”
I love catching her off guard. The way those addictive eyes stare back at me. “Why—Why would you want to go out with me? I’m a total jerk.”
“Well, you came here to apologize, and I accept. So, go out with me.”
“How did you know I was—?”
“Were you?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“All’s forgiven. I’m between shifts. Let me take you to lunch. You can tell me how you’ve been beating yourself up since the other night.” My cock twitches at the fire brewing in her eyes. But it’s not because she’s angry. It’s because she’s been thinking about me.
“I really haven’t put much thought into it.” God, I want to put her over my knee and spank the shit out of her for fibbing. Her bottom lip disappears between her teeth, and I take a step closer, needing the space between us gone. My boots press against her heels, and her breasts barely graze my shirt as her chest expands with each quick breath she takes. “Okay, fine. Maybe I have. But only because you showed me an okay time, and I felt bad. I should have at least made you help clean up the mess we madebeforeI kicked you out.”
My breath skates along her flushed cheek as I chuckle. “You always have something to say. Never how you truly feel. Still hiding, are we?”
Her lips part, and it takes everything in me not to kiss the shit out of her. “What are you talking about?” she asks, her voice just above a whisper.
“Tell you over lunch. Do you like Thai food? There’s a great place a block over.” I’ve never wanted to shove someone and fuck them like a crazed animal against the fire engine like I do right now. Her beautiful catlike eyes cast a spell over me, making it hard to be normal around her—to act like a gentleman when all I want to do is tear her clothes off and make her mine. “If you don’t, we can try—”
“No, Thai’s fine.”
My lips curl into a winning smile. If it weren’t for an incoming fire engine, we probably could have stood there staring all day. I excuse myself quickly and let Brady know I’m taking off for a bit and to cover me. When I return, I press my hand to her lower back and guide her to the sidewalk. We don’t talk on the walk over, but I’m fine with it. “Remember when I used to walk you home at night from the Matthews’?” I say, breaking the silence.
“I wouldn’t call it walking me home. More like tormenting me and ruining my only peace and quiet.”
I chuckle. “More like saving your ass. You shouldn’t have been walking home alone at night. Anyone could have snatched you up.”
Her shoulders slowly roll back. “Sometimes, I wish someone had.”
“What do you mean?”
