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“Fantastic,” he growls. “Now, I just need more.”
I laugh because I’m a girl who eats a lot, especially since I’m pregnant, but this man consumes at least three times more food than me.
“So tell me,” I say in a coy voice. “Do you always eat like this at the fire station?”
Mark nods, still chewing.
“Yeah, pretty much. All of us are monsters there, and when we go to the grocery store, we’re sometimes cleaning out that place. Seriously, we’ll walk out with gallons and gallons of milk, as well as meat, fish, poultry, pasta, you name it. It’s just part of our job,” he says.
I nod.
“Because you sleep at the station sometimes, right?”
Mark grins.
“Yeah, the nights when I haven’t been available to service you are usually because I’m on an overnight at the station. We have weird shifts sometimes because fires can happen any time of the day. Hell, a lot of times it feels like it’s more likely we’ll be summoned at 3 a.m. than 3 p.m. Burning candles, forgetting to shut off the stove, and all that. As well as health emergencies,” he frowns. “Heart attacks and other medical events that require EMS personnel.”
“Of course,” I say in a soft voice. “Thank you for your service.” But then a thought strikes. “Wait, have you delivered babies before as part of your job?”
My handsome date grins while popping another piece of sushi in his mouth.
“I have,” he grins. “Just a handful, and it’s stressful, so don’t try to do it, sweetheart. You should stick with your delivery plan, and not call 9-1-1 hoping to get me.”
“Oh, I wasn’t!” I protest merrily. “Just curious that’s all. But didn’t you just join the fire department in Millbrook?” I ask in a questioning tone, cocking my head to one side. “Or were you living elsewhere in town and just relocated to the house next door?”
Mark nods.
“No, I used to be with the Sansome Fire Department, but then got transferred here. It’s a nice fit. I like the guys and mesh well with my new co-workers.”
I nod.
“But why did they transfer you? Or did you request it?”
Those blue eyes shutter for a moment, but it’s so fast that when he blinks, it’s gone.
“I just like the smaller size of the team in Millbrook,” Mark says in a casual voice. “Sansome is a much bigger city, so sometimes, you didn’t even know all the other guys. There were multiple ladders, and you never really became a “family,” the way things are like at Millbrook. So yeah, it’s just the culture. Every department is different,” he says in a meaningful voice.
“Of course,” I respond quickly. “That makes total sense, and I love having you as my new neighbor. Welcome to Millbrook,” I giggle, and with that, the conversation continues, light and airy. Somehow, I know there’s more to Mark’s transfer than he’s letting on, but it’s clear that he doesn’t want to get into it right now. What could it be? After all, Sansome is a bigger city so the position there probably paid more, and had better benefits.
But who knows? I suppose everything will come out in its own good time, and I’m looking forward to learning more about my hot neighbor because he’s interesting, charismatic, generous and fun. Yes, we hit it off in the sack, but even better, we’re hitting it off interpersonally as well, and that’s the big surprise in this entanglement.
7
Mark
Amonth later.
I’m chilling with my buddy James at a bar in Millbrook, and it’s good to see him because there’s a lot on my chest.
“So what’s up?” the handsome bastard asks, taking a sip of his beer before setting it back down on the table. “I see you enough at the fire station as is, so I take it this is something that you didn’t want to talk about there?”
I smile ruefully because yes, James and I are co-workers. I only met him a couple months ago when I moved to town but we get along great. He’s about the same age as I am, and also single and fancy-free. Actually, scratch that. James is a total asshole when it comes to women because he likes to fuck as many ladies as possible without any sort of limits or conscience.
“Are you still seeing that girl?” I ask in a curious voice.
He grins.
“Which one? Pick A, B, or C.”
