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I chuckle. “You working after this, then?”
Her eyes widen a little, and she licks her lips again. I follow the movement of her tongue, need scalding me. “Conveniently, some firefighters needed volunteers, so I guess I have you to thank for getting me out of work,” she answers with a smirk, raising one blonde brow. “Weirdly, breaking my legs and getting carried around by one was way more fun than replying to emails.”
God, she’s radiant. I’m so fucked. “My shift’s over after this,” I say, leaning forward a little so that the others around us don’t overhear my absolutely unprofessional behavior. “I don’t suppose your evening’s free?”
There’s that blush again.
“I mean…all I had planned was pulling a fire alarm to see if you’d turn up again so I could give you my number,” she jokes, her eyes sparkling.
I tut. “And here I thought you were a good girl, Autumn,” I tease and don’t miss the way her breath hitches at my words. “Do I need to teach you about fire safety and the appropriate use of emergency alarms?”
“Do I get to be carried around in your arms while you teach me?” she teases right back, edging towards me a little. “Do you always take so long to put your volunteers down, Aidan?”
Oh, she’s trouble. A perfect mix of naughty and tooth-achingly sweet.
“Caught me,” I say, holding my hands up in surrender. I’m not going to deny it. “So, what do you say, sweetheart? Can I take you out?”
Autumn tucks her hair behind her ears, playing with the golden curls.
“Yeah,” she says with a grin that makes her eyes light up. “I’d like that.”
3
AUTUMN
Irush to make it into the elevator as the doors begin to close, practically slamming myself against Janey when I slide in. There’s a few others in here with us, but they’re chatting among themselves about some meeting. I turn to my friend with a grin.
“What’s that face for?” she asks with a smile of her own, leaning forward as though closeness will make our conversation more confidential. “Autumn, did you get your fireman to save you with his hose?”
I snort, shoving her shoulder playfully. Janey has an endless supply of dirty jokes for literally every situation. “Janey!”
“Well, did you?”
I shake my head, feeling my face heating. “Well, no…I mean, not yet at least.”
Even as I make the joke, I know I don’t mean it. Or, I do, but that’s not all I mean. Aidan is…unexpected. Even thinking of him makes me feel all giddy. The elevator begins to descend, taking us away from the fire crew that is packing up, but knowing that Aidan is going to come by my desk to get me makes the small distance more bearable.
The heat in my blood is undeniable—I want him in a way I’ve never wanted anyone before. When he was carrying me in his arms, my brain immediately conjured up a million scenarios of how he could use all those strong muscles on me in different ways. And when he called me a good girl? I shiver at the memory of his low voice, sparks shooting through me.
But our attraction is more than just physical. I can’t even think of the words to explain it to Janey because my brain refuses to think about anything except him. It’s like we’re magnets, drawn to each other by some invisible force. The way he cared for me in the drill, the way he obviously cares about his work, the way I heard a few of the other members of his team chat to him after—it’s clear that Aidan is a good guy through and through.
And I want to know more about him like I want my next breath. I want to know everything in fact.
“You still got your V card?” Janey asks in a whispered hiss, and I shoot her a glare.
“You know fine well I do,” I grumble back, shaking my head. I love her, but she can be so nosey sometimes. Truth is, I’ve never felt enough connection to anyone to go all the way with them. “And it’s not like that. We’re going out for dinner.”
Janey squeals with excitement. The elevator stops at her floor, and she curses, catching my gaze before she leaves.
“Tell me everything tomorrow,” she demands as she rushes out with the others, leaving me to ride down to the first floor alone.
When the elevator lets me out at the reception, I make quick work of collecting my things from my desk, tugging on my jacket and hooking my bag over my shoulder. As I’m readjusting my hair, tugging it free of my bag strap, Aidan appears in my peripheral. Butterflies erupt in my stomach at his nearness, and I spin with a huge smile on my face.
He’s changed into normal clothes—jeans and a nice, well-fitting jumper that draws my attention to his pecs—and leans against the side of my desk with a grin on his stupidly handsome face.
“How did you make it here so fast?” I ask with a breathless laugh. “You weren’t in the elevator.”
Aidan’s gaze sweeps over me as he answers, “I took the stairs.”
