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“You can burn coal. Keeps you nice and warm. So it’s not a total loss.”
Jay’s gaze dropped lower and I realized that in my position - half leaning over my desk - I had inadvertently put my cleavage on full display. I straightened up immediately. I’d always been a big-chested girl and it wasn’t easy to find tops that kept everything covered. I liked my cranberry red cashmere sweater but sometimes it was just a little too low-cut, especially around the wandering eyes of men like Jay.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said as he passed.
I should have bit my tongue. I should have said nothing at all. But the words tumbled out before I could stop them.
“Change my mind about what?”
Jay paused at the doorway of my office with a wry little smile.
“If you ever want to get on Santa’s naughty list, I’d be happy to give you a few tips. Something tells me you’d have fun being a bad girl for a change.”
I scowled at him. Jay laughed. When he turned and walked away, my gaze lingered just a few seconds longer on his retreating figure than was appropriate for a workplace.
I closed my eyes with a sigh after he was gone. That man was aggravating and attractive and I told myself I hated him for it.
The slick state of my panties said otherwise.
Chapter Two
Jay
Ever since Rosie Simmons had started working at the fire department, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was in the middle of a conversation with Chief Wright at the moment in the apparatus bay, her back turned to me, and I took full advantage of the opportunity to stare.
Her short chestnut curls were cropped just below her chin in a bouncy bob. From this angle, I couldn’t see her small, pert mouth, which was a shame since her lips were always pursed so perfectly with disapproval when she spoke to me.
And her curves…
A man could lose his mind over curves like that.
As the conversation between Rosie and Chief Wright came to an end, I pretended to look busy, checking over the gear on the truck. It had already been done a few hours ago by the station’s candidate, but it was a slow day and I was restless with boredom. Besides, I didn’t want to appear too obvious that I was eyeing the new girl and that snug red sweater she wore. I couldn’t stop thinking about leaving a mark of the same color right on top of that pillowy cleavage she tried to cover up earlier when she’d caught me staring.
“Lawson,” Chief Wright said.
I snapped out of my reverie at his commanding tone. He gestured to the firehouse.
“Gather everyone in the common room for me. I have an announcement.”
“On it, Chief,” I replied.
Rosie turned and when I caught her eye, I couldn’t resist lifting my chin in acknowledgement. But I didn’t say a word and I kept my mouth shut as long as Chief Wright was within hearing range. I knew half the things we said to each other could get us both fired.
Under normal circumstances, I’m better behaved around women on staff. Fire departments are notoriously male-dominated spaces and any woman who ventured into such spaces would have her hands full already. I had no intention of adding to her problems.
But Rosie had always been a little prickly ever since I met her. And then there was this…undertone…that continually cropped up between us. An undertone that was decidedly not professional. She seemed determined to deny the sexual tension crackling between us, but I didn’t mind. She could play hard to get all she liked if that’s what she wanted.
The Holly Hollow fire station wasn’t very big. Living in a small town meant work was slower than the big city stations where I’d started out as a young candidate. But I was older now, flirting with forty-six, and I appreciated the days when things were quiet. Getting to know the community was easier too, cozy and friendly. I’d seen a lot of kids around here grow up, get married, and have kids of their own.
It didn’t take long before I had everyone in the common room, waiting for Chief Wright’s announcement. Rosie slipped in, lingering by the doorway. When she crossed her arms, it pushed her tits up into twin pale, creamy mounds, straining at the V-cut of her sweater.
I wrenched my gaze away. I’d worked with many of these firefighters for years and they were sharp guys. They would know in a heartbeat if I was fighting a hard-on because I got distracted by Rosie’s curves.
“Gentlemen,” Chief Wright said. “As you know, the holiday bazaar opens on Friday night.”
A whoop of excitement went through the room. Chief Wright allowed a brief crack in his usual stoicism and smiled.
“I need volunteers to take one of the trucks and join the Christmas parade to kick off the festivities.”
