5. Seth
Chapter 5
Seth
I tugged at the collar of my navy blue uniform t-shirt and clutched my root beer like a lifeline. Why was I so damn nervous? It was just a date—a very low-key one at that. I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the screen.
Five minutes to noon. Still no text or call from Marlee.
Three barbecues had been set up outside the firehouse, along with a buffet table of food, and several coolers packed with an array of ice-cold drinks and juice boxes for the kids. Visitors clustered on the lawn of the firehouse with folding chairs and picnic blankets, chatting. Kids shrieked with laughter when Davies rigged a leaf blower to produce a constant stream of bubbles.
The cookout was well underway. In a few minutes, we would start auctioning some old firefighter gear we could no longer use, signed by every member of the Romeo Fire Department, to raise funds. After that was dessert, a friendly game of flag football, and a movie on the projector, with popcorn, candy, and glowsticks.
I couldn’t help feeling antsy that Marlee wasn’t here yet. Had she changed her mind and bailed instead?
God, I hoped not. If she didn’t show, that would knock the wind out of me. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I’d had bad dates before. This wouldn’t be the first time that a woman stood me up. When that happened, I usually rallied and moved on without batting an eye.
This time was different though.
Under normal circumstances, I wasn’t the type to settle down or dream about having a family of my own. I liked my freedom. The temporary aspect of my relationships rendered them even sweeter. There was no chance to tire of each other or get bored, living with the same person, day in and day out. When I parted with the women I dated, it was on good terms most of the time, with a handful of rare exceptions.
With Marlee, I found myself hoping for more.
It was a new feeling—unsettling, but not unwelcome.
Which was ironic, since Marlee was probably the one who would dump me at the curb in the blink of an eye.
Lieutenant Hardy approached and nudged me with his elbow.
“You’re pacing like a caged animal,” he said. “I’d get you a beer, but Chief Langston says no alcohol. Have a hot dog instead.”
He shoved a plate toward me, filled with chips, carrot sticks, and a hot dog piled high with all the fixings—sauerkraut, onions, chili, mustard, and ketchup. Too bad I had no appetite for it. I shook my head in refusal.
Technically, my crew and I had the day off, we wouldn’t be answering any calls, so a stiff drink wouldn’t get me in trouble. But the chief wanted us to be on our best behavior since we represented the fire department for the fundraiser. So, we wore our standard issued clothes—navy blue pants and a shirt with the RFD logo on the back—and we didn’t touch the beer in the coolers, no matter how tempting it might be.
“You wouldn’t happen to be waiting on Miss Jenkins’ appearance, would you?” Lieutenant Hardy asked in a wry tone, arching an eyebrow.
I glanced sharply at him in surprise. He chuckled.
“It’s a small town. Word travels fast.”
I snorted in amusement.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. You went to high school with Sheriff Beck. You two gossip like a pair of little old ladies.”
Lieutenant Hardy shrugged.
“Let us have our fun. We can’t keep up with you kids anymore.”
“I’m thirty-two,” I countered.
“Which is twenty years younger than me, so that qualifies you as a kid. Beck said you were very cozy with Miss Jenkins after that firework exploded in her office. Plenty of flirting. She’s a little out of your league, isn’t she?”
I gulped at my root beer, wishing it had more kick that would steady me.
“I was being friendly. She’s new in town.”
Lieutenant Hardy scoffed and thumped me on the shoulder as he turned away.
“I’m familiar with how friendly you are to the women around here, Teagan. But don’t bite off more than you can chew with this one, all right?”
I took a breath to speak when movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. About a block away from the firehouse, I spotted Marlee. It took a split second to recognize her, wearing a pale pink floral sundress with a bouncy little frill that swirled a few inches above her knees. With thick wedge sandals and her blonde hair loosely pinned up, she looked like a completely different person. She looked…normal.
As Marlee approached, she must have noticed me staring, standing rooted to the spot at the end of the firehouse’s driveway, like a loyal puppy waiting for its owner to come home. She raised her hand with a wave in greeting.
The breeze teased at her skirt, sending it fluttering up around her hip. I caught a tempting glimpse of upper thigh and lacy white panties before she smoothed her skirt down again.
“Hey,” she said. “Sorry I’m late.”
My gaze swept over her from head to toe, marveling that she seemed…almost bashful.
“You look good,” I said.
A small, pleased smile touched Marlee’s lips and she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder.
“I’m attempting to blend in with the locals. I sold my Jaguar this morning, too.”
She gestured in the distance to a lemon-yellow Volkswagen beetle. I raised my eyebrows.
“Is this because of what I said the other day? About being a city slicker?”
“Maybe,” Marlee admitted with a half shrug. “Sticking out like a sore thumb isn’t exactly the impression I want to make when it comes to my fresh start here.”
I fought to hide a smirk, but failed miserably. Marlee cared so much about my opinion that she was willing to shed her expensive California persona in favor of something more humble and down-to-earth.
“In that case,” I said. “If you really want to look like a girl who belongs in Romeo, there’s just one thing you’re missing.”
I took her hand and tucked it into the crook of my arm. For the first time since meeting Marlee, her icy blue eyes were no longer cold and sharp. Instead, they sparkled. I liked this side of her—no longer straight-laced and buttoned up. Those walls she’d built were gradually beginning to melt and I was more than ready to turn up the heat to turn her into a puddle.
“Now, you’re perfect,” I said, smoothing my thumb over her knuckles.
I leaned in and pressed my lips to her warm, smooth cheek. Marlee’s fingertips flexed tighter on my arm, squeezing my bicep. Her lashes lowered, shielding her gaze. The scent of her perfume had changed too—sweeter, delicate, like strawberries and peaches.
Someone wolf whistled from the firehouse. I glanced over to see Mueller and Anderson manning the barbecues outside the apparatus bay, snickering and elbowing each other as they pointed at me.
“I hope you weren’t planning on flying under the radar today,” I said to Marlee.
She scoffed.
“You said it yourself. There’s a lot of publicity when it comes to dating the hottest firefighter in town.”
I grinned and headed for the firehouse.
It didn’t take long before Marlee was surrounded by my crew, with a firefighter’s helmet perched on her head, utterly enthralled while they told the most embarrassing stories about me that they could come up with. Some of them were true, but most of them were bald-faced lies told purely for entertainment.
“I put itching powder in Teagan’s boxers when he was a candidate,” Mueller said. “A call came in while he was showering—a farm caught on fire. Huge blaze. Took hours to get it under control. So, Teagan threw on his clothes and his gear and headed out.”
“Oh no,” Marlee said.
Anderson cackled.
“That boy was walking funny all day.”
“He doesn’t wear boxers anymore,” Mueller said.
Marlee’s gaze flicked to me as I came over, carrying a cup of lemonade in each hand. I passed one to her.
“Does that mean you go commando now?” she asked.
“Come home with me and find out,” I replied without missing a beat.
Marlee’s gaze dropped down to my belt then dragged back up to my face slowly. She took a long, slow sip of her lemonade. I felt like a prime cut of steak and she was the hungry tiger, licking her chops.
“Everybody goes commando around here,” Anderson chimed in with his complete lack of ability to read the damn room. “Boxers and briefs get in the way when you have to answer a call. Can’t afford to waste time when you need to get in the truck and move.”
“Duly noted,” Marlee said. “Maybe I’ll wander by the fire station for a peek.”
“No,” I said. "Absolutely not. No peeking."
“Why not? Are you jealous? Afraid I’ll find out the other firefighters are packing heavier equipment than you are?”
Oh, she was feisty.
I pointed at Anderson and Mueller.
“This is your fault. Why can’t you have civilized conversation instead of subjecting my gorgeous date to the mental image of your bare asses in the locker room?”
Marlee sputtered a laugh, nearly choking on her lemonade.
“I’m not complaining.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, biting my tongue to stop myself from smiling.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Conway leaned closer to Marlee with a loud whisper.
“Teagan isn’t used to this. He never has competition when it comes to winning the affection of a lady. You’d be hard pressed to find a woman in Romeo who hasn’t gone starry-eyed by his charms.”
Marlee glanced at me as she ran her hand over Conway’s chest.
“Should we make him jealous?”
A spike of something hot and prickly stabbed me in the heart. Conway was a good-looking guy with shoulder-length brown hair, tattoo sleeves, and a muscular build from helping out at his uncle’s ranch—cutting firewood and hauling hay bales. While the rest of us relied on the gym to keep us in shape for our jobs, Conway simply threw himself into physical labor and it showed. He was built like a bear, and the ladies loved him for it, even though he rarely bothered to date.
If anyone was going to steal my girl today, it would be him.
I shouldered between Marlee and Conway, placing a protective—and somewhat possessive—hand at the base of her spine. I removed the helmet from her head and shoved it in Conway's chest.
“Are you hungry?” I asked Marlee.
“Not really,” she replied. “Conway and I—”
“Let’s get you something to eat anyway. Conway can fend for himself."
She laughed softly. Her shoulder bumped against mine as we walked.
“Well?” she asked.
I glanced down at her.
“Well what?”
Marlee hooked a finger into my belt with a tug.
“Is it true you go commando?”
I caught her wrist, dipping my head to brush my lips against her ear.
“You can’t expect me to spill all my secrets on the first date. Besides, I didn’t expect you to get so cozy with the guys right away. When we first met, you looked like you wanted my head on a stick. You certainly weren’t this friendly to me.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of reconnaissance?” Marlee countered lightly.
We reached the buffet table and she selected a strawberry from a fruit platter, popping it in her mouth.
“Oh, so you’re playing nice to dig up dirt on me, is that it?” I replied.
She nodded.
“That’s not fair,” I said. “I can’t dig up any dirt on you.”
Marlee shrugged and patted my chest as she skirted around me, reaching for a paper plate.
“That’s too bad. I guess you’ll just have to put on your big boy boots and deal with it.”
I chuckled and shook my head. Seeing Marlee cut loose like this felt…good. It felt incredible actually. And it made me crave her even more, to uncover the real Marlee so carefully guarded behind the barrier of her professional life.
As the sun began to set, Lieutenant Hardy fired up the projector—an old bed sheet, spread across the back of the firehouse. Davies made shadow puppets with his hands for the kids until the movie started to roll.
I retrieved a spare blanket from the firehouse and spread it out on the lawn. Marlee and I got comfortable, our plates piled with snacks. Marlee unhooked her sandals and wiggled her bare toes, stretching out her legs as she made herself comfortable.
The strap of her sundress slipped off. I stared at her bare shoulder for a beat too long. Then I hooked a finger in her strap and slid it back into place, dragging my knuckles over her skin, still warm after a day in the sun.
Marlee turned to meet my gaze. I trailed my knuckles higher, tracing the curve of her neck, her jawline. I skimmed my thumb along her lower lip, faintly pink from her lip gloss—a welcome change from the aggressive matte red lipstick she usually wore.
As the movie started, I propped my hand on the blanket by her hip. She inched loser, tucked into my side.
“I had fun today,” Marlee whispered. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Being a small town girl suits you.”
I cupped her chin and kissed her as the light from the projector’s screen washed over us. Marlee hummed against my lips and rested her hand against my chest. I hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her into my lap. Grabbing a fistful of her skirt, my fingers grazed her bare thigh.
Someone cleared their throat loudly.
I broke away and turned my head to see Lieutenant Hardy at the edge of the lawn with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. We were caught, like two teenagers making out in the back of the movie theater.
“We better keep the PDA to a minimum for now,” I said.
Marlee and I shifted to a more respectable position. She hummed, tugging my shirt free from my belt. Then her nimble fingers ghosted along my torso. She rested her head against my chest as she focused on the movie. My cock ached for release and I was tempted to drag her away from here, fundraiser be damned.
Lieutenant Hardy and Chief Langston would have my head for skipping out though.
So, I pulled Marlee closer and kissed her temple instead, content with cuddling up for the duration of the movie, which was more than she would have let me get away with a few days ago.
My girl was warming up to me, coming out of her shell, and I couldn’t wait to see her fully blossom.