Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
“Just stay for one more,” Janelle says as she waves down the sweet bartender Judy at the local tavern. I should say no and just go home, but she’s a really bad influence on me, and it is Friday.
“Fine. One more,” I say right before Janelle orders us each another drink. It was a good first week of school, but man, am I tired.
“You know, you really should let me fix you up.”
I roll my eyes and thank Judy when she places a new drink in front of each of us before turning back to my friend and her ridiculous need to see me in a relationship. “No. Never again.”
“Oh my God. Ryan was sweet.”
“ Ryan still lived with his mom and called her Mommy . At thirty. No.”
She cackles and takes a drink, but she doesn’t let it go.
Janelle is one of the few people who actually knows for sure that I’m gay.
It’s not something I really hide, and I dated plenty in college, but when you live in a small, rural, conservative town, and you’re a teacher—sometimes it’s best to live life on the down-low.
It’s not a secret, but I don’t talk about it at work either.
Janelle—she’s just different. I think she clocked it right away but let me tell her in my own time—after trying to set me up with several cute girls she knows .
But every time she did it, it was like this inside joke.
For whatever reason, it helped me know she’d be just fine if I told her I was gay and not at all interested in cute girls, though maybe if she knew a cute guy or two, I’d be open to it.
Big mistake, by the way.
She’s been trying to set me up with every man she meets. I do adore the woman though.
“What about with him ?” Her eyes are glued to the door. I think the woman might be drooling, so of course I have to take a glance, though I wish I hadn’t.
Walking through the door is Kade—looking way too damn hot in a pair of jeans and a tight black Garnett Fire Department t-shirt. His hair is wet, like he just took a shower, and I will my body not to react.
I turn away. “This is not happening.”
“What?” Janelle looks confused, but that doesn’t make her pull her eyes off Kade.
“Janelle,” I say, trying to get her attention, but she’s almost comically glued to the man. “That’s Kade.”
“What?” she says again, and I don’t think my words are registering with her at all. I place my hand on her arm.
“You’re a married woman.”
“Again, not dead,” she says, finally prying her eyes away from Kade and looking back at me. “Kade...” It’s finally clicking. Her eyes go wide. “That’s Kade?”
I nod, picking up my drink and taking a healthy swig. “Yes. That’s Kade. Stop staring.” Her eyes have gone back to him yet again. “For the love of God, woman. Be subtle.”
Her gaze is finally on me again, but I swear she hasn’t stopped the drooling—and I get it.
Lord, do I get it. As gorgeous as I thought Kade Mitchell was when we were younger, his younger self has nothing on grown-up, fireman Kade.
“I’m sorry. Even if he’s a total prick, I’d climb that man like a tree. ”
“He is a prick.” I say, taking another long drink.
“Who’s a prick?” Shit. My entire body goes stiff—including my cock, which is just so inappropriate—when I hear his deep voice coming from behind me.
“You, apparently.” Damn it, Janelle. The woman doesn’t miss a beat, and I really think I need to get a new best friend.
“I’m Janelle,” she says, shamelessly reaching her hand out for Kade.
I can see their hands out of my peripheral vision, and I finish my drink quickly and turn around to look at Kade.
“I’m a prick?” he asks after dropping Janelle’s hand. Janelle looks way too pleased as she grabs her drink but stays turned around, facing Kade.
“You’re saying you aren’t?” Okay, the alcohol has loosened my lips a little, but it’s fine. This is totally fine, and I’m still in control.
“Don’t worry about this one. I’m sure you had your reasons,” Janelle says, draping her arm around my shoulder. “He likes to make it hard to love him at first, but once you get to know him, it’s impossible not to.”
She actually winks at him, and I swear I’m searching for a new best friend tomorrow. Kade, for his part though, actually smiles at that, his lips twitching slightly with amusement. “We go way back.”
I snort at that. “As if you remember.”
His eyes darken a little, his brow furrowing, and if he could stop looking so hot, that would be fantastic. Like any minute now, please. “I do remember you. You think I don’t?”
“Why don’t you join us for a drink and you two can talk this out,” Janelle tries unhelpfully.
“Nope.” I stand up, and admittedly, my knees are a little bit wobbly from the alcohol, but I manage not to trip as I lay money down on the bar and thank Judy one last time.
“I’m heading out. I guess you two can just talk without me.
” Though when I say that, I do get a sick feeling.
I can just imagine Janelle gossiping and laughing and talking away with Kade after I leave.
“Don’t you have to get home to your husband and kids? ”
Janelle finishes off her drink and stands up.
Blessedly, I think she knows exactly why I blurted that out and lets me off the hook.
“I suppose I do.” She looks at Kade—not hiding at all that she would in fact like to climb him like a tree, as she put it.
“It was so nice to meet you, Kade. I think I’ll be seeing you around. ”
“Will you?’
“Janelle is a teacher at the school too.” I add, though I’m not sure why. I should be getting the hell out of here.
“Oh.” Kade looks at her happily and smiles. “Then, yeah. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Janelle kisses me on the cheek and whispers, “You should stay and talk.”
I shake my head. “No.”
Her pretty eyes roll, and she hugs me anyway. “So stubborn.”
“See you on Monday.”
“Have fun boys.” She waves before taking off, and then it’s just Kade and me—with me trying to talk my legs into walking away from him, but they aren’t really working with me at the moment.
“You really taking off?”
Okay, that helps. His deep, stupidly hot voice sends a tingle through my entire body and reminds me just how dangerous it is to be around this man.
How it’s always been. I was strong in school—believe it or not—and I could handle the torment of bullies.
I knew then I needed to hide the fact that I was gay because, while the world does seem to be getting a little more accepting, even seven years ago, things were much, much worse. And I knew it wasn’t safe.
But when Kade Mitchell was around—it wasn’t possible to hide the effect he had on me.
Apparently, he still does because my dick is still half hard from being in his presence.
I need to walk away. “Yes. I’m leaving. Have at it,” I say, motioning toward the bar and then forcing my legs to carry me toward the exit.
I push through the door, but I’m not alone. Kade is following behind me just as the cool night air hits my face. “Are you ever going to tell me what exactly I did to you that has you so pissy?”
I whirl around to look at him. It’s just him and me outside of the bar on Main Street. It’s not lost on me that that’s exactly how his brother described me. Have they been talking about me? “You did not just say that to me.”
“I did.” He steps a little closer, and I can smell his woodsy cologne, making it nearly impossible for me to respond to him. “Are you going to tell me why?”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I say, stumbling a bit when I start to walk away from him and all his handsome looks and pheromones making me stupid.
“You aren’t driving home, are you?”
I turn around to face him again. Only I nearly run right into him because he’s closer to me than I thought. “That’s really none of your business.”
“Actually, it is. You smash into a tree, trying to get your drunk ass home, who do you think they’ll call to clean it all up?”
“You arrogant—” Nope. I stop myself and glare at him. “Well, considering you’re at a bar, I’d say you’re probably not on duty.”
His eyes glance to the left, and I follow them to the fire station, which is only a block away, situated right downtown across from the library. His blue eyes meet mine. “A fireman is always on duty. So I’d really rather not spend my night off pulling your body out of a smashed-up car.”
“How sweet,” I deadpan, crossing my arms and staring daggers at him.
I’m not drunk. I am, however, tipsy, and I would never, ever drive even tipsy.
That wreck I inexplicably told Elijah about—yeah, I downplayed it a bit.
That wreck was caused by a drunk driver, and I wasn’t seriously hurt, but it shook me to my core.
I couldn’t get into a car for a while after it.
It terrified me—because if we’d have been going any faster, it could have been so much worse.
“You always like this?”
“Like what?” I snap.
“Closed off.” He waves a hand between our bodies, gesturing toward my stance. “Bitter.”
“I’m not bitter.” I drop my hands and spin around, starting my walk again because I don’t need this. I don’t owe him anything and especially not my sanity. And talking to Kade makes me feel anything but sane.
He’s walking next to me before I know it though, and apparently, he doesn’t give up. Though I’m not sure why.
“I’m not driving, okay? I live close by. I walked here, and I’m walking home. You and your fireman sense of duty can go home with a clear conscience.”
But he just continues to walk next to me anyway. “I just want to know what the hell it was I did. You can say you’re not bitter all you want, but you can’t say you’ve been friendly.”
“Do you really need more friends, Kade?”
“I just want to know. My son . . .”
I stop walking. “Where is your son, by the way?”
He looks almost guilty as he stops at my question, and I wonder why. I don’t like the guy, but it’s obvious he’s a good father. “He’s with Bowen. Asleep. Bowen thought I needed to get out, so he made me leave.”
It would be funny if I wasn’t so annoyed—but the look on his face right now, like his big brother bullied him or something and made him go out to have fun. “Bowen isn’t at work?”
He shakes his head. “The forty-eight off means there are some days we’re both off.”
I nod my head but then realize I’m talking to him calmly about normal everyday things, and that’s just unacceptable. I’m trying to get away from him, damn it. “Well, then you should go and have fun.”
“Why the hell are you so stubborn, huh? If I was an asshole in high school, I’m sorry. It wasn’t a great time for me.”
I’m taken aback by that because it sure looked like he loved his time there, but I don’t ask about it. I won’t. “You were fine. We’re fine. I’m your son’s teacher and nothing else, Kade.”
He looks almost defeated, and I feel a little bad about it. But then I lift my chin and straighten my shoulders, standing firm. “All right then, have a good night, Mr. Bell.”
“You too, Mr. Mitchell.”
Finally, he lets me go on about my way. But I don’t hear his footsteps at all, so I wonder if he’s standing still.
It takes everything in me not to turn around to see if he’s watching me, but I don’t do it.
I can’t think about Kade Mitchell anymore. I was finally free of that.
Sort of.
A little.