Chapter 3
GIRLMATH: WHEN HE HAS SALT AND PEPPER HAIR AND BLACK RIMMED GLASSES, AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
ABBY
My eyes widen at the easily recognizable voice and the distinct nickname that’s been on repeat in my head for the last few weeks.
My neck swivels slowly in the direction of where the voice came from, and there he is standing in the threshold of the room, sans all clothing.
One towel hangs low on his waist, while another is draped over his shoulders as he massages one side of it into his damp, dirty blonde hair. His body still drips with beadlets of water as he stands there barefoot and beautiful.
I trace the inked art over his chest and arms that decorate most of his upper body. His abs flex with the movement of his arms and I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from appraising the lines of his gorgeous muscles and vibrant tattoos.
“Oh my god,” trails out from my lips as a whisper. Mostly because I’m shocked to see him, but also because he looks like he’s sculpted from the Gods.
“What are you doing here?” he asks with a flirty, pleased tone, making me rip my gaze from his washboard V line, up to his bright ocean blue eyes.
“You know her?” Major asks, pointing at me.
“Yeah…Well sort of, we met a couple weeks ago but I never got her name,” he replies with what looks like his signature flirtatious smile.
“What’s with you kids these days not introducing yourselves to people?” Major looks between the two men, clearly not kids, but both much younger than he is.
I glance over at Wade who’s standing with his arms crossed over his chest, unimpressed with this entire encounter. He releases his arms and goes back to unloading the box, shaking his head with a hefty eye roll.
Geez, he’s so grumpy.
“Abby.” Major holds his hand out to me, then displays the other toward the still naked man dressed in only terry cloth. “Jasper. Jasper, Abby.” His eyes bounce between the two of us. “See, not that hard, right?” He smirks then joins Wade who’s pulling the brand new espresso machine out of its box.
Jasper steps into the room, obviously very comfortable in his minimalist ensemble.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he whispers loud enough for only me to hear.
That makes me chuckle out a smile.
“Hey,” I reply.
“You didn’t come back.”
“I did, actually.” I wince at my instant reply. I should act cool, uninterested, like I never went back.
His brows pinch in confusion.
“You were already gone.” I tuck a rebel hair behind my ear, my nerves on full display as I dip my head down to stare at my feet.
He crooks his finger and places it under my chin, lifting my gaze back up to his.
His lips part but before he can say anything Wade’s voice, the one who practiced mutism when we were alone in the room, tears us out of our trance.
“Get some clothes on.” His tone is laced with disgust.
Jasper smirks as his eyes flick over to Wade then back to mine.
“Why? Am I getting you all hot and bothered?” he bellows out to Wade, egging him on, as he winks at me.
“Seriously, Jasper. Go get dressed. None of us want to see that,” Wade pushes.
Well…some of us do.
I internally smile to myself at my thoughts and I can’t help my eyes from roaming over his chest and shoulders.
“What’s wrong, Wade? Are you jealous or interested?” Jasper asks as he wiggles his eyebrow at him. I turn to gauge Wade’s expression; he just rolls his eyes and shakes his head, throwing his hands in the air.
Major glances between all of us, as he pulls a skillet from the bottom cabinet. An expression I can’t read crosses over his face before he looks over at me, giving me a knowing smile, and I can tell this is a daily event that he must have to deal with.
“Welcome to my world, Abby,” he says playfully. “Jasper, go get dressed. Wade,” passing him the skillet, “you’ve got breakfast duty this morning. I’ll take Abby on a tour of the station before we all sit down to eat.”
“Wait, she’s staying?” Wade says, almost offended.
“Yes! She’s staying!” Jasper calls out, fist pumping himself.
“I’m staying?” I turn to look at Major. He smiles back at me ignoring the other two.
“Best day ever!” Jasper bellows out as he turns around, rips the towel off his waist and tosses it at Wade’s head.
“Jasper!” Wade yells as he pulls the damp, heavy towel off.
“What? It’s clean.” He waves backward with his hand in the air, as he looks back and winks at me before he strolls out of the dining room. The round, muscular globes of his ass are on full display for all of us to see, then he rounds the corner of the doorway and disappears.
My jaw is wide open but I can’t help but smile because Jasper and Wade are the best frenemies I’ve ever seen in real life.
I turn back to Wade as he moves around the kitchen. He sneaks a couple glances my way but refuses to actually look or talk anymore. It seems like this is his normal behavior so I try not to take it personally but it still bothers me.
His face is stoic and serious, not a hint of smile behind those deep hazel eyes. His smooth olive skin makes him look like he has the perfect tan year round and he’s probably got women drooling over him every time he blinks. He is really good looking, but man, he’s really grumpy.
Wade turns on the stove and starts slicing on the cutting board. Major steps up next to me, holding his arm out toward the doorway.
“After you?” he says with a bow of his head, his respectful demeanor on full display.
“Well, thank you, sir,” I reply, mirroring the bow as I peer over at him. There’s a slight flinch in his eyes as a smirk appears and his tongue rolls over his bottom lip.
We walk into the main sector of the station where the fire trucks are parked. Major takes me on a full tour of the garage, explaining how they live and work in the same area and how they set up everything to be prepared for any type of last minute emergency.
For the record, they really do have poles they slide down to get to the garage. I sort of thought that was a movie myth but it makes complete sense when Major explains the timing on how quickly they all have to get dressed and in the truck.
“This is our turnout gear, the fire protective clothing we wear when we get called out.” I run my hand over the dense fabric and it feels heavy and thick. I lift the hanger and can barely pull it up.
“Geez, the jacket alone must weigh ten pounds?” I state, questionably.
He chuckles. “The entire git-up is closer to thirty-five pounds, so yeah, it’s pretty heavy.”
I couldn’t imagine running in and out of burning buildings, with regular tennis shoes and basic clothing, much less another thirty-five pounds to carry.
“Wow, that’s crazy impressive. Plus, you have to deal with the heat, and possibly carrying people out of buildings. I had no idea.” He grants me a bashful smile, but I couldn't be more serious. They’re considered heroes for a reason.
We continue the tour and during our walk around the facility, he steals a few soft touches as he holds my hand helping me up a few awkward side stairs and guides me into the rooms with his palm on the small of my back.
Each touch lights my body up like a bag of exploding fireworks, and I’m unsure why or how I can be in the vicinity of three starkly contrasting men, each making my body run so hot in different ways.
I appraise Major as we make our way back into the garage.
His dark navy cargo pants fit snug around his thick legs just like the basic T-shirt that’s tucked into the waistband. My eyes roam over the smooth skin of his muscular forearms and I can’t help biting my lip as I take in his strong features.
There’s something about him. An aura that you can’t help but get drawn to. His large frame commands a room and it’s natural to follow his lead.
“How long have you been a firefighter?” I ask as I lean on the back of one of the trucks.
His lips pull back as he sucks in air through his teeth.
“Why do you have to ask that question? That’s like asking a woman how old they are. Don’t you know that’s off limits?” he replies, playfully bumping his shoulder into mine as he leans on the truck next to me.
“Oh, come on, that was sly, give me some credit.” My rebuttal makes him smile and, wow, he’s got a gorgeous, breathtaking smile.
“Alright, you win.” He sucks in a deep breath.
“I enlisted in the Coast Guard when I was seventeen. I loved the routine, the camaraderie, and I was really good at it. So I worked my way up and realized how much I loved leadership and mentoring other cadets. But…all the years I was there, well, I hated the water.”
My eyes grow wide at his confession.
“A Guardsman that hates water, that’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one.”
His eyes widen at my use of the lingo and his head tilts to the side as he inspects me.
“My father was a Senior Petty Officer for as long as I can remember. Everyone called him Senior, and I remember thinking how strange that was because he was ‘far from a senior’ in age.” I can’t help but smile knowing how many lives he affected in such a positive way.
So many people showed up for his funeral, they had to shut down the three surrounding blocks around the cemetery.
“Ah, well it makes sense why I was instantly drawn to you. You’re family,” he states with ease.
That’s the thing about military families.
They do become just that, family. The only time I felt like I had one was when we lived on base and had the support of the other families.
Then we moved every couple years and lived off base, making me feel isolated and alone.
It didn’t help that I was an only child.
Fortunately, my mother worked from home, becoming my best friend throughout my teenage years while creating and managing an online platform that she was able to sell and enjoy an early retirement, shortly before she passed.
Major senses the awkwardness in my silence and chooses to continue his story, which I’m thankful for.
“After I retired from the military I felt a little lost until someone suggested this. It was the exact opposite of everything I knew but I loved it. It had a lot of the perks the Coast Guard had that I liked, minus the water. Win, win for me.” He smiles, but I raise a questioning eyebrow at him, because he masterfully avoided answering my question.
“I joined the military at seventeen, retired after twenty years and now, I’ve been doing this for eight years.” He raises his eyebrows back at me. “Putting me at the ripe age of forty-five, for that curious little mind of yours. Double your age, I’m sure,” he states, insinuating it as a question.
“Was the television still in black and white? I mean, wow, where’s your walker?” I stand, playfully peeking behind him and then step around the side of the truck. He throws his head back and chuckles at my sarcasm, it’s a hearty laugh from deep in his chest that travels straight to my core.
“Get back over here,” he commands and whatever magic drips from his tone makes him easy to obey.
Right as my ass plops down on the bumper of the truck, Jasper calls out from the kitchen.
“Food is ready, boss.”
I turn to look at him, and he’s just smiling down at me.
“You like being the boss, don’t you?” I gathered this from his military story and how he is so easily trained to command a room and people. Because I swear I’ll do anything this man says when his gravelly voice travels through me like melted butter.
He leans into me, bringing his lips to the shell of my ear.
The only thing blocking his skin on me is the thick layer of my dark hair, providing a barrier I’m desperate to keep.
Because I swear if he touches me, my whole body will light on fire and we’ll have a real fire emergency inside the middle of this station.
“You have no idea, princess.” He touches the small of my back to guide me up. His eyes lock on mine as I stand on my Jell-O legs, confused as to how he has such an effect on me.
The amber orbs of his eyes squint a suggestive smile and I’m unsure how to read it but I don’t care enough to want to try. He’s easily taken my mind off, well everything, and I’d almost prefer to stay in this little bubble we’ve been in.
“Come on, let’s go eat. Plus, if we don’t get back there soon, Jasper and Wade may end up killing each other.” His eyebrow raises as if sending me a secret message, silently telling me more than he should or at least making me validate my assumption.
And I wonder if those two really dislike each other or if there’s something more than meets the eye.