Chapter 15
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
SMACK
Standing in front of my team, home at our firehouse, I attempted to appear relaxed, even if my nerves weren’t quite steady. We were sitting at the morning meeting, Wyatt and Phin at one table and some probies and Caleb at the other. Kamira had the day off, and I wished she were here. She had a calming effect on the younger girls and guys. And me.
I glanced at Caleb, and for a minute, I got lost in his soft smile.
“Captain? You were about to tell us about the wildfire?” one of the probies—Jonas—prompted.
“Yes, sir, I want to hear about it,” Becky, another probie with good potential, added.
“It was a tough one, but I’m happy to report that we reached 30 percent containment as of last night. Only one area is at the level, and several of the worst areas have leveled off.”
A rush of excited chatter went through the group.
Caleb gave some more details to a rapt Jonas and Becky. Wyatt snuck a look at his phone. Phin’s eyes met mine. He seemed to be waiting for me to continue, so I did, briefing them on the teams who took our place, reading some updates concerning our home base in Mesa.
I had arrived at the final thing on the morning meeting agenda—the most important item.
I cleared my throat. “As most of you know, each firehouse in Arizona has their own rules, and our station’s rules declare relatives or couples can remain at the same firehouse but should avoid too many shared shifts.”
“And you’re reminding us of this, why?” Phin drawled.
I kept my face calm and impartial, even as my heartbeat skipped. “It’s good to review our policies from time to time.” I drew a deep breath. “Also, since the wildfire, Caleb and I are seeing each other.”
“I won the bet?” Wyatt blurted.
Phin poked him in the ribs. “Shut it.”
“Of course, you guys had a wager.” Caleb rolled his eyes.
I was about to reprimand them for gambling, especially on people’s private affairs, when the siren went off, and we ended the meeting abruptly. After getting into our gear, I waved Caleb over to me.
“Are you upset about the wager?” I asked. “I can kick some butt.”
“Nah, they’re only playing.” He pushed some hair off his forehead. “And maybe I wasn’t too subtle about having a slight crush on you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Only slight.”
“Okay, massive.” He grinned.
“Sit up front with me. I want you near.”
“Is that an order, sir?” he teased.
I fought a desire to kiss the teasing tone right out of him. “Yeah. Grab your helmet and get going.”
God, I wanted to fuck the rules and have that kiss. Press my lips to Caleb’s, stroke his tongue, make him moan for me while I devoured him.
He licked his lips, the flirt, before turning on his heels to get his stuff. I huffed out a long breath, my gaze glued to Caleb’s ass.
Shaking it off, I busied myself with the probies. Jonas needed some reminders about being neat with the supplies. I shifted some items around for him, glad for the distraction, and planted a scowl on my face. I shouldn’t have told Caleb to ride with me up front.
Should I take it back? Have Becky take his place?
Ah, hell no. I might not be able to kiss him and touch him like I wanted to, but I’d have Caleb by my side.
Taking the driver position was normal for me. I enjoyed driving. Wyatt and Phin would team up, so I sat them together, while Becky and Jonas sat far back. With the siren blaring, we sped to Tempe, near the Arizona State campus, where the fire was threatening some student housing. Luckily, it had already been evacuated by the Tempe station house, and we’d be back up. Caleb radioed them for an update. When he finished, he rested his hand on my thigh.
My pulse quickened, stomach swooped. I tried not to react to a casual touch, yet this was Caleb’s touch, so of course, I reacted. We snagged a look, and Caleb shook his head lightly and removed his hand.
“Let’s go help,” he said cheerfully, his lips curved.
My gaze drank in the lopsided grin, the flirting light in his eyes. With effort, I forced my eyes back to the road, but I was smiling.
CALEB
As Sean drove to the fire, I looked over my shoulder at the team. Phin caught my eye, and he pretended to fan himself.
I made a face at him before swinging my attention ahead. I shouldn’t be so happy on the way to a fire, even if we already knew nobody’s life was being threatened by this one and the building had been cleared, but I was. Sean had kept his word. He’d told them all about us. I relaxed, something unlocking inside of me the moment he spoke. My lips twitched just remembering Sean’s formal tone as he reviewed the HR policy. But he’d done it. For me.
The regular adrenaline I always had on a job was thrumming through me, but there was also this steady pulse of pure joy.
We arrived at the off-campus housing unit that was in flames in one area. The other engine had already taken anybody living there behind a yellow line. The students looked a little frightened, but healthy, thank goodness.
Sean greeted the other captain, and we got our orders. I passed Phin, who smirked at me. “You better tell me everything later! And I mean all the juicy details. I have to know how Smack is in the sack!” he exclaimed before going to help with the ladder.
I snorted. No way would I invade Sean’s privacy and tell him details. And Phin was such a teenager, not to mention a total hypocrite. He didn’t kiss and tell about James.
I double-checked the perimeter, chatted with some of the students to reassure them. I helped one girl settle her frazzled cat. The fire was small, but in higher-traffic areas, we sometimes gave each other backup.
“Hey,” I said as Sean came over to check my area.
“Hi.” Sean’s steely blue eyes met mine. Damn, he was sexy with his gear on and that captain vibe. How I’d love to grab a handful of him and kiss him senseless. Sean could make me forget everything else going on around me with just a look.
His eyes darkened, like he’d read my mind, and a tiny muscle jumped in his jaw. “We… better get back to it.”
“Uh-huh.” I wanted to stare at him for the rest of my life. I was, without a doubt, falling hard. Falling fast. But I had fallen just the same. I couldn’t resist, didn’t want to resist.
My timing, as usual, was shit. Standing at a fire, even one that was almost out, was not an ideal place to realize I was in love.
“Can we hang out later?” I asked softly.
“Anything you want,” Sean whispered. He gave my arm a squeeze and moved past me to check on Wyatt’s progress. I took a moment to pull my mask off for some fresh air. The fire was out, a trail of smoke lingering. I swore it formed the shape of a heart.
I love you , I mouthed to his back, staring after Sean. The minute I gathered enough nerve, I would tell him how much.