Chapter 23 More Than Sex
MORE THAN SEX
“Dude. Who was the hot chick you came out of the complex with last night?” Justin asked him.
Guess word traveled fast.
“No one you know,” he said.
“I don’t need to know who she is to be interested,” Justin said. “Everyone is talking about it.”
Chance blew out a breath. “They can keep talking,” he said.
“You’ve always been the guy who doesn’t kiss and tell,” Randy said. “It drives us nuts.”
“Sorry, guys. You need to get your own woman.”
“Maybe I’ll pick up a shift or two at the bar and that can happen,” Justin said.
“I need someone to cover shifts if you want,” he said. “Of course it’d be better if we didn’t work the same shifts.” He wouldn’t be drawn into the trap that he brought women home from the bar. Or they brought him home.
“I always say I want to do it but then work other jobs. Scott on the A shift was looking for something part-time. Guess he’s got a ring he needs to buy,” Randy said, laughing.
“Tell him to reach out if you see him again. I’m always looking for people to cover shifts.”
Especially since he had a reason to be off now.
If he said that, the guys would start busting his ass over it.
They got to work on the list of things that needed to be done in the firehouse between calls, him ignoring any comments about where he was last night.
His phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the text from Jocelyn asking how his day was going.
He wasn’t sure of her mood today with him leaving in the middle of the night, but there was no reason to go back to bed, just to get up at five to go home and shower and get ready for work.
They weren’t at a place where he was leaving clothes there and it was a pain to bring his uniform.
Last night, he went home, got in bed and was sleeping in minutes and got up at six, rather than five.
He replied it was a normal day. She said the same and they left it at that.
It didn’t help him any thinking that things were still awkward.
The last worry he needed was that what started for them was going to fizzle so soon.
He didn’t like to label anything, but what they had was more than sex in his mind.
Was she waiting for him to say that? Could it be that?
Last night’s conversation was heavy. More than he had with anyone else.
Their upbringings were like two worlds that would never collide.
Yet they were.
“I’ll be back,” he said to the guys, then went to the hall with his phone and hit the button to call her. He couldn’t let this linger while he was working.
“Hi,” she said. “You never call me. Ever. Especially when you’re at the firehouse. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure it was with you too. I think we both are feeling out of sorts today and not sure why.”
She sighed. “We have to push it behind us. We all have bad days. We had a heavy conversation and could be it opened some flesh wounds without meaning to. I’m fine. I really am. I hope you are.”
“You sound it.”
Much more than when he said he was leaving last night. She’d looked more confused than hurt.
In the past, he wouldn’t have cared if he left a woman feeling that way.
Now, he wasn’t sure if he was coming or going.
“Because I am,” she said. “I hope you get some sleep tonight since you didn’t last night. Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. Just like it won’t be if I don’t get any tonight either.”
“And you’re working tomorrow night,” she said.
“Just a few hours,” he said. “Covering a mid-shift. Maybe you can come in and keep me company at the bar?”
“You know,” she said, some lightness returning to her voice, “I think I’d like that a lot.”
“Not as much as I’d like you being there.”
Which took a monstrous effort to voice.
“Aww. Now I’ll be there with bells on.”
“No bells,” he said. “That would attract too much attention.”
“Really, Chance. Do you think everyone there doesn’t know by now?”
His shoulders dropped. “They do. I know.”
“Not just your grandmother.”
“She won’t be there tomorrow watching things.”
“Does it matter if she does?” she asked.
“Not really, other than she’ll bust my balls and ride my ass to be nice to you.”
Jocelyn laughed. “You’re already nice to me,” she said. “No worries there.”
“I’ve got to run.”
“I’m glad you called. If I don’t talk to you again, then I’ll see you tomorrow night at the bar.”
“See you then,” he said, then hung up and saw Daniel coming down the hall.
“Talking to this mysterious lady everyone is flapping their lips about?”
“Everyone needs to mind their own business,” he said.
Daniel slapped him on the back. “It doesn’t work that way here. You know that.”
He did. In the past it hadn’t bothered him. He almost enjoyed knowing that someone cared enough to know a little about his life.
Now that he had someone in it and something he didn’t want to share, he wasn’t so sure he could accept the nosiness.
They turned to go back to work and the alarms rang.
Everyone made a mad dash for their gear, throwing it on and hopping in the trucks.
He couldn’t let the woman who’d been on his mind way too much take up space now.
Last night was awful enough when he was snapping at her and everyone else to get out of the building.
Then her reaction to him wanting to go back and check on people without his gear.
She’d told him not to consider it. He wasn’t prepared.
As if she was scared for him. Then said his job made her nervous.
Just another thing they’d have to talk about or would have between them. Would she not be able to handle his job?
Life never used to be this complicated.