Chapter 8 Possessive Instincts
Jealousy
Deck had always considered jealousy a stupid emotion.
Pointless.
Counterproductive.
Usually embarrassing.
The feeling made people irrational.
Made them possessive.
Made them act like idiots.
For thirty-seven years, he had successfully avoided most of that nonsense.
Unfortunately, life seemed determined to prove him wrong.
The realization arrived on a Wednesday afternoon.
And it arrived wearing a firefighter's uniform.
Deck already disliked him.
The irritation started before the man even opened his mouth.
The clinic remained unusually busy.
A construction accident outside town had filled several examination rooms. Nurses hurried through hallways carrying charts and supplies. Phones rang constantly. The entire building buzzed with activity.
Deck sat in a chair near the nurses' station waiting for Finn to finish speaking with another patient.
His appointment had ended twenty minutes ago.
The doctor still hadn't escaped.
Not unusual.
People constantly needed things from Finn.
Questions.
Advice.
Help.
The younger man never seemed capable of saying no.
The realization irritated Deck more than it should.
Across the room, Finn stood beside the reception desk reviewing paperwork.
The sight immediately drew his attention.
As usual.
The doctor wore dark blue scrubs today.
His blond hair looked slightly messy from a long shift.
Fatigue lingered beneath his eyes.
Yet somehow he still smiled at everyone who approached him.
The sight remained unfair.
Nobody should look that good after twelve hours of work.
Life should have rules against it.
The front doors opened.
A man entered.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Athletic build.
Firefighter.
The uniform made that obvious.
The firefighter immediately headed toward the reception desk.
Toward Finn.
Deck felt something tighten unpleasantly inside his chest.
No reason.
No logical reason.
Just instinct.
The firefighter stopped beside the doctor.
Said something.
Finn laughed.
The sound carried across the room.
Warm.
Easy.
Familiar.
The mechanic's mood darkened immediately.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The firefighter smiled.
Finn smiled back.
The conversation continued.
Neither man seemed aware of the growing hostility developing twenty feet away.
Probably for the best.
The mechanic folded his arms.
Watching.
Not because he cared.
Obviously.
The firefighter leaned casually against the counter.
Comfortable.
Confident.
Entirely too comfortable.
Deck disliked him more with every passing second.
The nurse behind the reception desk noticed.
Unfortunately.
Rebecca glanced toward him.
Then toward the firefighter.
Then back again.
A slow smile appeared.
Dangerous.
The mechanic immediately looked away.
Too late.
The nurse had already seen everything.
Wonderful.
A few minutes later, Finn finally escaped the conversation.
The doctor approached carrying several patient files.
The firefighter followed.
Still smiling.
Still talking.
Still existing.
Deck hated all three things.
The younger man stopped beside him.
"Sorry."
The apology sounded genuine.
The mechanic shrugged.
"It's fine."
The lie fooled nobody.
Especially not Finn.
The doctor's eyebrows lifted slightly.
Suspicious.
Observant.
Annoying.
Before either man could continue, the firefighter stepped forward.
Extending a hand.
"Hey."
Deck looked at the offered handshake.
Then at the firefighter.
Then back at the hand.
Several seconds passed.
The firefighter eventually lowered it.
Awkwardly.
Good.
"My name's Luke."
The introduction apparently expected a response.
The mechanic stared.
Luke waited.
Nothing happened.
Finally Finn sighed.
"Deck."
The warning in the doctor's voice felt obvious.
The mechanic reluctantly spoke.
"Declan."
Luke smiled.
The sight immediately became another problem.
Because the firefighter was attractive.
Objectively.
Tall.
Strong.
Friendly.
The kind of man most people liked instantly.
The realization made everything worse.
"Finn talks about you."
Deck froze.
The words landed unexpectedly.
Dangerously.
The mechanic looked toward the doctor.
Finn immediately looked horrified.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Luke continued obliviously.
"Says you're making good progress."
The younger man looked like he wanted the floor to open beneath him.
The reaction improved Deck's mood slightly.
Only slightly.
The firefighter remained entirely too cheerful.
Apparently unaware he was standing in the middle of a developing disaster.
The conversation continued.
Mostly between Luke and Finn.
Deck contributed almost nothing.
Because every time the firefighter smiled at the doctor, irritation grew.
Every time Finn laughed, irritation grew.
Every time the man found another excuse to remain standing there, irritation grew.
By the end of the interaction, irritation had become something significantly less reasonable.
The realization arrived slowly.
Then all at once.
The firefighter was flirting.
Openly.
Shamelessly.
Without hesitation.
The man wasn't subtle.
Not even slightly.
Compliments appeared regularly.
Questions appeared constantly.
The attention remained obvious.
The realization hit like a punch.
Deck immediately hated it.
The worst part wasn't the flirting.
The worst part was Finn.
Because the doctor seemed completely unaware.
Or maybe politely pretending not to notice.
Either option felt unacceptable.
The firefighter eventually left.
The clinic immediately improved.
At least from Deck's perspective.
Finn gathered several files.
Completely oblivious to the emotional crisis happening nearby.
The mechanic watched him.
Trying very hard not to think.
Failing.
Badly.
The drive home proved worse.
The firefighter's face kept appearing inside his head.
Luke.
Friendly.
Attractive.
Confident.
Everything normal people wanted.
The comparison felt unpleasant.
The mechanic stared out the truck window.
Silent.
Brooding.
The doctor eventually noticed.
Naturally.
"You've been glaring at trees for ten minutes."
Deck grunted.
The observation earned a sigh.
Finn kept driving.
Several moments passed.
Then curiosity apparently won.
"What's wrong?"
The question sounded innocent.
Reasonable.
Dangerous.
The mechanic looked away.
Toward the road.
Toward safety.
Toward literally anything except honesty.
"Nothing."
The lie sounded pathetic.
Both men knew it.
Finn remained quiet.
Waiting.
The patience eventually became unbearable.
"He likes you."
The words escaped before Deck could stop them.
Silence followed.
Immediate.
Heavy.
The doctor blinked.
Once.
Then twice.
"Who?"
The question nearly made him crash through the windshield.
"The firefighter."
Finn stared.
Then laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound filled the truck.
Deck's mood somehow worsened.
"What?"
The doctor looked genuinely surprised.
"Luke?"
The firefighter's name sounded offensive.
The mechanic frowned.
"Yes."
Finn shook his head.
Still smiling.
"He's friendly."
"No."
The answer arrived immediately.
Certain.
Final.
The doctor glanced sideways.
Suspicion appeared.
Then realization.
Then something far more dangerous.
Amusement.
The mechanic recognized the expression instantly.
And hated it.
"Deck."
The tone felt entirely too gentle.
The warning signs multiplied.
"No."
The doctor laughed again.
The sound felt personal now.
The mechanic crossed his arms.
Refusing to participate.
Refusing to explain.
Refusing everything.
The silence lasted nearly a mile.
Then Finn spoke again.
Carefully.
Like approaching a dangerous animal.
"You were jealous."
The accusation landed directly.
Perfectly.
Disastrously.
Deck opened his mouth.
Prepared several arguments.
Several denials.
Several lies.
None arrived.
Because the problem was obvious now.
Painfully obvious.
He had been jealous.
Ridiculously jealous.
Over a firefighter talking to Finn.
The realization horrified him.
Not because it was untrue.
Because it was.
The mechanic stared through the windshield.
Thinking.
Remembering.
Analyzing.
The irritation.
The possessiveness.
The anger.
The instinctive dislike.
Everything pointed toward one conclusion.
A conclusion he absolutely did not want.
Because somewhere between recovery sessions and shared meals and late-night conversations, he'd developed a dangerous habit.
He thought about Finn as his.
Not consciously.
Not intentionally.
But enough.
Enough to make another man's attention feel threatening.
Enough to make a simple conversation ruin an entire afternoon.
Enough to make him consider punching a perfectly innocent firefighter.
The realization landed heavily.
Uncomfortably.
Terrifyingly.
And as the farmhouse finally appeared in the distance, Deck realized he had nearly started a fight over a man who wasn't even his.
Which meant his situation had become far worse than he'd previously believed.
Mine To Protect
Deck managed to avoid discussing the firefighter situation for exactly two days.
Unfortunately, Kane Whitaker had known him for almost a decade.
Which meant nothing stayed hidden for long.
The problem started Saturday morning.
The garage remained busy despite ongoing repairs from the explosion. Temporary work areas had been established while reconstruction continued. Engines occupied every available corner. Employees moved between workstations carrying tools and parts.
For the first time in weeks, Deck had returned for a short visit.
Not work.
Officially.
Just checking progress.
At least that was the excuse he'd given Finn.
The truth felt more complicated.
The garage still felt like home.
Even damaged.
Even incomplete.
Standing inside the building helped.
Reminded him what he was fighting for.
The mechanic occupied a stool near one of the workbenches while Tyler explained a repair project.
The teenager talked constantly.
Deck listened with half an ear.
His attention drifted elsewhere.