Chapter Twenty PAISLEY
Chapter Twenty
PAISLEY
My brother’s phone call had totally slipped my mind.
As I watched Russell cross the kitchen to answer the phone mounted on the wall, I realized I had him to thank for that.
He was the one who’d said we should go for a hike.
I'd had a really great day, and I actually liked hanging out with Russell.
Plus, crazy hot sex was a bonus I hadn't even considered.
My heart felt funny, and my belly swooped as if I were falling from a great height. Oh wow, I wasn't supposed to be feeling things for Russell. Yet here I was with lots of feelings bouncing around inside.
“Hello,” he said after he lifted the phone.
Reality punched me hard again, right in the chest.
“Hey, Mom,” Russell said easily. “You don't usually call this number.”
As soon as he spoke, the tension that had drawn tight inside me loosened.
I took a breath before lifting my wineglass and draining the last of it.
My eyes traveled around the table. Our empty plates had been pushed to the center, and there was a balled-up napkin beside mine.
My feet were propped on a chair, and I wiggled my toes.
Somewhere along the way, I'd finally removed my boots.
I flushed as I recalled our rush earlier.
Wow. My belly trembled, and heat raced through me at the recollection of our near frantic encounter.
“Just tell them to come by on Monday. Both of us will be at work. We're on duty so they don't need to worry about our schedule.”
A moment later, he was hanging up the phone and walking back across the kitchen. My eyes soaked him in. Good grief. Russell was too sexy for his own good. His muscled shoulders filled out his T-shirt. I tracked his easy stride and the way his jeans clung lovingly to his thighs.
I wanted him all over again. I was feeling greedy.
I also wanted to be distracted again. Now that I'd tossed all reason out the window when it came to Russell, I didn't care to hold my need at bay.
When he stopped beside my chair and looked down, I hooked a finger around his belt loop, giving him a little tug when I glanced up.
Without a word, I watched his eyes darken.
Sliding my hand down, I caressed over his fly, gratified at the harsh sound of his breath hissing through his teeth and the feel of his arousal swelling under my palm. “I think we need to take our time this time,” I murmured as I flicked the buttons open.
He watched me quietly, his nostrils flaring when I dragged his boxers down, and his cock sprang free. I trailed one finger along the underside of his shaft. A bead of cum rolled from the tip, and I swiped it with my finger, sucking it clean as I looked up at him.
“Paisley,” he growled, his tone almost strangled.
“Yes?” I teased as I leaned forward and swirled my tongue around the crown of his cock before sucking it in.
His hand laced in my hair, gripping tightly. He took me at my word and let me take my time. Then he carried me upstairs, and he took his time, spreading me out on the bed and treating me like his personal feast. When I felt his shoulders press my thighs apart, he whispered, “Your turn.”
I forgot everything else, even my name, except for when he nearly shouted it after he buried himself inside me again, filling me in deep pumps.
I came for the third time that evening. We slept together again, and when I woke up the following morning, I thought maybe I needed to find a way to get sensible right quick.
But then, his palm splayed over my belly as he rose on an elbow and his navy eyes met mine.
“Maybe we should set some ground rules,” I murmured.
My belly trembled under his touch, and my core clenched because I already wanted him again. His brows hitched, but he nodded.
I forged ahead. “Okay. We can't tell anybody about us. That's the first one."
“Okay.”
“No strings, right?” My heart gave a wobbly thump with that question.
I was trying to make sure this stayed casual even though I sensed I was already past that. Maybe if I set some rules and made them explicit, I could follow them.
Russell’s eyes searched mine before he nodded slowly. “I’m on board with no strings, but if we’re seeing other people, I think we should use condoms,” he said.
That was rather practical of him. I blinked. “Well, I'm not seeing anybody else, and I don't intend to.”
“Okay, so we're exclusively no strings?” he prompted, his lips kicking up at a corner.
“Yes.” My lips tugged into a smile, and a giggle escaped.
The next thing I knew, he caught my hands in his and stretched them above my head. I forgot everything else except us.
A few days later, I saw a shirtless Russell walking through the workout area at the station. I glanced over, and our eyes met. Every cell in my body clamored for him, but we'd set the rules. I couldn't do anything. Not now. Certainly not at work.
I knew I stared at him too long, and I recognized the second he became aware of that small problem.
His lips kicked up at one corner, and I forced myself to look away and keep walking.
Being a hotshot firefighter, a profession dominated mostly by men, meant we hung out at the station together a lot.
We all worked out because we had to stay in shape.
Being in peak physical form was a requirement for this job, and our lives depended on it.
Every fire station in the country had workout areas.
I had never—never—even paid attention to the guys working out.
I noticed them with about as much interest as seeing Maisie answer the phone out front.
Yet I was practically drooling over Russell.
Feeling flustered, I hurried down the hall and turned into the women's locker area.
Blessedly, it was empty. I closed the door, rested my back against it, and let my hips slide down.
The cool metal of the door sifted through my shirt, a contrast to the heat coming off me in waves.
Someone tried to open the door, and I stood quickly, practically bolting across the room.
A second later, the door opened, and Susannah commented, “Well, that was weird.”
I glanced over. “What?” I hoped my voice sounded nonchalant, but I could feel the blaze of heat in my cheeks.
Susannah looked at me and back at the door. She was about to close it when a voice called, “Susannah!”
She peered back into the hallway. “Hey-yyy!”
A second later, a woman I hadn't met appeared. She had glossy dark hair and big blue eyes. She tugged Susannah into a quick hug before stepping back and glancing in my direction. She smiled over at me. “Hey, I'm Harlow. You must be new.”
I crossed over, holding my hand out because I didn't know what else to do. Harlow shook her head. “Oh no, you get a hug. Women firefighters have to hang together.”
She gave me a quick squeeze, and I was laughing when she stepped back. “It’s not fight club, but hug club,” I teased.
Susannah closed the door. “Sounds about right to me.” She sat down on a bench across from me, announcing, “We need to have girl talk.”
Harlow immediately sat down beside me. “What's up? I'm totally out of the loop.”
“Well, first off, this is Paisley. She’s on the new crew that Graham's heading up.”
“More firefighters? Just what this town needs,” Harlow teased.
Susannah smiled over at me. “I am so glad you got hired. It was down to Phoebe and me around here after Harlow left.”
“You used to be a firefighter?”
Harlow nodded. “Sure did. I loved it.”
“Then she fell in love,” Susannah teased.
Harlow’s cheeks went a little pink. “I did. I got married, and now we’re maybe thinking about a baby.” Her gaze bounced to Susannah. “I don't even know how you manage this job with a toddler.”
Susannah shrugged as though it was no big deal.
"I try to act as if I have it together, but most of the time, I don't. I've discovered being a parent is constantly lowering the bar for myself.
I know if I didn't have Ward to help, it would feel beyond overwhelming sometimes, and I couldn't do this job. "
“Ward’s awesome. He's totally got it bad for you,” Harlow gushed with a grin.
Susannah flushed. “He still doesn't love it that I’m on the town crew.
We'd never see each other if we were on different hotshot crews, or we'd be gone at the same time if we were on the same one.
This way, I'm always here. When he's not out in the backcountry, we see each other all the time. How is Max?”
Harlow smiled. “He's good. He's with me and chatting out front. He pretends it intimidates him to come here.”
“He’s not a firefighter?” I interjected.
“He’s a tech billionaire.” Harlow rolled her eyes. “I still can't believe we got married. Enough about me. What's the girl talk about?”
Susannah immediately looked toward me, her eyebrows hitching up. “I don't actually know, but you were almost drooling over Russell out there. What the hell is going on?”
I was pretty sure my blush had receded by then, but my cheeks were fiery hot in an instant. I stared at her, swallowing. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, don't try to play dumb with me.” Susannah actually wagged her finger, her strawberry blond curls bouncing when she laughed.
Harlow looked from her to me. “I feel like she's put you on the spot, and you just met me.”
I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. “I've only been here for a month. It was much better when Russell and I were fighting.”
“You were fighting?”
“Russell's a pretty easy guy to deal with,” Susannah offered.
“Have I met Russell?” Harlow asked.
Susannah shrugged. “I don't know. He got hired on to the new crew too, but he's from Willow Brook. He’s a standard-issue Alaska guy—tall, strong, and firefighter hot. He’s not my type, but he’s totally Paisley's type.”
Putting my face in my hands, I let out a groan. Harlow reached over and rubbed her hand up and down my back. I decided then she was a good person. “It'll be okay. Susannah fell for her boss, and they were on a crew together. She cannot give you shit about this, trust me.”
I lifted my head. “Really? Obviously, I know you're both firefighters, but I didn’t know he was your crew superintendent before.”
Susannah simply shrugged. “It used to embarrass me, but I'm way over it now.”
I looked between them, deciding to abandon all attempts at playing it cool. “What do you know about Russell?”
Susannah laughed. “Well, almost everything. We grew up in Willow Brook together. He's a nice guy. Do you just have the hots for him, or do you have feelings for him?”
“I'm not sure,” I answered, which was the truth even though I didn't want to admit it.
“That makes things complicated,” Harlow offered.
I sighed and leaned back against the lockers. Lifting one hand idly, I caught an open locker door and traced my fingers along the metal edge. The door to the locker room opened again. This time, Phoebe appeared and looked amongst us as she let the door fall closed behind her.
“Well, hey. What's up?”
Susannah patted the bench beside her. “Have a seat. Girl talk. Everything said in this room is in the cone.”
“The cone?” I prompted.
Phoebe laughed. “This must be about you and Russell. He couldn’t stop staring at you.”
Susannah grinned. “I just saw her drooling over his chest.”
I groaned and closed my eyes. “This better stay in the cone, whatever the hell that is.”
When I opened them again, Susannah placed her palm over her chest. “It’s the cone of silence. We won’t say a word. If you want, we can even call Maisie back for a huddle.”
“Please don't.” I shook my head. “I can't deal with it. It's too much.”
Susannah looked toward Phoebe. “Paisley was just asking me what I knew about Russell.”
Phoebe caught my eyes. “We both went to school with him since kindergarten. Russell's a great guy. His mom is friends with mine. The thing with his dad was a heartbreaker last year.”
“What happened?” I asked, honestly curious.
“He was on the town crew for years. His gear broke, and he fell off a cliff when he was out climbing. Russell arrived on the scene after it happened.”
“Oh, God,” I breathed, pressing my hand on my chest over my heart.
“It was awful. His mom was devastated,” Susannah added.
“He's been pretty quiet about it. As far as I know, he’s never really had a serious relationship. He’s not a jerk, but he is a flirt. Has anything happened? And what do you want?” Phoebe asked.
“Definitely no complications,” I said firmly, avoiding her other question.
“Well, you might not want to look at him when you're at work then,” Susannah suggested, her voice lilting up at the end.
I burst out laughing, and I knew my face was bright red. “Okay, no looking at him. I can handle that.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and a man's voice filtered through. “Hey, it's Graham. I'm supposed to let Harlow know that Maisie wants her to come out front now that she's off the phone.”
Harlow chuckled as she stood. “Can we get together while I'm in town?”
“Of course! How long will you be here?” Susannah asked.
“A week.”
“Let’s make it happen. We can meet at Wildlands or do cards one night.”
Before another word was said, the door burst open, and Maisie was standing there. She snatched Harlow into a hug. “You just waved and walked by me,” she protested when she stepped back.
“You were on the phone,” Harlow explained.
Maisie grinned. “I know. Moving on, random gossip nugget.” She glanced between Susannah and Phoebe. “Who's Mae Townsend?”
Rowan Cole happened to be walking by in the hallway and came to a quick stop. Maisie gave him a puzzled look. “What?”
“Nothing.” Rowan shook his head quickly and kept walking.
Maisie pursed her lips and arched a brow. “That was not nothing. Anyway, who the hell is Mae Townsend?”
Susannah answered, “She grew up in Willow Brook, went to college in North Carolina, and only comes back to town for visits. Why do you ask?”
“Apparently, her grandmother is really sick.”
“Oh, no. I'm so sorry about that.” Susannah looked amongst us. “Her grandmother is Carrie Dodge’s sister. Pretty private and even bossier than Carrie.”
Maisie’s brow furrowed. “Oh, wow. I’ll have to check on Carrie.
” The dispatch line rang through Maisie’s headphones, which she held in her hand.
“I gotta get back out front.” She looked over at me.
“And Russell keeps staring at your ass.” At that, she hustled out while putting her headset on and answering the call.
Phoebe, Susannah, and Harlow burst into laughter. Meanwhile, my cheeks were hot all over again.