Chapter 26
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
ROMAN SAT NEXT to Georgia on the couch. They were hanging at Anna’s house, but it was just the two of them in the living room while Anna and Sophie got snacks together in the kitchen.
“Any reason you’ve been quiet?” Roman asked.
Where did she even start?
Under no circumstances was she sharing with Roman how his lieutenant had broken her heart.
“Chips and salsa,” Sophie shouted as she entered the room, plopping the food on the coffee table before hopping into the recliner.
Anna came in holding a cheeseboard. “And who doesn’t love to pair chips with meats and cheese?” She placed the tray down and sat on the other side of Georgia.
“What were you guys talking about?” Sophie got comfortable in the chair.
Roman leaned back into the couch. “Nothing. Which is unlike Georgia, so I was badgering her about what’s going on.”
Georgia grabbed a piece of provolone from the plate on the table. “Should I tell him?” she asked before stuffing the cheese in her mouth.
Sophie raised her hand. “I can do the CliffsNotes version, and then you can fill in the gaps.”
“Should we leave out names?” Georgia was stressing over Roman learning who snagged her v-card.
Anna waved away the concern. “Roman is like a vault. He won’t say anything. You can trust him.”
“This is getting good.” Roman chuckled, taking a gulp of his drink.
Sophie had a wicked smile. “Our little George came back to Landmere not only a doctor, but a virgin.”
He spit his beer out. “Are you serious?”
“As serious as a type three fire alarm,” Anna confirmed while Georgia groaned at the circus her life was becoming. She handed Roman a napkin to clean up.
“Anyway.” Sophie brought the attention back to her. “George met Elijah, and she was a smitten kitten.”
“Elijah?” Roman questioned as if there was another Elijah they were discussing.
“Elijah Barnett,” Anna said, as he mumbled, “Oh shit.”
Sophie nodded. “Exactly. After much back and forth, they finally had sex.”
“On more than one occasion!” Anna clapped with this extra detail.
“But Elijah is a commitment-phobe and only wants to be friends with George, which is obviously unacceptable.” Sophie summed up Georgia’s love life rather quickly.
“Holy fuck,” was the only response from Roman.
“The real question is why are firefighters so afraid of relationships?” Sophie sounded grumpy this time as she gazed off after she asked the question.
Roman sat up. “We aren’t afraid, but there is a lot on the line to consider.”
“But that’s a crappy excuse,” Georgia finally interjected. “Every single decision we make could put us in a dangerous or unsafe situation. Just because you have a job with a disjointed schedule and there are risks aligned with fighting fires doesn’t mean you skip out on having a partner.”
Roman stood and walked over to the window, looking outside. “None of us wants to skip out on a partner.”
Sophie snorted.
But Roman continued, “Not even Elijah.”
“So it’s me,” Georgia whispered, the world crashing down around her.
“No.” Anna glared at Roman. “It’s not you. It’s Elijah.”
Roman turned back around to look at Georgia. “Anna’s right. It’s not you. This has to do with Elijah thinking you deserve more than what he can offer you.”
Georgia was sure this was part of it, but she was also certain Elijah had issues with commitment because of what happened to Miles. But that wasn’t her story to share, so she kept her mouth shut.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we push him into realizing what he’s lost?” Roman offered up a plan.
Anna wiggled on the couch. “What do you mean?”
Covering her face with a pillow, Georgia groaned.
“Why don’t I take you on a few dates?”
“What!” Anna’s voice cracked in shock.
“Elijah will hear about it, and it will drive him crazy. Maybe this is the push he needs?”
Georgia threw the pillow. “No. I don’t want to play games anymore. Elijah either wants me, or he doesn’t. We haven’t talked in two weeks, and I refuse to manipulate him into making a decision.”
“You want to date?” Anna seemed stuck on Roman’s readiness to go out with someone, even if it was just to push Elijah.
Sophie got off the chair. “Well, this has turned into a fun time.”
“Want to watch a movie or something?” Anna asked, as if it would salvage the night.
Her three friends discussed what movie to put on, but Georgia was ready to go home. Being heartbroken over someone was exhausting, and she wanted to go to sleep.
It was another night with Elijah haunting her dreams.
HAVING A SLOW night at the station was like waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“You should have come out with us last night.” Nash interrupted Elijah from the online paperwork he was reviewing. His friend sat in the chair opposite his desk. “Benny and I went out. He left with some redhead, and I met this hot-as-fuck tourist who was visiting the Amor winery.”
That sounded like the exact opposite of what he wanted.
Some random woman would never compare to Georgia.
“I went back to her hotel, and we fucked. She had a friend who was staying at the same hotel. I kind of wished I would have seen if she could have joined us.” Nash looked awfully pleased with himself.
Elijah tore his eyes away from his computer. “Doesn’t that bore you?”
Nash raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Does a fucking threesome bore me? Not yet, and I hope it never does.”
Elijah didn’t respond. While his sex life wasn’t as prolific as Nash’s, he still had his fair share of partners. And fuck it, he was over it.
“When’s the last time you left Landmere for a fuck?” Nash casually asked because that’s how it used to be. Elijah had casual sex, but now sleeping with someone who wasn’t Georgia made his stomach knot.
And fuck, what if in the past couple of weeks, she had been on more dates?
What if she slept with someone else?
“Can you not even remember?” Nash laughed. “That’s why you’ve been a bigger asshole than normal. You need to fuck someone.”
“My sex life is fine, thank you very much,” Elijah snapped. Though it didn’t slip by him that ever since he met Georgia, he hasn’t slept with anyone else.
Nash frowned. “If I ever say my sex life is fine, please just take me out to the pasture.”
“Get the fuck out of my office.” Elijah couldn’t deal with his friend anymore.
“I think this has to do with the fine sex you are having,” Nash goaded him as he got out of the chair.
“Trust me.” Elijah went back to looking at his computer screen, unable to meet Georgia’s older brother's gaze, who was his friend. “You don’t want to know about the last time I fucked. It would make your threesome affinity pale in comparison.”
“You are my hero,” Nash saluted him before leaving his office.
Elijah dropped his head to his hands.
Nash would not call him a hero if he knew Elijah took Georgia’s virginity.
Fuck, he missed her.
Two weeks was a lifetime when it came to not talking to her.
He pulled out his phone.
Elijah: I can’t stop thinking about you
Yes, the text was forwarded, but it was the damn truth.
But she didn’t respond back, and he wasn’t surprised.
Georgia deserved better than a midnight text saying he missed her.
Fuck, he couldn’t wait to get off shift. Elijah had an idea that would put him back in her good graces.