Chapter 15
15
CONNOR
As I suspect, Ember returns a day later. She struts through that door to the fire station full of the attitude and arrogance as if she owns the place. This out-of-towner bursts in like a ray of sunshine into my dark kingdom, determined to have her way.
Boy, she’s really going to try to win this little game, isn’t she?
I stand here behind the desk and wait for her to approach.
“Back again, huh?” I ask her as she marches toward me in a cute, well-fitted stylish white blouse and straight-leg trousers. She looks like a city girl in that casual business attire, and certainly not like a native woman of Crystal River. I like it, though. I like her minimal makeup and the way she wears her silky blonde hair in a perfect ponytail.
Yeah, I might even admit she’s gorgeous.
But I refuse to allow myself to fall for her looks... or for her charms...
“Yes,” she replies, staring me down. She’s smiling her beaming sunshine smile, like that’ll help her. “I’m back for round two. A new, beautiful day, and a fresh new start. Are you willing to talk to me now, Connor?”
“No. Never.”
She pouts.
If I could, I would do a lot of bad things with that mouth...
Things that would make her stop her incessant questions and instead make her moan.
“I’m going to write about you either way,” she says, “so we might as well have your perspective on the record...”
“No, Ember. I’m never going to speak to you. The sooner you get that, the sooner you can forget all about this article, and the sooner you can leave Crystal River and go back to wherever you’ve come from.”
“Are you sure about that, Connor?”
“I’m sure.”
“You won’t give me a single minute of your time?”
“Never, Ember.”
“Fine, then. Have it your way.”
The girl smiles one more time before she’s skipping away.
Don’t look at her ass... don’t look at her ass...
I don’t trust the twinkle in her eyes when she smiles at me. She’s definitely going to come back. I’d bet the entire Penmayne family fortune on that.
And she does come back. The very next day. Like clockwork.
I’m not here in the fire station when she arrives, but I do walk in on her chatting away happily with my team. All the other firefighters, including Eric, are sitting around and listening to her regale some journalist stories of interviewing drug crime lords or some shit.
What the hell?
She seems so comfortable with my colleagues. Her happy demeanor is clearly rubbing off on them in a big way - they are laughing along with her and her tales. She’s truly making herself at home in my fire station. Without my permission.
And I don’t very much like that.
She’s wearing another business suit. I can see her legs. I like her legs very much.
Don’t think about that now, Connor. Get a grip on yourself.
“What are you doing?” I growl as I step into the room.
Everyone immediately turns and looks at me, including the journalist. The entire room goes silent. Eric’s face drops, along with the rest of my crew.
Yep, they know they’ve fucked up. Big time.
This girl shouldn’t be in here, and they most certainly shouldn’t be entertaining her.
“I’m here to talk to you,” Ember announces boldly at me. She’s unfazed by my anger.
I grunt.
“Leave. Now.”
She shrugs nonchalantly and picks up her bag.
“Sure thing,” she says.
I try to ignore the erection growing in my pants. I try to ignore the sense of desire creeping into my bloodstream.
I try to ignore how goddamn pretty she is.
“Never come back,” I snarl as the journalist passes.
“I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” Ember cheerily replies.
And, just like yesterday, she skips merrily out of the fire station.
The audacity of her...
“Why’d you do that for?” Eric asks me once she’s gone. “We were all having a great chat.”
I glare right back at him.
“She’s a parasite,” I reply.
“She’s nice ,” Eric retorts.
“She’s a parasite here to bleed me dry, also known as a journalist,” I say. “She’s about as nice as a sore pimple on my ass.”
“You’re too mean to her,” Eric remarks. “You should let her talk to you for a minute. She’s great company. She’s got some great stories about her times interviewing some fucked-up drug lords and dictators.”
I grunt again and turn to the rest of my crew. They’re all nodding along in agreement with Eric. They’ve all been put under her jolly spell.
“I want you all to know that I will happily strangle whoever lets her back inside,” I bark.
That shuts them all up. They know I’m serious.
Fucking journalists.
Fucking pretty journalists.
I won’t ever, ever talk to her. No matter what she wears.