Toasted

CHAPTER THREE

Libby stared againat her outfit in the full-length wardrobe mirror. She didn’t want to look as if she was trying too hard, but now she was starting to worry she looked more like she hadn’t tried at all.

It was hot out, so jeans weren’t an option. She’d decided on denim shorts, but now she was second guessing having so much leg on show. Libby wasn’t a skinny woman and although she was comfortable in her own skin, she wasn’t sure just how comfortable she was letting Zach see so much of it. Especially on a non-date.

She’d always been considered curvy. And for the most part, she liked it. The ample cleavage she had, combined with her big butt, never failed to turn heads when she ventured out. However, like most things in life, there was a catch. In exchange for tits and ass, she had to live with love handles and wobbly thighs. It was said love handles and wobbly thighs that her eyes were currently glued to.

Picking up her phone from the bedside table, she shot a quick message over to Cat. She needed a second opinion.

Libby: How much skin is too much skin? I’m worried my legs in shorts are offensive. I’m trying to avoid being run out of town with pitchforks or forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on my chest.

Her phone vibrated just moments later.

Cat: Did you really just say your legs are offensive? You deserve a pitchfork in the arse just for that ridiculous comment.

As a soft chuckle escaped her lips, she got to work typing out another message to her bestie.

Libby: My thighs are jiggly. There’s going to be sexy firemen everywhere with hard bodies. I don’t want to embarrass myself. Or Zach.

Cat: Your thighs are not jiggly. You look beautiful in shorts. If anyone says otherwise, give them my number – or better yet give me theirs and I’ll set them straight.

Libby: Seriously, though. Shorts, tee and flip-flops – too casual? Too skimpy? I want to look nice.

Cat: Send me a pic.

Libby immediately got to work snapping pictures of herself in the mirror. Why hadn’t she thought to do this earlier? Once the pictures were sent, her friend didn’t make her wait long for a reply. When Libby opened the message, she couldn’t help but laugh at all the flame emojis filling her screen.

Cat: Holy shit! Zach is gonna blow in his pants. You look hot.

Before she could reply, her phone buzzed again.

Cat: I thought you said this wasn’t a date?

Libby: It’s not. Doesn’t mean I can’t look nice. You sure I look ok? No one’s gonna run for the pitchforks?

Cat: They’re gonna be pitching something.

Libby: Cat!

Cat: What? It’s true.

Her smile stretched as she shook her head at the phone screen. Cat never failed to cheer her up. She was the best woman she knew. She wished all women were like Cat. Damnit, she wished she was like Cat. She was so funny and confident. Not to mention gorgeous. And with the biggest, kindest heart.

As she typed out one more message to her friend, promising to let her know how it went, she noticed the time. Shit. Zach would be there any minute. After checking her reflection one last time, she descended the stairs just in time to hear the doorbell ring. Good timing.

There was no more time to second guess herself. She needed to channel her inner Cat and get confident. Quick.

Reaching for the lock, she slowly opened the door to reveal a very casual looking Zach. Another smile graced her lips as she perused his outfit which came complete with matching flip-flops. He too was wearing shorts, only more manly, khaki ones that reached his knees. He’d paired them with a black t-shirt and she hadn’t missed how it clung to all the sexy, hard parts of his chest.

Damn, he is one fine looking man. Maybe they’ll make him wear the scarlet letter.?

It was only once she’d finally finished drooling that she realized neither of them had said anything yet. No hi, or hey or even a what’s up?

Well, come on. Don’t just stand there. Say something.

“Uh, hey,” she greeted. “I just need to grab my bag and then I think I’m good to go.”

When he didn’t reply, she realized he wasn’t looking at her face. No. His eyes were roaming all over her body. Her outfit. He was totally checking her out. And he wasn’t hiding the fact he liked what he saw.

She’d been checked out plenty in her time, but never like this. This was a whole new experience. One that was actually making her gulp. She could have sworn the heat from his stare was leaving scorch marks. That would explain why she was suddenly feeling all hot and bothered.

No. No. No. Non-date, remember?

She needed to do something. Stop this, before she did something stupid. Like rip off that shirt and bite down on those abs.

Control yourself woman.

One fake cough later, she spoke again. “My eyes are up here, buddy.”

This time, his head jerked up so fast, there was no doubt he’d heard her. For a moment he looked sheepish, but as she flashed him a knowing smile, he returned a devilish grin.

“You look good, princess. Really fucking good.”

Yeah. He definitely can’t see my jiggly bits from this angle.

“Thanks. Um ... you too.” His smile got even wider as her cheeks got pinker. “I’ll just,” she paused, completely forgetting what she was about to say.

Urgh. Really? Stupid brain. One sexy guy checks you out and you start malfunctioning ... seriously?

Zach didn’t speak. Probably because Libby had lifted her index finger in his direction, the universal sign that indicated she needed a minute. He gave her that minute. Watching in fascination and a little amusement. Now all she had to do was hit the restart button on her brain.

It took a whole minute, but it worked. She remembered.

“I’ll just go get my bag!” she quickly blurted, before disappearing back inside.

Jesus Libby, how have you already embarrassed yourself ... you’ve not even left the house yet!

After snagging her purse off the kitchen counter, she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. It helped. A little. Although by the time she’d returned to the front door and taken another look at the fine ass man standing there, she was starting to regret agreeing to go out with him. This was just a disaster waiting to happen. The man was far too tempting not to touch. But touching led to complicated. And complicated usually led to her leaving town. Which wasn’t ideal seeing as she’d barely been there a week.

Trying her best to ignore chemistry that she was beginning to suspect had an actual gravitational pull, she decided to try her hand at small talk during the drive over. With a few choice questions, she learned more about the fundraiser and the activities they had on today. Currently, they were discussing the men that Zach worked with. For some reason, the latter was making her nervous. Meeting his friends felt like a big deal. A huge part of her also wanted to make a good first impression. Or second more like. There was a strong possibility they’d already seen her in her pink pajamas.

Stupid, dumb toaster.

“I’m close with most of the guys, but the ones I see outside of work are my buddies Benny, Luke and Hunter,” Zach continued. “We’ve been through a lotta shit together. I’m probably closer to them than I am my own brothers.”

No pressure then.“What are they like?”

“Well, Benny’s the youngest. A baby, really, at twenty-five. He also thinks he’s the funniest and likes to play pranks on us. Luke is my age, thirty-three. I guess he’s what some might consider the most cynical of the lot of us.”

“How come?” Libby tilted her head with the question and didn’t miss the newly formed frown crinkling Zach’s brow.

“He had it rough growing up. He doesn’t really like to talk about it. But I get the feeling he had to fight really fucking hard to have the life he has now.” She nodded in understanding. She got that.

“And Hunter ... well, he’s the oldest. And a man of very few words. As in sometimes you have to drag them outta him.” Zach chuckled and shook his head. “Most people are intimidated by him ‘cause he’s massive. Six foot five.” Wow. “But don’t let his size fool you, he’s a gentle giant underneath that gruff exterior.”

Libby felt a little bit better knowing what she was about to step into. Preparation was the key to success and all that. And at least she only had to charm three men and not the whole precinct. That couldn’t be too hard, could it?

***

Two hours into thefundraiser, Zach had introduced her to a lot of people, but she still hadn’t met the infamous Benny, Luke and Hunter. Libby had to admit she was having fun, though. She’d convinced Zach to join her on one of the fire station and truck tours and had found the whole thing fascinating.

They were about to listen to one of the fire safety talks when Libby’s belly betrayed her. It roared so loudly she swore the children in the front row turned to look at her. Zach, of course, heard it too. Which led to him taking her hand and dragging her out of there. He then proceeded to seat her at one of the picnic benches while he went to get them food.

She could get used to this.

To her surprise, Zach returned not only with cold beers and burgers, but three friends. She could tell straight away these were the men he’d spoken about. The six foot five, dark haired giant with him kind of gave it away. Like Zach, all the men were easy on the eyes but in very different ways.

“Guys, this is Libby. Libby, these are my friends.” Zach placed the food and drinks on the table and remained standing as he gestured at each of the men. “This here is Hunter.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Libby rose and went to shake Hunter’s hand. Zach was right, he was big. Even his hand managed to swallow hers.

“Nice to meet you, Libby.” The smile he gave her was so genuine it instantly made her feel at ease. Zach was right, he was a gentle giant.

“And this miserable bastard is Luke.” Zach smacked the man next to him on the back. Unlike the others, Luke’s brown hair was a little longer and the stubble on his face was just a few days away from becoming a full-blown beard.

“Don’t listen to this asshole, I’m a ray of sunshine.” He grinned and picked up her hand, pulling it up to his lips and lightly kissing it. When he lowered it again, he didn’t let go. He just kind of held her. “Pleasure to meet you, Libby. You ever get sick of this guy, you look me up, yeah?”

She didn’t really know what to say to that. Luckily, a reply wasn’t necessary, as Zach yanked her hand out of his friend’s and pulled her into his side. Libby had to admit, she wasn’t hating being so close to him, especially when he wrapped his arm around her waist and gently squeezed.

Danger! Danger!

“Find your own woman, asswipe.”

Your own woman.Okay, now she could literally hear the alarm bells ringing in her ears.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat as she turned to face the only man who hadn’t been introduced yet. There was no doubt he was the youngest of the group with that baby face. He also had that whole boyish charm thing going on.

“You must be Benny?” she asked, putting her hand out, ready for a shake. But to her surprise, Benny tugged on her hand, untangling her from Zach and pulling her into an embrace. Once he’d brushed his lips on her cheek, he released her, but not before directing a mischievous smile her way.

“Pleasure to meet you, Libby. You look even better ... dressed.”

Damnit. Now she was blushing. Of course he’d been front and center to her humiliation. She was toaster girl. Disney pajamas girl.

“Uh, thanks.” She could feel her cheeks getting warmer by the second.

Zach came to her rescue though, announcing they were going to eat. He then suggested the guys go grab some food too and join them. That meant she had a few minutes to compose herself and convince her cheeks to return to their normal color.

“Your friends seem nice.” She took her seat again and watched as Zach took one opposite her.

“Usually they are.” He chuckled. “But right now? Well, right now they’re being assholes and trying to wind me up.”

“Why?”

“’Cause they know I like you.” Did he really just throw that out there? And so casually, too. This is a freaking date, isn’t it? “They also know the last thing I want is to do or say anything that might scare you off. Which means they’re probably gonna spend the next twenty minutes tryin’ to press my buttons to see if I crack.”

“Oh.” That was all she had. She needed to process.

“Yeah, oh.”

He likes me, but this isn’t a date. He never even pushed for this to be a date. And not once has he asked for my number. That’s strange, right?

The man was confusing, that was for sure. She hadn’t forgotten the way he’d made it abundantly clear he wasn’t hitting on her when they’d first met. What was his game? Did he want to be her friend, or did he want to date her? God, she wished she was better at deciphering all this stuff. Thirty-one years on this planet and she still had no idea what she was doing when it came to the opposite sex.

She didn’t miss Zach studying her as she wrestled with her thoughts. His gaze flicked from her eyes to her lips. Then back to her eyes again. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Benny sidled up beside him and wasted no time making himself comfortable on the bench.

His friend had returned empty handed, something Zach was quick to point out.

“Luke’s gonna grab me something.” He grinned, quickly turning his attention to Libby. “So, Libby ... what brings you to Woodvalley?”

And so it began.

***

Libby was in trouble. A superficial attraction she could handle. That was easy. But an actual connection was just damn cruel. He had to be nice, didn’t he? And funny as well. Not to mention easy to talk to. Oh and his friends. She had to go and get along with them too, didn’t she?

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.

There was a reason Libby didn’t date. A good one. Not that this was a date. It wasn’t. It didn’t matter that he said he liked her, that didn’t mean anything. He could just like her as a friend. And him checking her out, well, he’s a guy. Guys do that. That’s just genetics. She just needed to keep reminding herself of these very valid points. Again. And again. And she really needed to stop wondering if and when she was going to see Zach again as he walked her to the front door.

It had been a good day. Too good. This was not how her week in a new town was supposed to go. Toaster fires. Hot firemen. Non-dates that felt a lot like dates.

You just need a detox, that’s all. Get him out of your system early before he can crawl under your skin.

“What’s on your mind, princess?”

They’d come to a stop on her porch. Libby was almost afraid to look into those deep blue pools again, but she didn’t have a choice. Not without looking rude anyway. “Oh. Nothing. Thank you for today, I had a really nice time.”

She could see his mind working as he took her in. “I had a good time too. How about you let me take you out again ... say, Tuesday night?”

Tuesday?

“What kind of weirdo goes out on a Tuesday night?”

Oh no. The dimples were out. “Plenty of people, princess. If you say yes, I promise to show you a few of them.”

Detox, remember?

She swallowed down the tingles and steeled herself. “No, I can’t. I’ve got a big project at the moment and I’ll probably need to work well into the evenings next week.” It wasn’t a total lie, at least.

“Okay,” he said slowly as he took a step closer. How was it possible he smelt smoky? But good smoky. Like a campfire. “Well, you need to eat. How about I bring you over some takeout again or cook you dinner while you work?”

Was this guy for real?

“And why would you do that?”

“Because I want to see you again.” She was not going to analyse the goosebumps that had just broken out over her arms and legs. It was just the cooler night air. That was all.

“Look, Zach, you’re a nice guy and all but I think you should probably know that I don’t date.” That’s it. Band-Aid, ripped right off.

“Who said anything about dating?”

Was he kidding? There were dating vibes flying all over the yard. Wasn’t there? Oh my God. Is it all in my head?

Her confusion must have been written all over her face. She could definitely feel at least one eyebrow raise.

“Okay, fine.” He grinned. “I wouldn’t turn down a date with you, but for now, I’ll settle for friendship.”

“For now?”

“Yeah. For now. Y’know, until you fall madly in love with me.” She watched him shrug. The nerve.

“And if I don’t fall madly in love with you?”

“Then I guess we’ll just be friends.” If possible, his smile got even wider. Damn, he was cocky. “So, Tuesday?”

“Still working.”

“And you still need to eat.”

Urgh. Friends. Could she even be friends with this man?

You’re not seriously worried about falling madly in love with him, are you?

As if.

“Fine. But not Tuesday night. I really do have to work.” She was all about the boundaries. “The weekend?”

His smile momentarily slipped. “I’m working this weekend. How ‘bout Friday night?”

“Sure. Friday it is.” There were no butterflies in her stomach. Just a simple delayed reaction to eating that burger earlier. Or maybe she had food poisoning.

Dimples, white teeth and a panty-melting grin were now on full display. A display she couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from. That was her excuse for not noticing Zach slip his hand into the front pocket of her jean shorts. Not until all those darn goosebumps sprung back up to attention.

At her questioning and undoubtedly shocked look, he pulled out his hand and took a step back, his smile never wavering. “Just thought you might like my number. Now that we’re friends, and all.”

Libby finally looked away from his face long enough to see her phone in his hands.

“Oh,” was all she managed as she watched him save his number into her phone.

I knew I should’ve added a pin code to that thing.

He then appeared to call himself. To get her number. So much for setting boundaries.