Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Emotionally, I was one of those girls. It was hard not to laugh at every joke he made a little too much or not be fazed when he put his arm around me for group photos. That guilt still got me when I looked at him and wondered if he ever felt anything more for me. But it was obvious now that he wasn’t the dating type, so it didn’t matter.
“I’m not the only one drawing attention. The others get their fair share of ogling women, especially after saving their lives,” Matty told me as he gestured to the others.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. You guys are… well, you’re heroes,” I told them, having to backtrack what I was initially going to say before I embarrassed myself. As a result, my sentence came out broken and awkward, making the guys pitch me suspicious looks.
Busted.
“I think you were thinking of something else,” Tobin teased.
“Sounded like it,” Angus agreed with a light chuckle.
I felt their eyes on me, my heart racing. I had to cut myself a little bit of slack because I wasn’t used to being surrounded by so many hot guys at a time, especially ones who had all of their attention on me. This felt like a dream that could quickly become a nightmare depending on how well I recovered.
“Well, if you must know, you guys are pretty handsome too. Pair that with bravery and we’re goners,” I told them, putting some confidence into my voice.
“Well, thank you, beautiful,” Jae quipped with matching confidence, coaxing chuckles from the others as my face flushed.
I finished off my first beer after that. I needed more alcohol if I was going to be flirting with them like that. Being assertive and forward when it came to my job was easy, but when it came to flirting, it wasn’t my strong suit.
Tonight was only supposed to be about getting to know them and letting them get to know me, but there was an underlying heated energy below the tense air that surrounded us. The more we all got to know each other, would things burn hotter or fizzle out?
Chapter 6
Matty
Even after quite a few years, Zoe Collins hadn’t lost her spark.
As she talked about her nearly disastrous but amusing first day at work, my eyes settled on her smiling face, admiring the color in her cheeks and the way her nose slightly crinkled when she cringed. I tried not to let my eyes stray, but she looked so good in a skirt.
“Not many bosses would let their new hires get away with spilling coffee on them on their first day,” Zoe said with a laugh.
“If I spilled coffee on Paolo, he’d probably dump his over my head,” Jae replied with a chuckle before checking his watch. He clicked his tongue and stood up. “And if I don’t want to have to drink ten cups of coffee to get myself going tomorrow, I better head out.”
I let out a playful groan, gesturing to Angus and Tobin’s empty chairs.
“You guys are so old,” I said, even if they weren’t really.
Jae waved his hand dismissively at me, amusement glinting in his eyes. He turned to Zoe and smiled at her.
“It was nice talking to you. I’ll see you around,” he told her.
Zoe smiled back up at him and nodded.
“See you,” she replied.
I bumped the side of my fist against Jae’s before he walked away. My eyes shifted to Zoe, watching her eyes trail him until he disappeared.
When Zoe turned back, she gestured to me.
“Your turn. Tell me a funny work story,” she said as she leaned a little closer with eagerness.
I chuckled and thought for a second before speaking.
“First time I tried to use the firehose, the impact of the blast caught me off guard so much that it made me fall flat on my ass in front of everyone,” I told her, sharing a moment from my first few months as a firefighter. I had come a long way from that, but it was still funny to look back on those memories.
Laughter bubbled from her as she shook her head at me.
“But you got back up. Look at you now,” Zoe pointed out as she tilted her third glass of beer toward me.
“Always,” I replied as I clinked my third glass against hers. We sipped at the same time, my eyes lingering on her over the top of my glass. Damn, she was beautiful.
I could tell the others noticed too. She seemed a little flustered from all the attention, but she would get used to being around all of us soon. We were all tight-knit, even the newer guys like me, so I hoped everyone would be welcoming to her.
“Got a boyfriend back in the city?” I asked her, our knees brushing as we turned toward each other more. When the other guys started to leave, our chairs started to get closer together.