Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“You’ll leave, all right. How, I’ve yet to determine.”
“Honey,” I cooed. “Remember what the therapist said. Breaking people’s bones comes second. Use your words.”
Jesse turned his head, his lips twitching. “I’m trying to use my words. I think I need to go to the second option. I can break his hands really fast. We’ll be gone when he comes to.”
“No,” Chris insisted. “I heard you. I was being a prick. I’m sorry, Casey.” He looked at Jesse. “I need my hands to do my job.”
“Thorne,” I said. “Let him go. After the last, ah, incident, I’m not sure you can stop. And it would be so messy.”
Chris whimpered, shutting his eyes. I had to turn away, trying not to laugh. Jesse leaned on the wall and whispered something to Chris, who nodded really fast. “I won’t. I promise. You’ll never see me again, and if you do, I’ll turn and leave.”
Jesse stood back. “You have to the count of ten to disappear from my sight.”
Chris was gone in five, almost tripping to get away.
Jesse turned to me. “Are you hurt?”
“No. He showed up a couple minutes before you did.”
He rolled his neck, loosening his shoulders. “I wanted to beat the shit out of him.” He paused. “I still do.”
“I assume from what he said, this isn’t the first time you’ve threatened him.”
“Warned him,” Jesse corrected, moving closer. He reached out and wrapped a long tendril of hair around his finger, slowly caressing it between his thumb and finger. “I told him to stay away from you. I let him know hurting you would result in him being hurt.”
“The day we went to the grocery store?” I guessed.
“Yes.”
“You were protecting me.”
He met my eyes. “I always will.”
I touched his T-shirt. “Why did you change?”
“We strip down after we return and clean our equipment. We thought the kids would get a kick out of seeing us in full gear, so we had a fast cleanup and put on fresh equipment. But I still smelled like oil and smoke. We all did. I showered and put on fresh clothes so I didn’t stink when I did this.”
“Did what?”
He yanked me to his chest and covered my mouth with his.
We returned to the open house, hand in hand. I felt nervous, glancing at Jesse before we rounded the corner. He smiled and pressed a tender kiss to my brow. “We’re good, Pixie.”
I felt the stares as we walked around. Jesse was hungry and tugged me to the refreshment tables.
“The old biddies have done themselves proud,” he muttered.
I elbowed him. “You shouldn’t call them that.”
He laughed and called to one of them. “Gladys, show my girl your jacket.”
She turned and I laughed. Emblazoned on the back was “Old Biddies Club.”
She turned back and looked at us. “Your girl, eh? Poor thing—stuck with your grumpy ass.”
“He’s not always grumpy,” I said, needing to defend him.
Jesse wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me closer, leaving his hand resting on my hip. “See?”
“Only about seventy percent of the time,” I added. “He needs to be fed and watered frequently.”
“And probably petted,” another woman interjected.
I nodded, amusement making me giggle like a schoolgirl. “Often.”
They all laughed raucously.
Jesse huffed but grinned. “You better be prepared when we get home. I haven’t been petted in days,” he murmured in my ear.
“No self-grooming?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Nope. Saving myself.”
He piled sandwiches, cookies, and other goodies on his plate. We walked around, him stopping to explain various things to me about the station, how it operated, and the men and women he worked with. I could see how proud he was to be a firefighter.
“Thorne,” a voice spoke behind us.
We both turned to see Chief Fleming there. He smiled at us, shaking my hand. He saw Jesse’s hand resting on my hip, and he grinned.
“Ah, the good mood explained.” He winked at me. “Keep doing what you’re doing, Ms. Lawson. I approve.”
With another grin, he walked away, and I peeked at Jesse. He looked casual and relaxed. He glanced at me, seeing my tension, and he chuckled. “Not sure he’d approve if he knew that half an hour ago, I was trying to figure out how to smuggle you upstairs and into a private shower room.”
“I didn’t know you had those.”
“We do. The station was renovated before I got here. We have private showers, even private rooms, for those who need the alone time. It’s different in a smaller town. Our beds have partial walls between them for more privacy. Even our shifts are different. In a big city, the three-on, four-off is rare since you’re so busy, it’s exhausting. In a small town, the shifts are easier, although Chief is thinking about changing it.”
“How would you feel about that?”
He shrugged. “I’ll do whatever is best for the station. I like the three-on, four-off, but I’ll adapt.”