Losing it bro code book.., p.9
Losing It (Bro Code Book 1), page 9
“She shares the apartment with three other girls. It’s the only way they can swing it. Rent here is crazy.” She sighed. “Which is one reason I’d hesitate to come back. I can’t afford to live here on a social worker’s salary.”
He nodded, understanding entirely too well. “Roommates?”
“Maybe, yeah.”
She went quiet, and he glanced over to find her eyes closed. Her face was etched with exhaustion, and she looked ready to fall asleep.
He thought back over the day and shook his head. It’d been a long day for both of them, and yesterday had been just as wild.
It was crazy to think he’d only met her twenty-four hours ago. She already felt like such a pertinent part of his life.
So weird. She was here for a week, and then she would be gone. After that, who knew if their paths would ever cross again. Maybe if she came back up to see her brother and they ended up at the same party, but talk about a big old maybe.
When he pulled up along the curb by Tori’s apartment, she came fully alert again. She grabbed her purse and fumbled for the door. “Thanks, Blake. I’ll see you Tuesday.”
“Kristen…hang on. Are you okay?”
She glanced at him and shrugged. “Does it really matter?”
Then she climbed out of the truck and ran to the building, disappearing inside.
Yeah, it mattered.
It was only when she was gone that he realized two things. One, she’d been barefoot—because her heels were still in his car. And two, they didn’t have each other’s numbers.
Damn.
He would have to be sneaky as hell to figure out how to find her again. He sure couldn’t ask James for her number.
*
What did one do when they acted like a grumpy bitch to someone who was doing them a big favor?
Bring them pie at work.
Kristen tightened her grasp on the cherry pie in her hand and marched up to the front door of the fire station.
She hesitated before opening it.
An older lady who looked like she must’ve been the station receptionist or something glanced up. “Hello, how can I help you?”
“Hi.” She braved a friendly smile. “I called earlier about Blake Avery. I wanted to drop off some—”
“Pie! Oh yes, of course; I remember talking to you.” The woman stood. “Follow me back. You have good timing—the crew is just getting ready for dinner.”
Dinner?
Now she just felt like an intruder.
She followed the lady through a hallway and toward the sound of loud, animated voices.
A sliver of nerves hit her, and she swallowed hard. She was about to walk into a room full of firefighters and paramedics with a pie. Who was she, Betty Crocker?
“They’re just in here in the kitchen.” The woman, who had a grandmotherly vibe about her, smiled. “That looks delicious. I’ll have to steal a bite.”
“Oh, please do, there’s plenty.”
The fragrant smell of Mexican food tickled her nostrils, and her stomach growled. She’d been so busy baking today, she hadn’t eaten.
The woman stepped into the kitchen ahead of her, shielding Kristen initially. “Blake? You have a visitor.”
The conversation died down as Kristen stepped into the room. A group of about five men and one woman in uniform were gathered around the food, plates in hand as they dished up dinner.
Her stomach flipped as all eyes swept to her. Her gaze slid to Blake, whose attention had honed in on her like a laser-guided missile. Surprise and something hotter gathered in his blue gaze.
Oh God, this had just gotten weird. She was like that obsessed girlfriend who showed up at her new boyfriend’s office. Only Blake wasn’t her boyfriend. She just wanted to sleep with him.
“Kristen?”
“Hi.” She lifted the plate. “I brought pie.”
And that had to be the lamest statement ever.
“I’m sorry,” she rushed on. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner.”
“Pie?” One of the men, probably in his late fifties, grinned. “You might just be my favorite person today.”
“You should stay and join us for dinner. We’ve got plenty.”
The offer didn’t come from Blake but from another guy about the same age who sat near him. The rest of the group rushed to agree.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to—”
“Stay.” Blake set the large serving spoon he’d been holding back into a pan full of meat and approached her.
He took the dessert from her and glanced down at it. His lips lifted into a smile.
“This looks amazing. Thank you.” He set it down on the counter. His voice lowered so only they could hear it. “You left your heels in my truck.”
She glanced around as the rest of the crew ignored them and dished up their dinner. “Yeah, that’s part of why I’m here.”
“Come on, let’s go in the hall and chat.” He led her out and then turned to face her again. “Part of the reason?”
She grimaced. “I want to apologize for getting a little bitchy at the end of last night.”
“Were you bitchy?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t notice.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shifted her weight to the other foot. “I have no excuse other than being pretty exhausted by that point. We were literally going all day. Though, I guess I was, um, frustrated. If you know what I mean.”
He was silent, and a quick glance at him showed that he knew exactly what she meant.
“How’d you find out which station I worked at?”
“Oh, you know.” She waved her hand casually. “Called all the stations in Seattle and asked if Blake was working. Narrowed it down to a couple stations that had a Blake. Borrowed Tori’s car and went to the wrong one first; now here I am.”
He blinked in dismay. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did.” She shook her head, flushing at the memory of showing up at the wrong one. “But hey, I was on a mission.”
“I’ll give you my number next time.”
“That would’ve been helpful.”
“Anyway, it’s sweet you brought dessert.”
“Cherry pie with lattice crust, and that shit isn’t super easy to make, so you’d better eat it.”
He gave a slow smile. “I’ll eat your pie.”
She could feel herself blush from her head to her toes.
“Crap. It’s way too easy to forget you’re James’s sister.” He leaned back against the wall and stroked his jaw. “You know, if you could wrap some of that yellow CAUTION: KEEP OUT tape around your lower half—make a skirt out of it—that might help me remember.”
That made her laugh. “Oh sure, I’ll grab some of that at the Walgreens on the way home. Maybe put on a barbed-wire bra or something, too.”
Their gazes held, and the atmosphere between them sizzled in a playful, easy, and comfortable way. The attraction between them never left—and was becoming harder to deny—no matter how hard they wanted to.
“I wish things were different, Kristen,” he said softly as he teased a strand of her hair. “You look so damn hot right now.”
Her pulse jumped. “Are you serious?”
She was hardly dressed to seduce. She glanced down at her outfit. Jeans, boots, and a knit sweater because it was cooler today. Her hair was loose and brushed, and her makeup was minimal.
“Yeah. That dress last night was sexy and all, but it didn’t feel like you.” He looked her over. “This fits you.”
“You barely know me.”
“I feel like I know you better than you realize.” He shrugged. “And I think you’re sexier looking like this than in that dress.”
“You have got to stop saying those kinds of things.” She swallowed hard. “Unless…”
No, he just had to stop. Because there was no unless. So why had she come? This was never going to happen, no matter how much she flirted. He wouldn’t change his mind about sleeping with her. His moral code was too rigid.
“I’ll try and tone it down,” he promised.
“Maybe I should just grab my shoes from your truck and go.”
“Stay for dinner. We’ve got plenty. I even cooked.”
He seemed awfully proud of that fact, too, with his lifted chin and smug look.
“Don’t you guys, like, all donate money to the food fund or something?”
“Yeah, but nobody’s going to get upset about having a cute chick join us for dinner.”
“Super sexist comment. Good thing you’re hot.”
“And she returns fire with a sexist comment of her own.” His slow grin had her heart tripping. “Not that I’m going to object to being called hot.”
“Hey, Blake. Where’s the guac?”
Kristen quickly stepped away from Blake as another firefighter came out of the kitchen and into the hall.
It was the guy from earlier who’d first told her to stay for dinner.
“Side of the fridge in the plastic container,” Blake called out. “Made it earlier and ran out of space.”
“Thanks.” The man hesitated and glanced at her. “Hey, I’m Reggie.”
“Kristen.” She stuck her hand to shake his.
He had large hands with a friendly, confident shake. “Nice to meet you, Kristen.”
“Sorry,” Blake apologized, stepping forward. “Kristen is my friend’s sister. She brought me pie because—”
“He helped me with a flat tire the other day,” she finished because she could see him hesitate.
“Gotcha.” A flicker of interest flared in Reggie’s gaze. “And here I was starting to think Blake had gotten himself a girlfriend.”
“Nah, man,” Blake rebuked casually. “Like we have any secrets here at the station.”
Kristen listened to the exchange but was watching Reggie. He was pretty cute. Glasses with dark eyes beneath. Average height and a muscled body and a fantastic white smile that flashed against his brown skin.
“So, are you staying for dinner, Kristen?” Reggie asked.
Boy, they really were pushing for her to join them. She offered a shy smile and folded her arms under her chest. “Only if you’ll let me pitch in for my share.”
Reggie grinned. “Sorry, can’t do it. I’d never let a lady pay for dinner.”
Aw, well, wasn’t that sweet? She flushed and glanced at Blake, whose brows were drawn sharply together.
“Okay. If you’re sure I won’t be intruding, I’ll stay, then.”
“Not intruding at all.” Reggie gestured to the doorway to the kitchen. “Come on in and grab some food. Tell me all about that amazing-looking apple pie you made.”
She shot him an apologetic look. “Oh, well, it’s actually cherry.”
“I must’ve stuttered,” he said easily. “Cherry. It’s my favorite.”
Her laugh was genuine amusement as she stepped past him into the kitchen.
Maybe coming to the station hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. At the very least, this Reggie guy would definitely help her hone her flirting skills.
Chapter Ten
What the hell is happening?
Blake lingered back in the hall as Kristen walked past them both into the kitchen. Reggie had yet to leave, too, and from the corner of his eye, Blake watched him slide a gaze over Kristen’s petite frame.
“You’re really not dating her?” Reggie asked in disbelief.
Ah hell. “No, we’re not dating. We’re just friends.”
“Right.” Reggie grimaced. “I mean, I should’ve realized. She’s nowhere near your type. Seems way too sweet.”
And then his friend disappeared into the kitchen, following Kristen to the food.
Blake waited a minute before following, struggling with the conflicting emotions running through him.
Kristen was in the process of making herself a taco and laughing at something Reggie had just said.
“You do not ban people for eating too many beans.” She shook her head and looked over at Reggie, eyes dancing with amusement.
“We do. Have a room in the back for it, don’t we, Chuck?”
“Sure do.” The captain joined in the little joke.
Blake, usually up to his neck in this kind of bullshitting, grew more irritated.
By the time they were seated around the table and eating, everyone in the room—his fire fam, as he called them—was engaging in conversation with Kristen.
Talking about her degree, her family up here, and how she knew Blake.
“You’re just friends with Blake, then?” Amber, the one female firefighter in the group, asked in dismay. “I didn’t know Blake had friends that were girls.”
“Ha. Super funny.” Blake grabbed his water glass and damn near broke it with his grip.
“Yeah, just friends,” Kristen murmured before taking a bite of taco.
Reggie cleared his throat. “So…are you single?”
She just about choked on that bite, and her eyes widened. When she finished swallowing, she gave a small nod, her cheeks pinkening.
Maybe she was inexperienced, but she was clearly aware—just like everyone else in the room right now—that Reggie was interested.
Before she could reply, the buzzer went off, announcing a call for dispatch.
“That’s us.” Blake rose along with his partner, Chad.
He glanced over at Kristen as he headed out of the kitchen. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone—”
“We’ll keep her company while she finishes eating,” Reggie volunteered. “See you in a few.”
Well, that wasn’t awkward or anything. Chances were Kristen would be gone by the time they got back.
Chad and Blake climbed into the medic unit and headed out to the call. It was a fairly easy respiratory distress call that had them back at the station within twenty minutes.
When they arrived, Blake grabbed his half-eaten dinner that someone had been kind enough to cover with aluminum foil. There was no sign of Kristen, just as he’d predicted.
Damn. He still hadn’t gotten her number or given her his. They had to get better at this exchanging info stuff.
“Thanks for the tour, Reggie.”
Blake froze, his taco halfway to his mouth as Kristen and Reggie walked back into the kitchen.
“Oh, you’re back.” Her gaze landed on him, and there was a hint of guilt in her eyes.
“We just got back.”
“I was just about to go,” she admitted and glanced around at the group. “It was great to meet you all.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Blake dropped his taco again as everyone called out a goodbye.
“You didn’t need to do that.” She glanced at him. “You’ve barely had a moment to eat.”
“Don’t usually. We stay pretty busy.” His mouth thinned. “Especially in Seattle. Anyway, you need your shoes.”
They walked over to his truck in the lot, and he unlocked it and grabbed her heels from the floorboard in the front passenger seat.
“Thanks.” Her gaze wouldn’t quite meet his as she accepted them.
Something was up. Premonition had the hairs on the back of his neck lifting.
“Reggie asked me out while you were out on that call.”
Chapter Eleven
Blake’s jaw clenched, and he bit back a harsh laugh. He’d asked her out in those twenty minutes? The man moved fast.
“Oh yeah? So, what’d you say?”
She looked slightly surprised. “Well, I said yes, of course.”
Of course? There was no “of course” about it. This was a big fucking decision.
“You’re attracted to him?”
It took a moment before she admitted, “He’s cute.”
So that would be a yes. Girls loved Reggie because he was the nice guy. The guy you knew wouldn’t cheat on you. A romantic at heart. The one who’d bring you flowers for no reason. The guy that made you sandwiches after sex and sat around watching cat videos with you.
“Well, then.” He tried and failed to keep his tone neutral. A hint of hardness threaded in. “I guess you’ve found your guy.”
She lifted her gaze to his, and there was a silent question in her eyes. An invitation for him to shoot Reggie down. A chance to speak up and stake a claim first.
The blood in his veins pounded harder.
“What do you think of him?” she prodded.
I think I want to rip Reggie’s fucking head off.
He forced himself to draw in a deep breath.
Take your ego and emotions out of it. Look at the situation practically.
It about killed him, but he finally managed to give an honest reply. “I don’t think you’ll find a better guy than Reggie.”
Her gaze had shimmered with nervous anticipation, but now it held the faintest bit of disappointment.
Or maybe he just wanted to see that.
She dropped her gaze to the red shoes swinging by the straps from her fingers. “I’m going to be honest, Blake. I kept hoping you’d change your mind and sleep with me.”
The breath caught in his throat, and his pulse went into double time.
“And last night, I literally dreamt about what it would be like if you were my first.” She glanced up at him, and there was a hint of embarrassment in her eyes. “Bringing you the pie was just an excuse to see you again. I really didn’t think I’d be open to anyone else.” She paused, and her tone changed. Almost with surprise. “But then…”
But then Reggie.
What the hell was wrong with him? He should’ve been thrilled things had worked out this way. That he wouldn’t be hanging on to his self-control by a thread anymore. That he wouldn’t be tempted to break the Bro Code.
Kristen had chosen someone.
She paused and shook her head before looking up. Now there was a wistfulness in her eyes. Probably meant she was imagining her date tomorrow.
“What I’m trying to say is I guess fate had it all worked out. Maybe I met you so I would ultimately meet Reggie.”
Nope. He would absolutely not give fate a big fucking high five on this one. This was bullshit.
