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“Yeah, I guess. I’m looking for an old fire incident report,” Chase says.
“Okay, how old?”
“2018. May, I think.”
I think about it for a moment then cross the room to the fire incident section—an entire wall covered in metallic cabinets.
“Right, 2018,” I mutter, feeling Chase’s gaze drilling holes into my back. I don’t know how this man manages to make me nervous and turn me on at the same time, but it is messing with my ability to focus. “There’s a lot of stuff in here,” I say, opening the drawer to find hundreds of files with names and dates. “Can you be a tad more specific?”
“I’ve got it,” he says, and I almost jump out of my skin. He’s so close, out-of-the-blue, that I can feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. “I’ll bring it back when I’m done.”
“Okay.”
I stand, motionless and thoughtless as I watch him walk away. He gets to the door but then stops in his tracks. I hold my breath as he turns around and comes back. I’m about to say something, though I’m not sure what, when Chase gets so close that I feel my skin catching fire.
Little blazes everywhere as his lips are barely an inch from mine. The hint of sweat and charred wood fills my senses, along with a subtle hue of sea salt and orange zest. I can almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.
He stares at me, his eyes impossible to read.
I hold his gaze but then foolishly bite my lower lip and he kisses me.
“Chase, no,” I manage and take a step back.
He laughs, the shadow of a smile dancing over his lips, now glistening. “We’ll see.”
“What are you talking about?”
He gives me a smoldering look and walks out. For the second time today, I’m left speechless and headily aroused, yearning for more. Guilt swirls in the pit of my stomach, a sharp claw that slashes at my reasoning. No matter how I spin this, it isn’t right. It might’ve felt right in the moment, natural. But it’s not right. He’s Eric’s brother.
What the hell am I getting myself into? Finally, I manage to get my head back in the game, filing more papers in their appropriate cabinets. The more I sift and check through them, the easier it gets.
Wyatt comes in. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Great, just what I needed,” I mutter to myself. “Another Danson hunk to fry my circuits.”
“Sorry, what?” he asks. He didn’t hear me, thank heavens.
“I said hey to you too,” I lie and put on a flat smile.
Wyatt laughs. I’ve got a feeling that he can see right through me, whether I like it or not. “I was hoping I might brighten up your day, not make it worse,” he says.
“Oh, no, Wyatt, everything is fine. I think I’m just tired. My apologies if I sounded crabby just now.” I take a deep breath and look at him again. He’s not that different from his brothers, aesthetically speaking. He has the same chiseled jawline, same straight nose, same arches above his eyes. “How can I help you?” I ask.
“I was just checking in on you, actually.”
I blink once, wondering if I heard him right. “You’re checking in on me? You guys just came back from what I understand was a really bad call, and it’s me you’re worried about?”
“I do my best to save everyone but I know I can’t. I have to focus on the good or I’ll go crazy. How are you doing?”
“Thank you, Wyatt,” I say, offering a warm and heartfelt smile. “I’m okay, I promise. Just taking it one day at a time. I like the job. It gives me focus and stability.” When Eric doesn’t have his hand down my pants, that is. Or when Chase doesn’t have his tongue down my throat. “It’s a good place to start anew. Of course, I owe you and your brothers everything. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“You don’t owe us anything,” he says, slightly frowning as he approaches me.
I’m starting to get a serious déjà vu feeling here. The same movements. The same thickening air between us. The same shiver of anticipation darting through my core. I’d thought the whole Chase thing was wrong but this is taking it to the next level.
“Halle, you needed help. We were there to provide it. We still are. It doesn’t cost us anything to make sure that you and your children are safe,” Wyatt adds.
This time, however, I’m the one taking small but definitive steps toward him. What is happening here?
