Firefighter's Virgin

I looked down self-consciously, hoping he hadn’t caught me staring. “Yes?”

“It’s easy to talk to you,” he said unexpectedly.

I smiled. “It’s easy to talk to you.”

“Do you think we could…hang out one day?” Phil asked. “As friends?”

I was happy that he wanted to spend time with me, but I was also disappointed that he had been specific about delineating the type of relationship we could hope to have. I didn’t just want to be his friend. My attraction to him was palpable, and I had a feeling it would only grow.

But I wasn’t about to say no to the option of being his friend. I was lonely in this new city. My brother had his own life, and it wasn’t one that I was particularly keen on being a part of.

“Of course.” I nodded. “I would like that.”

Chapter Three

Phil

“Hey,” I greeted as Matt and the boys filed in.

They were in their fire safety uniforms, but there was no sign that they had been near a fire. They just looked tired and slightly drawn.

“What happened?”

“Accident on the interstate,” Tanner replied. “Two cars had collided and one toppled over. There were two men trapped inside.”

“You go them out?”

“Yes.” Tanner nodded tiredly. “But one was severely injured.”

“Driver?” I asked.

“Passenger,” Tanner replied. “He was unconscious when we pulled him out. The paramedics took over from there.”

I nodded and stood up. “Good job, guys,” I said, as I made my way to the day room.

My

group was sitting at a table in the dining area. Kendrick was snacking on a bag of chips, Mel was eating a sandwich, and Ryan was having his usual salad. I sat down beside them, and Kendrick pushed a second bag of chips towards me.

“No thanks,” I replied. “I’m not hungry.”

“More for me,” he said, with a shrug as he pulled back the bag of chips.

“You look…well rested,” I observed, looking at Kendrick.

He smiled. “I spent the night here in my bunk,” he said. “You get more sleep. I don’t lose time going all the way back home.”

“You can afford to do that,” Mel said. “You don’t have a family.”

“How is the family, by the way?” I asked Mel.

“Janine is fine,” Mel nodded. “Running around with the kids most days. And in her free time, she’s usually nagging me for some reason or the other.”

I smiled. “Do you deserve it?” I asked as Ryan and Kendrick laughed.

Mel smirked at me. “Most days I do,” he admitted. “It’s just hard to make every piano recital, play, and ball game with this job. I miss a lot.”

Kendrick smacked him on the back. “Which is why I won’t ever get married.”