Play With Fire (The Men of Fire 1)

My brother, Tanner, and my stepdad rode out this morning on a run. I don’t know yet if I’ll have to help out with my niece and have one extra child for the weekend away, but that’s something that doesn’t need to be shared yet.

I tune out the comments from the dickhead sitting behind me—who obviously doesn’t agree—before snapping my head back up. I look at Chief, then turn my glare on Jet. “Fuck you. Jokes or not, I don’t want to hear it. Besides, like any of you fuckers can talk,” I say, specifically looking at my best friend and boss. Chief had one woman. A one-night stand that he can’t seem to get over. He was drunk and lied to her, giving her a different name. He told her he was from out of town, and by the time he had woken up the next morning, she was gone. He’s still pissed at himself for that. She blew his mind in a way he wasn’t expecting.

Just as we turn in to the fire station, I say, “You guys will understand when you meet her properly this weekend. She’s it for me. I don’t know what it is about her, and before you tell me that I’m losing my mind, I already know I’m fucking crazy. She makes me crazy, but I’ve never felt like this before.” I growl in frustration, running my fingers through my hair and pulling at the ends before reaching for the door and swinging it wide. “Just be nice.”

With that, I jump down from the truck and tell them about Tanner leaving on club business and how we might have Ashlee with us as well. Done with the conversation, I head straight for my bunk to find all my shit.

Before I know it, I’m back at my truck, throwing it all into the cab while telling the boys goodbye as they all do the same. Except for Jet, of course. He insists on flipping me off first and gets himself a well-deserved ‘fuck you’ in return.

Jumping into my truck, I kick the engine over and quickly throw it into gear, looking down at the clock and making sure I still have enough time. Seeing I have forty-five minutes until lunch, I flick the indicator left and head straight into town.

I’ve got a surprise for Ryan, and I hope she loves it. A hot pink motorbike with training wheels. Amelia doesn’t know I’ve bought it yet, but I know Ryan is going to love it. Over the past two weeks, since we finished painting the girls’ bedrooms, Ryan has become my shadow. Walking like me, talking like me, she even attempts to eat like me, and I fucking love it. So, when I saw this bike, I knew I had to get it for her.

After what feels like forever, I finally get everything done, and I start heading home. I drive down the main street, pulling to a stop at a red light. My phone chirps with the sound of a message coming through, so I grab it quickly, assuming it’s Mom finally getting back to me.

Fuck. It’s Jessa.

Not having time to deal with that just now, I throw my phone back onto the passenger seat, and a second later, another message comes through. Damn it. I groan and pick it up once again.

Jessa - Hey! Can we talk?

Jessa - Been missing you xx

Frowning, I read her messages again. Missing me? What the fuck? I’m not sure if it’s because of what Jet just said in the truck, but that doesn’t sound like Jessa.

Jessa isn’t a needy chick, and she certainly hasn’t made me think she is. So I can’t understand these messages or figure out what she’s trying to accomplish here. Though, now that I think about it, she is usually the one to initiate our little ‘catch-ups.’

The older I get, the less I could give a fuck about going out and meeting someone just to take home. Jessa has just been easy. I have never led her to believe there’s a possibility of anything more than what we have. I have never had feelings for her, and I think she feels the same. At least, I fucking hope she does.

It doesn’t matter now anyway because that shit is over. I’ve moved on to Amelia, and I can guarantee that she means so much more to me than some lazy Friday night screw.

I get myself home and check over Ryan’s motorbike and make sure it’s all gassed up and ready to go. Amelia should be here in the next hour or so, and I don’t want to still be fucking around.

With everything done, I lay down on the couch, and before I know it, I’m waking up to laughter and the sound of the doors slamming out the front of my house. I quickly glance at the clock. Fuck! I must have fallen asleep. It's later than I thought.