Play With Fire (The Men of Fire 1)

“Woah there, little lady. You’ve got some muscle on you,” he tells her, shaking his hand out. “Show me those guns.” She looks over to Bull, unsure of herself, but he quickly demonstrates what to do, and she instantly mimics his moves. Ryan shows off her muscles just as Chief had asked, and everyone cracks up laughing at her adorable ways.

A little embarrassed to have everyone laughing at her, she quickly hurries to Bull, wrapping herself around his legs, trying to hide her face.

Bull quickly picks her up in a big hug, giving her a quick kiss to her temple as she wraps her little legs around his waist, putting her head in the crook of his neck. Bull rubs her back to reassure her, and it has me melting into a complete mess of emotions.

I hear Zoey sighing next to me, obviously just as affected by the sight as I am. A low growl has me looking up to find Jet, who looks pissed as hell at Zoey’s reaction to Bull. I bite my lip to stop myself from breaking into a smile while looking back at Zoey to watch her reaction.

Nothing. Not a thing.

I go to grab Coby from her arms, but Zoey holds on to her for dear life, as if this little thing could protect her from the man now standing only a few feet from us. We get into a little tug-of-war, but I quickly give in when she throws me a look I quickly recognize as desperation. I drop my arms, letting go of my daughter. Instant relief shines in her eyes as she looks back down to Coby, trying to keep distracted.

I smother another smile. This shy, meek version of my best friend is so interesting to watch.

Bull nudges me, and I look back to notice everyone now looking in our direction, waiting for some type of response from me. “Oh, sorry. What was that?” I say as Bull smiles at me and places a hand on the small of my back.

“Angel, you remember the guys. Chief, Jet, and Ax,” he says, pointing towards the guys.

“Yes, of course. Hi. Thanks for having us this weekend,” I say, giving a slight wave before hooking a thumb over my shoulder towards my best friend. “This is Zoey.”

“Hey,” Zoey says, smiling politely and quickly making eye contact with Chief and Ax while completely avoiding Jet.

She continues juggling Coby in her arms, who is now over being held and wanting to get down to explore. Realizing that she has no other option but to put her down before she gets hit with a tantrum, Zoey places her gently on her feet and watches her walk towards her sister. With nothing else to do with her arms, Zoey crosses them awkwardly over her chest before turning and walking back to the car to start grabbing all of our things.

After a little while of standing next to them while they talk amongst themselves, I start to feel a bit awkward, almost to the point of uncomfortable. It seemed so much easier being around them last time, but I guess they were just doing their job.

I can almost feel the animosity coming off Jet in waves, making me a little unsure if we’re even welcome. It’s a far cry from the man I met a couple of weeks ago at my house, cracking jokes at the expense of his friend. But as I look up at him, it seems his anger might have something to do with my best friend who’s still busy by the car.

The girls seem fine with the guys, so I walk back over to Bull’s truck to see what’s taking Zoey so long. I find her on her phone, moving her arm about the truck, trying to get the best service.

“Are you okay?” I ask her as I get to her door, which is still wide open.

“Do you have any cell service?” she asks, ignoring my question.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t checked. My phone is still in my bag if you want to have a look.”

She gets up off her seat and reaches through the front seats, feeling around for my bag. Laughing at her attempt, I open the front door and grab my phone before tossing it towards her. Zoey catches it as she falls back down onto the seat and enters my pin code in one smooth motion.

“Is it just me, or is it a little uncomfortable out there?” I ask, looking over at where the guys are still standing around, talking to each other. Bull maneuvered himself around and is staring towards the truck, all while keeping my little girl tight in his arms.

“Uncomfortable? You’re asking me if I’m uncomfortable? What part of that out there made you think I was comfortable? Did you hit your head, and I didn’t notice?” Zoey whisper-yells as her eyes slice out toward Jet.