Play With Fire (The Men of Fire 1)

I leave her be, knowing that she’ll be a good girl and take herself off to sleep. They’ll both be hungry for a big breakfast in the morning, but they each ate so many snacks in the truck that they’ll be fine through the night.

Walking out into the massive living space, I find Zoey working on cracking open a bottle of champagne and Bull with a case of beer under his arm, and a smile pulls at my lips.

Just perfect.CHAPTER 14AMELIABull and I leave Ax, Jet, and Zoey out by the fire drinking way too much. It’s been an incredible night. The boys quickly warmed up to us, and a strange acceptance overtook me. It’s as though they’d welcomed me in, and I loved it. I found myself laughing with the happy-go-lucky boof-heads who saved my daughter from living her life stuck between a railing, and it was great. I wouldn’t have changed it for anything and find myself excited to do it all again tomorrow night.

Chief practically fell asleep on the ground two hours ago and took himself off to bed while Jet has never seemed quite so alive. His pissed off attitude vanished the second Zoey came out with a bottle of champagne, and the two have been shamelessly flirting all night. I wouldn’t be surprised if Zoey actually does explore what other dirty little tricks Jet has hidden up his sleeve.

Ax though, he just sat quietly, taking in everything around him and only adding to the conversation every now and then. I get the feeling he’s the silent, brooding type.

Bull leads me up to his cabin with his arm over my shoulder before opening the door for me like a gentleman. My mom instinct naturally kicks in, and I check on the girls with Bull, who also pokes his head into their room.

Coby lays on top of Ryan, using her stomach as a pillow, and we both smile in awe. These two girls have captured Bull’s heart, and I absolutely love the way he’s becoming so damn protective of them. They’ve never experienced what it’s like to have a real man in their life, and now that they have, I don’t think I could ever take it away from them.

We creep out of their room, and Bull gently closes the door behind him, wincing as the creek in the door seems to be as loud as a damn explosion.

We head into our bedroom, and I start getting ready for bed when I spy Bull out of the corner of my eye. He reaches over his head and grabs hold of his shirt, shrugging out of it in that weird way that guys seem to do.

All my movements stop as I stare. His body is pure perfection. His jeans sit low on his hips, and without his shirt, all I can seem to focus on is that deep ‘V’, the sharp ridges of his abs, and his toned chest that leads up to wide shoulders.

It’s clear he works on himself and does everything he can to keep in shape. After all, it’s a requirement of his work. People’s lives are in his hands, and he needs to always be ready. Anything could get thrown at him in his line of work, and I’m proud to say just how incredible he is at what he does.

My eyes continue sailing up his body, and as I get to his face, I realize his eyes are on me just as much as mine are on him. Silence clouds the room, but at the same time, it’s never been so loud.

Electricity pulses between us, and he looks at me as though I’m the most beautiful creature in the world, and it’s a moment that I know I’ll treasure. The way he looks at me—always looks at me—is something I’ve never experienced before, and the more time that I spend with him, the more I’ve come to love it.

In three slow and purposeful strides, he places himself before me. All caution leaves me. I wanted to wait until I knew it was right, but I think I knew it right from the beginning. I was scared he’d hurt me, but now I see just how wrong I was.

I shouldn’t be holding back from him. Bull is the real deal, and I want nothing more than to see where this goes. He’s already met my children and adores them, and he knows about the skeletons in my closet, yet he’s still hanging around for more.

Bull’s hand finds my waist, and he gently pulls me into him as he studies my eyes. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Angel. I don’t know what it is about you, but something keeps drawing me in. I don’t want you to be scared of this—of us.”

I place my hand against the warm, tanned skin of his chest and feel the rapid beat of his heart beneath. “I’m not,” I whisper, tilting my chin up to look him in the eye. “I’m done holding back from you.”