Smoke and Fire (Surrender to Them 1)

“He told you about that?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, there are no secrets between us.” I winked at her. “We might as well be brothers.”

Trent and I might have been polar opposites in some regards, but we were damn good friends. We had been living together since we started working for the Chicago Fire Department. He was quiet, paid his half of the rent, and didn’t mind when I came home stumbling drunk in the middle of the night. I repaid his kindness by bringing home every girl that was adventurous enough for the two of us. Both of us were making enough money to get our own place, but there really wasn’t a reason to mess up a good thing. I could blow my extra money and he could save some for retirement or marriage—whichever came first.

I parked my Corvette in my parking space once we got back to our apartment building and led Kayla to the elevator. She was still a little apprehensive, but she followed me. I could hear someone moving around in the apartment when I opened the door, and assumed Trent was already up.

“Trent! You’re awake!” I pushed open the door and smiled when I saw Trent’s groggy stare looking my way from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I barely slept. I think it’s time to just drink until I pass out.” I let out a loud sigh. “Where did you go, anyway?”

“Oh, I had to pick up your girlfriend.” I took a step to the side and motioned towards Kayla.

“My—what?” His eyebrows raised. “Kayla?”

“She called. You were asleep. I went to get her. She’s staying with us for a few days.” I motioned to the couch. “There’s your palace, sweetheart. Get comfortable.”

“Wait, huh? I thought you were staying with your friend?” Trent shifted his attention to Kayla.

“Yeah, so—to make a long story short, she’s getting evicted. My luck just continues to surprise me.” She shook her head and sighed. “I don’t have to stay if it’s a problem. I just wanted to go back to my apartment and try to get my debit card or something.”

“Nonsense, you’re staying.” I tapped the counter. “Right, Trent?”

“Yeah.” Trent nodded, but his face reflected a bit of concern. “You can stay with us. Uh, Chase, can I talk to you in the other room?”

“Sure.” I shrugged and followed him, but looked over my shoulder as I walked. “There’s beer in the fridge if you want some.”

“Thanks, but it’s a little early for that.” Kayla smiled and walked into the living room.

A girl that doesn’t like to drink in the afternoon? She might be a good one after all.

Five

Kayla

I felt a bit awkward being left alone in the living room while Trent took Chase to another room to have a talk with him. I didn’t want to be there in the first place, and I wasn’t sure Trent was very happy that Chase asked me to stay with them. It was hard to imagine the two of them functioning as roommates. Trent appeared to be sweet and kind. Chase was cocky and fairly arrogant. I was basing my opinions on limited interactions, but they didn’t seem like two guys that would get along, much less live in the same apartment.

I felt naked without my cell phone, especially after finding out Anna was leaving Chicago. Things happened so fast that my head was still spinning. I took a seat on the couch and waited for them to return since I really didn’t want a beer in the middle of the afternoon.

I just want to go back to my apartment—even if I can’t stay there. If I can find my cell phone and purse, I won’t feel so helpless.

As strange as it was to be in their apartment when I had just met both of them, it was nice to know that I had a place to spend the night. It was definitely only going to be one night. I desperately needed to assess the damage at my apartment. I had work on Monday and if I needed new clothes, I had to get my debit card. I wouldn’t even be able to get money out of the bank without my driver’s license to prove who I was. Getting back to my apartment and figuring out what I had and didn’t have was my top priority. Once I was able to determine that, I could figure out what my next move was.

The door to the side room that they went to finally opened and the two of them walked back out.

“Okay, we’ve got everything worked out.” Trent walked out first and paused when he got to the living room. “You’ll take my bed and I’ll sleep out here.”

“What? No.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m perfectly fine on the couch.”

“You gotta give him this one, Kayla.” Chase walked up next to him. “He’s got a chivalrous heart.”

“Okay.” I sighed and nodded. “I’m just incredibly thankful to have somewhere to sleep tonight.”

“Plus an unlimited supply of booze.” Chase turned and walked into the kitchen. “I know you said it was early, but you’re on firefighter time now, which means you’re drinking in the middle of the day.”

We each did a shot of whiskey and Trent handed me a beer. The whiskey didn’t feel very good on my throat after spending the previous night inhaling smoke from the fire, so I quickly guzzled my beer. I wasn’t a big fan of beer, but I was a guest, so I wa

sn’t going to complain. Once Trent and Chase started drinking, I finally saw the similarities between them. The alcohol seemed to mellow Chase down out and it made Trent a little more talkative. I was still too overwhelmed by the events that had transpired, so I let them talk while I listened. They told a couple of war stories from their job before Chase brought another round of drinks. It was interesting to hear how crazy things were when they were on the job.