Then, as if sensing the change, Sebastian's ringtone started playing on my phone, and I plucked it up off my side table with shaking fingers, and placed the phone to my ear.

My old man.

"Sebastian?" I asked excitedly.

"Ahh, honey," a grizzly voice said from the other end. "This is Silas. Honey, there's no easy way to tell you this, but Sebastian was hurt while at a fire. Something happened, and they're taking him in to Bossier Memorial."

He kept talking, but my hearing and vision had narrowed.

With one single purpose in mind, I hit end on the cell phone, shoved it into my jeans pocket, and rushed out the door.

I forgot that I was wearing shorts that were short enough to make a nun blush.

I forgot that I'd not been wearing a bra.

I forgot that I was supposed to meet my family for dinner and discuss my relationship with Sebastian.

My only focus was on reaching the hospital in Bossier City, and making sure my old man was all right.

I was thankful that my car was being extra nice today, allowing me to go five miles over the speed limit without shaking too badly.

I'd noticed that my phone had started ringing again in my pocket, but right now my focus was on getting to the hospital as fast as I could. Not on trying to talk to someone who was probably only trying to make sure I was all right.

I found the hospital in less than thirty minutes, parked, and ran walked into the entrance of the ER.

I came to a halt when I was surrounded by a wall of black leather, but my eyes quickly fastened on Silas, and I barreled towards him, stepping on steel-toed boots as if they were stepping-stones along the way.

"Where is he?" I demanded.

Silas looked a little disheveled.

His beard, which was usually in a line down his chin and tamed by a ponytail, was loose and unkempt.

His hair looked like he'd been trying to run his fingers through it, but the shortness of it kept him from actually grasping it, only making it stand on end.

Murmurs rose behind her, but I ignored them, keeping my eyes on Silas as he perused my attire.

I snapped my fingers in the old man's face, demanding his attention.

"Where. Is. He?" I said again.

He blinked, as if he wasn't used to people speaking to him like that, and shook his head as if to clear it. "He's okay. Which you would've known if you'd have answered your f.u.c.king phone."

"Don't you cuss at me, old man! Now, where is he?" I snapped.

Chuckles filled the air behind me, and a nerve in Silas' jaw started to tick. "He's in room three. He's been asking for you. Go through that door, and they'll show you the way."

I didn't need any more direction.

I practically flew through the door, found a nurse who pointed the way, and ran towards the room that was marked with a large red three.

When I found Sebastian sitting on the bed, stripped naked to the waist, in his bunker gear, I didn't stop to think that he may be hurt, or that my own ribs were still healing.

No, I hurled myself forward, and threw my arms around his neck, knocking him backwards until his back hit the bed with a soft thud.

I held onto his neck like a vise, shaking as the adrenaline that had fueled my flight or fight mode started dissipating. "Oh, Jesus. You scared the s.h.i.t out of me. Are you okay?" I cried quietly against his neck.

"Is your a.s.s hanging out? These shorts seem really, really short." Sebastian's anger surprised me.

Sitting back, I dashed the tears that were running down my face away, and laughed. "Yeah, I'd meant to change, but your dad called, and I didn't stop to think. I was working on my flower beds."

His eyes softened, and then lowered as they took in the gift he'd given me three days prior. "You look good in it."

My body lowered until it was pressed up against his chest. "Yeah, fits like a glove." I said right before I lowered my mouth to his and kissed him.

The kiss was deep and all consuming. Built up with the pa.s.sion that we'd held back for the past three days. It was needy, and raw. Both of us poured our emotions into the kiss as our tongues dueled.

I hadn't realized that I was straddling Sebastian's hips until a very annoyed voice spoke behind us, pulling me out of my l.u.s.t-filled haze.

"Excuse me, but you're still on duty, Mackenzie." A man growled.

Pulling away from Sebastian's lips slowly, I looked into his eyes and saw pain.

Which I realized he must be in, but he hadn't complained about it once; not even when I flew towards him in desperation.

"Oh, s.h.i.t. I'm sorry Sebastian. Are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you here? What happened?" I volleyed at Sebastian, as I extricated myself from him.

He shrugged and sat up with me, gathering me close so my back was to his front.

When I looked at him in surprise, he leaned forward and whispered, "Your a.s.s isn't for every male in Benton to see. It's mine."

I rolled my eyes, and leaned into him as he explained.

"We had another arson, but we got there before it was fully engulfed. The arsonist didn't like that and decided to throw a gas can through the back window when we were inside. I was the last one out before it blew; I was thrown down some stairs. I might have a couple of broken ribs." Sebastian said hesitantly.

Kettle snorted, bringing my gaze to him. I hadn't realized it before, but he'd been there since I'd entered the room.

He was dressed much the same as Sebastian, only he still had his shirt on.

He was smudged with dirt, his hair was plastered to his head from sweat, and he had a gash under his cheek that needed st.i.tches.

"Of course, going down over the second floor balcony isn't really the same as being thrown down stairs." Kettle said dryly.

I gasped, knowing Sebastian had to be in extreme pain when I'd thrown myself at him, but he hadn't complained even once. "Oh, Sebastian. I'm sorry."

Instead of saying anything, Sebastian gathered me close, holding me tightly, much to the consternation of the grizzled old man that was taking up a silent vigil across the room.

Kettle, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind in the least.

He was wearing a smile that practically lit up the room.

"Stop looking at her shorts." Sebastian suddenly growled from behind me, making me jolt.

I looked in between the two in confusion. "What's wrong with my shorts? They're not really that bad." I said hesitantly.

Sebastian snorted while Kettle decided to put in his two cents. "You're wearing black panties with pink hearts."

I gasped, and looked down at my legs.

Okay, they were a little short, but they really weren't that bad!

Instead of arguing, I crossed my arms and glared at the man.

He laughed.

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Wanting to change the subject, I turned in Sebastian's arms and looked at his dirty, smudged face. "Do you want a drink or something? Do you need anything?"

Sebastian shook his head.

"You're not leaving my side. Especially not in those shorts." He growled, sending shivers down my spine.

"Who's the man that's glaring a whole in my chest?" I whispered into Sebastian's ear.

He snorted. "That's my boss."

His lips moved over my skin as he spoke, and I really started to feel the heat.

My nipples puckered, and I was supremely happy that I was wearing the leather vest. It concealed my nipples quite nicely.

Just as I was about to say something else, Trance, in his black BPD uniform, came through the door with a notebook in hand. "Hey, brother. How ya doin'?"

Sebastian's boss growled and left the room, a trail of aggravation trailing in his wake.

Stepping out of Sebastian's arms, I went to the doorway and watched as the man stomped down the hallway. Turning back around, I placed my arms on my hips. "What's his problem?" I asked the three men.

They hadn't been surprised at his abrupt departure, but I was. Didn't he need to answer just as much as Sebastian did? Wasn't he there? Wasn't he concerned about his employee?

Three sets of Warden eyes turned to me, all three a.s.sessing.

Kettle was the one to answer, though. "He's mad that he got reprimanded in front of the whole department. Not to mention demoted. Sebastian's the new Captain."

My mouth fell open, and I smiled widely. "Really?" I asked excitedly, bouncing on my toes.

Sebastian shrugged. "We'll see. The Chief got wind of all the fires, finally, and he had a lot of questions; ones The Captain didn't have the answers to. I did, and it made him look bad. When he reacted badly, The Chief told him to he needed to speak with him in private. The Chief showed up here about twenty minutes ago, telling me I was the new acting Captain."

"Well..." I said, trying valiantly to control the smile that I had no hope of containing. "That's just f.u.c.king awesome!"

"What's f.u.c.king awesome? That you finally got your head out of your a.s.s?" Silas growled from behind her.

I spun and glared at him.

I crossed my arms across my chest, planted my feet, and said, "What kind of woman would take on a man like Sebastian without a little hesitation? He's vice president of a prominent motorcycle club that nearly dominates the area below the Mason-Dixon Line. I'm not stupid. I didn't want to jump into this without having my feet firmly planted on both sides. Not to mention the fact that I only got the full picture three days ago. I think I did remarkably well, if you want the truth. You can just...suck it."

My hand flew to my mouth, covering it, while my eyes went wide in surprise. I hadn't meant to say that, and by the look on Silas' face, he hadn't expected me to speak to him like that, either. But he also looked a little...proud.

"You're lucky we don't beat our women." Silas muttered as he walked fully into the room and held up the wall beside Kettle.

I turned, and was surprised to see the worried looks on the other three faces in the room. "What?" I asked.

Trance came unstuck first, glancing from me to Silas and back again. Sebastian did the same, only a little more wide eyed.

What? Had no one ever said 'suck it' before? What was the big deal?

I learned later that night, as I started cooking dinner, what the big deal was.

"Hey," Sebastian said, walking up next to me and leaning his hips against the counter. "My dad's old fashioned. He doesn't like when women speak so...strongly. He also hates change. He was trying to make you feel bad, yes, but he was also worried about me. So try not to say 'suck it' to him anymore, okay?"

I snorted, poured one of the cheese packets into the cooked noodles, and began to stir.

I was making fake macaroni since it was one of the few things Sebastian had in the house. He'd said he hadn't had time to go to the store in a while, and it showed. Which was why we were eating macaroni and sausage instead of a home cooked meal made by scratch.

I didn't much like boxed food.

Then again, I'd been spoiled growing up. My mom made something homemade every night. It was very rare for the family to actually go out to dinner. Now, when I had the chance, I made sure to cook from scratch, craving that touch of home.

"Why are you ma.s.sacring that box?" Sebastian asked concerned.

"I spilled the cheese out of the other one. I need another cheese, so I'm trying to get it out of this one, but the stupid 'press here' perforated edged s.h.i.t doesn't work. Mother of pearl!" I growled.

"Give me the box." Sebastian snapped his fingers holding his hand out.

I glared at him, determined to do it myself.

After the next minute of struggling, I finally relented and handed him the box.

With smooth, deft movements, the son of a b.i.t.c.h opened it, and handed it to me with a look of incredulity. "Are you serious...you couldn't open that?"

I s.n.a.t.c.hed the box out of his hand, spilling uncooked noodles all over the ground in the process. Extracting the cheese, I poured the package into the pot and stirred.

"Why didn't you make the third box?" Sebastian asked as he nudged me out of the way and took over the stirring portion of the job.

I glared at him. He did that easily as well.

"Two boxes seemed enough. Why?" I asked warily.