The pager squawked again, the same urgent message, and I knew it was bad. "All right, I've gotta go. Thanks for inviting me sis. See you around, Baylee."

Throwing down a fifty-dollar bill, I headed to the door quickly.

"Be careful!"

My sister's concerned words from behind me made me throw a smile over my shoulder.

"Always, little sister."

Chapter 4.

Firefighters find them hot, and leave them wet.

- Why you should date a firefighter Baylee "Holy c.r.a.p. That man is so s.e.xy." I heard a woman say as I pa.s.sed her on the way to the donut counter.

"What can I get you, ma'am?" A pimply faced teen asked.

"Uhh," I said, surveying the selection. "I'll have a cinnamon roll, a kolache, and a bag of donut holes."

The teen worked quickly and handed me the bag with my receipt, before gesturing to the cashier at the side of the store. "You can pay over there."

Walking up to the cashier, I could still hear the woman chatting animatedly about the s.e.xy fire fighter on the front of the paper.

"Will that be all?" The cashier asked as she rang up the price of the donuts.

On a whim, I went over to the paper, grabbed a copy, and had the cashier ring it up, too. "That'll be nine fifty."

Handing over the money and receiving the change, I made my way out to The Beast and sank down into the sweltering car. I'd planned to take my donuts home, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I s.n.a.t.c.hed the paper up and quickly scanned the article that dominated the front page.

"BENTON FIREFIGTHER TOWN HERO"

The name of the town, Benton, caught my attention, and I unfolded the paper. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the object of my fantasies for the past week in vivid color, dominating the majority of the front page.

The picture was of a burning building in the background, with a very dirty, sweaty, and mad Sebastian standing beside a fire engine. The coat that protected his upper body from the high heat and flames was tossed down haphazardly at his feet. The bottom portion of his body was encased in the bunker gear, with the suspenders bisecting his t-shirt clad chest. His body was just covered in soot, with the sweat he was producing running freely down his chest, arms, and face. The look on his face was murderous, most likely from getting his picture snapped when he didn't want it to be taken.

The caption underneath the photo read: Benton, Louisiana firefighter, Sebastian Mackenzie, rests after rescuing a man and his wife who lost their home to a fire late Sat.u.r.day evening.

"Holy s.h.i.t." I whispered.

I didn't know if it was the fact that Sebastian was a firefighter or the fact that I thought he was just a criminal. I'd automatically a.s.sumed he was bad when I'd seen the biker cut he'd worn each time I'd seen him. That hadn't stopped my body from reacting to the man.

It surprised the ever-loving s.h.i.t out of me that he actually had a legitimate job, instead of selling E and pot to teenagers. Of all the possibilities I'd pictured him doing, firefighting just wasn't one of them. Who would've thought?

Especially how Luke carried on and on about him being a bad guy. Luke was full of s.h.i.t.

"I'm going to beat him." I declared as I started my Cutla.s.s and headed back towards my house and my day off.

Three days later, I was still thinking about the man. I'd wake up drenched with sweat, and doing things under my sheets that I'd only done in the deepest, darkest nights.

The first day I'd woken with my fingers buried in my slick heat, I'd immediately withdrawn them and acted as if things didn't even happen. However, by the end of that day I was positively vibrating with need, and when I'd woken on the second day doing the same exact thing, I'd m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed to memories of him.

On the third day, I woke up spent and knew I needed to do something to get this s.h.i.t out of my system. I couldn't function like this. It was affecting my work, and the d.a.m.n man hadn't even made a move towards me. It was especially awkward doing it in the shared room I stayed in at work. At least there were bunks and not twin beds side by side. It was thoroughly embarra.s.sing.

"What are you thinking about, Roberts? Your face is flushed." Bowe teased me as he walked past to the kitchen beyond where I was sitting.

"It's this freakin' show you all have me watching. Jesus, do you see his mother lovin' abs?" I said, fanning my face and hoping that he didn't look into my eyes.

A commotion from the main entrance had us all turning and watching as the other firefighters, the ones not in charge of dinner or bathroom detail, came in from playing kickball along the side of the building. They were sweaty and nasty and, of course, every single f.u.c.king one of them had to pa.s.s by me and run their sweaty arms or faces along my back.

Nasty little f.u.c.kers. "Quit!" I wailed trying to dodge the sweatiness.

"What the h.e.l.l are we watching this for?" Taima sneered as he saw what we were watching.

Tai was a hoot. He was a very easygoing person, and I knew for a fact that he didn't really have a problem with what we were watching. He'd sat there and had a conversation about all the books with me, even though it was targeted for the female persuasion. He was, however, an instigator to the extreme. He was the type of person who'd throw in a comment here and there, inciting the growing argument that he'd instigated in the first place.

He was f.u.c.king gorgeous.

He had deeply tanned skin, regardless of the season or sun exposure. His hair was silky and black with a spattering of gray at the edges near his ears, even though he was only twenty nine years old; most of the time it was styled short and spiky. His eyes were a nearly translucent green that were positively hypnotic. His muscles were not overly large, but defined and honed to precision. He was around six feet and so freaking smart it was hard to keep up with him sometimes.

Boos filled the air and I smothered the smile that was trying to overtake my face. "It's my four hours to have the remote. There's a list, remember?" I indicated said list with a point of my fingers.

The boys groaned, and that smile I was trying to smother slipped free. "What? You boys don't like Twilight?"

"They're going to get you back for this, Huckleberry." Tai laughed as he took a seat beside me.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I asked, giving him my full attention.

I'd asked before, but he'd told me he'd never tell. I'd looked the nickname form of the name up and found out it meant 'friend' or 'sweetheart.' Therefore I didn't complain about being called the weirdest nickname on the planet.

"What are you doing there?" He asked curiously.

I looked down to the page I was studying and my eyes bulged when I saw that I'd written Sebastian's name all over it like a d.a.m.n teenager. I turned the page and hoped that he hadn't seen it, and then explained. "I have an ACLS cla.s.s to take next week. Figure I'd read the book again in case they ask me something trivial instead of the important stuff we know by heart.

ACLS stood for 'advanced cardiac life support,' and we had to take it every two years. I'd worked so many calls over my career that I could look at a rhythm in my sleep and still know what to do. I didn't need to take the cla.s.s, but I had to. State laws and all that fun stuff. At least it counted towards my continuing education hours.

"Took that last month. Cla.s.s was boring as s.h.i.t." Tai acknowledged.

Winter, giggling and looking supremely disheveled, came walking through the back door and took a seat next to Tai. She looked dreamy, and if I had to guess, she'd just f.u.c.ked while on duty. Her and that man of hers were still just as in love today as they were when they married. Tai was her brother in law.

"That's disgusting." Tai teased as he scooted away from Winter.

"Your brother needs to control himself," she sneered before turning to me. "Speaking of brother. Shiloh's brother invited her to a barbeque this weekend. Who then invited me, and Jack can't go. Want to go with me so I'll know someone?" Winter asked her nonchalantly.

A little thrill shot through my body at the thought of seeing Sebastian again. This might be the opportunity to get to know the man. Maybe, just maybe, I could figure out a solution for my overbearing l.u.s.t that I had for the man.

"What do I need to wear to this place? Is it at his house? What?" I asked Winter as I stood in front of my walk in closet with my phone tucked between my shoulder and face.

"He lives on the lake. So shorts and a t-shirt. Bring your bathing suit. It's hotter than h.e.l.l out; I bet we could swim if we wanted to. He's actually pretty close to you. About thirty minutes or so. You know, I've never asked before, but why the h.e.l.l do you live so far away from the station?" Winter asked.

I grimaced. That was a sore subject when it came to my brother. He wanted me to be closer to him, but I found a house that I could afford, absolutely adored, and bought it; even though I'd never seen it in person. It was about three quarters of an hour away from the station, but I didn't mind.

My brother, who thought he was my keeper, wanted me closer to him. I, however, did exactly what I intended to do, and that was not to have my nosy brother breathing down my neck. That was one of the main reasons I'd left Wyoming. I was tired of my parents doing the very thing Luke was trying to do; even after six months of living there.

"This house was too good to pa.s.s up. And it had a pool." I hedged.

Winter sighed over the phone. "You're right. I'd kill for a pool. I'll be there in about an hour. I'm just about to leave. Wear those cute little shorts you got at Cavender's the other day. And a tank top. The one with the fringe and beads."

My mouth curved into a smile. If that didn't illicit a reaction out of the man, then I might as well move the heck on. I wasn't saying I looked awesome or anything, but the thing was, I couldn't change what I looked like; or, at least, I didn't want to. I had muscular legs and arms due to my job and all the heavy lifting I did, but the roundness of my tummy spoke of my love of snack cakes and powdered donuts.

I could work short shorts though. My b.o.o.bs were nothing to sneeze at either; the fringed top Winter spoke of really could accentuate those particular a.s.sets.

"Okay. I'll wear those. Boots or flip flops?" I asked into the phone, as I dug into my closet for the bag I'd tossed there the week before.

"Boots. Make sure you put some lotion on those ashy legs. And maybe shave." Winter suggested.

She wasn't lying there. I hadn't had time to do that since the day I'd met Sebastian nearly two weeks ago. Yes, I know, gross. "Okay, see you in a few."

We hung up, and I rushed through my shower, shaved my legs, lathered my body up with my favorite lotion, and shimmied into my clothes.

The shorts were on the shorter side than what I'd like, but they'd do for my purpose. The top was a pretty teal color, and the beads around the low cut neck of the halter top were shimmery black. I'd fallen in love with the top as soon as I'd seen it; and, even better, it'd been on sale.

I made it to the front door with my bathing suit, towel, and purse with only seconds to spare. Winter blared her horn, signaling she was there, and I barreled out of the door, only managing to lock one lock with the excitement of seeing Sebastian again.

"Wow, you can nearly see your panties in those shorts!" Winter exclaimed as I slammed the door.

"Yeah, if I were wearing any, that is." I teased.

Winter laughed, and I did the same. I knew better than to go without underwear. I also knew better than to wear dirty underwear.

You wouldn't believe how disgusting our job could be sometimes. Let's just say that there would never be a time that I would found myself without panties. No matter what.

"You're such a liar. Now, put the address into the GPS. I'm gonna get lost without it." Winter instructed.

Thirty-six minutes and two wrong turns later, we were pulling up to freakin paradise. No, really. It was named 'Paradise.' Or the street was anyway. It was really off the beaten path, too. If it weren't for the GPS and Shiloh's instructions on how to get there, we'd have been beyond lost.

"Holy s.h.i.t. This house is awesome." I breathed, as Winter found a spot off the side of the driveway.

It was what you would call magnificent. It reminded me a lot of my parents' home. The only thing different was the lakeside view.

Sebastian's house sat in a flat field at the top of a hill. You could see the lake down the hill from his home. The house was one story with stone finishing. The porch wrapped around the entire length of the house. Further down the hill was where the party must be being held. He had a large gazebo type thing with a dock that led about thirty feet into the lake with another large floating deck.

"How the h.e.l.l does a firefighter afford this place?" I wondered aloud.

"Shiloh said he was single and didn't have a place when he was in the Marines. When he moved back, he stayed in a rental property that their father owned. He bought this place about a year ago." Winter said as she shut the truck off and opened her door.

That hadn't been what I was expecting explanation wise. I imagined that he was a criminal that led a double life as a firefighter. In his off time, he pedaled flesh and had a t.i.tty bar he laundered money out of.

Willing the b.u.t.terflies that were a.s.saulting my tummy to stop fluttering so G.o.dd.a.m.ned bad, I opened the door and hopped down. Sadly, my sense of balance was off, as always, and I landed awkwardly. I threw my hand out, managing to stop myself before I did a face dive by planting my hand on top of a sharp rock. The hand that caught me split open, and I knew instantly that I'd done something bad.

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h." I growled as I lifted my hand to survey the damage.

The cut wasn't too bad, but it was already bleeding. "d.a.m.n. p.i.s.s. s.h.i.t. h.e.l.l."

"Jesus, what the h.e.l.l?" Winter asked once she reached my side of the car.

"Cut myself. You got any napkins in there?" I asked, gesturing towards Winter's ma.s.sive purse.

"I've got a pad." Winter smiled widely.

I hung my head, but accepted the pad with an extended hand. Winter laughed as I unwrapped it, wiped the blood that had run down my hand, and then placed it over the welling cut before making a fist to put pressure on the wound.

"Well, that's one use for it." Winter teased, as she grabbed my bag and we walked towards the party.

Although the front door was open, I'd thought it'd be best to make sure it was okay with Sebastian before I just started going through his house looking for bandages.

Then my heart sank in my chest as I finally spotted him among the ma.s.ses.

He was sitting on the gazebo, shirtless, with his black cap sitting firmly atop his head. His chest was bare, revealing the lovely ab muscles I'd been dreaming about for over two weeks. His bottoms were a pair of jeans that were so full of holes, that they might as well be shorts for all the air his legs were getting. Those big beautiful arms of his were lined on the back of the bench.

Then there was the cute girl in a string bikini and knockers the size of Texas.

Sebastian laughed as the girl s.n.a.t.c.hed the hat off his head and sat it firmly on her own, and my hopes for anything more with the man sank to the bottom of the Pacific. Head hanging in devastation, I sh.o.r.ed up my defenses and smiled faintly at Winter who was looking at me closely.

"All right, I'm going to head inside to see if I can find something to get this stopped. If we'd taken the cutla.s.s I could've taken care of it already." I joked.

"If we'd taken your car, we'd have never made it here." Winter shot back before I lost sight of her as I made my way into the house.

I bypa.s.sed the open kitchen and family room area, heading to the hallway where I hoped there was a bathroom.

"Can I help you with something, sugar?" I looked over my shoulder to see an older man with one h.e.l.l of a beard coming out of one of the rooms I'd just pa.s.sed.

He was also wearing a leather vest just like the one Sebastian wore.

If I was into older men, I'd totally go for him, but I was currently pining over a man that had a girl stuck to his body, and couldn't fully appreciate the bounty that was before me.

"Uhh, yes, actually. I need a Bandaid and a bathroom." I explained hesitantly, holding up my hand for him to see the devastation.

"First door on your right, sugar." He said before he disappeared back down the hallway.