Britt starts in. “Knowing Jake, since they’re living together, that means they banged this morning before work. He can be very persuasive.”
“Did he tell you, too?” I’m ready to cry. Is there anyone he hasn’t told?
She shakes her head. “It’s what I’d do if I lived with someone I’ve already slept with.” She shrugs when Emma and I both stare. “What? There’s no awkward first time seeing each other naked, or whether he can get you off, or anything like that. All the weirdness is gone.”
Not even close. Every time I see Jake, it’s weird. I never know which Jake I’m going to get. For some reason, I feel the need to explain the situation. “It’s a two-bedroom. We’re only living together out of necessity. There’s nothing going on.”
Britt darts her gaze over to the corner where Jake is sitting with his friends. “If I go over there and ask him the same question, he’ll give me the same answer?”
Dear God, I hope so. “It’s the truth.”
“Okay.” Britt slides off her stool and makes a beeline for his table. My heart sinks. No one has ever called me on anything like that before.
Emma grabs my hands and pulls my attention to her. “Are you seriously okay?”
“I’m fine.” Despite my heart racing like a hummingbird on meth. “It’s just until graduation.”
“What are you going to do after that?”
Great. As if the topic of Jake Swanson doesn’t have my heart in palpitations, why not talk about the only other thing that would give me a stroke? Emma has an uncanny talent to ask me the one question I don’t want to face, let alone answer. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Until then?”
“It’s only three weeks.” As casually as possible I drift my gaze to Jake. Britt is laying into him. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but judging by the way he keeps wincing like her words are physically smacking him, it’s not good. Sean and Eli have already moved to another table, leaving Jake alone with Britt.
“If you ask me, you should make the most of it.”
I jerk my attention to Emma. “Doing what, exactly?”
“Him.” She nods in Jake’s direction. When I take a breath to protest, she puts up a hand. “Just hear me out. We both know he’s not husband material or even long-term boyfriend material. Have a little fun, Kayla. I’m only a sophomore and already have more college experiences to be ashamed of than you. Why not say good-bye to BU with a bang? Like, literally.”
“I thought you hated him.”
“I’m not the one living with him. Or already banging him. Don’t look at me like that. I know you. You looked exactly like this when you had sex with him for the first time over Christmas break.” She lifts her gaze to the ceiling as if the grease-stained paint holds all the answers. “Then when you had sex with him again and came to work with this awesome glow.” She returns her attention to me and grins. “You’re glowing now, which answers my question I texted you. Good for you.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“You’re welcome. Hey, at least you’re getting some regular action. Let’s hope you create a few good stories to tell me later.”
“You sound like the girls. They all made Jake promise to grant me three wishes or something. I can’t know what they are. He refuses to give me any details, but I’m going to break him down.”
“I’ll bet,” she replies and stands.
“I’m only getting the details so I can stop them before they happen. Three wishes? Are they serious? It’s not like he’s a genie.” I use Jake’s words. They fit.
“He’s definitely dreamy, despite being a total tool. Get what I just did there? Remember that old show?”
“I get it.” I roll my eyes at her attempt to be funny. She always references TV shows and movies. I grab the coffee and face Jake’s table. I really want to know what Britt is saying to him. “I have to get back to work.”
Emma follows. “And we have class. Hey, Britt? Are you ready?”
Britt brings up her finger, her back to us as she continues her rant on Jake. “One sec. Now, is there anything you’d like to say to Kayla?”
He lifts his gaze to me and holds it there as he stands. “What’s your favorite dish?”
Aside from the one I’m looking at? “I’m a sucker for a good enchilada.”
“I’ll make you an enchilada you’ll never forget.” He leans in and whispers for my ears only. “Baby.” He follows it up with a quick kiss to my cheek. “See you tonight.”
“Jake!” Britt is beet red and stomps her foot.
He laughs and drops money on the table to pay for his meal. “Butt out, Britt. It’s none of your business. We’re just two friends enjoying a little benefit with no strings. FTFs, right Kayla?” I don’t like the way he eyes me after that statement, like he’s trying to prove me wrong. Or maybe right. “I’ve got to get to the firehouse. Thanks for breakfast.”
And, with that, he walks out of the diner without so much as a look back.
18
[Jake]
That was awkward. I couldn’t get out of the diner fast enough. The instant Britt walked in with her crazy ginger friend and sat at the counter to talk with Kayla, I knew I was about to get another lecture. Why is everyone so hell bent on sticking their nose into my and Kayla’s business? We’re just having a little fun. Once graduation hits, we’ll be done and move on. Thanks for the memories. I’ll see you again when you drunk Snapchat me.
I smile as I think of all the fun we’ll have in the meantime, especially as I grant her friends’ three wishes. With an orgasm every morning, I’ve fulfilled Shannon’s request. I just need to make sure each one is spontaneous and unexpected. I’ll find a way to get Kayla to the firehouse over the next couple of weeks and give her a ride on the ladder truck. It has the most flat space on the top of the truck. Oh, what I want to do to her on that rig. I’ve never had sex on a firetruck and must admit, it sounds pretty damn exciting.
I’m not paying attention and jump back as a car honks before it nearly clips me. I flip it off as it speeds away. Asshole. I’m not even on the road. People need to pay more attention when they’re behind the wheel.
I go back to thinking about the ride I’m going to give Kayla on the firetruck and smile as I walk the rest of the way to the firehouse.
“You’ve got a shit-eating grin on your face, cadet.” Jimmy Jordan nods at me as I enter the building. He’s doing inventory on the nozzles and hoses on one of the trucks, his trusty clipboard in hand.
“That’s because I’m the best Cupid on the planet,” the cap declares as he slaps me on the back. “How was your first weekend together?”
Saturday night was great. Sunday, not so much, but we made up for it this morning. “We’re getting along.”
“Looks that way.”
Jordan flashes me that giant smile he uses to render women helpless. With his Southern drawl, he sounds redneck and looks like a model. “Doth my ears deceive me? Our playboy cadet has got himself a steady?”
“She’s not a steady.” I downplay the jump in my pulse. “She’s my roommate.”
“Dude.” Oliver McElroy appears from behind another truck, inviting himself into the conversation. He, too, has a clipboard. Maybe I should grab one. “You were single a couple weeks ago when we hit the club. Now you’re shacked up?”
“She’s my roommate,” I repeat with more conviction. Is it to convince them? Or me?
“So, you still get to play the field, then?” McElroy asks.
I roll my eyes at the way her crazy friends attacked me even after they explained the three wishes. “We sort of have this no other girls policy.”
“Wait.” Jordan stops counting nozzles. “You’re telling me you actually agreed to that?”
“She can’t bring any guys over then, right?” McElroy’s eyes are wide, as if I just shocked the shit out of him. I don’t see what the big deal is. I have Kayla at home. I don’t need anyone else.
Did I seriously just think that? Wha
t the hell is the matter with me? I quickly justify my thoughts, even though I never said them aloud. “She’s not really the type to bring a guy home.”
“What type is she?” Jordan goes back to counting.
I conjure up her image from Saturday night and smile. She’s more the type to change into a pair of sweats, pour a glass of wine, and curl up with a good book. In the time I’ve known Kayla, I’ve seen her with two guys. Two guys in a year. No, she’s definitely not the type to bring one home. Well, except for me. That thought has my pulse jumping.
“Look at that smile,” McElroy quips. “Someone has a crush. Is she a keeper? Wife material?”
I almost swallow my tongue. No one said anything about a wife or even a girlfriend. We barely get along except when we’re having sex. Then we get along fine. Just fine. The thought of having a steady girlfriend doesn’t appeal to me, but the thought of Kayla being with anyone else burns in my chest, tightening it. It’s suddenly hard to breathe.
Jordan writes on his clipboard. “Lay off the boy. Just because you’ve made it a habit to shack up with your flavor of the month doesn’t mean he wants that. I personally like my single status and have no plans to change that any time soon.”
“That’s because you’ve never been with a woman long enough to know when it’s love and when it’s just sex.”
“There’s a difference?”
This conversation is not helping. I’ve only technically lived with Kayla for two days and yet I can’t stop thinking about what it will be like when we go our separate ways. She’s the first girl I’ve ever thought of like that. Most of the time I’m the first to say good-bye before it gets to the point of either one of us getting attached.
“You two aren’t exactly role models,” the cap points out. “Don’t listen to them, Swanson. I’ve been with my wife for going on twenty-five years and just the thought of her still puts a smile on my face. If Kayla makes you smile, take it. It’s better than the alternative.”
“Which is?” I ask.
“Ending up like these two.” The cap nods at a truck. “Get to counting. I want every truck inventoried before the end of your shift.”
“Yes, sir.” I grab the clipboard off the truck and get to work.
“Tell us more about your new girlfriend.” McElroy won’t let it go.
“Yeah,” Jordan joins in. “How’d you two meet? More importantly, does she have any lonely friends?”
I laugh. “Not any you want to get mixed up with.”
“Why’s that?”
“They’re all crazy.”
“Even better.”
If he only knew. I focus on counting the hoses, nozzles, and other various attachments instead of telling him exactly how crazy those women really are. Both Jordan and McElroy continue to grill me, but I refuse to answer either of them. My big mouth has done enough damage, considering how many people already know about Kayla and me. Why I told so many people still has me baffled. Britt is blowing up my phone with texts, calling me every name she can come up with. I knew the second I told Sean and Eli that I should have kept my goddamn mouth shut. I’m done talking about it with anyone else. Eventually, the guys stop badgering me and allow me to work in peace.
“We’re short two axes and one pike pole on the Type 3,” I inform the cap after I finish my inventory.
“I’ve got your axes,” Jordan points out.
“And I’ve got your pike pole,” McElroy adds. “Damn probies don’t know how to put shit back where they found it.”
By the time we finish inventory on all six trucks, it’s lunchtime and the entire house is grumbling. I wash up and make my way into the kitchen to whip up something for lunch when several wolf whistles catch my attention. I glance up from the fridge and my heart skips. Kayla. Her uniform is not even remotely sexy, but damn does it look good on her. It looks even better off her. Her pretty brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail so her eyes are front-and-center. When she smiles, causing those soft hazels to light up, I’m helpless but to do whatever she wants. She spots me and smiles. I sigh as I stare into her eyes, lost. When someone else whistles, I step out from behind the counter and shoot him a glare.
“This is Kayla Riggs. She’s my roommate.” I don’t want any of these horny assholes so much as gazing at her, let alone whistling at her. How disrespectful. The need to defend her confuses me. Why would I care? A week ago I would have whistled at her myself.
But seeing her talking with her ex this morning set off a switch in my brain. Now I can’t stop thinking about her with someone other than me. The image boils in my blood and twists in my gut. I don’t want her with anyone else. I want her with me. And, goddamn it, I want to be with her.
What is happening to me?
“The roommate,” Jordan practically sings as he approaches, his grin in full force. He offers his hand. Kayla takes it, and he holds onto it longer than he needs to. “Very nice to meet you, ma’am. You’re as pretty as a peach in the full Georgia sun.”
He’s about to lose that hand. When Kayla giggles, I want to rip out his tongue. Fucker and his charming Southern sayings. I take her hand from him and hold it. She doesn’t pull away and gives me her undivided attention. My chest swells. “What are you doing here?”
“I just got off shift and have a couple hours before class. Since I was walking home to change, I figured I’d stop by here first and see if you and the other guys want any Southern home fries and hash.” She holds up a bag.
I already had my fill for breakfast, but the rest of the guys agree wholeheartedly on hash for lunch. I take the bag and set it on the kitchen counter. Holy hell, that’s heavy. “How much is in here?”
“Enough to make my arms sore carrying it over. Alfonse made way too much for breakfast and then we didn’t get our usual morning rush. He was going to throw it all out so I asked if I could take it for you guys. He even crisped it for you. It’s still warm. Throw an egg on top and you have a decent meal.”
After I remove all the Styrofoam containers and pop them open, I see what she means. There’s enough to feed all six guys on shift and then some. I pull the eggs out of the fridge and set them on the counter next to the hash. “Can you grab me two pans from that cabinet?”
She nods and hands them to me. “So, uh, what did Britt have to say this morning?”
I jerk my attention to the guys at the table all within earshot and then back to her. “Can we talk about that later?”
“Of course. Sorry. Do you need anything else?”
I place the pans on the stove and crank up the heat. “How about you help me feed these guys.”
“I’m not a cook.”
“I’ll cook. You keep me company.”
She narrows those pretty eyes. “We live together. Why would you want to spend any more time with me?”
I shrug and crack eggs into the hot pans. I can’t explain it, only that I do. “It’s better than spending time with these guys.”
The guys laugh and nod.
Jordan speaks up. “I’d rather spend time with you than these guys, too. If you don’t want to keep Swanson company, I’d love for you to spend time with me.” He wiggles his brow.
I’m ready to nail him with an egg. “Order up.” I have three plates ready to go and without hesitation, Kayla grabs them and serves them to the three guys sitting farthest away. By the time she returns, I’ve almost got the other three ready to go.
“Come on, slacker,” she teases me. “Can’t you see these boys are hungry? How about you get the lead out?”
I hold up the spatula. “How about I spank you for giving me shit?” I say loud enough for her ears only.
She giggles and my chest pinches. “Maybe later.”
19
[Jake]
Kayla takes the other three plates and serves the rest of the guys. Once they all have their food, she returns to the kitchen and moves in close enough to talk to me without anyone else hearing. “So tell me, have you granted any of the wishes the girls ga
ve you?”
“Ah, ah, ah.” I kiss the tip of her nose, throwing her off. Her expression falls slack as she blinks. Damn, she’s cute when she looks at me like that. “You know the rules. You can’t know what they are.”
“But if you already did one, you can tell me then, right?”
Now I know why she stopped by. It wasn’t to ask me what Britt said. It wasn’t to deliver leftover food. The diner serves breakfast all day, so they could have used the hash. No, it was to grill me on the three wishes her friends want me to grant her. “Nice try, sweetheart.”
She doesn’t even try to deny it and crosses her arms under her breasts. I stare at them, momentarily distracted. I love her breasts. They aren’t fake. They’re real and the perfect size for my hands. Damn, I need to focus on something else or my wandering attention will get my ass in trouble.
“Can you at least give me a hint?”
“Sure. It involves you and me.” I hand her a plate and a fork. “Eat.”
“But I brought this for you guys.”
“And I will bet you a week of doing the dishes you haven’t eaten today.”
She grabs the fork and takes a bite, then rests it on the plate. “There. Happy?”
“When you eat the entire thing, I’ll be even happier.” Despite eating it for breakfast, I’m starving so I make a plate for myself and dig in. I love the diner’s hash. Not too salty. Just the right balance of potatoes, onions, and meat. It’s not something I’d eat every day, but today I’ll make an exception. I’ll hit the gym hard tomorrow. “This shit rocks.”
“Alfonse says you never order the special.”
“Not on the days it’s the special,” I correct. “I prefer it fresh. The special is usually code for leftovers from the day before or made in bulk because you have too much of it. I spent way too much time in a restaurant for me to fall for that.”
“Aha,” she sings and gives me a knowing look as she leans her hip against the counter. When she crosses her arms, the look in her eyes holds my attention. “Another layer unfolds. Is that why you cook so well? Is your dad, like, some famous chef?”
The Heat Is On (TREX Rookies Book 2) Page 16