by BJ Harvey
He knew the best way to help me soothe my bruised heart was to see my princess and hold her in my arms
He did that for me.
A man just wanting to get laid doesn’t do that. The way he was today went beyond what a best friend would do; it was the total boyfriend experience.
He turned my day around when it looked like it was going to be a tough one.
I wasn’t lying when I told him he’d make a girl really happy one day. It’s just now, I want that girl to be me.
Hi. I’m Skye Rossi. Current relationship status: complicated.
19
Cohen
We’ve just finished a twelve with one more twenty-four shift to go tomorrow before four glorious days off to bring in the new year.
Skye and I walk into the bottom-floor lobby of our building with plans to go upstairs to her place and act on everything we’ve been teasing each other with for the past few hours. To say I’m pent up and more than eagerly anticipating the payoff from the verbal foreplay is an understatement. One look at an almost vibrating Skye beside me says I’m not the only one.
Unfortunately, the downside to all of that anticipation is the disappointment felt when we come across Jamie leaning against my apartment door, two cups of coffee in his hands.
“Morning,” he says, handing one of the drinks to me.
I quirk a brow, my lips curving up. “Good morning…”
He looks over at Skye. “Hey. How are you doing? I heard Christmas Day was a bit tough.”
“Yeah. We had a difficult call. But I’m much better now.”
He nods. “Glad to hear it. Axel was asking where his girlfriend was.”
I chuckle, and Skye shakes her head. “Tell him hi from me, and to keep saving that swear jar money so he can take me on a date like all good boyfriends are supposed to do.”
Jamie lifts his chin my way, turning his eyes back on me. “Hear that, Co? You should listen to her; maybe you’ll pick up some tips.”
Rolling my eyes, I take a sip of my surprise coffee. “Any reason for the visit?”
“Yeah. Gotta go over the schedule for the next week with Matt and Jase, so we know how many hands we’ll have on deck. I know you’re going to bed.”
That was the intention, but I have a feeling Jamie’s going to—
“But, I was hoping you could spare twenty minutes and come with me.”
“I’m going to leave you guys to it,” Skye says. I meet her eyes but can’t get a read on her. She looks away. “I’ve got laundry to do, and I’m beat. Nice to see you, Jamie.”
“You too.”
“And I’ll text you later, Cass.”
“Okay. Have a good sleep,” I reply, probably sounding like an idiot.
She gives us a wave over her shoulder before scaling the stairs, her uniform pants hugging her ass like I wish my hands could be. I fight the urge to make my excuses to my brother and go with her so I can follow through with our plans.
“Something going on there?” he asks. My head snaps back, and now I have another internal battle on my hands.
“Nope.” My voice is unequivocal, and Jamie searches my eyes for a beat before letting it go.
“All right then,” he says, not sounding overly convinced. “Matt and Jase are upstairs waiting for us, so the sooner we get there, the sooner you can get back to whatever it was you were going to do.” Then, leaving it at that, he moves toward the stairs, ending the conversation. I wonder if he knows he just cock blocked me?
When we walk into the large empty room that will be the expanded living area, it’s not just Matt and Jase I find, but Ezra too.
“Hey, stranger,” Matt says. “I see Jamie conned you with a coffee.”
“Yep,” I say, grinning and lifting said nectar from the gods to my lips and taking a much-needed sip.
“Good shift last night?” Ezra asks.
I shrug. “Yeah. Same old, same old.”
“Looking forward to your break?” he asks.
“What? So I can spend it here hanging out with you losers?” I muse.
“Speak for yourself. Mia and I are taking the girls to Disney World for a week. We leave on the second of January.”
I smirk. “Aww, poor baby, are you gonna be forced to wear mouse ears?”
Matt’s head jerks back. “No one is making me do anything. I’ll be wearing those things as soon as I’m off the plane. You’ll have to pry them out of my cold dead hands.”
“Just make sure you get that shit out of your system before coming back to the site; otherwise your hard hat won’t fit.”
Matt grins. “I’d make it work.”
“That reminds me,” Jamie says, looking around the group. “Sean is having a New Year’s Eve party at Throb, and he’s said we’re all invited if we don’t have other plans.” He looks at me. “And since it is the day before your thirtieth birthday, you should see your twenties out with a bang.”
Matt snorts. “Every man should see out their twenties with a good—I mean, big—bang.”
Jamie snickers. “Anyway, I’ve checked with Jax, Ronnie, Bryant, and Faith, and they’re keen. Betty was having Axel for the night already, so April and I are going. Abi and Cade even said they’ll venture out for a few hours—screaming twins dependent.” He turns to Ez and me. “I figure since you two are usually joined at the hip when you go out, I’d invite you both at the same time.”
I look to Ez, whose lips are twitching. “I wouldn’t say the hip—usually it’s our hands. It’s our ‘escape from the clinger’ card whenever they won’t take no for an answer. Although,” Ez says, tilting his head, “it’s been a while since we’ve been out anywhere.”
“I’ve been working,” I say, schooling my features.
“And skipping out on Christmas,” Ez retorts.
“Skye needed me.”
He arches a brow but doesn’t say a thing.
“Bring her along to Throb,” Jamie says, surprising me.
“Didn’t you say she went there with her sister on a husband-finding expedition?” Matt asks.
I snort. “Something like that.”
“Hey, Ez. You missed your chance. You could’ve had wife number three signed, sealed, and delivered, right there,” Matt jokes.
“What?” he asks, locking eyes with me. “Not Skye. Far too young for me.” I don’t miss the slight quirk of his lips. “But what’s her sister like?”
“Protected by three Italian brothers who’d rip you apart the first time you pissed her off,” I deadpan.
Ezra’s eyes bug out while Matt and Jase throw their heads back and laugh. Jamie just chuckles.
“Yeah, might pass on that one,” Ez mutters.
“I bet.”
“So this schedule…” I say, my energy levels waning.
Jamie looks over and quirks a brow. “Only once you say you’ll come out for New Year’s with us. It’ll be like old times, just with a few extras tagging along.”
I snort. “I’ll make sure to tell April she’s an ‘extra.’”
He narrows his eyes and points a finger at me. “You do, and you’ll pay. Is that a yes to coming?”
I can’t help but grin at him. “Yeah. I’ll do it.”
“Awesome. Now let’s decide on this schedule. We’ve got two weeks to finish this damn level if we’re going to stay on target.”
Then it’s all business, and fifteen minutes later, I’m walking out the door, phone in hand, heading downstairs to my apartment.
Cohen—Still awake?
Skye—Still in a meeting?
Cohen—Considering I’m not really needed, I’m wondering why Jamie insisted I be here.
Skye—I’m not wondering. You know you belong to a family of cock blockers.
Cohen—It’s not you, it’s me. You know that, right?
Skye—Oh my God, we’re not even in a relationship, and you’re pulling out that one-liner.
Cohen—Yep. I’m such a catch.
Skye—You’re something, all righ
t.
Cohen—I’m thinking I need to sleep on your couch to get away from the construction noise.
Skye—That’s a great idea. I’m just being a helpful friend by giving you somewhere to rest.
Cohen—Exactly. I need to be warm and comfortable.
Skye—I need to get wet and dirty.
Cohen—I’d be up for that too.
Skye—You haven’t had a problem with that so far.
Cohen—God no.
Skye—And isn’t it lucky I still have to get cleaned up after my long shift? The neighborly thing to do would be to let you share my hot water.
Cohen—Of course, it’s for the environment, after all.
Skye—Exactly.
Cohen—I thought for sure you’d be getting ready for bed, and I’d have missed my shot.
Skye—After all that foreplay? Not a chance, Cass. A girl’s got needs, you know.
Cohen—You sure you won’t fall asleep on me?
Skye—Who said anything about sleeping?
Cohen—That’s my girl.
She goes quiet, and I see the three dots on my phone screen telling me she’s replying to my text, but it keeps stopping and starting.
Skye—We can just go to bed and not do anything, Co. In fact, I’m so tired that it almost sounds better than sex right now.
Cohen—Sleep does sound good. You sure you want me to come up then?
Skye—Co, we can spend time together without screwing. Christmas Day proved that. And I already know you’re a snuggler.
Cohen—I was cold. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking with it.
Skye—Riiiight.
Cohen—We can watch a movie or something. No expectations.
Skye—Oh, there could be expectations. Now hurry up and get here. I’ve probably got another hour in me before I’m going to need sleep.
Cohen—Someone’s got her sassy pants on. Let me grab a change of clothes, and I’ll be up soon.
Skye—Only if I’m lucky ;)
Thirty minutes later, we’re spooning on Skye’s couch after a thoroughly enjoyable shower. The door is locked—you can never be too careful when my family is around—and there’s some random movie on in the background.
I run my hand up and down her thigh, just liking the easy physical contact. “What are you doing for New Year’s? You said you didn’t have plans.”
“Nothing as yet. Was thinking of hanging out with Dion, Vin, and Penny. Why’s that?”
I dip my head and press a kiss to her shoulder. “Jamie‘s invited me to Throb for a party our friend Sean is having. He said to bring you along too.”
“He did, did he? Does that mean he knows about us?”
My hand stops mid-stroke when I don’t freak out at the notion of my big brother knowing I’m sleeping with Skye. “He didn’t say so, but after Christmas, I’m not sure we’re being overly discreet.”
She giggles. “I’m not sure we ever were.”
“Does that bother you?”
Skye shakes her head against my arm. “No. But I thought you’d be worried.”
I nuzzle her neck. “It is what it is. We’re consenting adults, and I think my family knows they don’t get to say who I can and can’t spend time with.”
“True,” she says with a yawn. “That’s good though. I like what this is.”
“Me too. And no rules are being broken yet. We work well together, we do other stuff very well together, and life is good.”
She tenses in my arms but relaxes back into me almost instantaneously. “I’m glad,” she replies, her voice sounding strange.
“Skye? What’s—”
“So tired,” she says, with another yawn. If I wasn’t so physically exhausted myself, I might call her out on it and ask what’s going on. Instead, I pull her in closer against me and kiss the top of her head. “Are you going to come out with us for New Year’s?”
“Sure. We can act normal,” she says flatly. “We do it all the time anyway.”
I can’t work out if there’s an edge to her tone or not. Things have been good between us—great, even—but I have a weird feeling that something has changed.
Deciding now is not the time to delve deeper, I close my eyes and fall asleep. Tomorrow is another day.
But at least I’ll get to see in the new year and start my birthday off with my best friend and my family.
Nothing could be better.
20
Cohen
I sign off work for the last time this year and go in search of Skye, but she’s nowhere to be found, despite me being her ride home.
Walking into the living area of the firehouse, I find Zach and Rhodes playing cards at the large dinner table.
“Hey. Have you guys seen Skye?”
“Oh, she caught a ride with Luca. Something about needing to go shopping or something,” Rhodes says. He looks down at my hands before quirking a brow. “You have a phone; why don’t you just send her a text? You know, like normal people do?”
“Dani tracks me using GPS. She said it makes her feel better when I’m working to see my dot moving on her screen. Whatever makes her sleep soundly at night when I’m not there, I don’t care,” Zach says.
“Since the brat and I are just friends…” I say, sending a quick, pointed look at Zach.
“Just friends, yeah, right,” Rhodes says. “Still playing that tune, are we?”
“Yeah, maybe ’cause it’s true?”
“Cass, you forget we know you, and your reputation is bigger than the damn city.” Rhodes tilts his head regarding me. “Although the rumor mill has been a little quiet lately.”
I chuckle. “Between working and house-flipping, I barely have time to get enough sleep, let alone find anyone to sleep with.”
“What’s on tonight then?” he asks. “Zach was telling me about the party at Throb. Sounds like it’s going to be a good one. You have to come out; you can’t let your birthday pass without a decent celebration.”
Nodding, I catch a weirdly suspicious expression on Zach’s face, but I let it slide. “And that’s exactly why I’m coming tonight. I’ve never known Sean to throw a bad party. Then again, who knows what kind of woman you’ll find there, Rhodes? Someone strong enough to keep you on your toes? Crack the whip, so to speak?”
He puts his hand on his heart and looks to the ceiling. “From your mouth to God’s ears, Cass. I’m sick of the meek pushovers. I need a girl like Zach’s wife—”
“Hey, leave Dani out of this. She’s mine; find your own.”
Rhodes and I both roll our eyes and laugh. Zach is protective of his younger wife, something we love to screw with him about.
“I mean, someone to call me on my shit but stand by my side when I need her to. Where are the women like that?”
“Maybe you’ll find one at Throb? New year, new girl?” Zach says with a shrug. “How about you, Co? Got any New Year’s resolutions you wanna share? Maybe some situations you need to fix?”
“My conscience is pretty clear. I’m entering my thirties with a clean slate.”
He locks eyes with me, a staring competition commencing.
Rhodes looks between the two of us. “Am I missing something?”
“Nope,” Zach and I say in unison.
Rhodes pushes back his chair and stands. “All right then, I’m off.”
“Yeah, better get all the beauty sleep you can before tonight,” I say with a grin, laughing when Rhodes sneers and flips me the bird. “Guess I should go too. Now I know Skye has already gone, I might see if Ez wants to grab some breakfast.”
“I meant to tell you. I saw him last week with a blonde near my house,” Rhodes says.
My head jerks back. “Like, in the street?”
“Yeah. Leaving a house the next block over. First thing in the morning, too, on my way home after shift. I’ve seen his car there a few times before, too.”
A blonde and a secret rendezvous that’s a regular thing? Seems like I’m not the only one with a secret.
Rhodes nods. “Yep. I’ll buy you a drink to mourn the death of your twenties.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Better make it two then. One for the memories, and one more for good luck.”
“You’re on.”
I swing my bag over one shoulder and move to the main door leading outside, pulling up Ezra’s number. I type out a one-handed text.
Cohen—You up for breakfast?
Ezra—Benny’s Diner in twenty?
Cohen—Sounds good to me. You can tell me about the blonde in Wicker Park you’re frequently visiting…
Ezra—Only if you tell me how long you’ve been sleeping with Skye and what you’re going to do about it.
Cohen—Well, shit.
Ezra—Ditto.
Cohen—Twenty minutes.
Ezra—See you then.
“I ordered the works for both of us,” Ezra says by way of greeting. He nods at the cup of coffee across the table from him. “Including that.”
I slide into the booth opposite, putting my wallet and phone on the table before leaning back in my seat.
“Thanks. Is that to save time?” I say.
“We do have a big night tonight, young man,” he says with a smirk.
“Turning thirty won’t change the fact I’ll always be seven years younger than you.”
“Doesn’t mean you won’t look older than me,” he muses.
“Don’t they say you’re only as old as the woman you’re feeling? Which would make me twenty-six. How about you?”
“No comment,” he mutters, lifting his coffee cup to his mouth. “How on earth did you find out anyway?”
“I have my source, and he just happens to live a block away from, what? A secret third wife?” I ask, waggling my brows.
Ezra barks out a laugh and shakes his head. “Fuck off. It’s… complicated?”
My eyes bug out. “Married? Forbidden? Male? All of the above?”