The chief continued talking, but Eli zoned out when he glanced back at Kenzie. Her attention was focused on Jake, which allowed him to study her in a way he hadn’t been able to since she’d come back into his life.
Her blonde hair was down and falling in soft waves over her shoulders. Her large, amber eyes and plump, red lips were so seductive he had to shift in his seat because his jeans were growing tighter. If he didn’t get himself under control before this meeting wrapped, the walk out was going to be embarrassing, to say the least.
*
As Theo made his way around the room handing out releases, Mackenzie couldn’t help the smile that had spread across her face from seeing Eli in the flesh. She was doing her best not to stare as Jake introduced her and Theo to the crew seated at the conference table but that task was turning out to be more challenging than The New York Times Sunday crossword.
He was alive. He was safe. He was home. She knew all of those things before she walked in this morning, but seeing them verified with her own eyes was a relief.
The past few days had been torture, not just because of the strange conversation she and Eli had had right before he left. Also because in all the years that they’d been apart, she’d worried about him, but it’d been in the abstract. The danger had been conceptual. Seeing him drive away and knowing that he was headed toward a threat that could kill him was a very different beast.
Luckily, she’d been privy to constant updates because all the firefighters at Station 8 worked out at Lucky’s Gym and green shift had been holding things down here while blue and yellow shift worked with Cal Fire. There was a steady flow of news about the crew that was on the Highway 89 fire. There’d been several setbacks and even with aerial support it had been a monster to get contained. Deanna and the rest of green shift had been out to the base camp several times with equipment and supply deliveries.
Mackenzie had asked about “the crew” each time, but not about Eli specifically. It was obvious that Deanna had questions about what had happened between Mackenzie and Eli, but she hadn’t outright asked her about it. Mackenzie hoped she never would.
In the three days since she’d seen Eli, Kenzie had replayed their conversation over in her head about a million times. It was on a constant loop in her mind. She’d dissected every word he’d said and how he’d said it. She was, after all, an observer of people.
She still hadn’t been able to puzzle together how he’d known that she was married. Deanna seemed to have no idea, so it couldn’t have been through her. They’d been out of touch for a long time, so that wasn’t surprising. But it still left the “how did Eli know that she’d been married” question unanswered.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Jake asked before he quickly followed up with, “No? Good. Sign the paper and get out of here. Blue shift, get some rest. I want you fresh as daisies when you get back here. Green shift, your assignments are on the board. Dismissed.”
A rumble of talking proceeded. Jake walked around with his cousin and introduced him to the guys that he hadn’t met yet and Theo was collecting the releases as they were signed. Kenzie stayed where she was.
Gabe Maguire was a very attractive and sexy man who was known for his magnetism. He had charisma in spades. Besides being in peak physical form, his striking green eyes, easy smile, and deep voice, he had a way of connecting with whomever he was talking to, making them feel like they were the center of his universe. When he was in a room, he was the flame that drew people in like a moth. Mackenzie had watched this phenomenon happen at least a hundred times over the last year. Women wanted to be with him and men wanted to be his best friend.
When Jake and Gabe got to Eli, he stood and shook the fighter’s hand. She covertly watched the two men interact. Even in the face of Gabe’s undeniable appeal, and surrounded by a room filled with alpha males, Eli dominated the space he inhabited. He had an air of masculinity and security that other men recognized and respected. Women noticed it too, but she tried not to think about that.
She watched as Gabe stood taller as the two met. It was a minuscule change in his body language, but it made Kenzie grin. It was the same reaction that adults had had to Eli even when they were kids. Teachers, principals, and coaches alike had always straightened their posture and given Eli direct eye contact.
Growing up around politics, she’d known people that had “respect” but hadn’t earned it. At a very early age, she could spot fake people whose agendas were selfishly motivated and who gained power through scheming, lying, and hurting others. Her father was a prime example. Eli, on the other hand, was always honest and had a compulsion to be in service to others. She liked to tease him about being cocky, but the truth was, he had an innate confidence that shined like a beacon on a foggy night.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake and Gabe move on and Eli started walking in her direction. Her cheeks warmed from his stare, but she didn’t dare allow herself even a glance his way. If she did, she was scared she’d be reduced to a puddle on the ground. As he stalked toward her, she felt something she hadn’t felt since she was a teenager. Butterflies. Her palms dampened and she wiped them as inconspicuously as she possibly could on her jeans.
She’d known that there was a good chance that she’d see Eli today so she’d put on a few coats of mascara, some lipstick, and she’d blown out her hair. Generally, during shoot days she wore a hat or had her hair in braids, a ponytail, or up in a bun. It was so baby fine that the fly away situation was out of control if she didn’t blow it out properly and use products, and who had time for that during production? No one, that’s who.
When he stopped directly in front of her, she looked up into his crystal-blue stare and all of the nerves that had been building inside of her like a volcano about to erupt evaporated.
She hadn’t allowed herself more than a quick glance in his direction since she’d arrived and even that had been from across the room. Now that he was up close and personal and she was really seeing him, every nurturing cell in her was flashing with alarm. It’d only been a few days since she’d seen him last but he looked noticeably thinner. His dark hair stood out in sharp contrast to his complexion that was usually a natural tan but now looked sallow and pale. The blue of his eyes appeared even more vibrant with the bloodshot red surrounding them. He’d obviously showered, but he still smelt faintly of smoke.
“You look…” Mackenzie was struck speechless.
“You look—”
“Like shit?” he finished.
“Exhausted,” she said pointedly. “I was going to say exhausted.”
The right side of his mouth turned up in a lopsided grin. “You look beautiful.”
“I’m serious,” she countered.
“So am I.”
A feeling of déjà vu washed over her at the same time the other side of his lips turned up into a full-fledged smile. It was the cocky one that she’d always pretended that she didn’t like, but in truth she’d always found it sexy and endearing.
They’d had this exact conversation more times than she could count. Verbatim.
During their teen years, Eli went a thousand miles an hour and never slowed down. She was always worried about him because he wasn’t getting enough sleep between his part-time job, football, baseball, or whatever sport he was playing, and his active school schedule, and she’d say he looked tired, or exhausted, or sick and he’d say she looked beautiful. Then she’d say she was serious and he’d say so am I.
“Hey, neighbor. I told you I’d see you around.” Marco appeared beside Eli.
Mackenzie wasn’t sure how long they would have stood like this, staring at each other in silence, if they hadn’t been interrupted. But now all of the warmth that had been in Eli’s crystal blue eyes turned cold as his gaze cut to Marco.
“You two know each other?” Eli’s tone was as icy as his stare.
Marco’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion before his expression morphed into amusement. “I think the question
is, how do you two know each other?”
“Eli was my neighbor growing up,” she explained as a knee jerk reaction, from back when they were teenagers and people would ask if they were more than friends.
It struck her then that it didn’t matter how many years had passed, it was so easy to slip back into old patterns.
“Ah, I see.” Marco nodded in understanding as his eyes darted between them and added, “So you two are neighbors. Got it.”
She was about to argue that they weren’t neighbors anymore but the truth was, she was staying in a bungalow on his property.
“It was nice seeing you again.” Marco’s tone was formal as he bent at the waist and bowed slightly, then he pursed his lips and whistled as he walked past her.
“Is that…?” Mackenzie searched the hard drive of her memory to place the familiar tune.
Eli solved the mystery. “The Mr. Rodgers’ theme song.”
Mackenzie couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Marco thinks he’s a comedian,” Eli remarked dryly.
“Maybe he missed his calling.”
“No.” Eli shook his head. “He didn’t.”
That made Mackenzie laugh harder. She was enjoying the easy rhythm of conversation that they were having when everything shifted. One moment they were talking casually and the next, the intensity between them rocketed up to the stratosphere.
Eli’s knuckles brushed along her forearm leaving a trail of tingles as he gritted out, “Damn, I’ve missed hearing you laugh. I’ve missed you.”
Feeling his touch and hearing the words she’d dreamed of hearing him say for so long caused her knees to buckle slightly.
“Kenz!” Theo called out.
She blinked out of her trance and turned to see her friend waving her over. They were supposed to be meeting with Jake to go over the logistics of what they would be allowed to shoot when Gabe was on the job.
Her arm was still prickling from where he’d touched her when Mackenzie looked back at Eli. “I’ve got a meeting.”
Eli nodded, and Mackenzie had to stop herself from throwing her arms around him and hugging him goodbye. She rushed away before she gave into her inappropriate and ill-advised urge.
“So that’s who all this is for, huh?” Theo asked under his breath as they followed Gabe and Jake into the offices.
“What this? Who?” Playing dumb didn’t suit her, and normally Mackenzie did her best to avoid it but desperate times and all that.
Theo lifted three fingers in succession as he said, “The makeup. The hair. Eli.”
Playing dumb was one thing. Outright lying was another. So instead of addressing his observation that bordered on accusation, she just ignored it completely and walked ahead of her friend. She knew that she was only prolonging the inevitable talk that she and Theo would be having, but maybe by then, she’d know how to explain what was going on between herself and Eli…of course that meant she’d have to figure it out first.
Chapter 10
‡
“You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.” A slap landed on Eli’s shoulder and he turned his head to see Lucky beside him at the bar.
“I feel a lot better.” Eli lifted the mug of cold, refreshing beer and took a swig.
Lucky motioned to his brother Levi who was down at the other end of the bar holding up four fingers. Levi gave his brother a nod and grabbed four long necks out of the cooler, popped the bottle caps off, and brought them to Lucky and Eli, then headed back to the other end of the bar
“Deanna was worried about you after she saw you at the station.” Lucky grabbed the bottles. “You get some sleep?”
Eli nodded. “That’s all I’ve been doing.”
After leaving the fire station, he’d gone home, laid his head on the pillow, and been out like a light. Over the past few days, he’d only woken up to take a leak, eat, and check to see if Kenzie was home.
He’d walked back to cottage B and knocked on the door at least a dozen times, and each trip had ended with him returning to his house disappointed. He knew that she was still staying there because he’d seen her suitcase lying open on the couch. He hadn’t been a peeping Tom or anything like that. It was just visible from the front window that she’d left open. There were multiple times that he’d considered seeking her out, but then he’d go back to his place, lie back down, and fall right back to sleep.
Today, he’d woken up at about three this afternoon, and after devouring take-out roast beef from Sue Ann’s Diner, he’d waited on his porch so he wouldn’t miss Kenzie again. That’s when Marco had called him to come down and have a beer. More often than not, blue shift got together the night before they went back on. He’d considered flaking on the tradition but decided to come down, have one beer, and then go back to his watch. With any luck, Kenzie would be home when he got back.
They needed to continue the conversation that he’d started at her door. She wasn’t married, and he’d seen the look in her eye when he’d almost kissed her. There was still something between them. He felt it, and he was sure that she felt it, too.
If things were different, he knew that it would be an easy talk to have. As it stood now, he was going to have to navigate the conversation very carefully. He was sure that she’d have questions…questions that as much as he wanted to answer, he couldn’t.
He still wasn’t sure how they were ever going to reconcile the past and he had no idea what was going to happen in the future, so he was focused on the present.
They were both in the same place. They were on speaking terms. They were both single or, at the very least, not married. Eli didn’t like the way Theo was always touching her or the possessive vibe that he threw off about her.
“Deanna said that you’re on duty tomorrow, you feel up to sparring when you come in to train?”
Since Lucky came to town, he’d had an open-door policy to both the police station and the firehouse. Most of the crews took him up on his offer while on duty during their scheduled physical fitness period since the gym was in such close proximity to the station.
“Yeah.” Eli agreed without hesitation.
He wanted to speak to Kenzie tonight, but if that didn’t pan out at least he knew he’d see her tomorrow. It was always good to have a backup plan.
“You wanna play?” Lucky pointed to the back room of the bar where there were two pool tables and a dartboard. “We’ve got both tables.”
Eli drank the rest of his beer before following Lucky to the back.
Marco was there, on the table with Randy. Lucky’s twin brother Logan and Eric Maguire, Jake’s brother, were on the other table. Lucky handed out the beers to the guys, and they all started talking football.
As a diehard 49er fan, Eli normally had a lot to say on the topic, but he remained quiet as drafts, trades, players, and lineups were debated. He started a forty-eight-hour shift tomorrow. And although he’d most likely see Kenzie at some point, that didn’t mean he’d get to speak to her.
When Marco beat Randy, Eli took his place. Pool had always been one of his favorite ways to wind down. It took strategy and focus, not to mention there was something so satisfying about the sound of the crack of the balls and them rolling across the felt and falling into the pockets. Usually, he zoned out when he played, but tonight, he could never get into the groove. All he could think about was a certain blonde that might be back at cottage B.
After one game he was ready to hang up his cue and head back home. He was just about to leave when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. He turned to find Theo, Gabe, and Kenzie heading right toward them.
They all said hello and it became painfully obvious that Kenzie was doing her best to treat him the same way she did all the other guys. She was friendly but not familiar. She was making sure there was a distance between them.
It was the same way that she’d treated him whenever people at school or his parents or brothers would start asking too many questions and voicing their
suspicions, she would default into this behavior. Back then he’d understood that it had been born out of necessity, but it had still frustrated the shit out of him. Now they had nothing to hide and it pissed him off even more.
Eli was using every excuse that he had to brush against her, to lean close to her as he spoke, to slide inside references and jokes into the conversation as the group played pool.
Every time she was near him he made sure that his arm, hands, or chest grazed against her. The contact was whisper soft, but it was the one thing that she hadn’t been able to hide her reaction to. He’d seen the flush rise on her face and the skin of her forearms breakout in goose bumps.
Her hair had tickled his face when he’d bent down to whisper, “It’s your shot,” into her ear. Her response then had been less evident, but he’d noticed a shiver ran through her when his lips had lightly grazed her ear.
When she’d tried to walk around him, but he blocked her and asked her to pay the toll. It was what he’d always told her when they were teenagers, and she’d tried to slip out from his arms in the early morning hours to sneak back over to her house. She’d always smile and lean down and kiss him. It never failed to get him to first base, and on good mornings, he’d round home and score. Tonight, he’d struck out.
She was a tough nut to crack. He’d only managed to get the barest of reactions to his attention-seeking behavior. After an hour it was apparent he needed to speak to her in a more private setting. From the way she was trying to avoid him, he knew that he might need to get creative.
*
Eli leaned over the table, the highlights in his dark hair shimmering from the hanging overhead light. Kenzie was hanging on by a very thin thread. Her hormones were on overload thanks to Eli. He had purposefully driven her to the brink of insanity and even that knowledge hadn’t been enough to hold her raging arousal at bay.
Fire and Love (Hope Falls Book 13) Page 9