Chapter 26
By the end of the shift, Erin and everyone else were running on fumes. A couple Halloween parties, two MVAs, and a set of teenagers who decided to use an Ouija board plus an assload of candles… not a good idea. Williams had been right—the D-shifters came exactly when they were needed most.
The three ladies hit the gym with grim determination the following morning. They hadn’t slept overnight, so they opted to get their PT out of the way. Turned out a person could sleep-elliptical and sleep-weight lift. Luna burned with obvious anger and had ignored ten texts from Elias. Vanessa wisely said nothing, and the whole team slept-signed out. Even Captain Williams, who had left around 2200, acted tired and didn’t growl much at line-up.
Erin wasn’t sure if she regretted her car setting up residence at Theo’s for over a month now. She sleepwalked home those six blocks, watching the leaves fall from the trees in a daze. If she’d had her car, there was a solid chance she’d have crashed during the drive home.
Coffee might have been her captain’s drug of choice, but Erin wanted to eat and stare off into space. She poured herself a glass of water and turned on her TV. The local New Day Cleveland morning show had a special guest, Fire Chief Noah Baker.
Erin staggered to the couch, dragged her weight bench in front of it, and propped her feet up. Noah was in his regular uniform, pressed nicely, not the way it was after a night at her house. There was something to unbuttoning and wrinkling him. Last time, she’d gagged him with his tie and made him come undone…
This Noah was different. He was the calm, collected Fire Chief, gallantly drinking coffee in a ‘New Day Cleveland’ mug.
The female host was way too perky. “Busy day for the Cuyahoga Combined Fire Department. How was Halloween for you?”
“Dispatch handled a record number of calls, and our response time this year was even shorter. I could not be more proud of my firefighters and our invaluable support staff.”
“The fire department was everywhere. Here’s some of your firefighters rescuing children, and your inspection of Cleveland’s new 150,000 square foot Amazon distribution center.” Pictures of Vanessa with Spider-Ethan came up, and then more of Noah at the aforementioned Amazon warehouse, shaking hands with the Mayor at the ribbon cutting.
“It’s a team effort all across the board. We have an amazing staff, and CCFD is a family.”
The host went to the next talking point. “The re-imagined CCFD has better response times and decreased civilian deaths. Fire Chief Baker, you attribute this to your new protocols and the new paramedic battalion, Rescue Alpha.”
“As I said, it’s a team effort. MetroGen is unbelievably supportive of our advanced paramedics in Rescue Alpha.”
“You must have had something to do with it.” The news lady patted Noah’s arm on camera, and Erin wondered how much of that was scripted.
It was unsettling to hear it painted in this way. CCFD was doing great; her firehouse was a mess. Luna didn’t take well to Captain Williams’s inflexible management style. Their bickering never ceased, and it wasn’t even the sexy bickering of unresolved sexual tension. It was a fish and a bird discussing the weather. Luna operated on an emotional level where Williams was nothing but protocol and logic.
Aiden’s morning progress had collapsed after his confrontation with Soto. He’d withdrawn inside himself with every subsequent call. Erin hadn’t been pleased to find out Luna and Aiden dated, but she was more sympathetic now. Soto, however, couldn’t resist going after Aiden.
Erin wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was losing weight from his illness, which was visible even in the month since the active shooter training. He’d fought fires for over forty years, back when they didn’t wear SCBA. Whatever his illness was, it wasn’t going well.
At least this explained why Luna had immediately transferred her affections to Elias. She pleased her dying uncle and got a leg up on her promotion.
Williams wasn’t her favorite, but he wasn’t trying to transfer anyone or demote them. Soto stopped being part of the team as far as Erin was concerned the minute he screwed Aiden over. Being a jerk to Aiden in front of the Chief didn’t win him points with her either.
Erin tried to separate the Fire Chief from the sexy Noah who showed up regularly at her rowhouse. The insatiable Noah who resided in her bed was a very different person from the logical rule-bound Fire Chief. But there were things she couldn’t share with sexy-Noah because the Fire Chief would hear it too. “Yes, my firehouse is full of dating drama and hurt feelings. Can you elaborate on your decision to hire an emotionless asshole to be my captain?”
She must be tired if she was talking crazy. Noah was one person. Real Noah was a sweet geeky guy who blushed when she talked dirty and happened to work as the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief was his job. In his job, he was disciplined, and forceful, and aggressive… and cut-throat in a sexy Sith Lord way.
Her reverie was interrupted by the host’s next comments. “Tell me about the rumor that you’re being considered for Cleveland’s Sexiest Man.”
Noah’s expression didn’t change. “It’s Cuyahoga County’s Sexiest Man.”
“It is the title of the most eligible bachelor. Are you prepare to be a sex symbol?”
Erin’s heart thumped painfully. She had no right to feel anything. They were sleeping together, nothing more.
She turned off the TV, annoyed with herself. They liked each other, but sexy-Noah was still Fire Chief Noah. No reason to dwell on anything except how good he made her feel.
No reason.
Her body was insisting on sleep. Erin sent a quick text to him.
E: Coming over? No dinner tonight.
Hopefully, he understood it was at sex only invite. No eating, same as her friends suggested.
