* * *
She woke up after 7:30 p.m. with her phone ringing. She rolled over and found her phone. “What?”
“You invited me over. I’m outside,” Noah said.
“Alright, hang on.” Erin noticed there were multiple text messages from ‘Han,’ including one from twenty minutes ago—‘I’m outside.’
There was a part of her that considered being bitchy and letting him stand out there. The County’s Sexiest Man would be fine.
No. Acting jealous and pushing him away would end up with him staying away. It might have been a better idea for both of their careers, but she didn’t want him to go away. She wanted to trap him in her bed and forget about the real world.
In fact, she had a good idea. She opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and took out some very specific items. Thirty seconds later, she was in different clothes, which she covered up with her old bathrobe.
Padding her bare feet across her tile hallway, she let him in the front door. He was on the steps with takeout boxes. A quick glance outside confirmed there wasn’t a CCFD Chief Car parked outside, and Noah covered his uniform with a black coat.
“I parked a few streets over, away from the firehouse,” he said. Usually, she let him park in her empty garage, but she’d been unavailable.
“Sorry. I slept harder than I thought.” She let him in, asking internally why she apologized for doing her job.
“You had a busy night.”
“I am a heavy sleeper. Only the klaxon wakes me up.”
“I noticed. I’m a pretty light sleeper.” His statement made sense if he had fifteen years of being an officer. Without being asked, he walked to the back hallway and hung up his outer jacket on the peg that was becoming ‘his.’ Same as the way he took off his black dress shoes and set them next to her CCFD issued boots.
Erin was still angry and only grunted.
“You said ‘no dinner,’ but you probably subsisted on Halloween candy last night.” Noah immediately went to her kitchen and got out plates.
“You didn’t have to. I’m not hungry.” Erin lied, trying not to read too much into his behavior. He was acting like a boyfriend, not the World’s Most Sexy Eligible Bachelor on the trail of new tail.
Her stomach growled loudly.
Noah allowed himself a tiny smirk and unfolded everything on her poor, unloved, tiny table. “I grabbed McDonald’s. Two grilled chicken sandwiches and a large fry to split with two chocolate milkshakes. Almost like eating healthy.”
“I’m healthy four days a week. No refined carbs at the firehouse, and we eat vegetarian most days.” Erin sat down and began to eat her grilled chicken. He waited until she’d taken a few bites to pick up his sandwich.
“Is Jones always in charge of cooking?”
“Most of the time he volunteers because everyone except Theo murders the tofu. Otherwise, he’d have to survive on microwaved veggie burgers and PB&J.”
“He could bring his own meals. We have Jewish guys in Nelson’s battalion who pack their own food.” Noah ate a few fries.
“Wouldn’t that exclude him? Besides, Captain wants us to control our cholesterol. Not that Captain cooks or eats with us.” Erin hoped that wasn’t overstepping.
He chuckled. “Don’t be sad. Jacen Williams is a horrible cook.”
“How horrible?”
“Back at 33, he burned grilled cheese and tomato soup. Never understood how the man could interpret smoke stains and fire direction but not tell the difference between raw and burnt.”
Against her will, Erin was starting to warm up again. It wasn’t fair how he had this effect on her. She’d never been attracted to anyone the way she was to Noah Baker. He was quieter than her but so sure of his own power and mind. All that freaking quiet confidence. She wasn’t sleeping with him because he was the Chief, but those qualities that made him Chief were the ones drawing her to him.
It was no small ego boost that this Sexiest Man in Erin’s World found her attractive enough to unbend… or bend her over the table if the mood struck him.
“And yet, he never comes upstairs to eat our edible food and hang out with amazing us. Because we are amazing twenty-four/seven.”
“You are amazing.” Noah smiled at her, his eyes brightening, giving her another dose of affection and sexual attraction.
