Our mouths magnetized together onceagain.
I hadn’t realized how good it would feel to use theword.
Boyfriend.
I had a boyfriend. I had Dax Munro, and he hadme.
Why did that feel like fuckingeverything?
33
Dax
When I openedmy eyes and saw Jace curled up against my body, his head resting on my chest, I thought it might be a dream. If it was, I didn’t want to disturb it, to rouse myself, so I enjoyed gazing down at him, appreciating what his weight felt like against me, how good, howrightit felt when our breathing was insync.
Gradually, as my thoughts collected, I remembered the night before, when he met Serena, and how incredibly he’d handled himself. When we established we wereboyfriends.
I, Dax Munro, had aboyfriend.
How crazy wasthat?
He stirred against me, his eyes opening, and he shifted his gaze up to me, smiling, I hoped because of how enjoyable our evening together had been once we’d gotten to hisplace.
“Mmmm,” he said, affirming my confidence in what we’d worked up in the bedroom the nightbefore.
“Still thinking about my dick inside you?” Iasked.
“More like having my dick inside you, but the other was perfectly lovely too.” Hewinked.
“Ooh, it’s that signature wink from the commercial,” Iteased.
“Nah. That one looks more like this.” He demonstrated the subtle difference between the one he had just offered and the one he’d shared with the world through the commercial, and Ilaughed.
“So relieved to know you have a wink saved exclusively forme.”
Mac approached the bed and got up on his hind legs, his front ones pressed against the top of the mattress as he stuck his tongue out and glanced betweenus.
Jace and I looked to one another, exchanging smiles before we forced ourselves to get up. We slipped into the shower, and afterward headed downstairs and worked together on breakfast. He made sausages while I prepared the quiche. I wasn’t much of a cook, but I’d picked up a few things in our time together, and had found this particular recipe online. We downed breakfast quickly before getting ready and heading down to thestation.
Jace had asked me before I arrived back in Fever Falls if I’d be interested in participating in the annual fire-station car wash with him. The money they raised went to support the Fever Falls Equality Center. Jace had assured me it was a sight to see, but I couldn’t have realized how much until we drove up alongside the lot beside the station, which was jam-packed withvehicles.
The men and women were stripped down, all in sexy shorts, the girls in bikini tops. Zed was scrubbing the roof of a truck, and Ash turned the hose on him, which made Zed laugh as he retreated quickly, dipping his sponge in water and tossing it at Ash, who caught it effortlessly while continuing hisattack.
Everyone was having a good time, and since the scene looked like the beginning of some epic porn film, a crowd had formed around the event, people holding their phones up to take pics andvids.
I had to ask. “Is it always likethis?”
“Oh yeah. And it’ll get even busier. If you’re thinking about keeping your shirt on, think again, because they’re gonna wanna see all that Sexy Donnie Gee is working with.” He reached over from the wheel and pinched at myabs.
“Sexy Donnie Gee.” I chuckled. “Now there’s a nickname I can getbehind.”
We parked and joined the crew around the car wash, and I could tell by the spectacle that we were going to be getting some views online. I’d figured there’d be press around to snap some pics of Ash Carmichael and Hottie Firefighter, but short of having the local news present, this was about as much coverage as the event would need to generate online interest. One of those rare instances that seemed to orchestrate itself, that didn’t need to be coordinated with thousands of dollars to set up the perfect photo op, though considering how perfect it was, I figured anyone who caught wind of this would think it had been so cleverlyplanned.
While the crowd with their cameras made me uneasy at first, like with everything else, I slipped right back into the habit I’d developed in mychildhood.
Jace and I stripped down along with everyone else and started cleaning cars with Ash and Beau and some of the other guys at the station. My blossoming relationship with Jace made it easy to forget the cameras and the attention, since he was distracting enough to make everything else background noise. We relaxed into the fun, something which was pretty effortless considering how silly we all felt because of thespectacle.
Jace and I scrubbed down an SUV together, him working on the back window while I worked on the front, and he gazed at me, casting that affectionate look on me, warm eyes glistening in the sunlight now sparkling across his impressivebody.
