“You can leave Poupon here if you like. What time are you coming later?” Her face is so beautiful, even with donut sugar around her mouth. I want to kiss her and lick the powdered sugar from her pink lips.
“Around six, after I finish my shift. You going to be okay, Goldie?”
“I’ll be fine. I have a daily Zoom call with my boss, once that’s done my day will be even better.”
Back at the firehouse, my brother Taylan is uncharacteristically talkative. He’s a giant nerd, happiest with his nose stuck in a book or tapping away on his laptop.
“What’s up, bro? You look weird. I thought you were only on call for four hours today? Feeling lazy?” He hands me the inventory list, motioning for me to follow him.
“I was on a late shift last night. And Marigold Evans is keeping me up at night.”
“You have it bad. Iknewyou looked strange. Have you told her how you feel?” He crouches, taking out a big crate of equipment.
“It’s not that easy. I’m only realizing now how much of a dick I was to her back at school. So she has her guard up, and rightly so.” I sigh.
“Smart cookie. I wouldn’t trust you either.” He nudges me in the ribs. “So what are you going to do about it? Seeing you without a smile on your face is creeping me out.”
“I don’t know. She gets the boot off in a couple of days and then she’ll probably leave town. So I have to come up with something.” I shake my head.
“How about being honest? You tried disguising your feelings with teasing and that didn’t work. Be vulnerable.” Taylan removes a pile of mismatched protective gloves from the crate.
“You remember I still hold the record for the most tackles in a single game? Being vulnerable doesn’t come naturally to me, Tay.”
“Exactly why you should do it. Marigold won’t be able to trust you otherwise. Show her you’re not as much of a dick as you were in high school.” He grins at me.
I punch him lightly in the arm. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Anytime. Now how many sets of these gloves are we meant to have?”
Once my shift is done, I reply to the message from the girl my aunt was trying to set me up with, saying I’ve met someone. Then, I text Aunt Augusta to tell her I’ve met a girl and she has to stop setting me up on dates. She sends me back a string of emojis, including a ring, a church, and a bride. My aunt loves nothing more than a good wedding.
When I walk through the door of the cabin, Goldie’s sketching. She looks up and smiles, and my cock twitches. I want to scoop her up and protect her. I’m also desperate to throw her down on the bed and make her come, burying my face between those juicy thighs.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
I smile back. “You are? I thought you hated me.”
“I’m getting used to you being around. And all the donuts and fixing stuff is softening me up. And…”
“And?”
“...I want to use you as a model.”
“A life model? Just tell me where. And how much do you want me to take off?” I strike my best bodybuilder pose.
She giggles. “I just need your face.”
“Oh. I’m crushed. Where do you want me?”
“Right here. I’m doing a set of superhero sketches…drawing the villain. You have the right jawline.”
I rub my hand over my stubble. “The villain. Figures.”
Sitting next to her on the sofa, a waft of her raspberry scent floats up and my fingers jerk, itching to run my hand over her soft skin. She has the boot up on a cushion on the table and I’m close enough that our thighs are almost touching.
“Stay like that.” Her pencil moves across the pad.
“Yes, ma’am. How have the dogs been?”
