At Adam’s smile, a flood of warmth soaked through Rico, along with a bit of shame in how he’d treated the man.
“I’ll be right back,” he spoke over his shoulder to Sean as he led Adam away. When they reached a safe distance away from Sean’s hearing, Rico halted. “Look, I’m sorry I was hard on you earlier. And yeah, if you could get your idea to work, I’d be eternally grateful.”
Maybe Adam had forgotten to shave that morning, or maybe he’d been up all night, but that reddish scruff covering his cheeks was too fucking sexy. He remembered how it felt scraping against his face in the morning. But everything about this man had set Rico on fire—no pun intended—from the first time he laid eyes on him. He knew many people, both men and women, had a uniform fetish, but Adam was fucking hot without his clothes on as well. Rico remembered every dip and curve of Adam’s body. Under and over him. Inside him too.
Even now he found himself unable to let go of Adam’s arm and pictured yanking him close, close enough to kiss that hot, demanding mouth. He wanted to feel all that scruff against his stomach and thighs. If he closed his eyes, Rico could remember the silken smoothness of Adam’s cock sliding into his mouth and the harsh cries of his climax as Rico sucked him down.
Perhaps that was on Adam’s mind as well, as his blue eyes burned into Rico’s with the fiery passion Rico recalled all too well. He saw it almost nightly in his dreams.
“Just because we’re not together anymore doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten you.”
Damn.Adam Barton had never been shy in what he wanted, especially in the bedroom. That mouth of his was one of the things that turned Rico on the most.
“I’m sorry.” Lame as it sounded, he had nothing else to say.
“Yeah. So you said.”
“You sound like you don’t believe me.”
The enigmatic smile from Adam matched the sun choosing to peek out from the clouds overhead at that moment. “I’ll be in touch about the firehouse kitchen.”
Remaining silent, Rico watched Adam return to his truck and the other firefighters, then drive away. The fire chief approached him, his face weary and smoke stained.
“Mr. Estevez?”
“Yes.”
“It looks as though this was more likely than not an accident, but both our investigators and the police will be by to complete the investigation. Can I have your contact information?”
“Yeah, sure.” Rico rattled off his cell phone number and home address. “Can I go inside yet and see the damage? Please?” He saw the hesitation and the denial on the chief’s lips. “I won’t stay or touch anything. I promise.”
“I’m sorry. It’s technically a crime scene right now until we get the all-clear from NYPD. The best I can do is let you get close enough to look inside the front.”
He’d take what he could get, and calling Sean over, the two of them accompanied the chief to the front of the store. The stench of smoke and burned-out plastic hung thick in the air. Peering in through the front window, Rico could’ve cried at the sight of the water running down the walls and the ruined display case. All that smoke and ash stung his eyes, and blinking furiously, Rico backed away, wiping at teardrops clinging to his lashes.
“Wow.”
He and Sean shared a grim look. It pained him to say it, but Rico couldn’t expect Sean to stick around. “Look. Neither Gideon nor I will be upset if you leave. I mean, of course we’ll be upset, but we’ll understand if you gotta get another job. This mess might take months to fix, especially once the insurance company gets involved.”
The college student had been with them since their opening, and Rico had come to rely on Sean’s good-natured teasing and solid work ethic. Anyone would be lucky to have him working for them. The enormity of their loss hit Rico; the store also employed kitchen staff, who now had no place to work. He needed to find an alternative location and quickly.
“I’m not leaving you guys; you’re gonna need as much help as you can get. Besides, I love working at the store and don’t want to go anywhere else.”
“Thanks, man. I don’t know what else to say.”
“Uh, are you gonna tell Gideon?”
The thought of telling his best friend the business they slaved so hard over the past year had been put out of commission by a careless accident freaked Rico out. Why this one week since they’d come to live in New York did Gideon have to be away?
“Yeah.” He scrubbed his face with his hands, dreading the hurdles before him. “I don’t have a choice.” What he wished he did have was a bit more time to find a place and have everything settled before he made that call. Instead, he’d go back to his apartment, rage and scream for a bit, call Gideon and break the news, then sit and figure out what to do.
“I’ll let you know what the next step is as soon as I hear something. But seriously.” He paused, glanced back at the ruined storefront, and sighed. “Don’t let your loyalty to us take the place of your common sense. If you find a job, take it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Sean readjusted his baseball cap. “I’ll call you later. Might as well get to the library and study.”
They bumped fists, and Rico stood for a moment watching Sean lope down the street. The day which started out so promising had turned to shit in nothing flat.
Think, Rico. What would Dad do?
