I squirmed beneath the weight of his body with pleasure, forcing myself to meet him, desperate for his touch.
Chapter31
Korbin
I must have been smiling more than usual the following day at work because the first thing Hansen did when he saw me started in on the bullshit.
“Someone got laid last night,” he muttered. Standing between him and the fire truck making a list of supplies for the rig, Paisley looked up at me as I came in, and her already wide eyes seemed to grow even more significant.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,” she said, and I scoffed. “No, seriously. It looks weird on you.”
I shook my head and joined Hansen, who was busy rolling up hoses after running some drills with the crew. I sat in one of the random camp chairs we had strewn about the place and kicked back, watching them work.
“Quit looking so smug,” said Hansen. “We get it. You’re finally in love.”
I shrugged, feeling a bit giddy. “Meh. I’ve always been in love with her. I just never allowed myself to embrace it until now.”
“How romantic,” Paisley said, finishing up her supply count. She shut the ambo doors behind her and sat down on the back bumper, looking at me. “What’s the news on the wedding?” she asked, and I cringed. Hansen teasing me about it was one thing, but Paisley expressing interest in it could mean a slew of things I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Leave it to Paisley to force you to face the worst.
“Nothing is planned,” I told her. “And if I know Peyton, nothing has to be planned. We’ll probably get hitched in the courthouse one of these weekends. Just her, me, and the judge.”
Paisley fell silent as she pondered this, and Hansen snickered. “What?” I asked, and he shook his head, putting his hands in the air in surrender.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just work on climbing out of that hole of denial before she decides you’re not worth it anymore.”
I yanked my head back, offended. “Denial? It’s not denial.”
“Oh, it’s denial,” added Paisley. She was grinning. I wasn’t sure I liked that grin. “Leave it up to me,” she continued, dropping off the back bumper. “I’ll talk to Peyton and see what she’s thinking. That way, it doesn’t cause a rift or a fight at the worst possible moment.”
“Paisley.” I got to my feet to scramble after her, feeling panic in my chest. “Who said anything about a wedding? We just got engaged.”
“A wedding frequently is known to come after the engagement,” Chief Davis’ voice said as he came into the bay, catching the tail end of my comment. He stopped and smiled at me, a rare feat for our hard-ass chief.
“Yeah, but isn’t there a time-lapse between the two?” I asked, turning back to Hansen, who was shaking his head in disappointment. “Like a year? Maybe five.”
“In a normal circumstance, yes,” said Paisley. “But this is your second engagement to the same woman, Korbin. I can guarantee you she’s tired of waiting.”
“But—”
“Just listen to the woman,” Chief Davis said to me, exasperated. He turned so that his attention was on me, forcing me to face him. “Marry the girl,” he said, reaching a hand out to squeeze my upper arm almost painfully. “From here on out, she deserves everything and more. You owe it to her.”
“Finally,” Paisley said. She threw her hands in the air with an eye roll. “A man with some common sense. Thank you, chief.”
“Don’t push it,” he said, but his eyes gleamed. “Just do the right thing, Butler.”
“Yes, sir.” With a chuckle, I followed Paisley out of the bay and towards the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I was just about to the dining room when the alarm startled me. Even Paisley jumped.
“Engine One, Ladder One, Ambulance One, respond to 2765 Henderson Street for reports of a commercial fire. Casualties are unknown at this time.”
Paisley and I looked at each other, and I could read the same fear in her eyes that I felt in my soul. Another commercial fire, like the others.
“Butler, are you okay to go?” Chief Davis asked, hurrying through the door as Paisley and I started for the garage again. “Just as an extra pair of hands, I don’t believe you’re ready to go back in.”
“Let me go in, chief,” I said, feeling a flutter of anger in my throat. Chief Davis shook his head, putting his hand up to hold me back.
“You can only go if you stay out of the building. You haven’t had enough time to recover, and I won’t be the one to tell your new fiancé that you died today.”
I cussed, jaw clenched painfully, but I knew he was right. I had to learn how to juggle my job and personal life now. I promised Peyton I could, and I intended to keep that promise. I knew that the department would let me back to work in due time, but I hated watching from the sidelines. It had never been my thing.
