He chuckled and grinned at me in response.
Asshole.
Chapter Thirty-Three
LYLA
My heart ratepicked up as I stared into the back of the ambo, trying and failing to shake off the nervous feeling that flooded me. I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. Once… Twice…
“I can do this,” I whispered. It was just like riding a bike.
I climbed up into the back, a sudden memory hitting me of being in the back with the elderly man who had chest pain and trouble breathing. I had eased the worry in his eyes with a smile.
My hand shot out, and I leaned against the side with a gasp. I forced all thoughts of that day a month ago to the back of my mind. I needed to pull my shit together. Now was not the time to try to remember.
I started the process of inspecting the rig. Adam and I hadalready gotten a report from the outgoing shift, and he was checking the vehicle, putting me in charge of making sure everything was good to go for our first call. I didn’t want to let him down. Or any of the crew. And I didn’t want the chief or Owen to think I wasn’t capable.
Supplies restocked. Check.
Equipment in working order. Check.
Adam appeared at the large open doors, studying me with a concerned expression on his face. “You good?”
I squared my shoulders, willing confidence into my tone. “Yep. Totally good.”
He scrutinized me with those piercing dark eyes of his and I sent him a smile. One that I hoped exuded more conviction than I felt. All I needed was a simple call. One call to get back into the swing of things and I’d be good. It was like the night before the first day of school. Every year had been the same deal, but it didn’t stop me from being nervous about it. But once I was there, the nerves usually faded quickly.
That was all it was. Just first-day jitters.
The ear-piercing alarms blasted through the bay, and I froze, listening for the radio to crackle to life. The dispatcher relayed the information about an adult male who had an allergic reaction, self-administered an EpiPen, and needed transport to the hospital.
Relieved that it seemed like it was such a simple, routine call, my shoulders relaxed and I shot Adam a smile. “Let’s go.”
A few more easy calls later, and I felt good. Most of my nerves had faded and I felt almost normal. I scanned the shelves in the small, enclosed alcove that housed all of our extra supplies. I was on the hunt for disinfectant wipes, gloves, and another book of report sheets, wanting to have extras of those things stocked in the ambo.
Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed Adam standing in the archway, leaning one shoulder against the frame. His lips lifted into a sexy smirk as he closed the distance. My breath caught as I turned slightly and stepped back, pressing my back against thewall. With one forearm pressed against the wall near my head, he brought his other hand up and tangled his fingers in my hair.
His gaze darkened to almost black as it locked on my lips, making his intentions perfectly clear. Heat pooled low in my belly as he leaned down, and I gripped the fabric of his uniform, holding him tightly as he explored my mouth. He tasted like coffee and peppermint.
We were lost in each other until the sound of Zack’s voice hit my ears. I broke the kiss and pushed Adam away, spinning around and frantically pretending to search the shelves. For what, I couldn’t even remember. My brain felt like utter mush at the moment. I rolled my eyes at Adam’s chuckle. He would totally find this funny.
“There you are,” Zack said. “Oh, and look at that. Lyla too. What a coinkidink.”
My face heated to a degree I didn’t even know it could achieve.
“What’s up?” Adam responded with a sly tone in his voice.
If I wasn’t a hundred percent sure spinning around to glare at him would give me away, I would have.
“We’re going for a grocery run. Did you two want to come?” Zack paused before adding, “Or you can give us a list of what you need. You know, in case you had things you needed to take care of here.”
I wanted to throttle him. Like legit. But I took a deep breath and forced a smile before spinning to face him. His smirk definitely said he knew.
“We’ll go.” I ignored Adam’s raised brow and continued, “I could use a few things.”
I brushed past them and headed straight for the rig. Adam and I would follow them just in case a call came through. But I didn’t even make it that far before the alarms overhead were blaring. My body stiffened as I listened to the dispatcher give the details of the car accident. Two people trapped with rollover. One car leaking fluid. Multiple injuries.
My stomach revolted, but I didn’t have time for nerves right now. I needed to focus on my job.
