“I’m so sorry you had a bad night,” Jacob told him.
Yeah, it had been bad. So bad. James wasn’t sure how he would ever face his co-workers or go back to the fire station ever again.
“It amazing what you do,” Jacob said. “I never thought about how it would affect you though. I know you try so hard to be there for everyone. To be the strong one.”
The words didn’t make sense. Not that James cared about that. The shirt under his cheek was soft. Jacob’s voice was low and soothing. Burying his face between Jacob’s pecs, James took a deep breath. Woodsy spice drifted into his nose.
“I got you,” Jacob said.
He could close his eyes now. Instead of seeing the car accident from earlier, James just listened to the gentle tone of Jacob’s voice. The words didn’t matter. There was no shouting, or screaming, or scent of gasoline and burned rubber.
Better.
This was better.
“You’re like a little kitten rubbing against me.” Jacob’s deep chuckle warmed him.
“Not kitten,” James muttered. “Superhero.” He wanted to be a superhero. Maybe it was too big of a task though. He hadn’t saved anyone that night. In the movies, superheroes didn’t lose the innocent people that they were sent to protect. And they always got the girl. Not that James wanted a girl or anything. Were there gay superheroes?
“You are a superhero,” Jacob told him.
Without lifting his head, James snorted.
The fingers in the back of his hair tightened. “A true-life superhero. You run into burning buildings and save cats from trees.”
James shook his head. “Never saved a cat.”
“Yet,” Jacob told him. “You haven’t saved a cat yet. You will. It’s part of being a firefighter, right?”
That would be cool.
“And I know that Scott thinks of you as his very own superhero,” Jacob said. “I’d bet Michael would agree.”
James lifted his head.
Jacob smiled at him. “Should we run a poll?”
“No.” That was silly.
“If you don’t believe me, we might have to. We can set up a couple of jars at the coffee shop and let your customers vote,” Jacob suggested.
His customers would love that. They were kind of crazy. Feeling better, James carefully extracted himself from Jacob. Well, this ended up being an embarrassing night. Not only had James made a complete fool of himself but it was witnessed by his landlord. Yeah. That was not a good look.
Clearing his throat, James scooted over. “Sorry about this.”
“There is nothing to be sorry about,” Jacob responded.
James didn’t believe that for one second. Jacob was being sweet to him but that wouldn’t last. It never did. James knew that this moment would bite him in the ass later.
If James was going to pay for this weakness later, then he might as well go all-in. “Why are you being so nice to me?” he questioned.
“What?” Jacob jerked back like he’d been slapped.
James waved his hand between them. “Getting me inside isn’t your responsibility.”
“I’m not an asshole!” Jacob exclaimed. “You were struggling and I offered you a helping hand.”
It was more than that. At first Jacob had accused him of being drunk. Once he realized that James was exhausted and out of his mind…he’d been more than a helping hand.
