Jasper smirks as his eyes flick over to Wade then back to mine.
“Why? Am I getting you all hot and bothered?” he bellows out to Wade, egging him on, as he winks at me.
“Seriously, Jasper. Go get dressed. None of us want to see that,” Wade pushes.
Well…some of us do.
I internally smile to myself at my thoughts and I can’t help my eyes from roaming over his chest and shoulders.
“What’s wrong, Wade? Are you jealous or interested?” Jasper asks as he wiggles his eyebrow at him. I turn to gauge Wade’s expression; he just rolls his eyes and shakes his head, throwing his hands in the air.
Major glances between all of us, as he pulls a skillet from the bottom cabinet. An expression I can’t read crosses over his face before he looks over at me, giving me a knowing smile, and I can tell this is a daily event that he must have to deal with.
“Welcome to my world, Abby,” he says playfully. “Jasper, go get dressed. Wade,” passing him the skillet, “you’ve got breakfast duty this morning. I’ll take Abby on a tour of the station before we all sit down to eat.”
“Wait, she’s staying?” Wade says, almost offended.
“Yes! She’s staying!” Jasper calls out, fist pumping himself.
“I’m staying?” I turn to look at Major. He smiles back at me ignoring the other two.
“Best day ever!” Jasper bellows out as he turns around, rips the towel off his waist and tosses it at Wade’s head.
“Jasper!” Wade yells as he pulls the damp, heavy towel off.
“What? It’s clean.” He waves backward with his hand in the air, as he looks back and winks at me before he strolls out of the dining room. The round, muscular globes of his ass are on full display for all of us to see, then he rounds the corner of the doorway and disappears.
My jaw is wide open but I can’t help but smile because Jasper and Wade are the best frenemies I’ve ever seen in real life.
I turn back to Wade as he moves around the kitchen. He sneaks a couple glances my way but refuses to actually look or talk anymore. It seems like this is his normal behavior so I try not to take it personally but it still bothers me.
His face is stoic and serious, not a hint of smile behind those deep hazel eyes. His smooth olive skin makes him look like he has the perfect tan year round and he’s probably got women drooling over him every time he blinks. He is really good looking, but man, he’sreallygrumpy.
Wade turns on the stove and starts slicing on the cutting board. Major steps up next to me, holding his arm out toward the doorway.
“After you?” he says with a bow of his head, his respectful demeanor on full display.
“Well, thank you, sir,” I reply, mirroring the bow as I peer over at him. There’s a slight flinch in his eyes as a smirk appears and his tongue rolls over his bottom lip.
We walk into the main sector of the station where the fire trucks are parked. Major takes me on a full tour of the garage, explaining how they live and work in the same area and howthey set up everything to be prepared for any type of last minute emergency.
For the record, they really do have poles they slide down to get to the garage. I sort of thought that was a movie myth but it makes complete sense when Major explains the timing on how quickly they all have to get dressed and in the truck.
“This is our turnout gear, the fire protective clothing we wear when we get called out.” I run my hand over the dense fabric and it feels heavy and thick. I lift the hanger and can barely pull it up.
“Geez, the jacket alone must weigh ten pounds?” I state, questionably.
He chuckles. “The entire git-up is closer to thirty-five pounds, so yeah, it’s pretty heavy.”
I couldn’t imagine running in and out of burning buildings, with regular tennis shoes and basic clothing, much less another thirty-five pounds to carry.
“Wow, that’s crazy impressive. Plus, you have to deal with the heat, and possibly carrying people out of buildings. I had no idea.” He grants me a bashful smile, but I couldn't be more serious. They’re considered heroes for a reason.
We continue the tour and during our walk around the facility, he steals a few soft touches as he holds my hand helping me up a few awkward side stairs and guides me into the rooms with his palm on the small of my back. Each touch lights my body up like a bag of exploding fireworks, and I’m unsure why or how I can be in the vicinity of three starkly contrasting men, each making my body run so hot in different ways.
I appraise Major as we make our way back into the garage.
His dark navy cargo pants fit snug around his thick legs just like the basic T-shirt that’s tucked into the waistband. My eyes roam over the smooth skin of his muscular forearms and I can’t help biting my lip as I take in his strong features.
