ELEVEN
CASEN
The firehouse is quiet when I get there. The crew we’re replacing is on a call right now so I take my stuff to my room and change the sheets on my bed. It’s not long before Reece is standing there.
“Hey, man.” He greets, taking up most of the doorway. “Missed you last night at Jedi’s.”
Reece and the crew were going to meet Embyr and me there last night. I asked that they arrived an hour later than when I was planning to meet Embyr. Trinity agreed to get her there early but the rest thought that I’d still be there when they arrived. I didn’t want to share my time with Embyr and thought we really needed to have a quiet talk about everything that is going on. I still think there are things that need to be said but for now I’m content with starting over, keeping nothing from each other, and of course, when the time comes, some make up sex. I’ve been fantasizing about that for weeks now. I want to tie her up and spank her ass, but for now, I need to get answers from someone else.
“Yeah.” I turn to him, crossing my arms over my chest. “We left early.”
He mimics my stance, seeming to know that I’m on the defense. “We?”
“Embyr and me,” I answer. “I met her there early and we left to go back to her apartment and sort through things.”
He doesn’t say a word initially, almost looking paralyzed. Something is up and I’m going to find out what it is.
“She told me something interesting…something that bothered me a little bit.”
Captain comes over the loudspeaker instructing us to meet in the kitchen. Reece looks relieved but it won’t be for long. I plan to get some answers from him.
The entire day we have nonstop calls and in between we’re busy grocery shopping, cooking food for the crew, and hosting a field trip. Reece avoids me at any lull in the day and turns in early for the night. Thankfully we only received two overnight calls and before I know it, it’s six o’clock in the morning. Reece is having breakfast when I finally catch up to him.
I slam my hand down on the table. “Don’t avoid me.”
He turns his head slowly, his face menacing. “Back the fuck up, Casen.”
I pull out a chair and move closer to him. “Not until you tell me why the hell you cornered Embyr in her bathroom and asked her insane fucking questions.”
He scoffs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out of my face.”
“Stay away from her if you’re going to be an asshole.” I seethe. “You made her uncomfortable.”
Pushing his chair back he stands straight up. I follow suit, the two of us mere inches from each other’s faces. “What happened to bros before hos?” he asks. “Believing her over me?”
I shove a finger into his chest. “Yeah, you want to talk about putting your ‘bros’ first? How about not trying to make a bet on a girl I wanted in high school. What about that?”
He pokes me back. “What the fuck, Casen? We talked about that and got past it. Why the fuck do we have to rehash this again?”
“Because you were in her bathroom asking her things that you shouldn’t need answers to. Why do you even care who she picked?”
“PARKER,” Captain calls from outside. “Visitor.”
I turn to Reece. “We will finish this conversation later.”
The sun is shining way too bright for my eyes to adjust right away but when they do I can’t help but smile. Embyr is waiting for me, brown picnic basket in hand and oversized beach bag over her shoulder.
I close the distance between the two of us and grab the heavy basket from her hands. “What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting tonight?”
She shrugs. “I’ve changed my mind. The weather is really nice and what I originally planned was indoors. I think an early morning picnic would be much better. Plus, I had a day to take off this week after working Saturday and Sunday.”
The guys are watching us, minus Reece, and I grow ever possessive. I want to block her from their view. She’s wearing a white beach cover up over a dark red bikini. I calm the urge to yell at all of them. “I’ll be done in a bit. Come inside while I finish up.”
She follows me back into the house, setting her bag down on the table next to the basket I placed there. Reece is still in the kitchen but says nothing before walking out.
“I’ll be back in a few.”
An hour later, we are setting up a blanket on the sandy shores of North Avenue Beach. She remembered it’s my favorite place to go. Once everything is settled in, she sits down alongside me and starts to pull food from the basket. She sets out grapes, cheese, crackers, and sandwiches. The same kind of picnic I made for her just a few months ago.
