“Looks like you could use some help.” The sudden deep voice made me jump. When I looked up toward the source, I was immediately speechless.
“Uhm…” I managed, but nothing else came out. I wondered for a second if I’d been knocked out and was now having some sort of concussion-induced dream.
There were three guys standing on my lawn. The one that had spoken was smiling from beneath warm hazel eyes and unruly curls. To his left, was the tallest of the three, who wore a slight frown on his face and concern in his slate blue eyes. To the right, a man who looked like he’d walked out of my favorite bad-boyvampire series. All three were more than handsome. They were blazing hot.
And on top of it all, they were wearing firefighter uniforms.
They must have come from the fire station next door; the reason my new house had been so cheap. Most people probably didn’t want to live with the constant lights and sirens. I had been sure it wouldn’t bother me too much. After all, I had curtains and headphones.
Now, though, I was convinced that the station should have pushed the property valueupinstead.
“I’ll get the first aid kit,” said the tallest guy, running a hand through his short, neat hair before walking off with the best posture I’d seen in a long time.
“I don’t…” I started, but my voice trailed off as the other two approached me. The golden-haired guy reached out a hand to help me up, while his dark-haired companion began quietly picking up the toppled box and its contents.
“I’m Beck,” the spokesperson said as he got me to my feet gently. “That’s Ash, and Calder’s probably going to be back any second to take care of these splinters.”
“Thanks.” I could feel my cheeks heating up under Beck’s gaze. He was still smiling, a boyish look that made me feel as if he was capable of proper mischief. His hands were tough, but warm, and I almost immediately imagined being curled up against him watching an old movie.
The thought made me look away. I didn’t know these guys. It was silly to develop an immediate crush like this.
“The movers just left you by yourself?” Ash asked as he re-packed the broken box. His voice was low and slightly hoarse, and immediately gave me goosebumps. He sounded more than a little annoyed about my predicament.
“I mean, uh, yeah. But I didn’t read the small print, so it’s really my fault.” I laughed it off awkwardly.
“A real man would ignore the fine print,” Ash pointed out, before he carried the box inside. Beck laughed, and hopped down onto the lawn to grab another box himself. As he did so, Calder appeared from the station’s direction wielding a big first aid kit that seemed fairly unnecessary for dealing with a few splinters.
He walked across the grass with purpose and a stride that made my knees weak. I realized I was watching him a bit too intently, so I cleared my throat and pretended that the porch fence was far more interesting than it had any right to be.
I only looked up again when I heard him speak. His voice was kind and patient, definitely the kind you’d want to hear when you’re in an emergency.
“Where’re you hurt?” he asked, his eyes catching mine so deeply that I had the urge to swallow. I noticed a scar above his left eyebrow and wondered what heroic deed it had come from.
“Just a few splinters,” I answered in a near-whisper, holding my hands out for him to inspect. “Nothing serious.”
“Let me see.” He leaned forward slightly, and I caught a whiff of his cologne; spicy, but not overwhelming. It was almost familiar, like a comforting hug or a soft blanket. I let him look over my hands, before he started going through the first aid kit.
“This might sting a bit.”
I tried not to pull a face as Calder cleaned up my hands and got the splinters out. It did hurt. At the same time, I wanted to lean into it. Maybe he’d get even more protective than he already seemed. I wanted him to wrap me up in his arms and tell me everything would be okay.
Before I got carried away with that fantasy, I shook my head to clear it. I was being completely ridiculous. These guys were simply being kind. There was no reason to think anything more than that.
“Thank you,” I finally said with a smile, squeezing Calder’s hand just as he was about to pull away. He glanced at my face, the corner of his mouth lifting, and I felt my heart start to race. “Anyway, uhm, I can’t just sit here and let you guys do everything. I should at least carry one box.”
Beck laughed from the bottom of the porch, where he was now holding a whole stack of boxes in his lean, but muscled arms. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a rough day already. We’ll make quick work of it.”
I had to admit that I was enjoying watching them. At the same time, I was supposed to be independent. I couldn’t let them do it all.
Stubbornly, I marched back down to the lawn and grabbed the “bathroom” box that had most of my toiletries in it. “It’d be even quicker if weallworked together.”
Calder and Beck shared an amused look, while Ash simply shrugged from where he was standing beside the fridge. None of them objected any further. Instead, we created a kind of assembly line, and the lawn was getting ever clearer as we moved. Pretty soon, the only things left were the heavier furniture. But the three of them made all of it look like it weighed nothing, almost dancing their way up the porch steps and inside.
When that was done, I met them outside the front door, disappointed that it was all over. Some part of me wished that I owned more stuff just so I could keep these three absolute hunks of men around for longer.
They were all watching me expectantly, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to say.
“Seriously, guys,” I started, letting out the breath I’d been holding for a long moment. “I have no idea how I’m ever going to thank you for all of this.”
