Phoenix leans back in his chair, arms folded, eyes glinting. “And now you’re on the guest list for Sunday roast at the Chief’s? Must be getting serious.”
I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “We’re not actually dating.”
Silence.
“The hell you say.”
“Bullshit.”
“You’re dead, mate.”
I slam my palm against the couch cushion. “I’m serious. Chief just… assumed when I had my tongue down her throat. And I didn’t correct him. How could I?”
Bear whistles low. “Suicide mission. Absolute suicide.”
Hollywood laughs so hard he nearly drops his cards. “This is better than TV.”
Phoenix doesn’t laugh. He studies me with a hard gaze. “So what’s the plan, then? Keep pretending? Or tell him the truth and collect your ashes after he’s done torching you?”
I rub the back of my neck, heat prickling there. “Look, it was meant to be casual. Ember… she’s complicated. She said she doesn’t do relationships.”
Phoenix’s brow quirks. “And you were okay with that? Casual doesn’t seem your style.”
I stare at the floor, my jaw tight. “I’ve got Sienna. Everything’s still… delicate. She’s already lost her mum. I’m not about to drag her through my fumbling around with a woman who doesn’t even want strings. I was happy to go along with whatever Ember wanted. For now, at least.”
For once, the lads shut up. The only sounds are the buzz of the coffee pot and the music low in the background.
Phoenix finally breaks the silence. His voice is quieter this time. “Casual doesn’t look like volunteering for fire safety talks. Casual doesn’t look like green paint smeared all over your face. And casual sure as hell doesn’t look like letting Chief Sparks believe you’re dating.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees, eyes locking with mine. “Admit it, Coleman. You like her.”
My jaw clenches, the words stuck in my throat like smoke. Because if I admit it out loud, it’s real. And I don’t know her well enough to see how she might fit into my life. It’s not just me I have to think about, but my daughter and my in-laws.
I hold his gaze, throat tight. I know he’s right, but now I’m thrown into the deep end, I’m worried about Sienna. She’s already lost one mum. If Ember doesn’t want a relationship, I have to protect Sienna’s heart as well as mine.
“If you just wanted casual, you could’ve had your pick of any of the girls in the bar last week,” Hollywood says with a slow smirk spreading across his face.
“All right. I like her. I don’t know what it is, but ever since that night when we got a call from Seraphina and Chief sent me to rescue his sister…” I run a hand over my face and sigh as I admit to myself and everyone else that Ember Sparks is anything but casual.
“And?” Phoenix says, leaning forward.
“Ever since I held her in my arms, I felt something thatI haven’t felt since before my wife passed away. I can’t even say what it is.”
“A spark?” Bear chuckles to himself.
“Funny. But yeah. I guess I felt a spark.
The room goes quiet for another beat before Hollywood snorts. “Well, well. Ember Sparks lives up to her name.”
Bear laughs until his belly shakes. “Dragon boy’s gone up in flames.”
Phoenix just gives me that look again, sharp enough to cut through steel. “Then you’d better figure out if you’re going to fan it… or snuff it out before you both get burned.”
I lean back against the couch, staring up at the stained ceiling tiles. My chest’s tight, my head’s a mess, and tomorrow I’ve got to sit across the dinner table from her brother, pretending we’re the perfect bloody couple. What if Sienna asks questions? What if it’s awkward as hell? Who am I kidding? It’s gonna be awkward.
Bear pats me on the shoulder as he walks by the sofa to the coffee machine. “Don’t worry, man, Chief cooks one hell of a Yankee pot roast.”
“Why do I feel like I’m the one that’s gonna be roasted?”
Phoenix stands with a snigger, but not before tossing me one last look over his shoulder. “Sunday roast, mate. Better polish that halo—or your gravestone.”
