There was that smile again . . .
“Jack,” he said as he extended his hand for a proper handshake. “JackWharton.”
His hand was warm and strong, but he held mine in the gentlest grip.Nowhewas the stuff that fictional men were made of.
“Nice to meet you, ‘NotAurora.’Igo back on duty in the morning, but if you can hold off on dying by using the steps or using your vehicle as a stepladder,Ican come over the day after next and work on the staircase.”
And there he went, being presumptuous and ruining the fantasy.
“Thanks, butI’mfine.Idon’t need your help.”
Jack’s eyebrows rose.Helet a sharp breath slip, but withheld the rest of the laugh. “It’sno bother.”
“I can handle it myself.”
An amused smile danced on his lips as he crossed one arm over the other. “Really?Youand what tools?Becauseyour dick might be good at screwing, but it’s not a power drill, sweetheart.”
I grabbed the dildo and swung.
Jack was faster this time.Hesnatched the big purple dick out of my hand and tossed it back in the box. “Careful,Colorado.Youcan barely handle a hotdog.Thatmight be a little out of your league.”
“That’s it,”Isaid asIgrabbed his bicep and marched him toward the door. “Thefirefighter fantasy is officially over.Outof my house.”
“Your great-aunt's house,” he said as he shuffled with me, going along with the schtick.
I paused. “Howdo you know that?”
Jack shrugged. “Smalltown.Inever knew her personally.Justthe lore.”
“The lore?”
He cracked a smile, amused by my curiosity.
I huffed. “Mygreat-auntJuniperdied and left the house to her sister, who was too old to do anything with it.Andwhen she died, it got left to my mom.Andnow hereIam, like some romance novel cliché, stuck in small-townUSAfor the summer whileIfix it up to sell.That’sthe loreIknow.”
Jack walked out onto the edge of the deck and gave the top step a testing push with his foot. “Well,Iguess you’ll just have to stick around long enough to find out the rest.”
5
JACK
A LONG WAY FROM HOME
“Wharton.Getyour ass out of here,”Craig, one of the old-timers at the station, snapped as the shift change wrapped up.
“Yes, sir,”Iclipped asIfinished the changeover and headed to my locker.
“Dude, why are you being so dodgy?”Drewasked as he sidled up to me. “I’vebeen here for an hour and you won’t look me in the eye.”
“Just getting shit ready for your twenty-four on,”Isaid lightly asIreached into my locker to grab my duffel. “You’rewelcome.”
“Bro—”Drewclapped his hand on my shoulder and yanked hard enough to spin me around.Hiseyes went wide, andIcould see him fighting back a laugh. “Ithought y’all didn’t get toned out last night?”
“We didn’t,”Isaid asIpacked my shit.
“Then—uh—did you get in a fight with a trailer hitch that had those big balls hanging from it?”
I looked him dead in the eye so he could get a good look at the bruise that was a dark purple today.Ironically, it matched the color of the sex toyAurorahad hit me with.
