Page 61 of Worth the Fight

Jett chews the inside of his cheek as he glares at Grady. “My flight’s booked for tonight. Dylan and I have reservations for dinner at La Blanc’s, and I’ll have her drop me off at the airport on the way home.”

I snap my head to look at Jett. “I didn’t⁠—”

“Nice try,” Grady says and shakes his head as he takes a few steps toward Jett, “but you’re going about it all wrong. It takes a lot more to impress a woman like Dylan than a high-dollar restaurant. In fact it’s way simpler than that. All it takes is a little respect, some undivided attention, and a whole lot of laughter to make a woman feel how she should. But then again, I wouldn’t expect you to know that since you think cheating is the way you treat a lady.”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Jett says as he steps toward Grady.

“And you’re an ungrateful prick who thinks just because he can sing he has a ticket to do whatever he wants to whomever he wants. Not this time. Not this woman. Not my woman.” Grady chuckles, and it’s so loaded with derision and spite that it’s palpable. Jett bristles at the sound of it as the tension thickens between the two of them. “The door’s that way, Kroger, and the airport’s in the same place you found it. Dylan won’t be driving you anywhere.”

“We have to⁠—”

“We have to head out because we have an appointment to get to so we’ll wait while you gather your things.”

“An appointment?” Jett and I both ask in unison. I don’t recall having any appointment with Grady. And he’s dressed and ready for work. What’s he up to now? And why is it I want to burst out laughing at his audacity to get one final dig in on Jett?

“Yep.” Grady’s grin could light up a room. “Time to say goodbye, Kroger.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

DYLAN

“Our appointment is at the fire station?” I ask when he parks his truck beside the building.

“Yep.”

“All you had to do was ask me to come with you.”

“And miss out on the satisfaction of messing with that fucker? No way,” he says with a grin.

“Enjoying playing the game a little too much?”

“Of course I am. I’ve got the girl, don’t I?” He hops out of the truck without another word and slams the door shut.

His words surprise me so much it takes me a few seconds to realize he probably didn’t mean them how I took them. I need to get a grip. On my heart, my thoughts, and my libido.

As we walk up the pathway, I stare at the brick building for a moment, so many memories rushing back. A stark reminder of the disdain I’ve been conditioned to have for this profession and all the baggage that comes with it. I’m reminded of how I used to get so excited when my mom took Damon and me to the station to pick our dad up from a three-day shift because we’d missed him so much. The car ride would be a flurry of cut-off sentences as we tried to fill him in on everything he’d missed.

Then goosebumps prickle my skin as I remember how fiercely we’d avoid that very same firehouse after he left us. How we’d drive the long way around the block so we didn’t have to pass the one thing my dad loved more than us. His job. His fire family. The attention from other women his uniform brought him.

“You okay?” Grady asks, pulling me from the memories and back to reality.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Ready to show me your fire pole, Malone?”

“I already pet your kitty, so I guess my pole is the next best place to start.”

“You’re sick.” I laugh.

“And you love it.”

Yes, I do. And that may be a problem.

* * *

“So that’s everything.” He shrugs as he enters the bay where two engines wait in limbo. There’s a smile on his face and an ease to him I haven’t seen before.

“You really love what you do, don’t you?”

There’s a brief flash of something in his eyes that passes before I can catch it, but he nods. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to be.” He says it with such conviction that I believe it. “A wise person once told me, it isn’t something you do, it’s something you are.”