Page 55 of Burn Protocol

Fuck! Fuck, no, fuck! I called her Maya, and Fernandes picked up on it.

“How is that article going so far?”

If Maya is feeling even a sliver of the nerves that run through my body, she is not showing it. She just smiles sweetly at Rosa and shrugs her left shoulder.

“Pretty good actually. I mean Gonzales takes a bit of probing for information…” she wiggles her eyebrows and glances at me quickly. Wait, what? “… but being around you guys really makes such a big difference.”

Maya taps Fernandes on her shoulder and then sidesteps her toward the door.

“Shall we?”

She doesn’t even glance over her shoulder, but trusts that I will follow her. I have to press my fingernails into the palm of my hand to keep my expression blank. The way she just handled this situation was not only the smart thing to do, but also incredibly sexy. You are in such big trouble.

This time it’s me racing after Maya, who’s almost at the bay already. I pump my legs to catch her before she steps out of the hallway, and pull her close to me. My heart speeds up now that her body is pressing against mine. I bend toward her and brush my lips against her ear.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

She turns her head, raises an eyebrow, and then smiles innocently.

“What? We are two professionals in a workplace, right?”

With a chuckle, she turns and continues her way to the breakroom. I can do nothing but follow her, my mouth dry, and my chest aching for more.

***

“Are you sure you want to continue right now?”

Maya glances around at some of the crew who are hanging around. She isn’t wrong. If I am going to tell her my story—which I will—I don’t want to do that in front of others. But I can hardly ask them to vacate the cantina, and I don’t trust myself enough to take her into one of the dorm rooms.

“I guess we can go to one of the offices,” I shrug.

“How about outside? We are still here if you get an alarm, still close, but at least we can talk in private.”

That actually isn’t a bad idea. There are picnic tables in the courtyard that we use during drills. I am sure the Chief wouldn’t mind us doing the interview there. Especially not since he has put me on administrative duty until the end of next week, with the exception of big incidents. Something that puts me on edge. No matter how much I trust Rodriques, I hate not being able to guide my crew. He is a good firefighter and will make an excellent lieutenant someday, but he lacks the experience and insights I have. But right now, I need to focus on the interview. I nod at Maya and grab her wrist.

“Let’s go.”

We walk through the maze of corridors until we reach the backdoor, and slip outside. Only then do I realize I am still holding her. Her pulse thudding against my fingertips. I blink and let go, pretending like nothing happened, as I slide onto one of the benches. She follows me, and sits across from me.

“We need to talk.”

The words should feel like a punch in the stomach, but the soft smile on her lips tells me a different story. It isn’t hard to see where this is going, so I nod, inviting her to speak first.

“We can’t keep dancing around each other, Elena. It hurts us both to deny that there is something there between us.”

She slightly tilts her head sideways. Her gaze holds mine. Soft, open… safe. A pleasant warmth spreads through my chest. I let out a soft sigh and nod.

“I know. You are right.”

“Good,” she replies, her voice gentle. “Then let’s not do that anymore.”

“But we bo—” I start to protest, but she raises her hand. I fall quiet instantly.

“We don’t know what this is yet, Elena, and I’m not going to ask you to give up your whole career to find out. Neither am I going to give up mine.”

She brushes her thumb over my hand. I stare at it for a moment and then nod resolutely.

“We need rules.”