Page 111 of My Favorite Hero

“I assume from what he said, this isn’t the first time you’ve threatened him.”

“Warned him,” Jesse corrected, moving closer. He reached out and wrapped a long tendril of hair around his finger, slowly caressing it between his thumb and finger. “I told him to stay away from you. I let him know hurting you would result in him being hurt.”

“The day we went to the grocery store?” I guessed.

“Yes.”

“You were protecting me.”

He met my eyes. “I always will.”

I touched his T-shirt. “Why did you change?”

“We strip down after we return and clean our equipment. We thought the kids would get a kick out of seeing us in full gear, so we had a fast cleanup and put on fresh equipment. But I still smelled like oil and smoke. We all did. I showered and put on fresh clothes so I didn’t stink when I did this.”

“Did what?”

He yanked me to his chest and covered my mouth with his.

We returned to the open house, hand in hand. I felt nervous, glancing at Jesse before we rounded the corner. He smiled and pressed a tender kiss to my brow. “We’re good, Pixie.”

I felt the stares as we walked around. Jesse was hungry and tugged me to the refreshment tables.

“The old biddies have done themselves proud,” he muttered.

I elbowed him. “You shouldn’t call them that.”

He laughed and called to one of them. “Gladys, show my girl your jacket.”

She turned and I laughed. Emblazoned on the back was “Old Biddies Club.”

She turned back and looked at us. “Your girl, eh? Poor thing—stuck with your grumpy ass.”

“He’s not always grumpy,” I said, needing to defend him.

Jesse wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me closer, leaving his hand resting on my hip. “See?”

“Only about seventy percent of the time,” I added. “He needs to be fed and watered frequently.”

“And probably petted,” another woman interjected.

I nodded, amusement making me giggle like a schoolgirl. “Often.”

They all laughed raucously.

Jesse huffed but grinned. “You better be prepared when we get home. I haven’t been petted in days,” he murmured in my ear.

“No self-grooming?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Nope. Saving myself.”

He piled sandwiches, cookies, and other goodies on his plate. We walked around, him stopping to explain various things to me about the station, how it operated, and the men and women he worked with. I could see how proud he was to be a firefighter.

“Thorne,” a voice spoke behind us.

We both turned to see Chief Fleming there. He smiled at us, shaking my hand. He saw Jesse’s hand resting on my hip, and he grinned.

“Ah, the good mood explained.” He winked at me. “Keep doing what you’re doing, Ms. Lawson. I approve.”