Page 34 of Set My Soul Ablaze

“What’s the future Mrs. Gilliam doing today?” Juliet quizzed.

“She’s coming by the station to do a fish fry since we’ve been so busy. I’m actually about to head to the store to pick up the stuff she’ll need.”

Connor appeared out of thin air. “Someone said fish?”

We all laughed.

“That’s some big back shit, Cee,” I joked.

My phone buzzed with the ingredient list from Mali.

“Anybody wanna ride?” I tossed the offer into the air. Of course, all three of them wanted to join me. We let Cap know where we were headed before we took one of the SUVs to the local H-E-B.

It wasn’t a surprise we got more than we needed to, but it was always good to keep the station pantry and refrigerator stocked.

When we got back, Mali was in the kitchen with Captain Moore. Her unmistakable laugh filled the air as the four of us hauled the groceries into the lounge area.

“Hey, Flame.” She greeted me when I set the bags on the counter.

“Hey.” I pulled her into a tight hug, burying my face in the crook of her neck. She giggled.

“Your breath tickled me,” she stated as she rubbed my back.

“My bad,” I replied. I stepped back and took in her appearance. She had her hair pulled into a low ponytail with a headband that matched her floral printed sundress. Her body looked amazing, and she smelled delicious.

“Let us know if you need any help cooking, Miss Mali. I have a meeting with the fire chief.” Cap nodded toward Mali before he walked with quick strides to his office.

“Sounds important,” Mali commented as she started to go through the bags of groceries. “Thank y’all so much for shopping for me. I’m going to put the fries in the air fryer first, then get my first batch of fish going.”

“We appreciate you, Mali,” Juliet stated.

“Let’s get some music going and make this a good ol’ fashioned get-together.” Bradlee jogged over to the surround system and hooked his phone up. The familiar introduction to a classic cookout song played through the speakers, whichgarnered the attention of a few other firefighters. Before we knew it, the vibes were locked in.

Through it all, my eyes naturally followed Mali around the room. She moved around the kitchen with ease, swaying her hips and bobbing her head to the music blasting from the speakers. She set up all the plates, forks, and napkins. There was a tray of toasted bread, condiments lined up beside them, sliced cheese on a tray, and two empty spots for the fries and fish.

She had several things going at once: the fries in the air fryer, the fish frying in two deep pots, and she shocked the hell out of me by making her own tartar sauce from scratch. The shit was mesmerizing. As she placed the freshly made tartar sauce near the other condiments, she spoke to me.

“You gon’ stare all day?” Her fine ass knew what she was doing, looking at me through those wispy, long lashes with that beautiful smirk on her face.

“Hmm?”

“You’re watching me like a hawk. Scared I’m going to poison you or something?” she teased.

“Nah. I just enjoy the view.” My tongue slid across my lips.

She looked away with a smile. When her gaze returned to mine, she continued. “Do you want to taste the first batch?”

“Hell yeah.”

I stood and walked over to her. She lifted one piece of fish off the drying rack and held it up to my mouth. I couldn’t let the opportunity to taste her go unnoticed, so I wrapped my lips around her thumb and pointer fingers before sliding the piece of fish into my mouth with my tongue.

She shifted her weight as she waited for my reaction. “Well?”

“The fish is delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it. The second batch should be ready in about five minutes. There should be enough for everyone.”

As she said that, the timer on the air fryer went off. She moved around me to grab the bowl she’d pour the fries into.