Page 29 of Wild Fire

And why is she mauling my firefighter?

Okay, so he’s not my firefighter, but… doesn’t mean I can’t be jealous.

I know what it feels like to have those big, beefy arms around me, and I can’t say I didn’t like it. Though I’m sure I’ve destroyed all chances of that at this point.

“Darla, it’s so good to see you. This is the guy I was telling your mom about—”

The young woman who barely looks old enough to even work here gives me a huge smile.

“Darla’s mom used to work at the diner down the street from the firehouse.” He smiles, but I don’t miss the word. Used.

“She’s not there now?” I gently prod.

Darla shakes her head. “Nope. Retired after we nearly lost this place in a freak electrical fire. It needed a lot of work, but AJ helped.” She gives him a push. I raise my eyebrow.

“AJ helped… how?”

She smiles as he shrugs. “I may have helped build a few things.”

She rolls her eyes. “And don’t forget about the money.”

“Money?” I chirp.

“That wasn’t—”

“AJ organized a carnival to raise money to bring the electrical up to code so we could open the place back up and not have to worry about any more fire hazards.”

I can’t help but grin. Of course he did.

He’s a fucking angel with abs.

“Your mom around?” he asks, sliding his hands into his pockets as Darla looks me up and down.

“She’s off today. But I can show him around.”

“Show me around?” I deadpan.

Darla giggles. Like a psychopath.

Clearly, you have to be a lunatic to work at a carnival. During Halloween season.

“Yeah, AJ said you could start today.”

I glare at him.

AJ smirks at me, as if he wants me to argue with him. Like he’s waiting for it.

So I don’t because something tells me that’s precisely what he wants, so I’m not about to give in so easily. Especially because he didn’t say anything about me starting a job, just that he knew a place and that after I was done talking to the insurance company—which apparently, AJ knows my agent and was able to get him to sit down with me for nearly a half hour—we’d be going over there to talk to someone about it. He never once said I was starting a job. I’m not exactly in any position to say ‘no, thank you, I don’t want to be murdered by clowns today,’ because my options are limited. I mean, I could apply at Shadows & Sin, but after what happened last night, I am not entirely sure I can show my face there again for a while. Long enough that maybe if I forget about it, AJ will forget about it, too. I already got lectured on the way over here about the rules they didn’t tell me. About RACK or what he explained means “Risk Awareness Consensual Kink.” Apparently, I should have been primed on this beforehand, and given my consent before I started throwing back sugary cocktails with the Christian Grey Wannabe and his friend. I get it, I do. I was stupid and made a bad decision, but that’s par for the course for me, being Mister Unlucky and all. I’d rather just forget about the whole thing, but then again if I did that, I’d have to forget about AJ finding me, and I’d definitely have to forget about waking up in his bed and seeing him in those slutty grey sweatpants, and I have a feeling that’s going to end up in my spank bank, so that’s kind of moot.

Yeah, best to just lay low and avoid the kinky sex club for a while, I think…

Still, I am not thrilled about the idea of working here; but I guess it’s a job, and I can’t be picky when every one I’ve applied to hasn’t panned out. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to like it, and it also doesn’t mean I’m not going to find some way to get back at AJ because who the hell just tells someone what they’re doing without at least asking them if it’s what they want?

I mean, this is real life, not some trope-laden romance novel.

“Right, guess I just forgot,” I say carefully.

Darla grabs my hand.