Page 158 of Rising Heat

“Forty-eight hours?”

“Yeah.”

She nods once, looking like she’s doing math in her head.

“Right.” A small smile tugs at her mouth. “Firefighters.”

A beat passes before she adds, quieter this time, “So…you’re leaving.”

“In a bit.”

I watch her while I say it, catching the tiny shift in her expression before she smooths it away.

“I’ll see you when I’m off.”

The words are out before I realize I never asked if she had plans. She nods once. She doesn’t say she’ll miss me, and I don’t say anything else either. But catching the disappointment she tries to hide makes leaving for shift feel different than it ever has before, and I have to look away before I start asking myself why.

“Unless…” I add after a second, “you want to come announce yourself properly this time.”

She stills.

“...I’m sorry?”

“The firehouse.” I shrug. “Door’s always open. You already know the way.”

Color starts creeping up her neck.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“So you’ve told me.”

“You’re never letting that go, are you?”

“Probably not.”

I pause just long enough to watch her narrow her eyes at me.

“Mason.”

“Darcy.”

She smacks my chest with the flat of her hand, more exasperated than annoyed. My fingers close around her wrist, holding her hand there against me.

That feels natural, too, and I try not to spend too much time considering why.

“For what it’s worth,” she says after a second, softer now, “I’m glad you showed up.”

My thumb brushes once across the inside of her wrist before I answer.

“Me too.”

I squeeze her hand once before letting it go, then start pulling my clothes back on while she watches from the bed, the sheet gathered around her and that same thoughtful look in her bright eyes.

I’d better leave before I find another reason to stay.

With eight hours left in my forty-eight, Tyler finally catches me alone in the bay.

I’ve got the chauffeur interview in three weeks.