Page 15 of Slow Burn

He lifted the pizza boxes over his head. “I’m not joking.”

Elijah rolled his eyes, but this was on par with them. Whoever brought food always demanded some sort of physical challenge to the rest of the team. He dropped to the floor with Anna and intended to do sixty push-ups because he knew he was having at least three slices.

More noise crept into the break room, but he ignored it to continue his push-ups.

“Does this mean I get to make Anna and Elijah do something for the coffee?” a sexy-as-sin voice asked.

Roman laughed. “Don’t forget about Arlo.”

“Yum,” the woman said, giggling, and Elijah hated how he knew who owned that damn laugh. The laugh haunted him in the two weeks since they last saw each other, after he made the mistake of kissing her.

He stopped doing push-ups, figuring he did more than enough, and sat in an empty chair. He scowled at Roman. “Why did you bring her with you?”

The more important question he didn’t ask was why they were together in the first place? Since Elijah turned Georgia down, was she just going after the next firefighter she talked to?

Wearing her scrubs, which were hot as hell, she sat down next to Elijah, waving his cold brew in front of his face. “I bumped into Roman, and when he told me he was getting sustenance for the station, I asked to come along. If you keep glaring at me, I’m going to trash your caffeine.”

“We’re going to check the fire alarms at the senior center!” Anna declared, interrupting the livelihood of his drink. “Roman can’t resist the old ladies, so he’s coming with me.”

“They give me candy, call me handsome, and always ask for selfies. It’s an ego boost.”

Without breaking eye contact with Georgia, Elijah responded. “Anna, please make sure he behaves himself. He’s one chocolate chip cookie away from causing a scene.”

“I always make sure he doesn’t act up. Can we add it to my job description?” she teased as she walked out the door with Roman. Elijah heard him say something about how she liked it.

“They’d make a cute couple,” Georgia said offhandedly while swirling his drink on the table.

Elijah victoriously grabbed his drink from her. “No, they’re strictly friends. Do you always romanticize relationships?”

And was this part of her virgin kink?

She huffed, crossing her arms. “You’re blind. They are totally into each other.”

“Or maybe it’s none of my business, so I don’t care.”

“Wow, you’re such a good friend.” She gave him a pointed look.

He took a sip of his coffee. “I am a good friend. Just like they are good friends. Not everything needs to be more than that.”

Arlo came into the room but didn’t say much. He grabbed a box of pizza and said unless he was needed, he was pushing through the rest of training. Elijah heard the office door shut, a sign Arlo was head down with the HAZMAT requirements.

Again, Elijah and Georgia were left alone.

Damn her, she snatched his coffee back from him.

Her wide green eyes sparkled, which only meant one thing.

Trouble.

“If I understand correctly, don’t you have to do something to get the coffee? You did push-ups for the pizza.” She cockily shot him a smile.

“Why are you still here?”

She stood and moved to the kitchen counter in their break room. There was a to-do list taped on the fridge of cleaning expectations. Georgia read it before she hopped onto the counter to sit. “I’m waiting for you to do something to earn your cold brew.”

“What do you want me to do?” he husked despite not wanting to. Something about Georgia made him want to say fuck his rules and strip her naked.

She licked her lower lip. Her mouth was plush and just so fucking kissable, which was another reminder of their drunk first kiss.