Page 16 of Time Bomb

“You remember the dates?” How can I fucking forget? She smiles when she feels the rumble of the growl in my chest. “Baxter, the second date, he was…entitled.”

“Entitled, how?” There are so many interpretations of that word.

Her shoulder lifts again. “He thought because he bought me a meal, I owed him more than my time.” My blood boils. “Tonight, I felt as if someone was watching me. I couldn’t shake it, but eventually, let it go because I thought maybe it was my imagination.” But it wasn’t.

“He was there.” It doesn’t take much to figure that out.

She nods. “We were dancing. Peyton, Hope, and me. It was so incredible just to let loose, laugh, have fun. It’s been a while.” A fond smile briefly graces her face. “But then I felt hands on my hips. I tried to shake him off, but he wouldn’t listen. He kept grabbing for me. He wouldn’t stop, Torque.”

“Sshh, darlin’, it’s okay now.” The tears hovering on her eyelashes make me want to find this guy and pound his face in.

“Eventually, security came; they made him leave, but the way he looked at me, I just know he’s going to find anything he can to get back at me.” The tremble of fear in her tone becomes damn near my undoing.

“He won’t touch you, Philly, not while there’s breath in my body.” We sit quietly for a while. Me trying to calm down enough to comfort her, and her just wanting to wash the night away, despite the fun she was having before the asshole ruined her evening.

“Will you stay tonight, Torque?” Her soft-spoken question gives me hope.

“Didn’t plan on leaving,” I reply. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from my girl. Not tonight. Maybe not any night.

CHAPTER 5

Torque

I’M OFFICIALLY ADDICTED.

Two nights in her bed, no funny business, and I know without a doubt, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. No one else I’d rather wake up next to for the rest of my life. I laughed at Hale and our dad when they told me I’d be an instant goner when I found the one.

I thought they were full of shit. I didn’t believe in all the fairytales of love. I’ve never done the flowers and romance, but Ophelia has me rethinking everything. She has me feeling like a new man.

One I like infinitely more than I thought possible.

“You’re smiling,” Conley Nichols grunts. He’s not big on change and is overly superstitious.

“And?” Anything bad happens, and he’ll be blaming me now. I know it. I just don’t give a fuck about it.

“Shits about to hit the fan,” he says, going back to cleaning the engine.

“Put your crystals away, Nichols. Happiness doesn’t mean doom,” Kai Watson comments and throws a rag at him as I pass.

“It fucking better not,” he mutters to me.

Stowing my shit, I get ready for my next rotation and grab the paperwork off my desk, left from the last shift’s lieutenant. Nothing exciting happened for them. A couple of accidents, a kitchen fire, and an older couple needed help changing the batteries in their smoke detectors.

As much as I enjoy the adrenaline from a call, I won’t pass up a quiet shift either. Doing mundane things like helping the elderly and assisting on a medic call when needed. Fire means the possibility of death and assured destruction. If there were a way to avoid that for everyone, I’d happily hang up my turnout gear and walk away because it means my city is safe from a debilitating blaze.

Sadly, I know that’s not reality. Fire is fire, and it will always be around; there’s no avoiding it. Just teaching safety to prevent it. Which is what I’m doing today with a second-grade class from a local school. It’s fire prevention month, and I intend to make the most of it.

“Decker!” Turning when I hear Chief Hamilton calling me, I see him waving me to his office.

I don’t hesitate to answer his call. The man is fair, but he has a temper. “What’s up, Chief?”

“You’re taking Nichols with you to the school. He needs to brush up on his interpersonal skills. Kids will put him in his place.” I force back a choked laugh. He has no idea how right he is. Kids can be ruthless as fuck.

“You got it. Anything else?” He shakes his head, a clear dismissal.

“Nichols, grab the school gear. You’re with me today.” He lets out a groan and drops his head back. I don’t bust his balls because I know he'll have gotten over his whining by the time we arrive at the school. He always does.

Waiting for my fellow firefighter by the community truck, I decide to text Philly. We never made solid plans before I left her this morning, and I’d like to rectify that.