Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
I jerked up and stepped back, tripping over the pile of dirty clothes and boots until I fell against the closed door and landed on my ass. “Fuck!”
Alex Marian stood by a tall filing cabinet, half-hidden in the shadows created by the sunset shooting warm, slanted beams across the floor. From this angle, I could see his muscular calves and thighs exposed by twill shorts, his shoulders and cut biceps bare, thanks to a plain navy tank top, and his long, slender feet in brown leather flip-flops.
I forced my eyes up to his face, where I saw twinkling eyes but also a rosy blush on his cheeks.
“Why the fuck are you hiding in here?” I snapped, hoping my anger would be enough to keep my dick in line. My attempt to stand back up gracefully was less than elegant, and I felt new aches and pains joining the ones from the grueling exercise in the woods.
“I’m not hiding,” he said. “I came to see you, and one of the guys told me I could wait in here since you were due back any minute.”
I made a mental note to kill my entire crew. “Normal people wait in one of those chairs,” I said, nodding to the two chairs in front of my desk. I moved to the bathroom, unwilling to let Alex Marian’s inability to understand the word “no” keep me from my shower.
Alex’s voice followed me. “I was too upset to sit still. I need you to reconsider about the Slingshot Showdown.”
“No.”
I closed the bathroom door before he could argue with me, and then I turned on the water before shucking off my boxer briefs and stepping into the shower. The cool water was the sweetest kind of relief, and I let out a groan as I felt it wash away the sweat and grime of the day. The fact that the frigid water also helped tame my dick was just a bonus.
“Hear me out,” Alex said, his shadow appearing through the frosted glass of the shower door.
“No,” I growled. “What the fuck are you doing following me into the bathroom?”
“Don’t tell me you’re modest because I won’t believe you.”
I reached for the bottle of shampoo on the shelf. “Why not?”
“Pfft. The kind of guy who gets naked in front of a local business owner—”
I barked out a laugh. I couldn’t help it. “I did not get naked in front of a… Jesus fuck, what are you doing?”
His hand appeared over the shower door, empty and making a grabby motion. “Give me that shampoo. I can tell by the smell it’s the same kind my cousin JJ uses. That shit will ruin your hair. Gross. Your hair is way too nice for that discount shit.”
The compliment must have gone straight to my head because that was the only explanation for my handing him the bottle. “You’ve successfully stolen my shampoo. Now, go away.”
I grabbed the bar of soap and began to scrub myself, hissing as the soap found little cuts and scrapes I hadn’t noticed acquiring during the day. My burn scars covered unpredictable nerve endings that never seemed to be able to decide when they wanted to send numb signals or sensory signals.
“What happened to you?” he asked, sounding more serious, as if unable to keep up the provoking banter. “You kinda looked like shit when you arrived.”
“I’m fine,” I grunted.
I drank down as much water from the showerhead as I could, desperate to rehydrate and regulate my body temperature. Fire-damaged skin had sweat issues, which meant I was more sensitive to overheating than most people. I’d borne these scars for most of my life, so I knew how to manage them, but the heat sensitivity had made my life hell when I first got overseas, and I’d had one too many close calls with heat exhaustion in Philly when I was back stateside.
It was one of the many reasons I’d decided to move to Montana.
“Judd?”
I’d never heard my name in his voice before. Didn’t even know he knew or remembered it, to be honest.
“Yeah?”
“Was it a fire?” He sounded unsteady and surprised, as if just now realizing I might have been responding to an actual fire.
“No. Not a fire.”
“Then what happened?”
I finished rinsing off and cracked open the door to reach for a towel. Alex’s hand bumped into mine as he handed the towel to me. I pulled the towel back inside the shower stall and began to dry off. “Wildfire drills up at SERA,” I explained, finally wrapping the towel around my waist and opening the door.
Alex’s cheeks were still adorably pink, and his hair was messy like he’d run his fingers through it. His eyes were wide with concern, and I got the feeling he was trying hard to keep from sneaking a peek at my body. For some reason, that disappointed me. I wouldn’t have minded seeing his interest confirmed. I’d thought the pink cheeks were a sign, but maybe not.