Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 13099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 65(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 65(@200wpm)___ 52(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
“Generally, the more, the better, but I wanna be able to feel my tongue for that round two.” He leered over at me.
“I found a local place with amazing Szechuan Chinese.” I made no move to find my phone, which was likely on the floor in my shorts somewhere. “How about we order some food in a bit, and I’ll show you this first-person shooter game Soren has me hooked on.”
I’d noted the gaming console in Percy’s living room last time while blowing him, so I was hopeful he was a fellow casual gamer.
“Sounds great. Warning you, though, I’m pretty competitive.”
“You think I’m not?” I sat up precisely so I could stare him down.
“Look at you all cocky.” Percy chuckled, more of that unexpected fondness from him. “Bring it on.”
Chapter Five
Percy
“Take that!” Two young firefighters were gaming on the station’s TV. It was a slow afternoon in a slow week, so all the chores around the station were done, and I had nothing better to do than watch the young guys duke it out.
“Try executing a roll maneuver next time,” I advised from my position on the other couch.
“Hey, Percy! Didn’t know you gamed.” Caleb grinned over at me. “You want a try?”
“Nah. I’m not that good.” I stretched. Stu was a better gamer than me. The guy had a teen son for a sparring partner, so he got more practice, but I spent all of August trying to beat Stu at the video game he’d hooked me on. Stu, however, was crafty and devious and bought an expansion pack as a back-to-school present for himself. So, September found us gaming on the nights he didn’t have his kids and I wasn’t on call. And fucking. And eating piles of spicy noodles. And some epic post-fucking conversations.
This friends-with-benefits idea of mine was going spectacularly well. We hadn’t even managed to squeeze in a run yet. The list of things I wanted to try with Stu in and out of bed kept getting longer, and adding to my mental list was more fun than watching the guys’ game. I closed my eyes, content to daydream the last few hours of my shift away, only to be jolted awake by Tate, another EMT, jostling me.
“Gotta go. Come on.” He raced ahead to the rig, filling me in on the way. “Football practice accident of some kind. Player ran into a coach, knocked both their wind out, and another player called 911.”
“Eric’s kid?” Our lead paramedic had a senior on the football team, and the last thing I wanted was for him to walk into a situation with his own kid.
“He’s the one who called 911.” Tate gave a tight smile. “Thoughtful enough to tell dispatch to tell his dad he’s okay.”
“Good kid.” I nodded as I hopped into the rig where Eric was already waiting. “We good to go?”
“Let’s roll.” Tate pumped the gas, and we sped the short distance to Mount Hope High School’s football field. The parking lot was full of players leaving from practice, but several remained clustered around two prone forms on the ground. Tony, the coach, waved Eric over to look at one of the players, leaving me to assess the other—
“Stu?” My eyes went wide. I’d known his kid played football, but somehow, I’d missed the detail that Stu helped coach. My stomach gave a hard, visceral clench. I’d seen no shortage of truly gory stuff in my years on duty, and never once had my lunch threatened to reappear like it was presently.
“Hey, Percy.” Stu managed a weak greeting from his position on the ground as I kneeled beside him. He was far paler than normal and looked smaller from this angle as well. Fragile. Human. Fuck. Now my hands were shaking.
“Where does it hurt?” I asked, trying my damnedest to sound professional and failing miserably.
“I’m okay.” Stu waved away my concern. “I help Tony with coaching the defense, but it was the offense that got me today. Rookie wide receiver crashed into me on the sideline. I’m more worried about him.”
“Eric’s checking him out.” I glanced over to where Tate and Eric were working on the kid. “911 said you got the wind knocked out of you? Did you lose consciousness?”
“Nah.” Stu shrugged, then winced as he coughed. “Just couldn’t speak for long enough for the team to panic and someone to call it in. Which is good because I think Forest is gonna need that knee looked at.”
Continuing to grimace, he reached down and rubbed his ankle.
“What’s wrong with your ankle?”
“Twisted it along with a couple of decent scrapes.” He turned his calf to reveal a good-sized patch of road rash with grass and dirt sticking to it. “I’ll be feeling it tomorrow, but nothing’s broken.”
It could have been. The thought slammed into me. Stu could have been seriously injured. I’d be concerned about any friend, but the urge to gather Stu into my arms and hold him close was a new one. Hadn’t felt that way since…