Bad Boy's Kiss (Firemen in Love Book 2) Read Free Page A

was sober enough to get those girls in the backseat. It was gonna be awesome – the two of them, me, Brett... I mean, they were kissing all over each other! Who wouldn't crash their car watching a display like that?”
    Jayce sighed and rubbed his temples. Normally, he would have been cheering me on. He'd have been right there in the bar with me, smooth-talking those chicks into dropping their panties with a snap of his fingers.
    “You know what I'm going to say, don't you?”
    “Yeah. You're gonna tell me I need to grow up and stop screwing a different girl every couple of nights. Not gonna happen, buddy.”
    “I'm not telling you to settle down with one woman. Just maybe slow it down a bit, huh?”
    I laughed, as if that could hide the bitterness inside me.
    “I have slowed down. Used to get laid a lot more often when I had you as my wing man. Don't you ever miss those days?”
    He fiddled with the gold wedding band on his finger. “Not really. I love Elle and Ethan more than anything in the world. They mean way more to me than some stupid one-night stand.”
    “You're just saying that 'cause you forgot how awesome it was.”
    “It was awesome – for a while. But then it just started to feel so empty and meaningless. Maybe one day, you'll feel the same.”
    “I can assure you that I never will.”
    The alarm sounded suddenly, making both of us jump. For a moment I moved instinctively, reaching for my jacket like I always did, ready to pounce into the truck and go put out some fires.
    Then it hit me. I wasn't welcome on that truck anymore.
    Jayce backed away slowly. “Guess I've got to go. Maybe I'll give you a call later and we can grab dinner or something.”
    “Yeah. Maybe.”
    I watched the guys pile into vehicles as I finished stuffing my things in the bag. Anger rose up in me when they drove away, leaving me behind. Anger – and sadness, too.
    It wasn't even ten in the morning, but I sped home, fully intending to clear out all the beer in the fridge. Maybe I'd start on that bottle of vodka under the sink, if need be.
    “Hank, that asshole.” I popped open a frosty Shiner Bock and sank into my easy chair. “He'll realize what an asset he's lost soon enough. Yeah, he'll be calling me back any minute now, I bet.”
    Just as I flipped on the TV and took my first merciful sip of booze, the phone rang. My heart pounded. I checked the caller ID.
    But it wasn't the department. Not Hank, calling to tell me he'd made a mistake, that he changed his mind and they needed me.
    It was my brother.
    I had a nice, big gulp of my drink. Talking to him meant I was going to need it.
    “Trey, man. Haven't heard from you in a long time.”
    Trey sighed. “Well, you know how life gets in the way. I'm glad you picked up. Thought you might be at work.”
    “Uh, not today. I'm kind of on... an extended vacation.”
    No point telling him I'd gotten fired for my drunken carousing. The guy would lecture me even more than Jayce. The last thing I needed was to hear what a loser I was all over again.
    “A vacation? That's great. I'm actually calling 'cause I could really use your help.”
    “Ah, of course. You only contact me when you need something. I should have guessed.”
    The beer was already empty? Thank goodness I had a shelf full in the fridge and a twenty-four pack in the carport.
    “This is serious. Have you been watching the news? The hot and dry season is kicking into full gear out here. They're saying it could be the worst year on record for wildfires.”
    No, I had not been watching the news. Couldn't stand seeing my face on TV as the cops shoved me to the ground like a criminal.
    “That sucks. I dunno why you're still living out there, honestly. It's so damn dry, somebody drops a cigarette in a bush and every tree in a fifty-mile radius burns to the ground.”
    “I'm still living here,” he said slowly, “because Bastrop is home. It's where we grew up.”
    I snorted. “Who wants to live in a backwater town like