Page 39 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

“Perfect,” Ryan said dryly, already pulling the game out of the cabinet.

We settled around the coffee table, the tension easing slightly as we focused on the game. Colt was, as promised, hilariously bad at drawing. His “fire truck” looked more like a toaster, and his “dog” could have been mistaken for a cloud with legs.

“Is it… a giraffe?” Ryan guessed, squinting at the drawing.

“No!” Colt said, exasperated. “It’s obviously a horse!”

“Obviously,” I said, laughing.

Even Jaxon cracked a small smile, though it disappeared as quickly as it came.

The bickering grew with every round, and since I didn’t think there was much I could do about it, I decided to have some fun of my own.

I started to quietly move my game piece forward, unnoticed by everyone in the chaos.

By the end of the game, the guys were so busy arguing over whose guesses were the most ridiculous that none of them noticed I was one move away from winning.

“Wait,” Ryan said, narrowing his eyes as I placed my piece on the final square. “Did you just…”

“I win!” I declared, throwing my arms up triumphantly.

The room erupted into mock outrage.

“Cheater!” Colt shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at me.

“You were all too busy arguing,” I said innocently, grinning from ear to ear.

“That was sneaky,” Jaxon said, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“I prefer the termstrategic,” I replied.

“Unbelievable,” Ryan muttered, shaking his head. “Outsmarted by Lila.”

Colt groaned, flopping onto the couch. “I demand a rematch.”

“You’ll just lose again,” I teased.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a smirk. “So, you won, huh? What’s your prize, then?”

I gave them a mischievous smile, leaning back in my seat. “Well, you guys are supposed to be tough firefighters, right?”

Jaxon raised an eyebrow. “What are you getting at?”

I crossed my arms, feigning innocence. “I think I should see your poses for the calendar. Show me what you’ve got.”

Ryan looked genuinely surprised, his eyebrows shooting up. “What?”

“Come on,” I said, feeling a bit daring. “You can’t claim to be calendar material without showing me a sample first.”

Colt burst out laughing. “Now this I have to see!”

Jaxon, on the other hand, looked like he was considering the idea. He shot me a look of both amusement and reluctance. “You really want to see that?”

I nodded, leaning forward with a grin. “Oh, absolutely. Let’s see what you’ve got, big guy.”

Ryan was already shifting his gaze toward Jaxon, a teasing glint in his eye. “I think Jaxon’s the one who’ll show you first, right?”

Jaxon narrowed his eyes. “Don’t think I’m going to play along.”

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