Page 9 of His Virgin Romance Series

JARED

“Hey,” I greeted as Matt and the boys filed in.

They were in their fire safety uniforms, but there was no sign that they had been near a fire. They just looked tired and slightly drawn.

“What happened?”

“Accident on the interstate,” Tanner replied. “Two cars had collided and one toppled over. There were two men trapped inside.”

“You go them out?”

“Yes.” Tanner nodded tiredly. “But one was severely injured.”

“Driver?” I asked.

“Passenger,” Tanner replied. “He was unconscious when we pulled him out. The paramedics took over from there.”

I nodded and stood up. “Good job, guys,” I said, as I made my way to the day room.

My group was sitting at a table in the dining area. Kendrick was snacking on a bag of chips, Mel was eating a sandwich, and Ryan was having his usual salad. I sat down beside them, and Kendrick pushed a second bag of chips towards me.

“No thanks,” I replied. “I’m not hungry.”

“More for me,” he said, with a shrug as he pulled back the bag of chips.

“You look…well rested,” I observed, looking at Kendrick.

He smiled. “I spent the night here in my bunk,” he said. “You get more sleep. I don’t lose time going all the way back home.”

“You can afford to do that,” Mel said. “You don’t have a family.”

“How is the family, by the way?” I asked Mel.

“Janine is fine,” Mel nodded. “Running around with the kids most days. And in her free time, she’s usually nagging me for some reason or the other.”

I smiled. “Do you deserve it?” I asked as Ryan and Kendrick laughed.

Mel smirked at me. “Most days I do,” he admitted. “It’s just hard to make every piano recital, play, and ball game with this job. I miss a lot.”

Kendrick smacked him on the back. “Which is why I won’t ever get married.”

“You say that now,” Mel said. “Just means you haven’t met the right girl yet.”

As the boys went back and forth about the merits of a committed relationship versus the single life, I found my mind wandering.

I had really liked meeting Rachel the other night at Brent’s apartment. She was nothing like her brother. She had a certain quiet confidence about her, combined with obvious maturity and a soft-spoken nature. She also happened to be beautiful.

She had blonde hair that looked like spun gold, but her roots were a soft, earthy brown. Her eyes were a light and piercing hazel that held little flecks of gold that matched the color of her hair. She had a heart-shaped face, a small nose, and lips that reminded me of a bow. I had been strangely obsessed with those lips when I had met her that night. Every time she spoke, my eyes focused in on how her lips moved. I wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips.

Instantly, I shook off the thought. She was Brent’s sister, and I needed to be respectful of that. But more importantly, I had a full-time job that was demanding at the best of times. I had no room in my life to accommodate a new relationship.

And yet… I couldn’t get my mind off her. It was nice to have someone to talk to outside of the fire station. I loved Ryan, Mel, and Kendrick but somehow talking to them just wasn’t the same as talking to Rachel.

“Earth to Jared,” Ryan said, waving his hand in my face.

“Oh…sorry.”

“Zoned out, huh?”

---