Page 25 of The Fire We Crave

How’s thatgetting a grip on my thoughtsworking out?

“Morning,” I say gruffly.

For a heartbeat, she smiles, and then it leaves her face like she realized who is speaking to her. “Morning.” She stops buttering and pours a mug of black coffee for me.

“Wraith is about to pull in and come to the house,” I say, taking the cup. “I’m late, and going out on a run with him.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” she says. “You might want to put a shirt on, though.”

“Smart-ass.”

“You want some breakfast?” she asks. “I’m on the later shift today so I can make you something.”

I shake my head. “Don’t have time. He’ll be here in a minute.”

I head back to my room, and I’m halfway through managing a navy T-shirt over my head before I realize that moment felt…good.

Wraith has always been a domestic-bliss kinda guy. Loved his first wife hard before she was murdered. Loves Raven at least as much, if not more, from what I can tell. And that kid of hers, well, he looks at Wraith like a father.

Wasn’t sure about Atom. He was always so disinterested in a permanent woman, but it makes sense given the only woman he ever wanted was Butcher’s daughter and out of reach. But I also know he can’t wait to knock her up. Told me on the way home from the airport, with a shit ton of pride in his voice, that they’d gotten tested and he was practicing the fuck out of becoming a baby daddy.

Me? I don’t want kids.

Up until now, my job has been too dangerous to even properly consider it. I know plenty of firefighters have families, but it wasn’t a risk I wanted to drag someone else into.

And I prefer my own space. Can’t imagine anyone else living in it permanently. Wife, child, or dog.

But Quinn in my kitchen, looking happy, teased me for a tantalizing millisecond. Fuck, I could see how a man might getaddicted to that kind of wake up in the morning. Pretty girl, fresh food, soft smile.

And a body that keeps getting better with age.

Or perhaps I’m just being a dirty old fuck, perving on a woman who is eight years younger than me. I’ve never thought about Quinnanykind of way before I drove up to the house with Atom and she appeared on the porch. She was a young kid when Melody went missing, and I was an adult. And the only people who would think those kinds of thoughts deserve getting their dicks shanked in prison. After, we stayed away from each other to the point where I hardly ever saw her, so these past few days have seemed like a reintroduction.

I slurp down some of the scalding coffee, then add some cold water from the sink in the bathroom, just so I can down more of it before Wraith arrives.

In the bathroom mirror, my reflection shows progress. Still need a shave.

And could probably do with gaining ten pounds of muscle.

But I look a little more like me.

At least on the outside.

Wait…

I slept.

All the way through the night.

The only other times I’ve pulled that off, I needed a mix of whiskey and painkillers to put me under.

For the first time since the accident, I didn’t dream about it, because my mind was truly fixed on Quinn.

When I’ve finished the mug, I finish getting dressed, tug on some boots, and weapon up. Shove my wallet in the back pocket of my jeans and my cigarettes and lighter in the top pocket of my cut.

I hear the wheels on the gravel outside the front of the house and make my way to the door.

I’m surprised to see Quinn standing there. Holding a small parcel wrapped in brown wax paper.

---