Page 25 of When It Burns

“Damn, Sunshine,” he growls, and with that, I saunter over to where he is standing watching me and grip his shirt. Whipping it over his head and catching him off guard, I admire his chiseled abs and tanned skin.

I graze my fingers over his chest and skim my lips lightly across his before turning the cold water on him without warning.

As Theo snaps out of his daze, he lets out a stunned shout as the water hits his chest before moving to grab the hose from my grasp. He turns it on me and holds it over my head while I scream and try to climb my way up his tall body to regain control of the water he’s holding out of my reach. We are both slick with water and mud, and neither of us can hide the giggles coming out of us as we wrestle.

After a minute of wrestling and feeling me rub against him, Theo mutters, “Fuck this.” With that, he throws the water hose on the ground and pins me against Hannah’s farmhouse. I feel the cold water hitting my feet, but I ignore it as I wrap my leg around his large frame to drag him closer.

We are both frantic between the playful tension of the water fight and the interrupted moment in the hay barn. He runs his hands over my hips and gently grinds against me, his cock very evidently straining against the jeans he’s still wearing. I let out a low moan of desire, and fight to remind myself that Hannah and Margaret will be back any moment.

Theo seems to read my mind because he attacks my mouth with one more slow kiss before pulling back and whispers, “Swear to God, Sunshine, if I ever get you alone, we’re not stopping until you’re begging for it and screaming my name.” With that, he steps back and grabs the water hose right as Margaret and Hannah make their way outside with their arms full of old towels.

Damn. It looks like I’ve found something to fantasize about tonight.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THEO

Ifeel like a walking zombie on Wednesday as I try to make it through the day. I’d never managed to find sleep last night after taking three showers to get all of the damn mud out of my hair. Every time I’d start to doze off, I began thinking about the kiss Caroline and I had shared. I have never met a woman I wanted more than I want her. I’m a selfish bastard, but even I know I’ll never be good enough to have her.

I’d joked around calling her Sunshine this weekend, but the more time I spent with her the more I realized it was yet another reason that I should stay away. The nickname was a reminder that eventually, the darkness inside of me would always overtake her light. Just like the sun always slips under the horizon, she would eventually slip away from me too. I’ve been burned by losing the people I loved enough for plenty of lifetimes, and I didn’t know if I could survive another round.

I manage to keep my eyes open at work as I tackle paperwork, feeling grateful football practice has been canceled thanks to a mandatory faculty meeting for the other coaches. I agreed last week to meet the mayor for a drink at Maracas, and with any luck, I should be able to be in bed in a few hours.

Around three o’clock I am sitting at my desk working when I hear music blasting. Needing a break from the monotony, I stand from my desk and walk through the station, looking for the source of the noise. As I walk into the kitchen, I see Zach and a couple of the younger guys leaning over a cell phone and laughing.

“What are y’all up to?” I ask, unable to hide my curiosity.

The boys all straighten and turn to me, before looking at each other as if they're trying to decide who is going to explain their odd behavior.

Finally, Zach laughs and says, “Afternoon, Chief. We are just working on our next post.”

“Post?” I ask and I know everyone in the room hears the confusion in my voice.

“Well, yeah. You know, for TikTok or Instagram? We started our accounts when Huey was here, and we’re trying to figure out how to keep it going without him. We have over five hundred thousand followers, but most of those were because even the internet became obsessed with Huey. We would film him talking about fire safety or trying new recipes in the kitchen and post them. We even turned his recipes into a cookbook and sold it as a fundraiser for the station. By the end, we sold over ten thousand cookbooks last year. But without Huey, all we know how to make are thirst traps and scrambled eggs.”

The boys grunt in agreement and I just shake my head. “So, what did y’all post last?” I ask, fighting to keep the amusement out of my voice.

Zach turns the phone around and I see a video of him and two of the other men at the station dancing to “Pony” by Ginuwine. The performance is pretty tame but I shake my head at their thrusting and ab shots. I take the phone and click on the comment section to see comments are flooded already with women asking about their next “show” and their availability for upcoming bachelorette parties.

I shake my head at the men and grunt, “Well, I think they think we’re a strip club, gentlemen.”

“What?” Zach asks, his eyes widening in shock.

After reading the comments he lets out a groan and rubs his hand over his face. “Not quite the image we were going for.”

“I have to agree with you there. Let me talk to my sister and see if she’s willing to help with recipes once she gets her bakery going. For now, maybe press pause on the posts,” I say with a small grin.

The other gentlemen laugh before saying, “Got it, Chief.” I nod at them and head back to my office shaking my head.

I have to say, there’s truly never a dull moment in this little town.

* * *

After five o’clock hits,I grab my bag and make my way to my truck. I make the quick drive over to Maracas and throw the truck in park. The restaurant looks like it could use some updates, but the parking lot is overflowing. It’s clear they aren’t hurting for customers.

I walk through the bright green front door and take in the yellow and blue walls. There are neon signs everywhere, and all the tables are already packed. I scan the room looking for Brian, and I find him sitting in a corner with an older man sitting across from him.

I blow out a breath and make my way over to his table, unsure what to do. I am not in the mood to get chewed out by another local that feels the need to call me an asshole. As I get closer, Brian notices me and waves me over. He stands to shake my hand before saying, “Hey, Theo. Welcome. I was waiting for you when Huey found me and needed to talk about the mentor program. You don’t mind if he joins us, do you?”

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