Page 110 of Smoke and Fire
A sound from the station caught my ear. I glanced back, saw James waving for me, and reluctantly turned back to her.
"My two weeks is still just beginning. We'll be assigned here for that time. Maybe later it will be easier to connect, but I need you to assume you won't see me again."
"Can do."
"Just like that?" An incredulous smile spread across my face. "It's that easy for you? Two weeks and you're fine with it?"
"If you're the prize," she murmured with her bright grin, "then yes."
One last crushing kiss and I forced her away from me before I made an ass of myself in front of the squad. Dahlia stood there, toying with a strand of hair, while I yanked my bag out of the back of the buggy and headed for the station.
Meanwhile, smoky sunlight burst over the top of the mountains to the north like a welcome into better days ahead.
29
DAHLIA
Two weeks later
A breath of fresh air raced over my cheeks.
I lounged back against my foldout chair and closed my eyes. Misty vapor rolled by like dollops of pudding. The reservoir was obscured in a bank of clouds far below and rain threatened to fall at any moment.
Blessed, blessed water.
Not a single hint of smoke in the air. I would sit out here in the rain for as long as it lasted.
Next to me, Bastian grunted.
"85% containment," he murmured. "Good to hear."
He relaxed in the chair next to mine, his laptop propped on his legs despite the potential splash of falling rain. His two week rotation on the Pinegulch fire had officially ended this morning. The fog had welcomed them back home to the station.
So had my waiting arms.
He closed the laptop and looked at me. My breath caught in the back of my throat. Somehow, he still arrested my heart. The depth of his blue eyes, fathoms deep. The chiseled seriousness of his expression. Mist settled on top of his hair, darkening his blonde locks. I wanted to run my fingers through them.
Our relationship sprinted like fire—hot, fast, and intense. Now I felt a gentle smolder and burn. The gradual building up of a flame that would last forever.
I smiled.
He did too.
He reached over, fingers tangled in mine, then looked at the wisps ahead of us. They curled, toying with the trees, as they danced through the forest. My phone vibrated. I swallowed the last of my orange soda and reached for it in my pocket.
"So, there's something I still need to show you." I cleared my throat. A text message waited on my phone, just as I had expected.
"Oh yeah?" he drawled.
I cut an amused glare toward him when I heard the playful tone in his voice. "Notthat."
He laughed, and the rolling sound sent a shiver through me. I couldn't wait to hear a lot more of that.
I turned my attention back to the phone, purposefully extricating myself from his touch so we didn't get distracted by kissing.
Again.
Katrina:Video is ready. Thought you'd like to see an advanced copy?
