Page 34 of Fire Me Up
“Adventure time? He’s a cat,” Liv said.
I unzipped the front panel and set the carrier on the floor. Bacon perked up immediately. His ears swiveled forward, and he leapt down from the coffee table with surprising grace for his slightly thick physique. More evidence that his chonk was probably mostly muscle. He sniffed at the entrance, then walked right in like he was boarding a first-class flight and settled down.
“At least one of us is excited.” I lifted Bacon a little and fitted his harness, checking each clip twice.
“You’re excited too,” Marisol said, emerging from the kitchen with a mug of her disgusting herbal tea. “You’re just hiding it under a mountain of anxiety.”
“I’m not anxious,” I lied, zipping Bacon securely into his carrier. He settled, purring loud enough that I could feel the vibration through the fabric. “I’m just… thinking.”
“About Dylan’s dick?”
I choked. “Jesus, Liv!”
“She’s right. You keep zoning out with this dopey smile that can only mean you guys… hit it off.” Marisol fixed me with a knowing look. “It’s cute, actually. I’ve never seen you this sprung over anyone.”
“I’m not sprung,” I protested weakly, knowing it was a lie. “We’re just… friends. Who are… exploring things.”
Liv raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of tea. “Friends don’t look at each other the way Dylan looks at you.”
My heart skipped. “How does he look at me?”
“Like he wants to climb you like a tree,” Liv said.
“Like he sees something special,” Marisol corrected, shooting Liv a look.
I sat on the edge of the couch, Bacon’s carrier in my lap. “He doesn’t feel the same way. He told me it’s just lust. That it burns hot and then it’s done.”
“I’m just saying
The doorbell rang, cutting her off. I froze, eyes widening.
“Oh shit, he’s here.”
“Yes, that’s generally what happens when someone is picking you up.” Liv rolled her eyes. “Go get the door, you big dork. Who cares if he says it’s a fling? Win him over with your cute smile and your ridiculous backpack cat.”
I stood, gripping the carrier like a lifeline. My palms were sweating. What the hell was wrong with me? I faced burning buildings for a living, but opening the door to Dylan Kim had me weak in the knees.
“You look great,” Marisol assured me, taking pity on my obvious panic. “Go.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, and crossed to the door. I opened it, and there he was, leaning against the frame in a faded black T-shirt and jeans that hugged his thighs in all the right ways. His purple-tipped hair was slightly messy as always, and he wore a leather jacket that made him look so handsome and cool I forgot how words worked.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes running over me.
“Hey,” I managed, embarrassingly breathless.
He grinned, and my heart did a somersault. “Ready to go?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Behind me, Liv snickered, and I shot her a death glare over my shoulder. I looped Bacon’s carrier over my left shoulder, then winced as it pulled on my injury.
“You okay?” Dylan asked, eyeing me.
“Yeah, it’s fine. They want me to work on range of motion, so that wasn’t a bad wince,” I said in a rush.
Liv stood and bustled us out. “Be good to my brother, Dylan. I know where you work.”
Dylan’s grin widened. “I’ll have him home by curfew, Mom.”
“Make sure you don’t,” Marisol countered, appearing beside me. “We don’t mind at all if Gael is gone all day on this adventure. Frees up our couch.”
