Page 30 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
I grin, glancing up from the bottles I was surveying. “Well, I can’t make a decent soufflé to save my life, but I can mix a mean drink. What’ll it be?”
“It’s up to you,” she says. “Surprise me.”
I chuckle as I grab a glass, pretending to polish it like a seasoned pro. “One mean Axel Special coming your way.”
She slides into one of the high tools and watches me as I prepare her drink, a neat mix of lime soda and gin, but I make sure it’s not too bitter. Once I’m satisfied, I slide the glass towards her.
“You do this often?”
“Only when I’m trying to impress a beautiful woman,” I reply smoothly.
What the fuck am I doing? I was supposed to be establishing boundaries, not flirting.But I convince myself that this is a test. I need to know.
Emily doesn’t seem to be offended. She gives me an impish smile. “Well, you’re definitely impressing me,” she says, taking the glass from me.
I can’t help but smile back, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at her reaction. “That’s the idea,” I say, leaning against the counter and watching as she takes a sip. “I aim to please.”
She gives me a playful look over the rim of her glass, and I can feel the tension between us shifting into something warmer, something almost comfortable. But beneath that comfort is an undercurrent of something else, something electric that crackles between us every time our eyes meet.
Fuck, I want her bad.Suddenly Tanner and Jace don’t matter anymore.
I grab a bottle of whiskey for myself and pour a glass, then join her on the other side of the counter. The bar is quiet, save for the faint hum of the overhead lights and the occasional creak of the wood as we shift in our seats.
As I take a sip of my drink, I can’t help but steal glances at her. The way her wavy brown hair falls over her shoulder, the curve of her lips as she smiles, the way her eyes light up when she’s amused—it’s all making it harder to keep my thoughts in check. And those damn curves…they’re fucking unreal.
I wonder how it would feel to squeeze her hips as I pump into her.
“So, what’s the story with you and bartending?” she asks, pulling me out of my depraved thoughts. “Do you moonlight at dive bars when you’re not fighting fires?”
I grin, leaning back in my seat. “Something like that,” I say, my voice teasing. “You’d be surprised what skills you pick upwhen you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of guys and nothing to do.”
“So what does life as a firefighter look like?”
I shrug. “Most days are not exciting but they do push us to our limits.”
“I think you’re being modest,” she says.
I chuckle. “Swear it’s not as romantic as it sounds.”
Emily takes a slow sip of her drink, her expression thoughtful. “Have you ever felt out of sorts?” she asks, her voice a bit hesitant. “Like no matter what you do, everything seems to be going wrong?”
I nod, understanding exactly what she means. “Yeah,” I say, my tone more serious. “There was this one time…we were out on a call, just a routine fire, but everything went south. The wind shifted, and suddenly we were surrounded. It was like the world was closing in, and no matter what we did, it felt like we were just making things worse. It was terrifying, not just for us, but knowing that if we didn’t get it together, people could die. But we did what we had to, adapted to the moment. That’s all you can do sometimes.”
She looks at me with a mix of admiration and something else I can’t quite place. “I guess that’s kind of how I feel right now,” she says quietly. “Hailey’s my best friend. I just adore her, you know, and I want everything to be perfect for her, but it’s like the universe is conspiring against us. She’s been my best friend since forever, and I’d do anything to save her wedding. But it feels like everything is going wrong. The snow, the flowers, the avalanche blocking the roads…it’s all falling apart.”
I take a sip of my drink, watching her as she speaks. There’s something in the way she talks about Hailey—this fierce loyalty, this determination—that makes me admire her even more.
“Well, that,” I add, trying to keep the tone light, “and the minister not being able to make it up the mountain.”
She blinks, then swears under her breath, which makes me chuckle despite myself.
“Sorry,” she says quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I’m not usually one to lose my shit, but everything is so overwhelming right now. I feel like…I don’t know, like I’m failing as a maid of honor. And now the minister isn’t coming either? That’s as good as the wedding not happening.”
“Hey, hey, calm down, Emily.” I shake my head and reach out, placing my hand on her arm. The contact is meant to be reassuring, but as soon as our skin touches, there’s a spark—something that hums between us, making the air feel heavier and charged.
“You’re doing good, Emily,” I say, my voice low, my thumb brushing over her skin.
She looks up at me, her eyes wide and searching. The space between us seems to shrink, and for a moment, it’s like we’re the only two people in the world.
