Page 8 of My Mountain Man Boss
Two months later…
“Do you want to check the roster before I send it out?” Amy stands in the doorway to my office waving a printed piece of paper at me.
I try not to stare at the figure-hugging skirt she’s wearing and the white blouse that can’t contain her breasts. My gaze lingers on her plump lips, and the memory of them pressed against mine comes sharply into focus.
I lower my gaze. Of all the places in Hope, she had to get a job as the fire station office assistant.
This is Rodney’s doing. The old fire chief has a soft spot for Lauren, Amy’s mom. When he heard Amy needed work, he reinstated the Office Assistant role that’s been vacant for months.
Amy rejected me because I’m her best friend’s father. Now I’m also her boss. Rodney was doing their family a favor, but it’s killing me.
“Email it to me.” My tone comes out harsh, and I look down at the papers on my desk. But if I stand up, she’ll see the tenting in my pants and probably hear the thumping of my heart.
In the two months that she’s worked here, there’s been no cooling of my feelings. Every time that woman is in the same room as me, my body behaves like I’m a horny teenager. I haven’t felt like this since me and Carol got together, and back then, I was a horny teenager. Now I’m a grown-ass man, and yet this woman has my pulse racing and my dick standing to attention every damn time I see her.
I glance up, and she’s still in the doorway watching me. There are dark rings under her eyes, and I wish I could smooth away her troubles.
“How’s your mom?”
Her brow creases. “She’s doing okay.”
Every Tuesday and Thursday Amy takes her mom to the Hope Medical Center for dialysis. Today’s Friday, and she’s always a bit subdued when she gets in.
“I left you a donut in the staff room.”
Her eyes widen, and a smile spreads across her face. “Chocolate and raspberry?”
It’s her favorite flavor. “You know it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Laker.”
I’ve given up on trying to get her to call me Landon. The formal name seems to give her a false sense that this attraction between us isn’t real.
“Do you mind if I take my break now?”
“You don’t have to ask, Amy. I trust you to manage your own hours.”
She turns in the doorway, and I watch her go. Her ass sways in the skirt, and I sit on my hands to stop from following her out the door and doing something that will get me fired.
My heart’s thumping in my chest, and I reach for the bottom drawer of my desk and the whiskey bottle I keep there. You’re not meant to drink while on shift. A lot of my job is office-based these days, but I still go out in the truck if we have a serious incident.
To hell with that. I need a drink every damn time I encounter that woman. I take a swig and the hot liquid burns my throat, giving me a warm glow as it sinks into my stomach. But it only adds to the fire burning inside me.
I burn for Amy. But I’ll give her space until she realizes she’s mine.
Later that evening, I walk into the Search and Rescue headquarters. I’ve been volunteering here since Carol passed. I needed something to fill my time, and I like to stay active.
“You’re back again?” Ethan raises his eyebrows at me.
It’s the third time I’ve been in this week, but I don’t have to answer to him. “Are you turning away volunteers?”
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
I scan the room until I see her. Amy’s heaving one of the heavy jackets over her shoulders. Her hair is tied back now, and she’s in waterproof trousers and walking boots. For some reason she had to volunteer here too, as if turning up in my workspace wasn’t torture enough.
“Has there been a call out?”
Ethan follows my gaze and smirks. “Sure there’s no other reason you’re spending so much time here, Landon?”
