Heat & Desire: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 4) Page 4

  Wendy

  The next day

  “I’ll take two bear claws.” I heard Micah’s gravel-soaked voice and didn’t even have to look up to know it was him.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I was about to go on break.” I shrugged and turned to Jillian. “Can you take over, I just need a few minutes.”

  “Um, sure.” Jillian gave me a perplexed stare, but took my place at the register.

  I was still getting over the shock of being asked out by Micah, and I just wasn’t ready to hear him ask again. I was interested to find out what Brody thought about the guy he shared girls with asking me on a date. I would see him as soon as my shift at the bakery was done, and I definitely had questions. If Brody knew Micah was stopping by the bakery to try and woo me, then I was going to lose some respect for him. I expected him to be a little more protective of me than that, especially considering our history. I wasn’t the same teenage girl that used to stay with him when things got bad at home, but I was still his daughter’s best friend. I was not interested in being picked up by a guy that just wanted to get into my panties. Maybe Micah could have swayed me if I didn’t already know what kind of man he was, but that image was never going to get out of my head—or out of my dreams.

  “What was that about?” Jillian walked into the back room once the line of customers were gone.

  “That guy—the firefighter? He asked me out yesterday.” I turned to her and sighed.

  “He’s the one who carried you out of here, right? Why wouldn’t you want to go out on a date with him?” She tilted her head in confusion. “He’s so hot. I wish I was twenty years younger—and single.”

  “It’s complicated.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m very thankful that he helped me after I nearly burned this place down, but that doesn’t mean I owe him a date.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to say that he might be back…” Jillian’s face twisted into a grimace.

  “Yeah, he said he was going to stop by every day until I gave him my number.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

  “No, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t charge him for his bear claws—I told him he could stop by anytime he wanted to get something on the house.” Her grimace got a little more intense. “I didn’t know he was only here because he was trying to get your number.”

  “Great.” I sighed angrily.

  Now he’ll definitely stop by every chance he gets.

  Later that day

  “I’m sorry that I’m late.” Brody walked into my house and took off his jacket. “We got a call at the end of my shift and I had to help.”

  “No problem. Your job comes first. I hope it wasn’t anything serious?” I raised my eyebrows in concern.

  “Nope, thankfully it was just a minor car accident and nobody was hurt.” Brody walked to the edge of the living room. “Are you ready to start moving furniture and tearing this stuff up?”

  “Yeah, let’s do it.” I nodded and stared at the tattered carpet.

  Between his shifts, Brody had arranged for a roll of carpet to be delivered, along with the other supplies we would need. The plan was to move the furniture, tear up the carpet, and then get an early start the next morning. If everything worked according to plan, I would have new carpet on the floor by the end of the weekend. The living room was the worst part of the house. The bedrooms didn’t appear to be too bad, and the rest of the downstairs had hardwood floors. Brody came over and ripped up a corner near me and then let me start peeling it away while he worked on the opposite side of the room. It was hard work, but it was nice to get my hands dirty. The house was going to look practically brand new inside by the time my father got home, and that was because of Brody’s help.

  “Ow, fuck!” I pulled up a piece of carpet and felt a sharp sting on my hand.

  “Are you okay?” Brody rushed over and grabbed my hand, which had started to bleed.

  “Yeah, I just caught my hand on a staple.” I grimaced and looked at the wound.

  Whoever put this carpet down used the biggest staples I’ve ever seen. They might as well be nails.

  “We should clean this up. Do you have a first aid kit?” He pressed on the cut, which stopped the bleeding for a moment.

  “Honestly? I don’t even know where it would be.” I sighed and shook my head. “I’ll just wash it in the sink and get a Band-Aid.”

  “I have something in my truck. Keep pressure on it.” Brody waited until I had a finger on the cut and then hurried towards the door.

  While Brody was gone, I went to the bathroom and dug around under the sink until I found a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He came back with the first aid kit and joined me in the bathroom to clean up the cut. I climbed up on the counter and sat in front of him. It was worse than I originally thought. The staple went deep and left an inch-long gash across my palm. Brody decided to just use warm water with a little soap, instead of the hydrogen peroxide, and kept my hand steady when it started to sting. After he was satisfied with his sanitation efforts, he put a piece of gauze over the wound and started wrapping medical tape around my hand. It still hurt, but it wasn’t bleeding through the bandage. I squeezed my hand a few times to test the bandage, and while it hurt, it didn’t seem to limit my grip.

  “If you haven’t gotten a booster recently, you should get a tetanus shot tomorrow, just to be safe.” Brody closed up his first aid kit and nodded.

  “Apparently I can’t stay out of the hospital this week.” I shook my head and grimaced.

  “It should be fine, but you never know.” He held my hand and nodded.

  Even with my hand aching, I felt my heart flipping in my chest from Brody’s touch. It was so gentle, even if his hands were rough and calloused. I had never been that close to him—inches separating our bodies while his hand was on mine. His hand lingered longer than I expected, and I felt my cheeks trying to blush. He finally let go, but his fingers traced the tips of mine before his hand fell away. I looked up at him and felt my heartbeat getting faster. He had an odd look in his eyes—one that I had never seen before. As soon as I saw it, he shook his head and took a step back. I wanted to see it again. It was almost like desire, not fully formed, but lingering behind his stare. I slid off the counter and he turned to walk away, but I reached out and grabbed his forearm with my good hand.

  “Thank you.” I looked up into his eyes.

  “It’s what I do.” He smiled—that mesmerizing smile. “I can’t have you bleeding out while we’re trying to replace the carpet.”

  “You’ve always taken care of me.” I bit down on my lip and my cheeks flushed so much I had to look down at the floor.

  Even with everything I know about him—those feelings just won’t go away.

  “I guess it’s just my nature.” He shrugged and nodded.

  This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything in his eyes that resembled interest. I shouldn’t cross this line, but I can’t help myself.

  “You’ve always been so gentle and kind.” My cheeks blushed so much I could feel the warmth. “I had such a crush on you in high school.”

  “I noticed.” He reached out and put his hand under my chin, slowly lifting my head until our eyes were locked together again.

  Oh god, was it that obvious?

  “You did?” I blinked in surprise, trapped in his stare.

  “I’m not blind, but you were just a kid…” His words trailed off.

  “I’m not a kid anymore.” My words got trapped in my throat as I spoke, but I managed to get them out.

  “No. No, you’re not.” His hand lifted and his fingers grazed against my cheek. “But you’re still my daughter’s best friend.”

  “I’ve tried to ignore this—I’ve tried to convince myself it would never work. Those feelings just won’t go away.” I turned my head to the side and lightly kissed his thumb.

  Even though I know you have secrets—something I could never admit to witnessing.

  “You need someone less complicated than me.” He let his hand drop away. “You’re still so young. I’m sure you want to get married—have kids. I can’t give you that.”

  “What if I just want you?” I swallowed a lump that was trying to form in my throat.

  “We can’t.” He took a step back and sighed. “I’ll finish ripping up the carpet. You should rest and make sure that your hand doesn’t start bleeding again.”

  And just like that, he changed the topic—I finally got the courage to say it, and he shut me down.

  “I want to help.” I followed behind him. “You shouldn’t have to do all the work on your own. It isn’t even your house.”

  “It’s going to be tough with one hand. Let me finish this and you can help once we start putting down the new carpet.” He pointed towards one of the chairs that had been moved out of the living room.

  “Fine…” I grumbled and took a seat.

  “You know, I talked about putting down new carpet, but you’ve got hardwood floors under here.” Brody pulled back a section of the carpet that he had removed. “It might take us a little longer to sand and refinish them, but they would look a lot better than carpet.”

  He’s all business now—and I poured out my fucking heart to him.

  “Yeah, but we’ve already bought the carpet.” I looked over at the roll.

  “I’m friends with the guy at the store. I can return it.” He continued stripping the carpet off the floor as he spoke. “I can’t believe someone covered this shit up.”

  “I guess that would be okay.” I shrugged and nodded.

  I still hadn’t managed to work Micah into the conversation, and I was antsy to find out if Brody knew he asked me out. It didn’t seem like we were going to be able to have a serious conversation while he ripped up the carpet. Brody was already starting to sweat, and I loved the way his shirt clung to his muscles when he did. It was hard to even think about Micah when Brody was right in front of me, toying with my thoughts. My desire for him refused to fade, no matter how much I tried to fight it. After he got more of the carpet ripped up, I saw exactly what he meant about the hardwood floor. The boards were in poor condition, but they could be repaired. It wasn’t going to be as quick as putting down new carpet, but the downstairs would look a lot better with them.

  “Okay, this should do it.” Brody ripped the last bit of carpet free and started rolling it up. “I need a break after I get this outside.”

  “Want me to order a pizza?” I looked at him and smiled.

  “I guess I’ve earned a few slices.” He shrugged and nodded.

  Not like a whole pizza would do anything to that incredible physique.

  I ordered a pizza while he carried the carpet outside and dumped it by the road. The carpet pad was next. I stared out the window and stifled a smile when he paused by the road to wipe sweat off his brow. I didn’t care if it was dripping off his body, he was still delicious. After he came back, I fixed us both a glass of water and we moved to the dining room table. We talked about the house as I tried to get a break, so I could shift the conversation to Micah. Just when it looked like I might finally have an opening, the pizza arrived and interrupted our conversation. I put out a couple of plates and we started eating. There was a lull in the conversation after he took his first bite, and I decided that I might not get another chance.

  “So, your buddy came by the bakery today.” I looked up at him and took a sip of my water.

  “Micah? Yeah, he told me he might stop by.” Brody nodded and bit down on his pizza.

  So he does know—and he doesn’t sound the least bit concerned.

  “Did he tell you why?” I studied his expression and put down my glass of water.

  “Yeah, he said he was going to ask you out on a date.” Brody looked up at me and smirked.

  “He did…” I exhaled sharply.

  No reaction—not even a blink.

  “I guess you told him no—again?” Brody leaned back in his chair, clutching his pizza in his hand.

  “Yes.” I nodded and pursed my lips.

  He doesn’t even care?

  “He’s not a bad guy, you know. He’s rough around the edges, but aren’t we all?” Brody took another bite of pizza and shrugged. “Why don’t you want to go out with him?”

  I guess I walked right into that question.

  “I don’t know.” I looked down at the table. “I barely know him.”

  “Isn’t that what dating is for—getting to know someone?” He raised his eyebrows inquisitively. “If you don’t like him, then it’s just one date and he stops showing up at the bakery every day.”

  “I suppose…” I nodded.

  “You should give him a chance.” He reached out and put his hand on mine, instantly making my emotions go crazy again. “You deserve to be happy.”

  I know what would make me happy—you just don’t want the same thing I do.

  We worked for a little longer after we ate, but my heart wasn’t in it. I finally had come clean about my feelings and Brody might as well have kicked a hole in my chest. He didn’t even care that Micah asked me out. I had to let go of the teenage crush—permanently. I had pushed it into the back of my mind after I left for college. I could do that again. If he was just helping me as a friend and there was no reciprocation on his end, I had to accept it. The dreams had haunted me too long. It was time to move on with my life. I wasn’t sure that dating Micah was the right direction for me to take, either. Looking at him would always remind me of Brody. There was no way to completely forget what I saw. I might have been able to push past that concern for the man I crushed on for so long, but I didn’t know if there was there more to Micah than what I saw in Brody’s bedroom.

  Maybe I need to find out.

  Brody

  I had to stop and catch my breath when I got to my truck and cranked it up. I always knew Wendy had a crush on me, but I chalked it up to her being a confused teenager. I would have never acted on it, even if she threw herself at me. I certainly wasn’t going to take advantage of a mixed up kid that didn’t understand what she was feeling. I was surprised that there was so much awkwardness between us at Beth’s wedding, but I thought it was partly due to the chaos of the big day. I never expected to find out that she was still carrying that torch five years later. She had become a beautiful woman and an amazing person. It took everything inside me not to give in and pull her into my arms—to just forget all the reasons it wasn’t right.

  I can’t think about that. I just need to drive. I might not be strong enough to pull away again.

  I fought with my own thoughts when she brought up Micah. I wanted to believe his intentions were true, but I still had some doubts I couldn’t shake off. I knew things about him nobody else did. Wendy definitely needed someone, though. I could see that in her eyes. She spent so long fighting for her own sanity when she was a teenager, and she had overcome all that, but the loneliness wasn’t going to go away. If Micah was truly ready to let go of the pain that pulled him into the abyss for so many years, then he could be exactly what she needed. One date wouldn’t hurt anything. She was strong enough to see through him if he was just trying to take her home for the evening. If he didn’t heed my warning—then our friendship would be over, and I would never forgive him.

  Wendy and I stayed focused on the house the next day. She seemed distant and I understood why. I had rejected her. She carried those feelings for years and when she finally got the courage to confess her attraction, I shut her down. I had felt that kind of rejection before when my marriage spiraled towards divorce. It wasn’t something that could easily be forgotten, even if everything the world was aligned against what she wanted. By the time we got the floors sanded and applied the first coat of finish, she wasn’t even really talking to me. She just responded with grunts and nods of her head. The rejection didn’t just create a divide—it was a crevice widening as the hours went by. I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I shut down the conversation the day before, but I had to bring it up again before I left.

  “We’re going to have to talk about this, aren’t we?” I leaned against the counter in the kitchen as she fixed two glasses of water.

  “Talk about what?” She sat the glass down in front of me. “You said all there was to say yesterday.”

  “I didn’t want it to make things awkward between us. I’m sorry.” I picked up the water and took a drink.

  “You didn’t make things awkward. I always knew it was never going to work. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Wendy sipped her water and shook her head. “That’s my fault.”

  “You’ve held onto this for all these years…” I exhaled sharply.

  “You make it sound like I’m still some obsessed teenager.” She sat her water down with a hard thud. “I dated other people. I didn’t just go to college and sit around thinking about my best friend’s dad all the time. It’s different now—this isn’t just some teenage crush. We’re very different people.”

  “I know.” I nodded and put down my glass. “But I also know how complicated relationships can be. They’re hard enough without worrying about all the uncertainties.”

  “You made it clear yesterday that you’re not interested.” She shrugged and walked around the counter. “I guess I’ll just have to go out with Micah.”

  “You’re going to give him a chance?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

  “I thought about that a lot last night after you left. I was prepared to shut him down the next time he stopped by the bakery, but maybe I need to rethink that.” She walked towards the door and paused to look back. “Maybe I need to rethink a lot of things.”

  Wendy’s words shouldn’t have bothered me, but for some reason, they did. I wanted her to be happy, and I wasn’t sure she was going to get that with Micah if she accepted his offer for a date out of spite. That was all I really heard in her tone. She was only going to go out with him because I turned her down. That wasn’t going to be the foundation of a relationship. If Micah was truly trying to turn over a new leaf and pursue a real relationship with someone, he didn’t need to be used as a pawn. That would just send him back down the same spiral he was trying to crawl up from. I was torn. I didn’t want either of them to get hurt, and I felt like I was going to end up in the middle of it whether I wanted to or not.