Bryn grabbed my hand, marching me right out the doors I’d just walked through.
“For the love of all things holy, tell me this is a fucking sick joke,” she seethed as she planted her hands on her hips.
I shrugged. “Not a joke, love. You were the one that didn’t want to talk about work last night.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “Do not blame me for this.”
I leaned against the stair’s railing, sighing, “You’re right, neither of us thought about this being a possibility when clearly we should have.”
“This is so bad. What the fuck are we going to do? I do not sleep with the guys here. Self-preservation thing, ya know.” Bryn was talking a mile a minute. “I have to make sure that they never think of me as a chick or a piece of meat. It took me a long time to gain the respect of all those twat waffles with egos the size of Texas in there.”
I put my hands on her shoulders as she huffed. “Look, thiscanstay just between us. No one will ever have to find out that we slept together. We can be friends if you want, which would be my choice. We have to be coworkers, first and foremost though. I will protect you and your reputation. Let’s not let this be weird. It doesn’t have to be. I really need this fresh start and am not looking for any more drama in my damn life, that’s for damn sure.”
“How can it not be weird?” She threw her hands in the air. “Just hours ago, I was riding your face.”
I couldn’t help the smirk that played on my lips as I thought about her waking me up at four in the morning for a quickie that turned into a very adventurous encounter. “It was fun, but I can be a gentleman and refrain from sexual advances if that is what you think would be for the best.”
“I guess it’s worth fucking trying.”
“Now, let’s go back inside before anyone suspects anything.”
Turning on the heels of her boots, Bryn whipped around, putting her hand right in the middle of my chest. “How are you so calm? How is this so easy for you?”
I stooped down to whisper in her ear, “If you think just being friends with you is going to be easy, you’re fucking crazy, but at the end of the day, it’s the right thing to do, and eventually one man is going to have to prove to you that not all men are the same. I will respect you as my colleague and friend too much to fuck it up with lust.”
“Will? You don’t already?” she teased, gripping the door handle to head back inside the firehouse.
I shook my head. “Little girl, don’t play semantics with me. I’ve only known you for less than a day.”