their progress. He saw Taz was looking out the window and something soft flickered over his face.
When they got out of the truck, Luke saw Jenny Ann Green was out watering her flowers. She lived in the small cottage next to Taz.
Taz remained beside his truck as if rooted there, which was weird. Usually he was Mr Smooth.
“Hey, Jenny,” Luke said, trying to work up something friendly in his voice. He felt like an empty crater. He opened the back of the SUV and pulled out his heavy gym bag. He was going to spend himself like fallen change in Taz’s big, fully equipped home gym. He needed to work pain out of his pores, sweat and bleed and maybe he’d be able to fucking think.
“Luke.” The little brunette gave him her warm smile. She was really hot when she smiled, which always perplexed Luke because Taz couldn’t miss how beautiful she was. And yet, he’d never talked about how he’d been with her, how he’d made his move.
“How’s the gardening going? Do you need help with that?” Luke asked. Her wheelbarrow was heaped with spent flower heads and weeds.
“No.” Her colour deepened as Taz finally looked in her direction. He nodded, but still no words. “I also weeded Taz’s yard and Zane’s.”
“Zane?” It was such an unusual name that it couldn’t be a coincidence. The rookie had moved in next to Taz—since when?
“Yeah, I suggested this was a good place to live and…speaking of Zane…” Taz drawled.
Zane Newmark the Third crossed the yard towards Jenny, white-blond hair in his eyes. He looked like a beach bum, from his Malibu shorts to the leather cord tied around his neck. Lean and almost delicate in build, Zane was the rook. The fact he’d moonlighted the previous summer as a smoke jumper didn’t cut him slack with the veterans at Station 57. He was an EMT as well as a firefighter, but unlike Taz and Luke, he didn’t have years of experience.
Hell, Luke figured he and Taz had learnt their medical training the old fashioned way—on the street.
“Jen, it’s too hot for you to be out here without a hat.”
And then Luke saw it. The big rook had a hat with a big silk yellow flower on it. He put it on Jenny’s head. Jeez, did the guy have one on hand just in case one of his female neighbours needed to borrow it? Was he for real?
Taz was watching Jenny laughing up at Zane, and a cold thrill swooped down Luke’s spine. He knew that look. Predatory.
“What gives with Zane being your neighbour? I never noticed you getting soft on him back at the station house,” Luke muttered.
“Oh, Zane doesn’t make me soft,” Taz said.
“Jesus.”
“Someone’s livin’ in a glass house.”
“This is up close and personal for you, isn’t it? I mean, Christ. Jenny’s your neighbour and now so is Zane and you frickin’ work with him.”
Taz ignored Luke’s words. With a meditative look on his face that didn’t fool Luke for a second, he walked over to the other two, knelt beside Jenny and put his hand on her bare upper arm, banding it with his fingers.
Luke saw Jenny jerk by reflex and then saw her look at Taz and flush. A moment later she relaxed.
Taz was coaching her. She didn’t know it, was too innocent to have a friggin’ clue, but that hand on her didn’t lie. Taz was preparing her to accept him.
Fine. Whateverthefuck.
Luke didn’t have time for the sexual soap opera his best friend jonsed on. He wanted to warn Jenny…hell, warn Zane, but he knew they’d be shocked if he spelt out what was clear as neon.
“I’m going to use the gym.”
Taz straightened, giving him an assessing look. “Good idea. You’ve lost weight and you can’t afford to do that.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Taz’s eyes narrowed, the green suddenly sharp as broken alley glass. “You don’t get to endanger the team.”
And Luke couldn’t argue with that. It was why he’d decided to start spending more time here. His focus was fucked up from the shit with Sian and he’d been losing pounds for
When they got out of the truck, Luke saw Jenny Ann Green was out watering her flowers. She lived in the small cottage next to Taz.
Taz remained beside his truck as if rooted there, which was weird. Usually he was Mr Smooth.
“Hey, Jenny,” Luke said, trying to work up something friendly in his voice. He felt like an empty crater. He opened the back of the SUV and pulled out his heavy gym bag. He was going to spend himself like fallen change in Taz’s big, fully equipped home gym. He needed to work pain out of his pores, sweat and bleed and maybe he’d be able to fucking think.
“Luke.” The little brunette gave him her warm smile. She was really hot when she smiled, which always perplexed Luke because Taz couldn’t miss how beautiful she was. And yet, he’d never talked about how he’d been with her, how he’d made his move.
“How’s the gardening going? Do you need help with that?” Luke asked. Her wheelbarrow was heaped with spent flower heads and weeds.
“No.” Her colour deepened as Taz finally looked in her direction. He nodded, but still no words. “I also weeded Taz’s yard and Zane’s.”
“Zane?” It was such an unusual name that it couldn’t be a coincidence. The rookie had moved in next to Taz—since when?
“Yeah, I suggested this was a good place to live and…speaking of Zane…” Taz drawled.
Zane Newmark the Third crossed the yard towards Jenny, white-blond hair in his eyes. He looked like a beach bum, from his Malibu shorts to the leather cord tied around his neck. Lean and almost delicate in build, Zane was the rook. The fact he’d moonlighted the previous summer as a smoke jumper didn’t cut him slack with the veterans at Station 57. He was an EMT as well as a firefighter, but unlike Taz and Luke, he didn’t have years of experience.
Hell, Luke figured he and Taz had learnt their medical training the old fashioned way—on the street.
“Jen, it’s too hot for you to be out here without a hat.”
And then Luke saw it. The big rook had a hat with a big silk yellow flower on it. He put it on Jenny’s head. Jeez, did the guy have one on hand just in case one of his female neighbours needed to borrow it? Was he for real?
Taz was watching Jenny laughing up at Zane, and a cold thrill swooped down Luke’s spine. He knew that look. Predatory.
“What gives with Zane being your neighbour? I never noticed you getting soft on him back at the station house,” Luke muttered.
“Oh, Zane doesn’t make me soft,” Taz said.
“Jesus.”
“Someone’s livin’ in a glass house.”
“This is up close and personal for you, isn’t it? I mean, Christ. Jenny’s your neighbour and now so is Zane and you frickin’ work with him.”
Taz ignored Luke’s words. With a meditative look on his face that didn’t fool Luke for a second, he walked over to the other two, knelt beside Jenny and put his hand on her bare upper arm, banding it with his fingers.
Luke saw Jenny jerk by reflex and then saw her look at Taz and flush. A moment later she relaxed.
Taz was coaching her. She didn’t know it, was too innocent to have a friggin’ clue, but that hand on her didn’t lie. Taz was preparing her to accept him.
Fine. Whateverthefuck.
Luke didn’t have time for the sexual soap opera his best friend jonsed on. He wanted to warn Jenny…hell, warn Zane, but he knew they’d be shocked if he spelt out what was clear as neon.
“I’m going to use the gym.”
Taz straightened, giving him an assessing look. “Good idea. You’ve lost weight and you can’t afford to do that.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Taz’s eyes narrowed, the green suddenly sharp as broken alley glass. “You don’t get to endanger the team.”
And Luke couldn’t argue with that. It was why he’d decided to start spending more time here. His focus was fucked up from the shit with Sian and he’d been losing pounds for
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