Hope Falls: Hearts Afire (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Julie Prestsater

him too.
    He sat up and patted her shins. “I gotta go, Katie. It’s getting late and you have a story to write. I’ve already taken up too much of your time.”
    “You’ve done more good than harm, Casey. Believe me.” She pulled the blanket from both of them and got to her feet. The cold hit her quickly, so she crossed her arms across her chest.
    Casey bent down to reach for the blanket, but pushed it aside laughing. “Haven’t you been looking for this?” He pulled a composition book from between the seat cushions. “You’re too funny, Katie.” He tapped her on the head with it and dropped it on the coffee table. Then he scooped up the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “This should keep your warm.” If that didn’t do the trick, then his smile would , she thought.
    Before she could protest, Casey had picked up their trash from the table and was making his way to the kitchen.
    “I could have done that, you know,” she called out to him.
    “I know,” he called back.
    When he returned to the living room, he headed for the door. Katie took a few steps toward him, not knowing what to do. She didn’t want him to go, but she didn’t want him to stay. Her inner thoughts were at war with each other. They were just friends; she had to remind herself. She had sworn off men, off fire men. Where had that train of thought gone?
    It had been driven farther and farther from her mind the more time she had spent with Casey. He was making her feel things she didn’t want to feel. He brought her ice cream. He massaged her feet. He was supposed to be a cocky, asshole firefighter. Not a good guy.
    “See you later, Katie,” he said, opening the door and dragging her from the battle waging in her head.
     

CASEY
     
    He was going mad. He was sure of it. No matter how many times he reminded himself that Katie was just his friend, somehow he’d always forget. When he set out to make her forget she’d sworn off firefighters for good, he had no idea he was laying down a gauntlet for himself. He never had any intentions of developing feelings for her, yet here he was looking into her eyes, feeling shit he had no business feeling.
    Casey had said goodbye to her, but apparently, his feet didn’t get the message. She stood in front of him, her warm, welcoming eyes gazing up at him. He wanted to look away, run away, but he couldn’t. It was like there was this magnetism between them that pulled them together. He could see his own confusion mirrored back at him. She was at a loss for words just as much as he was.
    He knew he shouldn’t but that wasn’t going to stop him. Slowly, Casey bent down and kissed Katie on her temple. It was a quick kiss, like ripping off a Band-Aid. What he really wanted to do was kiss her mouth, fully. Pull her against his chest and kiss those damn luscious lips of hers. He was actually proud of himself for having some semblance of self-control.
    “Bye, Kate,” he said, before turning away. “Goodnight.”
    She didn’t say anything in return. Her mouth hung open as he walked out the door and closed it behind him.
    He had just turned the ignition in his truck when his phone chimed.
    Thank you. For everything.
    Well, fuck if that wasn’t the most cryptic message he’d ever read. For everything . What the hell did that mean? As he backed out and drove away from the B&B, he laughed his ass off the whole way home. He knew that Katie hadn’t meant for her message to be so full of hidden meaning. She was in the same boat he was. He was sure that she was just as much at odds with her reservations about their friendship as he was.
    What a fucking pair they were.
    Friends, Casey. You’re friends. Just enjoy it.
    Finally, his brain had given him something that made sense.
    When he got home, he couldn’t go to sleep without sending a reply, so he texted her: Anytime .

CHAPTER SIX
     
     

CASEY
     
    It’s cold as balls outside. That’s what Katie would say . Casey was waiting outside the