Fully Ignited (Boston Fire #3)

by Shannon Stacey

  Rick Gullotti stepped over to her, so close their elbows were almost touching. “Hey, Jamie.”

  “Hey, Rick. You having a good time?”

  “Yeah. How about you?”

  She nodded, looking around the room. “I am.”

  “You are, or you could be?”

  She frowned, turning slightly to face him. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure how to say this without overstepping, but this is...a safe place. Everybody in this bar right now has your back. We have Scotty’s back. Dance with the man. Hold his hand. Enjoy your night.”

  And again she was put in a position of not wanting to either deny or confirm. She sipped her drink and looked at Scott across the room, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.

  “It’s not something you can hide, you know,” he continued. “It’s the small things. Glances. The way you talk to each other. You’re both more relaxed when you’re together. Couple shit, you know?”

  “Couple shit?” She laughed. “So tell me, if everybody thinks Scott and I are involved, why were Grant and Gavin trying to hook him up with a date for the wedding?”

  “Yeah, those two aren’t exactly relationship experts. I don’t think either of them knew back then. But Gavin came to me a few days ago with some rumors he heard while taking a shift for a guy in another ladder company. Nothing too bad, but bored guys will talk about anything.”

  “And what did you tell him?”

  “I told him you both show up for every tour and do your jobs, and unless it affects the companies, it’s not really our business. Of course, when you don’t deny something outright, people usually take it as a confirmation. But Gavin told me that his response when asked if it was true Tommy’s son was messing around with his lieutenant was basically that you’re a great firefighter and he couldn’t give a shit less who you sleep with.”

  She looked him in the eye because he was a man she had a lot of respect for professionally, besides liking him personally. “What’s your opinion of the situation?”

  “If I thought you and Scotty being involved would cloud your judgment and put a single firefighter at risk, you’d be gone already. And if I thought it would cause friction in the house, we would already have had a discussion.” He didn’t even blink as he spoke, and she knew he meant every word. “But it hasn’t been a problem. Trust me, I had to deal with the fallout when Scotty found out Aidan had been seeing Lydia behind his back, so I can tell you whatever you two are doing isn’t even a blip on my potential problem radar.”

  “And I’ll be leaving soon, so it would be a temporary situation anyway,” she said, and no matter how many times she verbalized the inevitable, she felt the sharp pang of sadness.

  “You’ll be transferring to another station. But you’ll still be in Boston, so you’re not really leaving us.” He sighed. “You know, if the situation was different and it wasn’t Danny Walsh’s chair you’ve been sitting in, I would push Cobb to keep you here. I really hate seeing you go and I want you to know that no matter where you end up, you have my respect and support. Danny’s, too. And Cobb’s. Hell, everybody’s.”

  Tears burned Jamie’s eyes. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”

  “Jesus, go dance with Scotty before he thinks I made you cry and tries to kick my ass.”

  She laughed and saw Scott’s head turn until he located her and their gazes locked across the room. “I think I will.”

  Scott watched her approach, his gaze sweeping down her body and back up before locking with hers. As she passed a table bearing a tray, she set her empty glass on it and kept walking. His eyebrow arched and she guessed her intent must have shown on her face.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he said when she walked up close enough to him to leave no doubt.

  “I was told I should dance with you and hold your hand.”

  “Really?” He scanned the crowd, then looked back at her. “I saw you talking to Rick.”

  “Yeah. And Rick suggested that everybody in this bar has our backs and we should just enjoy this night.”

  He laced the fingers of one hand through hers while twisting to set his glass down. “I always did like Rick.”

  His other hand wrapped around her waist before coming to rest at the small of her back, and she lifted her arms to cup the back of his neck in her hands. Then they were swaying to the music. Maybe they were in time or maybe they weren’t. Jamie barely even noticed the song.

  She was finally in Scott’s arms, and nobody around them cared.

  * * *

  SCOTT TURNED THE lock on the front door and collapsed against it with a sigh. “I thought they’d never leave.”

  Jamie laughed and then looked around at the debris from what had been one hell of a good party. As wedding receptions went, it had definitely been one of her favorites. “In all of the details they sent you by text, did your sisters happen to tell you how much of this you have to clean up before you go home?”

  “We’ve got this,” Karen called from behind the bar. “I actually have some friends arriving in about half an hour who Tommy is going to pay a crap ton of money to play cleaning fairies. A few hours from now, it’ll be like it never happened.”

  “That’s my kind of magic,” Scott said. “I’m beat.”

  “But it was fun,” Jamie said. She’d definitely never believe this night had never happened. And it had already been magical, as far as she was concerned.

  “How many drinks did you have?” he asked, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

  “Not enough so I’m drunk, but definitely enough so I’m not sober. But I took a cab here, so I wouldn’t be driving anyway.”

  “I’ll bring you home.”

  “You just said you were beat.” She put up the token protest because he did look tired.

  “Not that beat.” He grinned. “Besides, making sure everybody had a designated driver was one of the duties assigned to me, remember?”

  “Great. I just need to find my shoes. I think they got kicked under the pool table earlier.”

  “I’ll grab them.”

  She made herself useful while she waited, dumping plastic glasses into a huge lined garbage can on wheels that somebody from the kitchen had brought out. It hadn’t escaped her notice that, after the reception had begun and the formalities and photographs were taken care of, all of the glassware had been swapped out for plastic stemware and cups. Nice ones, but still disposable.

  “Okay, I found your shoes.” Scott dangled her heels from one hand. But then he held up the other hand, from which a pair of cream pumps hung. “I don’t know whose these are, but somebody left here barefoot.”

  Karen laughed. “This wouldn’t be the first wedding venue to have a lost and found. I’ll put them here behind the bar and stick a note on the register for Ashley.”

  “I can’t believe she has to work tomorrow,” Jamie said. “I know she didn’t drink because of the baby, but being in a bridal party is exhausting even if you’re not pregnant.”

  “Yeah, but I worked tonight and won’t be leaving for several more hours.” Karen shrugged. “And we all thought it would be nice to give Lydia the day off. Now go on, you two. Let us get to work.”

  “Are you giving me a ride home?” Jamie asked, taking her shoes from him and then groaning as she stepped into them. No wonder one of the other guests chose to leave with bare feet.

  “I’m sure as hell not letting you walk. And, no, you’re not taking a cab, either, so let’s go.”

  He was parked out in the back lot, so they said good-night to Karen and then stopped in the kitchen to say thank-you and good-night to the staff who’d remained to help. They’d stay until Karen’s cleaning fairies showed up because no employees were ever left totally alone at Kincaid’s, especially the women.

  Then the
y went out into the brisk night, the chill setting in immediately. Screw the hoodie, she should have ruined the dressy look with a parka. But he’d hit the remote start at some point because the engine was running and the parking lights were on.

  He opened her door first, and then laughed when she looked from the ground to the running board and up to the seat. “Here, let me help you up.”

  His hands slid under her armpits and he lifted just enough so she could get her foot onto the running board without tearing her dress or flashing any surveillance cameras monitoring the parking lot. Then she turned and sank onto the warm leather seat.

  She sighed, closing her eyes, and heard him chuckle. “Guess you’re glad I’m spoiled right about now.”

  “I take it all back. Also, I’m buying a truck.”

  He was laughing as he closed her door, and a moment later, he climbed into the driver’s seat and inserted the key. “You can get heated seats in a car, you know.”

  She opened her eyes and turned her head in his direction, suddenly very tired. “Yeah, I know. I hate spending a lot of money on vehicles, though. I just need to get from point A to point B.”

  “Yeah, but I’m taking you to point B with a nice, warm backside.”

  It didn’t take long for them to get to that point B, but parking was a bit of an issue. “You can just drive by and push me out if you want.”

  “You’ve been drinking. I’m walking you to your door.”

  “I told you I’m not drunk.”

  Scott nodded, then suddenly whipped the truck down a side street so fast she almost smacked her head on the window. “Yeah, and you also told me you’re not sober.”

  He pulled into a space she wasn’t sure actually was a space and killed the engine. She knew that, as long as he wasn’t parked in a way that was blatantly illegal or caused complaints, he’d get a little more leeway than other drivers because of his job. Besides the Firefighters Memorial license plate framed by a Boston Fire holder and the sticker in the back window, most of the police officers in the neighborhood knew him and would recognize his truck.

  Her door opened and he put his arms up to help her out. She clutched his shoulders and was thankful he held on to her a few extra seconds so she could find her balance on the heels. Maybe she’d had a drink or two more than she thought she had.

  He laced his fingers through hers and they walked down the sidewalk together in silence. The neighborhood was quiet and she might have enjoyed the stroll if she wasn’t freezing. And if her feet didn’t hurt so much she could feel each impact with the concrete up into her shins.

  Once they were inside the front door, she stopped and stepped out of the heels. Walking up barefoot wasn’t ideal, but she wasn’t going to make it up all those flights of stairs in the shoes.

  “Do you want me to carry you?” he asked. She imagined him draping her body over his shoulders and laughed. “I’m serious. I know how to do that, you know.”

  She laughed harder, until he actually shushed her. “You’re going to wake up the whole building. Start climbing, Rutherford.”

  By the time they reached the top of the stairs and entered her apartment, Jamie was ready to just fall on the floor and sleep there. And Scott didn’t look much better, despite the fact he hadn’t had anything to drink.

  “Are you staying?” she asked, tossing the heels into the shoe pile. She’d put them back in their box under the bed tomorrow and maybe add a sticky note to the lid noting she shouldn’t try to wear them for more than two or three hours, and even then only if there were a lot of opportunities for sitting.

  “I’d like to.” He looked down at himself. “I’ll have to do the walk of shame in the morning.”

  “If you’re going to do the walk of shame, you may as well do it in a fine-looking suit.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her until the chill of the night had been chased away and replaced by heat. “I had a good time tonight.”

  “It was a beautiful wedding and a great party.”

  “I had a good time with you tonight. It was nice to touch you and hold your hand and laugh with you without worrying about it being a secret.”

  “It was.” She wasn’t sure how she’d feel walking into the station for their next tour, but she had no regrets. Even if it turned out to be awkward, she didn’t have a lot of time left there.

  “What just happened?” He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head back a little so he could see her face. “You looked sad for a minute.”

  “I’m not sad.” She smiled to prove her point. “Just tired.”

  He hooked his finger into the neckline of her dress and slid it up until he could pull the fabric off her shoulder. “We should get you out of this dress, then, and get you into bed.”

  They made love slowly—almost tenderly—and afterward Jamie curled into his embrace. It was nice, she thought, that he wasn’t going anywhere. She could close her eyes and drift off with his arms wrapped around her.

  And in the morning she would tell him about the transfer.

  FIFTEEN

  SCOTT SLOWLY OPENED his eyes, not surprised by his urge to smile into Jamie’s hair. He wasn’t much of a morning person, but waking up with her curled against him was definitely getting the day off to a good start.

  He kissed her hair, pretty sure she was awake since she wasn’t snoring. Her bunk might be on the second floor, but she’d nodded off on the couch or in the chair on the third floor often enough for him to know she snored like the rest of them. It just annoyed him less when she did it.

  “Good morning,” he said when she tried to burrow deeper into her pillow.

  “Coffee.”

  “Are you hungover or is that how you greet every new day?”

  “Coffee.”

  He chuckled and brushed her hair away from her neck so he could kiss her nape. “Five more minutes.”

  She rolled over so she was facing him, also managing to move a little farther away in the process. Her eyelids were not only very heavy this morning, but still bore some traces of last night’s makeup since they’d been so tired they made love and fell asleep almost immediately.

  “Good morning,” she mumbled.

  “Do you have stuff to make breakfast or should we go out?”

  She shrugged one shoulder, making the comforter slip a little. “I don’t know. I have coffee, though.”

  He realized that she might not want to go out to a restaurant, despite the fact they’d obviously been a couple last night. Rick had told her everybody in the bar had their backs, but the reception was over. But what could it hurt to be seen sharing a meal at this point? Everybody who really mattered to him had been at the wedding and they already knew there was a good chance they’d spent the night together.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked, her voice more clear as she shook off sleep. “You look very serious all of a sudden.”

  “I was wondering if we could go out to a restaurant or if we’re back to hiding in your apartment.”

  “We might as well go out.” She pulled up on the sheet to cover her mouth while she yawned. “The only people who don’t know are people who don’t matter much, especially since I already know what’s going to happen.”

  He frowned. “What’s going to happen with what?”

  Her eyes widened and he realized she hadn’t meant to say that. She was probably still groggy and her think-first filter wasn’t awake yet. “With my transfer.”

  “You found out the day Danny stopped in, didn’t you?” It made sense to him now. “It wasn’t only the conversation with Cobb that made you seem off. You found out where you’re transferring.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t want to say anything until after the wedding.”

  Because it was bad news. Or at least news that didn’t bode well for
them, he thought, if she was worried it would be a damper on the celebration. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m transferring to Ladder 41, effective immediately upon Danny’s return to full duty.”

  “Ladder 41. They’re good guys.”

  “Yeah, I’ve met some of them at different events and they seem to be. I know they have a good record.”

  “They’re not close, but I guess they’re not that far away, either. Are you going to move?”

  She shrugged. “Not right away, if at all. I might see how the commute goes for a while because I like my apartment. Plus L-41 is in a pretty swanky neighborhood, so I’m not sure I can afford to live close enough to work to make it worth moving again, anyway.”

  He waited a few seconds, wondering if she’d give him some kind of clue that he might factor into her decision, too. Maybe a comment about how staying in her apartment meant they’d be able to continue seeing each other. A joke about her still being on his route to the ice rink, at least.

  But the words he wanted to hear from her didn’t come. He rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed and scrubbed his hands over his face.

  He’d known it would happen. Their relationship was never meant to be anything but temporary. He couldn’t have gotten any bigger a clue they were nearing the end than he had last night.

  Denying the bride’s request to be in a wedding photo was kind of a big deal, so Jamie must have felt pretty strongly about not being in what Lydia considered the family picture. It was awkward when the formal family shot had an ex-girlfriend in it, she had said according to his sister.

  Ex-girlfriend. She already thought of herself as his ex and they hadn’t even broken off the relationship yet. He’d put it out of his mind, especially when she’d walked across the bar and into his arms, but now the pain of hearing that explanation from Lydia returned with such a vengeance, it made his stomach hurt.

  “Danny said he’s on track to return to duty next Friday,” she said, her voice very quiet.