Page 24 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
My attention shifts from the smoke to Paige, now that I’ve assessed that everything is most likely fine. It’s impossible not to look at her, as if the world revolves around her presence.
She is gravity.
She is air.
She is my kind of fire.
She looks like a domestic goddess standing on her lawn. She has her long ginger hair tied up in a loose bun, secured on top of her head. There’s nothing refined about her appearance. Her style is casual, easy. Like she has never put more than two minutes of thought into it.
The contrast between her appearance now and every time I’ve seen her to date is stark. It takes me a minute to put my finger on it, but there it is: she has no makeup on.
And still her eyes shine. Her cheeks flush with natural color. She looks perfect—every inch of her flawless skin stands out on this bright, early morning.
This is the version of her that’s going to haunt my mind from now on. Paige in her natural element, without feeling like she has to try hard for me or anyone else.
Of course, my eyes eventually travel lower to see those curves I had pictured before we left the station. In these pants, it’ll be less obvious how turned on I am by the sight of her body.
Until my eyes pull up short, recognizing what I see—her pajamas, lavender cotton covered with tiny unicorns from head to toe.
Paige lifts her chin, challenging me to say something about her choice of dress, but I can only smother the laugh on my lips.
I shake my head a little, trying to knock my professionalism back into place. A throat clearing beside me rattles me enough to snap me into action.
Zachary ambles out of the engine, all easy smiles and relaxed posture. He reaches out, and Paige hands Noah over to him. Noah smiles, a coo on his lips at the sight of Zachary in his hat. Jealousy surfaces.
I want to be the one Noah reaches for, a sudden feeling that I’m not prepared for.
I want to be part of whatever Paige has going on here.
But a look of sudden irritation crosses her face. Her thick eyebrows draw together, and her eyes narrow in my direction. Color rises in her cheeks, more than usual, and not the delicate pink of embarrassment.
This is what anger looks like on a soft woman.
“Why didyouhave to come?”
One thing I love about Paige is that she doesn’t mince her words. If she has something to say, she’s quick to say it. Still, it hurts to be on the receiving end of her cutting words.
When I open my mouth to respond, nothing comes out. I want to tell her why I’m here: that it’s my duty, my job. That it’s my honor to protect her just as I do the rest of the people in Crown Hill.
However, a voice answers her from behind me before I tell her how much I care.
I spin back toward the sound, only to find Levi stalking up the street toward the front door.
“Wanted to make sure you were alright,” he says with a shrug. He passes me the fire extinguisher he thoughtfully packed, something small and more manageable for an indoor fire of this caliber.
“You’re the superintendent,” she chastises him. “You know when it’s my address on the scanner. Just skip it—for both of our sakes.”
“The superintendent too good to come on a house fire call? I don’t think so.” Levi crosses his arms, then adds, “If this call is beneath a superintendent, surely it’s too much for a captain?”
At the mention of my position, I spring into action. I’m here to do a job, and nobody has tended to the smoke curling out of the kitchen.
“You know what I mean,” Paige tells her brother. But I see the way her eyes follow me into the house. She flushes as I pass her, brushing against her arm as I do. Just enough to remind her that I’m here for her.
“No, I’m not sure I do,” Levi drawls, his voice carrying through the open kitchen window.
“You’re my brother. You can’t always save me.”
He might not be able to save her, but I’d like the chance to try.
