Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Let’s go! Get those ladders up there!” Paolo’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
What was I doing? Oh, right. I was watching Tobin, Angus, and Cohen train. Specifically, they were practicing throwing ladders correctly and quickly. We all stood out behind the fire station, giving them plenty of room to haul tall ladders on their shoulders and quickly put them in place against the back of the building.
“How often do they have to use ladders?” I asked Paolo as I moved closer to him.
Paolo turned to look at me, making my heart rate spike. Since he was the chief, he was a bit intimidating but in a good way.
“A decent bit. There aren’t many multi-story businesses in town, but there are quite a few houses that are two-story,” he explained. The side of his mouth curled up. “Learning a lot?”
I laughed a little and nodded.
“I have been actually,” I said.
When I wasn’t typing up notes or doing research, I joined them during their training sessions and had learned a lot about firefighting and the risks involved. All of that in-depth knowledge would make my story even better, and I was so grateful that I was on good terms with all of the guys now. They were more than welcoming. In more ways than one.
I tried to tell myself that sleeping with them was just having fun and getting some stress relief, but there was a part of me that had latched onto them emotionally.
I craved them. Cared about them. Maybe it was because we spent so much time together and dealt with danger every day.
“Well, I think you being here is a good thing. The guys work ten times harder trying to impress you,” Paolo replied with a smirk as we watched the others run back and forth with their ladders to perfect their form.
My face warmed up as Cohen shot me a wink. All of these handsome firefighters were going to be the death of me.
“All of you are very impressive,” I told him.
“You’ve impressed us as well,” Paolo said. “I wasn’t sure about you at first, but you’re more determined than most people to help this town. I admire that.”
My heart fluttered as I gave him a grateful look.
“Thank you. That means a lot,” I replied.
We held each other’s gazes for a few lingering moments until I felt a small raindrop on my cheek. My eyes shifted up toward the sky, which was starting to become crowded with dark gray clouds.
“Come on in, guys! Storm is coming,” Paolo called out before checking his watch. “Shift end is coming anyway. I’ll be staying behind to do some work.”
“I was going to finish up here too if that’s okay,” I said as I followed him inside.
“You’re always welcome here,” Paolo assured me, passing me a small smile before heading to his office.
I paused in the apparatus bay, watching him go with a slow exhale. I hadn’t gotten to know him all that much, but I hoped that would change soon. He was a bit mysterious, while also being so bold and authoritative.
“Enjoy watching us?” Angus asked me as he and the others passed by me.
I smirked and shrugged.
“Perhaps,” I replied, shooting them a teasing smile as they headed to the showers.
Oh, yeah. They were going to be the death of me.
I retreated to the dayroom with my laptop, my fingers flying over the keys as I typed up a few more things I had learned today during training. The station was eerily quiet since it was just me and Paolo here, but that silence was suddenly interrupted by lightning cracking outside. I jumped, checking the time to see that it was late.
I probably needed to head out, but before I could even get to my feet, another loud boom sounded outside. The next moment, all of the lights went out, casting me in darkness.
“Damn it,” I muttered as I turned my head, barely able to make out anything through the dark. “Paolo?”
“Hold on! I’m coming,” Paolo called out. A few minutes later, an orange glow appeared in the doorway of the dayroom as he walked inside with two candles in his hands. He set them on the coffee table in front of the couch before sitting down next to me. “We’ll just have to wait out the storm. You okay?”
I nodded and put my laptop to the side as I heard the rain thump against the roof above me. More lightning and thunder rumbled outside, making me scoot a little closer to Paolo.
“I’m not a big fan of storms,” I admitted.
“We’ll be safe in here,” Paolo assured me. “Did a bad storm scare you as a kid or something?”
A warm feeling bloomed within me when I realized that he was trying to distract me by talking to me. I believed that he had a caring side to him, and I was curious to find out more about it.