Chapter Three

Tori

“Hey, can I buy you a drink?”

I turned my head to look at the guy that had sidled up next to me. I was sitting at a bar table with three other men from my company and the conversation between them basically stopped so they could watch my interaction with the newcomer.

I gestured to the full pint glass in front of me. “I’m good, thanks.”

“You sure you don’t need a fresh one?” His lips turned up in a crooked grin. He was already a cute guy, probably in his early twenties with the classic blonde hair, blue eyes combination, but that grin amped up his level of attractiveness. If it had been seven years before, I wouldn’t have even hesitated to say yes.

“I’m sure.” To emphasize my point, I picked up the drink I already had and took a long drink of it, not bothering to look at the kid again.

Once he was gone, my co-worker, Ross Simpson, burst out laughing.

“Damn. That was cold, Jones.”

I shrugged. “I tried to be nice but he wouldn’t give up.”

It wasn’t like I was looking my best, either. We had just finished a baseball game against the Rollins Fire Department and I was a mess. My hair was in a sloppy ponytail with a headband holding back my bangs and the strands that were too short to be contained. I’d been sweating in my baggy, navy blue New Hope Fire Department t-shirt and my white baseball pants were covered in dust.

Either the kid had a dirty fetish or he was looking for an easy lay. It wasn’t hard to figure out which category he belonged in.

Our intermural baseball games had been going on for years before I’d even joined NHFD. All of our station houses were split up by teams depending on shifts and we played against each other as well as teams from neighboring city’s fire departments.

At the end of the season, the team with the most wins of the fire department went up against the team with the most wins out of law enforcement. It was a fun, healthy competition. The only downside was that we played when it was the hottest in Southern Nevada.

Our team was always good. In fact, we’d won it all two years before and come close just a year ago. This year, though, we sucked ass. With the fourth station in New Hope opening just a couple of months ago, the team we were usually paired with from station two was paired with someone different and we got the new guys.

Let’s just say we hadn’t found our groove yet.

Naked Joes was our go to bar and grill after games. It was a Friday so the establishment was full to the gills with people. Only four of us from my company had decided to come out since we went on shift at seven the next morning but that was okay. Shit could get crazy when the guys all turned loose at once.

“Why don’t you date, Jones?” Ian Dickerson asked he placed some chicken wings on his plate. From the expression on his face, I could tell he was just curious. “Don’t kill me for this, but you’re obviously a good looking woman and when you want to, you have a fun personality.”

Tyson snickered into his drink from where he was sitting next to me and I reached over to slug him in the shoulder.

The group of guys I worked with was great. They never treated me any different because I was a woman but it’d taken me years of being a hard ass to earn their respect. As it was, none of them ever mentioned my looks without fear of bodily harm. The only person really brave enough, outside of Ty when we were alone, was Christos and even then it was usually when he was trying to be profound.

“I always have a fun personality, Dickerson,” I deadpanned, causing the entire table to laugh.

Simpson grinned, setting down his empty beer bottle. “It’s a valid question, though.” He paused for a second and looked between me and Ty. “I mean, unless you guys really are together.”

Ty and I exchanged a look but it was him who shook his head and spoke.

“You guys are more my type than Jones is.”

My jaw dropped at his blatant admission. Dickerson and Simpson looked surprised for a beat but Simpson just shrugged his shoulders.

“To each his own, brother.”

Dickerson nodded his head in agreement. “Doesn’t change anything in our house. Although that leaves my initial question still unanswered about Jones.”

“I don’t have a juicy answer for you guys.” I pulled some cash out of a compartment on my phone case where I kept my debit card and driver’s license. “I just don’t date.”

The four of us stood up once the bill was paid and we all promised to see each other in a few short hours. We each went to our separate cars since none of us had indulged in more than one beer. Ty stayed with me and as soon as we were alone, I turned to him with a shake of my head.

“What was that? I can’t believe you’ve been hiding it for the past year and then just decided to drop it like a bomb.”

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and the insecurity on his handsome face was almost devastating. “I’m so sick of hiding. Aren’t you, Tori? I’m tired of being closed off because I’m scared. I’ve spent a good chunk of my life worrying about what other people think.”

I swallowed and looked away from his knowing brown eyes. “It’s not the same.”

“It kind of is. You hide behind your stony personality because you’re afraid if you have fun, they’ll think less of you.” His fingers gripped my chin and he gently forced me to look up at him. “You deserve a better life than you’ve given yourself.”

When I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, Ty didn’t hesitate to return the embrace. He smelled good, like sunshine, dirt, and the cologne he always wore.

“I’m in love with this guy, Tori,” he murmured with his cheek pressed to the top of my head. “And we’re both hiding. It’s time for me to step out into the light to show him that it’s not so bad. That we can be happy out here. I don’t want to hide anymore.”

I increased my hold on him and nodded against his chest. “I just don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m here to stay. Even if the guys react poorly, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t think they will, though. We work with a great group.”

I wanted to agree with him but my intense distrust of people caused me to doubt what he was saying. I just hoped he was right.

“Go home and sleep.” He kissed my forehead and stepped back. “We have to be at work in less than nine hours.”

“Okay. See you in less than nine hours then.” I smiled at my friend and walked to the door of my SUV. Ty waited until I was inside before going to his own vehicle.

As I started the engine, I mumbled a plea to the universe, begging it to be good to Tyson Lennox. He deserved to be happy.