It wasn’t long before the guys arrived at Wildlands, Beck reaching the table first. For a while, Cade had held the honor of the most pussy-whipped man I’d ever known. Beck now held that honor. Beck was ridiculous around Maisie. He consistently embarrassed her with his public displays of affection.

Take now for example. He came up behind her, landed a lingering kiss on her neck before tilting her head back and kissing her as if they were alone in a room. By the time he drew away, Maisie’s cheeks were flushed red and her hair tousled.

“Get a room dude,” Cade commented with a chuckle as he sat down beside Amelia and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek.

Beck shrugged nonchalantly as he sat down beside Maisie. “I’m just happy to see her, plus you don’t have any reason to give me shit. You’re as whipped as anybody.”

Cade merely shook his head. Our waitress arrived at that moment. Amelia had wisely ordered a pitcher of beer for the guys. While our waitress took a few more orders, I wondered if Levi had changed his plans. It never crossed my mind that I shouldn’t be sitting here expecting him to arrive. He hadn’t shared his plans with me, but Maisie had seemed to think he’d be here, so I’d hung my silly hopes on that.

Within a few moments, I heard his voice and glanced over my shoulder to see him coming in through the back hallway. His eyes met mine from across the room, darkening the moment our gazes locked. Butterflies amassed in my belly, and I squeezed my thighs together. I needed to get a grip. For God’s sake, he was simply walking to the table. I didn’t want to embarrass myself, not with all of our friends here. I certainly didn’t want it to be obvious something was going on. Levi, easy-going as ever, reached the table and slipped into the only remaining chair. By pure chance, it happened to be beside me.

Over the hum of conversation around us, he spoke, his voice low and only for my ears. “Hey Lucy, missed you today.”

His voice—that honeyed whiskey voice—sent a shiver chasing over my skin. I felt my cheeks heat. “Don’t say that,” I hissed.

“Why not?” he countered, his mouth curling at the corner in one of those ridiculously sexy grins. His dark blonde hair was damp, so I figured he must’ve showered at the station.

Calculating that I was better off without steering anywhere near his comment again, I changed the subject quickly. “Were you out at that fire this afternoon?”

“Of course. We got a few new firebreaks established. Looks like the wind is dying down, so we should be able to keep the fire down.”

Susannah said something, and Levi looked away, replying to her comment and snagging the pitcher of beer when Cade passed it to him. Nights like this with friends were common. Levi was firmly in the social circle we shared. I knew his history from bits and pieces. He had moved here from Juneau after high school and left later to do his hotshot training in Arizona before returning. His mother was originally from Willow Brook, which was what brought their family back to the area.

On the heels of the intimacy that had passed between us last night, what would normally be a typical evening out with friends didn’t feel typical at all. My body was aflame—inside and out. All I could think about was when we could get back to his place, and I could have him all to myself again.

Thinking like that was so not me. Fire talk, as Amelia dubbed it, carried on around us. Everybody at the table but Amelia and I worked at the fire station. I half-listened as I sipped at my beer and nibbled on fresh baked bread served for the table. One comment got my ears to perk up.

“You think we’ll get called out to that burn outside Fairbanks?” Beck asked.

Levi shrugged beside me before taking a swallow of this beer. “I don’t know. We’re definitely due for a rotation.”

I watched as Maisie’s eyes flicked to Beck, concern held there. With Amelia being my best friend and Maisie another close friend, I was accustomed to them worrying about their respective men out in the field. Up until just now, I’d taken that concern at face value. Hotshot firefighters did dangerous work, grueling work that took them away for weeks at a time. It wasn’t that I didn’t have empathy. I did. It was simply that the worry was usually one step removed from me.

After the closeness I’d felt with Levi, I felt a flicker of apprehension inside. I didn’t know where the hell that came from.