Chapter Two

Simon

I rubbed the back of my neck tiredly. The twenty-four hour shift had turned into more than forty and I was running on minimal sleep. The temperatures had increased so quickly in the area that power transformers kept blowing and sparking fires. One would think that we’d figure out a solution to that issue since the same thing happened every damn year, but I wasn’t an electrician and it wasn’t my job to figure it out.

“Company 21, listen up!” my Captain, Don Stevenson, said as the nine of us rallied around him. We were one of three companies assigned to our station house and we’d all been together for almost two years since Trujillo had last transferred in. The company was my family but I was so tired in that moment that I hated them all.

The Captain made some closing announcements and dismissed us for the day but I had paperwork I wanted to finish before I left. Since the 22nd company had already arrived for their shift and was occupying the common areas, I hid in the empty office that was meant for our company lieutenant, a position that was currently vacant and that I wanted. The paperwork took me almost another hour before I was finally ready to leave.

“You out of here, Owens?” Cap asked as I walked by his office on the ground floor.

“Hell yes. The rest of the company is gone and my bed is calling my name.” I held my hand up in a wave and walked out to the parking lot where my truck was. I got in and started it, immediately cranking the air conditioner up as high as it would go. I was so sick of it being hot and it was only May. I knew it was typical Southern Nevada weather and I’d been dealing with it my whole life, but the summer heat was still shocking each year.

I pulled out of the station parking lot and directed my truck towards home. All I could think about was my cool pillow and how welcoming it would be of my head. I’d just pulled onto the highway when I noticed a white SUV on the shoulder, the hazards flashing as a woman crouched in the gravel to jack it up. I immediately turned my own flashers on and pulled over so I was behind her.

She stood from the ground and gave her work a satisfied nod before opening the back door to her vehicle. She stared into the car for a moment, her hands on her hips, before she suddenly pulled her peach colored shirt off and tossed it into the back. The white tank top underneath was tight and showed off her gorgeous, curvy body. I inhaled a deep breath before pushing my door open.

“Need some help?” I called out as I shut my door and she whirled around with a look of surprise on her face. I made sure to walk towards her slowly, not wanting to intimidate her more than I already had. I moved my sunglasses to the top of my head and offered her a smile. God, she was beautiful.

She pushed her shoulder-length, dark brown hair off of her face and sighed. “My tire blew.”

Her cheeks colored in embarrassment and my smile grew a bit more. Her tire was shredded all to hell and I was impressed she’d even made it to the shoulder.

“It happens to the best of us.” I held up a finger and turned back to my truck. I grabbed the handle of my black toolbox and hauled it out of the truck bed before walking back to where she was watching me.

She really was gorgeous, especially with the dirt on the knees of her pants that were the same color as the shirt she’d pulled off. The tank top hugged her skin, showing off every curve she had. It dipped low enough that the tops of her cleavage were on display and I had to force myself to look away. She raised her eyebrows and gave me a small smile.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but I know how to change a tire.”

Her defensive tone only made my grin widen even more and I nodded. “My mother would physically hurt me if she knew I left a woman on the side of the road without making sure she was all set. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll hang out just in case.”

“Um, okay,” she replied hesitantly. Her beautiful hazel eyes looked me up and down one more time, as if trying to ensure I wasn’t an ax murderer, before she turned back to her car. She grabbed the tire iron out of the back and went to work on the lug nuts. As she crouched, her tank top rode up slightly and gave me the perfect view of the creamy skin of her lower back, not to mention the shape of her gorgeous ass. I peeled my eyes from her body and met hers as she looked over her shoulder at me. Busted. I just shrugged my shoulders and kept smiling like an idiot.

She got the first and second lug nut off okay but the third tripped her up. She twisted and twisted but it wouldn’t budge. I watched as she stood and put her foot on it to use all of her body weight but it still didn’t move.

I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Do you mind if I try?”

“Be my guest,” she said as she stepped back and wiped the sweat from her brow.

I felt her eyes on me as I bent down next to the tire and positioned the iron on the nut. That fucker was on tight and I let out a small grunt as I put all of my muscle into it. It finally gave way and I did a mental fist bump that I didn’t fail in front of her. Instead of getting back up, I quickly did the fourth and pulled the tattered tire off the well. As I stood with it in my arms, the woman gestured for me to put it in the back.

Her car smelled delicious, like lavender, and I wanted to see if she did, too. I didn’t smell her like a creep, though, but I looked at her spare tire before glancing at her, asking the silent question.

“Go ahead,” she said quietly and I could tell she was fighting a smile of her own.

I grabbed the tire and put it on the car before replacing and tightening all of the lug nuts. After I was sure it was on securely, I lowered the car from the jack and helped her load the tools back in her car. I grabbed a rag from my toolbox and wiped my hands off as we stood at the back of the car, staring at each other in silence.

She had a little dirt on her cheek and I reached my hand out to wipe it off. She took a surprised step back but I didn’t stop and instead let my thumb swipe the dark smudge. Touching that tiny spot of her smooth skin made my body feel more alive than it’d been in a long time.

“You had a little dirt right there.”

“Oh,” she breathed as her face flamed. She grabbed the hem of her tank top and used it to wipe her face, briefly giving me the view of her delicious stomach. When she realized that, she quickly dropped her tank top and muttered something that sounded like ‘Jesus’.

“Thank you for your help. I would still probably be fighting with that lug nut if you hadn’t come along.”

“Nah,” I replied as I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep from touching her again. “You would have gotten it. I’m happy I could help, though.”

She swallowed and looked over her shoulder before bringing her gaze back to mine. “I, uh…”

Her phone ringing from her pocket interrupted her and she pulled it out to look at the display. Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. “I have to get back to work. My lunch break was over thirty minutes ago. I’m so sorry. Thank you so much.”

I smiled and nodded. “Of course. Drive safely.”

“Yeah, thanks. You, too?” The last part was a question as she ran back to her car. She started it and I stood where I was, holding my hand up in a wave as she drove away. She hadn’t driven more than ten feet before I was kicking myself for not getting her number or at least her name. That fifteen minutes spent with her and her messed up tire were the best fifteen minutes I’d had in months.

I swallowed my disappointment as I got back into my truck and continued my trek home so I could sleep.