The Bad Boy Firefighter's Secret Fling (Red Hot Reunions Book 3) (8 page)

“I have to go,” Jamison said, groaning as Maddie nipped him again. “How come no one else realizes what a bad influence you are?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help myself,” Maddie said. “I’m insatiable when it comes to—”

“Maddie? Are you okay?” called a familiar voice from downstairs, making Maddie’s eyes fly wide open.

“It’s Naomi! Get dressed!” Maddie hissed, pulling away from Jamison so quickly she fell off the side of the bed with a loud
thunk.

“Shit,” Jamison cursed softly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Maddie called out, answering both Naomi and Jamison as she scrambled to her feet and dove for her skirt and panties at the end of the bed. “Just had a spill and came up to grab a fresh shirt. I’ll be down in a second,” she continued, heart pounding as she struggled into her underwear and skirt and scurried over to grab her bra.

“You want me to take the dirty one home to wash?” Naomi’s question was followed by footsteps on the stairs.

“No!” Maddie shouted, panic making her voice louder than she’d intended. Jamison was still only half dressed and she was in her bra. If Naomi saw them now there would be no doubt what they’d been up to.

“Um, no, don’t worry about it,” Maddie continued, hands shaking as she wrenched open her drawer, snatched the first Tee shirt she laid hands on, and pulled it over her head.

“It’s no trouble,” Naomi said, still plodding up the stairs like a horror movie monster pursuing its prey. “I know you don’t have a washing machine, and I do at least two loads a day since Noelle came home.”

She continued on, saying something about how amazing it was that someone so small could make so much laundry, but Maddie wasn’t listening, she was too busy spinning back to Jamison and racking her brain for a place for him to hide. She was motioning for him to run to the corner when Jamison took matters in his own hands, dropping to the ground and rolling under the bed and out of sight mere seconds before Naomi appeared at the door.

“So hand it over, no arguments,” Naomi finished, propping her hands on her hips.

“Hand what over?” Maddie asked, heart still pounding so fast she felt light headed.

Naomi gave her a strange look. “The shirt,” she said, frowning. Her sister’s eyes drifted down to Maddie’s chest and back up again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Maddie glanced down at her chest, trying not to wince as she realized she’d put on her ancient Lynyrd Skynyrd concert shirt from high school. “I’m fine.” She forced a smile as she put an arm around Naomi, gently, but forcefully turning her back toward the stairs. “But I refuse to let you do laundry for me. I’ll come over on Monday and do a few loads if I need to. No big deal. Now I should get the sign flipped back to open before we lose customers.”

Naomi continued, frowning, but thankfully allowing Maddie to lead her down the stairs. “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “But I really don’t mind.”

“So what happened? Did you forget something?” Maddie asked, praying that Naomi hadn’t decided to come back to work.

If so, there was no way Maddie would be able to smuggle Jamison out of her apartment without Naomi spotting him. The only exits were through the bakery, and even if he made a break for it down the fire escape, the ladder dropped down right in front of Icing’s main front window.

Naomi sighed as they stepped off the bottom step. “Yeah. I promised Greta I’d bring her chocolate croissants. It totally slipped my mind until I was at the end of Main Street.”

“You should have called me,” Maddie scolded her as she hustled across the tile to flip the sign. “I could have dropped some by your house and they would have been waiting for her tomorrow morning.”

“I know.” Naomi made her way behind the counter, snagging one of the pink, to-go boxes and loading it with croissants. “But I’ve forgotten twice already. She asked me two days ago. I didn’t want to forget them again.”

Maddie nodded as she swept imaginary crumbs from a table near the door, resisting the urge to cast a glance at the stairs, praying Naomi would hit the road before Jamison was forced to come down the stairs. Surely his ten-minutes were nearly up?

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Naomi asked, lingering beside Maddie on her way to the door, the crease reappearing between her brows.

Maddie nodded a little too enthusiastically. “I’m great. Why?”

“Nothing, I guess.” Naomi shrugged and reached for the door. “See you tomorrow. Call me if you decide you want to come by for supper.”

“Will do. Bye.” Maddie hovered near the window, waiting until she was certain Naomi was in her car and pulling out onto Main Street before she turned to call up the stairs. “The coast is clear!”

Seconds later, Jamison pounded down the stairs, a wicked grin on his face.

“It isn’t funny!” Maddie said, slapping his chest as he paused to steal a quick kiss. “That was way too close. We can’t ever meet here, or anywhere else we might be caught, ever again.”

Jamison laughed, earning himself another slap before he pulled away and started for the door.

“I’m serious,” Maddie called after him. “We have to be more careful.”

Jamison turned back to her, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Or more sneaky.”

Maddie bit her lip. “I’m not good at being sneaky. Maybe we should just cool it until after the wedding, or—”

“No way am I doing without you for that long,” Jamison said, sending a thrill through Maddie despite their recent brush with discovery. “I’ll figure something out. Just relax and keep your eyes open for top secret communications.”

Maddie lifted a skeptical brow, but couldn’t help but smile. “Top secret communications? Are you going to send me smoke signals from the roof of the firehouse?”

“Something like that.” Jamison winked as he reached for the door. “Later beautiful.”

“Later,” Maddie echoed, a warm, excited feeling filling her chest. She wasn’t sure sneaking around with Jamison was good for her heart, but it sure as hell wasn’t boring.

CHAPTER TEN

Jamison

Saturday mornings had always been one of Jamison’s favorite times at the firehouse—the scent of waffles and eggs and coffee brewing, the roar of laughter and conversation as husbands and wives and extended family gathered in the break room setting up folding tables, the shouts as kids ran around playing soccer on the grass behind the station, waiting for brunch to be ready.

It was a festive time, a time to be grateful for family in all its forms—the one he was born into, and the one he’d joined when he became a member of the Summerville Fire Department.

Jamison knew his choice to leave his Atlanta Department and return to Summerville had seemed like a step backward to most of his Atlanta friends, but the SFD was home. He’d grown up in this firehouse, and kissed his first girlfriend before a brunch very similar to the one he was helping to cook today. He treasured the chance to grow older in a place that felt so right and, best of all, to watch his brother hold his baby girl at the table where dozens of his friends had held their own children, where he’d helped celebrate more birthdays and engagements and anniversaries than he could count.

Most Saturdays, whether he was on duty or not, there was no place Jamison would rather be than at an SFD family brunch. But today, he couldn’t wait to make his escape.

Maddie had slept over at his house the past two nights and lingered over coffee and the paper with him both mornings—two of her three mornings off from the bakery—and now the morning felt…strange without her.

It didn’t help that Naomi was at the firehouse, snuggled up next to Jake, sipping coffee and glowing with happiness, alternating between beaming up at her soon-to-be husband and down at the sleeping bundle in his arms. Noelle was so tiny, she made Jake’s arms look even more massive in comparison, and a massive man holding a tiny baby was bona-fide female-heroin.

Every woman in the room had stopped by to coo and ooze estrogen all over the new family, ensuring Jamison had to fight his way through a crowd when Jake motioned him over.

“What’s up?” Jamison said, meeting Naomi’s gaze with a polite smile before giving Jake his full attention.

Jamison’s secret relationship with Maddie had only made him feel more awkward around her sister. His gut told him that Naomi wasn’t going to be a fan of their relationship—deserved or not, Jamison had a reputation as a womanizer, and Naomi was fiercely protective of her younger siblings—which made Jamison determined to keep him and Maddie under wraps as long as possible.

So far, sneaking around with Maddie had been nothing but a pleasure, and he saw no reason to mess with a good thing.

“Some guy called for you this morning,” Jake said. “I told him you weren’t here, so he said he’d call back later. I tried to tell him you weren’t on duty until tomorrow, but he hung up.”

Jamison frowned. “Who was it?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t leave his name,” Jake said. “But he sounded pretty intense. You don’t have bill collectors after you again, do you?”

Jamison rolled his eyes. “No, Dad, not since I was twenty-three. I’m managing my funds responsibly.”

“Well, we can help if you need it,” Naomi said. “Please don’t hesitate to ask if you get in a bind.”

Jamison nodded, ignoring the spark of irritation her words ignited somewhere in his pride-center. Naomi wasn’t being judgmental, simply generous. She’d obviously been making an effort to reach out and mend their relationship since their confrontation at the Fireman’s Ball, but so far Jamison had kept her at a distance.

He was happy for Jake and Naomi, he really was, but for some reason he still felt uncomfortable around his brother’s soon-to-be wife.

That doesn’t bode well for any of your future relationships, especially with Maddie. She’s already pointed out how weird you act around Naomi.

“Thank you,” Jamison forced himself to say, knowing it was past time to man up and at least meet Naomi halfway. “I appreciate it, but I’m doing fine.” He met Naomi’s gaze and smiled, a real smile this time, one that made her expression soften and a hopeful light enter her blue eyes.

“Can I get you two anything?” he continued, finding it easier to let down his guard than he’d expected. “More coffee or a waffle or something? I think Kiki’s getting ready to open the serving line.”

Jake shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll wait until everyone else is through. I already had first breakfast with Faith earlier. She couldn’t wait.”

Naomi laughed. “That girl must have a hollow leg. She eats like a horse.”

“I heard that,” Faith said from the next table over, where the tall, athletic blonde was entwined with her own Whitehouse sibling, Mick. They’d been joined at the hip since New Year’s and living together for almost as long. So far, however, there didn’t seem to be any trouble in paradise, and Faith was happier than Jamison had ever seen her.

“Does that mean I’m uninvited to dinner tonight?” Faith asked. “Or should I just eat a snack first to fill up my hollow leg before I come over?”

Naomi laughed again and leaned over to assure Faith she was still more than welcome to dinner; Jamison took the opportunity to ease away from the table and through the crowd. The clock on the wall said it was almost ten, and he had someplace important to be.

After snagging a large mug of coffee with extra cream, a waffle drizzled with syrup and covered in crushed walnuts, and two forks, Jamison ducked into the hall and made his way through the weight room and out the back door.

Outside on the grass, abandoned balls lay where the kids had left them when they were called in to eat and a row of bikes glinted in the sun. It was the kind of warm, sunny morning that practically begged you to come have your meal outdoors. But thankfully, so far he was the only one to answer the call.

Balancing the plate on top of the mug, Jamison climbed the fire-escape ladder and continued up the two rows of stairs to the roof. As soon as he stepped onto the cracked asphalt he smiled—now the morning felt complete.

Maddie was already sitting in one of the chairs he’d snuck up earlier this morning, dressed in a red sundress that barely brushed her knees, with a ring of white daisies in her hair.

“I see you got my note,” he said, grinning as she turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes lighting up when she saw him coming.

“I did,” she said. “But it’s a good thing Lucy’s back at work, or I wouldn’t have been able to come.”

“You think I’m an amateur?” Jamison settled into the chair next to her. “I knew she’d be at work, and what time she was coming in.”

Maddie’s eyebrows lifted as she accepted the coffee he extended to her. “Impressive.” She took a sip, sighing in pleasure. “Mmm…and extra creamy, just the way I like it.”

“I knew that, too,” Jamison said. “I’ve done all my detective work.”

Maddie grinned. “You’re clearly wasting your potential fighting fires. You should have been an international man of mystery.”

“Or a mob boss,” Jamison said.

“Or a high-class male escort,” Maddie said, giggling when he shot her a hard look. “What? You’re discreet, romantic, and your love-rod is absolutely worthy of a thousand dollars a night.”

“It’s not a love-rod, it’s a cock,” Jamison said derisively, though he secretly loved that Maddie had nicknamed his stuff. “And it’s not the cock that’s worth a thousand dollars a night, it’s the man who knows how to use it.”