Playing With Fire (Firehouse Fourteen Book 2) (9 page)

"What the hell? Are you trying to fucking kill me?"

Jay lowered the axe, pulling down a piece of damaged drywall with it. He turned his head to the side and spit the blackened mucus from his mouth then looked over his shoulder at Mikey. She was standing just behind him, her mask hanging loose around her neck, her brows lowered in a frown as she stared at him.

"What?"

"You damn near took my head off with the axe. Get your head on straight and watch what you're doing." She stepped around him and moved deeper into the room, kicking at the pile of burnt debris littering the floor. Jay blinked, not quite sure he heard her right.

"Really? You're really going to go there with me? After all your shit last year with Nick?"

Mike looked over her shoulder at him, a small grin tilting the corners of her mouth. The look was completely at odds with her sweat and soot-stained face. "Of course. Why would you expect anything different from me?"

Jay grunted, not knowing what to say. Of course he shouldn't expect anything different. Why would he? He shook his head and swung the axe, listening as it hit the wall with a solid thunk. He pulled down, tearing away more of the wall.

"So what's going on with you two?"

Jay swung the axe again then let it drop to his side. "With what two?"

"Don't play dumb, Jay. You know exactly who I'm talking about."

Yeah, he did. That didn't mean he wanted to discuss it, not even with Mikey. And especially not here on the fire ground, where any number of people might overhear. "Nothing's going on."

Mike swore behind him, the words harsh and disbelieving. A second later and she was standing next to him, leaning one shoulder against the wall and staring at him with those clear blue eyes that always saw too much. Gone was any trace of a smile, any sign of humor. This was Michaela being serious, something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Is it getting serious between you two?"

"What?" He frowned then shook his head, thought about giving her a short little laugh to go along with his look of disbelief. Jay swallowed back the laugh, nearly choking, and shook his head again. "Serious? Me? Of course not."

Which is what he knew Mike was expecting him to say. He could see that much in her eyes. He could also see her unspoken words, the ones where she called him a liar. Yeah, he heard that loud and clear even without her saying it. He turned his head to the side and spit again, not quite able to meet her stare.

"You know I'm calling bullshit, right?"

"Yeah, whatever Mikey."

"Hey, don't get an attitude with me. Best friend, remember? I'm not the one who has a problem with it. And I told you before, I like Angie."

"And now you're wondering how long before I screw her over, right?" Jay took a step to the side, half-expecting Mike to slug him for the words he already regretted saying. No, Mike wouldn't expect him to do that, no matter what everyone else might think.

But she didn't say anything, just stood there with her arms crossed, looking both lethal and thoughtful in the dirty turnout gear and bottle. She uncrossed her arm and dragged her wrist across her forehead, leaving a smear of soot and grime on her face. To her credit—and his surprise—she ignored the comment completely and walked over to the other side of the room, tearing at the wall in the corner.

"Nick and I are going out for dinner and a movie tomorrow night. Why don't you guys join us?"

He almost said yes. The idea of going on a date, hanging with friends who would accept them and not judge, was more tempting than he imagined. But he shook his head, giving Mike a small smile as he did.

"We already made plans." His grin grew a little wider as he thought about where he was taking her. Mike raised her brows, no doubt thinking he had something else entirely in mind.

"Is that so?"

"Shut up. That's not what I meant." He leaned to the side and looked out the door through the thinning haze to make sure nobody else was around. "I'm taking her to the carnival."

"Really?" Mike laughed then quickly stopped, clearing her throat when he shot her a dirty look.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Honest. It's actually kind of sweet. I wouldn't have expected that from you."

"Sweet?" Great. That wasn't exactly the result he had been aiming for. "Is it too silly? Maybe I should—"

"Jay, stop. I think it's a good idea. You guys will have fun."

"Are you sure? I haven't told her yet, so it's not too late—"

"Man, you really do like her, don't you?"

It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement but it still caught him off-guard. If not the words, then definitely the way she said it—like it was a sure thing, not even up for debate. He shouldn't be surprised, though. It was nothing less than what he would have expected from Mike. Maybe that was the issue: because it was Mike, and he wouldn't lie to her.

And because she was right. He did like Angie. More than he expected. She wasn't like the other women he'd dated. That in itself was a whole other problem. In the past, he dated women closer to his own age, even a little older. Women who weren't looking for relationships. Women who were completely comfortable with what he had to offer—which was a few nights of fun and not much else.

Angie was younger, by six years—something he tried not to think too hard about. Was she looking for a relationship? He couldn't say, but he was pretty damn sure that she wasn't the kind of woman who was fine with just a few nights of pleasure. And oddly enough, that was fine with him because he suddenly wanted more. He was done with the casual encounter thing, done with the dating scene, done with all of it.

But with Angie? Yeah, he liked her. Liked being with her. Loved her smile and laughter and the way she made him feel. And he loved her sense of family loyalty, even if her ass of a brother didn't deserve it.

Which wasn't fair. He and Dave used to be close, used to be friends. Yeah, that had definitely changed. And while Jay could understand Dave's feelings, at least a little bit, he still thought the man was overreacting.

"Yo. Earth to Jay." Mike's voice was right next to his ear and he turned, startled, just as she nudged him. He stumbled into the wall and automatically brought his hand up to catch himself. The wall crumbled and his hand shot through, throwing him off-balance even more.

"Dammit." He jerked his arm back and gave Mike a dirty look. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Me? How was I supposed to know you'd lose your balance? Besides, that's what you get for zoning out so much." She pulled some more of the wall down then looked behind it, searching for more extension before looking at him over her shoulder. "What were you thinking about?"

"Do you think Dave is overreacting? Or am I really that big of a dick?"

Mike stared at him for a few seconds then let out a long sigh. She lowered her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, then shook her head. "Lord save me from stupid men."

"What? I think that's a valid question."

"And you really want the answer?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay." She paused, watching him, her expression suddenly too serious. "Yes. To both questions. Dave is overreacting and you can be a dick. Happy?"

"No."

"Then you shouldn't have asked." She stepped forward and gave his shoulder a small push before smiling. "Listen, Jay. You've had your moments. So have I. You remember all the shit I gave Nick last year? Nobody's perfect. Do I think you're going to be a dick with Angie? No. You're different with her. More…I don't know. Relaxed. More yourself. I think you guys make a cute couple."

"So you think he's overreacting? Or do you think he has a point?"

Mike watched him for a long minute, her clear gaze too serious, too intense. Then she shook her head and swung the axe once more, hitting high on the wall and tearing down a chunk of drywall. Once, twice. Once more. Jay swallowed back his disappointment, certain that her silence meant she thought that Dave was right, that whatever was going on between Angie and him didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of working out.

And dammit, that pissed him off. Hell, he'd be the first to admit that his history wasn't the greatest. Yeah, he had a reputation for not settling down. A reputation for playing the field, for dating too many women. But not at once. Fuck no, never that. He'd been on the receiving end of that shit and would never even think about doing that to someone else.

And he never used women. Never treated them bad. So why the hell was Mikey so silent? And why did he feel like her silence was so damned accusing?

"Yes and no."

"What?"

Mike dropped the axe to her side and gave Jay a sideways look, the corner of her mouth tilting ever so slightly. "I said yes and no. Yeah, I think Dave is overreacting and no, I don't think he has a point."

She rested her shoulder against the wall, still watching him—too carefully, studying him too much. "Angie's his little sister. He's going to be protective, that's to be expected. But there's something else going on with him."

"Yeah, okay."

"No, really. He hasn't been himself. Haven't you noticed that?"

Jay barely stopped himself from snorting—or from saying something out loud that would end being overheard even out on the street. "No, I haven't noticed. I've been a little busy avoiding getting into a fight with him."

"Don't be an ass, Jay. Something's been going on even before you and Angie started seeing each other. I can't be the only one who's noticed."

Jay shrugged, not wanting to think too much about Dave. Yeah, definitely not Dave. But maybe Mike had a point. Maybe, if he stopped to really think, he might agree that something else was going on with Dave.

But he wasn't going to admit it, not even to Mike. And he damn sure wasn't going to accept that as an excuse for the shit Dave was pulling now. Yeah, Angie was his sister. And yeah, maybe it crossed some imaginary blurred line that Jay was dating her now. But that still wasn't an excuse for Dave's shit. At least, not a valid one, not in Jay's mind.

"Are you two done playing games and gossiping like girls in here?"

Jay turned, surprised to see Adam poking his head around the corner. Something flew through the air, seen from the corner of his eye. He jumped before realizing Mike had thrown a chunk of wet drywall through the air, almost hitting Adam in the chest. The younger man jumped out of the way just in time and grinned.

"Gossiping like a girl? Really, Adam? Don't insult me. You're lucky I didn't throw my axe at you."

"I didn't mean you, Mike. I meant Jay."

"Screw you, Adam. What's the rush, anyway?"

"No rush. Not really. I just want to get back for lunch."

Jay shook his head, resisting the urge to say too much more. Adam was relatively new to their shift, a few years younger than Mike and him. And quiet—almost too quiet. Jay wasn't sure if that was because he was just naturally quiet, or if he was still feeling things out, still trying to find a way to fit in. He didn't want to give him too hard of a time. At least, not yet.

He glanced over at Mike and raised his brows in silent question. She grinned and shrugged, casting a quick glance at Adam before fixing her gaze on Jay. "We're good in here as far as I'm concerned. Anything else you wanted to talk about?"

It didn't matter if he did or not, he sure as hell wasn't going to have any more of this conversation in front of Adam. Not that there was anything he shouldn't have heard—Jay just didn't want everyone else to know too much about his private life. No matter how much of that was currently bleeding over into their station life.

So no, there really wasn't anything else he needed to talk about. He just wanted to spend time with Angie without the hassle of her brother's shit. And maybe that wasn't a realistic expectation. Maybe it never would be. Maybe it wouldn't matter. Maybe Jay was just reading too much into everything, feeling more than he should.

Yeah, wouldn't that just be perfect? After years of never even considering the possibility of settling down, wouldn't it suck if he had the urge to do just that with the one woman he wasn't even supposed to be seeing? Yeah, of course it would. Because that's how life worked.

"Jay?"

"Hm?" He blinked, clearing his mind, and looked up to see Mikey watching him, waiting. Jay blinked once more, struggling to remember the question.

Was there anything else he wanted to talk about? No. No, there wasn't. He'd have to trust whatever was between Angie and him and just take it one day a time, see what happened.

He shook his head and forced a grin to his face. "No, I'm good."

Mikey didn't look like she believed him but she didn't say anything. Good, because he suddenly wasn't in the mood to listen to anything else.  He grabbed his axe and looked around the room one last time then followed Mike and Adam out.

Yeah, he could tell himself he was just going to play things by ear, take things day-to-day, all he wanted. That was why all he could think about was tomorrow, when he'd get to see Angie again, get to spend more time with her.