Page 73 of Faking It with the Firefighter

Abigail emerged from her back door, running as fast as she could and holding up the tiny extinguisher I brought over this week. “I got the fire extinguisher!”

Her heart was in the right place, but that thing was designed for a small kitchen fire. Notthis.

“Abigail, careful!” I yelled, now spraying the back fence beyond the burning flames to try to slow the spread. Donny grabbed a shovel and started tossing dirt on the compost. Hell yeah. “Good thinking, Donny!”

We got as far as the gate, saving most of Abigail’s fence and getting the entryway arbor under control.

Then I looked up ahead, and the entire runner had gone up in flames. Flames ate at the main arbor. The guests had spread about the grounds, some of them horrified, some of them watchingin awe, and a good portion of them just pointing their phones at the chaos and filming. Then there was an even louder scream.

“Ahh! My dress!” Blair shrieked. I glanced down at her feet, and her train was flickering with flames.

“Donny! Blair’s dress!” I yelled, pointing the nozzle in her direction. Donny looked at his bride, then took off at a dead sprint. I followed with the hose. Without him shoveling dirt on the bigger flames, my piddly little spray of water wasn’t cutting it.

I looked up in time to see Donny reach Blair. Panic-stricken, he gasped, then grabbed Blair by the shoulders and pushed her down to the ground.

“What are you doing?” she yelled.

“Stop, drop, and roll, Blair. Stop, drop, and roll!” he screamed back at her.

She wailed and did her best to roll around the grass. Then, like the goddamn Terminator, Abigail marched up to the bride, pulled the pin on the extinguisher, and sprayed Blair down until the fire was out.

That was my girl!

Sirens rang in the distance. Moments later, my other brothers, the firefighter crew, crossed in with the attack hose. It was going to be okay. Once the gang had things in hand, I knew I had to step back. I wasn’t wearing any protective gear, and I’d only get in their way. I ran over to Abigail and took her in my arms.

“Are you all right?” I asked, my heart pounding like crazy.

She looked up from admiring the fire extinguisher’s thick white powder, and she smiledat me. “I’m great. Are you?”

I wrapped an arm around her waist. “Next time you see an out-of-control fire, I want you to runawayfrom it. Not toward. Got it?”

She licked her thumb and wiped my cheekbone. “Ash,” she explained, then said, “I’ll consider the running away thing, but I have to tell you, that’s not my style.”

I growled at her, which made her smile widen.

“Can I tell you something?” she asked.

“What?”

“What you did just now? The whole take-charge, running at danger, barking commands thing?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Verysexy.”

Despite myself, I huffed a laugh. “Fine. Now repeat after me: When I see fire, I run away from it.”

Abigail just grinned at me and swept her arm toward the remains of the fire extinguisher. “You have to admit, Rexy, sometimes my impulsive nature saves lives.” She laughed at the flat expression on my face and pressed her lips to mine.

Then I pulled away and said, “I’m proud of you, Abigail.”

“Really?”

“You had no fear. And although I’d rather you had run in the other direction, you acted quickly and saved Blair from a bad situation. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Her eyes went wide and misty. She swallowed a couple of times, then stroked my cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice sounding like she was having trouble getting the words out. “That’s nice of you to say.”

I squeezed her closer. “I mean it.”