Page 24 of My Three Hometown Firefighters (Aspen Springs #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Grayson

DECEMBER

My shoes pound against the cement with each stride I take. It’s a warm day for the beginning of December in the middle of the mountains.

Meaning it’s forty-three degrees outside.

The sun is shining, though, and I feel like I can finally breathe for the first time all day.

I had just been sitting in my quiet house alone, wishing I was actually working because then I’d have something to distract me.

Sienna is the only thing I can seem to think about for more than ten seconds. With anything else, my mind inevitably drifts back to her.

I was already primed and ready to fall for her before I even knew who she was. The past two years of pining for her from afar only made that ache grow even deeper within me. Now, I know I’m falling…

My thoughts stutter to a stop along with my steps. I’m not falling. I’m in love with her.

I run my hands over my sweaty face at what I just admitted, even if it was only to myself.

I’m in love with her.

What the hell do I do with that? I’m not even in an actual relationship with her.

The fact that Warren and Tucker are involved doesn't even really faze me at this point. As wary as I might have been at first, we’ve settled into a rhythm that just works.

And if I’m being honest, it’s the hottest sex I’ve ever had in my life. Watching them make her fall apart is more of a turn on than I ever would have imagined.

I groan, starting to run up the hill in front of me. This run isn’t helping. It was supposed to get my mind off this whole mess, not keep it ruminating inside my skull.

My calves burn as I push myself to run faster. Maybe if it hurts bad enough, I won’t have room to think about her. Her.

My steps once again grind to a halt because there she is. She’s walking toward me with three dogs around her that she seems to be in the middle of an animated conversation with. Well, a one-sided one, I guess.

She has no idea I’m here, so I just stare for a moment in the wake of what I just realized.

I grin at her brightly colored puffer jacket with floral print athletic leggings. Her hair is pulled back with a clip, but it looks like the wind has pulled half of it loose. It’s whipping around her face with every gust.

Her head finally lifts, and her eyes connect with mine. Yup, it’s true. I’m definitely in love with her.

A smile spreads across her face. “Hey. I didn’t see you there.”

I saw you. I always see you.

“Hey,” is all I say, though. I step toward her, between the dogs at her feet. I tuck several stray pieces of hair behind her ears to keep them from blowing in her eyes.

“Thanks,” she mutters quietly, but I can tell she’s nervous to have me this close to her where anyone could see us.

“Come here,” I say, over my shoulder as I walk off the path toward a grove of trees.

We work together to tie the dogs to an aspen tree where they’ll be safe. I grab her hand, pulling her further into the wooded area. Walking around the back of a large tree, I press her against it.

She lets out a small gasp as my body cages her in. “Now I can say hello the way I really wanted to,” I whisper, leaning in until our lips are almost touching.

I can feel her swallow. “And how’s that?” she asks.

“Like this,” I say, closing the last breath of space between us. My world reduces to her mouth on mine. Every breathy whimper released between us makes me want to hold onto her for dear life.

I start to feel the panic rising inside of me that this might be the last time I get to kiss her, touch her. It isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way.

Each time she’s in my arms now, I find myself savoring every second because some voice in the back of my head tells me this can’t last.

Shoving that voice to the back of my head, I focus on her. Only her.

We kiss until we both pull back to drag in some much-needed oxygen.

“I liked that hello a lot more,” she says, grinning up at me.

“Me too,” I whisper because that’s all I can get out right now with how hard my heart is still pounding against my rib cage.

Why can’t I kiss you like that every day, in front of whoever is around to see? Why can’t you just be mine?

One of her hands skims down over my chest. “I kind of like you all sweaty like this,” she says, a wicked look in her eyes.

I gaze back with the same level of wickedness. “You’ve seen me sweatier than this plenty of times, love.”

She cocks her head to the side in acknowledgment. “Not when you’re on a run, though.”

“So, you’re saying I’m more attractive when I’m out for a run than when I’m fucking your brains out?”

She snorts. “I stand corrected. The latter is much hotter.”

I kiss her temple. “That’s what I thought.”

One of the dogs starts barking. She groans, resting her forehead against my chest. “Back to reality, I guess,” she mumbles against the fabric of my shirt.

I wedge my arms between her and the tree, holding her tightly against my chest. “Give me just two more minutes. Okay?”

Her whole body relaxes as she leans into me. “Okay,” she sighs.

Neither of us says a word. We just stand there holding each other. I can feel her chest rising and falling with each breath.

I have no way of knowing when two minutes have actually passed, but eventually I squeeze her a little tighter for a beat, then let my arms fall away.

She looks lighter when she gazes up at me. “I think I needed that hug more than I realized,” she says.

I did too, love. More than you know.

I slide my hand into hers, walking back to where the dogs are waiting.

Far too quickly, we’re standing back on the path. I have to fight every instinct raging inside my body to lean in and give her one final kiss before we part ways.

She gives me a loaded smile, like she might just know what I’m thinking.

“Bye, stud. Have a good rest of your run.”

“Bye, love. Text me when you get back safely.”

With a nod, she turns around and walks away. I wait until she’s disappeared from view down the hill I ran up earlier. Only then do I turn around and continue my run.

All I can think about is what I called her two years ago. Love . Little did I know it would come to ring truer than any other word that’s ever left my mouth.

For the first time, I think I actually understand how my sister’s relationship works. They’re all happy being with her because they love her enough to make anything work.

I know with the way my heart is consumed by her, I would do pretty much anything to make things real between us because I never want to say a real goodbye to her.

Saying goodbye when I know I’ll see her soon is hard enough as it is.