Page 7 of My Three Hometown Firefighters (Aspen Springs #2)

CHAPTER SIX

Grayson

With my Diet Coke acquired, I step away from the bar. Surveying the room, I see my sister perched on my best friend Austin’s lap.

I can’t say I’m completely fine with her being in a relationship with him as well as two other guys, but the glaring need to punch all of them in the face has faded.

They all clearly care about her, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for my baby sister. The rest is a “me” problem that I’m working on.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sienna abruptly grab her things from her table and practically run to the farthest corner of the room. She ducks down the hallway.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to keep my feet glued in place. Don’t go after her. Don’t go after her.

It’s no use. I’m already walking in the direction she disappeared before the thoughts can fully process through my brain.

Just as I reach the hallway, Tucker and Warren converge on either side of me. We all pause. Our eyes dart between each other.

“What are you two doing?” I ask.

Tucker says, “Sienna.”

Warren just points down the hallway.

I guess we all have a common interest—a gorgeous redhead.

All three of us stand in place, waiting for someone to say something.

“Well, okay then. I guess we’re all going to check on her,” I say. As I start walking down the narrow hallway, I can tell they’re both following close behind.

Assuming she ducked outside, I quietly open the metal door. She’s standing a handful of feet away with her back facing us as she stares at the sky.

Her shoulders rise and fall, like she’s taking a deep breath, then she rambles on about a lot of things I don’t quite understand.

When the words “I don’t even think I like sex” fly from her mouth, my brain screeches to a halt. Flashes of our night together speed through my mind.

Even though the night was two years ago, I can still see the vision of her coming around my cock like it was yesterday. Unless she’s an award-winning actress, I know she enjoyed herself that night.

More of her words filter into my hyper-focused brain. “There was that one time that I did.”

At least I’m not completely delusional. Wait. She’d better be thinking about that night with me and not some other asshole.

Now I have raging jealousy building inside of me for anyone else she’s enjoyed having sex with. Lovely.

She turns around and freezes. Her eyes dial in on me, a whirlwind of emotions passing over her features.

Her eyes move from my right to my left, no doubt clocking the two men who are standing just behind me.

“I’ll call you back tomorrow, Mom. Love you,” she says before hanging up the call and letting her hand fall to her side.

“You don’t like sex,” I blurt out.

What the fuck? Why is that what I chose to say out of all the sentences that could be formed in the English language?

Tucker curses under his breath as Sienna’s eyes widen. She swallows, and her delicate throat bobs with the action.

“Umm… not most of the time.” Her eyes nervously lock onto mine.

Tucker takes a step forward until he’s at my side. “You must have been with some real jackasses, then, if they didn’t make sure you loved every second of it.”

She laughs to herself. “That’s basically what my mom just told me.”

“What made that one time different?” Warren asks, stepping forward until we’re all standing in a line.

Her eyes widen so far, I’m afraid her eyeballs might fall out of her skull. At first, she looks right at me, but then she seems determined to look anywhere else.

“You two?” Warren asks.

“Oh, shit. That actually makes sense,” Tucker pipes in.

She opens her mouth to say something, but no words make it out.

“Yes, a few years ago,” I say.

Warren tenses beside me. “Did he hurt you?” He takes a breath. “I mean, did he break your heart? I know him well enough to know he wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

She immediately starts shaking her head. “No, he didn’t. It was one night during a layover in Nashville. We didn’t even realize who each other was until I moved back to town a few weeks later.”

Warren visibly relaxes.

“That explains all of the tension between you two,” Tucker says, laughing.

She finally looks at me, and we both shrug.

I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Closing the distance between us, I rest my hands on either side of her face.

“You deserve to find joy and fun in your sexuality. I’m not saying it needs to be with me; I just want you to know you should fight for that and not settle for anything less.”

A sheen glosses over green eyes that are boring into me. I let my thumbs track over her cheekbones one last time before my hands fall away as I step back.

Her eyes close, a heaviness seeming to settle over her. I can only assume it’s from the weight of everything that’s come to light in the last few minutes.

“Are you okay?” Warren asks.

Her eyes soften when they land on him. She gives him a small one-shouldered shrug.

He hesitates for a moment before walking toward her and wrapping her in his arms. She looks tiny, wrapped up in his huge body.

Warren’s size and quiet nature often lead people to think he’s cold, but he’s actually the biggest teddy bear. He’s just reserved.

When they pull away from each other, she gives him an adoring look that does weird things to my heart. I’m glad she seems to feel better now, but I wish I could have been the one to comfort her and hold her in my arms.

“Do you need a ride home?” Tucker asks.

She looks at me, and no words are needed. She rode here with me tonight, but she needs some space from everything we just talked about.

She smiles at Tucker. “Do you mind?”

“No, of course not. Let me go get my car,” he says, jogging across the parking lot.

The three of us stand there, silently waiting, until Tucker pulls up to the curb in his red SUV. I stand back, letting Warren help her into the car, but before he closes the door, she makes eye contact with me again.

“Fight for it,” she says to herself, even if she’s staring at me the whole time.