Page 45 of Sweet Hate (If You Dare #1)

AXEL

“ M orning, Lieutenant. How’re you doing?”

The rookie's voice snaps me back to the present, instead of where it wants to be, between Haven’s heavenly thighs last night. I can’t believe I fucked her on the back of my bike, but I can’t bring myself to regret a second of it either.

“Hey, Ry, all good. You? We’ll be doing truck inspections in fifteen minutes.”

“We all know Dr. Foxy is good,” Beckett comments. He swaggers in, slinging his arm around the rookie's shoulders as he swipes one of Haven’s cupcakes off the counter.

“Jesus, are you still doing that shit?”

“Whatever, dude. I’m not trying to impress your ass. Fuck me, what are these divine creations?” He moans, a look of pure ecstasy on his face.

“For the record, I don’t want you to address me using the words your ass and fuck me that closely ever again.”

He straight up ignores me, continuing to savor the cupcake and regaling us with all manner of sex sounds we don’t need to be familiar with.

A pang of jealousy surges through me, knowing he’s making those sounds over Haven’s cupcakes, but that's rational, right? OK, maybe not. Clearly, I’ve just jumped on and ridden the train all the way to crazy town since making her mine last night.

Now simply seeing one of my guys eat something she touched is giving me fucking feelings.

Beckett waves one in front of Ryan’s nose until he grabs it and takes a bite and moans too. Jesus.

“Can we stop with the sex sounds? It’s too early for this shit. My girl made them for us.”

Both pairs of eyes snap to me, making me feel a little hot under the collar of my crew shirt.

“Ohhhhh did she now? So, does that mean you’re officially off the market? Locked down? Balls in her blender?” Beckett wiggles his eyebrows at me.

“Fuck off, Beck.”

“Well, that’s rude. I’m pretty sure you should be thanking me for helping your ass get the girl.” He might be right, but I’m damn sure never gonna admit to shit. He’d never let me live it down.

“Let’s go, inspection in the engine room.”

Slinging his arm back around the rookie, Beckett flips me the bird as they walk ahead.

This is gonna be a long twenty-four-hour shift. Just thinking about how many hours I have to wait till I can see my girl again makes me antsy.

I don’t even have her at the bakery with me anymore since she’s spending her days baking or working at Jett’s. This is a good thing because I can work on my grand plan without her knowing, but part of me still hates not having her close by.

OK, I lied. Not part of me . All of me. Beckett’s not wrong. I’m officially gone for this woman. Locked down and ready to give her my all.

I know I didn’t give her the full picture last night, conveniently leaving out the part about being head over heels in love with her before she left or the minor technicality that I never really stopped. But I need to stick to my plan, I haven’t come this far to blow it now.

Dispatch sounds over the radio, requesting us to attend a house fire nearby, shaking me free of my thoughts.

I run into the engine room and suit up before we all load onto the truck and roll out.

We pull up to the two-story family home, where the flames have already burst through half of the ground floor windows. My focus is now fully on sizing up the scene to work out our best plan of action to extinguish the fire. Adrenaline is already coursing through my body.

“Tom, Ryan—search and rescue, first floor. Knox, advance the hose line—straight stream through that window to knock down those flames. Max, with me—ground floor sweep. Beckett, standby.”

I mask up and head in with Max to search the ground floor, the smoke thick and black as it billows from what looks like the living room.

“Fire department, call out,” I holler.

I focus on answering sounds, when I hear a cough coming from the direction of the living room. My feet operate on sheer instinct, tearing up the distance to the sound. Making my way inside, I dodge the flames running up the curtains as I search the thick smoke.

I shout out again and hear a weak voice as we make our way further in, Max dousing smaller flames with the water can as we go. I can just make out an elderly man coughing on the floor in the corner and run over, lifting him in my arms.

“Is there anyone else in the house?”

He chokes out the word no as I carry him out to Beckett.

I radio the all clear so my guys can focus on putting out the fire .

We manage to douse the flames relatively quickly, much to my relief.

Once we head back to the station for cleanup and carry out all our inspections and shower, I make myself a sandwich and grab one of my girl’s cupcakes to take into my office to write up my reports.

Settling in my seat, I allow myself a minute to check my phone, happy to see a text from Haven waiting.

Sprinks

Hope your crew enjoys the cupcakes. Xo

Me

By the sex sounds they were making, they enjoyed them a little too much. Jury’s still out if I’m happy about that. But you won major brownie points around here.

Sprinks

LOL. Sex sounds! Glad to be of service. How’s your day going?

Me

Just got back in from a house fire, so I have to get a load of paperwork done.

Sprinks

Oh no! Was everyone OK? Are you OK?!

Me

I’m good, don't worry…unless you wanna come kiss my booboo better?

And the old boy is good too. Beckett took him to the hospital for a once over, but luckily, he got away with just minor smoke inhalation. Could’ve been much worse.

Sprinks

LOL I see you’re just fine. Glad everyone’s ok. I’ll let you get back to it. Hope the rest of your day isn’t too eventful. Xo

Me

Hope you spend the rest of your day thinking about me.

Sprinks

You’re ridiculous.

Me

I prefer optimistic.

Sprinks

xoxo

I lean back, my eyes flicking between the phone in my hand and the Funfetti cupcake on my desk. This is new. I’ve never had this—someone texting me to ask about my day. Worrying about me. Feeding me and my crew. I like it.

Because it’s her.

I know it’s selfish to want to tie her to me forever when, doing what I do, any day could be my last, but I’ll dedicate my life to making sure her every day is perfect to make up for it.

So long as she gives me a chance.

The damn reports aren’t going to write themselves, so I lose myself to work for the next few hours, until the guys being obnoxiously loud outside my office distract me.

They’re probably arm wrestling or whatever other stupid shit they get up to while we wait for callouts. I’m not going out there so they can drag me into a tie break round, which happens a lot more than you’d think.

Beckett suddenly bursts through my office door with a maniacal smile on his face. It’s fucking disturbing.

“Yo, Bossman, you might wanna get out here.” He ducks his head back out of my doorway before turning back my way and making his eyebrows dance. Is he having a stroke?

“No can do, Fox. Gotta tie up these reports.” He leans casually against the doorframe, kicking his leg up behind him. I can already tell this is going to get annoying quickly .

“Ohhhhh I don’t know. I think you really, really should come outside.”

“Beckett, come on, dude. I am not getting dragged into another topless arm wrestle. That shit was bad enough the first time.” He doubles over in laughter giving zero fucks I’m trying to get some work done.

Cap chooses that exact time to walk past him into my office, giving him a sidelong glance. “You OK, Fox?”

Beckett snaps upright so fast he bangs his head on my wall.

See, now that shit is funny.

“Sorry, Cap, all good.” His rigid posture and bright red face are almost enough to set me off roaring with laughter myself.

I catch Beckett side-stepping quietly out of my office in my peripheral vision, making my lips twitch, and Cap shakes his head, with a smile.

Cap’s all business ninety percent of the time, but he loves to laugh as much as the next guy.

He’s just careful about who he does it with, so the other guys rarely get to see this side of him.

After Dad died, he took me under his wing. We were already close because he was always with Dad and I was always with them if I wasn’t with Haven. I’d made it my mission to learn how to be the best fireman I could be from the age of three when I’d decided I wanted to be Fireman Sam.

The level of respect I have for him as my captain and as a man makes the thought of his retirement fill me with sadness and anticipation. It’s the end of another era. I just have to hope I can do him proud and make captain.

“Cap, what can I do for you?” I look at where he’s standing with his arms behind his back. Every inch the firehouse captain, he exudes calm and respect.

Unexpectedly given our whereabouts, his craggy face breaks into a wide smile. Has someone pumped laughing gas into our AC units? That's got to be it .

“Lieutenant, you have a delightful visitor waiting in the engine room.”

Uh, what now? My blank expression makes him chuckle before he brings one of his hands around, and my gaze zeros in on a cupcake with a little firehose on top.

“You didn’t tell me my favorite girl was back in town.”

I jump up from my seat so fast I send it careening to the floor before I leave Cap laughing in my office. I run out to the engine room like my pants are on fire before I skid to a stop.

Sure enough, my girl is standing there, laughing, surrounded by my squad. Beckett, the twat, has his arm slung casually around her shoulder.

She looks incredible, her pink hair hanging loose around her shoulders, a dark pink sweater dress hugging all her curves, and her black floral combat boots showcasing her sexy legs. The sight of her makes me realize I’ve been lowkey pining for her.

How has it been less than twenty-four hours and I’ve missed her this much?

Max letting out a sharp laugh spurs me into action. These guys might be my brothers, but I don't want them leering at my woman, and I sure as shit don’t want them touching her.