“I’m getting there.”
“I can be a patient guy,” he says, then grabs my hand.
He pulls me behind him down the stairs. Hadley sees our joined hands a second before he releases me and strides toward where his sister is crouched on the floor with Cash.
She gives me a knowing look over Grayson’s shoulder. I want to scream at her that there’s nothing to know, but that would be a bold-faced lie.
“You get to be with Cash,” she tells him. “He’s my favorite, so you better be nice.”
“I’m always nice,” he grumbles, clearly offended.
“As the person you used to push into mud puddles, I can adamantly say you are not always nice.”
“Just tell me what to do, Hads, so I can get back to work.”
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for you to say that to me.” She beams at him.
“You’re insufferable.”
“And yet you’re still going to do exactly what I say because…” Her voice trails off as he glances at me.
Grayson looks like he’s going to murder Hadley with his glares alone, but he does exactly as she says. Cash is the star of the show, so Grayson doesn’t have to do much besides putting on some of his gear.
It isn’t the first time I’ve seen him in his gear, but it’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to think about all the muscles he’s hiding underneath all of it. Muscles that I really do want to run my hand, and maybe my tongue, all over again.
“Wait. Where’s Salem?” I ask, seeing the empty crate still sitting in the corner of the room.
Tucker’s eyes pop wide as he looks around the room. “I swear I put her in the crate after Hadley was done with us.”
“Did you lock it?” I ask.
He pauses. “I think so.”
“Tucker,” I groan.
“We’ll find her. I promise,” he says, giving me an apologetic look.
But we don’t find her. After an hour of searching the firehouse and surrounding area, there wasn’t a trace of her in sight.
She’s a sneaky one. My gut tells me she’s holed up somewhere in the building, probably having a good nap.
“I’ll keep looking for her,” Tucker says, walking beside me to my car. The level of remorse he clearly feels is kind of adorable.
“She’ll be okay. She always seems to hate being outside, so I’m sure she didn’t get far.”
“Can I have your number?” He blushes, shaking his head. “So, I can let you know if we find her.” He smiles. “I wouldn’t mind having it for other purposes, though.”
I ramble off the digits, and he types them into his phone. A moment later, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
“I texted you, so you have my number too.”
“Okay.”
I expect him to head back into the building, but he remains in the same spot. His pale blue eyes almost match the sky above his head as he stares down at me.
“I know this might sound weird,” he starts.
“Not a great way to draw me in.” I laugh.
