Crazy for Your Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #5)(4)

“I think I need a martini.” Her grin is apologetic, the whole it’s not you, it’s me thing.

I push down my disappointment. I didn’t think my fake grand gesture would be the beginning of something for us, but I hate feeling like my arm is the last place she wants to spend her night. “Sure thing. You can go ahead to the table, and I’ll meet you there.”

“After seeing those women throw a fit about losing their chance with you, I don’t think you should get too far from me.” She tugs me closer and cuts her gaze to the cocktail table a few feet from us. Two women sip on pink cocktails and leer at me. They’re beautiful, but “barely legal” isn’t my thing.

“You’re going to be my bodyguard now?”

She surreptitiously glances their way again before nodding. “I could totally take them.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“And you’re my bodyguard too,” she says. “I don’t want to be alone when your family corners me for explanations.”

“They won’t. Not tonight, at least.” The fundraiser is too important to Jackson Brews and to Molly for my siblings or mother to risk bad press by exposing my very public lie. And anyway, they know how nuts it’s been this last month, so they might not be surprised that I couldn’t go through with the auction—even if they don’t fully understand why.

“I can hold my own for a few minutes.” I point to the sweetheart table at the front, reserved for me and my date. “Standing in those heels can’t be comfortable.”

“They’re completely wicked.” Teagan shrugs. “But who can resist a strappy, glittery heel?”

Who, indeed? I recognize this pair as her go-to for fancier dresses. They make her legs look amazing and have inspired more than a few fantasies I’d rather not admit. Fantasies I’ve typically pushed out of my mind, but that refuse to go now that I know what she tastes like . . . now that I can hardly think about anything but tasting her again.

“I’m a pro, Carter. I can stand in these all night long.”

“What else can you do in them?” I ask.

She jabs me with her elbow. “Don’t you wish you knew.”

I show my palms, all innocence. “I was asking about dancing.”

She snorts. “Sure you were.”

“That was quite a show,” Jake says as we step up to the bar, but he’s studying me as if he’s trying to figure out if maybe we do have a secret romance.

“He needed a big, strong woman to protect him,” Teagan says, winking at me.

I lean over the bar so only Jake can hear. “You have no idea how scary some of those ladies are.”

It’s true. For the past few weeks, I’ve even been avoiding Jackson Brews and the tourists who’ve been frequenting my family’s bar in search of me. About a week after the picture went viral, I took home a woman who turned out to be a reporter here for the scoop on “the hot firefighter.” After that, I couldn’t risk it.

“He’s lucky I owed him a favor,” Teagan tells Jake. “It’s only a matter of time before my mother hears about this and calls me to ask about our wedding plans.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m putting out before the wedding,” I tell her, folding my arms. “I’m not that kind of boy.”

This draws a loud snort from Jake. “That was one hell of a nice donation you gave to the Shoe Bus. I had no idea firefighters made such good money.”

“It’s the money from those damn interviews.” I don’t accept them anymore, but right after the picture of me and the pup went viral, I let my chief talk me into doing a couple of TV appearances. I used the opportunity to spread the word about water safety. Turns out I hated it, and it only made my weird fifteen minutes of fame last longer. I don’t tell him that it feels wrong to keep the money. Or that I hate all this attention in the first place.

Jake’s eyes narrow on me, but he nods. “It’s just money, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Are you two drinking tonight?”

Teagan grins. “We didn’t stand in this line for water.”





Carter


Ten grand—that’s how much the bachelor auction brings in for the Shoe Bus, fifteen counting my donation. The guys from my station are going to be cocky sonsofbitches for weeks after how much money they each brought in, but that’s the least of my worries. Between the rest of the auction and dinner, something changes between me and Teagan. I get us more drinks between courses, but the easy laughter fades away the longer we sit at the table with everyone staring at us.

After our plates are cleared, Teagan finally looks at me. “Why’d you do it? Why not spend your night with one of the ladies who came to charm you?”

I’m sure it seems unreasonable. After all, I’m no stranger to beautiful women, and I’m not exactly shy. “I could see how the night was going to unfold. I’d have to recount the story and then have them sing my praises for something anyone would’ve done—anyone could’ve done.”

She cocks her head to the side and studies me. “Not anyone, Carter.”

I shrug. “I hate them acting like I’m a hero when in the scheme of things . . .” I grimace, unwilling to finish that sentence. In the scheme of things, I’m a fucked-up failure. In the scheme of things, I’m just lucky, and the real hero of the JHFD died in a warehouse fire in April.