1. Carter

The cool water on my face clears some of the fogginess from my brain. I use one of the brown paper towels to dry my skin, watching my movements in the mirror. My eyes show just how tired I am, and all I want to do is go home to sleep off this deep-rooted exhaustion. Not that it would do any good.

My brothers would never let me out of their attempt to cheer me up. I sort of love them for that, even if their meddling is annoying.

With a sigh, I slide my black-framed glasses back on my face and leave the bathroom. I want to ignore the buzzing of my phone. I already know who the text is from, and I have no desire to have my heart battered even more.

I must be a masochist because I read the text anyway.

Chase

Are you seriously going to be this petty? I told you I’m sorry. What more do you want from me?

I grit my teeth. Guilt punches me in the stomach while the crack in my broken heart widens a little further.

“Ooof.” My phone goes clattering to the floor as a hard wall of a chest hits me straight on.

“Oh, shit. My bad.”

I look up and freeze. Hazel eyes peer down at me, self-deprecating humor making them sparkle. His crooked nose gives him a devil-may-care look, and his lips are tipped up in a smirk. Add in his messy mop of blond hair, and I think I just found my kryptonite. Fuck, this guy is gorgeous.

And someone I’d never be able to land. He’s a firefighter with my brother-in-law, Tucker, and the few times I’ve seen him around, he hasn’t looked at me twice. That fact doesn’t stop my brain from imagining all the things I’d want to do with him if he were mine.

“You okay? I didn’t give you a concussion or anything, right?” he asks.

I shake my head, both in answer to his question and to pull myself out of my daze. “No, I don’t think that’s possible. You have to reach at least seventy Gs of force to sustain a concussion.” Oh, my god. I’m such an idiot. Why did I say that?

“I don’t know. You hit my chest pretty hard. It could happen,” he teases. He bends over to grab my phone and cringes. “Looks like I actually did do some damage. I’d offer to buy you a new one, but to be frank, I can’t really afford it. Small-town firefighter salaries don’t lend to brand-new, high-tech phones.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got another one I can use. In fact, you did me a favor. I had just received a text I didn’t want to reply to.” I hold my hand out to take my phone, and his hand slides across my palm when he gives it back. I watch with fascination as goose bumps spread across the skin of my arm. That’s certainly never happened before.

“This is going to sound creepy as fuck, but you’re related to Tucker James, right? I’ve seen you around the firehouse some.”

I grin at him. “Not creepy. Yeah, he’s my brother-in-law, for lack of a better word. His wife, Natalie, isn’t technically related to us, even though we claim her as an extra sibling. She was at our house so often growing up, we joke that we adopted her.” I clench my teeth together to stop the word vomit. Why am I the way that I am? I wish I could be as smooth as my younger brother, Nolan. He never seems to get flustered around a girl he likes, whereas I turn into a bumbling idiot around any guy I find attractive.

His smile is soft as he looks at me. “We love Natalie at the house. She’s a firecracker. I’m Sam, by the way.” He holds his hand out toward me.

I shake it and try to ignore how strong his hands feel. How amazing would his callouses feel sliding against my skin? “Carter.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve gotta go to the bathroom, but maybe I could buy you a drink when I get back out? It’s the least I owe you.”

“Um, okay?” It comes out more like a question than an acceptance. Why he’d want to continue talking to me doesn’t make a bit of sense, but I won’t turn down the opportunity to continue staring at his gorgeous face.

His wide grin is blinding, and I find myself smiling in return. He walks into the restroom, and I head back to the rowdy table filled with my three brothers. Nolan is currently telling an extravagant story, as usual. His arms are waving around him as he exaggerates the details. I don’t even need to hear him tell it to know half of what he says isn’t true. Adam, my oldest brother, is trying to keep his amusement off his face while Matthew, the second oldest, has a grin on his face despite his head shaking in disapproval.

“I shit you not, this dude pulled a freight train like ten feet. It was insane,” Nolan says.

I sit down at the table. “It is physically impossible to pull a train on your own. One car is doable. The whole train is not.”

Nolan shoves my arm. “Shut up, nerd. Maybe it was only one car, but it was still awesome.”

He’s three sheets to the wind at this point. I’m pretty sure he used my recent breakup as an excuse to drink at O’Malley’s, the bar he manages, on Adam’s dime. Not that Adam can’t afford it. He and Matthew run a very successful sports equipment company that provides high-end equipment at an affordable cost.

“You okay, Carter? You were gone a while,” Adam asks.

“I’m fine. Accidentally ran into someone and dropped my phone.” I assess the damage to my screen. The phone itself seems fine, but the glass has shattered to the point of making anything unreadable. Maybe I should buy Sam a drink instead of the other way around. Now, I don’t have to respond to Chase.

“Shit, that sucks. Are they going to buy you a new one?” Matthew asks.

“Nah. It was an accident, so it’s no big deal.” My lips curve at the memory of Sam’s smile.

“What are you smiling about? Twenty minutes ago, we could barely get your mouth to quirk,” Nolan presses. He lifts his finger like he’s going to poke my mouth, but I slap his hand away.

My lips turn down while my head shakes in denial. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Adam narrows his eyes at me while Nolan and Matthew stare at me in disbelief. I look away from their probing stares and see Sam standing at the bar next to a couple of other guys. He scans the room, and when he makes eye contact with me, he smiles.

“Ooohhhh. I get it now.” Nolan’s glee couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. “Go talk to him.” He shoves me.

I swat Nolan’s hand away from me. “Stop that. I’m not going over there.”

“Why the fuck not?” Matthew protests.

“Because I’m here with you guys.”

“That’s a cop-out if I’ve ever heard one,” Adam says. I exhale an irritated sigh. I don’t do this stuff around them. I’ve never flirted with a guy while my brothers were around. It always felt too awkward. And I’m not even sure Sam is gay. He looks at me with attraction in his eyes, but I never get my hopes up before I confirm where someone sits on the rainbow.

“Please let me be your wingman. I’ve dreamt of this day my whole fucking life. Please, Carter? Please?”

I look at Nolan with disapproval. “That’s dramatic. And no.”

“Why not?” he presses.

“Because I don’t need a wingman.”

“You need a wingman more than I’ve ever seen any guy need a wingman.”

“Stop saying wingman. Jesus. Fine. We can go over there,” I acquiesce. I will never tell Nolan that I need him to give me the courage to walk over there. He’d hold it over my head for fucking ever.

“Yes!” Nolan fist pumps the air.

“Don’t ever do that again.” I stand from my chair and look over at Sam. He smiles at me again, and my stomach flips. Why can’t I be as outgoing as Nolan? Being introverted has always been a detriment for me. I’ve attempted multiple things over the years to become less of a homebody, and not a single one of them worked.

It’s one of the many reasons Chase would get mad at me. I thought I was free from his constant scrutiny after he broke up with me, but apparently, he’s not done messing with me yet. And I hate that I can’t seem to push him away for good. Confrontation makes my skin crawl.

Nolan walks next to me, his shoulders relaxed while mine are tighter than a drum.

“Hey, guys, welcome to O’Malley’s. I’m Nolan. I run this place when I’m sober. This is my brother, Carter.” Nolan holds his hand out to shake Sam’s hand first and then the other two guys he’s with. They introduce themselves as Taylor and Brody, and I shake their hands after Nolan.

“Taylor is our paramedic, and Brody works for the SFD with me,” Sam explains. Brody is about as tall as Sam, with messy brown hair and a happy-go-lucky smile on his face. Taylor, on the other hand, is a baby-faced blond. He’s adorable.

“Ohhh, you guys are firefighters? Do you know Tucker James?” Nolan asks.

“Yeah.” Sam smiles at me. “Tucker is our captain.”

“What a small fucking world.” Nolan nods his head repeatedly. His dopey smile showcases just how drunk he is, and I can’t help but laugh at him.

“Can I buy you a drink? It’s the least I owe you for your phone,” Sam offers.

“It’s not a big deal, really. Just the screen is cracked. I can fix it when I get home.”

Sam’s eyebrows raise at that. “You’ll fix it yourself?”

“Our Carter here is the brainiac of the Ellis clan. He’s so fucking smart it’s scary.”

“Scary is a bit strong,” I mumble.

“I might suggest sexy instead,” Sam says so quietly only I can hear him. My eyes flash up to his in surprise. I push my glasses up my nose to have something to do with my hands. He’s overwhelming in his intensity.

“I…” I clear my throat, but no other words want to come out, so I just shake my head in denial. Sam continues to smile in the unnerving way he seems to have on me.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and frowns at the screen. His jaw clenches as frustration lines his eyes.

“Is everything okay?”

With a sigh, he looks at me. Regret is plain on his face when he speaks. “No, I have to go take care of something. I’m sorry to bail on our drink. Rain check?”

“Sure, anytime.”

He looks at Taylor and Brody. “I’ve got to head out. You guys good to get home?”

“We’re fine. We’ll see you later,” Brody responds.

Sam nods and then takes off without a look back. I swallow my disappointment while keeping my face a mask of neutrality. Thank God Nolan is too drunk to call me out on it. He’s always been great at reading me, even when I don’t want him to.

“We’re going to head back to our table. It was great to meet you guys,” I say to Taylor and Brody. They both nod, and Nolan and I walk back to sit with Matthew and Adam.

“What just happened?” Adam asks when we settle into our chairs.

“He had to go take care of something, I guess.” I shrug.

“But you got his number, though, right?” Matthew presses.

All I can do is shake my head. Maybe I misread the whole interaction. Even if I didn’t, it’s better this way. I’m not good enough for a guy like Sam. I’d just drag him down like I did Chase.