Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Caleb

Come Monday and my first shift of the week, I'd pretty much recovered from that disaster of a football game at Eric's birthday barbecue. I'd spent the weekend cleaning and getting the place ready for my younger brother's arrival and letting my pride heal. Yes, I'd bowled over the hottest dude I'd seen in a long time, and yes, he was about to be a coworker, but with any luck, I could avoid Tony as much as possible.

Until, that was, my luck took a flying leap out the break room window at the firehouse when my acting captain Sean found me doctoring my first cup of coffee and made a request that had me groaning.

"You want me to show a freaking Ranger the ropes of cleaning fire engines and taking inventory?" I gave Sean a hard stare. He might be acting captain, but we were also buds enough I could get away with the skepticism. Also, he'd seen me face-plant in the mud in front of said Ranger. He could have at least given me more warning before booking me a ticket on the train to Awkward Town with the dude.

"Why not?" Sean shrugged. I was slightly taller, but he was stockier, older, and oblivious to the coming disaster. "You're good at those things."

"Good at doing doesn't equal good at teaching." I took a sip of coffee and promptly burned my tongue.

"No time like the present to add more leadership skills to your arsenal." Sean sounded exactly like every captain I'd met despite his repeated assertions that he'd rather be a crew member. He'd let his father, the fire chief, talk him into being acting captain while the department searched for a permanent solution. "Good for the resume, but it's also good to challenge yourself."

"Decent point." I didn't bother arguing, but unlike me, Sean was a born leader, the type people naturally listened to. Me? I might have traded in my clumsy class clown role, but I still found it far easier to earn a laugh than respect.

"That's the spirit." He clapped me on the shoulder. A few months back, the gesture would have given me a pleasant flutter rather than made me grit my teeth. But now Sean was happily partnered, and I was increasingly unhappy in my role as the station's comedic relief.

Maybe this chance to boss someone around was exactly what I needed.

"Morning, Captain." And then, Tony ambled into the break room in street clothes of a nice polo and clean jeans, looking entirely too delicious with his silver-streaked dark hair, lean muscles, and chiseled features. Nope, not what I needed at all.

"Morning." Sean had a wide smile for his friend before gesturing at me. "And you'll remember Caleb from the park."

Ouch. Talk about twisting the knife. All my hard work of trying to move beyond the incident evaporated as Tony laughed. "How could I forget?"

He extended a hand, leaving me no choice but to set aside my coffee cup to shake it. And, of course, he had the perfect strong grip with wide palms and long, elegant fingers. I could think of far better uses for his hands, but I was not going to fall prey to another hopeless coworker crush.

Sean continued to grin like a proud big brother. "I've tapped Caleb here to give you a tour of the station and to go over some of the basic maintenance tasks."

"Sure thing, boss." Tony nodded at Sean before turning his big brown eyes in my direction. "Lead the way."

I grabbed my neglected coffee cup, more out of a need to do something with my hands than actual thirst. "We can start with the locker room so you can change."

"Good idea." Sean's tone was a bit too encouraging. "I put some uniforms in locker forty-seven for Tony earlier." He waved us away, adding a cheery, "Have fun!"

Not likely, but I tried to take his advice about leadership skills to heart, striding toward the locker room with a confidence I didn't exactly feel.

"That's your locker." I pointed to the metal locker Sean had assigned Tony. "You can go ahead and get into uniform. The pants and T-shirt are generally acceptable for duties at the station."

"Thanks." Tony immediately moved to pull off his polo shirt, so I positioned myself and my coffee, looking over at the showers, not him. Didn't matter how much I wanted to ogle, I knew better. Tony, however, made a noise of protest. "Hey, you don't have to turn into a statue. I've spent twenty years in military changing rooms. I lost all modesty a long time ago."

"And I learned as an openly queer dude to keep my eyeballs to myself because you never know who's going to take issue." Might as well get that out there now.

"Fair enough, but not me." Tony smiled when I turned slightly toward him. I resolutely focused on the locker beside him and not his bare torso. "I've been friends with Eric for over two decades. Was a groomsman at his wedding to Montgomery. Besides, I trust everyone to be professional."

Ah, the old I've got a friend line, but no detail about his own sexuality. Not that he owed me that information and not that I cared. No more crushes on coworkers, no matter how engaging Tony's slightly mischievous smile.

As Tony got dressed, two of the younger crew members sped through the room, roughhousing and play fighting because of some lost bet over a baseball game.

Tony's eyes widened, and I had to chuckle. "Professional can be a loose concept around here."

"I see." He shut his street clothes inside his locker, and for all I kept reminding myself to not get a crush, the man looked even tastier in uniform, navy tactical pants hugging his muscled ass and thighs, department T-shirt showing off a defined chest and arms. He had faded pen-and-ink tattoos on both forearms, stylized designs that seemed to fit with his military background.

Rather than getting hung up on Tony's looks, I continued our tour of the fire station, ending up in the engine bay.

"One of your big tasks will be keeping the equipment and vehicles ready to go at all times. That means maintaining precise inventory, updated after each call, and keeping the trucks sparkling. Chief calls it parade ready."

"As a staff sergeant, I'm more than familiar with inventory." His tone was a bit bored. No doubt, the former Ranger was used to way more action and less menial tasks, but he would simply have to deal.

"I'm sure." I scooped up a nearby container of the wax polish we used on the engines. "No time like the present to do a little touchup. Grab a rag."

Tony pursed his lips, feet shifting from side to side as he made no move toward the box of rags stored on the same shelf as the polish.

"Look, I'm sure you think this cleaning is beneath you, but it needs doing." I made my tone firm. Sean wanted me to have leadership skills, so lead I would. "Come on, rook."

I put the same emphasis on rook that he had on kid at the disaster in the park, and the flare in his eyes said he knew precisely what I was doing.

"Fine." He grabbed a rag but hung back to watch me start working.

"Problem?" I asked crisply.

"No." He rolled his shoulders, but his body remained tense. "Sorry. It's a stupid thing, but I hate sticky stuff on my hands. Reminds me of…unpleasant memories. Mud. Blood. Worse."

" Oh. " Now that I understood, I felt like a jerk for getting stern. My jaw loosened, sympathy stealing the last of my sternness. Of course the dude had seen some shit. I went to the supply shelves and came back with a pair of disposable gloves. "Gloves?"

"Thank you." He offered a crooked grin as he pulled the gloves on. "Sorry to be such a wimp."

"You're not." I smiled back encouragingly. The little chink in his big, tough armor made him that much more appealing. "And better speaking up than hating a major part of your job."

"True that." Gloves on, he got busy following my lead on polishing the engine.

Rather than get transfixed by his long fingers rubbing circles, I forced myself back to leader mode. "Good work."

"I've got a good teacher." Tony met my gaze, holding it far longer than the average straight guy. The air in the engine bay shifted, a cool current brushing my face and arms and making me shiver. Or maybe it was simply Tony and those soulful brown eyes and strong jaw working their magic over me.

I couldn't afford another crush, but my body had no interest in logic. Averting my gaze, I put all my energy into polishing the engine. I needed to survive the shift, no accidental eye-fucking or meaningful glances allowed.