12. Cohen

The soundof Zoe’s laughter echoed all the way from the dayroom into the gym. I narrowed my eyes as I did another rep, tightening my grip on the heavily weighted barbell. My feet pressed into the floor as I pushed upward, sweat gleaming on my forehead as I tried to block out the sound.

It wasn’t that I hated the sound of her laugh. I just didn’t like the fact that she was so flirty with everyone, specifically, Gabe, Garrett, and Matty. They were always laughing and talking in the day room together, and I swore she was wrapping them around her finger more and more.

She was getting too close to the crew, and I didn’t like it. It made me uneasy. Media people like her did whatever they could to get what they wanted, and I didn’t believe she was above being a sneaky, flirty trickster to get the guys to open up to her.

Was she even working? I saw her taking notes when we went out on calls, but when we were in the fire station, she mostly talked to the others when she didn’t leave early. My suspicions increased with each passing day, and I was at my tipping point now that the others were trailing her like damn puppies.

We needed to talk, but I couldn’t do it here because the guys would jump to her defense. It needed to just be me and her so that she couldn’t hide behind them. I was getting to the bottom of her motives tonight, and our shift was ending in only a few minutes.

“We should do a barbecue sometime,” Gabe suggested as he, Matty, Garrett, and Zoe walked through the gym to get to the apparatus bay.

I put the barbell back on its stand and sat up, my eyes meeting Zoe’s as she walked past me. My face remained firm, making her frown before she turned away. She knew that I was onto her, but she had no idea what was coming tonight.

I grabbed my workout towel and wiped the sweat off my forehead before wandering to the locker room to get my things. From what I heard earlier, since they weren’t interested in keeping their cheery conversations quiet, she wouldn’t be joining Matty for a beer or the brothers for dinner. She was going home where I was going to confront her and get the truth.

After waiting about thirty minutes after the others left and saying a brief hello to the next shift of firefighters, I drove to Zoe’s house. I wasn’t the type to do extreme shit like this, but the other firefighters were my brothers. I wouldn’t have gotten through my awful divorce in one piece if it wasn’t for them.

So, I was going to protect them at all costs and make sure this journalist wasn’t just using us for her own gain.

I parked along the street and walked up to her door, my knuckles striking the wood a few times in a firm knock. After a minute, the door cracked open, and I saw a familiar green eye through the gap.

Zoe pulled the door open the rest of the way and fixed me with a suspicious look.

“What are you doing here, Cohen?” she questioned me as she crossed her arms over her chest. She wore a white tank top without anything underneath and a silky pair of black sleep shorts, showing off her sleek legs.

I would’ve been lying if I said she wasn’t attractive, but her profession clouded my attraction.

“I need to talk to you,” I replied.

“About?” Zoe pried as her eyes slightly narrowed.

Something heated stirred low in my stomach. Damn it, I should’ve been more pissed off that she was looking at me like that, but… something about her eyes and the way she pursed her full lips did something to me. Something that I wouldn’t dare admit.

“You,” I said, silence following my words.

Zoe ground her teeth for a second before sighing.

“Come in,” she replied before turning and walking out of the foyer.

I was surprised that she let me in, but she didn’t come off as a passive person. She was determined and stubborn, but so was I. When we entered her living room, which only had an orange area rug, a coffee table, and a couch, neither of us sat down. We faced each other with stern looks and tension crackling between us.

“Why are you so attached to my crew?” I questioned her.

Zoe blinked at me in shock.

“What? I already told you that I wanted to work with you guys to find out who is causing all of these fires,” she explained.

“We’ve told you all that we know. Why hang around?” I wondered as I crossed my arms.

Zoe frowned.

“Because going on calls with you guys lets me see the scene as soon as possible. There’s a bigger chance that I’ll find clues,” she defended herself.

“So, you’re hanging out with guys and laughing it up for work?” I scoffed as I stepped closer to her. “Or are you trying to manipulate them into getting everything you want? Are you trying to be a distraction? Because there’s no reason for you to be flirting with them other than to get them to do what you want!”

Zoe stared up at me with wide, glimmering eyes.

“It’s because I have nowhere else to go! Because I can’t even get the courage to see my own dad and there’s no other people in town that I feel comfortable being around!” Zoe suddenly shouted at me, her voice filling the entire room.

I blinked in surprise, getting caught off guard by her revelation,

“Your dad? What? What are you talking about?” I asked.

Zoe sniffled as a tear broke from her eye and coursed down her flushed cheek.

“My mom died three years ago in a hit and run accident. The other driver was never found,” she unveiled, her voice slightly shaking. “I… I can barely talk to my dad now. I’ve stayed away from here for so long because I can barely handle being in the same place where she died. There are just… too many memories.”

My frustration toward her died down as I frowned, hearing the pain in her voice. No one had said anything about her mom dying, but it sounded like it was a very sensitive topic to bring up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” I apologized.

Zoe swallowed hard and shook her head.

“It’s hard to talk about. She was my best friend, and she’s gone. Coming back here was tough, so I tried to focus on work,” she sighed as she fought to get the words out. “But I started talking to people from my past and people I hadn’t met before and started feeling… better. Happier than I have in a while. I promise you that I’m not trying to hurt or manipulate anyone on the crew. This is just all that I have right now.”

Well, now I felt like an asshole. I thought she was some bloodthirsty, nosy journalist who was willing to do anything, including screwing over my family, to get what she wanted. Truthfully, she was just… lonely. I could hear the grief in her voice.

She couldn’t even turn to her own dad, but the guys made her feel comfortable enough to open up. I felt bad for giving her the cold shoulder when I didn’t even know her. I just assumed.

I moved closer to her, drawn by the magnetic effect of my sympathy and guilt. My thumb gently brushed away her tears.

“I really am sorry. I was a dick to you because I was nervous about you being a journalist,” I admitted.

Zoe looked up at me, our gazes colliding.

“I’m here to help my hometown, even if it’s hard to be here,” she promised me, her hand finding the side of my forearm. “I’d never do anything to hurt you guys. I know you and I haven’t been on the best terms, but I wouldn’t even screw you over.”

Damn it, she got me. I cracked a smile as we shared a light laugh, our heads shaking. I reached out and wiped away her last tear, soon realizing just how close we were to each other. Mere inches separated us, and her skin felt so soft to the touch.

I should pull away, right? But as our eyes met again and her alluring features, including her full lips and all the bare skin on display, became that much more prominent, I felt rooted to the spot.

“I’ve been doing my best to avoid you,” I told her.

Zoe’s hand remained on my arm, but I swore I felt her fingertips glide up a few inches.

“But you’re here,” she pointed out as her eyebrow lifted a little.

“To talk. Originally,” I replied, the heat of our bodies mingling as we hovered so close to each other. I couldn’t draw away from her. I didn’t want to.

“Originally? What’s your plan now?” Zoe asked as she tilted her head.

My hand moved to the back of her neck, pulling her forward for a heated kiss the moment my self-control shattered.

Despite the suddenness, Zoe didn’t seem caught off guard. She leaned up on her toes, one hand sliding up my chest, while the other rested on the back of my upper arm. We gravitated closer to each other, our bodies pressing together as our kiss deepened.

“Cohen,” she breathed out.

Hearing her say my name sent my mind into a heated frenzy, my desire raging even hotter. I placed my hands on her hips, backing her up against the nearest wall. My lips trailed down her neck, kissing every crevice that made her writhe against me.

Zoe leaned her head back, carding her fingers through my dark hair. She only let go to raise her arms so that I could pull her tank top off her.

I caressed her breasts, drawing them to my mouth as I wrapped my lips around her hard nipples. She was warm and soft all over, melting in my mouth as I tasted her. Kissed her. Licked her.

Zoe let out a blissful whine before dragging me back up into a needy kiss.

“I want more. I want you,” she begged as she trailed her fingertips along the ridge in the front of my khaki pants.

A throb of need echoed through me. She had no idea how badly I wanted to be buried inside of her right now.

“You have me,” I promised her as I slid her shorts and panties off her hips. My hand slipped between her warm thighs, my fingertips gliding through her folds and rubbing circles against her clit. “Fuck, you’re so wet already.”

Zoe dug her nails into the back of my shoulders, nearly clawing at me as I touched her just right.

“I’m so happy you showed up on my doorstep,” she breathed out as she tugged at the button and zipper of my pants.

I kissed along her jaw toward her ear.

“I’ll be sure to drop by again,” I assured her as I pushed a finger inside of her. Heat pulsed through me so intensely that it nearly made me lightheaded. She felt incredible. I worked another finger inside, thrusting them steadily to prepare her for me.

Zoe freed my erection, her fingers wrapping around the base to stroke me. Her thighs trembled as I curled my fingers deep, a weak moan drifting from her.

“Please,” she begged me.

I couldn’t wait if I wanted to. My cock pulsed in her grip, prompting me to draw away to remove my clothes.

“Come here,” I commanded as I grabbed the back of her thighs, lifting her with ease.

Zoe gasped as her back pressed against the wall. She instinctively clung to me, her arms winding around my neck.

“I’ve got you,” I promised her as I rocked my hard length through her folds, collecting some of her wetness.

Zoe relaxed and pressed her lips against mine, exchanging a gentle kiss with me until I pushed inside of her. She parted her lips in a breathless moan, her nails digging into the back of my shoulders.

I reveled in the clash of pain and pleasure, holding the underside of her thighs tightly to keep her steady. When I was buried inside, I gave us both a moment before thrusting into her. My muscles flexed and tightened as I lifted her and moved her along my cock, pressing her against the wall.

Zoe tilted her head back, her eyes fluttering shut as her mouth hung open in blissful sounds. She raked her nails across my back when I slammed into her, making her body tense and tighten. She wouldn’t last.

I buried my face in her neck, fucking into her deep and slow. My teeth pressed into her shoulder, eliciting a cry of pleasure from her.

“You sound so beautiful,” I murmured near her ear. “Cry out for me.”

Zoe gasped as I snapped my hips.

“Cohen!” she cried out, clinging onto me for dear life.

“That’s it,” I praised her, reveling in the sound as I continued thrusting into her. Pleasure lit me up like a fire, burning through my entire body. “I want you to come for me. Can you do that?”

Zoe nodded in an almost frantic manner, and I felt her thighs try to tighten around me. She let her head drop back against the wall before releasing another blissful sound that filled the whole room.

I buried myself inside of her and finished with a muffled grunt, my face pressing against her neck. We both caught our breaths for a few moments before I slowly and carefully set her down. I didn’t immediately let her go, though, and rested my hands on her waist.

I went from defending my guys from her to wanting to protect her too.

“Shit, I should’ve used a condom,” I cursed, realizing what we just did.

Zoe placed her hand on my arm and gave me a tired smile.

“I’m on birth control,” she comforted me. “It’s okay. I got caught up in the moment too.”

Relief washed over me as I followed her to the bathroom to clean up, heat still lingering over my skin. We washed up, exchanging a smile and a warm look every few seconds. She was different from who I assumed she was. She truly wanted what was best for this town.

“Have you found any leads?” I asked her.

“I have some notes from the arson scenes, but I think I need to look in the past,” Zoe said as she turned to me. “My mom was a researcher. That’s what she would’ve done.”

I watched her eyes grow distant, a bittersweet haze filling them. She wouldn’t ever get over the loss of her mom, but she could still reflect on her memories in a warm light.

“What was she like? Are you like her?” I asked, trying to draw her out of the dark place her mind was trying to retreat to.

Zoe’s eyes brightened.

“She was the kind of mom who never brought me down. Only supported me,” she gushed. “I remember one Christmas we were making sugar cookies, and I knocked over a whole bag of flour on the floor.”

My eyebrows shot up as I imagined the mess. I would’ve been swiftly kicked out of the kitchen.

“She wasn’t mad. Like, at all. She just laughed and flicked flour at me,” Zoe mused. “She said I made it snow indoors.”

I chuckled at the thought. I could definitely see remnants of her mom’s cheery, amusing spirit in her.

“I bet she liked that you were a journalist,” I inferred. Researcher and journalist could intersect at quite a few points.

“She always supported my writing. I wish she could see me now,” Zoe sighed. “I want to do this story right and make her proud.”

No wonder she was so insistent and stubborn about working with us. This wasn’t just any other story for her. It was the story, and if I could help, I wanted to.

“Have you thought about checking out the library? I’m pretty sure they have newspaper archives,” I suggested. It was the only place in town that I could think of where she would get that kind of information.

Zoe brightened up.

“That’s a good idea,” she told me before her face softened. “Thank you, Cohen.”

I was glad that we were on the same page now because we had a lot of work to do. Making this town a safe one wasn’t going to be easy, but at last, I realized that the person we needed to make that happen was finally back home.