Hold Me Now

3. Paisley

Chapter Three

Paisley

“Um, okay,” I said slowly, mostly because I didn’t know what else to say. “Your mom didn't mention who you were.”

When the doorbell rang, Russell turned and jogged down the stairs. I followed, thinking it was his pizza, but it turned out to be a package delivery.

He left the box by the door and walked into the kitchen, setting my box of pizza on the counter. Turning back, he rested his hips against the counter and crossed his arms. Instantly, I felt the way I did back at my interview. He'd given off intense vibes of skepticism. I'd left that interview thinking he was a sexist asshole. He was still a sexist asshole to me. I was pretty sure it was just me. He wasn't that way with Phoebe or Susannah, another hotshot firefighter at the station.

“How did you find out about this place?” he asked.

“Janet gave me your mom’s number. I was staying at her B&B, but she's got it rented out to somebody else for the winter.”

Russell nodded slowly. “Well, you're upstairs, and I'm downstairs. The only space we have to share is the kitchen. There’s still a TV up there, right?”

I almost laughed aloud because he looked slightly panicked about that. I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yes, that's part of the reason I jumped on this when I heard about it. It's furnished, and there's a television. I didn't bring much with me when I moved here.”

His eyes, piercing and dark, felt like a laser beam on me. “Why did you move to Alaska? If you don't mind me asking.”

I did, in fact, mind him asking, but it wasn't because of him. That was all on me, but I wasn’t about to get into that with him. “I wanted a change of pace, and I love the outdoors. Anyone who loves the outdoors knows that Alaska is the crown jewel of the wilderness. When I saw this open position, I applied. I know you didn't want them to hire me.” As soon as that last part slipped out, I wanted to snatch the words back.

Russell was shaking his head. “Not true.”

“Don't bullshit me, Russell,” I countered. At that moment, my stomach growled, and his lips kicked up in a smile.

His smiles were dangerous, and thankfully, he rarely directed them at me personally. For the most part, he seemed like a friendly guy around the station and with the rest of our crew. Ever since Graham had forced us to chat, he’d been scrupulously polite with me.

“I suppose you’d like to eat,” he commented.

“Well, yeah,” I replied with a shrug.

“I'll give you the quick kitchen tour,” he began, just as there was another knock on the door. “That must be my pizza.” He smiled again.

This time, my belly executed a quick flip, all atwitter with excitement at a smile from Russell. Not one, but two whole smiles. I seriously needed to figure out somewhere else to live. I didn't think I could keep my sanity if I tried to stay here with him. That elicited a sigh because it was a really nice place. It was perfect for me.

Another moment later, he was waving off the pizza delivery guy. “Thanks,” he called as he closed the door. Turning back, I noticed he had two boxes of pizza in hand.

“Two pizzas?” I asked.

He gave me grin number three, looking a little sheepish. “I eat a lot, and it's great to have leftover pizza. Wouldn’t you agree?” I nodded because, of course, leftover pizza was great. “Now, let me finish that kitchen tour.”

He set his boxes of pizza on the counter beside mine. He began opening cabinets and drawers and pointing out what was where. I had silently decided I was going to take my pizza back upstairs, but before I could do that, he pulled out two plates and asked me if I wanted something to drink.

I didn't need to create more tension between us by refusing that. Surely, I could handle sitting down and eating pizza with him. A few minutes later, I found myself sitting across from him at the round table. It was situated in a bay window that offered a pretty view of the lake with moonlight glittering over the water in the darkness.

“What lake is that?” I asked as I took out a piece of pizza and reached for a napkin from the stack in the center of the table.

“Lupine Lake.”

“It's beautiful.”

He nodded while he chewed on a bite of pizza.

“Considering how hard it is to find a rental around here, your mom didn’t ask many questions.”

His lips kicked up in a half-smile, sending my belly into a shimmy. “That's my mom for you. She trusts everybody.”

I felt myself bristling, and before I could hold it back, I said, “You think I'm not worth trusting?”

Russell had been in the middle of lifting a slice of his pepperoni pizza to his mouth, and he lowered it. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me across the table. My body felt as if sparks were bouncing around inside, colliding with each other and setting little bonfires everywhere. Trying to live with Russell was out of the question. I'd probably go crazy.