Rekindle Read Online Free

due for a long hot shower.  Not many houses have separate bathroom facilities for men and women, and this is one of them.  However, there’s a private bathroom with a single shower stall just on the other side of the bunks.
    Turning on the water, I pull my hair in a tight bun and strip out of my soiled uniform.  Stepping into the stall, I let the hot water run down my aching muscles and quickly wash my body.  As much as I’d like to enjoy my alone time and steam up the windows, I know all too well another call could ring through any minute. 
    Wrapping the towel around myself, I step out of the stall and run straight into Nick.  Fucking Nick.  
    “Can I help you?” I ask, holding the towel tightly at my breasts, praying none of me below the belt is exposed.
    “How was your first call?”
    “Um, it was good.  Why are you in here?”  And damn my body.  Not for one second have I ever stopped loving Nick and apparently my lady parts haven’t, either. 
    “Just wanted to check on you.”  He raises his arms above his head to stretch and a sliver of his defined stomach peeks out from under his shirt.  My eyes automatically zero in on his exposed flesh and when I realize what I’m doing, I redirect my line of sight, but I wish I didn’t.  His lips curve up in his sexy little grin and I have to brace my knees so they don’t buckle.
    “Thanks,” I mutter, all too breathy.  “If you’d excuse me so I can get changed,” I correct the octave in my voice to one more appropriate of one co-worker walking in on another. 
    Perching himself on the edge of the counter, his smirk widens until I can see the one chipped tooth right in front.  “Go right ahead, I don’t mind.”  Nick crosses his arms over his chest and brings his hand up to cover his mouth, hiding the panty-melting smile, which I’m thankful for and it allows me a little time to recover and not drop my towel right here.
    “Out, Nick,” I harshly whisper as to not wake up the other guys and point to the door.  “ Now ,” I drill the point home.  In true Nick fashion, he doesn’t budge, but starts softly laughing.
    “This is sexual harassment, you know.  I could report you.”  Squaring my shoulders, I move to puff out my chest and quickly remember my towel isn’t the largest and that small surge of pride could cause a nip slip.
    He judges me for a moment, most likely realizing I’m serious, and slides back to the floor.  As his hand grabs the handle, he turns back to me and places his free hand on my hip over the towel.  “Usually, sexual harassment is an unwanted sexual advance by a co-worker.  I’m just a fireman, no rocket scientist here, but I think it’d be fair to say that any sexual advance I make toward you would be wanted.”  His fingers creep inside the flap of the towel and graze the soft skin on my stomach.  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this isn’t sexual harassment.  I know your tells, Tina, don’t you forget it.”  With that last statement, he opens the door just enough for him to slip through and closes it behind him. 
    As it latches, I sit on the closed toilet lid and bring my head to my knees.  Sucking in deep breaths of air, I desperately try to calm my racing heart.  I hate that he’s so damn sexy.  With all that sleep-mussed dark hair, lust-filled brown eyes, two day—maybe more—of scruff and even that fucking chipped tooth, on the outside he’s still the man I fell in love with, but the man on the inside … I don’t know him.  And he sure as hell doesn’t know me.
    Christ, I can’t deal with this.  Coming here, first shift and he doesn’t even acknowledge my existence, now I’m all he can see.  Is this some new kind of hazing I’m not aware of?  Does he miss me?  Is he thinking with his dick?  This is all too much to deal with in the middle of the night.  Hell, it’s too much to deal with at any time. 
    Standing, I quickly run my toothbrush over my teeth and barely have the last