"Absolutely not."
I want to laugh, but there isn't the slightest indication that Morgan is kidding when he asks me to be in the Win-A-Date-With-A-Firefighter auction tonight. Apparently, Diaz is sick and they need to find his replacement. And if Morgan is calling me, they must really be desperate to fill the spot.
I don't see him volunteering, though.
"Come on." He pries. "It won't be that bad! Maybe even a little fun."
I get where he's coming from, I really do. This is one of our biggest fundraisers and sets up the entire budget for the next year, but that doesn't mean I'm going to parade around on a catwalk with my shirt off while drunk women—and men—bid on a date with me.
If they're so desperate, why isn't Morgan volunteering? I have a feeling he's getting at something bigger here, but maybe I'm just on edge. Those stolen moments with Zoe have me completely on edge, and this is the last thing I want to be dealing with. "I really can't, Morgan. My girlfriend is coming with me."
"Don't you want to be a team player, Hall?"
There it is. The ace up his sleeve.
Morgan is a bastard, and he knows exactly what he's doing here. I'm not interested in his stupid games, but unfortunately, I am interested in getting my job back. Whatever it takes.
"Fine." I say, through gritted teeth. If he thinks this is going to be the thing that breaks me, he's dead wrong. I've walked through fire—literally—to get to the point I'm at and no one is going to take that from me. Especially not a power hungry battalion chief who is looking for a public scapegoat.
"Great." I can almost hear him smirking through the damn phone. "Come see me when you get here."
Shoving my phone into my pocket, I check myself in the mirror and wipe the remnants of Zoe's lipstick off of my neck. All I have to do is get through the next few hours and then we can come back here and finish what we started. But with Morgan throwing a wrench in my plan to duck out early, that's certainly easier said than done.
Zoe steps out from the hallway and flashes me a sparkling grin.
Luckily for him, I am so damn high on this woman that not even Morgan and his petty antics can bring me down. One look in those eyes and all the bullshit fades away.
She sheepishly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do I look okay?"
Okay is the understatement of the century. One look at her takes my breath away and leaves me burning with insatiable desire.
"Absolutely perfect." Putting my hand to her chin, I angle it upward and press a gentle kiss to her lips. "I kind of prefer the smudged make-up look from a few minutes ago, but this is a close second."
"Let's get out of here." The suggestive blush on her cheek deepens as she reaches for my hand.
Zoe locks the house up, and soon we're on our way. She tells me about her day as we drive and the closer we get, a familiar rush flutters through me. Is that adrenaline? Am I actually excited about this stupid event? Bringing her into my world like this feels like taking a big step and, with Zoe, that doesn't feel as daunting as it has in the past. In fact, it feels electrifying. I can't wait to show her off tonight.
"So, tell me the inside secrets. What should I know before meeting all of your friends?" Zoe gives my hand a quick squeeze.
I give her a dismissive chuckle, but deep down, I think it's adorable that she wants to be prepared. "Well, there's Riggs. He's one of my lieutenants and he just recently found out he has a four-year-old little girl. Apparently, a girl he hooked up with a few times forgot to tell him she was pregnant and he only found out because she passed away a few months ago."
Zoe's eyes widen in shock. "Oh my gosh, that's awful. She's four and he never knew about her?"
I nod. "It's kind of a mess, but he's finally hired some help, so hopefully he'll get back on his feet soon. Morgan will be there, but I'm planning to avoid him at all costs."
"Naturally." Zoe smiles.
"Coop and his wife will be there. She's a rehab specialist at Central Hospital. That's how she and Coop met, actually. Coop hurt his ankle several years ago, and she helped him get back on the job."
"Was he hurt in a fire, too?"
I let out a sharp laugh. "Nope, just an overly aggressive game of pickup basketball against the police department."
"And, of course, you remember Brooks..."
"Ah Brooks, I've been dying to meet him."
"I promise to keep him in check." I grin. "Actually, he's bringing a girlfriend, which is always interesting. "
"The serial dater with the terrible advice has a girlfriend?" She teases.
"Girlfriend is a loose term. She's about ten years younger than him and I doubt it'll last long, but any girl that survives three dates with him deserves the title."
I fill Zoe in on a few more of my guys and soon we pull up to the Omni Hotel in downtown San Diego. It sits right on the edge of the harbor and, on a night like tonight, you get the most spectacular view from its rooftop lounge. I can already see the stars shining in her eyes.
After our little delay, we're about a half hour late, but all kinds of people are still slowly trickling in. Once we get off the elevator on the thirty-seventh floor, I spot Brooks and a few of the other guys already staked out at the table closest to the bar. I expect nothing less from them—especially considering we'll all be parading around half naked in an hour or so.
Zoe doesn't even know I have to participate in the circus, and I hope she'll be okay with it when she finds out. It's all in jest, but it doesn't make for the most ideal date night.
Before we can even hang our coats up, Brooks and Coop are frantically waving us over and hollering like a bunch of wild animals. Maybe Zoe will be more in her element than I thought.
"Cap!"
"Over here, Hollywood!"
Jesus, they're embarrassing.
"Hollywood?" Zoe shoots me a teasing smirk.
I grin. "What? You prefer hot, hero firefighter?"
"It does have a nice ring to it."
As we make our way to the table, I pull Zoe in closer, beaming with pride. The entire evening feels much bearable with her by my side.
"Nice of you to join us." Brooks rolls his eyes as he stands at me, and then turns his attention to Zoe. "Hi, I'm Brooks. Tanner's right-hand man and better-looking best friend."
"Better looking and way more obnoxious..." Riggs chides. "I'm Riggs, obviously the most responsible of the group."
"I remember you both from the Zoo." Zoe shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you officially. Tanner's told me a lot about you." Her lips turn up in a sarcastic grin that I know is meant for me.
"All terrible things." I insist, pulling a chair out for Zoe as we sit down.
We make the rest of the introductions, grab a few drinks, and everything flows perfectly. I'm not surprised how easily Zoe fits into the mold, and for a few minutes, I just sit back and watch as she laughs and talks with my friends like she's known them her entire life. She holds her own in the group, which isn't easy to do with a bunch of rowdy firefighters, and even when they're having a bit of fun at my expense, I love every second of it.
Seeing her so relaxed and in her element gives me a sense of relief I didn't know I needed. It's nice to be with someone who is confident and enjoys being around my friends, and it's something I never experienced with Gwen. Getting her to these types of events was always an inconvenience, and when she did grace us with her presence, she always acted like she was above it. In times where she should have been supporting me, I'd find myself catering to her and making sure she was content, but that didn't stop her from counting down the minutes until we could leave.
With Zoe, it's different. It's always different. And more and more I realize that the difference is exactly what I've been missing.
There is a break in the conversation, and I lean towards her. "We have a few minutes before dinner starts. Do you want to walk around for a bit?"
"Sure, that sounds great." Zoe grins, standing and smoothing out the fabric of her dress.
"Oh yeah," Riggs chimes in. "I forgot to tell you Morgan was looking for you. I hear he conned you into participating in the auction."
Ugh, God, I'd almost forgotten about that.
"You are?" A smile sweeps across Zoe's lips. She looks amused, and thankfully, not the least bit upset. "I didn't know that."
"Yeah, I didn't either until a bit ago." I groan. "Diaz is sick, and they needed a last-minute stand in. This is me being a team player."
"Ohhhh, so that's how he got you." Brooks rolls his eyes. "When are you gonna stop be Morgan's whipping boy and end all of this? It's bullshit."
"When he gives me my job back. And until then, it's not open for discussion." I clench my jaw. Tonight is going so well and this is the last thing I want to derail it. "We'll be back in a few minutes."
I take Zoe's hand and lead her towards the bar, where I slip a few bucks into the tip jar and grab two glasses of champagne off the tray.
Zoe smiles and takes one from me. "This is really fun. I'm glad you brought me."
"I am, too." I brush a kiss across her lips as we stroll down the aisles of donated items and gift baskets.
The registration table is at the end and we make a stop so I can get reluctantly get my orders and number for the date auction. "I hope you don't mind. This was a really last-minute thing and I'm trying to show Morgan I can play by his rules."
"Don't be sorry. I totally get it—everybody has to do things they don't like for their job sometimes. It'll be fun!"
"Well, I'm not sure about fun..." I chuckle, filling out the sheet of paper and handing it to the woman working the booth. "Do you need anything else?"
"That will do it." The woman shakes her head.
"Is this where I sign up to bid, too?" Zoe asks.
"You really don't need to do that." I try to dissuade her, but she's got a playful look of determination on her face.
"And miss bidding on hot firefighters all night? Yeah right." Zoe smirks as she hands some cash for the entry fee to the attendant and the attendant disappears into the back room to get Zoe a placard number.
With a moment alone, I steal a quick kiss, snaking my arm around her waist. "You know, the last thing you need to do is pay for a date with me. I'll take you out anytime you want. Just say the word."
"Oh, you thought I entered so I could bid on you..." she teases. Zoe's looking for a reaction, and if that's what she wants, I'll give her exactly that. There isn't a chance in hell I'd let her walk out of here with another man tonight, and we both know that, but I play along.
My hand drops, resting on the smooth, supple curve of her ass, holding her body against mine. As I lean forward, my lips brush against her ear and my voice is raspy and low so only she can hear, "If you bid on any other guy tonight, you'll be in a world of trouble when I finally get you home..."
"Maybe that's exactly what I'm after." Zoe's lips curl, her eyes daring me to go further. And, if we weren't a room full of hundreds of my coworkers, I might. Instead, I muster up every ounce of restraint I can find to hold myself off a while longer.
"Well, look who it is."
The voice turns my blood to ice as I realize who it belongs to.
This cannot be happening.