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She gave hie toward her empty chair "There’s no way Sit"

"Don’t you have to wash it first?"

She turned to look at hi, so she led him to the wash station and cranked the hot water She had just wet his head and run her fingers through his silky hair when the radio at his hip crackled

"Is that you?" she asked

He reached down and cranked up the volume, listened for a minute, and then shook his head "No Not ht to what his life as a firefighter ht about what iton call, constantly at the ready to literally ju the burden of all the responsibilities that ith it, like saving lives

On a good day she felt overwhelht he did Reaching over hiaze ran the length of her araze

His eyes were hot

Ignoring both him and her reaction to him, she sudsed him up His eyes drifted shut, and his entire body relaxed As she gave hiroan froreat hands," he said

She should have known it He had ue until she finished and brought hiers through his wet hair His perfectly cut wet hair that was so evenly matched on both sides she could have used it to set a ruler Then, hands on hips, head tilted, shethe least bit embarrassed or sorry

"You could have just asked for a wash," she said

"Nah, this ay ain, and though his eyes re on the radio and the garbled words she could barely ood huo," he said

"You’re still wet"

"No worries" He shook his head like a big dog and then, shoving his hand into his pocket, came up with cash

Lily pushed his hand away "No"

"I pay my debts"

"Not this time," she said

His eyes landed on hers as one of his hands slid to the nape of her neck "Think of ave her one quick, hard kiss "Later," he said against her one