Up in Flames : Firefighter Romance Box Set by Em Petrova

Author:Em Petrova [Petrova, Em]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-03T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“The four fires in the past twenty-four hours can’t be connected to the arsonist—yet. They’re still looking for concrete evidence. Damn authorities and their concrete evidence.” Gabriel collapsed on the leather sofa with the entire bottle of vodka in his fist. Joey settled next to him, his body heat beckoning him.

Gabriel was too bone-tired to move. Between his bleary eyes and the fatigue stealing over him, he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep.

Having Joey and Jayla pressed against each side of him would make him sleep like the dead.

But that won’t happen.

He kept telling himself that at least Jayla was safe. Even if she never came back to them, she was safe.

Joey covered Gabriel’s fingers where they encircled the bottleneck and gently removed the vodka from his hand. Gabriel expected him to get up and pour two glasses like a civilized man but when he brought the bottle to his lips and swigged, a grim smile tugged at Gabriel’s mouth.

Joey took several swallows before passing him the bottle. “Tell me again why the arson investigator can’t connect this guy with the fires? He used the same damn chemicals.”

“He might be a copycat.” Gabriel tipped the vodka into his mouth. It blazed a path all the way to his stomach before spreading through his limbs.

“I wish to hell Jayla hadn’t disabled her tracker. I’d get in the truck and go get her.”

Gabriel took another huge swallow before handing the bottle to Joey. Though they were evenly matched in size, Joey could handle his liquor slightly better. Maybe it was years of drinking games or watching what he mixed to avoid getting too drunk and hung over.

Shifting his shoulders, Gabriel relaxed against the cushions. “Tell me the story of you trying to drink the Irishmen under the table again.”

A dark chuckle escaped Joey as he brought the bottle to his lips. The bob of his Adam’s apple was a huge turn-on. Especially when the stubble stretching down his jaw caught the dim light streaming through the blinds. This didn’t happen often—them sitting around with a bottle between them. Mid-morning seemed a good time for drinking—plenty of time to sleep it off and it made for a chuckle if they got any telemarketing calls.

“How many times have I told you the story?”

“At least twice. I keep waiting for the details to change.”

Joey pushed out a laugh and lowered the bottle, letting it rest against his thick thigh. “I toured Ireland right out of high school. Took my graduation money and went off to find some family history. I’d heard my ancestors still resided in Belfast, so I headed there first. Had a little car rented and I parked down the street from a pub. Figured I’d walk in and find one of my people just hanging out, talking. Because I was young and that’s what my family did here.”

Gabriel smiled at the image of a young, naïve Joey. Time hadn’t hardened him—he was still happy-go-lucky. But he was definitely more savvy about the world.

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