Fair Trade by Cate Ashwood

Author:Cate Ashwood
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Adult
Publisher: Cate Ashwood
Published: 2021-04-05T22:00:00+00:00

Callum

Sleep had been an issue for me for a long time. Shift workers often had trouble developing healthy sleep routines, but the last two weeks, mine had been worse than ever.

Every time I tried to sleep, memories of being with Nick infiltrated my thoughts, which set off spirals of anxiety in every direction.

And waking up that day was painful. I was more irritable than usual, and I dreaded going to work more than I had in the last fifteen years.

But that was nothing compared to when I arrived at the station. My mood turned into this weird mix of anger and anticipation, relief and dread. On the one hand, being around Nick made me feel things I’d never felt before. I felt alive, and terrified, and inches away from losing my fucking mind.

But on the other hand, he was dependable, even-keeled, and was turning out to be a better medic than I ever could have hoped for.

“Man, we’re getting our asses kicked tonight.” Nick rubbed one eye with the heel of his hand. I could see the exhaustion setting in. The second night shift was always harder than the first, and when it was nonstop, call after call, fatigue happened quick.

But it was part of the job—not something I’d ever gotten used to, but something I’d come to expect.

“Can we ask dispatch to put us out of service for a few so we can grab some coffee?”

“Sure.”

Nick started up the ambulance and took off down Main Street.

“Wrong way, Nick.”

He quirked a grin that made my stomach flip. “Nuh-uh. Bold Brew’s this way.”

“Bold Brew?”

He glanced over. “Ever been there?”

“No.” But I’d heard things about the events they held there sometimes. My pulse kicked up. It was one of the few places open late, but for some reason, most of the crews opted to hit up the Dunkin’ Donuts over on Spruce.

It was just a coffee shop, but it felt like so much more than that. It almost felt… dangerous.

Which was completely fucking ridiculous.

Nick parked out front and cut the engine. I paused before unlatching my seat belt.

“Come on,” he urged. “Or we’re not going to get enough time to order before dispatch starts getting pissy.”

“I’m coming,” I assured him, trying my damnedest not to sound like I was losing my mind.

Because I wasn’t.

I was fine.

Totally fine.

Why the hell wasn’t I fine?

It looked like a regular coffee shop from outside, the interior warm and comforting through the large windows out front. I don’t know what I was expecting. Guys trussed up, naked, and getting fucked right there in the café?

Nick walked ahead, holding the door for me to step inside.

I walked through the entrance, my boots clomping too loudly on the parquet floor as we crossed the space toward the counter.

It had a homey quality to it, with a few tables scattered along the back half of the room. The front area was occupied with a collection of plush sofas, a pair of coffee tables, and a cozy fireplace in the corner.

There were three people ahead of us in line and a few groups of people seated at a couple of the tables.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.