Page 37 of Living with Fire

I turn around to find my best friend holding a velvet bag in one hand, and a mini plastic cup in the other, and I can’t help it, I burst into a fit of laughter.

“That,” I gasp between snickers, “is karma.”

The horrified look on his face has me doubling over.

“What is it?!” he virtually screeches, sounding very un-Liam-like. A second later he’s flinging the cup out of his hand. It hits the bed and bounces to the ground, ending up right back at his feet. The way he dances out of the way like it’s a piece of molten rock has me grasping my sides as I howl even harder. “Dude! What is it?!”

“It’s,” I try to pull in a breath to tell him what it is. “It’s a,” another breath, “a period cup.”

The color drains from his face. Liam, the guy who has never had a relationship in his life, is currently facing something he probably doesn’t even know exists. I have to wonder if he’s ever seen a real tampon in his life, let alone a cup.

“Why on fucking earth do you know what a fucking… fucking peri… why do you know what that is?” he sputters, repulsed.

This might be the funniest shit I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve never seen him so horrified, and we’ve encountered some nasty shit in our days as firefighters.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, I try to get a hold on myself. “Christ man. Because I’ve got a sister who lives with me, and she leaves her shit all over the place. Not to mention, I have actual relationships with women, I don’t just fuck them.”

“That is some fucked up shit right there,” he tells me, watching with a grimace as I cross the room and pick up the cup that he tossed along with the bag that also ended up on the floor.

“You do realize where you stick your dick, right?”

Liam scowls at me. “If you ruin sex for me, I will fuck you up. Not another word!”

The guy is going to be a bachelor forever.

He chooses to stand by the door to wait with the things he got together while I finish up the rest of the packing. I think maybe I’ve scarred him for life, and I look forward to the times I’ll have the opportunity to bring this up in the future. The prospect of that makes me gleeful. As much shit as I get from everyone about not having a woman, Liam gets it just as bad for being a player.

Once we’re finished, we make our way back downstairs and out of the building to where Savanna is standing beside my truck waiting for us to return. She perks up when she sees us, jogging over to relieve Liam of her purse and laptop bag.

“You brought my plants?” she asks, looking from them to me.

I shrug casually like it’s no big deal, but I can tell by the gleam in her eyes that it is. “Figured they’d survive better if they were taken care of properly.”

“They weren’t even on the list,” she says, her voice thick with gratitude. “Thank you. Both of you.”

Liam grunts, setting the box on the edge of the tailgate to my truck, clearly not over what happened upstairs. “All I have to say is, you owe me.” He shudders so hard and dramatically I think he might tip the plants over.

Savanna looks to me for an explanation and I pull the little velvet bag out of my pocket and hold it out to her. “You know how they say curiosity killed the cat? Well, curiosity bit Liam in the ass.”

Then, like me, she bursts into laughter, though she tries to cover her mouth and contain it better than I did.

“I definitely want to hear all about this,” she says.

“Screw you both. My part in this is done.” Opening the backdoor to the truck, he sticks the box inside and then shuts the door, hardly giving us another look as he turns to walk to his vehicle. “You both owe me a beer later!”

We look at each other and grin. “I’ll tell you all about it,” I tell her, hoisting her bag into the back of the truck bed. “I should probably also tell you about your underwear drawer…”

CHAPTER 14

SAVANNA

It’s official. I’m staying with Nate.

Until my apartment is ready, or he kicks me out, I’m staying.

I’ll admit, it took some convincing on his part. It wasn’t unlike when he offered me a job, if I’m being perfectly honest. Already he’s done so much for me that taking more of his generosity seemed imbalanced. I argued with him for a bit on it, but the man is good at persuasion, and when it came down to it, I wanted to stay.

I find myself craving his presence. His home. His comfort. I’ve spent so much time in a constant state of fight or flight. Watching. Waiting. Ever ready for any sign of Vincent.