Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,49

He backed away, grinning like a maniac. “I’m out of here before you change your mind.”

“I didn’t say yes!”

“You didn’t say no,” he called over his shoulder.

I hadn’t, and that surprised me. Still musing over not turning Devon down flat, I didn’t notice Rainer, my partner, at the kitchen table until I’d already walked by him to grab another bottle of water from the fridge.

I jumped when he spoke. “I’m surprised Veego lets you hang out with that guy. I got the impression the two of you had something going.”

Clutching the bottle to my chest, I arched a brow. “Me and Veego? Why would you think that?”

He picked up his sandwich, stopping before it reached his mouth. “From comments he’s made over the years. He’s let it be known you’re off-limits to the guys at his station and this one. Anyone ever brings you up in front of him, he usually looks about ready to rip their faces off.”

I staggered back into the fridge. “I’m off-limits?”

Rainer’s brows pinched. We weren’t best buddies by any means, but he was a decent guy and a solid partner. And right now, he appeared concerned over my reaction.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I don’t want to start shit between you and Veego, I swear. I really was surprised to see you hanging out with a frigging rock star, that’s all.”

Gathering myself, I waved Rainer off. “No worries. Veego’s just being overly protective, I’m sure.” I shook my head like Veego was an adorable little scamp making trouble again instead of an incredibly huge interfering asshole. “Give a man one child and he thinks he has the right to be involved in my life fore—crap, I guess he does.”

I shrugged off his revelation on the outside, but inside, I was boiling. Veego and I hadn’t argued too much lately, not since I’d relented on Ellie’s camping trip. It looked like our truce was over. I’d be burning my white flag as soon as I was no longer surrounded by a bunch of firefighters.

Sixteen

Kat

Veego was outside, tending to his garden, when I pulled up. I’d given myself a day to cool off, but it hadn’t helped. I was tempted to keep driving and run over his precious flowers, but I stopped myself. That probably wouldn’t be too easy to explain to Ellie when she got home from school.

Veego waited for me to approach, his hands at his hips. “Hey, Kitty Kat.”

I held my finger up. “No.”

He pulled in air through his teeth. “Rough shift? You ready for that foot rub you always beg me for?”

“No. Don’t try to be cute. I’m pissed as hell at you.”

He raised his hands. “What now? I swear to Christ, I haven’t done anything this time.”

“Oh, but you have.” I walked up to him. In my boots and his bare feet, we were almost eye-to-eye. “I’m off-limits? Is that what you’ve been telling everyone about me, like some twisted big brother?”

He had the nerve to lay his hands on my shoulders. “Tell me what’s going on, babe. I’ll try to fix it.” His tone was so placating, I could have socked him in the nose.

“Stop calling me babe, Victor. And I am being clear about what’s going on. You’ve been telling every person with a penis who comes within a twenty-foot radius of me I’m off-limits, as if I’m a possession you have to carefully guard. How condescending and frankly humiliating. You suck, Victor. You really suck.”

His hands dropped, and he released something that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a deep sigh. “Who told you that?”

My finger went up again, as it often did when I was filled with righteous fury.

“The better question is, who have you told that?”

After my talk with Rainer yesterday, I quietly went around and inquired with all the guys whether they’d heard the same thing. They had confirmed Veego had put out a blanket statement years ago and had even gone so far as to get into a physical altercation with a guy from the Swift City Fire Department who’d expressed an attraction to me after I went home early from Hooligan’s one night. I’d had hours to build up my anger, and I was about to explode in Veego’s front yard.

His hands went to his hips, all humor evaporating from his face. “You know how much shit guys talk about women? The things they say? I won’t stand for any of that being said about you. You’re the mother of my