Ignite On Contact (Brotherhood by Fire #2) -Jaci Burton Page 0,50

she wanted what he was offering.

He gave her a promising smile, and then the drinks arrived. She opted for a margarita, and Rafe had beer. Then they perused menus, and wow, Tommy’s restaurant had quite the diverse selection. Everything from seafood to pasta to burgers to burritos and anything in between.

She decided on grilled chicken. Then salsa and chips and queso arrived, and she got to know everyone as they drank and talked.

She learned that Miguel and Adrienne were moving in together. They’d been secretly dating for almost a year, though according to what Rafe whispered to her, everyone at Station 6 had already known the two of them were together. It was only when things got serious that they had to go to their captain to admit they were a couple, and changes had to be made to their shifts.

“We put it off as long as we could,” Miguel said. “We’re a good team, and we hate splitting up.”

Adrienne nodded. “I’m going to hate having a new partner, but we have to abide by the rules.”

“Rules suck,” Miguel said. “I mean, as far as us not working together.”

“Hey, we’re all going to miss having you on our shift,” Mitchell said. “But we understand that the two of you had to be out in the open with your relationship.”

“Yeah,” said Tommy, who’d taken a break to come sit with them. “But we got tired of the two of you sneaking off to the supply closet.”

Adrienne let out a shocked laugh. “We never once did that.”

“Okay, maybe once,” Miguel said.

“Miguel,” Adrienne said, her cheeks turning pink.

“It happens all the time in the hospital,” Carmen said.

Adrienne’s brows rose. “Seriously? I thought that kind of thing only happened on TV shows.”

Carmen shook her head. “Oh no. Trust me, it’s not just on TV. Doctors and nurses getting it on in a private room, or two residents who are dating and working ridiculously long hours exercising a little stress relief together. Trust me, it happens more than you think.”

“I am shocked,” Rafe said.

Carmen laughed. “No, you’re not.”

“Well, I am,” Adrienne said. “I don’t know how anyone gets any work done. Or who avoids getting caught. It was difficult enough for Miguel and me to try and steal a kiss, let alone do . . . anything else. Especially with all the Snoopy Sammies of Station 6 following our every move.”

Mitchell laughed as he poured more beer for everyone. “That’s because we knew what you two were up to, so we gave you a hard time.”

“Thanks, Mitchell,” Miguel said.

Mitchell winked. “Anytime, buddy.”

“Okay, I won’t miss you,” Miguel said.

“Yes, you will. Who will laugh at your lame jokes?”

“The crew on second shift.”

Carmen could see that these people got along very well. It reminded her of her team at the hospital. Having people you trusted and liked was so important when you had to work so closely together.

Dinner arrived, and it was delicious. The grilled chicken was bursting with flavor, and if she hadn’t eaten so many chips with salsa, she probably would have cleaned her plate. But between the chips and the margaritas, she was only able to eat half.

Fortunately, Rafe seemed to have a hole in his stomach, because he ate all his food, then the rest of her plate, too.

“Hungry?” she asked.

He smiled. “Always.”

She switched over to water after dinner, and she noticed Rafe did as well, which made her happy. Not that she was monitoring how much he was drinking, but since he was driving, she liked knowing he’d only had two beers and he’d spread those out over a few hours.

Tommy seemed to be in no hurry to get rid of them, even though they were monopolizing a pretty great space. In fact, a few other people arrived, and he made room for them as well. Kal showed up late with his date, a beautiful brunette named Yvette, and Jackson and Becks came in, too, as well as firefighter Ginger Davidson and her husband, Kyle.

“Did my grandpa text you earlier?” Carmen asked Kal when he arrived.

Kal shook his head. “No, but I called to check on him. He said he was going to bed and he didn’t need anything.”

That’s what she liked so much about the Donovans. They were always so thoughtful. “Thanks for doing that, Kal.”

“No problem.”

Then it got loud, and everyone was talking over one another. Adrienne and Miguel left, and Mitchell took off not long after. She and Rafe moved over to where Jackson and Becks and Kal and