Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
I’m sure I’m just being paranoid but I could’ve sworn someone was following me on my way here. Then again, it’s only a short walk from my place to the building, along a busy street full of other people making their way to work at the same time too. Definitely just paranoid.
Get a grip, Autumn. Maybe all that free coffee wasn’t a good idea, considering the anxious feeling hasn’t gone away.
“Great, so let’s jump right in!” the guy continues, somehow just as cheery as he was five hours ago. “We’re going to run a fake rescue scenario. You guys are injured or in need of help in one way or another, and the team from the Eastmont Fire Department will treat this drill as though it’s real life and work to get you safe!”
“Hell yeah.” Janey shimmies her shoulders a little in excitement.
I grin, leaning closer to whisper back, “I’ll let a hot fireman rescue me any day.”
She hides her grin behind her hand as we both return our attention to the instructor.
“You’ll each be given a slip of paper detailing your scenario, and we ask that you commit to the bit as much as possible,” he explains. “So if you’re supposed to be unconscious, don’t go chatting away to the person helping you. Now, this half of the room—” he indicates over to the right “—will be our recovery area where you’ll be taken to receive whatever treatment your injury or situation needs. Basically, their job is to get you somewhere safe and identify what medical treatment they can give you to ensure your safety.”
“If I’m pretending to be in a fire, does that mean they’ll get their hose out to save me?” Janey asks in a hushed whisper, and I dissolve into a coughing fit to hide the laughter that bursts out of me.
“Alright then, come on up and grab a slip of paper with your scenario on it!” the instructor announces.
Janey grabs my hand and drags us up to the front of the rapidly forming queue. I grab a slip of paper from the instructor’s outstretched hand eagerly, sort of excited to see what role I have to play like I’m a kid seeing what character they’ve been assigned in the school play. I giggle at my own ridiculousness, stepping to the side to read the slip of paper while everyone else collects theirs.
“I’m trapped in a smoke-filled room,” Janey reads out with an audible wince. “Unconscious and with smoke inhalation. Ugh. No, thank you.”
I shake my head at her. “I don’t think any of these things are supposed to be good,” I tell her with a grin before scanning my gaze over the bold letters on the paper in my hand. “I’ve got two broken legs apparently.”
Janey pulls a face of imagined pain that I imagine mimics my own expression as I shudder at the thought. I’m sure I can pretend enough to pull off lying on the ground and moaning in pain for half an hour.
“Alright, everyone take your places!”
Janey mouths something about mouth-to-mouth as we hurry to the correct side of the room and plop down on the thin blue mats provided. I set my paper down beside me as instructed, then shuffle back to lie down, craning my neck so I can see the door as the drill begins. Thankful I’m wearing tailored black pants today and not a skirt, I bend my knees to the side to emphasize the pretend issue here. Unlike Janey, I don’t have to pretend to be unconscious and damn am I grateful for it, especially when the door opens.
A team of firefighters dressed in all their black and yellow uniforms, reflective strips gleaming in the lighting, rush through the doorway.
I turn my head to get a proper look at something other than their thick leather boots, finding that the first few are already heading to other volunteers to begin their task. A strange sense of anticipation bubbles up inside me, and I have to force myself to lie still and wait.
Suddenly, not moving becomes a hell of a lot easier because my heart skips in my chest.
I blink as though I’m dreaming. I must be because there’s no way in hell anyone in real life actually looks that hot, right? Except, nope, he’s real. He’s real and he’s heading straight for me.
I’ve never really understood the attraction to a man in uniform before this second. Even with the thick material of the uniform, it’s obvious this guy is a wall of muscle.
He’s tall, though from my prone position, it’s hard to judge just how tall. The moment my gaze hits his face, though, a ragged exhale leaves my lips. Those eyes. Bright green and boring into me as he glances my way and our gazes lock. I’m frozen as my heart picks up its beating at a rapid pace, sending my blood rushing. Dark brown hair is cut short at the sides, a little longer on top, and his sharp jaw is covered with stubble. Suddenly, I can’t stop wondering how that stubble would feel against my skin.