Pierce

Chapter Seventeen

Pierce~

Pierce and Natalie sat in the grass, leaning on each other while they breathed the clean oxygen from the tanks until their breathing became less labored and more even. After confirming no life threatening injuries, the fire paramedics offered to have them taken to the hospital, but both declined, knowing that being under Caleb's medical care was just as good and twice as comfortable.

Natalie leaned forward and pivoted her head around looking at the ground.

"What are you looking for?" Pierce asked.

"My shirt. It's out here somewhere I just don't see it."

In all of the commotion it had barely registered with him that she was only in her shorts and a bra.

"Jeez Nat, I'm sorry, I didn't even realize," he said, determined to find the missing shirt and turning to his teammates who were all standing around in front of them watching the fire fighters finish up.

"Hey Marcus, have you seen Natalie's shirt?"

Marcus drew his brows in and then looked as if he'd had a realization.

"You mean the one that was wrapped around your face? Yeah it's right here."

Wrapped around my face?

Marcus brought the shirt to Natalie.

Why did they wrap her shirt around my face? Why didn't they take care of her over me?

He was on his feet immediately and eyed his teammates in disbelief.

"Which one of you assholes wrapped Natalie's shirt around my face instead of hers?" he barked.

All eyes went to Natalie who slowly stood and meekly raised her hand as if she were asking a question in school.

"This asshole," she said referring to herself.

"What?" he asked, visibly confused.

"You were unconscious and you were mouth breathing big breaths of smoke. I wanted to make sure you inhaled as little of it as possible, so I covered your face with my shirt."

He smiled as she explained, realizing the only asshole at that moment was him, as he listened and instantly regretted his words.

"I didn't mean that the way it came out." he said, awkwardly eating his words.

The corner of her mouth curled up slightly, showing the tiniest bit of enjoyment in watching him struggle to pull his foot from his mouth.

Thank God for that sense of humor.

"What I meant was that they shouldn't have let you. Someone should have made you cover your own face or given you one of their shirts. You should have been the priority, not me."

"Yeah, well we would have if we had gotten there in time." Hunter said, low and even.

Pierce's brows drew together at Hunter's words and waited for someone to explain what he meant.

"You really think, we'd choose you over her? We don't even like you that much." Caleb joked.

"Hunter, Caleb and I were the first ones on scene, and by the time we got there she had already pulled the two of you out of the garage and into the kitchen." Marcus said, shifting his gaze to Natalie.

Pierce turned to face Natalie staring down at her petite frame in disbelief, trying to run weight ratio analytics in his brain.

"You pulled me out of the garage?" He asked with a mixture of amazement and confusion.