Hot as Hall

Chapter Thirty Four

Zoe

The fire house is busier than I expected when I get there. A few of the firefighters hose one of the engines down outside and a few more, including Riggs and Brooks, are in one of the open bays sorting through equipment. It's lively and fun, all the guys laughing and joking as they work.

Riggs is the first one to see me, and waves me down. "Hey Zoe!"

"Hey!" I wave.

"Good to see you!" He gives me a quick hug. "Tanner's upstairs in the great room if you're looking for him."

"And if you're not, there are plenty of other eligible bachelors over there." Brooks teases as he joins us, pointing to the group washing the truck. "The rookies could use a little excitement in their lives."

"Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind." I laugh. "Have you guys had a busy morning?"

Riggs shakes his head. "No calls at all, which is sometimes nice. Although your boyfriend is being a tyrant, making us actually get shit done with all the time on our hands."

"Yeah, go help him relax a bit, will you?" Brooks winks.

"I'll what I can do." I promise, rolling my eyes. Most of the team I had in South Africa were men, so their chiding doesn't bother me all that much. In fact, I kind of like it. It feels like I've gotten their seal of approval, which I know means a lot to Tanner.

Heading up the stairs, I find the great room empty, aside from a firefighter who's wiping down the kitchen countertops. "You looking for Captain Hall?"

"Yes, I am."

"He's in the Captain's Quarters." He nods toward a door a little ways down the hallway.

"Thank you!"

The door is closed, so I knock before opening it. "Hello?"

There is no answer at first, and I hesitate to go in, but I hear some rummaging around and Tanner's voice deeper inside. "Damn it." He growls.

When I get inside, I find Tanner standing at the edge of a big desk, his pant leg pulled up and his foot propped up on it as he tries to wrap a bandage around his knee. He doesn't seem to be having much luck, his brow furrowed and a hardened scowl on his face.

"Hey..."

I catch him off guard, but his gruff expression quickly changes to excitement, and he leaves the bandage in a heap on his desk. "Hey! I didn't know you were here yet."

"I came in through the bays. Riggs and Brooks caught me." I smirk, setting the bag of sandwiches I brought for lunch down on the desk.

"Of course they did." Tanner pulls me in, wasting no time and pressing his lips to mine in a deep, rough kiss. "It's good to see you."

A hot blush warms my cheeks. "It's good to see you, too. Did you hurt your knee?"

"It's nothing." Tanner shrugs me off. "I went for a run this morning and I tweaked it. Sometimes it happens, and it helps if I keep it wrapped."

"From when you broke your leg?"

"Yeah." He runs a hand through his dark hair, refusing to meet my eyes. "It's fine, though, Zo. I promise."

I can tell he doesn't really want to talk about it, so I let it go for now. "Looks like you guys have been busy around here this morning."

Tanner sighs, shaking his head. "Morgan is out at another house today and he left a laundry list of things for us to do, as if I don't know how to run this place myself. It's all busy work and the guys are restless."