Free Shelter for Adeline by Susan Stoker Page B

door of the station.
    Adeline shook her head as Dean pulled her along. She’d thought several times that night that Dean was the most romantic man she’d ever met. But now she saw the excited little boy who lived inside the man shell. God help her, it was a combination she couldn’t resist.

Chapter 6
    “ H ey guys !”
    “Crash!”
    “Yo!”
    “‘Bout time you got back. Cuttin’ it close!”
    The four firemen sitting in the large common area watching a basketball game on the huge television all spoke at once as they entered.
    “Whatever,” he told his friends. Turning to Adeline, he waved a hand at the guys. “Adeline, meet Moose, Taco, Killer, and Jones.”
    “Nice to meet you,” she said, nodding at each of the men.
    “Moose and Taco usually work with me, but they’re taking an extra shift for a couple of guys who needed the night off.”
    The two men in question stood up and came over to where Adeline and Crash were standing.
    An older man, tall, built, and good looking, stuck out his hand to Adeline. “I’m Moose. We’ve heard a lot about you from Crash. It’s good to finally meet you.”
    Adeline’s eyes swung to Dean’s in surprise, but she quickly looked back at the man in front of her and shook his hand. “Do I want to know how you got your nickname?”
    All three of the men laughed. “No.”
    The other man reached his hand out after she dropped Moose’s. “I’m Taco. And yes, I got my name probably for the reason you’re thinking. It’s my favorite food and I’ve been known to eat a few in one sitting.”
    Crash leaned forward and put his mouth next to Adeline’s ear and said in a low voice, but not low enough that the man in front of her couldn’t hear, “He’s been known to eat over ten at a time. Don’t ever challenge him to a contest.”
    He saw Adeline’s shiver as his warm breath brushed over the nape of her neck when he spoke and felt his insides clench. He’d had a wonderful time getting to know Adeline tonight. She was funny and interesting, not to mention beautiful. He’d put his hands on her as much as he could get away with and not be a creeper.
    Crash wasn’t an expert, but he could tell she had some sort of contraption on under her clothes. Whatever it was, it was doing amazing things to her shape. Her tits sat high and perky on her chest, her cleavage playing peek-a-boo in the scoop neck of her shirt. Her waist was hourglass-shaped, but she wasn’t skin and bones. She was all woman, and every time she moved, he got a whiff of whatever perfume she’d put on. He’d been half hard all night, and he couldn’t wait to get in the bucket and get to know her even better.
    Moose and Taco had said they’d help him set it up. They’d made sure the truck was ready and safe for them to be lifted high in the air. They’d sit below in the parking lot as spotters for as long as Crash needed them to be there. While he might want to be completely alone with Adeline, for safety’s sake, that wasn’t going to happen.
    Adeline looked up at him after dropping Taco’s hand and grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She turned back to his friend. “Although the most I’ve ever eaten in one sitting was four, and that was because I’d just walked a five-K and was starving. I think your record is safe from me.”
    Taco beamed. “You walked a five-K and were starved and only ate four? Shit, I’d’ve downed that many as an appetizer.”
    Everyone laughed.
    “You didn’t run it?” Moose asked conversationally.
    “Do I look like a runner to you?” Without giving him time to answer, Adeline continued, “No. I’m too thick to run. I don’t run. Ever. There would have to be zombies, serial killers, and maybe my asshole boss chasing me to want to break into a jog.” She shook her head and smiled. “So, no, I didn’t run. I only did it because my sister begged me. And when Alicia begs, it’s not pretty. So Coco and I walked, she ran it, and we went out to eat