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Carlos grips the steering wheel in front of him tightly, his gaze shifting to look at the entrance to the bar through his windshield. He can feel his heart hammering in his chest, blood pounding loudly in his ears, and he clenches his jaw, trying to get himself under control.
He doesn’t know why he’s being ridiculous. Except, he kind of does, especially when his mind flashes back to a pair of soft blue-green eyes staring at him through the rain, shining in the flashing lights from his patrol car.
He’s always been a sucker for bright, pretty eyes.
Carlos takes a deep breath, leaning forward to rest his forehead on top of his hands. He knows he needs to stop this train before it goes any further off the rails. He doesn’t even know anything about the firefighter, other than catching his name when one of his crew members yelled at him to get in the truck. Honestly though, one look is all it took for him to become completely enamored with TK Strand.
There was his smile, for one, and the way it reshaped his entire face, making him look even more youthful than he already did under his helmet. He glowed with pride for his father, almost as if his love for the other man was a raging inferno that lit him from the inside. Carlos might not know anything about the New York transplant, but his care and devotion to his family was clear as day, and it just made Carlos want to know everything about him.
He’s pulled from his memory by his phone chiming next to him. He glances down, seeing a text from Michelle, telling him that he better be on his way or she’s going to give him hell the next time they see each other. He smiles, leaning back to rub at his tired eyes. With a sigh, he reaches for the door handle, deciding that he doesn’t have to stay out for too long.
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“Man, it seems like these people could dance until dawn,” TK says, breathing heavily as he leans against the bar, gazing out across the dance floor. “I’m wiped, and they’re acting like the night is still young.”
Carlos laughs, settling in next to TK. He’s closer than he would normally be to a near-stranger, but it doesn’t seem like TK minds. After their fourth dance together, they’ve settled into a comfortable rhythm together, and Carlos can’t help but to be drawn to him. He’s still mindful of keeping a little space between them, though; he doesn’t want to make the other man uncomfortable.
“Some of them will definitely be here until closing time,” Carlos shares, his eyes locked on TK’s profile. There’s a sheen of sweat on his skin from the crowded bar and non-stop dancing, and try as he might, Carlos can’t stop thinking about how he might taste on his tongue. It makes his heart pound and his stomach clench, a long-awaited want building under his skin. “Can I buy you a drink?”
TK pulls his gaze away from the crowd to finally look at him again, turning to face the bar. “Just a water,” he says, shrugging when Carlos raises a brow. “Need to stay hydrated.”
Carlos nods, waving down the bartender and ordering two waters and a beer. He taps his fingers on the bar top, wondering what to say next, when TK pipes up.
“So, I don’t think I caught your name, Officer Reyes.”
“Carlos.”
“Carlos,” TK repeats, and Carlos catches a glint in his eyes. “I’m TK.”
“I know,” Carlos tells him without hesitation. Now it’s TK’s turn to raise a brow. “I may have heard one of your crew members calling to you on the scene. And, I also may have then confirmed it with Michelle, just to be sure.”
Their drinks arrive, and he watches TK take a sip, the corner of the straw placed in the corner of his mouth. It’s adorable, and Carlos feels a heat rise on the back of his neck that has nothing to do with the earlier dancing.
“You’re a really good dance partner,” TK remarks after a moment, a smirk rising on his lips.
“I just know how to move my hips,” Carlos says casually, shrugging as he slides a little closer. TK looks up at him from beneath his eyelashes, his pupils clearly dilating even in the dim bar light. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
TK huffs out a laugh, shaking his head as he glances down at the glass in his hands. Before he can second-guess himself, Carlos reaches forward to brush his fingertips along the firefighter’s knuckles. The glass shakes in TK’s hand, a bit of water sloshing over the rim.
“I was… not expecting this,” TK breathes out, swaying into Carlos’s space.
“Expecting what?” he asks, running his fingers along TK’s forearm to his elbow.
“To be hit on by a really hot cop my first week in Texas,” TK admits, looking back up at him. There’s a weight in his gaze, heavy with obvious lust and desire, and Carlos licks his lips hungrily, almost as if he can taste the tension between them.
“I’m willing to do way more than hit on you in a bar,” he says, wrapping his fingers around TK’s bicep and squeezing gently. “If that’s something you’d be interested in.”
He watches as TK’s jaw drops, the forward invitation clearly taking him by surprise. Carlos smiles, knowing that there’s no way this evening isn’t ending without the two of them screaming each other’s names.
But then, as if Fate is determined to remind him where he stands, their moment is broken by the sudden appearance of Captain Strand. Carlos quickly pulls back, giving the two men a little space. He watches as Owen coughs into his arm slightly, clearly a little out of it as he tells TK that they should probably head home.
Carlos glances back towards the younger man, seeing concern clearly painted across his face. His heart thumps painfully in his chest, knowing that their night is now over.
Which is why he’s surprised when, after telling his dad that he’ll meet him in the car, TK turns back to him, holding out his phone.
“Put your number in, Carlos.”
Carlos stares at him for a moment, the determined look on TK’s face reigniting the fire inside him. He takes the phone, entering his information and pressing save before handing it back.
TK moves back into his space, this time wrapping his own fingers around Carlos’s bicep and squeezing gently. Carlos feels a shiver run down his spine at the feeling of TK’s hands on him.
“I’m interested,” TK whispers, his lips pressed close to Carlos’s ear.
When he pulls back, his gaze is heavy once again, this time accompanied by a wicked smile. He turns to follow his dad to the car, leaving Carlos to stare longingly after him, contemplating their next meeting.
It feels like the start of something big.