“She’s not fine,” she heard Hayley whisper behind her back. “That sort of rejection is a slap in the face. Especially when it’s the first time in years that you’ve dared to put yourself out there.”
John let out a low, deep growl. “Who is the cur who has insulted our Rose? I will seek him out and demand that he face me in the duel for such disrespect.”
Now she knew that Chase and Griff hadn’t told their colleagues that it had been Ash. Thank heaven for small mercies. But her heart sank at the loyalty and outrage she could sense emanating from John, and from the other firefighters too.
They were trained to rescue people in distress. Now, apparently, they were determined to rescue her, whether she wanted them to or not.
And when they all found out that it was Ash who’d rejected her…the poor man would never hear the end of it.
She couldn’t be responsible for him losi
ng the tiny bit of peace he had left. She just couldn’t. But how on earth could she persuade the stubborn firefighters of Alpha Team to drop the subject?
“I am fine,” she said firmly, as inspiration struck. She half-turned, glancing at them over her shoulder. “In fact, I’m getting straight back on the horse.”
“Good for you!” Hayley said, exchanging a triumphant glance with Connie. “So you’ll ask him again?”
“No.” Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket, brandishing it at them. “I’m going to set up an online dating profile.”
The Ash-shaped silence behind her was deafening.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Dai said warmly.
“No it isn’t!” yelped Chase. “I mean, are you sure, Rose? Lots of strange men on those sorts of sites.”
“I am literally an empath,” Rose said. She was already busy typing—partly to prove to them that she was serious, and partly out of fear that she’d lose her nerve if she didn’t do it straight away. “I think you can trust me to be a good judge of character.”
“True,” Hugh said, though he sounded a little dubious. “But still…online dating? What’s wrong with meeting someone the old-fashioned way?”
“You mean on top of an acid-drenched elevator?” Ivy said dryly. “Or amidst the smoldering wreckage of a burning building? There’s nothing wrong with meeting your mate in less dramatic circumstances, you know.”
“I’m not looking for a mate,” Rose said, focused on her phone. “Just a man.”
She wasn’t just saying it to get them off her back, she realized. She did want a man. She’d thought that spark had long since died, but Ash’s touch had awakened a fire in her body again. She couldn’t deny that she wanted more.
And if it couldn’t be with Ash…well, maybe she could still find solace with someone else. Better to cup her hands around a candle than pine for the sun.
“Ash,” Chase appealed. “You don’t think this is a good idea, do you?”
Despite herself, she snuck a peek at him. Hoping for…she didn’t know what. Some kind of reaction. Maybe even a flicker of jealousy.
His face was utterly expressionless.
“It is not my place to have an opinion one way or another,” he said. His eyes met hers, very briefly. “But I wish you every happiness, Rose.”
Wayne was good at three things.
The first was appearing to be a lot drunker than he actually was.
The second was noticing things.
And the third was noticing what to notice.
It was a surprisingly lucrative set of talents. And right now, his mouth was watering at the juicy scent of a big, fat payout coming his way. One that might keep a roof over his head for months.
He slumped over his beer, letting his eyelids droop as if he was utterly sozzled. In truth, he was watching carefully. Noticing.
Right now, he was noticing the Phoenix’s hand.