I wrote the rule myself. Do not fall for a firefighter. It's in the orientation packet. I've enforced it for three years without a single exception.
Then Reid Ashford walked through my door.
Older. Steady. The kind of quiet authority that doesn't announce itself — it just fills the room. He shook my hand, and I knew I was in trouble.
He's the new captain. I'm HR. On paper, our roles run parallel — no conflict, no policy violation, no reason to say no.
He's read every word of the policy I wrote. Cited the exact clause. Then looked at me like he'd already decided.
I've spent three months being professional. Being careful. Being the woman who doesn't fall.
The problem isn't the rule anymore.
The problem is that he's been patient enough to wait for me to admit I already broke it.
What happens when the woman who wrote all the rules finally stops hiding behind them?
