Hot Nights with the Fireman (10 page)

Mentally she went through a checklist. Under her casual outfit, she wore the lingerie of a Vegas showgirl, complete with garter and thigh-high black lacy stockings. She had a purse full of condoms, and she assumed Jason would have some at his apartment.

Jason tossed her another heated glance across the table. One too many for her nerves. She dashed off to the bathroom. She locked herself in the stall and took a deep breath. Then several more. When she could stand without leaning against the wall, she flushed the toilet for good measure, not that she'd used it, and pushed her way out of the stall. After washing her hands, she returned to the table.

As she approached the table, a light on the wall started flashing and bells started ringing. She froze uncertainly as nearly every person in the room jumped to attention, grabbing their plate and tossing it on the long laminate counter along one wall in economical motions. Within ten seconds, the room was clear, and in another minute, she heard the garage bay door opening and the siren of the ladder truck starting.

She turned to the one person left in the room. “Wow, that was
fast
.”

Jason leaned back in his chair and spooned up another bite of chili. “That's our job.”

“You don't have to go?” She remained standing, almost swaying in place, still stunned by how quickly the occupants of the room had gone from sociable to strictly business.

“I'm off duty. I only came in to attend the car wash.” He gestured to her bowl of chili still sitting on the end of the table. “You still hungry or you ready to go?”

She glanced from the chili bowl to his face. He looked relaxed, as if he would've waited all night for her to finish the entire pot of chili. If he'd looked overly eager, she might have hesitated, but instead he calmed her nerves.

She looked to the long kitchen counter now cluttered with dirty dishes. “What about that? Should we wash up?”

“It's not expected of us, but it would be really nice to do. It sucks coming back from a call to a room that needs to be cleaned. And we don't have any rookie volunteers to take care of it.”

“Then let's at least put the chili in the fridge and rinse the dishes.”

“Sure.” He rose, lifting his plate in one easy movement, and made his way to the sink. He scraped his remaining scraps and rinsed quickly. Val stepped up to the counter and started grabbing plates and scraping also.

Jason's forearms flexed and his hands brushed hers as she handed him a scraped plate for rinsing. They worked quickly and easily together. “Do you cook?” she asked Jason. He lowered the faucet handle and turned to her.

“I can cook, and I'm pretty good at the grill, but you might have guessed that,” he said teasingly.

Val smiled. “It's the firefighter in you.” He returned the smile and she flushed, remembering that tonight she'd get to see all of him, in all his naked glory. The room suddenly felt smaller and hotter than it had five minutes ago. She knew her cheeks were as red as the powder spicing the chili.

Jason wiped his hands on a tan dishrag hanging on a cabinet knob and held out his hands. “Come here.”

She pursed her lips and looked at him. This was it. There was no going back. If she stepped into his arms, they'd kiss, and she'd be lost to passion if last night's kiss was any indication. Summoning all her courage and desire for him, she stepped into his waiting arms and was pulled against his chest. They'd been sitting when they'd kissed last night, putting them at a more equal height. Standing close against him, she was dwarfed by his height and muscles. She liked it. He was a solid wall of protection against any bad force coming at her.

She lifted her face and leaned up to kiss his lips. His hands lowered to cup her rear and assist her coming closer. Oh God, a flutter went through her belly, at the feel of every inch of her body pressed against his. She'd been kidding herself that this was going to be a one-time thing. She wanted him right here in the kitchen, and maybe on his cot, which she'd seen on her quick tour of the station. Oh, and maybe in the back of his truck. They could take a blanket from here and toss it in the bed of the truck.

Jason pulled back a fraction and grinned down at her. “What's going through that smart brain of yours right now?” he asked.

She bit her lower lip. “I—I want you. Here.” She loved that she had the nerve to tell him. Now she needed to maintain the courage to act on it.

He didn't wait any longer, and turned them so the counter pressed into her spine. He grasped her hips and lifted her on the counter and nudged his way between her thighs. “
Mmm
,” she moaned as his lips found hers again. Her jeans had lowered and revealed a dainty glimpse of black silk. She didn't care; she was desperate to feel all of him.

She was lost to everything by her desire and the feel of his tongue on hers and his stubble-roughened cheeks under her fingertips. His palms found her breasts over her tank top and she arched into him, knowing her nipples were hard beads against the fabric of her bra.

She scooted forward on the counter and hooked her ankles at his back. For one glorious moment, he was pressed intimately against the spot she wanted him most. Then suddenly he was gone.

Jason stepped back and she was left clinging to air, and her heels hit the lower cabinet.

“What's wrong?”

“We can't do this,” he said.

Her mouth opened, but she was at a loss for words.

He stepped closer and cupped her cheek in his large hand. “
Here.
I meant we can't do this
here
.”

Relief swamped her as his meaning penetrated. He helped her jump down from the counter as he explained. “I nearly lost my job over one inappropriate picture. If I were to get caught having sex with you here, it would be bad. I can't take the risk.”

She squeezed his hand, letting him know she understood and respected his judgment, shocking though it was. She was impressed he had any judgment left during their kiss. Hers had taken a bus to La La Land some minutes before. She was grateful he'd pulled back. Getting caught having sex with one of the firefighters could get back to her boss and wouldn't do any favors for her career either.

“Should we go back to your house?” she asked.

He nodded. “Let me grab my things.” She followed him back to the large dorm-like room lined with cots and lockers. She sat on his bed while he gathered up his belongings. The wool of the blanket was scratchy under her palms, but it still didn't stop her from imagining lying back on the bed and having him join her.

“Valerie, stop.”

She looked up, startled to see Jason holding his backpack over a shoulder and frowning down at her. His hips were at her eye level, and it was easy to see he was aroused. “Stop imagining things,” he said. “If you keep looking at the bed like that, I'm going to lose what little rationality I have left and take you right there.”

A moan escaped her. She couldn't help it.

“Shit,” Jason muttered, and grabbed her hand, yanking her to standing. He planted a hard, fast kiss on her lips then pulled away. “Let's go. How fast can you drive?”

She never sped; deemed it too risky. Tonight she was going to NASCAR it back to Jason's apartment. “Fast. Let's go.”

They practically raced down the stairs and out of the fire station. In the small parking lot, he grabbed her for another kiss before gently pushing her toward her car. He backed out of his spot first and she quickly followed. Her heart pounded the whole drive to his apartment. Luckily, he lived only a ten-minute drive away from the station, or she may have lost her nerve.

She pushed all rational thoughts out of her head. At a red light, she retouched her lipstick, hoping it'd get rubbed off during wild monkey sex. At least she hoped it would be wild monkey sex.

Soon they pulled up in front of a tall modern apartment building. She was interested to see it was one of the newer places in northern Virginia. During the real estate boom, tons of these buildings had been erected with great amenities such as gyms, swimming pools, and lounges. Part of her was surprised he lived here. She would've placed him in one of the older two-story brick garden-style apartments that dotted the landscape in this area.

Once they turned into the driveway of the building, he lowered his window and pointed toward the left. A clear sign marking
Visitor Parking
stood out. She pulled into the last open spot then got out of her car, unsure where to go next. Jason was waiting for her still in his truck. She walked over and got in the passenger side.

“My parking space is underground,” he said and started driving toward the building's resident parking.

She glanced out the window at her car. “How long can I park there?”

“All night.” He shot her a smile. The words shouldn't have sounded so sexy, but the idea of staying with him all night had her shifting in her seat and smothering a smile. She hugged her large purse on her lap and tried to project an outward coolness.

Maybe Jason brought women to his apartment frequently to spend the night, but this was a milestone for her. He was the first man she'd sleep with since college; the first man she'd trust with her body since Andy.

Jason deftly pulled his overly large pickup into the underground garage and drove through the tight maze of parking until he reached spot number 72. From there it was a quick elevator ride up to his eighth-story apartment.

She looked around curiously after he turned the key in the lock and swung the door open. He obviously rented since the walls and carpet were the typical neutral shades of white and beige. Everything else looked like IKEA had come through and turned the place into one of their mini showrooms. It was all color coordinated and cleanly modern. He didn't have a dining room table. Instead the small kitchen opened onto the living room and one counter served as an eating area.

He caught the direction of her stare. “Would you like a tour?” He pointed around the room. “Living room, kitchen, bedroom. Speaking of bedrooms, would you care to check out the bedroom?” He said it smoothly, almost practiced, and for a moment she nearly ran.

Her stomach somersaulted, but she finally nodded and accepted the hand he held out to her. She followed his lead to the doorway leading off the living room. His bedroom was similar to the living room. A low queen-sized bed with a pale wood headboard dominated the small bedroom. A gray and navy duvet covered the mattress. His bed was made, but haphazardly. No hospital corners. The whole apartment had a similar air of being neat and cared for without going to the point of fastidiousness.

“Come here,” Jason said softly.

Her heart upped its tempo, but she stepped toward him. Most of her earlier arousal and desperation for him from the fire station had faded.

“You okay?” he asked, holding her hand and walking with her the step to the bed. “We can snuggle. Slow it down or watch a movie.”

She was startled by his offer, but agreed. What had given her away? The hyperventilating? “A movie sounds great.” Jason kicked off his shoes and she did the same. They got in the big bed, and she leaned against his side, liking the feel of his strong arm around her shoulder.

Jason grabbed his remote and, like every man she'd ever known, proceeded to zoom through channels, barely giving her a chance to see what was playing. He glanced down at her. “Any preferences?”

She shook her head. The channel flashed to women on-screen with a lot of skin showing. Porn lite. Jason paused, lowered the remote, then burst out laughing. “I'm kidding. We'll save the porn for later.” The channel surfing started again.

She laughed, relaxing fully for the first time since he'd told her to follow him home if she wanted him. Without looking at the screen, she told him to stop looking for a movie. “This show is good.” She had no idea what was on the screen. Maybe more porn, or maybe a news program in a foreign language. She was in Jason's bed, and she wanted him to touch her, and she wanted to touch him.

Jason left the remote at his side and rolled to face her more fully. “I didn't really want to watch a movie, but you seemed like you were having second thoughts.” His nose brushed hers, and he gave her time to act on those second thoughts, but they were gone.

She angled her neck to meet his lips for a gentle kiss, which started the fire burning inside. She rolled onto her back and Jason climbed on top of her, careful to hold his full weight from crushing her.

Their mouths remained latched, tongues rubbing sinuously against each other. The lights from nearby apartments and restaurants blinked through the window glass, but to Valerie, nothing registered other than the feel of Jason's strong body and the taste of his lips on hers. She shifted her hips trying to get closer to him, and her tank top pulled off easily to allow him access to her bra, but their lower halves remained frustratingly out of reach thanks to his navy work trousers and her jeans.

“Clothes,” she said on a gasp, and tried to slide out from under him so she could strip.

“Hang on,” Jason murmured. “I'm busy.”

“
Ohh.
” Her head fell back against the pillow as his head moved from her mouth lower to find her breasts. He planted warm wet kisses on the deep V of skin revealed by her bra.

He paused for a moment and propped himself on an elbow. “Did you know your cleavage is nearly always hanging out, tempting and teasing me?”

She shook her head. “It is not. I try not to dress provocatively.”

“You don't,” he said, placing more kisses and nibbles on her breastbone. “You could show me your elbow, and I'd think it was sexy. This bra slides off your body too easily, though.” In an easy move, he slid a strap over her shoulder, then the other, and pushed it off to reveal her hard aching nipples.

He groaned and, for a moment, let himself fall fully onto her, pressing her back into the mattress. Her hands moved to tangle in his dark hair and hold his face to her chest as he kissed first one nipple then the other.