Strike a Match

by Fiona Riley

  Abby frowned. “I’m not. Not exactly. It’s just, your parents’ home, the one you grew up in? It’s perfect. It’s everything a home should be—warm and inviting and with such rich history and familiarity. No home I have ever lived in has been that—”

  “Small?” Sasha was teasing her.

  “Well. Yes.” Abby laughed. “You should see the monstrosity my mother lives in. She’s got a groundskeeper for the groundskeeper.”

  “I’d like to see it sometime.” She meant that. Being around this kind of wealth would take some getting used to but she’d be willing to try. “How is Edie?”

  Abby paused. “She’s good. She’s head over heels for your chief.”

  “There’s something about firefighters…You can’t resist them.” Sasha leaned against the island as Abby turned off the burner on the stove.

  “That’s true.” Abby stepped into Sasha’s personal space and kissed her. Sasha’s hands fell to her hips, guiding Abby to the space between her legs. “They’re just so hot.”

  “We aim to please.” The wine tasted significantly better on Abby’s lips. She decided this would be the only way to enjoy wine from now on.

  “Oh, you’ve never denied me any pleasure, that’s for sure.” Abby’s hand slid up into Sasha’s hair and she moaned. She liked the direction their evening appeared to be headed.

  Abby dragged her thumb over Sasha’s bottom lip as she said, “I’m going to step back from you now, because I promised myself I’d make you dinner and that you’d be dessert. Does that sound all right with you?”

  Sasha couldn’t care less about what was in the pot. The only thing on her mind now was how warm it was where Abby’s hips pressed against her own. She let her head drop back as Abby kissed along her neck. “I like this plan.”

  “Good. Because tonight is all about getting to know you and sharing myself with you.” Abby nipped at her jaw.

  “What kind of sharing are we talking about?” Sasha slipped her hand under the front of Abby’s shirt, tickling the skin as Abby sucked on her pulse point.

  “Oh, you know, the biblical kind.” Abby was definitely marking her now. She loved it.

  “Are you sure dinner can’t wait?” Sasha asked. Abby rolled her hips against Sasha’s and suddenly Sasha wasn’t sure she could.

  Abby licked the spot she had been sucking and leaned back. “Are you saying you’d rather have a tour of my house than try my grandmother’s Bolognese?”

  “Does the tour include your bedroom?”

  “It can. If you ask nicely.” Abby was so, so sexy.

  “Please?” Sasha’s request was rewarded with Abby’s fingers gripping her belt buckle and tugging her away from the island.

  “Well, since you’re so polite.”

  Sasha reached to Abby’s left and turned off the remaining burners. “Safety first.”

  “We’ll set things ablaze elsewhere—is that what you’re saying?” Abby made short work of the belt and soon it was on the island by the forgotten sauce.

  “Mm-hmm. I have a feeling we’ll be a flaming success.”

  “These fire references are endless, aren’t they?” Abby walked them backward through the kitchen toward the hallway.

  Sasha chuckled. “Hazard of dating someone so lit.”

  Abby rolled her eyes before pressing a searing kiss to Sasha’s mouth. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I am, too.” Sasha slowed the kiss, drawing it out. She didn’t want to rush anything tonight. She pulled back, brushing aside a hair on Abby’s forehead. She let her fingers linger along her hairline as she spoke. “There’s something I didn’t tell you at the museum.”

  “Oh?” Abby’s hand paused at her waistband. A look of concern settled on her face.

  Sasha cupped her cheek and stared deeply into her eyes. “In the interest of full disclosure, I want to honor what I said to you. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. But I wasn’t entirely honest with you that night.”

  Abby inhaled, closing her eyes briefly as she leaned into Sasha’s palm. Her free hand held Sasha’s a little firmer against her cheek before she looked back up at Sasha. “Okay. I’m ready. What is it you wanted to tell me?”

  Any doubt Sasha had, dissolved in that moment. The moment when Abby was so brave and so vulnerable. It was exactly the kind of thing Sasha had wanted all along: true, honest, scary, feelings. “I love you.”

  Sasha decided Abby’s grin could light up the whole city.

  “So, just to be clear, you love me.” Abby looped her arms around Sasha’s neck and Sasha felt whole in a way she hadn’t in weeks.

  “I do.” Sasha settled her hands on Abby’s hips, holding her close, her thumbs tracing the hem of Abby’s shirt.

  “Whoa, Sash. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Abby winked and rested her forehead against Sasha’s. “No marriage proclamations just yet. You haven’t tasted my Bolognese.”

  Abby’s humor was almost as exciting as her lips, or her skin, or her everything else. Almost. But not quite. Sasha thumbed open the button of Abby’s pants and pulled them down a little. “I’m sure we’ll get there, but there’s something more important I’d like to taste first.”

  Abby let out a low moan and it was the single best thing Sasha had heard all night. “God. I love you.”

  Correction. That was. “I love you, too. Now let me show you how much I missed you.”

  Abby took her hand and led her to a bed much, much larger than Sasha’s childhood twin. But Sasha made sure she stayed close, not willing to let Abby slip away, ever again.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Abby had been on cloud nine for so many days in a row now she didn’t think she’d ever come back down. Not that she ever wanted to. She was plenty fine up there in her new love high. It seemed like nothing could darken her day. Not a thing.

  She looked at the stack of papers she was supposed to review for the foundation, but she had zero motivation. She picked up her phone for the fifth time in the past fifteen minutes and checked to see if Sasha had written back. She hadn’t. Abby sighed and pushed her phone away, keeping it in sight just in case her screen lit up with a notification.

  It wasn’t that she was obsessed or anything, just things were going so well with Sasha, she didn’t want to miss a moment. And she hadn’t. Since the night Sasha came by her place for dinner, even though they only had dessert—and a lot of it, at that—things had been great. They saw each other often and spoke every day. It was exactly the type of relationship Abby had read about in all those romance novels she’d indulged in over the years but had never experienced for herself. She couldn’t get enough of Sasha and she didn’t think she wanted to.

  But today was a station day and Sasha was at the firehouse. So she was a lot less accessible by phone today, just like all days she played with fires. Abby noticed those days felt the longest. And today was a particularly difficult day to have Sasha be unavailable to talk because tonight, Abby was going to meet Duncan. To say she was nervous was the understatement of the century.

  Sasha had assured her over and over that meeting her dad was nothing to be nervous about, but Abby wasn’t so sure. She had spent weeks at his bedside with Sasha and Valeria, hearing stories about his life and how much he meant to them. She had seen the look in Sasha’s eyes when she whispered in his ear and softly called him her hero before she kissed his cheek. Sasha was always moved to tears in those moments, the quiet, somber moments Abby had felt honored to witness. It had shown Abby a side of Sasha that she didn’t know existed. It had reminded her of the frailty of life and allowed her to open herself up to love.

  Those weeks had been absolutely fundamental in the bond she’d formed with Sasha. Duncan’s medical crisis had brought Sasha into her life in a way she’d never thought possible. The true miracle of it all was that he’d pulled through impossible odds to rejoin his family. Abby still wasn’t over the fact that she and Sasha hadn’t been in contact when Duncan’s health started to improve. She had
n’t been there when he was discharged home and Sasha had to have a ramp installed to get him into the house. She wasn’t there. And that haunted her. It made her official first meeting with Duncan feel that much more significant. Abby viewed this as her second chance, a fresh start. Meeting Duncan McCray felt like a big step in her budding relationship with Sasha and she didn’t want to fuck this up.

  “You’re going to give yourself wrinkles,” her mother said from the doorway of her office. Abby had no idea how long she’d been there. She obviously didn’t feel the need to announce herself with a knock like any civilized person.

  “I hear there’s Botox for such things.” She was glad her mother was here. She could use the distraction.

  “That’s a slippery slope, dear. Luckily for you, I know a guy.” Her mother raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Best Botoxer in all of Boston.”

  Abby pointed to her mother and feigned mock surprise. “Is that what happened? Your forehead hasn’t moved in years. I just assumed you charmed the wrinkles away.”

  “And where do you think you get your charm from, if not from me?” Edie took the seat across from Abby’s desk, her posture pristine as she crossed her legs. “You are positively oozing with charm, lovey. You’ll be wrinkle free in no time. Feel free to resume that furrowed look from before.”

  Abby leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers on the desk. “I’m nervous.”

  “About what?”

  Abby resisted the urge to chew her cuticles. “I’m meeting Sasha’s father tonight.”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh? Oh, I should be worried, or Oh, you get it?” Abby’s palms were sweating.

  “Oh. As in, Oh, I understand,” Edie supplied with an empathetic expression. “It’s scary meeting the family for the first time.”

  “That’s the thing.” Abby sighed. “I feel like I already know him. I was completely immersed in the essence of his life for those weeks at the hospital. He was all around us. His love of life and family was celebrated daily, even when he wasn’t able to participate. I guess I’m afraid the person I see in my mind won’t match the person who sits in front of me.”

  Edie considered this. “He sounds like a great man.”

  “If you hear Sasha tell it, he’s the greatest.” She looked at her phone again—still no texts.

  “Is that what’s really bothering you?” Edie asked.

  Abby was lost. “What?”

  “Are you worried that he won’t like you?”

  Abby swallowed hard. “Well, I wasn’t until right now.”

  Edie cooed. “Abby, please. There’s not a thing about you that is unlikeable. Plus, you have all that antiwrinkle charm on your side. You’ll do just fine.”

  Abby hoped her mother was right. Her phone screen lit up and she grabbed for it. Finally.

  “You’re smiling. Is that Sasha?” Her mother leaned forward to try and see the screen.

  Abby covered it reflexively. Their texts had been known to get to inferno level of hotness on long shifts like this one.

  “It is.” Abby didn’t bother trying to conceal her happiness. She’d waited a long time for this.

  “You two make a beautiful couple.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Abby agreed. Seeing their reflection in the mirror with Sasha’s arms wrapped around her from behind was one of her favorite things, usually because it led to other things. But still. She sighed. “These long shifts are the worst.”

  “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Edie gave her an empathetic shrug.

  “Whoever said that was clearly celibate and single.” Abby poked at the files in front of her. “I have no ambition to adult right now. None.”

  “What are those?” Edie stifled a yawn.

  “Boring.” Abby yawned in response—it was contagious. “Some paperwork for the foundation. Evelyn dropped it off.”

  Edie made a face. “You’re on your own with that stuff. I’m allergic to paperwork.”

  “This is why I handle all of the tedious, nerdy things, isn’t it?” Abby opened the top folder and skimmed the first document. She closed the file. Her heart was not in this tonight.

  “You handle it because you’re much better at it than I am.” Edie blew her a kiss as she stood.

  “That sounds like a cop-out.” Abby stretched in her chair. Her phone pinged again, and she reached for it. Her heart sank when she read it. “Shit. Sasha just canceled. She’s picking up an extra half shift.”

  Edie perched at the edge of Abby’s desk. “Okay. It’s decided. We’re going.”

  “Going where?” Abby rested her forehead on the desk in defeat.

  “Ice cream. When times get tough, we get ice cream.” Edie tugged at her arm until she stood up.

  “But…there’s adulting to do.” Abby pointed to the folders weakly. If she wasn’t going to see Sasha and get a chance to meet her father, then she should at least get some work done.

  Edie pulled her toward the door, grabbing her purse off the chair. “It’ll be there tomorrow. There’s no guarantee that your favorite mint chip cone from Creedon’s will be though.”

  Although Abby was disappointed she wouldn’t be seeing Sasha later, a part of her was a little relieved that she’d have more time before meeting Duncan. Plus, any time she got to spend with her mother one-on-one these days was great. Her mother and Luke were going strong. She wanted to soak up as much mother-daughter time as she could. And if her mother was taking her to Creedon’s, then she was definitely buying.

  *****

  “You’re grinning like an idiot. You get laid or something?” Burger disrupted her daydream and she considered homicide.

  “A lady never kisses and tells, Burgertime.” She leaned back in her chair and rested her feet on the table. She was tired. The last two weeks with Abby had been magical. She’d had a lot of long nights spent getting reacquainted with her, which she wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, but her station shifts were clustered together this week and her father’s usual full-time caregiver was away on vacation. Her time away from Abby was spent training someone new and trying to calm her father down enough not to fire everyone who wasn’t her mother or herself. She was tired. But things were good. So what if she was reliving a particularly fond memory or two while on shift?

  “Since when are you such a prude?” Burger chewed with his mouth open and Sasha wondered if she could get her wadded-up gum wrapper in there between bites.

  “Since I found out you have a crush on my girlfriend.” She had caught him ogling her last week when Abby had stopped by the firehouse for a quick lunch date. Sasha made Casey order him to wash the bathrooms, twice.

  Burger’s mouth hung open. She could definitely get it in there. No doubt. “That’s not…I don’t—”

  “Burger. It’s cool. You have eyes. She’s smoking hot. I get it.” She rolled the foil tighter between her fingers. She’d need it to be dense to hit the target.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, cool. I thought you’d be mad. She’s super hot.”

  Sasha launched the gum wrapper at his mouth, but her aim was a little off and she ended up hitting him in the eye instead.

  “Ouch! What the hell?” He rubbed his eye and pouted.

  “Wrong answer, Burger. That was a test. You failed.” She shook her head. “Unbelievable. You have no shame, dude.”

  He raised his hands in defense. “It’s not like I’m a threat or anything. She’s clearly head over heels for you. And I assume things are going well, right? Because if they aren’t, I’m happy to give her a shoulder to cry—”

  “Feel free to stop right there, beefcake. Things are great. Thanks for asking.” She looked down at her phone and smiled. Abby sent her the cutest frowning selfie. It was adorable. And heartbreaking because Sasha wanted nothing more than to finish her shift and introduce Abby to her father, but the opportunity for overtime didn’t come up very often these days, so she’d jumped at the chance to extend her current shift just a little longer. She
was already here, after all.

  Normally, she didn’t mind picking up an extra shift here or there, but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been looking forward to tonight. Although she and Abby had seen each other quite a bit over the last few weeks, she’d not had the chance to introduce Abby to her dad. And her father was hounding her constantly about it. It had been entirely a scheduling thing—well, that and the fact that although her father was on the mend, there were still days he wasn’t at his best. Those days he needed more sleep and extra help with walking. It was on those days he looked grayer than she liked. The update from her mother earlier warned that today was one of those days. She didn’t want Abby to meet her father when he wasn’t at his best, whatever that was. So the extra shift opportunity felt serendipitous. At least, that’s what she was telling herself.

  She stretched in her chair and cracked her neck. Things had been pretty slow around here, and maybe she’d be able to sneak in a nap to recharge. Her phone buzzed again. It was a picture of Abby smiling with her mother, the two of them holding ice cream cones. Abby had included a quick Wish you were here text with it. Sasha sighed. She hadn’t spent a ton of time with Edie, but the time she had spent with her had been hilarious. Edie was a freaking riot. And on a more personal side, she’d noticed a really nice change in her chief, which she wholly attributed to Edie. Those Davenport girls were something else, she mused.

  The photo of Abby and her mother looking so happy gave her a renewed sense of purpose. She was working this shift to help her family, even though it meant she missed out on ice cream with Abby and her mom. Providing for her parents was something that gave her great pride. It gave her a purpose. She wanted to do this to help them. Her father and mother had always gone above and beyond for Sasha her whole life. This was the least she could do. And without her, what would happen to them? She didn’t want to think of it.

  The firehouse siren bellowed, interrupting her reverie. It was time to get to work. She jumped up from the table and followed the rest of her unit down toward the truck. With practiced ease, she stepped into her hitch and boots, gearing up and climbing into the engine as it pulled out of the station.