by Laura Lee
I watch as she outlines the flames surrounding it. “It’s a symbol of protection and badge of honor. For firefighters, it stands for perseverance, loyalty, dexterity, explicitness, observation, tact, sympathy, and gallantry.”
She places a soft kiss over the center of the cross. “It fits you perfectly, Drew.” She giggles. “Especially the explicitness part.”
I laugh. “Different kind of explicitness, but thank you, honey.” I’m grinning so hard my cheeks hurt. I’ve never been someone who needs another’s approval, but for some reason, Charlee saying that makes me fucking giddy.
Charlee smiles. “I know. Just couldn’t resist the opening.”
I brush some damp hair away from her forehead. “How are you possibly still single?”
She waves her left hand in front of my face. “Not single anymore.”
I smile. “Okay, how were you possibly still single? How did I get so fucking lucky?”
Charlee gives a small shrug. “I’ve been told that I’m a bit much to handle.”
I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, if you haven’t noticed, I tend to speak my mind and I rarely filter what I’m thinking. I can also be pretty loud sometimes.”
I trail my finger down her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “It’s one of the things I love most about you. You’re passionate and honest and you don’t give a fuck what people think. It’s what makes you stand out in a crowd.”
“Yeah...well, the men I’ve been with would beg to differ and I refused to change myself to fit their idea of what a woman should be like. You’re the only one that doesn’t seem to mind.”
I wrap my hand around the small of her back, pulling her closer. “They’re fucking morons. But I can’t say I’m not grateful because we wouldn’t be here right now if they didn’t let you go.”
Charlee smiles softly. “What are we going to do when we get home, Drew? What are we going to tell everyone?”
“I don’t know...the truth? That we know it’s crazy and impulsive, but it’s right. And that’s all that matters.”
“Do you really mean that?”
I nod. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Charlee plays with the hairs at the back of my neck. “You know what I think?”
“What?” I brush my hand down her side, loving the way her silky skin feels beneath my fingertips.
She raises her eyebrows suggestively. “I think we’ll figure it out when we get home. In the meantime, we still have two more condoms to use.”
I groan as she strokes my semi into a full-blown stiffy. “Oh yeah?”
“Mmm hmm,” she says, scooting her body down the bed. “But first, it’s time for a little payback.”
My dick jerks in anticipation as her mouth hovers over the tip. “I like this plan.”
So do I, buddy, he says. I like this plan a lot.
Charlee moves her lips over my shaft before sucking me in and releasing me with a pop. “I thought you might. So no more worrying about what other people think tonight. Tonight, it’s all about us. You good with that?”
My hips move on their own accord as soon as she takes me into her warm, wet mouth again. “I’m so fucking good with that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Seattle
CHARLEE
I arrive at the fire station a few minutes early. There are a few parking spots next to the driveway where some guy is washing one of the trucks. I’m assuming Drew told him to expect me because he nods his head as I get out of the car and starts walking over to me.
“Hey there. You must be Charlee.”
I shake the hand he’s offering. “I am. And you are?”
A dimple on his left cheek pops out when he smiles. “Todd. You need some help carrying things?”
“That’d be great.” I hit the button for the trunk and head to the back of my Accord. I have three large insulated bags taking up the entire space.
“Whoa.” Todd surveys the trunk. “Is this all for us?”
I hand two bags over. “I tend to go a little overboard. I usually wind up making twice as much as I need.”
“I don’t think anyone will complain. We have five fridges and we love leftovers. Especially when the food is cooked by a beautiful woman.”
Todd winks and gives me an oh-so-obvious once over. He’s a good-looking guy. Probably around six feet, mid-thirties, with brown hair, olive skin, amber eyes, and he’s definitely in shape. In a nutshell, he’s exactly my type. Under normal circumstances, I’d go out with him in a heartbeat. But alas, normal circumstances these are not. I can’t even think about dating someone until I get this marriage thing taken care of. Plus there’s the whole issue about not being able to get the blonde-haired giant off my mind.
I wonder how much Drew told his station buddies about me. We agreed to keep the marriage thing on the DL but based on how this guy’s flirting with me, I can’t imagine Drew’s attempted to stake any sort of claim. Now I have to ask myself why that bothers me.
Todd jerks his head toward the big garage. “Come on in through the bay. The kitchen is right inside.”
We weave through another firetruck and a white HAZMAT vehicle before stepping through a door. Just as Todd said, there’s a large industrial kitchen off to the side of a big open room. A half dozen recliners sit on the left with a huge TV posted to the wall, showing a Mariners game. There’s an oversized island in the middle so I head over there to set the bag down.
“Hey, Summers! Look what I found!” Todd announces.
Five chairs turn around at once. Drew jumps up the second we make eye contact and crosses the room in a few long strides. He looks like he’s about to wrap me in a hug but seems to change his mind at the last second. Damn, he looks good in his work clothes. His navy blue t-shirt stretches across his broad chest and tapers down to his trim waist. It’s tucked into a pair of matching pants so the fact that this man has very little body fat is quite obvious. I really want to ask him to do a little twirl so I can check out the back, but I think that might be pushing it.
“Hi,” he says.
I bite my lip, imagining what he looks like wearing his protective gear. “Hi.”
Drew turns around to face the other men in the room. Yep, just as good in the back. “Guys, this is Charlee Harris. Charlee, that’s Warren, Connor, Grant, and Jason.” He points to each man as he makes introductions from left to right.
A chorus of “Hey, Charlee!” and “nice to meet you” goes around so I offer a little wave in response.
Todd goes back outside, saying he needs to finish washing the rig, and the other four turn back to their game.
Drew pulls the tray of lasagna out of a bag. “What can I do to help?”
I suddenly feel hyperaware of our audience, so I do what I know best and put my imaginary chef hat on. “If you can preheat the oven to 375°, that’d be great.”
He pushes the buttons to set the temperature. “Done. What else?”
“Um...” I unzip the third bag. “Can you put this in the fridge? Also, do you have a cutting board and some knives? I need to make the dressing for the salad.”
Drew digs through a lower cabinet, producing a large cutting board and sets a knife block next to it. After placing the salad bowl in the fridge, he starts peeking under the foil of each dish that I have set out. “What’d you bring?”
I point to each dish. “Lasagna, eggplant parm, and manicotti.”
I’m pretty sure his stomach just growled. “This looks amazing. Thank you for doing this. You really didn’t have to go through all the trouble.”
I wave him off. “It’s no trouble. I like doing it; you know that.”
Drew leans against the counter and watches as I get the ingredients together for the dressing. As I’m about to slice open a lemon, he places his hand over my forearm and whispers, “You look incredible, Charlee.”
I can feel myself blushing like a shy little schoolgirl. Which is odd, because if you haven’t figured it o
ut already, there’s not a shy bone in my body. What the hell is this man doing to me?
I open my mouth to thank him but the oven beeps, causing me to change course. “The lasagna and manicotti can go in together for one hour. I already precooked the eggplant so I’ll just need to warm that up during the last twenty minutes or so. The garlic bread goes in during the last ten minutes.”
Drew nods and places both dishes in the oven, setting the timer for an hour. “So we don’t need to do anything for the next forty minutes?”
I nod to the cutting board. “I still need to make the vinaigrette but other than that, no.”
“So what I’m hearing, is that you have about thirty minutes. Do you want a tour of the station? We can talk while we’re doing that.”
Talk. Right. The whole reason I’m here is so we can go over the annulment stuff. “Um, yeah that works.”
“Guys, I’m taking Charlee for a tour. We’ll be back in a bit.”
Various acknowledgements ring throughout the room. I’m pretty sure I heard, “Is that what the kids are calling it now?” thrown in there somewhere.
Drew extends his hand. “C’mon, Charlee. Don’t worry; I won’t bite.” He winks. “Unless you want me to.”
Without warning, I get several flashes of him doing just that. My shoulders, my breasts, the bottom of my ear lobe. All while moving inside of me. Drew definitely likes to use his teeth during sex. A flush spreads throughout my body and my pussy throbs. When our eyes connect, I’m certain he can read my thoughts because he leans into me as his eyes flash with awareness.
He clears his throat. “So...yeah...let’s get started then.”
Drew’s fingers flex as I take his hand and allow him to lead me out of the room. We walk down a long hallway where he points out a gym, a conference room, an office, and each individual bunk that closely resembles a single dorm room. I laugh when I think about Drew trying to fit on a twin-sized bed.
“I thought you guys all slept in one room, like in boot camp or something.”
He laughs. “Nah, only the older stations have those now.”
One of the bunks has a pink blanket spread over the bed, with sequined throw pillows, and the desk has a sparkly pink runner draped over it. I nod toward the room. “Which one of the guys has an obsession with pink?”
Drew laughs. “That’s Faith’s room. She’s a badass in the field but definitely the girliest girl I’ve ever met outside of it. She’s not on shift today so you’ll have to meet her another time.”
“Wow, I should have my lady card revoked assuming that only men worked here.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, honey. It’s a male-dominated field so you wouldn’t be the first person to think that. Plus, I happen to like your lady card.”
I chuckle. “Is that so?”
He stops in front of the last room. “This one’s mine.”
There’s so much implied in those three little words. I will my beaver to slow her roll and gesture to the laptop on the desk. “Can we use that to pull up the website I was showing you on the plane yesterday?”
“Yeah, it’s my personal computer.”
He steps into the room so I follow. There’s barely enough space for him, let alone two of us, so I’m forced to stand right beside him, breathing in his woodsy cologne. Fuck, I want him so badly. With each memory that surfaces, I’m reminded of how hot we are in bed together. There’s never been any doubt whether or not Drew and I have chemistry, but the little bits and pieces that I can recall of doing the deed were the hottest sexual experiences of my life. And I want more.
“Drew—”
“Should we—” He clears his throat. “You first.”
I reach my arm out and push the door closed. “I don’t want to talk, Drew.”
“Oh thank fuck.” Before I can say another word, he’s shoving his tongue down my throat.
I gasp when Drew picks me up and wraps my legs around his waist like I weigh no more than a feather. I’m a feminist through and through but I can’t tell you that it doesn’t turn me on that he is so much stronger than I am. When he pushes me against the wall and grinds his monster cock into the apex between my thighs, I damn near come apart. Drew is the very definition of an alpha male and every female part of me responds to that. Not only how unbelievable sexy and powerful he is, but also how protective and caring he is, as evidenced by the way he’s cradling my head so I don’t leave a skull-shaped dent in the drywall. It’s all the little subconscious things he does daily that most people don’t notice. I don’t think he even notices, but I’ve been keeping a mental catalog since the day we met.
I groan when he pulls my shirt over my head and sucks my nipple though my lacy bra.
“Fuck, Charlee, you make me crazy.”
“Right back at ya, Big Guy,” I pant.
He unclasps my bra with skilled precision and starts nibbling the underside of my breast as soon as it’s freed. “We really shouldn’t be doing this,” he mutters against my skin.
I squeal when he pinches my nipples. “Why not?”
He grunts as he shoves his cock into me harder, desperately seeking friction. Why are we still wearing clothes?
“You know why not.”
Oh Christ, not this again. “Well, we are technically married for the time being. Might as well take advantage of that.”
Drew lifts his head to offer me a smile. “Right. There’s nothing wrong with a man banging his wife.”
I fumble with his belt and pop the button to his pants. “Exactly. Now take these damn things off.”
He rests his forehead against my shoulder. “I can’t have sex at work, Charlee.”
“Why the hell not?” I ask. “We’re already halfway there. Besides, doctors do it all the damn time! You’re responsible for saving lives just like they are. Your job is demanding. You need the stress relief.”
He sets me on the ground and pulls my leggings and panties down, my flip flops falling off in the process. As he stands, he produces a condom from his wallet and rips it open. “You’re so fucking smart. Now that I think about it, I have been really stressed lately. This will totally help me do my job better.”
I shove his pants and boxers down just enough to free the goods. “Glad we’re on the same page. Now fuck me, Drew.”
He slides the rubber down his massive length and picks me up again. I brace my back against the wall and lock my ankles behind his waist. Drew runs his fingers through my slit and groans. “You’re so fucking wet already.”
I whimper. “So get inside of me.”
He poises the head against my opening. “God, honey, what are you doing to me?”
“Probably the same thing you’re doing to me.” I press against him, sliding down until the crown is inside of me. “C’mon, Drew. Move, goddammit.” I fist his shirt. “And take this damn thing off.”
Drew quickly loses the shirt then attacks my mouth. My breath hitches as he slowly slides inside of me. Sweet Jesus, he’s huge. I wince a little from the stretch but it’s one of those pleasure-pain feelings. As he begins to thrust in and out, my body quickly learns to accommodate his size and enthusiastically welcomes him.
“Shhh,” he says when I moan. “We need to be quiet.”
Fuck. Easier said than done when he’s practically splitting me in two.
“I’m trying,” I whine.
He smiles. “Let me help, baby. Give me those gorgeous lips.”
We start making out again. In this position, with every upward thrust, that trimmed patch of hair above his dick teases my clit oh-so-perfectly. Drew swallows my screams and moans with his mouth as he works his sex voodoo on my lower half. Before I know it, my limbs are tensing and I’m coming so fucking hard that he has to muffle my mouth with his hand. He picks up speed and after a few more thrusts, Drew finds his own completion with a stifled cry into my shoulder. My knees buckle when he lowers me to the ground, so he holds me up for a moment until I can gather the strength. He’s grinning like an idio
t as he ties off the condom and tucks himself back into his pants.
“What are you so smiley about?” Drew picks my bra and shirt off the floor and hands them to me. While I’m putting them on, he helps me step into my leggings, sans panties. “Hey, you’re forgetting something.”
“No, I’m not.” He smirks as he tucks my thong into his front pocket. “I’m starting a collection. These will go nicely with the red pair that I found in my jeans pocket.”
So that’s where they went!
I give him a wry look. “You know that’s a little creepy, right?”
He shakes his head slowly. “Don’t lie to me, Charlee. You like the idea. You’re probably thinking about it right now. How hot it would be when I jerk off while they’re wrapped around my dick. That I’ll be covered in your scent even when you’re not there.”
“Well, I wasn’t thinking that,” I mutter. “But now I am.”
And I’m ready for round two.
Drew winks and puts his shirt back on. Smoothing down my hair he says, “We’ve gotta get back out there. The food should be done soon.”
I glance at the clock hanging over his desk. Holy shit, he’s right.
“They’re going to know what we were doing in here,” I say. “Your team. There’s no way they won’t know.”
“And?” he questions.
“And how do you feel about that?”
Drew shrugs. “I’m sure they’ll suspect, but they won’t know for sure. Either way, I think it sends a pretty strong message.”
“About what?”
He leans down and takes my lower lip between his teeth. Do you see what I mean about the biting fetish? “That you’re mine, Charlee. As long as we’re still married, you’re mine. You good with that?”
I fight back a moan. “I’m good with that as long as you keep feeding me the D.”
He laughs. “Good to know. C’mon, let’s go eat. I’m really fucking hungry now.”