“I trust that you’re finding the apartment to your liking?” He tilted his head as he sat down across from me.
“Yeah, it’s pretty nice.” I nodded quickly. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about—work stuff.” Gerard waved off my concern.
“Just something we’re dealing with.” Liam walked into the room and handed Gerard a beer. “We’ve got it under control.”
“Okay…” I felt a little bit apprehensive about it, even though I had no idea what the problem was.
There’s definitely something they aren’t telling me.
I sat in the living room talking to Gerard and Liam for a couple of hours. They told me about their job, some of the nuances that they dealt with on a daily basis and a few stories about some of their more exciting calls. They both seemed to enjoy being firefighters, even if it was a pretty dangerous job. I still couldn’t picture Liam suiting up and rushing into a burning building—but he was a lot different than I remembered, and I honestly didn’t know him very well outside of what my brother told me. I knew Gerard a little better, or at least I wanted to believe I did consider that he was the guy who took my virginity. Truthfully, I thought I knew him well enough to trust that what we had was developing into something real, but I was wrong. Maybe I didn’t know him very well either. Either way, that was in the past. He had his chance, and while the apology was a nice start, it wasn’t going to repair everything. I could be civil—even that was more than he deserved after what he did.
“Alright guys, it’s getting late. I guess I’m heading to bed.” I stretched out my arms and yawned.
“I’m not too far behind.” Gerard nodded and finished the beer in his hand.
“I can’t go to bed until you two leave my bedroom.” Liam chuckled and motioned to the couch.
We said goodnight, and I headed to my room. Once the door was closed and I was in bed, my thoughts immediately returned to the kiss I shared with Liam. I was scared of trusting anyone after what Gerard did—especially someone who moved that fast. The crush I used to have on Liam was toying with my thoughts and making me believe it could be more, but that wasn’t real. I was more responsible than that. Gerard taught me a lesson that I hadn’t been able to forget. I wasn’t sure I would ever be that naive and trusting again. Liam was still hot-as-sin, and his lips set me on fire, but that was a physical need—a body that had felt real pleasure once and craved it again, even if it turned out to be the only thing Gerard wanted. I couldn’t succumb to that. I would just end up with a wound that crushed another piece of my heart, because even if I didn’t love Gerard when I slept with him—I believed that was the direction our relationship was headed.
I’m not going that far with anyone again unless I’m sure they want more than one night of passion.
6
Liam
“We’ve got to find a way to come up with some money.” I looked over at Gerard once Rachel closed the door to her bedroom.
“Yeah.” Gerard exhaled sharply. “It isn’t our fucking problem, but it’s going to be if we don’t.”
Gerard told me about his visit to the club Robert Townsend owned. Gerard didn’t see the man himself, but he was able to talk to one of the top guys in the organization. Billy had been taking out small loans and paying them back for well over a year, so when he asked for a larger loan, they believed he was good for it. It had been two months since he walked out of Robert Townsend’s club with twenty-five thousand dollars—and that loan was way overdue. I had no idea what Billy spent the money on. I assumed he gambled it away. Considering he struggled to pay his share of the rent and utilities without his father’s help, he had no business with that kind of money.
Everyone knew who Robert Townsend was—what he was capable of. I rubbed shoulders with law enforcement all the time in my job, and that was one name that would make a cop’s hand tremble. Robert Townsend was untouchable. On the surface, he was a loan shark that always had money to lend, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Money was power, and he understood how to use the former to obtain the latter. Billy’s loan was nothing to him, but it was the principle of the issue. If someone like Billy could steal from him without repercussion, then that made him look weak—and Robert Townsend was not going to look weak. The people associated with Billy were fine as collateral damage—and family definitely wasn’t off limits.
“Do you think we should tell Rachel? She has a right to know…” I looked over at Gerard.
“We probably should, but I really don’t want to burden her with it.” Gerard sighed. “Let’s give it a few days and see what we can come up with first.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “But that’s it—if we can’t figure something out, we need to let her know. I mean, fuck—her father could be in danger too.”
“I know.” Gerard sighed again. “I fucking know how bad this is…”
We had another beer before Gerard went to bed, and I turned off the lights, so I could get some sleep. Usually, I got plenty of rest when I was on my forty-eight-hour break between shifts, so I was definitely ready for bed. Unfortunately, my brain had other ideas. It kept replaying the kiss I shared with Rachel—her deliciously pouty lips. I shouldn’t have kissed her—I just couldn’t help myself. I had no idea what came over me. That was how I used to be, but I had been a different person after I got my heart broke. Having what I believed was real love changed my perspective—or maybe I was just blinded by the way the relationship ended. Perhaps I hadn’t changed at all, and the turmoil just masked the man I used to be.
I felt something else entirely with Rachel—maybe it was because I knew she had a crush on me at one time. Maybe that just made it seem like we had some sort of connection. Not only was she Billy’s little sister—she used to date Gerard. That made her more than off limits—she was absolutely taboo. Yet there was a part of me that didn’t care—a part of me that wanted to taste her lips again—to feel her body against mine as my hand explored every inch of her body. I wondered if she would have stopped me if Gerard hadn’t arrived when he did. Her lips said no, but her body was reacting to my touch—her eyes begged for more. She wanted to be in my arms—but maybe there was a part of her that was confused by it as well.
No matter how I feel, or what could happen between us, it’s not going to matter if we don’t figure out this situation with Robert Townsend.
The next day
“Where did Rachel go? I swear I heard her leave earlier.” Gerard walked into the kitchen and immediately poured a cup of coffee.
“She went for a run.” I shrugged and lifted my coffee cup to my lips. “I guess she is a little more health conscious than her brother—she even turned down bacon.”
“Turned down bacon? Oh god—don’t tell me she’s become a vegan.” Gerard raised an eyebrow.
“Nah, she ordered a wrap that had meat on it for dinner last night.” I shrugged again.
“I guess we’re going to have to make some adjustments to our grocery list.” Gerard chuckled and sat down.
“I think we’ve got some more pressing matters.” I looked up at him. “I went through my finances this morning. Even if I was able to max out every credit card I have, I can’t even come up with five grand, much less twenty-five.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some money in the bank, but nowhere near that much. I don’t fucking know man. After sleeping on it, I feel like we’re not going to be able to fix this.” He sighed and sipped his coffee. “Maybe we should just tell Rachel when she gets back and suggests that she leave town with her father for a little bit—at least until this blows over.”
“That’s not going to solve the problem though, that’s just going to be a temporary fix.” I shook my head back and forth. “Even if the heat dies down a little bit, they’ll still be in danger if they come back.”
“You know what we should do?” Gerard’s jaw tightened. “We should drive to Vegas, find Billy, and drag his ass back here. He’s the one that started this mess.
He should have known that skipping town was just going to be put his family in danger—and us.”
“That’s tempting.” I nodded. “But, even if he’s an asshole, he’s still our friend. I couldn’t do that to him.”
“Some friend…” Gerard’s words trailed off as we heard the front door opening.
“Good morning!” Rachel walked into the apartment and wiped some sweat off her brow.
My jaw might as well have relocated itself on to the floor by my feet when Rachel walked into the apartment. Somewhere along the way, she had decided to remove the jacket that she was wearing when she left, so all I saw were curves—beautiful curves. She had on a sports bra that was designed to be worn as a top, and it left her midsection bare. The sweat she worked up on her run made her spandex pants cling to her like they were glued on, and without the jacket hanging over them, there was very little left to the imagination. She barely looked at us as she walked towards the hallway, giving us both a perfect view of her heart-shaped ass. I looked at Gerard—he looked at me—and then we both turned back to stare until she closed her bedroom door. The sight of her was enough to make my pulse race, and I could tell by the look on Gerard’s face that his was doing the exact same thing.
“Well then…” Gerard exhaled sharply. “I’m not going to get tired of seeing that every morning—she can be as health-conscious as she wants to be.”
“No kidding…” I blinked a couple of times. “I’m glad it’s a pretty mild winter.”
Seeing Rachel walk into the apartment made me feel just like a perverted teenager again, and the thoughts running through my mind were a lot filthier than the ones I had back then. Once my pulse stopped racing, my thoughts returned to the problem at hand—dealing with Billy’s debt. We talked quietly for a few minutes and decided that we were going to need some help. We had some friends, people that knew Billy, but I didn’t know if they could come up with the kind of cash required to pay the debt—especially since it would be tough to pay them back. My credit was busted, so a loan was out of the question unless I got one from someone just as shady as Robert Townsend. Gerard might have been able to get one if he was trying to buy a house or a car, but just walking into a bank and asking for it without some collateral wasn’t going to happen. Our best bet was to hit the streets and see if we could piece together something that resembled a stack of cash. Even if we couldn’t raise it all in one day, a decent start would let us show Robert Townsend we intended to pay.
Hopefully, that will be enough to get him off our backs for now.
“Alright, I’m going to go see my parents.” Gerard pushed his chair back and stood. “I doubt they can help much, but it’s a start.”
“That’s a dead end for me, but I’m going to check with a few guys I know.” I nodded. “Want to meet back here around noon?”
“That’s sounds good.” Gerard nodded and headed towards the door.
I hated begging, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice in the matter. If I knew how to spin money out of the air, I wouldn’t have been up to my ears in debt already. There were always other ways, but I really didn’t want to do something illegal. That would have made me no better than Billy, who created the problem, to begin with. I needed to find a way to get money without resorting to crime. Even if my moral compass wasn’t firmly planted on the right side of things, there was always a chance I could get caught. I wouldn’t be able to be a firefighter with a criminal record, and I really liked my job. It was dangerous, but it gave me a sense of purpose—something I never had when I was younger. It was a godsend after my relationship ended because the adrenaline kept the thoughts of my ex out of my head.
“Did Gerard leave?” Rachel walked down the hallway, wearing regular clothes that hid the curves I already missed.
“Yeah, he had something to take care of. I need to hit the road soon too.” I nodded and started to stand.
“Are we not going to talk about last night?” She stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, blocking my only exit.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I stopped a few feet from her.
“Only if you do…” She took a step closer.
“The beer just went to my head.” I shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“Okay—then we talked about it.” She brushed past me and walked over to the coffee pot.
“I didn’t mean it like that…” I turned towards her and sighed.
How did I mean it? I didn’t mean for it to offend her…
“No, we’re good. It was just the alcohol. Luckily we got interrupted.” She poured a cup of coffee and turned towards me with pursed lips.
“Right.” I nodded and left the kitchen, but I felt my stomach twisting into a knot.
Maybe I should have been honest, but it’s not like we’re in love or anything—it was just one kiss.
7
Rachel
I felt relieved that I didn’t let myself go further with Liam when he blamed the kiss on the alcohol, we were drinking the night before. I didn’t feel like either of us had enough to drink that our judgment was utterly clouded, but if that was what he wanted to blame it on, then so be it. Maybe he just wanted to do the same thing Gerard did—take me to bed and then forget I existed. I talked to my Dad for a little bit before I showered, and then I got ready for my shift at work. It was just a retail job, and I didn’t have as many hours as I would have liked, but I planned to talk to my boss and see if that could change. I needed to work as much as possible until I went back to school. That would also help me stay out of the apartment, which meant I wouldn’t see Gerard or Liam very often. That seemed like the best course of action. I also needed the money after spending a chunk of my savings to move in. At least my Dad was having a good trip—he had done so much for me that I was glad I was able to help out for a change.
Is that the door? I hoped I would get out of here before either of them got back…
“Liam, you here?” It was Gerard’s voice.
“No, he’s not back yet.” I walked out of my bedroom.
“Damn.” He took a seat and sighed. “He didn’t respond to my text message, so I hoped he was here.”
“You look troubled.” I sat down across from Gerard. “You didn’t look happy when you left last night, and you didn’t look happy when you came back. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.” He smiled, but it looked forced. “Just business stuff with Liam.”
“Are you guys planning to start a fire, so you have something to do when you go to work tomorrow?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No, not that kind of business.” He shook his head back and forth.
Gerard’s troubles should have concerned me, but I didn’t like seeing the look of worry on his face. My natural instinct was to offer to help, mainly because I was the type of person that tried to see the good in everyone—even when they didn’t necessarily deserve it. I wanted to offer him support without prying and told him that I was there if he needed to talk. He seemed more content with his brooding, so I finally gave up and went to finish getting ready for work. When I returned to the living room, he didn’t even look my way—he just had a scowl etched on his face. I told a couple of light jokes, just trying to break the tension—force a smile—anything that would get him to snap out of his gloom. It didn’t work, and my time was limited. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door after saying goodbye—which didn’t garner much of a response outside of a grunt.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” He exhaled sharply.
“I don’t know.” I walked back into the living room and shrugged. “It’s easier than being angry, I guess. I try not to dwell on the past too much.”
“I wish I could do the same. I truly am sorry about what happened…” He sighed and shook his head.
“Yeah, me too.” I shrugged and walked towards the door.
Two years ago
“So, I met this guy…” I grinned and looked across the table at my best
friend, Annie. “Well, I knew him from high school.”
“Ooh.” She lifted her head and smiled. “Someone, I know?”
“Maybe. He was in my brother’s class—do you remember Gerard Clark?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Vaguely…” Her eyebrows came together in contemplation. “He was a football player, right?”
“He was.” I nodded quickly. “I mainly knew him through my brother.”
“I just remember Liam, mostly.” Her eyes spaced out for a second. “Hot, beautiful, Liam.”
“Yeah…” I chuckled under my breath. “The worst part about having my brother move out was not having Liam randomly stop by my house.”
“So this guy—Gerard. Is he hot?” Annie bit down on her bottom lip and batted her eyelids.
“Oh yeah—super hot. You should look him up in the yearbook when you get home, then add like a lot more hotness.” I nodded quickly. “Plus, he’s a firefighter.”
“Does he have a brother? Or a friend?” She leaned forward against the table.
“Well, he’s friends with my brother…” My words trailed off.
Blaze & Bind: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 10) Page 4