BLUE COLLAR ALPHAS

by Cole, Aria

  “Brianna?” Blaise’s hands tightened at my elbows. I threw my arms around him, nearly climbing up his body as I held him to me, soft sobs shaking my form. “Baby, are you okay?”

  “I saw the fire on the news. I was so scared.”

  “Ahh.” He hummed, his hands pushing into my hair, his lips taking mine in a soft, slow kiss before pulling away. “Just got back. I was going to jump in the shower and get this soot off me, but then I decided I’d call you first, let you know I was on my way home. Figured you wouldn’t mind if I came home dirty.” He crooked that sexy side grin at me.

  I shook my head. “I don’t mind you dirty at all, Chief Michaels. Long as you’re in my arms, I’m happy.”

  He grinned, pulling me against him again. “Me too, baby. Me too.”

  I held her like that for a long time, rocking her slowly in my arms, my dirty old boots and sooted-up gear still hanging off my hips. “I love you, Brianna. I love you so fucking much I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Her little fingers fisted in the cotton of my dirty T-shirt, her lips trembling as she whispered into my neck, “I love you too, Blaise.”

  My hands trailed down her hips, her soft little body forming to mine like it was meant to be there.

  Hell, it was. I was positive of it.

  “Y’know, I’ve always wanted to fuck in the front seat of the fire truck.”

  Her sweet laugh echoed off the firehouse walls, warming all the lonely chambers of my heart.

  “Maybe we should get on that, then.”

  “Or in it.” I grinned, swooping her into my arms and carrying her down the stairs on long strides. “I shouldn’t have left you alone so soon, Brianna. I fucked up. I should have been there for you. Should have told you what my life looks like before I just ran headfirst into the next burning building.”

  “It’s okay, I know now. First time is the hardest, right?” she teased, clutching at my neck.

  “Right, baby. Won’t make that mistake twice.”

  I wouldn't make that mistake twice because I had a plan.

  A plan to make her mine.

  And I wasn’t about to waste any more time.

  Seeing her coming undone worrying about me today was like a bucket of cold water over my head. Anything could happen to either one of us at any time, so I had to make the most of every single second we were given.

  I had to get a ring on her finger, and I had to do it now.

  EPILOGUE

  Blaise

  “You’re sexy as ever in that dress,” I breathed at her ear. “I can’t wait to get underneath it tonight.”

  “Terrible.” She shook her head and dragged me off to the table with the little froufrou cake perched on it. Brianna and I were married exactly two months after meeting. I couldn’t help myself. I had to have that piece of paper and my last name on her if I was going to feel right about us. I’d slipped a giant ring on her finger a few Sunday mornings after we’d met, and she’d thrown her arms around my neck and cried, peppering my cheeks with kisses between her yeses.

  I’d been waiting for her; I’d been waiting for this moment. And now it was here.

  “I need to get you home,” I growled in her ear just as a server handed us a knife to cut our wedding cake.

  She placed her hand over mine, and we sliced through the confection. “Mmm…” she moaned as I pressed a small bite to her mouth.

  “Would taste better if I was licking it off your body,” I commented.

  “You’ve got such a dirty mind.” She dabbed frosting on my nose and then pressed her body up against mine and whispered the shock of my life in my ear.

  I pulled away, my mouth dropping open in surprise as I processed her words. The little secret she’d been carrying. Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she watched me.

  “How about a few words from the groom?” The DJ pressed a mic into my hands.

  I sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to process the new information. Her curves were perfectly encased in all that lace, her soft red waves curled around one shoulder, and those beautiful lips were turned up into a sexy smirk.

  I shook my head and ran my hand over my face.

  “Sorry. Brianna’s just…dropped a bit of a bombshell on me. Apparently, my wife is… We’re expecting a baby!” Tears burned behind my eyelids as I struggled to hold back the overwhelming emotion. I thrust the mic back into the DJ’s hands as guests cheered. I heard my best friend’s voice above the rest complaining about another Michaels running around town.

  I blocked the rest of it out, except for her gaze locked on me. I pulled her into my arms, held her tightly, lifted her off her feet, and kissed her like she was my reason.

  My reason for breathing.

  My reason for living.

  My reason for it all.

  My life began with her, and it would end with her—and our baby.

  “I love you so fucking much,” I muttered against the soft flesh of her neck.

  “I love you too, Daddy,” she whispered. My heart clenched in my chest, and the tears pooled in my eyes. I ran one hand up into her red waves and inhaled her soft scent.

  “I can’t wait to get you home and show you how happy I am.”

  “I think that’s what got us here in the first place.”

  “Brianna…” I groaned into her neck as her soft laugh floated on the air around us.

  I snuggled my lady a little tighter in my arms later that night. The festivities of our wedding finally calming down, we’d escaped to enjoy champagne alone—just a sip for her—before I’d slowly peeled that fancy gown off her body. Now curled up in the blankets, our skin sticky with sex and love and sweat, I inhaled a deep breath of her decadent scent. I was so goddamn lucky to have found her. “I can’t wait to see you pregnant, our baby growing inside you…”

  She sighed, drawing a fingertip across my naked chest. “And fat and grouchy?”

  “Never. You’ll be so pampered you’ll never have to lift a finger. I take care of what's mine, and you’re mine now. Signed, sealed, and now we’re just waiting on this little one to be delivered.” I cupped a palm over her soft belly.

  “Boy or girl?” she asked breathily.

  “I’d be lying if I said a sweet little girl who looks just like her mommy wasn’t something I wanted. But I’ll take anything. It’s a piece of you and me. I’ll love it as long as there’s air in my lungs.”

  I pulled the sheet from between us, curling her leg around my waist and dancing my fingertips across her thigh. The pads of my fingers met the raised flesh of her scar from that night. It’d healed mostly, just a jagged slash of pink remained.

  “I think I should get it removed,” Brianna said, always consciously aware of when my fingertips grazed the marred skin. “Or a tattoo maybe.”

  “No way.” I leaned over, placing delicate kisses across the length of the mark. “This is my tattoo on you. It reminds me of the first night we met.” I licked at the soft edges, doting on her in every way I knew how. “This little mark is my brand on you.”

  Her fingers whispered through my hair as I crawled up her body, caging her in my arms and pressing soft kisses across her lips. “Love you so damn much, it’d kill me if you changed anything that makes you you.”

  “That scar isn’t me,” she protested. “It was the damn cat’s fault anyway.”

  I held her head in my hands, hating her self-deprecating words. “That scar bonds us. If I give myself a matching one, will it make you feel better?”

  She shook her head, a smile turning up her lips. “Don’t be crazy.”

  “I am crazy.” I slipped a hand between her thighs, the rough pad of my thumb working the hot little nub of her pussy. “Completely fucking mad for you.”

  Soft little moans drowned out her insecurity, and my lips attached to her neck, her throat, sucking on the succulent flesh until it was red with my attention.

  I slowly slid inside her for the second time tonight, soaking in the love she offered so free
ly.

  Brianna was a gift. I’d never once found myself worthy of the kind of love she had to give before now, but she did things to a man. Got inside his head, made him realize just what really mattered in life.

  Brianna mattered. Our little creation mattered. Love mattered, and I’d spend the rest of my days protecting both of them.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful it hurts to look at you.” I snaked my palms around her bare waist, melding her to me, just where she belonged.

  “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Blaise. You saved my life, then you brought me life.” Her words whispering across my ear were like a prayer. A beautiful prayer I’d never get tired of hearing.

  I touched my lips to hers, love lacing my words. “Hush, sugar. I’ve got you.”

  SECOND EPILOGUE

  Brianna—ten years later

  “Sophie!” I called through the house, getting sick of my own voice after hearing it so many times in a row.

  “Coming, Mom!” My huffy preteen pounded down the stairs, backpack thrown over one shoulder, headphones tucked firmly into her ears. No wonder she couldn’t hear me, she’d been ignoring me.

  Blaise came in through the back door at that moment, fresh off a twenty-four-hour shift. “What’s up, Momma?”

  I stretched on my toes, dusting a soft kiss across his chiseled jawline. “I swear these kids will be the death of me.”

  Blaise tucked a hand around my neck, pulling me against him and pressing our lips together in a proper welcome home kiss. “That better?”

  “A little,” I teased.

  “Where you off to?” He glanced at the keys in my hand.

  “Bringing Sophie to study group, then she’s going home with a friend for a sleepover. Jax isn’t finished with baseball until six—”

  “So that means we’ve got a few hours to kill?” He winked, shuffling my hips against his, fingertips darting under the waistband of my jeans and making contact with my hot skin. I may have grown used to Blaise’s long shifts at the firehouse, but I never missed him any less.

  “I could perhaps arrange a few free hours.”

  “Perhaps?” He leaned against me, eating up all the oxygen between us as his lips dusted my neck. “What can I do to persuade you?”

  “Mmm…” I skimmed my fingertips through his hair, anxious to get closer to the man I loved. The man I called mine. The father of our kids and the hero of our family.

  Blaise was still saving lives for a living. It was his calling, and I could never take that away from him, no matter how worried I was when he was out fighting fires. It just meant we loved harder, more often, because we knew the stakes were higher. Blaise’s life was inherently risky, but it put into perspective that you might not always have all the time you expected with the ones you love.

  So Blaise and I loved often. It wasn’t uncommon for us to send the kids off to school in the morning and then fall into bed with each other until noon. Our lives were so chaotic, schedules so hit or miss, we took time when we could find it.

  And it looked like today would happen just like that.

  “Let me drop her off.” Blaise’s hands traced up the hollow of my waist. “Be ready when I get home.”

  Arousal uncoiled deep in my belly, the flesh between my thighs flooding with need at just his simple words.

  “You’re still a filthy-minded man, Blaise Michaels.”

  “Just how you like me.” He nipped my earlobe, teeth dragging across the flesh as he went. Sparks of desire shot off in every direction.

  “You still do things to me,” I hummed against his ear. “Dirty things.”

  A cocky smile turned up the corners of Blaise’s mouth. “A lifetime isn’t enough time for all the love I have to give you, Mrs. Michaels. You’d better be ready for me.”

  He winked just as he swiped the keys from my hand, calling out to our daughter to follow him out the door. He planted one last kiss on my lips, patting my ass with an open palm as he did.

  “Hurry home, Blaise. You’ve got a fire to put out.”

  “Mmm, I like fighting fires.” One knuckle dusted across my nipple on purpose, sending a flurry of butterflies through my system.

  “You’re such a tease,” I breathed.

  “Well, if you weren’t so horny and desperate for my di—”

  “Shh!” I pushed a finger to his lips. “Don’t corrupt our kids.”

  “I think they’re already corrupted.” He smacked my ass again, planting one last kiss on my cheek before turning with a wink. “See you in a few minutes, sugar.”

  I stood at the door, watching the loves of my life go, grounded by an overwhelming sense of contentment.

  I didn’t know why I’d been so lucky to be blessed with such an amazing man, incredible kids, and a love so epic it was worth retelling again and again.

  Luck had found me just when Blaise did.

  BONUS EPILOGUE

  Blaise - ten year later

  “Are you girls ready yet?” I bellowed impatiently as I waited for my wife and daughter to grace me with their presence. Sophie, my little girl, was going to university all the way across the damn country.

  With her damn best friend.

  Her male best friend.

  I knew the little shit wanted to get into the pants of my baby girl, but Kallen was mostly a good kid and the truth was he was so in love with Sophie it was hard to watch.

  My little girl, however, seemed to have no clue how much this kid adored her. The kid had it bad all those years, but I suppose it could have been worse; she could have been dating all sorts of guys and throwing it in his face, but I couldn’t remember Sophie ever bringing a guy home and dating. Not that she couldn’t. She was beautiful, a spitting image of her mama.

  But instead of dating Sophie was studying, reading books, watching documentaries, all with Kallen by her side.

  Every occasion in her life was with Kallan. He took her to prom, he took her to movies, they told each other everything. At some point she’d started texting him in the middle of the night when she was scared instead of calling for dear old dad.

  As much as I grumbled about the kid, I really liked him.

  I didn’t have a choice.

  Brianna had threatened to divest me of my manhood long ago if I tried kicking Kallen out on the front porch again.

  Call me old fashioned, but something ‘bout seeing your seventeen-year-old daughter in bed with a boy had me losing a gasket. Even if they were fully clothed and watching Nightline.

  “Coming Daddy! Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” Sophie waltzed down the stairs and kissed me on the cheek.

  I was going to miss the hell out of my little spitfire.

  My only damn kid.

  Brianna and I’d tried for years but it just wasn’t in the cards for us.

  That made today a pretty big day for both of us.

  “Ok, Sophie you got everything?” Brianna’s soft voice asked, a tear falling from her beautiful eyes.

  “Mom, I’ll call you every week. We’ll skype, I’ll see you in the summer, at Christmas and mid-term breaks. You aren’t losing me, I need to grow up some time.” She put her arms around her mom, trying desperately to reassure her.

  “I know, baby. I’m not sad. I know you are meant for great things. Besides Kallen is going to be with you. You know you should tell that boy how you feel.”

  My ears perked up.

  How she feels? Feels about what exactly?

  “Care to include the old man?” I looked between my wife and daughter. Sophie better not be telling Kallen to take a hike. I liked the kid, he was good to her. Most men are pigs, he treated my kid right.

  How else would I sleep at night with her so far away?

  “That she loves him.” Breanna breathed, taking my hand.

  “She what?”

  “Come on, Blaise. Look at her. She is beautiful, you don’t think boys are chasing her non-stop? Why do you think in all these years she’s never dated?” />
  I pushed a hand over my face, letting the new information sink in.

  I was a damn fool.

  My memory rolled back to prom night and how Sophie glowed when she looked at Kallen. She looked just like her mama on the day we were married, her gentle features radiating happiness as I recited my vows.

  “Well I will be damned.”

  “See, mom?! They’re all clueless.” Sophie laughed and pushed us out the door.

  “How many bedrooms did you say that apartment has again? You should wait ‘til you’re married before the hanky panky happens.”

  “Daddy! There isn’t anything happening. He thinks of me as a sister.”

  “Oh, baby girl. You have so much to learn about men.” I kissed my kid on the head as we got in the car and drove to the airport, smile pulling at the corners of my lips as more memories of my wedding day overtook me.

  * * *

  Brianna

  “I love you Sophie. I want you to know that raising you has been the greatest joy of my life and I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter. You make me so damn proud.” Blaise’s arms tightened around our daughter as fresh tears leaked from my eyes.

  “Kallen you better watch out for her.” Blaise’s grumble.

  “I will, Sir.”

  He hadn’t taken his eyes of of he since the day they’d met as kids, I couldn’t imagine he’d start now.

  “Blaise! Let go so she can hug her mother. The kids will miss their flight.”

  My big bad husband let go of our little girl and I wrapped my arms around her.

  “I love you. Call me whenever and please don’t be scared to take a chance.” I whispered in her ear.

  “Love you too, mom. I’ll call when I land.” And with that my little girl was pulling away from me.

  “What are we going to do with all the space and quiet? It’s going to be so weird with her gone. ‘S’pose I could build a gym. Or we could get a puppy,” Blaise uttered.

  “Well…” I dug into my purse and took out the soft cotton t-shirt I’d wrapped in my bag and handed it to him.

  “What’s this?” His warm golden features turned quizzical.