“That,” I tell him.
“Not good enough, beautiful. I need you to spell it out for me. I need to know you want this as much as I do.” Again, he runs his erection through my folds. “Fuck, you’re wet.”
“More,” I plead.
“Tell me, Kins.”
“Fuck me!” I say, unable to take the torture a second longer.
Brantley doesn’t hesitate to thrust his hips and slide home. Stilling inside of me, his face buries in my neck. Home. That’s what it feels like with him inside me. Hell, not just when he’s inside me, when he’s anywhere near me. I’ve fallen hard and fast and broken my own rules.
I’ve fallen for a firefighter.
Chapter 11
Brantley
Fuck! I can’t move, not yet. One thrust and I’m ready to blow my fucking load. She’s tight; her pussy is gripping my cock like a vise. She’s wet, so much so that I feel her dripping on my sac. What I wouldn’t give to be bare inside her heat. I keep my face buried in her neck, needing a minute to calm the fuck down.
“Brant?” she asks hesitantly. She has one hand around my neck and the other is running up and down my back.
“Incredible,” I murmur, kissing her neck. When I finally lift my head, my gaze finds hers. Those big brown eyes are watching me, waiting. Without warning, I withdraw and then slam into her. Her head falls back against the door, and she squeezes her eyes closed. “Open your eyes, Kinsley,” I demand. They pop open. “Eyes on me, baby. I need you to know who’s inside you.”
“I-I know it’s you.”
I thrust again. This time I keep a steady rhythm. “That’s good,” I pant. “You feel what you do to me?” I rock my hips into her. “Only you. So fucking good,” I say, not able to control myself as I continue to thrust in and out of her, over and over again.
“B-Brant,” she moans and closes her eyes.
“Open, Kins.” Her eyes pop open again, and the desire I see there just about brings me to my knees.
“I-I’m close,” she says.
I can see her fighting it. “Let go, baby. I’m with you. Come for me, Kinsley,” I say, letting loose and plunging into her. Bracing one hand on each ass cheek, I don’t hold back, giving her everything I have. We chase our orgasms.
“Brant!” she screams, and my name on her lips is all it takes for me to fall over the edge of bliss with her.
I don’t move until the final quake is out of our systems.
“That was…,” she pants, unable to complete whatever it was she was going to say.
“Life altering.” Hands still gripping her thighs, I move us away from the wall and walk us to the bathroom. Gently, I sit her down on the counter and capture her face in my hands. “Never felt this way before, Kinsley. It’s you, baby. All of it.” I kiss her slowly, just like I should have had her the first time, but my cock took over my brain. I’ll make love to her for round two. Pulling away from the kiss, I step back and remove myself from her. I make quick work of the condom, tossing it in the trash. Reaching up on the shelf, I grab a washcloth, and step back between her legs. Circling my arms behind her back, I turn the water on, waiting for it to warm before running the cloth through the water, soaking it. Ringing out the water, I bring the cloth to her pussy and clean her up as best as I can.
“I’ve never had that happen,” she says, her cheeks pink.
I’m not sure if she’s embarrassed or if it’s from our epic fuck. “What’s that?” I ask.
“What you’re doing. That’s never… I mean, no one has ever….”
I growl. “You’re mine, Kinsley. You’re never going to worry about some dumb fucker not taking care of you. That’s my job now.” I lift her from the counter and carry her to my bed. I set her down, and she climbs under the covers, laying on her side. I climb in beside her on my side. Reaching out, I tuck her hair behind her ear. “I hate the thought of you with someone else.”
“It’s just you,” she assures me.
“I’ve been letting you push me aside, Kinsley, but I don’t know how much longer I can do that. I want you, all of you. All the time. I like falling asleep with you in my arms and waking up the same way. I like spending time with you. I want it all, Kinsley. With you.”
“I want all of that too,” she says softly. “I just… what happens the first time you miss a big event, or a big day, and I realize this isn’t what I want?”
Her words cut deep. There is nothing in this lifetime that could ever make me stop wanting her. However, I know her fears, just as I know that’s what this is. Not that she’s holding out for something else. “We can deal with that when the time comes.”
“I’m so afraid to break both our hearts.”
I cup her face in my hands. I wish I could see her, but the room is dark, and the moon is nonexistent tonight. “Baby, it’s too late for that.” I pause, letting that sink in before I lay it out for her. “I’m in love with you, Kinsley. Whether you leave me tonight or two months from now, the pain will be there. The loss will be permanent in my life. You’re one of a kind, and no one could ever replace you for me.”
Hot tears hit my hand that’s cupping her face. “I don’t want that. To hurt you. I’d never want that.” It guts me to feel her tears.
“Stop fighting this. Stop fighting us. Let me love you,” I say, leaning in and pressing my lips to hers. She doesn’t say anything to that, and it didn’t skip my notice that she didn’t tell me she loved me too. That’s okay, because I know she does. If she could just turn her mind off long enough to feel it, to see what we’re building here. It’s not going to happen tonight, but it will.
I push it all out of my mind and focus on her, on her naked body pressed up against mine. I take the kiss a little deeper. It’s time I show my girl what it means to be loved. I need to show her how it feels to make love.
Chapter 12
Kinsley
I’m on cloud nine as I walk into work this morning. My weekend was amazing. Saturday night, Brantley told me he loved me. We spent the entire night making love, well, after our epic wall sex. I’ll take both when it comes to Brantley. We spent the entire day yesterday lounging around his house. We washed both of our vehicles, grilled some steaks, and just enjoyed the day together. It was a perfect day, one that could easily make me forget about his career. I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. What matters is him. He’s so good to me, and I love him. I didn’t tell him, but I do. With everything that I am, I love him.
I wanted to tell him, but I need just a little more time, time to make sure I can do this. It’s not fair to him, or me, to drag this on if I can’t fully commit, regardless of his profession. He convinced me to stay over again last night, promising me that he would wake up in time for me to come home and change for work this morning. I readily agreed, because I can’t seem to get enough of him. When we went to bed, he simply kissed me goodnight, wrapped his arms around me and we fell asleep. I assumed after our bedroom activities on Saturday night, there would be more of that. A part of me even thought maybe that’s why he wanted me to stay so badly. I should have known better. That’s not Brantley. He’s one of the good guys. I lie in his arms listening to his even breathing and realize even though there will be stolen moments from his job, all the others are the ones that are important.
Brantley is not my father. He talks to me about his job; he shares the details, both good and bad. I can feel it deep in my bones that if he missed one moment of a special occasion, he would make up for it tenfold. Everyone deals with stress and pain differently. My dad has always been a quiet man. Brantley is the opposite. He’d never shut me out.
He loves me, after all.
Turning my focus to the mound of paperwork on my desk, I try to push thoughts of Brantley out of my mind. It’s an impossible feat. My phone alerts me to a text message, easily pulling my attention from work.
Anna: Hey, lunch today? We need to catch up.
Me: Yes! How was the date?
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Anna: It was… nice.
Me: Nice? So no connection.
Anna: LOL! You know me so well.
Me: It’s because he’s not Shane.
Anna: Sigh. He went cold on me.
Me: He doesn’t get that from his older brother. With Brant, there is no guessing.
Anna: Oh, we all know how Brantley feels about you.
Me: You meeting me here for lunch?
Anna: Yes, around noon?
Me: See you then.
I set my phone back on my desk and dig into the pile of paperwork that sits before me. I let myself get lost in my work, so I’m startled when there’s a knock at my door. Looking up, I see the foreman from the construction crew.
“Good morning, Miss Spears. We need to shut the water off on the main floor. That means the restrooms will be out of commission for a few hours.”
“Okay, can I ask why?”
“We’re installing the pipes and the pump to the pool. There’s a water shutoff on each floor. Whoever built this place was on top of it to think of something like that. It’s pretty genius, so if one floor has a leak, it doesn’t shut the entire place down.”
“Yes, that has come in handy in just the short time I’ve been here. I’ll alert the staff, so they can direct guests, and have them add Out of Order signs to the doors.”
He nods. “We’ll be as quick as we can.”
I wave him off. “No worries. There has been minimal disruption other than some noise that can’t be prevented. Thank you for that and for letting me know.” With that, he disappears from the doorway. I make my way to the front desk, stopping to say hello to a few of the staff on the way. I explain to the reception staff what the issue is, and we agree to send everyone to the second-floor restrooms. Again, whoever designed this place had their thinking caps on. Most hotels only have public restrooms on the ground floor, unless it’s a floor that leads to a pool or bar area. We’re not that big, or elaborate.
After notifying the staff and making sure everyone is aware of the plan, I head back to my office to dive back into my paperwork. I’m just finishing going through the week’s invoices when there’s a knock on my open door.
“You look like you’re concentrating,” Anna says.
I smile, waving her in. “I was. I’ve got a lot accomplished this morning,” I tell her. “How much time do we have?”
“I’m actually off today.”
“Really?” I ask. I feel bad. We live together, yet I don’t know her schedule.
“Yep. So, where we going for lunch?” she asks.
“I’m open for anything.”
“How about Mexican?”
“Perfect. I just need to run to the restroom and then I’m good to go.”
“Oh, you have to use the one upstairs. The water is off here on the ground floor. They’re working on the indoor pool install and needed to turn off the water for the pump or something.”
“So as your best friend and roommate, do I get swimming privileges in the winter?” she asks, batting her eyelashes at me.
I laugh. “You know it. Now, go do your thing so we can eat. I’m starving. Take the elevator to the second floor, turn right, and the restroom is on the left.”
“Thanks,” she says over her shoulder as she leaves my office.
Quickly, I log out of my laptop and attempt to straighten up my desk a little when I hear a loud boom, so loud that it shakes my desk, causing me to stumble against it. What in the hell was that? Was that an explosion? Righting myself, I walk on trembling legs out into the hallway to see what the hell is going on when I hear someone yell, “Fire!” Terrified, I rush to the main entrance to find the staff pulling the fire alarm and corralling people out of the building. My mind races to comprehend what’s happening.
“What’s going on?” I yell over the blaring noise of the alarm. That’s when I see the contractor from earlier.
“Explosion, the pump, it’s gas and they forgot to turn off the gas line. It’s spreading fast. We’ve got to get everyone out of here!” he says, panicked.
“Anna!” I yell, and take off for the elevators.
“What the hell are you doing?” The contractor grabs my arm and stops me.
“My best friend, she’s on the second floor. I have to get to her.”
“They’re evacuating. She’ll make it out. You can’t go up there. You have to get out of here.”
“I can’t leave her.” A lump forms in my throat, the smoke already invading the reception area.
“I can’t let you go up there. Come on, the fire department will be here soon. Let them handle it. You can’t go up there like that. She’s probably already outside waiting for you. Come on.”
Just then, the new glass doors that were installed at the end of the hall that leads to yet another set of glass doors to the new indoor pool area explode. The force is so intense, a shard of glass cuts my leg.
“Now!” the contractor booms. Not taking no for an answer, he bends down and scoops me up in his arms and carries me outside of the hotel.
“We can’t leave her in there. Please, we have to go back and get her. I can get to her,” I plead with him.
He sets me on my feet but keeps a hold of my arm. “Look.” He motions his head toward the building. There are flames roaring from the backside where the pool is, and black smoke coats the sky. The doors that we just ran from are now releasing the same smoke. The building is up in flames and Anna’s inside.
Tears fall from my eyes, and a scream rips from my throat. Please, hurry, I pray for help, for Dad, and Brantley, and the rest of the guys to get here. They can fix this. They can save her.
“Kinsley!” I hear a deep roar and turn to see where it came from. That’s when I see him, Brantley, with my dad hot on his heels.
“Over here,” the contractor, whose name I can’t remember, yells out.
I watch as Brantley turns to follow the voice. I see him visibly relax when he sees me. In a dead run, he rushes me in all of his equipment, moving much faster than I would have thought possible, and pulls me into his arms. “Fuck,” he says, squeezing the life out of me. I hold on just as tightly, thankful he’s here.
Chapter 13
Brantley
“Let her go, son. She can’t breathe,” I hear her father, my boss, tell me. I know she’s his daughter, but I can’t seem to let her go.
“Price!” His voice booms, and I know he needs to hold her just as badly as I do. Reluctantly, I pull away from her, and he makes his move tugging her into him.
My heart is beating so hard it feels as though it’s going to beat right out of my chest. When I heard the tone and it hit me it was her hotel, I lost my shit. I was screaming and yelling at the guys to move it, double time. Not that we don’t always, but it was my life who could be caught in the fire. I don’t think I took a full breath until I saw her standing there, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“She’s still—” She breaks on a sob, dragging my attention back to her.
I survey the scene, and smoke seems to be rolling from all sides of the building. We’re running out of time, and I know that I need to leave her to go do my job. “Cap,” I say, getting his attention.
“I’ve got her, Price. Be safe.”
“No!” Kinsley screams and jerks away from her father, rushing into my arms.
My fucking heart cracks open. “I-I love you,” she sobs, those big brown eyes so full of sadness.
I tug her into me and kiss the top of her head. “I know, baby. I love you, too. This is my job, Kinsley. I have to go.”
“Anna,” she cries. “S-she’s in-in there.”
Fuck! Grabbing her arms, I bend down so we’re eye to eye. “Baby, I need you to tell me where she is. Is she hurt?” My mind races with what me and the guys are going to be up against to find her.
“S-she went to the s-second floor. To the res-restroom.”
“Captain,” I say, and he nods, pulling Kinsley from me, causing her to sob even harder. He
’s no longer active on runs, so he can’t go in. “Baby, I need you to stay with your dad. We’re going to do everything we can.” I kiss her one more time, this time on the corner of her mouth, before running to the truck.
The first crew is already in action. “Where the fuck you been?” Josh yells.
“Fuck off, man. Kinsley runs this place,” Derek bites back.
Josh pales when he realizes what that means. “She’s okay,” I tell him. “Captain is with her, but Anna—” I swallow hard. “Anna, her best friend, is still inside.”
“What?” I hear from behind me.
Turning, I see my brother standing stock still, his face as white as a ghost. “Yeah, she’s on the second floor. At least that’s where she was headed.” I watch as fear flashes in his eyes.
“You ready?” he finally asks, already turning toward the building. “Grabbing my ax, I rush after him.
“Maybe you should sit this one out,” I suggest when I catch up to him.
“No fucking way, Brant.” He forges on, and I follow him.
I don’t know what’s going on with him and Anna. I know there’s something from the way he’s acting, and I also know if Kinsley were inside nothing would prevent me from going in after her. So, in we go as brothers in arms and brothers in blood.
The smoke is thick, so much so that it’s hard to see. Luckily, I was just here, and remember where the stairs are. I point in the general direction, and know Shane will follow me. We make it to the elevators. I can make out the doors, which means the stairs are close. I don’t know why, but something tells me to check the elevator first. Reaching out, I grab Shane’s shoulder, stopping him. Talking with our masks on is not an option, so I point to the elevator door. He shakes his head, telling me no, but I tug on his arm. That’s our rule, never leave one of your men alone, not if you can help it. We value the buddy system in our line of work.
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