by Mia Madison
“Yes, when it's good for them.”
“Maybe you should let them make their own minds up.”
“Yes, right. I can just see that. There's a major fire downstairs. I knock gently on their door. 'If you feel like getting up, why not put some clothes on and get the fuck out?'”
“I didn't mean that.”
“What other occasions do you have in mind when I might tell you what to do?” I hear the challenge in his voice that tells me it's nothing to do with fire safety. And I can tell by the glint in his eye, he knows I'm aware of it. Aware of him.
CHAPTER 2
Kieran
The atmosphere in the room is thick between us. Given the state of the crappy council office, that takes some doing. The girl with green eyes, honey-blonde hair and a body to make a man instantly hard is giving me sass.
And I like it. I like her. But I'm damned if I'm going to show it.
Students are the bane of my life with their false alarms and their disregard for what's good for them and everyone else. And this girl is no better, for sure. She's the kind we end up cutting out of cars after a drunken night out if the evidence of that night is anything to go by, not the kind who should be telling other people about safety.
“So, how do I arrange visits to primary schools?” she asks, breaking through my thoughts. “I'm assuming I can't just go wandering in asking questions.”
“You don't need to visit schools. Just put something together kids and parents will like. Job done. I don't see that it needs more than that. You'd be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
“Oh, I see. So, if you have a bucket of water and a hose, putting a fire out can't be that hard. Why do we need a fire department?”
This one fights back. I like it.
“Okay, point taken, I'll arrange one visit. That should be enough.”
“I doubt it. I need to talk to different groups and get their input. And follow up with some ideas. See what appeals the most.”
“Demanding, aren't you?” I love how easy she is to wind up.
“Shouldn't I be? I'm only doing my job.”
“I'm normally the one who does the demanding.”
“You’re bossy, you mean.”
“You could say that. In the right circumstances.”
“I did say that,” she snaps back.
“It’s not the right circumstances.”
“And when are they right?”
“That would be telling.”
“So, these visits...”
She pulls the meeting out of the gutter again but I can tell I intrigue her. The big dark pupils of her green eyes flash back at me, and I can just see the outline of her nipples jutting through the thick white cotton of her shirt. I'm used to women reacting to my gear but I'm in plain clothes right now.
I want to wrap her silky honey-colored hair around my hand and pull her to me but the council office is not the place for it.
And she's young. I can just imagine the guys back at the station giving me a hard time about that. Fuckers are just jealous because I’m still single. I'll never admit this to them but sometimes when the older guys mention their wives and kids, I wonder if I'm the one who should be jealous.
I have to get my mind back on the job. “There's a visit already arranged for tomorrow morning at Clarkstone View Primary school. Can you make that?”
“Yes. I'm assigned to this project full time.”
“You and me both. At least at the moment.”
“Oh?” she says. “I thought you said you only did this when there were no emergencies.”
“I had an argument with a falling beam. It didn't win, but it caught my arm. I'll be back at work in a few days, I hope, but in the meantime, I’m on education duty.”
My arm was fucking painful at first. I was lucky not to break any bones, and the bruising was something else, Joseph's technicolor dream coat style. But that's fading now.
“I'll pick you up from your place at ten,” I tell her.
“Benjamin Hall.”
“I know exactly where you live, remember. I even know what you wear to bed.” I couldn't resist that. I almost say, “and some of the things you do in it” but I manage to stop myself. My brain, on the other hand, carries on with that train of thought. Oh, what I'd like to do to her to obliterate the need for that vibrator.
She blushes. “I'll be ready.”
And then I have an idea, but I'll need to check out what's still in the storage room at the fire station to try it out.
CHAPTER 3
Hannah
I can't help looking forward to seeing Kieran again. He’s more exciting than any guy I ever met. The sheer size and power of him. His experience. His unwavering confidence. And the way he messes with my mind.
Then my heart sinks. I should have thought. Will I never learn? He's probably married like Simon turned out to be.
I didn't think to check. The guys I've come across at college since I found out and kicked Simon to the curb aren't even close to being married. They're too young. Too fickle. Not established in their careers.
Oh well, I wasn't planning on getting my hands on Kieran, anyway, even if I enjoy looking. This is a job, my future in the balance. In any case, so far, there's nothing to make him guilty of anything other than harmless flirting.
Kieran is waiting in the foyer, looking at the bulletin board, when I go down to look for his car at ten o'clock. Mmm—he's wearing his fire gear again, but without the helmet. He turns and, I may be imagining it but, his eyes seem to spark as he sees me. I glance down. No ring. Not that it means anything that there's no ring, but if there were, it would definitely be game over for me.
He opens the car door for me. He has a blue Audi, nothing too flashy like Simon's convertible. The Audi seems to say this guy is happy with himself. He doesn't need to drive around in what Amy calls “a penis extension.”
And then I glance over at the back seat hoping he has brought his helmet to put on later and burst out laughing because there's a big bright yellow furry thing right next to his helmet. It doesn't seem to suit the car at all.
“Nice car rug,” I say. Oops. Maybe it was rude of me to laugh.
“That’s a costume.”
“Don’t tell me, you dress up as a furry banana in your spare time?”
“It's a teddy bear. I found it in the stock room at the station. One of the older guys said it’s been there for years. I thought you could wear it.”
“You're kidding me.”
“Don't you want to get the kids talking to you? It's a way you could help out and engage them. I brought some other props. I'll be Fireman Kieran and you can be Traffic Teddy.”
I spent hours after yesterday's meeting composing questionnaires for the kids, working out what I needed to find out so I could get them interested in road traffic awareness week enough to nag their parents to take them to the open house. And he's turned me into Traffic Teddy.
“How will the kids take me seriously if I wear that? ‘If’ being the important word here because I'm not wearing it. I can't go out in public in that.”
“How will anyone recognize you? You'll have the head on. I've seen you in outfits less appropriate for public consumption. The private view was nice though.”
“A gentleman wouldn't mention that.”
“Who says I'm a gentleman? No one ever accused me of that other than my gran. I must be losing my touch.”
“So, what makes you such a rogue?”
“Nothing. I'm just messing with you. I like to keep myself to myself.”
“Oh, why?”
“Easier like that. Less complicated.”
It looks like there's more to it than meets the eye. I should just let it drop but I can't help myself. “So, no one ever tied you down?” I brace myself for getting the word he's married. I've no idea why because the man is not for me. We’re so different, he’s not exactly out of my league as much as in a completely different ball game.
“Nope. Being
tied down is good for playing cowboys and Indians, not so great for grown-ups.”
“Sad.”
“You call me sad; you won't even wear a bear costume to make the kids’ day because you're worried about going out in public wearing it. I'll seriously make it worth your while if you do.”
“How?”
“I'll take you to dinner.”
“Having dinner with you is a reward? Now I've heard it all.”
“Some people think so.”
I don't know how to answer that. I'm sure plenty of women would love a date with him. Did I really just turn down dinner with the hottest man on two legs, whether he's for me or not?
He pulls up outside the school. The playground is deserted. All the kids must be inside.
“Are you going to put that on?” He nods over at the back seat.
No one knows me here. What's the harm it? And I can't help wanting to get closer to Kieran Forrest.
“Is there pizza and ice cream involved? The full works?” I ask.
“Garlic bread too if you want it.”
“You don't play fair.”
“Never did. Never likely to.”
I humph, as if there's no way I'm going out with him when I know damn fine I want to. I get out, open the back door, and take a look at the costume. The head is underneath. It's really quite cute.
“If I'd known I'd have dressed for the part,” I say.
“What do bears wear under their skin, anyway? Teddies?”
I roll my eyes at him but now that I've seen the bear's face, I'm warming to the idea. Kieran adjusts his gear and puts on the helmet. He stands there all sexy fireman looking, watching me while I sit down on the back seat and slip my ballet flats into the legs of the bear costume and pull it up over my black skinny jeans. Then I slip my arms into the yellow furry sleeves of the bear and stand up.
“Let me zip you up,” Kieran says.
That idea makes my heart race though I don't know how else I was supposed to do the costume up. I feel his hands on me pulling the sides of the suit together behind me, his warm breath on my neck and I melt as I catch the male, clean-soap smell of him. Who knew yellow fur could make a girl feel sexy as sin?
CHAPTER 4
Kieran
I zip Hannah into the suit, breathing in the peachy scent of her shampoo as I lift her hair out of the way of the zipper and feel her tense up at my touch, holding her breath as if waiting for what is about to happen. It's all I can do not to plant a kiss on the back of her neck but Murphy's law means some little kid would be bored with his lessons and look out of the window at the wrong time. The last thing we need is one of the kids shouting about the fireman kissing a giant yellow teddy bear when we’re about to do a school visit.
Hannah looks down at her fat yellow middle. “I think I hate you right now for making me wear this.”
But I don't believe her. She's frowning, but it's cute the way she wrinkles up her nose at being encased in yellow fur. So I just laugh and grab the big head of the bear, then set it on her shoulders.
“Can you breathe in there? Can you see?” I ask her.
“Yes, it's okay. Just as well I don't get claustrophobia.”
I grab the bag of props.
The headmistress, Mrs. Porter, laughs when she sees us. “The kids are going to love you today. Not that they don't love a visit from a fireman anyway.”
“They're always disappointed when we don't bring the fire engine so this will help make up for it,” I say.
“Miss Brunson has been teaching them about crossing the road safely, wearing seat belts and not distracting their parents when they're driving this week. Anything you do to teach them road safety will be excellent reinforcement,” Mrs. Porter says.
I knock on the classroom door and the teacher (presumably Miss Brunson) tells us to come in. Hannah holds me back with her arm and pokes her head around the door. Then she waves to the children. The classroom erupts.
“Do come in, Teddy,” the teacher says.
“This is Traffic Teddy. And my name is Fireman Kieran,” I say to the class. “Would you like to shake Traffic Teddy's paw?”
There's a chorus of “yes.”
“Once you shake Teddy's paw, take a card and read it out nice and loud.”
We've brought a pile of road safety tips on big, colorful cards. The kids are six or seven years old. I'm not sure if they’ll remember the tips, but I hope they do.
The bolder kids are first in line to meet Teddy. Hannah gives each of them a high five after they read a safety tip, helped by Miss Brunson. She seems happy enough with the lesson.
When the children who lined up have had a turn, I notice a few are hanging back, not quite sure. But Hannah has noticed too. She approaches the shy children who missed out and holds out a paw to each of them, one after another, so they all get a turn.
Then we have a quiz. I ask the children what they should do when they want to cross the road. Hannah delights the children by acting out what not to do and starts running across the classroom.
“No, Teddy, don't run. What should Teddy do?”
And after that part is over, the kids get to ask questions.
After forty minutes or so, we leave Miss Brunson to teach in peace and I drive around the corner, at Hannah's insistence, in case any of the children see her getting out of her bear costume.
“You were fantastic. Thanks for being a good sport in there. You can see how much duller it would have been without Traffic Teddy.”
“Forty minutes was enough. It was getting hot in there.” She lifts the head off. Her cheeks are flushed, but she's smiling. “Despite how well that went down, I'm not sure I understand any more than I did before what it will take to get them to go to the open house.”
“Maybe Traffic Teddy should put in an appearance.”
“Maybe he should.” She laughs. “I didn't think I'd enjoy that, but it was fun.”
I can think of things to do with her that are more fun than her dressing up as a big yellow teddy bear. As she peels off the costume, the hem of her blouse is caught up in it, and I catch a glimpse of her bare stomach, smooth and golden. I want to plant a kiss right there and feel her soft skin under my lips.
If only she would just carry on peeling off layers of clothing, I could sit and watch forever. But we are on the side of the road in a suburban street, so that's not going to happen.
“So, dinner...” I say.
“Yes.”
“I'll pick you up at your place at eight.”
CHAPTER 5
Hannah
Kieran was good with the kids. Maybe he has younger brothers or sisters so he knows how to make them laugh. I'm probably the quietest one in my group of friends, but I found myself acting up as Teddy to keep the laughter going, because I wanted to impress him. For some reason, it matters to me what he thinks.
There's no way I want him picturing me as a big fat yellow teddy bear, so I go all out for our date (if you can call it that) and wear a peach silky blouse, little cream skirt and gold strappy sandals instead of my usual jeans and T-shirt.
“Of course it's a date,” my friend Amy insists. “You're going to dinner, aren't you? What else would it be? Do you like him?”
“I think I do.”
“Don't ruin it this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“That thing you've been doing since Simon. You know, giving guys a hard time, giving them the cold shoulder. They're not all like him, but it's like you're making the whole male species pay for his crap.”
“None of them have been worth the benefit of the doubt. I think Kieran might be.”
“None of other guys you've been out with since Simon were telling you that you were their one and only while they were married to someone else. So, what makes you trust this one?”
“I don't know if I even do trust him, not a hundred percent. He told me he wasn't married, and I believed him, but I hardly know him.”
“You've got to start tru
sting some time.”
“I'm going on the date, aren't I? Do I look okay?”
Amy undoes another button on my blouse. “There. Fixed it for you.”
I look at myself in the mirror. Serious cleavage. Can I go out like this?
“Do that up and I'll pull the button off,” Amy says. “You're not a nun. Just pretending to be one lately.”
I pull a face at her.
“And while you're out with him, find out if he has any friends,” Amy says. “What I could do with a hot fireman.”
“I can imagine.”
Though in truth I can't. Amy goes from guy to guy without a care in the world. Simon was not exactly Mr. Adventurous in bed, and I don't have much other experience with guys. He was my first, and if I don't get over being made such a fool by him, he'll be my last.
When I grab my jacket and go downstairs just after eight, Kieran is waiting for me at the bulletin board again.
“Lovely,” he says and bends to kiss my cheek. The brush of his lips on my skin and his clean soap scent, mixed with some kind of woody aftershave this time, sets my heart beating faster. I want to keep him to myself rather than going out and sharing him with everyone.
“Are you fixated on pizza and ice cream?” he asks. “Because I thought we might go to L'Etoile if you're not.”
“L'Etoile would be lovely. I've never been there.” And then the thought crosses my mind that he probably takes all his dates there and that Simon didn't because we always ended up going out of town for one reason or another or to “his” apartment that turned out belonged to a professor friend on sabbatical in Australia.
Kieran opens the car door for me and I get inside. My skirt has ridden up, exposing my thighs, so I go to pull it down.
“Don't cover up on my account,” he says and touches the hand on my thigh. He’s not physically stopping me from pulling down my skirt, exactly, but I still stop what I was going to do.