by Kim Loraine
“Lauren?”
His voice broke through her ogling. She would’ve been embarrassed had his gaze not dropped to her breasts as soon as she snapped out of her daze.
Breathless, she cleared her throat. “We’d better get going. I’m pretty sure we’ll end up in my bed or yours if we stand here any longer.”
“Since I’ve got a heartbroken firefighter staying in my spare room, it’d have to be yours.” He chuckled. “But your bed sounds good to me.”
Leveling her gaze on him, she pursed her lips. “It can sound good later. Right now, I’m the respectable girl you’re taking home to meet your parents. Not the shameless hussy, dying to be on her knees with you in her mouth.”
“Fuck,” he groaned. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Waiting for him to unlock the door to his truck, she inhaled his enticing scent as he leaned in. “No. Just giving you something to look forward to after dinner.”
As he opened the door, he leaned in to kiss her, but she chose that moment to back into the bench seat of the vehicle. No touching. If he touched her, she’d be putty in his hands.
The drive was short, but tense, until he reached across the seat and threaded his fingers with hers. Even that one small gesture made her melt into a puddle of twitter-pated mush. Who was she kidding? The man could simply flash her a slight grin or breathe in her direction and she was lost. He had her completely spellbound. She only hoped the feeling was mutual.
Pulling up to the Oliver family home, he took a deep breath before bringing her knuckles to his lips. The soft brush of his mouth on her skin sent a shiver through her, and when he turned his eyes up to lock with hers, she felt her nipples pebble under the fabric of her bra.
“This might be . . . awkward.”
“Why?” She tried to keep her tone light and innocent. In reality, she knew exactly why.
“I married the last girl I brought home.”
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she nodded. “You’ve got brothers, though. Your parents have experienced this with them, right?”
Shaking his head, he frowned. “No. John only ever brought Grace home. Mike got engaged to Kate, even if that ended in her leaving him at the altar.”
“Oh, that’s awful.”
“It gets much worse, but that’s a story for another day. I’m not sharing all of my family’s crazy until I’m sure you won’t run.”
“What about Lena? Michael married her.”
He laughed. “In Vegas, before she’d ever met both of my parents.”
“Oh, jeez.”
Squeezing her hand, he winked. “You ready for the insinuations, uncomfortable questions, and possible religious interrogation?”
“What does that mean?”
“My family’s Catholic. Mama thinks every girl any of us date should be, too.”
The weight on her chest lifted. “Well, then. One point for me! I was raised Catholic. My abuela was staunchly religious, very devout. We went to Mass at least twice a week.”
Clicking his tongue, he chuckled. “And yet you still let me spoil you with my dirty desires.”
“My sins are all I have. I visit St. Andrews once a week to make my confession.”
“Oh, Mama’s going to love you more than I do.”
There it was again, his roundabout way of telling her how he felt. Every time it escaped his lips, she wanted to bottle it up and save it for a rainy day. Just in case it stopped being true.
The house was bustling with life when they walked through the door. Everything was perfectly placed, just so, she noticed, as he led her through the foyer and into the immaculate living room. Everything, except for the scattered Legos littering the carpet in front of the fireplace. Mitchell sat on the floor, concentration clouding his features as he built something with the multicolored bricks.
Kneeling, Alex ruffled his nephew’s hair. “What do you have going on over here, bud?”
The little boy frowned. “I’m trying to make this airplane, but . . .” He pointed to the instruction booklet. “. . . I’m missing a piece.”
“Oh, well, did you know that my superpower is finding missing Legos? I used to help your daddy all the time when he was your age.”
Her heart threatened to stop beating at the smile on his face while he searched through the pile. He would have been an amazing father, that much was clear. Sadness gripped her, making her stomach clench as she thought of his loss.
“Oh, my goodness. Lauren, you’re here!” Marianne Oliver’s bright voice filled the room, calling the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
Cheeks heating, Lauren grinned as Alex stood and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Hi, Mari. Thanks for having me.”
“I’m so glad you could come, young lady. Alex has been keeping you all to himself.”
“Can I help you with anything? I’m good in a kitchen.” Lauren shifted from foot to foot, needing to feel useful, wanting some way to break through the uncomfortable and inevitable small talk.
“No. Everything is under control. Michael is just putting the finishing touches on dinner. He’s the resident chef in the family. Must’ve gotten it from my side. Brian can barely boil water.”
Alex let out a laugh. “She’s not kidding. My dad almost burned down the house trying to make hard boiled eggs at Easter when I was ten.”
“Hey, now. I put the fire out. No harm done.” Brian Oliver walked into the room, his booming voice commanding attention. “Lauren, it’s nice to see you.”
“You, too, Mister Oliver.”
“Call me Brian. Maybe now that Alex has you in his clutches he can get that top secret apple pancake recipe out of you, eh?”
Alex snickered. “Come on, Dad. All you need now is a monocle and a curly mustache to twirl.”
Lauren fought a grin. “Sorry, Brian. That’s privileged information. The only people who know are the cooks and the owners.”
“Damn.”
Mitchell’s shaggy brown head popped up. “Papa, that’s a bad word. Make good choices.”
Holding in a giggle, Lauren snuggled closer to Alex while Marianne started helping her grandson put his toys away.
“Dinner’s on the table, folks. Get it while it’s hot because I’m not microwaving anything for you.” Michael called from the dining room. His voice was so similar to Alex’s, deep and gravelly.
As Alex’s younger brother came into view, Lauren let out a sigh when she saw him cuddling an adorable baby girl. She was sound asleep as he bounced up and down while simultaneously swaying from side to side.
“Where’s Lena tonight?” Alex asked.
“She’s on a shoot. Some night thing in DC. It’s just me and the munchkin for the next two days.”
“She’s a photographer, right?” She hadn’t met Lena, but had heard about her here and there. Lena wasn’t just a freelance photographer, she was sought after, well respected, and talented.
“Yeah. This is the first overnight she’s done since Meg was born. She said she didn’t want to go, but between you and me, she needed it.”
As everyone took their seats, Alex watched his brother bouncing instead of eating. Surprising Lauren, he pushed back his chair and walked around the table, taking the baby from Michael’s arms and cuddling her. Everyone watched him with regret etched on their faces.
“Come on, you guys. Eat up so someone can take over for me. Mike, you made dinner, you should get to enjoy it.”
In that moment, as he moved back and forth with the sweet little baby, Lauren fell even harder for the man. When he dropped his lips to the tuft of dark hair on his niece’s head and kissed her, inhaling her baby scent with his eyes closed, she was pretty sure her ovaries exploded.
She was head over heels, undeniably his.
~
~ ~
“I’m telling you, Sully. Donovan’s a fucking mess. When he’s not on duty, he spends every damn day outside the elementary school just waiting for Valerie to head home. I’ve watched him. She won’t even look in his direction. I don’t know how to help him.” Alex shrugged into his bunker gear as they prepared for their latest training exercise.
“I don’t know what to tell you, man. He’s got to do this his way. They’ll work it out. Those two have been through too much to let it go up in flames now.”
“Has he told you what’s going on?”
Sully shrugged. “Nah. He doesn’t like to talk about his personal shit.”
“Oliver, Sullivan, stop with the chit-chat and get your gear on. I want you up those stairs in record time.” Chief Roman’s voice carried across the training yard, breaking up their conversation.
After training for the better part of an hour, Alex gave in to his need and dialed Lauren’s number. She was at work, but he could at least leave her a message and sate his desire to hear her voice.
Surprisingly, she answered after the third ring, making him smile like an idiot. He’d had her in his bed almost every night for the last two weeks since she’d had dinner with his family. Would the need to hear her voice ever ease?
“Hello, stranger.” Her soft voice sent tingles racing across his body.
“Hey.”
“What’s up?”
“What are you doing right now?”
She let out a light laugh. “I’m in the tub.”
Oh, shit. All he could picture was her, naked, surrounded by bubbles, her breasts bobbing in the water. “God, why am I not there?”
“Because you’re off rescuing kittens from trees.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
The sound of water sloshing had him tenting his pants almost instantly. “Hang on, I’m getting out.”
Fuck. He could almost see her nipples tightening to stiff peaks as the cool air hit her skin. “I . . . uh, I thought you had to work today?”
“I called in sick.”
“What’s wrong?” Worry furrowed his brow. She’d been fine yesterday.
“Oh, I’m fine. I thought I was coming down with something, but I think I’m just a little run down. I’ve been up late revising my book, and working a lot, and someone keeps me from sleeping when he’s home.”
“I can’t help it that you’re so fucking gorgeous. Maybe you should start wearing a bag over your head?”
“Ha-ha. You’re hilarious.”
A smile spread across his face. “I’m working a shift for the new guy tomorrow. You going to be okay alone with Donovan upstairs?”
“Yeah. Poor guy. All he does is sit around on the front porch and try to call her. I can hear him leaving message after message. I wish she’d take some pity on him.”
So did he.
The alarm blared, interrupting their call. “I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, thanks for checking in. Be safe.”
As he rushed through the station, his heart clenched before he hung up. “Lauren?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
She sighed and he thought he heard her murmur, “Finally.” Then she cleared her throat. “I love you, too.”
As he hung up, his world felt right.
Chapter 18
Alex slammed the tailgate of his truck as he grabbed the bag of groceries out of the back. The weather had turned on him. What was once a crisp, fall afternoon, had turned frigid. Clouds spit icy rain on him, the droplets running down the back of his neck and under his shirt. He shivered as he unlocked the door and nudged it open.
A smile spread across his lips instantly as salsa music floated down the hall toward him. Lauren was here and he thanked God Donovan had found a new place to stay. His house was filled with the scents of spices and peppers, making his stomach rumble.
“Lauren? Where are you, baby?”
He followed the sound of the music, stopping when he caught sight of her. Her eyes were closed as she spun around and around with the music, the long, dark hair he loved to fist in his hands flew around her face. Then she stopped as the music paused, facing away from him, she started swaying her hips enticingly with the beat. All the blood in his body seemed to rush to his groin as his gaze locked on her ass. His mouth ran dry when she dropped a dish towel and stopped dancing. The second she bent to retrieve the cloth, he betrayed his presence with a guttural groan.
Mischievous eyes met his as she turned to face him.
“You’re leering.”
“I don’t leer.”
“Yes, you absolutely do. This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you.”
Moving across the kitchen, he placed the paper sack on the counter and slid his hand around her waist, pulling her tight against his chest. “Can you blame me? I come home to you, swinging your hips, in my kitchen, wearing that. I’m only human.”
Stepping back, she looked down her body. “What do you mean, wearing that? What’s wrong with jeans and a tank top? I’m cooking. It’s hot in here.”
His gaze immediately fell to the bountiful display of cleavage her scoop-neck tank afforded. The shirt had pulled lower than decency allowed as he held her close, giving him a view of the tops of her firm, round breasts. His erection pressed heavy against his thigh as he caught sight of the lacy purple bra which peeked over the neckline. Trailing his finger across the soft swells, a rush of possessiveness hit him.
“Nothing’s wrong with it, as long as you only let me see what you’ve got hidden underneath.”
Pulling the shirt lower, she winked. “You want to see it right now?”
“God, yes.”
In the blink of an eye they were both topless and crushed against each other, tongues exploring, hands groping, and breaths harsh.
The sound of a masculine cough from the hallway startled him as he palmed her breasts. Hiding Lauren behind his big body, he stared into the bright red face of Donovan.
“Donovan, what the fuck are you doing? I thought you’d gone back home.”
Hands over his eyes, the man stumbled over his words. “My eyes are closed, Alex. I’m sorry. I didn’t think . . . shit. I left my phone on the charger in the kitchen. Can you just, uh, hand it to me?”
Lauren erupted into fits of giggles as Alex turned, holding her tightly to him while he reached for the phone on the counter. As he handed the device to Donovan, Lauren bent down and pulled her shirt over her head.
“Okay, I’m decent. You can open your eyes.”
Removing his hand, Donovan smirked at Alex, making his blood boil.
“Not a word, Miller.” Alex bit out the words as a warning.
Laughing, the man nodded as he turned and left. “Looking good, Lo. Alex wasn’t kidding when he said you were a handful.”
Unreasonable jealousy took hold in Alex’s chest, causing him to let out an animalistic growl and take a step toward his friend. Thin, delicate fingers slid between his waistband and back, pulling gently to keep him in place.
She laughed and murmured, “Let him go. That was hilarious . . . and true. I’m blessed with awesome boobs.”
Turning, he glanced down at said boobs and his mouth went dry. Her nipples were poking through the fabric like little bullets. At the sound of the door shutting, he dropped to his knees and lifted the tank, immediately taking one of the peaks into his mouth.
“Oh . . . wow. I should let you do this more often.” She squirmed under his attentions, threading her fingers in his hair and sighing as he continued to suck and tease. “Suck harder,” she breathed.
Never one to deny his lover, he did as she asked and with a harsh cry and a shudder, her knees buckled, sending her falling forward deeper into his hold.
“Oh, my goodness,” she whispered. “What did you just do to me?”
Feeling pretty fucking amazing, he grinned and helped her up. “You tell me, but that looked a whole hell of a lot like an orgasm to me.”
Eyes wide, she sighed. “It was. That’s never happened before. You barely touched me.”
Shrugging, he tried to wipe the smile off his face but failed. “I’ve heard it’s possible. I thought it was a myth. Guess we proved that one wrong.”
As she set herself to rights, again, he leaned back on the counter and watched her. What started as a slow burning ember of feeling had continued to grow over the last few weeks. Now, every moment they spent together only fed the flame. This love was different, deep rooted, and consuming.
“So, are you ready for me to take care of you?” Her voice broke through his moment of reflection.
He wanted her more than anything, but from the smell of things, there was food cooking and he didn’t want her efforts wasted.
“I’ll take you up on that later.” Motioning to the pots on the stove, he asked, “What’s this about? It seems like a lot for just two people.”
Giving one pan a stir, she snagged a spoon and took a taste of the dark red sauce. “Today is Dia de los Muertos. The day of the dead.”
Frowning, he raised an eyebrow in question. “Like, the zombie apocalypse?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “No. It’s a part of my heritage. We make food to honor our ancestors and celebrate them with a party. I’m making us some of my abuela’s favorite dishes. I’ve got exactly three dishes I can make without giving us food poisoning. We’ll eat and then we’ll party, as she’d want for us.” A blush crept up her cheeks. “It’s also my birthday.”