Ladder 54: Five Firefighter Romances

by Maren Smith

Dakota smiled and then looked down at Cody. He looked a little green around the gills from his ordeal, but they would make the best of the afternoon. Things hadn’t played out as originally expected, but it felt good to be needed.

  * * *

  Troy pulled into the garage, a bit surprised to see Daniella’s car in the driveway. Oh, fuck. He was supposed to watch the kids today so she could take Nate out to the city for an appointment. Did this mean Dakota babysat? He walked up through the garage and into the kitchen. He grinned at the sight in front of him. Everyone sat around the kitchen table dining on steak fries, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, and salad. God, if he could come home to a picture like this every night, his life would be complete.

  “What’s going on in here? It looks like the best dinner ever!” Troy pulled the door closed behind him. Cody got up from the table and ran to him. He ruffled his hair and hugged him. “Hey, little man! Did you make all this food?”

  “I helped but it was all Coda!” Cody giggled and then returned to his spot at the table, next to Dakota.

  “Oh, yeah?” Troy shook Nate’s hand. He moved to hug Daniella and then he kissed Lily’s head. The baby pulled away from the bottle she’d been drinking, and she cooed up at him. He patted Cody as he rounded the table, and then he reached Dakota. Troy kissed her gently. “Smells good.”

  “Hours of slaving away, you know?” she smiled, and returned the kiss.

  “Yup, I bet,” he chuckled as he sat down at the head of the table. “I’m sorry about today. I didn’t have a choice to go into work today. I completely forgot about the appointment.”

  “It all worked out for the best. Don’t worry about it.” Nate took a sip from his glass of soda. “I received great news today, and things are going in the direction we needed them to go. Everything else is cake.”

  “Amen to that, brother,” Troy laughed. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this happy. “Tell me, little man, did you play nice with Dakota today?”

  “Yeah, and she squeezed on my belly so I would breathe.” Cody nodded up and down. “I like her.”

  “She what?” Troy raised an eyebrow.

  “Cody put part of a toy train in his mouth. He tried to get the battery door open, and then he choked on it. Dakota saved him.” Daniella gave her a small smile. “I’m extremely grateful.”

  “Wow, it sounds like an exciting day all around.” Troy piled food on his plate; even chicken nuggets smelled good to him right now. “Did anything else happen?”

  Soon they fell into easy conversations with one another, sharing stories and moments, and genuinely getting along. He hoped for more times together like this.

  Troy could only imagine what Dixie thought when she found Daniella and the kids on the doorstep this afternoon, but everything would sort itself out somehow.

  * * *

  Troy cleared the kitchen table while in deep thought, and he bumped straight into Dakota. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

  “No problem. I got it.” She took the dishes from him and washed them quickly.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled against her neck.

  “You’re in a good mood.” She set a clean glass on the drying rack.

  “Yup. Having a full house makes me happy. I apologize for the oversight today. Things don’t typically slip off my radar. I could have called my mom or come up with another solution.”

  “I like Cody a lot and Lily is just the sweetest little doll. We drew pictures, played games, watched a movie, and made dinner together. The doctor kept their parents waiting longer than usual, but it was really no big deal. I was happy to help.”

  “There’s still something on your mind though, something you’ve been wanting to tell me.” Troy released her waist and set to drying the dishes. “Let’s talk about them.”

  “Yeah, there’s a few things. I let Daniella become a scapegoat for my insecurities four years ago. She didn’t deserve the bullshit I threw at her. I hope you didn’t tell her everything. It wasn’t right of me to accuse her of such awful things.”

  “I don’t honestly remember all the bits and pieces of what I might have said to her. You weren’t entirely wrong about her but your timeline was off-kilter. Dani did make some moves on me, out in a foxhole somewhere with gunfire breaking over us, and while we were covered from head to toe in mud, but nothing happened. We got out alive, and she became my best friend. I can understand why you might have thought we had a connection deeper than friendship, but the only woman I’ve ever wanted to be with is you. I don’t know why you doubted it.”

  “Okay, I understand and that’s fair. Did you also tell her about your kinky side?”

  “Sort of. She figured it out really fast overseas. We were in danger all the time of something blowing up around us, but it also left us with downtime. You can’t do much while sitting in the mud. Anyway, one partially boring night at camp, I made a bet with Daniella that I’d tie her up like a present, and she wouldn’t be able to get out of it. It sounds odder than it played out. Long story short, I won the bet and we talked about other more personal parts of our lives from then on. Why do you ask?” He made a mental note that she avoided his point about her being the only one in his life and switched topics to kink. Interesting. He would have to bring it up later.

  “Daniella basically said she didn’t trust me. I don’t blame her for feeling that way. I let her know you were in control this time around.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He winked. “You said it just like that?”

  “I did. If your friend had been perfectly vanilla it would have flown over her head.”

  “Heh. That’s funny. Daniella is so far away from being vanilla.”

  “Right, I gathered that. She seems willing to give me another chance. I get know that you weren’t romantically linked, but did you two play together?”

  “Sort of. With Nate’s consent and blessing I let her top me for a while. She’s the dominant one in their relationship. Daniella got dragged through some rough times. It’s hard enough to request normal day to day help, but the sort of things she needed weren’t run of the mill.” Troy watched her work out the statement.

  Her eyebrows furrowed, and a look of confusion crossed her face. “What did she need?”

  “Everyone needs something different, Dixie. It’s not my place to go into details, but she took out a lot of anger and frustrations on me physically. She can wield some impressive implements, and it helped her stay calm. I’d dare to say it kept her sane when Nate was at his worst.”

  “Were you submissive to her?”

  “Nope, not even a little. I helped out my friend, because she required a high level of trust in order to work through her stuff. It’s all in the past, and a bit off topic. What else has been on your mind?”

  “It’s been a very long day. Can we talk more tomorrow?” Dakota shut off the water, and then dried her hands on the towel he was holding.

  “There’s no better time than the present.”

  “It’s been a long, long day.” She faked a yawn and then another.

  “Nuh-uh. You’re not dodging this conversation. There is at least one other thing you’ve neglected to tell me or you wouldn’t be so quick to scamper away. Let’s talk.”

  “It’s uncomfortable,” she protested.

  “It’s about to get more uncomfortable for you.”

  “Just give me tonight.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m still processing a lot.”

  “No doubt, but we’ve got to lay everything out on the table if we’re going to start over.”

  “You’re serious about rules,” she muttered. “Are you going to list them out for me or do I have to guess them? Are you going to make me write them in notebooks until I memorize them? How many rules have you decided on exactly?”

  “Time out.” He put his hands up like the letter ‘T.’ “Here’s how this is going to play out. You tell me the rest of whatever you’ve been keeping from me or I take a wooden spoon to your ass. Not a rule, j
ust a consequence. We’ll talk more in detail about the other stuff later.”

  “Fine, but I don’t like this game,” she sighed, suddenly defeated. “Can you just answer one quick question first?”

  “Nope.”

  “But—”

  He cocked one eyebrow at her, and she slammed her mouth shut. Damn. That had to be some sort of record. Maybe he was finally getting her attention. “You’ve got until the count of five.”

  “It’s just one question.”

  “Five.”

  “You didn’t give me a chance!”

  “Nope. You drew the line in the sand, sweetheart.” He took off his uniform shirt and hung it on the back of the chair. He hoped she read into the seriousness of the situation. No more playing. “Bend over the counter.”

  * * *

  Dakota appreciated the view of Troy’s A-line tank that showed off his six-pack abs and the massive muscles in his arms, but then her eyes roamed higher. She studied his face, and he did not appear amused. Shit. She yielded to Troy’s command by placing her palms on the kitchen counter, and then she bent at the waist as instructed.

  Heavy footfalls followed behind her, and though she couldn’t see him, she felt his weighted stare. A drawer opened from somewhere and she wondered what he had in store for her. She certainly deserved whatever it was. His answer cemented whatever this happened to be, no title fit. From their previous connection she supposed one title would be dom but the connection ran deeper. She trusted him, knowing he had her best interests in mind, even after she’d abandoned their life together.

  “Take these off.” Troy tapped his hand on the waistband of her jeans.

  She unbuttoned the fly and shucked them down until they laid in a pile at her feet. Dakota hadn’t worn panties, something she promised to get back in the habit of multiple times since the night of the auction, but it hardly mattered now. The first slap caught her off guard, even though she’d braced for it. Several hard slaps bounced off her cheeks, alternating sides as they landed, each one sounding louder than the last. Troy smacked his palm against her skin over and over. Dakota inhaled sharply, but she refused to move or cry out. She needed this.

  “Why am I spanking you, Dixie?” His fingers kneaded into her flesh, and she bit down on her lip. If that was the warmup, she couldn’t be certain she could handle a round with a wooden object.

  “I should have told you something the night of the auction, or at least the night at the cabin, but I kept it from you.” She swallowed hard. “I keep telling myself to just get it all out, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not good at opening up to anybody. You’re spanking me because I refused once again to talk to you.”

  “Well, honey, when I’m done, I doubt you’ll keep anything in.”

  True to his word, something cracked against her right cheek and then her left with no time in between to process the pain. The same pattern fell several times. Over and over the implement and then the same sting lit up the sensitive juncture between her ass and her thigh. Each bite of the spoon broke down some of the wall she’d carefully constructed over the years. Each smack ebbed away layers of self-doubt and self-loathing until the floodgates crumbled. Her knees buckled, but he caught her. Troy had stopped the onslaught several minutes prior, but she had been lost in her memories and she hadn’t realized it.

  “I left not only because I hated me, but because you didn’t despise me. Somehow you still loved me, and I couldn’t accept it. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

  “Let it out, sweetheart. All of it. I want to hear everything.” Troy walked them into the living room and sat down on the couch. He produced a tissue from somewhere and handed it to her.

  “I sold our wedding set, among other things, just to afford enough money to bid at the auction,” she bawled. “It was so stupid of me to do it.”

  “That’s what you didn’t want to tell me?”

  “Yes, because Sophie would have been so upset. I pawned a bunch of sentimental objects, the only items left to my name in order to build up cash. Sophie and Walt have done so much for me, but they wouldn’t accept such a stupid act. I don’t think you would’ve accepted it either.”

  “Sophie is about as stubborn as you are. Maybe even more so. You’re right. She would have fought tooth and nail to get your stuff back, and she wouldn’t have been happy about it.” Troy kissed her temple. “It doesn’t mean it was a good decision. You could have done other things to help the two of them.”

  “You’re right again.”

  “You also could have just contacted me without all the hoopla.”

  “Hoopla?” She giggled despite the circumstances.

  “You know what I mean,” he sighed. “I’m a bit irritated to hear about what you did, but I’m more upset that it took so long for you to tell me. I’ll be right back.” He slid her off his lap, and then he disappeared upstairs.

  Dakota rubbed her arms, wondering if she should retrieve her clothing and get dressed or if she should stay put. Why was her first instinct to run? Running away seemed easier than facing his disappointment but it wouldn’t solve any problems. No, running needed to be far off the table. It could not be her escape hatch anymore. She needed to face the music, even if she didn’t necessarily like the song.

  Troy returned a few moments later and sank down next to her on the couch. Her heart hammered in her chest when he handed her a small black velvet box. She opened it and tears slipped down her cheeks. Somehow her engagement ring and wedding band sat there in the box, like the day she’d first received them.

  “How did you get your hands on this?”

  “My mother is friends with the owner of the shop you went to. He called her up, and she bought them back. I paid my mother for the cost of the jewelry.”

  “You-you what?” Dakota shook her head. “I can’t believe your mother found them. You knew about this, and I spent all this time worrying about what you would say for no reason.”

  “I told you, we’ve been through worse things, Dixie. Maybe one day I’ll give them back to you officially.” Troy plucked the box out of her hand and closed it. “For now, be assured they are in a safe place.”

  “Would you marry me again?”

  “We’re not divorced, sweetheart,” he stated as if she’d forgotten. “It’s not impossible to petition the court to reverse a legal separation. I’ve looked into it before.”

  “Okay, it’s just an unusual circumstance. I never thought it could be a feasible option. I never thought you’d give me another chance.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m still not sure if this is going to work.”

  “We’ve been together less than twenty-four hours. Give yourself a break, honey. You’ve got one thing off your chest, but there’s more. Come on, we might as well get it all out.”

  “Before we were separated we had a big fight and you threatened to spank me. Why?”

  “I’m not sure what you are trying to accomplish rehashing past fights, but I’ll try to answer you the best I can.” Troy rubbed the back of his neck. “I threatened to spank you because it’s in my nature. You were throwing a tantrum if I remember correctly. The only reason I didn’t follow through is because something flickered across your face. It probably would have given you a solid reason to seek out an attorney. Thinking back on it, I should have done it anyway but we weren’t in the dynamic we’re in now.”

  “Since you brought it up, what dynamic are we in?”

  “This one.”

  “You’re sort of obnoxious when you answer my questions so vaguely.”

  “Don’t put a label on us. Don’t stress about what we’re doing or not doing. Just relax and let me take care of you for once.”

  She blinked at him and a new round of tears slipped down her cheeks. Sometimes she thought her eyes would never be dry again. “I’ll do my best to relax. No one has ever taken care of me before.”

  “Once I got cleared from physical therapy, I should have stepped up and taken the lead, but things got crazy. Shortly after I got
accepted into the firehouse, so it didn’t leave me with much down time. I won’t make the same mistake this time around.”

  “I never used to believe anyone could possibly love me, but you continue to prove me wrong in the best way possible. I love you so much.” Dakota climbed into his lap, straddling him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him hard.

  Troy stood up, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist. “Enough reminiscing and deconstructing memories. I’ve secured the day off tomorrow, and I plan on staying in my room for as long as possible.”

  “Oh, yeah? You’re just going to sleep the day away?” A smile quirked over her lips.

  “I said absolutely nothing about sleeping.” He smacked her ass and she jumped. “Let’s go to bed, Dixie.”

  Chapter Seven

  Six months later…

  Dakota held up another sundress to her body as she stared at herself in the mirror. She hated floral patterns on clothing. What made her grab so many different styles of the same damn flower? She chucked the dress over her shoulder without looking and heard a grunt. Dakota turned and cringed at the sight. The dress had landed on Troy’s head! He plucked it off, set it on the bed, and then surveyed the mess.

  “It’s just my parents, sweetheart. We’re not having tea with the queen,” he mused. Dozens of shirts, skirts, and dresses laid strewn about.

  “I’m sure I have a perfectly acceptable outfit for royalty, but I’m nervous about seeing your parents after all this time. Nothing looks good on me,” she whined and placed a hand on her growing belly.

  Troy covered her hand with his. “You have the cutest little bump.” He kissed her cheek and smiled. “You look perfect.”

  “Seriously, nothing fits!” She was almost four months along, and though he seemed to view her through rose-colored glasses, her clothes told a different story.

  “Here.” He retrieved the fallen sunflower dress along with a cute denim jacket. “Put these on, and then grab those white sandals with the twisty straps on them. You brought the whole outfit home last week after one of your clients recommended it. I think it was that maternity boutique over on Sawmill Lane? You looked amazing in that dress when I saw it on you.”