Caitlyn stepped into the bathroom and shut the door, twisting the lock. Not that Jake would ever just barge right in. As the water warmed, she brushed her teeth and stripped out of her pajamas. The woman staring back at her in the mirror looked tired. She turned one way then another, admiring her reflection. The dark circles and bags under her eyes detracted from her curvy figure and perky breasts. She might not be stunning enough to grace the covers of magazines, but she thought she had a nice body overall.
She stepped under the warm spray and pulled the curtain closed. As she soaped her skin, her nipples puckered against her palms. It had been so long since she’d been with a man, and her body was more than ready to break the dry spell. She pinched and twisted her nipples as she bit her lip to keep from moaning. Squeezing her thighs together, she tried to quench the ache building inside.
Her soap slick fingers trailed down her belly and threaded through the curls at the junction of her thighs. The pads of her fingers glided across her swollen clit and she spread her legs further, bracing one foot on the side of the tub. God, but she wished she had her toys. Unfortunately, they’d all melted in the fire at her apartment.
Her breath came out in pants as her body strained for release. Her back bowed as her hips thrust against her fingers. Caitlyn closed her eyes and imagined a nice, big cock filling her over and over. A pair of pansy colored eyes flashed in her mind and she nearly groaned. She’d been good and hadn’t stared at the alien’s crotch, but she’d be willing to bet that Cosmir was well hung.
Just the thought of the alien bringing her pleasure was enough to send her over the edge. She clenched her teeth hard as she held back the cry that sprang to her lips as her pussy convulsed and her legs quivered. If she came that hard just thinking about Cosmir, she could only imagine what the real thing would be like.
Caitlyn finished her shower then dried off and dressed. She’d selected a pair of white shorts and a teal tank. It was better than the outfits she’d been wearing around the house, but didn’t look like she was trying too hard. Most of the guys on Jake’s team had seen her at her worst already, but she wanted to look nice for Cosmir even if she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to date him. For one, he was a fireman, and she’d sworn off those. Men who were adrenaline junkies just weren’t for her. No, she needed a nice, sedate businessman who worked eight to five, drove something safe like a Camry, and was home for dinner every night.
She blew her hair dry and pulled it back in a ponytail, pausing as she reached for what little make-up she’d purchased. Maybe a little lip-gloss, but that was it. The more she thought about it, the more she realized keeping Cosmir at bay was an excellent idea. From their conversations, she knew if he returned to his world, he’d be a warrior again. The last thing she needed was a husband who might not come home from work. She’d lived that hell once already, and she didn’t want to go through it again.
Jake was missing when she entered the kitchen, then she heard him on the back porch. She peered out the back door and saw him pulling hamburger patties and steaks from one of the fridges he kept back there. He had one for meat and one for beer, and she suspected both would be empty by the end of the day. If there was one thing she could say about the F.F.D., it was that they could put away a serious amount of food and beer.
“Are you just inviting the guys or everyone?” she asked, wondering if she should run to the store for a bunch of sodas and juice for the moms and kids.
“Patterson is bringing his girlfriend; Watts and Markis are bringing their wives. As far as I know, no one is bringing any kids. It’s probably just my station coming, whoever isn’t on duty. I invited the crew from station one, but I don’t know if they’ll show up or not.”
“Then I should get some sodas to have, just in case. And some bottled water.”
Jake pulled out his wallet and dropped a few twenties on the counter. “Use that to get whatever you think we need. Might need some chips and stuff too.”
“What about dessert?”
Jake arched a brow and pulled out two more twenties.
Caitlyn smiled as she scooped up the money and hurried out the door. Thankfully her car had survived the fire. She’d been parked down the street rather than in her usual spot. She shoved the money in her purse before backing out of the parking space and heading toward the grocery store four blocks over. Caitlyn didn’t mind doing the shopping for Jake, she just wished she had more of her own money to use for it. But until she bought a new laptop, she wasn’t going to earn much.
She’d heard the fire had been caused by faulty wiring. The building had been old for sure, but she’d thought they were up to code on everything. Now she had to start over with nothing to her name but her car. Her purse had been lost in the fire, but thankfully she’d been able to get a replacement driver’s license and had requested a new social security card. Her bank card was supposedly in the mail. All she could do now was sit and wait. Now that she had an I.D. again, she could at least withdraw funds from her account, but until her bank card came in the mail, her shopping was limited. She’d had to order a new PayPal debit card too.
The store was busy, but she found a space near the front door and hurried inside. Caitlyn snagged a shopping cart and loaded it with chips, water, soda, and then picked out a cake and two pies from the bakery. Hopefully Jake would help her unload everything when she got home. Getting it into her car wasn’t going to be fun either, but she’d make do. As she wheeled her way out to the parking lot, the fire chief pulled up to the curb.
“Caitlyn? You here alone?” Zacharias asked.
“Yeah. Jake’s at home getting the grill set up. Are you joining us?”
Zacharias shook his head. “I have some reports I need to go over at the station, but if I get done in time, I’ll swing by for a few minutes. Let me load the car for you.”
“Thank you.” She pulled the sacks of chips out of the basket and put them in the backseat then popped the trunk for the water and sodas. She set the cake on the front seat and put the pies in the floor.
When Zacharias was done, he slammed the trunk shut and wheeled the basket over toward the cart return. She waited for him and thanked him once more.
“You make sure Jake unloads this car when you get home.”
“I will. I hope we see you at the barbeque.” She smiled. Zacharias was a nice guy, and handsome for an older man. Caitlyn figured he was in his mid to late forties with a hint of silver at his temples. But he always had a ready smile for her and had always been polite.
Caitlyn drove home, singing along to the radio. When she pulled into the driveway at Jake’s, she noticed a car and an SUV parked at the curb already. She picked up the cake and carried it inside with her.
“Jake! I’m home.”
She didn’t hear anything so she set the cake on the kitchen counter and poked her head out back. “Jake?”
Her brother was standing by the grill with the hunky alien and another fireman she’d hoped to never see again. Jake knew how she felt about Rich and yet he always invited him anyway. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear her brother had it in for her. Rich Lincoln had been her fiancé’s best friend, and as far as she was concerned, it was his fault that Rob hadn’t come home that night.
Cosmir noticed her first and gave her a little wave. A flash of something white and frilly caught her attention from the corner of her eye and shock slammed into her when she saw an adorable little girl with him, one who had to be Cosmir’s based off the color of her skin. Was he already married? Jake had made it sound like Cosmir was single. A single father perhaps? She swung her gaze back toward the men. When Rich saw her, his eyes darkened and he scowled in her direction. Caitlyn didn’t want to deal with him so she slammed the screen door and went back inside. She’d unload the damn car herself before she dealt with that slimeball. As she pulled the sacks of chips out of her car, she felt a presence behind her. Whirling, she calmed her racing heart when she was it was just Cosmir.
“Shouldn’
t you be in the backyard with your daughter?” she asked.
Cosmir gestured toward the bags. “Is that everything?”
“There’s water and soda in the trunk.”
Cosmir walked around back and grabbed both cases of water, one on top of the other, and began striding toward the house. He didn’t look the least bit like he was exerting himself, almost like he was carrying a feather pillow and not sixty-four bottles of water. Caitlyn trailed behind him, but rushed ahead when they neared the house so she could open the door for him. He flashed her a smile and her knees went a little weak.
“Where do you want these?” Cosmir asked.
“Jake should have two chests filled with ice out back. I was going to put water in one and sodas in the other.”
Cosmir nodded. “You take care of whatever needs to be done in here, and I’ll handle the drinks. Don’t even think of going back to the car for the sodas.”
So, aliens were chivalrous. Good to know. Didn’t help her feel any less conflicted about him though. Cosmir was damn near model-perfect in looks and he was really sweet as well. It just made her want to spend more time with him when she should be keeping her distance, especially now that she knew he had a child.
Caitlyn dumped the three types of chips into different serving bowls, opened the two dips she’d purchased, and began carrying them outside. When Cosmir saw her, he immediately came toward her and took the bowls from her hands. She smiled her thanks and went back for more. By the time the tables outside were set with snacks and the coolers of drinks were placed nearby, more people had started to arrive. Caitlyn wished she could say she was excited, but truthfully, she didn’t get along with the wives who were coming, even though she’d never said anything to her brother. Trisha Watts and Pamela Markis were both snobby and thought they were better than everyone else.
She grabbed a bottle of water out of one of the coolers and headed toward the swing in the corner of the yard. It was out of the way, yet near enough her brother couldn’t complain about her being anti-social. Honestly though, the last thing she felt like was partying in any form. There was still a lot to do before her life could get back on track. She should have been out laptop shopping with what little money she had in savings so she could at least work while she waited for the insurance check.
“This seat taken?” the willowy brunette who had come with Patterson asked as she eased onto the swing.
“Enjoying yourself?” Caitlyn asked.
“The other women aren’t exactly welcoming, are they?”
Caitlyn snickered. “Not hardly. They think they’re God’s gift because they nabbed firemen for husbands.”
“I’m guessing tall, purple, and hunky belongs to you. I swear he barely takes his eyes off you.” The brunette giggled. “I’m Misty, by the way.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Misty. Cosmir isn’t mine. I was in the hospital recently and he came every day to sit with me, when he wasn’t working anyway. I think he’s just worried I’m going to have a relapse or something.”
“What happened?”
“My apartment building went up in flames. I burned my palms a little, but they’re better now. I had some smoke inhalation, but they let me go the next day. Except, I no longer had a home to go to. My brother Jake let me stay here.”
“So your brother is a fireman? You’re kind of destined to be with one then, aren’t you? I bet he’s always trying to hook you up with his buddies.”
“I had a fiancé until a year ago. He worked at the other fire station and he died on the job. I’m a little hesitant to let another fireman into my life, or a cop. I think I want someone who has a nice sedate job like accounting.”
Misty laughed. “Have you seen many accountants? Trust me, you’d prefer the fireman. Just think of all those muscles!”
She had a point. The only accountants Caitlyn knew were fat and balding. Not to say every accountant looked like that, but the ones she’d met didn’t exactly make her hormones scream. What she needed was a gym rat with a desk job. There should be plenty of those, right? She just had to find one and fall madly in love with him.
“Mm-mmm,” Misty hummed. “Mr. Hunk is heading this way. I think I’ll go convince Mike we can have more fun at home. It was nice meeting you.”
“I’m glad you came today,” Caitlyn said.
Misty waggled her fingers at her as she sauntered off, leaving the other half of the swing vacant for Cosmir. Except he didn’t sit right away but hovered a few feet away, as if uncertain he would be welcome. Caitlyn patted the seat beside her and he smiled as he eased down onto the wooden swing.
“Why aren’t you visiting with the other women?” he asked.
“They don’t like me, and the feeling is mutual. I’m sure Jake thought he was doing me a favor by having this barbeque today, but really I’d have preferred to go shopping for a new laptop and start getting things in order so I can get my life back on track.” Caitlyn winced. “That sounded bitchy, didn’t it?”
“Not at all. You have your priorities straight. Nothing wrong with that.”
“If I can get a new laptop and download the programs I need, then I can get back to work and start making money again. Which means I’ll be closer to getting another place of my own. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jake and he’s been great, but sleeping on his couch isn’t ideal.”
“Why the couch? Surely this house has more than one bedroom.”
“He has a weight room set up in the second bedroom. And he did offer his bed, but I told him the couch was fine.”
“There’s no one else you can stay with until you get back on your feet?”
Caitlyn shook her head. “Our parents are gone and since I work from home I don’t really have that many friends. The few I do have already have families and don’t have an extra room for me to commandeer for a few weeks.”
“What kind of laptop are you looking for?”
“Something that will handle Photoshop and Microsoft Office. I’m a book editor, but I make covers on the side. I upload them to this website where self-published authors can purchase a pre-made cover, but once they buy it the cover belongs to them and only them. The site removes it after it’s been purchased. I don’t make a ton on the covers, but they usually sell for around seventy-five a cover for the simpler ones and a little over one hundred for the more complicated ones.”
“So you’re creative.” He smiled. “I figured you were the artsy type.”
Caitlyn laughed. “What made you think that of me?”
“Just a feeling I got when I talked to you in the hospital.” His gaze took in her messy ponytail and a smile tilted his lips. “So, what do you say we skip out on the hamburgers and go find that laptop you need?”
“You want to go with me?” she asked.
“I know I may not look like it, but I’m rather tech savvy. And I’m great at finding a bargain. That’s one thing I love about this world. There are so many places you can shop for the same item. It’s fun hunting down the lowest price.”
Caitlyn couldn’t help but laugh. “I have a hard time picturing you bargain hunting.”
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I may have money at my disposal, but there’s no sense spending it all if I don’t have to.”
“You really want to blow off your friends to come shopping with me?” Caitlyn nibbled her lower lip. Really, she should tell him thanks but no thanks and get the heck out of there before she did something stupid.
“Can I be honest?” His gaze was assessing as he watched her.
Caitlyn nodded.
“Your brother wanted us to meet and get to know one another. I know we met briefly at the station, but I don’t think he was satisfied with that. Before the fire at your apartment, he’d planned to have a barbeque so he could introduce us again. For some reason, he thinks we’d suit and he was hoping I’d ask you out. To be honest, I’m tired of being set up on blind dates because they never end well. But then the call came through for the fire and Jake said
it was your building. He wasn’t worried because he said you were out for the night. And then I saw you leaning out the upstairs window.
“I didn’t know who you were when I climbed that ladder. It wasn’t until I heard your name that I put two and two together. I was a little pissed at Jake when he didn’t ask to take off and go check on you at the hospital, so I asked off and rushed over there. I expected him to fight to be by your side, but I’m guessing he had his reasons for staying at work.”
She frowned. “So you came to the hospital because Jake was trying to hook us up?”
“No! Gods, no. I just… I wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay. And then I found out they hadn’t treated all of your symptoms and I was furious with the hospital staff. The more I got to know you, the more time I wanted to spend with you.”
“But you haven’t been around in the last week,” she pointed out. And you have a daughter you haven’t mentioned to me once.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d still want me hanging around. It was one thing to help keep you occupied at the hospital, but another to come knocking at Jake’s door.”
Caitlyn wasn’t sure what to feel at his admission. It seemed he genuinely wanted to spend more time with her, but she knew from experience that way lay heartache. She’d loved a fireman once and she’d vowed to never do it again. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, right? Assuming she was capable of just being friends with a man who looked like Cosmir.
“If you’re serious about helping me, I really do need a laptop. But what about your daughter? I saw her playing earlier.”
He smiled. “I’d love to --”
A loud series of pops came from the front of the house and a stream of black smoke could be seen over the fence. Cosmir took off with the other guys right on his heels. Caitlyn trailed behind and couldn’t contain her gasp as she saw Jake’s poor mailbox.
Caitlyn and the Alien Protector (Intergalactic Brides 7) Page 4