Light Up The Tree: A Firehouse Three Novel

by Regina Cole

  And then he was up on his knees, looking down at her. Somehow, some way, she found the ability to release the front catch of her bra. She hesitated before parting the cups, because Nate had looked away.

  He was staring at the corner, as if the enormity of what they were about to do was wrecking him.

  Fear swirled in her chest. No. No. He couldn’t back out now. If they stopped this now, she’d never have the courage to try again. If he didn’t want it? Sure. They could put the brakes on, and she’d just live out the rest of her life not being able to look him in the eyes again.

  But he wanted her. She’d felt that in every move he’d made since he’d stood by the kitchen table, looking into her eyes.

  “Nathaniel,” she said, rising up into a sitting position.

  “What?” He didn’t turn to look at her.

  She bit her lip, and then she uttered the words she’d been agonizing over since that kiss in the car at the drive-in the other night. The ones that had kept her up late, that had driven her to drink, that had caused her more excitement and anxiety than any others she could remember.

  “I want you to fuck me.”

  9

  He couldn’t be hearing her right. There was no way.

  But then the cups of her bra fell away, and she slid the peach satin straps from her shoulders. She reached for the lacy panties she wore, and slid them down her thighs, tossing them aside.

  Naked, lying on his bed, Allison Kurtz lifted her arms to him.

  “Please,” she said, trust and hunger and some other emotion he couldn’t name in her gray eyes. “Don’t make me wait any longer to know what it’s like to be with you.”

  The decision had been made the instant she’d pressed her cheek to his chest. No, earlier than that. When she’d kissed him at the drive-in. No, before that.

  When he’d walked into a new school his junior year of high school and had seen her sitting by the principal’s office, that long blonde hair perfectly straight, that smile of hers so confident and friendly.

  She’d been vice president of the junior class, and had volunteered to show the new student around the school back in what had been a small, quaint McKinney. And right then and there he’d fallen for her.

  But to think, over ten years later, the moment had finally come?

  He didn’t want to waste another second.

  His jeans and boxers were discarded as quickly as her lingerie had been, and then he was finally, blissfully naked, feeling like a virgin all over again.

  Nobody would ever be like her.

  For a moment, he looked down at her. He’d imagined so many times what she would look like naked, but never could his dreams have matched the perfect ideal of her reality. It was odd, this sense of comfort, being with her, as if this was meant to happen.

  And it had been. It was just a matter of time.

  Her skin was creamy, almost translucent. Her hair fanned out around her shoulders, the hollow of her collarbones shadowed as she waited, just letting him look his fill.

  Taking a deep breath, he let his gaze wander lower.

  There was a God, and he’d let a little piece of heaven come to life right there in Dallas, Texas.

  Her breasts were perfect. Small, high, with dusky pink nipples that peaked upward at the tips. He itched to touch them, to feel their soft weight cupped in his palms. But there was more of her to see.

  Her belly was flat, toned, her addiction to working out as stress relief clear in the lines of her body. Her waist nipped in, and he followed the curve of her hip down to her thighs. The sight of her was like visual heroin to him—sending his blood rushing through his veins, roaring through his ears, adrenaline racing his heart with the sight of her.

  He went weak in the knees as her legs parted slightly.

  Lord help him, she waxed. Totally bare, there was nothing to hide her most delicate flesh from his gaze. She shifted, thighs falling open, and the glistening pearlescence of her skin made his cock jump.

  He wanted to fall on her, dive between her legs, taste every bit of that beautiful, womanly flesh.

  Would she let him?

  She’d asked him, point-blank, to fuck her. And Nate hated to make a lady wait for something she wanted.

  As if he’d been waiting forever—he had—he stretched out atop her, each square inch of his skin that touched her on fire. His hands touched places he’d only dreamed about, running from her sides, down her hips, beneath her to cup her ass.

  She arched into him, her hands tangling in his hair.

  He smiled against the skin of her neck, nipping the tendon that ran to her shoulder.

  “God, Nate,” she said, as his hand crept up to cover her breast.

  He groaned at the nipple pebbled against his palm, that sweet little bud begging for more. Kissing his way down her body, he captured the pink tip in his mouth, cheeks hollowing with the sucking draw. She almost bucked him off when his tongue flicked against it.

  Her leg shifted, brushing against his cock, and a drop of moisture escaped, slicking the head. He twisted his hips to move his erection away from her.

  Too much friction with that silky-smooth leg of hers and this would be over before it began.

  Her nipple was nice, but it had a twin that also needed his attention, and Nate was nothing, if not thorough. Leaving his hand to tweak the one he’d left behind, he started the same suckle, flick, kiss technique on her opposite nipple. Her hips were twisting, legs scissoring as both hand and mouth worked her. Her nails dragged across his shoulders, the sweet bite of pain encouraging him to suck her deeper, kiss her harder, leave her skin burning and wet and wanting.

  “More,” she panted as he dipped his tongue into her navel. “God, please.”

  Her thighs were smooth, skin so incredibly soft against his hands as he pressed them open wider. There, between her legs, he stared for a moment.

  The pink petals shone, and he spread the outer ones to see the smaller, slightly darker ones between. There at the apex was a glistening knot of flesh, a beacon that called to him like a lighthouse on a stormy night.

  That was where he was heading. That was the top of the mountain. But it would take a long, slow climb to get there, and he didn’t intend to skip any steps along the way.

  He blew a gentle breath across her wet skin, gratified as she shivered. His fingers traced her cleft, parting her, feeling the smooth sweetness of her body’s response easing the path for him. Carefully avoiding her clit, he traced around it, then back down, dipping slightly inside her body as he passed the entrance.

  “You’re—you’re killing me.” Her hands were fisted in the covers as her head thrashed from side to side.

  “Then let me help you find heaven,” he said, and his mouth sealed over her.

  The cry she let out was pure satisfaction, the taste of her incredible as his tongue traced along her damp slit. Back and forth, up and down, he laved the sweet inner lips with mouth and tongue. Her core got hotter, wetter, swelling to welcome him as his tongue breached her slightly. Her hips lifted and sank, seeking and begging with every kiss from him.

  His cock was throbbing, his own hips grinding into the covers as he loved her with every bit of the longing he’d stored for years. With every touch, he was telling her what was in his heart. Every kiss was one he’d saved up, every passionate flick of his tongue was a feeling he'd choked back a million times.

  Only when the both of them were moving furiously in time with his mouth did he let his tongue find her clit.

  One flick. One gentle, tiny caress, and she was over the peak, her body shuddering and cresting the orgasm he’d taken his time to build for her. He stilled, holding her hips as she rode out the last of the wave.

  “I—Oh God,” she said, breathless.

  He rose to his knees, wiping the moisture from his chin. Looking down at her, he rolled his hips slightly. God, he was so hard. He wanted to sink into her so damn bad. His hand fisted around his cock, and the single pump he gave with his h
and had a drop of come glistening at the purpled tip of him.

  “I want you inside me,” she said, when she could speak again. Her eyes glittered with passion realized, and passion yet to come. “I want to feel you come.”

  Ally was saying these words. To him. It was really happening. How many times had he dreamed of that moment? And now his dream was coming true.

  He didn’t know what he’d done in a past life to deserve this bliss, but he thanked his lucky stars for the gift of her desire.

  Rising from the bed, he reached into the top drawer of the bedside table and found a condom. His hands shook as he rolled it on, the enormity of what was happening between them hitting him.

  Allison. His Ally. He was about to make love to his Ally. His heart was full to bursting.

  It was a miracle the latex didn’t split as he finished and looked down at the sight of her. She was spread out on his bed, her legs open wide, boneless from the orgasm he’d given her. But she was reclined on her elbows, a slight smile on her face as she took in the sight of his erection.

  He stepped to the edge of the bed, and she reached for him. That first touch nearly had him losing his grip on himself, and he dug his nails into his palm to stop himself from coming as her slender fingers wrapped around his shaft.

  “I never imagined you’d be this—sexy. This big, this hard for me, this—you’re overwhelming, ‘Thaniel.” Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him in invitation.

  “I—” He took a deep, steadying breath, the feel of her hand surrounding his cock obliterating all other sensation. “If you don’t let me go, I won’t be able to go any farther. I’m—I’m so close, Ally. God, the taste of you alone almost made me come.”

  “Then come to me,” she said, grabbing his arms and urging him down onto her.

  He didn’t wait another second. His hips were between her thighs, his arms pressing her tight to him as the blunt head of him probed where his mouth had been not long ago. God, her skin was so hot, so wet, and as he nudged at her entrance, he raised his head to look down at her.

  “Allison,” he said, and then he sank hilt-deep in the warm, sweet grip of her body.

  Together they cried out, and Nathaniel lost his grip on control.

  Pounding against her, the heat and the touch and the sweet pain of her teeth on his shoulder spurred him to take her harder, faster. Heat rushed up his shaft, his balls smacking against her as he thrust mercilessly. He was on fire, touch and skin and sensation overwhelming him. Allison. This was Allison, and she had gripped his hair and was kissing him like it was the last thing she’d do on this earth.

  It might be. He felt like the orgasm building inside him might just kill them both.

  Faster and deeper and harder, so hard that his chest was thundering like a kettle drum, so fast that his hips were pistoning in a rhythm almost too quick to track, so deep inside her that he almost touched her heart.

  The base of his spine tingled, and he pushed up on his arms to look down into her eyes.

  “Ally!” His hoarse shout and the hot rush of come exploded from him at the same time, waves of pleasure cresting over him, her orgasm rippling her inner walls around his spasming cock. Another deep thrust, another, and the hot pulses rushing from him went on and on. Nate held on, his arms trembling, his eyes burning as he stared into her eyes.

  She never blinked, her fingertips digging into his shoulders. Their gazes were locked as if neither of them could look away. As if he’d want to.

  Being frozen in her eyes, surrounded by her body, was the physical reality of the feelings in his heart. He never, ever wanted to be anywhere else.

  Only when he was emptied, and the faint, sweet pulses of her core had subsided did he allow himself to roll onto his side and gather her up into his arms.

  Kissing the top of her beautiful blonde hair, he closed his eyes and let the tide of feeling sweep him away.

  There would never be another moment like this.

  * * *

  She’d fallen asleep, but didn’t know it until Nate’s cell phone chimed and stirred her from her slumber. Stretching, she rolled onto her belly as he climbed from the bed to dig through his pockets for the still-chirping handset. God, she never slept so hard, so comfortably.

  The bed’s plush comforter was soft against her bare nipples. Wait, bed? Nipples?

  Her eyes flew open and she rolled to her back, bringing the comforter with her.

  “Hello?” Nate had answered his phone, and as he talked, Allison looked her fill, memories of what had happened between them flooding her.

  God, he was hot. So familiar, yet his nakedness was so tempting and foreign. The pull of her heart and her body were tugging in the same direction, and the sensation made her shiver.

  What now?

  Nate killed the call and looked over at her. “I’m sorry. Someone got sick on shift, so they want me to go in now.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, relaxing her grip on the covers. “I needed to leave soon anyway.”

  Leaning down, he pressed a sweet, hungry kiss to her lips. The memory of what they’d done sent a shiver through her body. He must have thought she was cold, because his hands brushed up and down her arms, around to her back to give a slight squeeze before he pulled away.

  His eyes darkened as her tongue darted out to lick her lips. If he didn’t have to go to work now, she had a fairly good idea of what they’d be up to. Again.

  He bent and scooped up his clothing, and she rose from the bed and did the same. Keenly aware of each glance he sent her way, Allison deliberately moved slowly to show him she was unashamed to be naked near him. That initial shock had been momentary, and the memory was delicious.

  It would be damn hard to get enough loving like the kind they’d just had.

  “I think my shirt is toast,” Allison said, examining the ragged threads where her buttons had once been. There was even a rip in the seam. Fuck it. She’d buy another truckload of designer blouses, if it meant Nate would promise to rip them off her. His body was so smooth, and strong. Her insides melted at the memory of him between her thighs, pumping as he kissed and caressed—

  “I’ll buy you a new one.”

  She shook her head to clear it. God. She’d been going through a dry spell, sure, but damn. Sex never distracted her like this.

  It must be him. Nate. Sex with Nate was more than she knew how to process. Especially being that good.

  He sank onto the edge of the bed to pull his jeans on, one leg at the time. She sighed a little at the loss of the sight of his nudity. His cock was—well, it was big. And talented. And she wanted to get to know it much, much better. Her stomach clenched with the sudden, needful memory.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she smiled over at him. “But can I borrow one of yours?”

  “Sure,” he said, standing to pull up his boxers and jeans. “Middle drawer.” He began to pull his shirt over his head.

  She turned and headed for the chest of drawers beside the bedroom door. There were five drawers, and the middle one squeaked as it opened.

  Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her.

  “Not that one, the—” He slammed his eyes shut, shaking his head as he sighed. “The bureau.”

  For a moment, she just stared. Her heart skipped over itself, the hairs on her arms raising as she realized exactly what she was looking at.

  Behind her, he sighed again.

  “Nate?” She lifted the beaten-up notebook from the drawer, turning to face him. “Why do you have my notebook?”

  It was unmistakably hers. The brand had been popular her senior year of high school, and she’d signed her name on the front in those cool block letters she’d been enamored with as a teenager. Stickers from her favorite boy band were inside the front cover, and the rest of it was filled with notes from her AP history class.

  “You lent it to me,” he said shortly, yanking the hem of his shirt over his abs. “You told me just to throw it away, since your exam was alre
ady over.”

  “But you kept it?”

  He nodded once and sank onto the bed again to pull on his socks. His jaw was tight, his expression shuttered.

  She turned back to the drawer. There was more.

  A menu from the pizza joint they’d frequented during those long summer days before college. They’d played pool and Ms. Pac-Man so many times in the arcade in the back that she was certain they’d paid the mortgage on that place in nothing but quarters. A stack of greeting cards, the one on top being the one she’d sent him back in September for his birthday. Key chains she’d given him many years ago, pictures of the two of them from different events, a now-empty bottle of men’s cologne she’d presented him with the very first time they’d exchanged Christmas gifts.

  And then, in the corner, a hint of red caught her eye. It was the gumball machine plastic pickup truck she’d given him as a joke last year. “Can you get this Ford up and running?” she’d asked him. He’d laughed, and stuck the thing in his pocket.

  She was sure he’d thrown it away. But no, here it was, tucked into the corner of the center drawer in his chest like it was something more than a fifty-cent piece of plastic.

  Carefully, she placed the notebook back into the drawer, but the stack of pictures slid. As she straightened it, one fell aside. She picked it up.

  It was a picture of her from two summers ago. She and Nate had gone fishing on the little pond toward the back of his property, and somehow he’d convinced her to remove her own catfish from the hook. At the moment her fingers had touched the cold, sandpapery fish skin, she’d looked over at Nate with a determined war face.

  His cell phone’s shutter button had clicked, and she held the memory in her hands.

  He remembered all of this. He’d kept it all safe. Things that were, on their surface, totally inconsequential. But for some reason, they’d been important enough to him to collect them here, in neatly ordered piles, as if each little memento was too precious to throw away. And every bit of it had something to do with her.

  Why?

  “Here you go,” Nate said, and then a soft, black sweatshirt was in her hand. The drawer squeaked shut again, though she hadn’t touched it.