From Ashes To Flames

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Oh, one more thing, Marin.” He wrapped his hand around my neck and gave me a searing kiss.

  At first, I gawked at the man and then gulped. As I hurried from the room, I noticed how wet things were between my thighs. I hoped the drive home was fast because I didn’t want to get myself off on the way there. That would not be cool. What if I got in a wreck? That would be awful. I could imagine the headlines. Woman Found With Pants Unzipped and Private Bits Exposed After Five Car Pileup. Not cool at all.

  I made the drive in record time, watching the garage door open and wishing it would speed up. It had been so long since I’d felt any sexual desire that mine was on hyperdrive right now.

  Turning the alarm off, I dashed up the steps, made a quick stop in my room, and fished around under the mattress for my vibrator. Then I gazed at it like a drunken fool. Oh my gosh, I forgot to call Grey. I grabbed my phone and hit his name.

  “That was fast. You must’ve laid the lead on the gas pedal,” he said, chuckling.

  I fake yawned and said, “Yeah, I’m so tired.”

  “Uh huh. Before you take that tired self of yours to my bed, I want you to do something. Are you naked yet?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Take off your clothes and get in the bed.”

  “Uh, I’m in the bed.”

  “Sweet dreams, Marin. Think of me.” And he hung up.

  I hung up and my hands shook. I powered up my vibe and thoughts of sexy Grey popped into my head. It wasn’t difficult to get close to orgasm. I’d been close when I left the hospital. I slid my rabbit in and out of me, pumping slow at first, but then picking up the pace. Each time I thrust deep, that perky rabbit nose tickled my clit, and in no time, I orgasmed, calling out Grey’s name. Then I wondered if he had a camera in there. Oh, God! How embarrassing. I jumped, almost right out of the bed, as my phone rang. Fuck. Who was it?

  Checking the caller ID, I saw Grey’s name. “Hello.” My voice shook.

  “I miss you. What are you doing?”

  “Um, reading.”

  “Reading? Is that all?”

  “Yes. No.” I giggled, which sounded stupid.

  “Marin, what exactly are you doing in my bed? Describe to me in detail.”

  Oh, God. What the hell was I going to say? “Um, nothing. I’m laying here.”

  “Marin.” He said my name with a warning.

  Shit, shit, shit. “Ijusthadanorgasmwithmyvibrator,” I blurted.

  “Are you dripping wet?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Text me a picture of yourself.”

  “No! I can’t do that.”

  “Sure you can. Just keep your head out of it, then no one will know it’s you except for the two of us.”

  I thought about it for a second and decided I could never do that, but instead, I sent him a picture of me, covered up to my neck. He laughed when he got it.

  “You are such a chicken.”

  “Yes, I am. And you will have to wait to see the real naked me in person, Dr. West.”

  A deep chuckle came back to me. “I can’t wait for that and to get inside of you. I’m going to have fun teaching you some things.”

  “Do they teach you those things in heart school?”

  I had an image of him shaking his head. “Hardly.” Then I heard a deep chuckle.

  “Good. I was a bit worried.”

  “Don’t be, Marin. But I want you ready tomorrow night.”

  I tugged the sheet close to my chin. “We can’t do this with the kids in the house.”

  “They sleep, remember?”

  “But it’s inappropriate.”

  “Let me make that determination. Go to sleep. You’re going to need it for what I have in mind.” The line went dead. Oh my. And here I thought Dr. West was a straight-laced tight-assed dude. Who would’ve thought he was so dirty minded?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Greydon

  * * *

  The next morning, Marin tiptoed into Aaron’s hospital room. But after she heard him jabbering, all the quietness about her disappeared.

  “He sounds so much better.” A gigantic sigh rushed out of her.

  “He is. Woke up like usual, demanding his diaper be changed.” I watched her as she lifted him out of the crib. He pawed her face and she kissed his hand.

  “Hey, buddy. Are you happy today?”

  He smacked her in the face. “Ow. You better watch it.” Her fingers dug into his ribs until he laughed, but it turned into a coughing fit.

  “Oh, no, I’m sorry, baby boy. That sounds so nasty.”

  “Yes, that’s what pneumonia does. They put him on a nebulizer to help break all that up.”

  She pointed to a bag and said, “I brought you a change of clothes so you could shower.”

  “Ah. Did you get stuck in my underwear drawer again?”

  Her cheeks flamed scarlet and her attempts at hiding it failed.

  “It won’t work. But don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

  “Used to what?”

  “My sexual innuendos.”

  Watching her responses made me think of an innocent naive woman, but I knew she was anything but that.

  “I’m going to buy ear muffs for your son.”

  “Why?”

  “So, he doesn’t get tainted by your dirty mind.”

  I wrapped my hands around her waist from behind and drew her against me. Being much shorter than me, I was able to rest my chin on the top of her head. “You’re the one I’m interested in tainting, not him.” Then I kissed her neck, right behind her velvety soft earlobe. “I can’t wait to crawl into bed with you tonight.”

  “Grey, someone might walk in here.”

  “What if they do? Is there a law against me embracing you?”

  “I’m your nanny!”

  I laughed so hard and it felt better than ever. I’d laughed more with her than anyone in my life, including Susannah. Now that I thought of it, Susannah and I hardly ever laughed together.

  “Marin, I believe you’re my kids’ nanny, not mine. But, if you want to play nanny to me, I’m all in.”

  She looked over her shoulder at me and again, flushed with embarrassment. Aaron kicked his legs, so I took him from her.

  “He wants to get down and run around,” I said. With the door shut, there was no harm in that, so I set him on the floor and watched him waddle around. He crashed into Marin’s legs and garbled out something. It was good to see things returning to normal.

  “Why don’t you shower? I’ll be his watchdog.”

  “Thanks. I won’t be gone long,” I said.

  Aaron was released later that morning and I returned to work. The pile-up of patients from the last couple of days was hell. I worked like a maniac to see everyone. Luckily, an electrophysiologist from the other hospital had filled in for me on a few cases. By six o’clock, I finished up, but I still had some charting to complete. As I sat at my desk, my phone dinged with a text.

  What time will you be home?

  It was Marin. Those words brought a smile to my face.

  Seven—I hope.

  She hit me back with: Tough day?

  I’ve had much worse. But it’s about to get better.

  Her response had me chuckling. Oh? Care to explain?

  I’d rather show you. But I’d make a fool of myself when I moaned.

  She sent me an emoji with a shocked face.

  See you soon.

  I hustled my ass off to finish up and was out the door an hour later. When I walked in the house, Kinsley practically attacked me.

  “Daddy!”

  I picked her up and swung her high in the air. “Polka dot! I feel like I haven’t seen you in a very long time.”

  “Because you haven’t.” She flung her arms around my neck and kissed me on the nose. “Did you miss me?”

  “More than chocolate.”

  “I missed you more than ice cream.”

  “I missed you more than ice cream with chocolate on
top.”

  “I missed you more than ice cream with chocolate and whipped cream on top.”

  We could go on and on like this, but I needed to check on Aaron. “How’s your brother doing?”

  “Good. But his legs aren’t kicking as good. I don’t know if he’s gonna be a dancer anymore.”

  “Hmm. Let’s see. Where is he?”

  “In the swing.”

  We went into the living area and Marin was sitting with him.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey to you. How are you?”

  “Hungry and tired.”

  “Good because I have lasagna in the oven,” she said.

  The little guy was heavy-lidded and sleepy. “Looks like someone is ready for bed.”

  “Yeah. I was giving you a few more minutes before I put him down.”

  “I’ll do it. While I’m up there, I’ll change and be back down for dinner.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Marin, don’t thank me for putting my own son to bed.” I picked Aaron up out of the swing.

  “Daddy, I wanna come with you.”

  I held out my hand and said, “Let’s go.”

  We got to Aaron’s room where I changed his diaper and then set him in his crib. His eyes were half closed already. Bending over, I pressed my lips to his forehead and covered him with his favorite blanket.

  “Can I kiss him goodnight too, Daddy?”

  “Sure, polka dot.” I picked Kinsley up so she could kiss him. Then we left the room after I shut the light off.

  “Why don’t you read Aaron a bedtime story like you do me?”

  “He’s not old enough yet, but when he gets to be two, I’ll start doing it, like we did for you.”

  “Did you used to read to me when I was two?”

  “I sure did. That’s how I started calling you my polka dot. You had this little book where the girl wore a polka dotted dress that you always wanted me to read for you.”

  “Oh. Maybe you can read that for Aaron too.”

  “Maybe I can.”

  She followed me into my closet where I took off my shirt and tie and changed into something more comfortable. Then we went down to the kitchen where Marin was serving up the lasagna.

  “Polka dot, do you want some?” I asked.

  “Nope. I ate already with Aaron.”

  “When someone offers you something, you should say, ‘No, thank you.’”

  “Even if I want some?”

  Marin’s shoulders shook as she turned away to hide her laughter.

  “In that case, you would say, ‘Yes, please.’”

  She pursed her tiny mouth, then said, “No, thank you, Daddy.”

  “Good girl.”

  The three of us sat at the table and ate while Kinsley talked about how Aaron needed to work on his kicks. “Maybe I can help him and show him when I start my Irish dancing.”

  “Oh, shoot,” Marin cried out.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I forgot to call the dancing studio to check.”

  “Don’t worry. Call in the morning.”

  “Yeah, Marnie. You were scared about Aaron. Hey Daddy, how’d he get ammonia?”

  Marin kicked me under the table and I bit down on my lip. “No one really knows. It just happens sometimes.”

  “Will I get ammonia?”

  “I don’t think so, honey. You don’t need to worry about that.”

  “Oops, I forgot.” She jumped out of her chair and scooted out of the room.

  “Where did she go?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, but that ammonia thing was too cute.”

  Kinsley charged back into the kitchen carrying a large sheet of paper. She slapped it on the table, saying, “I made this for Aaron today.”

  It was a picture of Aaron, Kinsley, Marin, and me all holding hands. Aaron was naked except for a diaper and he had a gigantic pacifier in his mouth. I’m not sure why she’d drawn that because he’d give up his pacifier months ago. The picture was adorable and funny at the same time. I held out my arms to hug her.

  “Kinsley, this is fantastic,” I said. “You’re becoming quite the artist.”

  “I know.”

  “Honey, when someone compliments you, you should thank them.”

  She quirked a brow, exactly like her mother used to do. “Even when it’s from you?”

  “Sure. It doesn’t matter who it comes from, and that includes Marin.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  Marin picked it up and said, “I told her too bad she wasn’t in school right now. She could’ve entered into the art contest.”

  “She sure could have.”

  We cleaned up the dinner dishes and I put Kinsley to bed. She wanted me to find the polka dot story to read to her.

  “Honey, I’m pretty sure that it’s boxed up in the attic with the rest of your baby things. You’re going to have to pick out something else.” She settled on a different book and after a few chapters, she was nodding off. I kissed her, covered her up, and turned off the light.

  It was only eight o’clock, but I was exhausted. Marin was in the den when I got back downstairs. “I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake.”

  “You look super tired.”

  “I am. Why don’t we go to bed?”

  “Good idea.”

  After turning everything off, we walked up the stairs, and when she started heading toward her room, I asked, “Marin, where do you think you’re going?”

  “To bed?”

  “Exactly. But why are you going that way?”

  “Because that’s where my bedroom is.”

  Cupping her neck, I brought her close to my body. “But you’re not sleeping in your room.” Then I ran my tongue down the side of her neck, stopping at her pulse point. I felt the thrumming of her heart beneath my mouth as I gently nipped and sucked. My thumbs circled the peaks of her nipples, which were pebbled under her bra. She hummed her pleasure. “We can continue this my room, or I can undress you here in the hallway.”

  “The kids?” she whispered, her voice husky with desire.

  “Are asleep, and there’s no need to whisper.”

  “But …”

  “This way.” I steered her into my room.

  “I need to wash my face and brush my teeth.”

  “You can do that in here,” I said.

  “Not my face regimen.”

  “Oh, you have a regimen?” I smirked.

  “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  “Then go, but your sexy ass is sleeping with me.”

  “Yes, sir. Did I tell you that you’re a bossy boss?”

  I slapped her ass and said, “You’re wasting time.”

  By the time she returned, I was in bed with my teeth brushed and face washed. I lifted the covers and said, “Get in here.” And then it hit me … her scent. Images of what I imagined she did last night spiked my desire, fueling my passion. Inhaling, I said, “I wish I could’ve been here last night with you.”

  A flush rose from her neck to the crests of her cheeks. “I do too. You could have shown me those things you mentioned.” She smirked. Before she could offer up any other sassy comments, I took her chin between my thumb and finger and gently teased her mouth with mine. I began at one corner and lazily worked my way to the other. My teeth grazed her upper and lower lips and sucked on the bottom one before I pushed my tongue into her mouth. Our tongues met, hesitant at first, but the kiss quickly grew more demanding and frenzied. My mind became buzzed with the headiness of how the atmosphere sparked between us. The heat between us amped up and I couldn’t get enough of her, of her lips, or her mouth. I had never wanted a kiss to go on like this. It was intoxicating and I was drunk with lust.

  “I have wanted you so long … Jesus, Marin. The number of showers I’ve taken and masturbated to thoughts of you naked, your legs spread, with that fucking vibrator in your hand, and me watching you use it on yourself. I have been so fucking hard for weeks now with these dirty
thoughts of you.”

  My hand slipped under her camisole and tugged on her nipple, which was as hard as my cock. These damn clothes were useless and in the way, so I sat up and pulled her along with me.

  “I can’t wait to see you … to touch this, your body. To taste every inch of your skin. You have driven me half out of my mind with lust.”

  “We have to get rid of this.” I waited for her permission before yanking her cami over her head, “And these.” My fingers hooked around the elastic of her panties and with one quick motion, I pulled them off.

  Her hand reached out for my shirt. “What about you?”

  I stood up and took off the T-shirt and boxers I was wearing, my motions frantic. “For your information, this was for your benefit. I usually sleep naked.”

  “What about the kids?”

  “What about them?”

  “What if you’re naked and they come in here?”

  “Aaron can’t get out of his crib yet, and Kinsley never gets up. If she were to come in, I’d tell her to go back to her room and I’d meet her in there.”

  “What if she were sick or had a nightmare?”

  “I’d hear her and check the camera. And she’s only had one nightmare that I can recall.”

  “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?” she asked.

  I climbed into bed and situated myself next to her. I brushed her hair off her face. “I didn’t have anything close to an answer for you when you walked into my life.” My fingers weaved into her thick multi-colored locks. “You, with your colored hair, piercings, and tattoos. I didn’t quite know what to make of you.”

  “And what do you make of me now?”

  “I’m not sure. I laugh a lot more. I won’t say you didn’t piss me off, but I love your passion. It inspires me.”

  “Can I tell you something? And promise you won’t get mad?”

  I brushed her hair back. “This seems to be a recurring theme with you.”

  She laughed. “I thought you were the stuffiest asshole I’d ever met.”

  For some reason, I couldn’t stop kissing the corner of her mouth. “Stuffy, huh. I thought you said I was starchy.”