The rush of feelings wasn’t just physical, though. As soon as my eyes locked onto Cassidy, all of the doubts that had been weighing heavy on my heart earlier that day seemed to instantly evaporate. I felt pangs of relief and pride and excitement flood my chest.
That’s my girl, I realized as a smile spread across my face. Why the hell did I ever doubt it?!
I tossed my wrench aside on the tool bench and sprinted across the bay. Cassidy stopped in her tracks, and her eyes widened when she saw me. I saw a roulette of emotions spin through her eyes: confusion, uncertainty, excitement… and then, finally, resolution. A small smile spread across her rosy plump lips and her face lit up, reflecting the same happiness that I felt.
“I’m sorry I got here a little early--” she started to say, but I cut her off before she could finish. I hooked my arm around her waist and jerked her towards me. She let out a tiny gasp and pressed her palms against my chest to steady herself. Then I felt her fingertips sink into my firm pecs.
Catching your balance, or copping a feel?
I tightened my grip on her waist. Even through our clothes, I could feel the heat radiating off her skin; the softness of her curves. I wanted every inch of her.
“You’re right on time, Ladybug,” I whispered. My right hand traced up the curve of her neck and cupped her chin, tilting her face up towards mine. Then I bent down and pressed my lips into hers.
Cassidy’s soft pout immediately melted. I pressed my tongue inside and traced the inside of her lips. Her hand wrapped around the back of my neck to pull me closer, and I felt her tongue vibrate as she moaned softly into my mouth.
Every primal instinct in my body wanted to peel those yoga pants off of her thick thighs the same way I’d skin a banana. My palm cupped the small of her back, and my cock started to stiffen in my pants as I imagined all of the things I’d do to her, if we were alone…
But we weren’t alone. I suddenly became aware of the chorus of jeers and shouts from around us, and I remembered why I had invited Cassidy to the fire station in the first place.
I had invited her to the station so that I could formally introduce her to the rest of the crew at Firehouse 56. So far, all we had managed to do was make one hell of a first impression...
I pulled away reluctantly, then I turned back to the guys.
“I hope that’s not the performance that you two have planned for your first kiss at the wedding,” Duke sneered. “I feel like I got pregnant just watching that.”
“Ignore him,” Logan told Cass, giving Duke a light shove. “He’s never kissed a woman before.”
“That’s funny,” Duke smirked. “I seem to remember a hot brunette waking me up with a kiss, just this morning…”
“Your mom doesn’t count,” Troy teased, ruffling Duke’s hair.
“Knock it off, guys,” I rolled my eyes. “I told Cassidy you were a good group of guys. Don’t make me look like a liar.”
“That wouldn’t be the first lie you’ve told,” a stern voice suddenly snapped from the back of the vehicle bay.
That stray comment might as well have been a gunshot, because it had the same effect as it rang through the brick walls of the vehicle bay.
The light-hearted banter was immediately silenced, and we all turned to see Josh stride into view. His arms were crossed over his chest, and there was a firm expression on his face.
Anger swelled in my chest. I scowled at my brother, but he refused to look me in the eye.
“Uh-oh,” Duke said, breaking the awkward silence. “Sounds like Baby Bro is a little bit salty about Brady’s surprise engagement to the girl next door…”
“Not at all,” Josh said. A dark smile spread across his face and his eyes flashed towards mine. “I’m just messing around. Cassidy’s practically family to us. I know Brady wouldn’t do anything to fuck that up. Right, bro?”
“Obviously,” I said in a tight voice.
My jaw was clenched and my hands were balled into fists. If looks could kill, then the glare I shot my brother would have been fatal… but he just kept on grinning.
“Besides,” Josh’s voice lightened and he turned towards the rest of the crew. “You guys saw that kiss. How could that be anything less than the real deal?”
“It was a pretty good kiss,” Logan nodded in agreement, then added jokingly: “If I had to give it a score, I’d say it was a solid 10/10. Lots of passion, nice energy…”
“I was turned on,” Troy admitted.
“It was just an 6/10 for me,” Duke shrugged. “I’ve seen better.”
“Your mom set the bar pretty high, eh?” Troy jabbed back at Duke, reviving the joke from a few minutes earlier.
Cassidy’s cheeks turned bright pink, and I let out the heavy breath that had been trapped in my chest.
I was glad that we were all back to joking around, but I was still fuming at my brother. I knew I’d have to settle this with him later… but I also knew that I had already wasted enough of my time and energy worrying about what my brother thought.
Thanks to Josh, my morning with Cassidy had been completely derailed. I wasn’t going to let him ruin our night together, too.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whispered to Cassidy as I looped my arm back around her waist. “I think we’ve seen enough of these clowns for one night.”
She leaned into me as I guided her towards the open doors of the vehicle bay, but just as we stepped out into the warm night air, we heard a voice call after us:
“Wait up!”
I felt another pang of anger as we turned around and saw Josh jogging after us.
“What do you want now?” I asked flatly.
Josh’s eyes flitted past me, and he turned his focus to Cassidy:
“I hope I didn’t scare you off back there,” he said to her. “I really was just messing around.”
Cassidy’s forehead wrinkled into a frown.
“Josh,” she said thoughtfully, “I know this all must seem so… sudden. I know it must be shocking, and I--”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” he told her. Then his eyes flicked meaningfully back to me: “Love makes you do crazy things sometimes, right?”
I swallowed heavily and glared back at my brother.
“I guess you could say that…” Cassidy said slowly.
She sounded confused, and with good reason: I hadn’t gotten around to telling her that Josh knew the truth about us. Honestly, I hadn’t planned on telling her at all. She had enough on her plate already; she didn’t need the added stress of my brother’s snide comments and disapproval.
“You know what we should do?” Josh said as another dark smile spread across his face. “We should celebrate. All of us. We should have a proper family dinner, just like we used to do… back when we were kids.”
I gritted my teeth together. Josh’s offer might have sounded innocent, but I knew my brother well enough to know that it was anything but...
“I don’t think that’s a good--” I started to object, but Cassidy was already answering for the both of us:
“I think that’s a great idea!” she gushed. “My mom would really love that. It’ll be like a little family reunion.”
I saw a flicker of something pass over Josh’s face -- remorse, maybe? Then, just as quickly, his expression hardened again, and darkness flooded his steely grey eyes.
“A family reunion,” he repeated. He nodded slowly, but he wasn’t smiling anymore. “Good. I’m looking forward to it.”
I’m sure you are, I thought darkly as I glared at my brother. What do you have up your sleeve?
I tried my best to shrug it off as I took Cass by the hand and led her across the parking lot to my pickup truck, but I couldn’t fight off the tension that was cutting through my shoulder blades and piercing straight through my chest.
I helped Cassidy up into the passenger seat of my truck, then I trailed around to the driver’s side.
Before I opened the door, my eyes flicked thr
ough the window and I stole a quick look through the cab at Cassidy. She didn’t notice me; her eyes were peering up at the station, and her fingers were tangling absently through her thick black hair.
She really is something… I thought. The tension in my shoulders started to fade, and I felt myself smile.
I’ll worry about Josh later, I decided. Tonight’s just about me and my girl…
I popped the door open and climbed into the cab, then I leaned across the seat and pressed my lips into Cassidy’s.
“What was that for?” she asked when I pulled away.
“Just finishing where I left off back there,” I said.
But I wasn’t finishing anything; I was just getting started.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN | CASSIDY
The sun had set, but downtown Hartford was just waking up after a long, hot summer day. The thumping bass of live music drifted from the bars and restaurants. Throngs of pedestrians filled the sidewalks and spilled out onto the street. The warm summer air was filled with the aroma of grilled food and beer.
I had always loved summertime in Hartford. Even after Mom got sick and cancer took over our lives, summertime was one of the few things that never stopped feeling magical to me…
But even the magical warmth of a summer night in Hartford paled in comparison to the warmth of Brady Hudson’s hand, wrapped tightly around mine as we walked slowly down Main Street together.
“Thanks again for dinner,” I said, bumping my shoulder lightly into his. “Even though it was technically supposed to be my treat.”
“Why’s that?” he smirked down at me, bumping my shoulder back.
“I’m pretty sure I still owe you a meal after that little fiasco I caused in your kitchen,” I said, biting on my bottom lip and blushing as I recounted my failed attempt at making dinner in Brady’s kitchen.
“Ahh, of course,” he smiled. “You mean when you started my kitchen on fire?”
My cheeks burned and I slunk my head down, letting my hair cascade over my shoulders and create a veil of curls that hid my face.
“You’re right, you do owe me for that,” Brady said. Then he leaned down and added in a whisper: “But don’t worry… I accept payment in sexual favors.”
I jolted up and slapped his bicep playfully. He retaliated by slipping a hand down my waist and giving my ass a firm pinch. I felt a thousand white-hot bolts of lightning shoot through my entire body. My head spun, my pussy clenched, and my toes curled… and before I could stop myself, a soft moan slipped out of my mouth.
“Well would ya look at that,” Brady said. He tugged me towards the edge of the sidewalk, and I glanced up to see the tall glass storefront of Takes the Cake -- the bakery we had ordered our wedding cake from. The shop window was filled with cakes of varying shapes and colors -- from tall, multi-tiered masterpieces, to assortments of intricately decorated cupcakes.
Brady slipped behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist, the same way he had when he took me from behind in the cake shop’s bathroom. I felt another quiver of desire burn through my body. My pulse was pounding through my skin, and I was desperate to feel him inside of me again.
“Are you in the mood for dessert, Ladybug?” he whispered, his hot breath tickling my neck. “I heard they make an irresistible lemon frosting...”
He gently thrust his hips forward and I felt the stiff length of his cock press between my ass cheeks. I sucked in a deep breath and whimpered as heat flooded my veins and my mound burned with lust.
“I could probably make room for dessert,” I said. “But… I think the bake shop is closed.”
Brady blinked up and acknowledged the bright red ‘CLOSED’ sign that hung in the window.
“Hmm,” he grunted, tracing his lips along my neck and exhaling softly. “Maybe there’s something else that you’re craving?”
I sucked in my bottom lip and wrapped my hands around his, then I guided his fingers down towards the waistband of my yoga pants. His thumbs hooked into the spandex and he tugged my ass closer, letting me feel every inch of him.
“Is that what you want?” he asked.
I whimpered and nodded, then my eyes flicked up to his.
He released his grip on my hips, then he took my hand and guided me down the street. In the bliss of the moment, I had been completely oblivious to the people walking by us on the busy sidewalk.
As we weaved our way through the throngs of pedestrians, I wondered what we must have looked like. Did we look like two lovebirds, sharing an embrace in front of a cake shop and dreaming about their wedding? Or did we look like a pair of lusty sex fiends who were just desperate to rip each other’s clothes off? And which account was more accurate, anyway?
Brady turned down a side street, and the crowds thinned out. Then he took another turn into a dark alleyway, and we were suddenly completely alone. We were surrounded by tall brick walls -- the backside of the shops and restaurants that lined Main Street. All of the hustle and bustle from the busy road -- the bar chatter, drunken laughter, honking car horns -- was drowned out behind dense row of brick buildings.
The only sound I could hear anymore was the beating of my pulse, and the rugged pant of Brady’s breathing.
“My mom always warned me about strange men in dark alleyways,” I said, turning to face Brady.
“Oh yeah?” Brady asked, taking a step towards me. “What’d she say about them?”
“She told me they were no good, and I should avoid them at all costs,” I said, taking a step backwards. “She said they only wanted one thing…” I felt my back hit the cold brick wall behind me, and I pointed my head up to see Brady towering over me.
“She was right,” Brady said. “I’m no good, and you should avoid me.” He pushed his hand forward and boldly cupped my mound through my yoga pants. His fingers pressed through the spandex, immediately sinking down onto my clitoris. I moaned, arching my hips forward.
“But she was wrong about that last part,” Brady added. “I don’t just want one thing…”
He fingers were swirling through the spandex, rubbing furiously and causing my insides to twist and fold into thousands of tiny knots…
“When it comes to you, Cassidy…” he grunted, digging his fingers deeper into my slit and pressing me against the brick wall, “I want everything.”
Before I could ask what he meant, his lips crashed into mine. His hands slipped under the fabric and he peeled off my pants and thong with one swift downward motion, leaving me completely bare and exposed. The summer breeze tickled as it blew over the sticky wetness that had spread between my thighs. I wanted him inside of me so badly that my insides ached.
“Fuck me,” I begged, draping my arms around his shoulders.
A crooked smile spread across Brady’s face. Then, without warning, his hands wrapped around my hips and he hoisted me off of the ground. I gasped as I felt my feet fly up, and I gasped again when I felt him pin me firmly against the brick wall.
He stripped my pants off the rest of the way, then he reached down and guided each of my bare legs over his shoulders. My back was pressed into the wall, my thighs rested on his shoulders, my legs were laced together around his neck, and my pussy… was inches from his face.
“Why can’t I get enough of you, Ladybug?” he asked, nibbling at the inside of my thigh. Waves of heat sizzled through my skin, and I wrapped my fingers through his dark hair.
I couldn’t answer his question, because I was secretly asking myself the same thing: why couldn’t I get enough of him?
His mouth forged a trail all the way to my throbbing mound, and I felt my entire body quiver when his tongue stabbed between my lips. I arched my back against the bricks and moaned softly as his tongue slipped into my opening and twisted around, then pressed up along my slit, all the way to my clitoris.
“Oh fuck Brady…”
Every inch of my body was teetering on the edge of ecstasy, and he could tell; Brady knew he was in complete control, and he knew that total bliss was one
flick of his tongue away. I writhed against the wall; my body was clenched in tight knots of pleasure and agony as he teased me with his mouth.
“Tell me what you want,” he muttered into my thighs, filling my sticky folds with the heat of his breath.
“I want you,” I panted. “All of you... inside of me.”
His tongue brought me to the edge again, teasing and tempting with every flick and lick.
“I can’t be gentle with you…” he warned me. “I’m gonna tear you apart.”
“I want you to,” I practically begged.
He clamped his hands around my waist and lifted me off his shoulders, then guided me down to the ground. My knees were weak, and I sank back onto the wall to steady myself while he tore open the zipper of his pants and jerked out his hungry cock. His giant shaft glistened in the dim light of the alleyway, and I felt a pang spread through my insides as he slipped a condom on.
He hoisted me up and pinned me against the wall again, then he spread my legs apart.
“Are you ready?” he asked. I nodded.
He pressed his hips forward, thrusting all of his length into me with one push. I gasped as my walls tightened around him. I could feel my insides starting to dissolve as an orgasm ripped through me.
This time he didn’t stop. With each thrust he pressed deeper and harder, and I felt everything around me fade away as bolts of pleasure ripped through my body. I dug my nails into the back of his neck, and then we came together.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | BRADY
“Hey baby,” a slick voice cooed into my ear. A pair of hands wrapped around my hips and hugged me from behind, and a pointed chin dug into my shoulder: “Are you thinking about me?”
I was startled out of my thoughts. My mind had been replaying every last scorching hot detail of my date under the fire escape with Cassidy: the way her thighs had wrapped around my neck while my tongue filled her hot void… the way she had begged to feel all of me… the way she had gasped my name when I drove my cock inside of her...
The Complete Firehouse 56 Series Page 10