by Siera London
“You’re rich?” she asked in a breathy voice.
Symphony’s gaze was locked on the rear of the house. He and his dad had removed most of the rear walk and replaced it with a set of cedar-framed glass doors and matching ten-foot glass window panels on either side. His mom used to say, she felt as if she could walk on water when she stood looking out. The house sat on a canal off the Gulf of Mexico. The lot was a perfect rectangle, longer than it was wide. From the backyard, he had a panoramic view of the open sea with other homes to his left and right, but nothing but blue water behind him.
“Not by a long shot,” Nathan laughed. “The house and land belonged to my parents. Dad is a diehard fisherman, so we spent our summers in the Keys.”
“Does your dad still come here?”
“No. He sold everything to me after my mom died. Said he had enough memories with him and Mom… no need for new ones here without her in them.” Nathan could relate. Would he ever walk into his house again and not see Blue smiling at him and playing with Max?
“Let me turn on some lights,” he said, reaching for the wall switch.
“Don’t bother. I love the way the moonlight shines on everything inside. Can I have a tour?”
Nathan had no words to explain why he’d acted so out of character when he saw Symphony outside her RV. Maybe it was the uncertainty in her eyes or the hesitancy in her reaching for him. The emotional distance was a tangible barrier he didn’t want between them. He’d willingly give whatever she needed, but she didn’t seem inclined to offer much. True, he was the first man to have her body, but he wanted her heart.
“You want a tour of the house or my bedroom?” he asked with a raised brow. He knew what he wanted, but he could stand her in the middle of the living room and point to the other four rooms.
“How about you save the bedroom for last, Charming,” she grinned up at him.
“Ready.”
She shrugged, “I’m following you, cowboy.”
He pulled her in his arms. “No need to follow. I want you where I can see you.” Nathan palmed her derriere. He lifted her up.
“You know the drill. Wrap your legs around my waist.”
“What’s your fascination with picking me up?” Symphony grinned and dropped a kiss on the tip of his nose.
“You’re small enough, I could probably sneak you into the firehouse when I go to work in the morning.”
That earned him a punch in the arm. “Only because you’re so big that no one would notice another bulge.”
“There would be a well-defined and noticeable bulge if you are within fifty feet of me.”
“You’re a terrible flirt, Nathan Zachary.”
“And here I was thinking I might get lucky tonight.” Gosh almighty, Nathan felt the ripple of her abdomen against his own at the mention of getting lucky.
“The jury’s still out.”
Without hesitation, Nathan moved forward until Blue’s back was against the bedroom door. Then he dropped his head to her breast. He located the taut nipple and sucked it into his mouth through the material.
“Hey, you promised me a tour.”
Releasing her breast, he said, “You’re in the living room. At your back is the guest bedroom. Look over my left shoulder.”
She did as he directed.
“That’s the kitchen. There’s a bathroom with a shower off to the right.”
“Look up.” When she tilted her head back, Nathan exposed the slender column of her neck. He ran his tongue the full length, loving the way her calf muscles contracted against his lower back.
“That’s the master loft. That’s where we sleep… later,” he whispered, “much later.”
Nathan showered her with kisses until she panted with need and the ache in his pants was unbearable.
“Hold on.” He turned in the direction of the stairs. He had thirty seconds to get her to the bedroom or he’d take her on the steps.
“Wait, Nathan… what’s out there?”
Talk time was over. Nathan needed to be inside her more than he needed his next breath.
“Deck. Patio. Davit. Boat.” He climbed, half to the top and more than halfway coming in his pants.
“I can’t believe you live on the water.”
“Yep,” he ground out.
“It’s beautiful here, Nathan.”
She placed a kiss on his jaw. Nathan tightened his hold around her waist. His heart beat faster than a jackhammer in his chest. He’d never wanted anyone more than he wanted Symphony. He felt like the luckiest man in the world knowing she loved his home. Maybe she could love the man, too.
“I want to see outside.”
Nathan halted, “Now?”
“Yes, baby… now.”
He paused. Had she referred to him as her baby before? No. “So… I’m your baby now.”
“Is there a question?”
He loved that she was direct. “No question, Blue.”
At the top of the stairs, Nathan surveyed his room, glad he made the bed. He deposited Symphony on the bed and promptly removed her shoes, before grabbing the hem of her dress.
“Hey,” she said, lifting her arms. “Don’t I get any foreplay?”
“Nope. You wanted a tour.”
Without preamble, Nathan placed her on her knees. “If you still want to see outside, grab the headboard.”
“You’re serious?”
He responded by driving into her from behind. Her body jolted forward. He placed one hand on her right shoulder and pulled her back to meet his thrusts. With every stroke, he branded her his.
When he felt her muscles clamp down on the length of him, he knew he’d made the right decision. Walking on water, he thought.
“What do you see?”
“I… I see the moonlight shining on the water,” she moaned, as he thrust in and out, in… out.
“What else?” He continued his stroke, sliding in and out of her moist heat.
“I see stars.”
Feeling his orgasm barreling toward the surface. A fireball ready to breach its constraint, Nathan increased his pace. He could see Symphony’s knuckles tighten on the headboard. The bed moved with them. Heck, the earth moved in time with his pouring into her.
“Me, too. Let’s reach for one together.” An orgasm tingled at the base of his erection. Nathan hammered into Symphony.
Nathan didn’t stop until she screamed his name when her orgasm hit and he was right behind her, his release exploding like a bonfire. The last thing he remembered before pulling her limp form into his arms was signaling Max to stay by the door.
***
Symphony awoke to the sound of barking. The projection clock aimed at the tongue and groove ceiling glowed neon red with block-framed numbers broadcasting the time as four-thirty in the morning. Max, who she’d begun to think of as her Cujo, barked like he was preparing to take on a bear… and win. She realized for the first time in her life, she felt safe with another person in the room while she slept. That she could close her eyes without the fear of waking up to find her bed engulfed in flames.
Nathan sprang up next to her. Moonlight streamed in through the window above the bed, silhouetting his pillow-mussed hair. In what appeared to be a practiced motion, he reached for the handgun resting on the bedside table.
“Stay here,” he whispered.
Without waiting for her response, he donned a pair of boxers and descended the stairs on bare feet.
Symphony strained to hear a sound foreign to the southern nights along the coastal shores. She jumped at the chime of the door opening. Nathan must have exited the front door.
She reached for the phone, wondering if she should call the police. Then she remembered Nathan could handle the situation as well as the next cop.
Five minutes passed, then fifteen. Symphony worried her bottom lip. Had something happened to Nathan? Her heart squeezed in her chest. Indecision plagued her. She could wait inside the house or get dressed and peek outside to find Nathan.
Cujo had fallen quiet. She didn’t know whether to relax or grab the nautical lamp and get ready to play defense.
When she reached the screened door, she paused. What was she walking into? Did it matter? Nathan needed her. Courage locked and loaded, she pushed the door wide.
“Nathan,” she called out. Silence reigned.
Symphony looked around for a weapon. Spying a stand by the door, she snagged a large golf umbrella and stepped onto the front porch.
“Nathan,” she called once more. She held her breath, anxiety making a slow crawl through her veins. Where could he be?
“Go back in the house, Blue.”
His voice had come from beyond a crop of trees to the right of the house.
“Why?” she asked, lengthening her stride to reach him. “Tell me what’s going…” Her mouth went dry when Cutler and his bare chest, stepped into the clearing. She swallowed at the site of him, all golden bronze, even in the fading moonlight, she could see the red boxers hugging him like a second skin. It was like spotting a shooting star. There was no desire to touch, but it held her attention.
“Blue,” Nathan growled.
“Hmm,” she replied not taking her eyes off a grinning Cutler. Firefighters were hot… no pun intended.
“Shit. Cutler, take your bronzy ass back home before I have to deck you.”
“A skinny dip in the canal at sunrise is nice. Care to join me, Blue?”
Hearing Nathan’s name for her on another man’s lips snapped her out of the trance.
“No thanks,” Symphony said, tossing her hair in a nonchalant manner, “Nathan and I have some deep exploration of our own planned.”
Cutler ran his fingers through his lion’s mane. “I understand,” he said, a serious note in his voice. “I just thought I’d offer, considering you’re dressed for a swim.”
Symphony yelped and jumped behind Nathan. It was obvious she was without a bra. It wasn’t much of a stretch of the imagination to guess she wasn’t wearing panties.
“Cutler, I’m going to flatten your ass.”
“Lighten up. I think it’s cute you wearing the bottoms and Blue’s wearing your top.”
“Stop calling me, Blue. Only Nathan calls me that.”
“Sounds serious,” Cutler teased.
“It is.” Nathan said with steel in his voice.
Cutler’s grin fell away. “So it is.”
The muscles lining Nathan’s back were stiff as a board. He stood like a sentinel, ready to take a punch.
“Congrats, my man,” Cutler said, extending a hand, “I’m happy for you both.”
Symphony breathed easy when Nathan relaxed, his posture more congenial.
“Thanks, Cut.” Both men clasped hands.
“Enjoy your last few hours before we’re on lockdown for the next seventy-two. I’ll keep a look out for prowlers.”
“What’s he talking about, Nathan?”
“Someone’s been on the dock.”
“How do you know?”
“I can see the wet boot prints.”
“Maybe kids… having some fun?”
“It could be, but this is far from the marina.”
“Oh, I hadn’t considered that.”
“I’ll place an ashtray in the back for your cigars.”
“Why would you do that? I don’t use trays.”
“I noticed two of your cigar butts on the dock. Between the smoke and Cutler’s citrus trees, it’s messing with my sniffer.”
Symphony gasped. “Nathan, I would never leave butts behind.”
He grinned, “How can you say never?”
“Because I can. I didn’t leave the bed after we made love,” she defended. “Someone else left those butts on the dock. It wasn’t me.”
“Where’d you go tonight?”
“I just told you. Nowhere.”
“I meant last night. Why weren’t you at the bar when I came to get you?”
“I just stepped out for an errand.”
“You have a lot of nighttime errands? Claudia mentioned you left early the night before, too.”
“Most people run errands after work. I’m no different.”
“Just tell me where you were… specifically.”
Symphony frowned at Nathan’s insistence. The vein at the side of Nathan’s temple pulsed.
“Why are you asking?”
“Why are you stalling, again?”
“You’re being a jerk and I don’t have to explain.”
“We agreed I’d pick you up, except… wait for it, you weren’t there. You’re being secretive and I don’t understand why.”
“Look, Charming, I don’t—”
Nathan’s snarl cut her off. “What is there to hide?”
“I’m not hiding; I just don’t want to tell you.” She stormed off in the direction of the house.
Nathan grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him. “Hey.”
“What?”
“Symphony… I was worried about you. I know Key West is relatively safe, but I’d feel better if I knew where you were.”
Guilt. A mountain of it settled in her stomach like a fifty-pound metal plate. She’d intentionally started a fight to avoid answering Nathan’s question. She was a horrible girlfriend. Worse yet, she felt like a horrible person.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice.
Before she realized it, she stood in the circle of Nathan’s arms, his chin resting on her head.
“Take a breath, Blue.”
It was easy for her to relax against the warmth of his chest. She rubbed her nose against him, inhaling the salty scent on his skin.”
“Some girlfriend I am. Or,” she stepped back, tilting her head up to regard his face. “Am I a girlfriend or a girl toy?”
Nathan pulled her back into his arms, circling her waist with arms. “You’re the best kind of girlfriend. You’re honest, you’re direct, you can cook, and you’re all mine.”
Symphony was so stunned by the confidence infusing Nathan’s words that a chill snaked down her spine. She didn’t deserve his praise. In that moment, she wanted to tell him everything—about her past, about the fire, and the Silken Pearl.
“Nathan, I-I need to tell you some things about me,” she began. Her throat felt like she’d swallowed a rusty anchor. Symphony was afraid that she would lose him once he knew the truth. Her arms trembled. Her legs felt unsteady beneath her. Nausea rolled in her stomach.
“You’re trembling.”
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you get cold feet.”
“Keep the shirt, you look cute in my clothes, but I’d better get you inside.” Nathan tried to turn her in the direction of the house, but she stiffened her spine, not allowing him to move her.
“Nathan, this thing between us, it’s new to me. I’m a small fish trying to survive in a new swimming pool.”
“Okay,” he grinned. “Not sure what that means.”
“It means I’m not going to get everything right the first few times. I’ll adjust to telling someone my comings and goings.”
“Not someone…” He slipped a finger beneath her chin to raise her face to his. Nathan placed a barely there kiss on her lips. “…me. I want more than need to know based communication.”
“You’re right.”
“We’re both new to this relationship thing, but that’s what we have—a relationship. That means there’s a level of trust between us. We communicate what we’re feeling.” Nathan stated.
Nathan scrubbed his face with his hands.
“Dang, I sound like a girl.”
“Then I must be the dude.”
“Baby, there’s nothing about you that remotely reminds me of a guy. Come on,” he said grabbing her hand. “I have two hours before I need to head for the station; let’s do some of that communicating I was talking about.”
&
nbsp; Symphony followed. If she worked every evening at the Silken Pearl, she could save her home, but she would lose the man she’d fallen in love with. Symphony loved Nathan. She wondered how long she could keep her secrets hidden from him.
Chapter Nine
Nathan shook his head in disgust. Balling up the newspaper article in his hand, he tossed it in the circular file cabinet. He needed to speak with Symphony. It had to be a lie. The damning wad of newsprint bounced off the rim to land on the floor, refusing to be hidden.
Cutler picked that moment to walk through the station house door.
“Your Tuesday night sermon needs a rewrite?”
“Not now, Cut,” Nathan snapped.
“Hey man, what’s up with you? Little Blue bail on you after she eyed my swarthy good looks?”
“She asked you not to call her by that name.” Nathan clammed up afterwards, unsure of what would come out of his mouth next. He wanted to roar. To rail at someone. The newspaper clipping he’d read, rolled around in his head like toxic waste in a barrel headed downhill.
“Yeah, well… it’s just us and you know I’m joking around.” Cutler dropped down on his bunk, his eyes sharp and assessing.
Crossing to his locker, Nathan grabbed his phone. “One of us isn’t in a joking mood.” He dialed the number for the bar. Symphony would explain what he’d read.
Claudia answered the phone. When he asked for Blue, the line fell silent.
“Where is she?” Nathan listened while Claudia did her best to placate him. His watch read ten-thirty. There was still thirty minutes left on her shift, yet Symphony wasn’t at work, again. Nathan liked his seventy-two hours on, seventy-two hours off schedule until now. He was trapped in the station. And Symphony was out there. “You tell her to call me, Claudia. I don’t care what time it is.”
He disconnected the call, tossing his phone in his locker and slamming the door.
“Nine-year-old sets fire to house.” Nathan spun around. He snatched the article from Cutler’s hands. He hadn’t heard the other man move.
“That’s your girl,” he said in shock. “That’s Symphony in the picture. Is she an arson—”