She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “That’s understandable, Tony. Being so far from home right now has to be hard. You’re a close-knit family, not to mention the fact that all you guys work in an incredibly dangerous profession, which only strengthens those bonds.”
That she understood his need to be with family meant a lot, but Carm also understood the fire department culture. She was aware of the risks. Marc probably told her about what happened at work on a superficial level, but nobody told their family members all the gory details.
“Can’t see myself doing anything else. It’s more than a job.” His words sounded a little defensive even to him.
She nodded. “And it’s a good thing for the rest of us that there are people like you and your brothers willing to go into a burning building to save lives. It takes a special breed of men and women to be brave enough to do that.”
He shrugged off talk of bravery, but her words touched him. “We train all the time. Only take calculated risks. We don’t go into unstable structures unless we suspect there are victims inside. My guess is that’s why Matt was in that house.”
“How on earth can you know whether someone might be inside?”
“Well, that’s the call of the captain or lieutenant on the scene as incident commander, although sometimes the evidence is clear to us all—vehicles in the driveway, toys in the yard, time of day or night, reports from neighbors. That determines whether we send in firefighters to search first, or knock down the fire and search later.”
He told her a little about how he conducted a search of a residence, which helped ground him and take away some of his worry. She asked intelligent questions, having more than a passing knowledge of what the job entailed.
When his phone lit up again, he glanced down to see that Rafe had texted. Almost an hour had passed since the last text. He hadn’t realized so much time had gone by.
“What’s it say?”
“No concussion.”
“Thank goodness!”
“Yeah. He’s having some neck pain. They’re giving him instructions on what to do for neck spasms and giving him a muscle relaxer. Sending him home soon.”
“Wonderful, but those pills can knock you out.”
Tony nodded. “Mama’s going to stay with him for the next few days to take care of him.”
“I’m glad they’re letting him go home and that he won’t be alone.”
“Me too.”
Carm extended her hand to his and gave it a squeeze. Tony set down the phone. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything more serious.”
“You can say that again.” At least now it sounded as though everything was under control and Tony wouldn’t have to cut short his trip. That thought made him surprisingly happy. He wanted to spend this week with Carm.
Tony placed his hand over hers. “Thanks for staying up with me.”
Relief flooded Carm at the news of Matt’s imminent release. She barely knew him but seeing how much Tony had been affected by the news of his injury, she hadn’t wanted anything serious to happen to his brother.
“Glad you let me know about Matt.”
“Well, I couldn’t very well leave you waiting for me in that shower.” He grinned and she relaxed even more. “Hey, it’s pretty late.” Tony pulled his hand away.
“I’m not sure how sleepy I am after all the coffee and tension, but I guess we both probably should try to get some sleep.”
He nodded, standing before picking up the empty mugs. She followed him into the kitchen, trying to formulate the words she wanted to say but not coming up with them. After he rinsed the mugs in the sink and placed them in the dishwasher, he turned to her and held out his arms.
She walked right into them and wrapped hers around him to give him a hug.
“Thanks for understanding about earlier tonight.”
“Of course! We have all week. Besides, I doubt either of us could have focused on anything except the phone tonight.”
“True.” Tony bent down and kissed her briefly on the lips. “Mostly, thanks for helping me pass the time while I waited for word.”
“Anytime. You’d have done the same for me.” Although she didn’t think she’d call Tony in a crisis, but if they happened to be together as they were for this one, she knew he’d provide her with consolation and distraction. She hated it when they ended their embrace. On the spur of the moment, she asked, “Can I ask you something?”
“Anytime.”
“Would you like to spend the remainder of the night in my bed?”
His eyes opened wider.
“Not to have sex,” she clarified. “I’d rather wait until the time is right for our first time. I just thought that, after the stress of tonight, you might like having someone to cuddle with. If you’re a cuddler, that is.” She had no clue about him yet.
He remained silent several seconds, then he said, “I’m not sure, but I doubt I’d want to sleep if you were in the bed with me.” He broke away and, taking her by the shoulders, turned her toward the living room. “As you said, we have all week. Let’s get some shut-eye.” He patted her on the rear end, sending the wrong signal to her brain if he thought that would make her sleepy. But she made her way toward the living room anyway. He was probably right. There wouldn’t be much sleeping happening if they were in the same bed.
After a quick kiss at the top of the stairs, he said good night and walked down the hallway to his suite.
Stripping off her clothes after a quick pit stop, Carm stretched out on the bed she’d turned down earlier for the two of them. The enormous king-sized mattress left her lonelier than she’d been in a long while.
Carm sighed. Another night alone in paradise. But tomorrow—well, it was already Tuesday—would be another day. As far as she knew, Tony was free until their night-diving lecture in the evening. That left them with the morning and most of the afternoon until her refresher course.
Carm smiled at the thought and curled onto her side.
While Carm slept down the hall, no doubt as worn out from the night’s events as he should be, Tony stared at the ceiling. Still worried about Matt—or more, what could have happened—sleep wasn’t going to come as easily for him, despite the fact that they’d be getting up in a few hours.
He’d come close to having sex with Carmella. Tonight would have been totally different if not for that text from Rafe. And should he have accepted her offer to sleep in her bed? Was he ready for that step? Sex, sure, but falling asleep beside her? He wasn’t sure he could do that yet.
The sound of the waves hitting the beach outside the balcony doors shifted his thinking to the other monumental event last night. The guys at dinner had started the wheels turning for him. If they could make a go of initiating dive-team squads in their communities, why not Tony in his county? With the lake in the northern end of the county, not to mention the river and the many creeks scattered throughout the county’s fire district, the need was clear.
All he needed to do was identify where they’d get the funding for additional equipment and training. Perhaps if the team was also trained for swift-water rescue, in the wake of the recent drownings, government officials would deem it worthy of some taxpayer dollars. God forbid they’d have to experience further casualties before the powers that be saw the need for dive-team squads. That tragedy would be an immeasurable cost to the community, and one Tony didn’t think he could live with if he could have done something to avert it. Better to be prepared than to risk further loss of life waiting on a department with a reciprocal agreement to show up. Minutes mattered in response time as had been proven on that river this past June.
The guys last night had mentioned some ideas for fundraising. If the station and community pulled together, had some pancake breakfasts, or chili or spaghetti suppers, or held some tag sales for unwanted items, surely they could raise enough money by next year to fund the basic equipment. If they made enough, it could also assist in reimbursing firefighters who chose to join th
e dive team for the costs of training. Tony had learned this summer that diving lessons didn’t come cheap, but he’d see that anyone willing to take time to train would have the funds necessary to cover all or most of their expenses.
Once he got his instructor certification, which might still be a couple of years away, Tony would be able to train them himself on his days off without charging for more than equipment and diving facility fees. He couldn’t wait to see who else might be interested in the dive team. Having dive buddies would give him a chance to get in additional dives more quickly.
If they started a dive team, or eventually a full-blown water-rescue squad, he wanted it to be equal to none. Excellence and safety would be his top priorities.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The scent of coffee and bacon wafted up the stairway as Carm made her way downstairs. She couldn’t believe she’d slept until nine o’clock. Of course, it was just seven back home. Tony stood at the stove and glanced up with a smile, pausing briefly before flipping a huge omelet.
“Good morning, dolcezza.”
His lighthearted demeanor was contagious. “You look chipper this morning. I take it the news from Colorado is good?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t heard anything since I went to bed, but I’m sure they’re just getting up. I’ll check in with them after breakfast.”
His carefree response surprised her, but she wasn’t going to complain. Apparently, he’d found some peace of mind overnight. “Breakfast smells delicious. Where’d you get all those ingredients?” In addition to eggs and bacon, she saw peppers, several cheeses, onions, and ham on the countertop.
“While you were sleeping, I went for a run and ended up at the market, so I stocked up for the week.”
Carm felt a little like a slouch—not only had he gone shopping, he’d already worked out—but didn’t allow guilt to enter into her mind. She was on vacation and neither activity was her thing. “Thanks for doing that.”
“My pleasure. I thought we could eat on the beach, so I carried the smaller patio table and two chairs out there.”
Wow. “That sounds wonderful! What can I do to help?”
“Grab the bottle of OJ and help me pack up this picnic basket I found in the laundry room.”
While Tony plated and covered their meals, she gathered up the juice, ketchup, and hot sauce, not yet knowing how he liked his eggs and potatoes.
Ten minutes later, they were seated at a precarious table in the loose sand a few yards from the gate trying not to spill the contents of her plates.
“Okay, this came out a whole lot more romantic in my head,” Tony laughed as he downed a forkful of omelet.
“I think it’s wonderfully romantic. Besides, it would have been even messier to try and eat a feast like this on a blanket in the sand.”
He nodded, and they ate in silence a few minutes. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. “You really are a fabulous cook.”
“Told you so. I’m good at a lot of other things too.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and she couldn’t help but laugh. Did that mean they might pick up where they’d left off late last night? She hoped so.
When Tony reached in his pocket for his phone, her heart plummeted. He stared intently as he read what seemed to be a long text. Then he texted something back, his thumbs flying over the surface of the phone before he put it back in his pocket.
“Sorry about that. I’ve turned it off for a while.”
“Everything okay?”
He met her gaze and smiled. “More than okay. Mama told us all that Matt slept well and was already out checking on his horses this morning.”
“That’s wonderful news! Probably the best medicine ever.”
Carm was pleased that Matt was making a quick recovery. And that she and Tony had until midafternoon before she left for her refresher dive class. “So what are our plans for today?” She wanted to be certain he knew she wanted to spend time with him.
“First and foremost, a walk on the beach with a beautiful, sexy lady.”
Carm beamed. She almost responded with something coy, but she didn’t want to play games. “Sounds wonderful. Maybe we can walk in the other direction this time.”
Tony nodded. “I’m always ready to explore new places.
“Then what?”
“I need to make some calls to see if I can get into your lecture tonight and go on that coral reef dive Thursday and the nighttime one Friday with you.”
She couldn’t wait to go diving with Tony. Even though they’d have to go their separate ways on Wednesday due to the dive rescue class, she liked that he wanted to join her on two of her dives.
“I’m sure there will be room. Then what?”
“That depends on you, principessa.”
“Well, I’m free until about three o’clock. I’m sure we’ll come up with something. I saw a Parcheesi board in the den.”
“Strip poker is more my speed.”
“I’m a very good poker player.” She flashed him an enigmatic smile that might leave him uncertain as to how good she might be. Excited to move on to the next step in their day, she looked forward to bringing out Tony’s playful side again. He’d been under way too much stress lately.
“So am I.” His cocky grin left her with no doubt the two of them would be competitive to the extreme, but with strip poker, how could either of them really lose?
Tony held up his juice glass and she lifted hers to him in a toast. “To a hot game of strip poker after our walk.”
Carm tingled all over in anticipation as she clinked his glass and downed the rest of her OJ. No doubt they’d wind up in one of their beds before too long, but foreplay was more than half the fun.
Tony shuffled the cards several times with lots of flourish. If he thought he could intimidate her, he needed to be shown a thing or two.
“Five-card draw sound good?” He definitely knew his way around a card table. Even a makeshift one on the patio of a villa in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
“Sure.”
“Okay, jewelry and shoes are worth one unit, shirt or pants, five, and underwear, ten.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’ve played strip poker before?”
“Haven’t you?”
“Well, maybe a tame version in high school.” She wouldn’t mention that it was only with her girlfriends at a slumber party.
“I’m surprised, but pleased, to hear that you had a wild streak in you.” He dealt the cards. “Oh, if the winner has three of a kind or better, he—or she—gets to kiss the loser of that round on a spot uncovered by the removed article of clothing.”
“I haven’t heard that rule before.”
“Baby, this is foreplay. We’re both going to be winners no matter how we play our cards. Work with me here.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
The way her body buzzed in anticipation, Carm didn’t think she could get much more excited. She laughed. “Deal the cards, T.G.”
No doubt Tony expected to win every hand, but while she hadn’t played a lot of strip poker, she did know her way around the easiest variation of the game. She’d also competed in and won several Texas Hold ’Em poker tournaments at the resort on different occasions.
This might be a game without any losers, but she had her reputation to uphold, even if she was the only one aware of it.
“Ante up, dolcezza. Let’s start with a one-unit item. I’ll bet my wristband.” He pointed to his black and red band signifying the symbolic red line for firefighters. Marc also wore one to honor their fallen brothers and sisters.
While not nearly as significant, she touched the necklace she’d chosen mainly to give her another item to remove in their game. Then she picked up her hand. A pair of jacks. Not bad. She kept the ace as a kicker and threw away two others.
“Dealer takes one.”
Only one? What did he have? He dealt them each their replacement cards, and she was thrilled to get another jack. Three of a kind was a tough hand to beat.
“Read ’em and weep,” Tony said as he splayed out his hand on the table, confident he had beaten her before even looking at hers. “Full house—tens over twos.”
Damn. How’d he managed that on the very first hand?
“Triple jacks,” Carm said with less enthusiasm. She set down her cards and reached to unclasp her necklace.
“Wait! New rule. Winner gets to remove the item from the loser.”
Carm didn’t like being called a loser but shrugged and stood to turn around. She lifted her hair to give him easier access. She felt the heat of his body even before his lips touched her, kissing the nape of her neck and sending a delicious shiver down her spine. Okay, if he was going to kiss her like that, losing might not be so bad.
“I thought you said the kiss comes after removing the item.”
“I’m making up the rules as we go along. How about a kiss before and another after? Unless, of course, my lovely opponent objects.”
“No objections here.”
He removed the necklace and laid it on the table before grasping her by the shoulders to hold her steady and blazing a trail of hot kisses from her nape to one shoulder. On the return, he sucked gently at the column of her neck before moving on to the top of her shoulder in that direction.
Carm couldn’t hold back her laughter. “You’re covering a lot more territory than my necklace did.”
His lips left her, and he gave her a light slap on the butt sending a signal to her clit that she was ready to move to the bedroom. “Are you complaining, principessa?”
“I must have lost my mind for a moment.” How was she supposed to concentrate when he did such things to her body?
TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) Page 26