Rushing In: A Small Town Family Romance

by Claire Kingsley

  In fact, this whole wedding was doing weird things to my insides. I didn’t know what that was about. Every time I looked at Skylar I felt a fullness in my chest. It was freaking me out a little bit because I didn’t think I was supposed to be feeling like this toward her. Yeah, I liked her a lot, and the sex was off the charts fantastic. That was great and everything, but we were just friends.

  You weren’t supposed to feel like this about someone who was just a friend. Were you?

  Fuck if I knew.

  The ceremony was short and to the point. Cara and Grace cried through the whole thing, and even I got a little choked up when they said their vows.

  And just like that, I had another sister.

  When the ceremony was over, my brothers and I helped move chairs to make room for the food. The whole thing was pretty low key, which was what Evan and Fiona wanted. Family, friends, good food and drinks. A big ass cake that Cara had insisted on buying for them. Someone turned on music, and everyone started eating, drinking, and mingling.

  I found Skylar standing with her parents. Caroline was wearing the hell out of a form fitting red dress, and Chief was clearly enjoying it. His eyes traced her curves when she wasn’t looking and he grinned a little. Holy shit, he was totally hitting that tonight. I wondered if that was why he’d been in such a good mood lately.

  Go Chief.

  “Hey, Sky.” I nodded to her parents. “Caroline. Chief.”

  Sky’s shy smile was the fucking cutest. “Hey.”

  “It was a beautiful wedding, don’t you think?” Caroline asked. “They look so happy together.”

  “I had a feeling she’d be the one for Evan,” Chief said.

  “Did you?” Caroline asked. “How did you know?”

  “She seemed to be able to put up with him.”

  “An important quality in a wife,” Caroline said.

  Gram came over to stand next to me. She was wearing a light peach floor-length dress and Fiona had put flowers in her braid.

  “Congratulations,” Chief said and gave her a hug.

  “Thank you,” she said. “It’s nice to see another one of my cubs happily married.”

  “You did an amazing job with them,” Caroline said. “You should be proud.”

  “They give me a lot to be proud of.” She glanced at Skylar. “Hi there, Sparrow. How’s the book coming?”

  Sparrow?

  Wait.

  Had Gram just nicknamed her?

  Except it seemed like she’d called her that before. She had, at Asher’s birthday. I’d hardly noticed at the time, but holy shit, Gram gave her an animal name.

  Uh-oh.

  “It’s coming along really well,” Skylar said. “I’ll probably finish in the next week or so.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “Thanks. It’s been a struggle, so it feels great to be so close to finishing. Then I just have to decide what I’m going to do with it when it’s done.”

  “You know what I think,” Caroline said. “You don’t need another agent and you can be your own publisher.”

  “I know, Mom. That’s just such a different way of doing things.”

  “You can be your own publisher?” I asked.

  Skylar nodded. “Yeah, these days you can. There are definitely some advantages.”

  “But it makes you nervous.”

  “It does. But you know me, everything makes me nervous.” She shrugged.

  I stepped closer to her and gently took her hand. “I totally believe in you.”

  “Thank you.”

  She gazed up at me and for a second, I forgot that Gram and Skylar’s parents were standing right here. I was about to lean down and kiss her when Chief moved slightly, catching my attention from the corner of my eye.

  Dropping her hand, I moved back.

  Gram glanced at me with raised eyebrows as if to say, I saw that. “You do what you think is best, Sparrow.”

  “Thanks, Gram. I will.”

  Gram gave my arm a squeeze, then made her way to the next group of guests to chat.

  Caroline slipped her arm through Chief’s. “How sweet of you to ask me to dance.”

  “I don’t recall that I did.”

  She smiled. “I’m sure you were just about to.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up and he shook his head, then led her to where people had started dancing.

  “What’s going on there?” I asked, gesturing toward Chief and Caroline.

  “I’m not sure, but I think my mom’s been sleeping in his room.”

  “Nice,” I said.

  She laughed. “I guess. They must know I know, but they haven’t said anything.”

  “Maybe they’re still feeling things out. Seeing where it’s going to go.”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “Wouldn’t it be crazy if they actually got back together?”

  She gazed at them for a moment. “It would. I used to think they mostly just drove each other nuts, but lately… Just look at them.”

  Chief had one arm around Caroline’s waist, his other hand clutched hers near his chest, and they smiled at each other as they danced.

  “They look awesome together.”

  “They really do.”

  Evan had his bride in his arms, and Grace and Asher danced together next to Chief and Caroline. Logan swept up with Ginny and they joined the other couples on the dance floor.

  I was just about to ask Skylar to dance, but she spoke first.

  “Um, Gavin?”

  “Yeah?”

  She sidled up closer and slipped her hand in mine, then tilted her face up toward my ear. “You know how sometimes I get overstimulated and then…”

  “And then?”

  She looked up at me with those big brown eyes and bit her lip, desire written all over her face.

  Oh shit.

  “Now?”

  She nodded. “I told you it happens at the worst times.”

  I glanced around the tent. It wasn’t exactly ideal, but it wasn’t the worst time. Turning, I looked behind us, toward the house. No one was inside, except the caterers coming in and out of the kitchen.

  But upstairs…

  My brain was already buzzing at the prospect of sneaking Skylar up to my old room.

  I slipped her hand in mine. “Let’s go.”

  I casually led her toward the entrance to the tent, acting like I wasn’t in any hurry. Like my dick wasn’t already so hard I could barely stand it. I’d done a lot of crazy things when I was younger—hell, I’d done a lot of crazy things my entire life—but one thing I’d never done was sneak a girl into my room when I lived here. Not once.

  I was making up for that shit right here and now.

  We slipped into the kitchen and the caterer didn’t even notice us. I led Sky to the stairs and put a finger to my lips.

  “Step lightly. The stairs creak.”

  She nodded.

  We tip toed up the stairs without making a sound, and I led her to the tiny room that had been mine for most of my childhood.

  I’d been the only one of my brothers to have his own room, but that was because it was basically a closet. My old twin bed was still in here, and there wasn’t space for much else. As a kid, I hadn’t cared. I’d liked being outside, regardless of the weather, so I’d mostly used my bedroom for sleeping. I hadn’t needed more space than I had in here.

  Ushering her inside, I quietly shut the door.

  “Was this your room?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you sure we won’t get caught?”

  I thought about it for a second. “Pretty sure. I’d give us an eighty percent chance of getting away with it.”

  Her eyes smoldering, she stepped closer and ran her hands up my chest. “Good enough for me.”

  Leaning down, I met her lips with mine. She pushed against me, rubbing up against my erection. Fuck that felt good.

  Until I realized we had a problem. I hadn’t exactly anticipated sn
eaking Skylar up to my old room in the middle of my brother’s wedding. I didn’t have a condom.

  “Um, Sky?” I asked between kisses.

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t have a condom on me.” I kissed her again, darting my tongue into her mouth. “But don’t worry. You’re not leaving this room until you’ve had an orgasm.”

  She laughed softly. “Or we can not use one. I’m still on birth control and I got tested for literally everything after Cullen. So if you’re safe…”

  I stared at her for a second. “I’ve never had sex without a condom before.”

  “Really?”

  “Never. I didn’t think I had so many firsts left, but you’ve been checking them off like crazy.”

  “What firsts?”

  I stuck out one finger. “First blow job in a projector room at a drive-in theater.”

  “Does that really count? Because most people never do that.”

  “It was still a first for me.” I held out another finger. “First time tying a girl up.”

  Her lips parted. “You’d never done that before?”

  “No. Weird, right?”

  She laughed again. “Yeah, you were very good at it. So what do you think about this first?”

  “I think you should take your fucking panties off.”

  She hiked her dress up and slid her panties down her legs while I unzipped my pants and pulled out my cock.

  “We should probably hurry,” she whispered.

  I sank down on the edge of the bed and grabbed her by the waist. “Don’t want to get caught.”

  She reached down to grip my shaft and stroked it a few times. The danger of someone possibly walking in on us only made me harder. I slipped my hand between her legs and traced two fingers along her slit.

  “That’s my girl,” I murmured, stroking her gently. “So wet for me already. Get over here.”

  She climbed onto my lap and I held the base of my erection while she lined herself up. The tip slid against her wet skin and I almost lost my mind.

  “Holy fuck, Sky.”

  I let go and grabbed her ass cheeks while she slowly slid down on me. My eyes rolled back and I knew I needed to keep quiet, but I couldn’t contain the groan that escaped my throat. She felt so fucking good wrapped around me like this. So hot and wet. I could feel every bit of her. Every pulse and shudder. I was either going to come harder than I ever had in my life or I was going to die like this and honestly, I didn’t really care which it was.

  With her arms draped around my shoulders, she squeezed her thighs to slide up and down my length. Her head tilted back and she breathed out a sigh.

  “Is that what you needed?”

  “Oh my god, yes,” she said.

  “Take what you need, Sky.”

  She could take it all.

  Her breath came in short gasps as she rode me faster. I kissed her neck, sucking on her soft skin, my heart thundering in my chest. The feel of her surrounding me and the adrenaline pumping through my system were a potent combination.

  She moaned and as much as I loved hearing her make that sound—and as hot as the danger of getting caught made me—I didn’t want anyone to actually walk in. I clamped my hand over her mouth and her eyes snapped to mine.

  With our eyes locked, she kept riding me, the heat in her gaze like a dare—a dare to hold out and let her do this for as long as she wanted without coming unglued.

  I’d take that dare all day long. Skylar could fuck me for as long as she wanted.

  She whimpered against my hand, grinding against me as she rode up and down. The pressure in my groin intensified as I held her gaze, watching her eyelashes flutter and her cheeks flush. I could feel her heat rising, her walls tightening around me.

  Without warning, she stopped, my cock buried inside her. I let my hand drop and she brought her mouth to mine, kissing me deeply. My hands went back to her ass and I guided her up and down while our tongues tangled.

  She moved faster and I slammed my cock into her every time she dropped down on me. The first pulses of her orgasm squeezed my cock and I groaned into her mouth. She tilted her hips to rub herself against me as she came, still kissing me.

  The feel of her coming with no barrier between us set me off like a rocket. Grabbing her hips, I pounded into her, my cock throbbing. It felt so fucking good, I couldn’t think. I could barely breathe.

  After what felt like the longest orgasm of my life, I stopped, breathing hard. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and slumped against me, spent.

  “Better?” I asked, my voice quiet.

  “So much better.”

  Feeling rather pleased with myself, I helped her get back to her feet and pointed out the nearest bathroom. I fixed my pants and she darted down the hallway to clean up and put her panties back on.

  When she came out, there was still no sign of anyone up here. We’d totally gotten away with it.

  Awesome.

  Although it was probably pretty obvious. If I looked anything like she did, the fact that we’d just had mind-blowing sex was written all over our faces.

  Oh well.

  She paused at the top of the stairs and smiled at me. And there was that feeling in my chest again. It made me want to grab her and hold her close. To whisper things in her ear I wasn’t supposed to say. Not the dirty things I whispered to her when we were alone. The words on my lips were more dangerous than that.

  But she started down the stairs, heading back to the wedding reception. So I left them unsaid.

  35

  Gavin

  Luckily for Evan and Fiona, the storm that blew in waited until the week after their wedding. One day it was blue skies and crisp fall air, and the next, the wind kicked up and rain drenched the town. It wasn’t cold enough to snow yet, but on a day like today, we had to worry about landslides and falling tree limbs. By early afternoon, I was surprised anyone in Tilikum still had power.

  Levi and I had gone on duty this morning. Logan was off today, so he and Asher went over to Gram’s to make sure everything was storm ready. There was only one tree close enough to the house to fall and do damage, but one was all it would take. Asher texted that everything looked fine and bragged about the fresh muffins Gram had fed them.

  Dick.

  Things were surprisingly quiet at the firehouse, but I knew that wouldn’t last. I could feel something buzzing in the air, like electricity. Storms were unpredictable.

  We ran a call at the Nelson’s house because Mike Nelson was having chest pains. Turned out, he’d eaten two heaping plates of Mrs. Nelson’s leftover baked spaghetti and the red sauce had given him crazy ass heartburn. He was getting checked out at the hospital just in case, but as soon as he’d admitted to what he’d had for breakfast, Mrs. Nelson had smacked him with a rolled-up magazine. I had a feeling he was going to be fine.

  Shortly after we got back, I went upstairs to get some lunch. Levi was already at a table in the kitchen, so I grabbed my food and sat down with him.

  Levi didn’t say much—just met my eyes with a quick chin tip and kept eating.

  “You okay, man?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You just seem like you have some shit on your mind or something.”

  He shook his head. “Not really.”

  “Are you sure? Because if you do, maybe you should talk to someone about it. Just because you’re a guy doesn’t mean you can’t share your feelings.”

  That comment earned me a solid big brother eye roll. I got those a lot. “I’m fine, Gav. Eat your lunch.”

  Levi wasn’t fine. I’d lived with him long enough to know that. But he kept everything locked up so tight, I wondered if even he knew what the fuck was wrong anymore. I was used to Evan being grouchy, but Levi was angry about something. I could feel it. Especially in moments like this, when everything was quiet. He gave off mad vibes like a smoking coal.

  If it had been Logan, I’d have brought up Cara, or basically anything I knew would rile
him up. But my instincts flared suddenly, telling me to leave it.

  So I did.

  “Crazy that Evan’s married, huh?” I said.

  “Yeah it is. Fiona’s great, though.”

  “Yeah dude, she’s the best. She must be some kind of unicorn to be able to handle Evan’s grumpy ass.”

  Levi chuckled a little. “No shit.”

  “They got married fast.”

  “So?”

  I shrugged. “Just an observation.”

  He was quiet for a moment, poking at his food. “That’s Evan, though. Once he makes a decision, he’s all in. And I guess when you know, you know.”

  “So why wait?”

  “Yeah. If there’s nothing getting in your way, why wait?”

  I nodded slowly.

  The buzzer sounded, alerting us to a call. Levi and I were instantly on our feet and heading for the stairs. A moment later, we were in our turnouts and boots, climbing into the engine.

  Christian, the engineer, got in after us. “We’ve got a tree down on the Freight Street bridge. It struck a vehicle, trapping two passengers, and the structural integrity of the bridge is questionable.”

  Oh shit. That bridge was old, and a big enough tree could do some serious damage.

  The engine bay door was already open and we headed out, lights flashing. The ambulance followed behind us.

  Freight Street crossed the river on the south end of town. There was a running joke that the bridge was ready to collapse, but no one actually thought it would. People drove across it every single day.

  But this storm was something else, and I had a feeling this could be bad.

  The wind whipped through the trees and rain fell in sheets. We stopped on the east side of the bridge and one glance at the car stuck out there sent a shot of adrenaline through my system. It was Caroline.

  Her little red car had almost made it across, but a downed tree with a thick trunk had smashed the front. From this angle, I couldn’t tell how bad the damage was.

  I got out, focusing on protocol. On my job. In a small town, it wasn’t unusual to know the people involved when you ran a call. This was no different.

  Except there were two passengers.

  Was Skylar stuck out there? Or was it Chief?