by J. L. Drake
“Oh, man, Mom is gonna love this!”
Carter reached out a hand. “Hey, man, I’m—”
“Any friend of Ari’s is a friend of mine. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He shook his hand, with his grin still in place.
“Carter.”
“Damien.” My bother turned back and continued to beam at me. “Hey, big sis, I was out partying and needed a place to crash.” He dangled his key from his finger. “I didn’t think you’d still be up and…well, busy.”
“I should go,” Carter cut in. “It was nice meeting you.”
“I’ll walk you out.” I followed him to the door. I glanced over my shoulder and shook my head as a warning to not watch through the peep hole, knowing he would anyway. Perv.
Once outside in the hallway, Carter’s mood changed. “Look, Arizona, you should know I—”
My walls shot up before I could even take a full breath. “It’s okay. I get it.” I tucked my hands in my back pocket. “Thanks for listening tonight. Um, I’ll see you around.” I didn’t wait for him to respond. Instead, I quickly slipped back into my apartment where my brother was waiting.
“Sorry about that, Ari.” Chips flew from his mouth, as he was elbow deep in a bag of salt and vinegar. “I didn’t think you’d have anyone here, much less someone like that.” He wriggled his eyebrows and grinned at me. “FYI, he is never allowed to meet any chicks I bring home. He’s way too much to compete with.”
“First, I know, right?” I allowed myself a moment to bask in what just happened.
“It’s like I’m intimidated to stand next to him.”
“Try being a woman.” I smirked, but typical me, I put the brakes on and went serious again and headed for the wooden trunk I used as a living room table to hand him a blanket and pillow. “Please know it didn’t start that way.” I tossed the pillow on the couch.
“So, what if it did? I haven’t seen you like that in years.”
“What, making out like a seventeen-year-old?”
“No, smiling where it reaches your eyes.”
“It did feel really good.” I hugged the blanket to my chest, and of course the fact I let myself be happy sank in. I truly was my own worst enemy.
“Whatever, sis. It was fun to see.” He dropped on the couch with a handful of chips. “Oh, and I like your tree.”
“Thanks. Me too.” I stopped before I headed into my room for the night. “Do me a favor, Damien. Keep this quiet for a bit. It’s really new, and it really didn’t mean anything.”
“Right,” he chuckled and turned on the TV to The Office, “I saw nothing.”
Chapter Seven
Carter
Hell of a Season by The Black Keys flowed through the firehouse and made me grin at Cook’s choice of music.
I tossed my paperback aside, rubbed my face, and knew it was my turn to step up and help out.
“Something smells good!” I called as I rounded the corner and spotted my sister with Cook behind the counter.
“Hey, Sarah, what are you doing here?”
“I was in the city and thought I should stop by and see my brother.” She came around and kissed my cheek, but I noticed she glanced at Cook oddly.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said too quickly, which had me cross my arms.
“Go on.”
“What? I can’t come and see you before we leave for our trip?”
“We said goodbye last weekend,” I leaned against the counter, “and I know that today you had three appointments you wouldn’t miss before a trip south. So, you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
“That right there.” I pointed to her mouth. “The corners of your mouth always rise when you’re guilty.”
“Jesus, detective much?” She bit into a carrot while I lifted an eyebrow then slowly rolled my head over to Cook, who had quickly turned to stir the chili. “Fine.” She sighed dramatically.
“There it is.” I gave her a smug smirk. My baby sister couldn’t lie to save her life.
“So, about this girl you’re—”
“And you’re dead,” I grunted over to Cook, who pretended he didn’t hear me.
“No, come on,” she grabbed my arm when I went to move, “call it an early Christmas present.”
“I gave you your present.”
“And while I love that you got me surround sound, we’ll call this the bow on top.”
“Her name is Arizona,” Cook chimed in but ducked when I tossed a lemon at his head.
“Oh, that’s a pretty name. What does she look like?”
“Gorgeous.” Cook caught the lemon that time and stuck his tongue out at me.
“Like girl next door gorgeous or like celebrity gorgeous?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Oh, come on.” Cook wiped his hands clean, apparently fully joining in the conversation. “Girl next door is classic pretty, and celebrity is unique pretty.”
Sarah’s face twisted as she thought, and Cook nodded with a grin. What the hell was passing through their heads now?
“So, like I’m picturing,” she pressed her lips together for a moment, “long, straight brown hair, slim frame, on the shorter side, maybe even wears a red pea coat.”
“What the hell?” How did she guess that?
“She can cook too.” Cook’s shit-eating grin grew larger as he nodded over my shoulder. I whirled around to find Arizona in my fire station holding a tray of something.
“Wow,” my sister cooed behind me, “I would not kick that out of bed, cookies or no cookies.”
“Thanks for the visual.”
“Oh, you are welcome.” She was still lost in her dirty thoughts. “I might be straight, but I’d turn for her.”
“I already called dibs.” I snickered back, feeling suddenly protective of her around all the guys.
Arizona was talking to the chief. He nodded in my direction once she spotted me. Her face lit up, and the air in my lungs got stuck.
Cook reached for the door and opened it for her.
“Hi.” She took note of the room. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, but we had leftovers at the center, and I thought maybe you guys would like them.”
“Hey, girl.” Cook kissed her cheek and peeked under the tin foil. “The girl brought brownies.” His eyes bulged out of his head. “Oh, Arizona, the brownie points you just scored with this station is unreal.”
“Good.” She beamed and handed the tray to him.
“Hi, I’m Sarah.” My sister nearly fell over her own feet to shake her hand, then changed it up and went in for a hug. “Carter’s younger sister.”
“Oh,” she glanced warmly at me then at Sarah, “it’s lovely to meet you. Your trip down south is coming up soon, correct?”
“Yes, Cuba. We leave in three days.” Sarah wiggled her eyebrows at me. Yes, I have shared some personal things with Arizona.
“That sounds fun.”
“It will be. So,” my sister jumped right in without an ounce of shame, “what’s this center? Do you work there?”
“My friend and I volunteer at the local rec center, for years now. Sadly, it’s not as many days a month as I’d like. We both work full time, but it’s fun and helps keep me grounded.”
“Sexy, smart, and volunteers,” Sarah whispered. “If you don’t marry her, I might.”
I elbowed my sister and moved my attention back to Arizona.
“It was really nice that you thought about us for the treats. Would you like a tour?”
“Really?” She looked genuinely interested.
“Sure.” I took her hand and steered her away from the pains in my ass.
“Hey, Carter,” she stopped me once we were alone, “I’m sorry I cut you off last night. I’m a little rusty on the whole thing.�
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“I actually found it kind of cute.” I shrugged. “Sorry, but you flustered is friggin’ sexy.”
“Well,” she blushed, “glad that’s out of the way.”
I laughed and nodded for her to follow me.
“Right in there are our bunks,” I said quietly and pointed to a room that was nearly black, as some of the guys were sleeping. “Over there are the showers, washer and dryer, that’s my office, and over here,” I opened a door and brought her out to the engine bay, “are our trucks.”
“Wow.” She admired how nice the place looked. It was true I was known for being a stickler for the trucks being as shiny as possible.
I opened the door to my truck and let her look inside. “This is my seat, and my gear is over there, and when the alarm goes off everything stops and only one thing matters. Getting to the fire.”
“May I?” She pointed to the seat, and I inspected her death heels. I gave her a nod, but when she went to pull herself up, I nearly lifted her into the seat. She inspected all around and leaned her head back and closed her eyes. I took that moment to admire my view of her today. Her blouse had shifted over, and I was treated with a peek of her cleavage. I was always respectful of women, but I was still a man, and Arizona made all things hard.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m trying to picture what it would be like being up here driving toward an emergency, not knowing how bad it will be or how many will live or die.”
That was one of the many things that drew me to this woman. She truly was interested in what others did, and she had such a way of getting her head into it from different angles.
“It’s certainly a rush, but a controlled rush.” I tried to explain it the best I could. Every firefighter was different, but I could share my personal views and feelings. “When I first get in the truck, I force myself to do a mental rundown. First, I educate myself on what the situation is. Then if I’m lucky enough to know the building, I do a run-through of all the exits I can remember, or I try to piece together an image of what it should look like. I then let in a little of the adrenaline to keep me high and alert. Then, right before we arrive, I do another list of how I will deal with things once we get on scene.”
“Sounds like you have good control.” She swung her legs to face me.
“Sometimes,” I admitted quietly, “it’s the after part that’s worst. The return home, when you’ve lost a person, or someone has lost everything they worked so hard for.” I reached up for her and slowly lowered her to the ground, but I didn’t step back. “That kind of anxiety eats away at the core.”
“How do you shed that stress?” Her eyes held mine.
“Different ways, I guess. Some men have families to keep them busy, and others do boxing or other physical things to keep the head clear.”
“Physical things?” she whispered, and her chest rose, drawing my eyes to it again. Everything inside me clenched.
I was losing my my self-control. I leaned in closer. “Gotta keep the head focused.”
“Can I help?” Her warm breath brushed across my cheek, and I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling scattered but yet completely rooted in place. Her hands came to my sides and slid up my stomach to my chest.
“You help so much.” I pressed my lips to her collarbone and heard her suck in a sharp breath. She balled her hands in my shirt as a moan filled the air around us. I dragged my tongue up along her neck and swirled right below her ear. Her perfume made all my animal instincts go on high alert, and I could feel the heat in the middle of my belly.
“Carter?” I pulled back and saw so much written across her face. She was in a battle of her own, and I couldn’t tell if I should keep going. There was only so much I could do here in the station, but I needed to know.
“Tell me what you want.” My words were strained.
“You.” She tugged me to her lips by my shirt, and I wasted no time. My hands slipped into her jacket and over her ass while my mouth took control. I moved one hand up and under her shirt. I slowly dragged my fingertips across her cool skin and cupped her tender breast. I nearly lost it when I felt the silky lace bra. Her nipple was erect and poked through the thin fabric. Her breathing peaked when I gently rubbed my thumb over the perky nub. I barely registered her hands as they moved across my torso and down my thighs, but when she grazed my erection, I wanted to take her right there and then. The danger of being caught heightened my need even more.
“No, Nicole.” One of the guys came through the door, and we both pulled back even though he was on the opposite side of the truck.
I laughed on a deep intake of breath, pressing my forehead to hers.
“Not a lot of personal space here.” I relished my high that she was with me in this place. The scent of her mixed with the smell of the truck and the gear was doing something crazy to my stomach.
“Well,” she closed her eyes, no doubt trying to ground herself, “I guess I should go and let you get back to work.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
“I kind of do.” She tried to hide her smirk. “I probably shouldn’t be around you right now. The dirty visions in my head are doing all kinds of crazy things.”
“Will you be home tonight?” I needed more. Maybe she could stop by.
“No, I have dinner at my brother’s, and tomorrow night is my work Christmas party.” Something hit her. “Would you like to come with me?”
Damn. “I’m working, but tomorrow is my last night of this shift.”
“All right.” She ran a hand though her hair, and I nearly pounced on her again when I got another whiff of her scent. “Maybe we can do dinner. I have a few things I need to talk to you about anyway.”
“Anything bad?”
She shrugged. “Just something I want to talk to you about.”
“Okay.” I didn’t care what it was. I was more focused on the fact I got to be alone with her soon.
She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed me again. “Thanks for the tour.”
“Anytime you want to come back, you know where to find me.”
“Oh, yes, I certainly do.” She ran her hand reverently along the side of the truck.
I grinned and took her hand and walked her to the Uber I had called, but just as she went to get inside, she looked around like something was bothering her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I…” she stumbled. “I just have this strange feeling.”
“Like?” I scanned the street.
“I don’t know.” She brushed it off and leaned up with her hands flat on my chest and pressed her warm lips to mine. It took everything inside me to let her go.
As she drove down the street, I did another scan to see if anything stood out.
“Carter!” Cook came out and pointed over his shoulder. “Ready to eat.” I slowly went back inside and continued our tradition of eating together as a family.
Chapter Eight
Arizona
“Okay, Jessi,” I balanced the bags in my arms and smiled down at the kids playing under the tree, “I’ll drop these off and go home and get ready.”
“You better wear what I picked out.” She handed one of the kids a cookie from the cooling rack as she placed more in the oven. “Don’t you puss out on me.”
“Me?” I chuckled when one of my favorites came over and gave me a hug goodbye. Jessi and I had started volunteering at the rec center for extra credit in school and never left. It was only every other weekend, and whenever we could put in a weekday, but it became my way of easing the hurt in an otherwise battered heart.
“You’re going to blow Wendy out of the water with the new you.”
“That’s the plan.” I blew her a kiss and said goodbye to the kids one last time before I jumped in the waiting Uber.
I made it home in record time and was ready to
go for the party with a few minutes to spare to examine myself in the mirror.
I fixed my black dress, yanking it down. It barely hit mid-thigh. Why I let Jessi talk me into buying a new “pick-me-up dress” for our work Christmas party was beyond me. I liked my red dress better, but I didn’t have the energy to hear her sixteen reasons why every girl needed a little black dress in their life. It was freezing outside, but she insisted my long red pea coat would keep me warm. She also insisted my co-workers needed to see that I was all right, and apparently this dress was to prove I really was. Now, granted, I’d heard that in years gone by our work parties apparently ended up resembling college frat parties. I had never participated in them because of Myles.
Turning and acknowledging that the dress actually did show off all my assets made me smile in spite of myself. Screw Myles, this year I was going sexy. I grabbed my stiletto death heels and headed for the party, feeling like a million bucks. Yes, tonight my friends would see I was doing just fine.
“Wow-sah,” my friend Wendy hooted as I removed my coat and handed it to the coat-check guy. “Okay, if this is what divorce looks like, count me in!”
I laughed and grabbed my purse, knowing she was completely in love with her husband and would sell her left arm for her two girls. Of course, Jessi made an “I told you” face.
“I’m in the mood for a large cosmo.”
“Oh, my God, you’re back.” She downed her drink and tossed it on a tray and hooked arms with me. “Lead the way.”
The party was just what I needed. People were blown away with how I looked and how I was acting. I felt free for the first time in, well, maybe forever. I even texted a selfie to my mother to show her how much fun I was having. A few moments later she texted back a picture of her and my father in Florida holding up a pina colada in a restaurant.
I couldn’t help but feel so thankful for my strong family. It was such a huge confidence builder to know they were there with me and wanted to help me get my life back.