Marine Firefighter

by M K Dwyer

  Thoroughly bummed out, she decided to cheer herself up, and a little tortellini alfredo from her favorite Italian restaurant with a much-deserved bottle of wine sounded like just the treat she needed.

  Less than an hour later, she pulled up to her condo even more exhausted and ready to eat her weight in pasta. Then she planned to drink a large glass of wine while she soaked in the bath. She gathered her dinner and a few other goodies she’d picked up with the wine at the grocery store and was walking up to the gate with her keys in her hand when her phone started to ring.

  Digging in her purse while holding her dinner and groceries tested her juggling skills, but she finally found it at the bottom seconds before it went to voicemail. Hastily, she answered without checking the caller ID.

  Chapter Eight

  Will

  “Hello,” a sexy voice said. God, he hoped he had the right number.

  “Is this Nikki?”

  “Yes. Who’s this?” A loud crash sounded over the phone and he heard, “Oh shikaka!” from somewhere in the background.

  “Hello?” pause “Anyone there?” No one replied.

  “Hello!” Great. She’d fallen or something. He had her address. He could go over and make sure she was okay. Would that be weird? He was so out of practice when it came to the dating business.

  “Hello?” That sexy voice again. “Are you still there?”

  “Yes!” His reply came a little too enthusiastically. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just a case of too many items and not enough hands. Sadly, my circus career will be over before it starts.” She laughed at her own joke. The most beautiful laugh he’d ever heard. “Is this Will?”

  “It is. Sorry I’m just now calling. I had a visitor from out of town to entertain this weekend.” He was not quite ready to drop the I-have-a-son bomb on her.

  “Oh? A female visitor?” Was that a quiver in her voice? Was she jealous? Adorable.

  “No, male. Family, actually.”

  “That’s good. I mean…”

  “So, Nikki,” he interrupted before she could say anything she might kick herself for later. “I’m really looking forward to our date on Saturday. I must admit it’s been a while since I’ve been on a first date. I’m a bit out of practice.”

  She laughed.

  “Are you laughing at me?” Maybe the date wasn’t such a good idea.

  “No. No. Of course not. I’m laughing at myself I guess. I haven’t been on a first date in a while either, but I was thinking that despite us being in the same boat, I seem so awkward and you seem so at ease.”

  “Oh, well, I assure you, I’m quaking on the inside.” He chuckled. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more nervous than I am right now. Except when I desperately wanted to ask you out in the grocery store, and you beat me to it.”

  “I was feeling particularly bold that day.” She was outright laughing again.

  “So, you’re not always so bold?” He teased.

  “No, I think I lost my boldness somewhere,” she said sounding lost in thought, “but I’m trying to rediscover that part of myself.”

  “Good. It suits you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  “Well I hate to cut this short, but I’m still standing outside my place, and my dinner is getting cold. Can I call you later?”

  “Sure. I actually have to grab dinner too.” That was a lie. In anticipation of calling her, he cooked an early dinner for him and his roommates, so he’d already eaten. He wasted enough time being a chicken, so he had hoped to talk for a while and get to know her. She was on his mind the entire weekend, and he’d nearly called her a few times when Joe was sleeping or playing Xbox with War or Jesus. But he wasn’t ready for the two worlds to collide just yet.

  “So, tomorrow night? A little later than this?”

  “Sure. I’ll be at work, but as long as we’re not on a call, I should be able to take a break and answer.”

  “Ok then. What do you mean by ‘on a call’? What do you do?”

  “I’m a firefighter.”

  “Oh really?

  “Yes really. Disappointed? What do you do?”

  “Not at all. I’m a teacher.”

  “Well, look at us. A couple of civil servants.”

  “A match made in heaven.” She laughed. “Well, I really do have to go.”

  “Right. Your dinner. Hope it’s not too cold.”

  “I can always reheat it. It’s the bubble bath that’s really calling my name.” She said it under her breath, and if he didn’t have excellent hearing, he might not have heard her. That would’ve been a shame. She said the most wonderfully real things when she let her guard down, and then acted embarrassed when she realized what she said.

  “Sounds like heaven. Think of me.” He tried to goad her into saying something else before her filter slipped back in place.

  “Uh huh,” she squeaked out in affirmation. Adorable.

  “So, you’ll call tomorrow night?”

  “It’s a date.” pause “I mean…”

  “Goodnight, Nikki.” He spoke before she could take it back.

  “Goodnight, Will.”

  Hanging up his phone, he sauntered out of his room. As he walked into the living room, three pairs of eyes looked up at him in surprise. War quickly turned his attention back to the car restoration show on TV, but the other two continued to stare at him expecting an explanation.

  “She couldn’t talk” He took the seat next to Adam.

  He’d told them very little about Nikki. He wasn’t sure how he could tell after so little contact with her, but she felt special to him. Until she got to know him better, he was going to play it close to his chest.

  “You sure she’s not having second thoughts, man?” Will knew Jesus was joking because he was terrible at keeping his shit-eating grins to himself when he was trying to mess with him.

  “I’m sure. I interrupted her dinner. She’s going to call me back tomorrow.”

  “Must be nice having the kid gone so you have your freedom back.” War’s eyes never left the TV screen, but he had to be talking to him. No one else in the room had a kid. But what could Will have done to earn a comment like that?

  “What the fuck, man?” Will couldn’t believe the shit coming out of War’s mouth.

  “Nothing. I’m going to bed.” He got up and left the room in a huff.

  “What crawled up his ass?” Will asked the other two guys.

  “Don’t know man. He’s been broodier than usual lately. And that’s saying something for him.” Jesus would know. They worked similar schedules, so he spent more time with War than Adam and Will combined.

  Adam stayed silent. Will had a feeling he knew more to the story, but he wasn’t offering any explanations, so Will let the matter drop.

  The next night, Will and the rest of his crew trudged into the fire station beaten down by the grueling day. They were hungry and exhausted both mentally and physically.

  Earlier dispatch called them to the scene of an accident where a car crossed the center median and hit a minivan head-on. The police on scene determined the driver of the car was drunk and took him away in handcuffs with barely a scratch on him. But the family in the minivan wasn’t so lucky.

  The two kids, a toddler boy and a baby girl, were strapped securely in their car seats. They seemed fine at the scene, but paramedics took them to the hospital as a precaution. The mother hit her head and sustained cuts from broken glass. She was unconscious but stable at the scene, and paramedics took her to the same hospital as the kids. They had to cut the father out of the van though, and Will worried most about him.

  He had deep lacerations and internal bleeding, and the paramedics took him by helicopter to the closest Level One trauma center. It was the first time he’d been in a situation that mirrored his last deployment. Prying the man out of his van took Will back to the deserts of Afghanistan, and he half expected to hear gunfire which each passing sec
ond. The thought alone made the puckered scar on his side burn like a phantom pain, and he had to resist the urge to yell at everyone to take cover.

  After a call like that, nobody, least of all Will, felt like cooking, so they pooled their money to order pizzas for dinner. He’d barely had two bites before his stomach rebelled and he went running for the restroom. When he came out, everyone was staring at him, but they all had the good sense not to say anything. They all knew his story though he’d only told it once and most had seen his scar. It was no surprise to them that the accident that day would hit close to home for him.

  Giving up on dinner, Will went to the weight room at the firehouse to blow off some steam and a few other guys joined him. Most of the firefighters at Will’s station were prior military, and there was an easy camaraderie among them. Will didn’t need to say a word, but the guys knew what he was feeling. Likewise, they didn’t need to say anything for him to know that they understood and had his back.

  When his phone started ringing from where it was perched on top of his towel, he was already starting to feel more like his old self, but when he saw the caller was Nikki, he was fully back in his happy place. He punched the green button on his screen and brought the phone to his ear as he left the room. He liked his fellow firefighters, but a private conversation was still a private conversation.

  He answered the call and took it upstairs to the dorm rooms. Nikki was enjoying a glass of wine in the bath and Will enjoyed imagining her in the bath.

  They talked about mundane things like her day, the weather, and the Chargers, oddly enough. Just hearing her beautiful voice as she described a day in the life of an elementary school teacher was enough to keep his mind off the events of his day. She asked about it but didn’t push for more when he said he didn’t want to talk about it.

  When he hung up with her, he had a smile on his face and peace in his heart. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this angel in his life, but he would hold on to her for as long as heaven was willing to lend her to him.

  Over the course of the week, Will and Nikki talked five more times including the day of their date and twice on Thursday. He couldn’t remember the last time he was more excited to spend time with someone. Joe didn’t count. He was always excited to pick up his son.

  She told him about being a teacher, and he told her about being a firefighter and his time in the Corps. They talked about their likes and dislikes; their hopes and dreams. They flirted playfully, and not so playfully. Their conversations turned so hot and heavy a few times that Will had to take himself in hand while in the shower. Forget just taking a cold shower. That did nothing to quell his desire for her. They talked so much, there shouldn’t have been much left to discuss on their date, but conversation came so easy with Nikki that Will was sure they wouldn’t be lost for topics.

  During their conversations, Will learned that Nikki liked to be romanced, but she also had a fun side too. So, he had two dates planned. If the romantic dinner went well Saturday night, he hoped to take her to play Putt-Putt golf on Sunday. Maybe he was putting the cart before the horse, but after years of dealing with Theresa, he knew a great girl when he found her.

  He felt like an imposter chasing a girl that was too good and innocent for him, too lily white for his war-torn soul. He was prepared to pull out all the stops if it meant living the rouse for another day.

  Chapter Nine

  Nikki

  When she’d asked him how she should dress for the evening, he’d said to dress casually. To be precise, he had said to dress “sexy, but comfy,” and then said “actually, I’m sure anything you put on will be sexy because it’ll be on you.” That man was such a charmer. He probably had all the girls in his high school chasing after him. Nikki wondered why none had ever caught him. He’d shied away from talking about exes during their long talks on the phone, but that was fine with her. She might be forever comparing other men to Aiden, but that didn’t mean she wanted to talk about him. She’d prefer to never bring up Aiden again for as long as she lived, so she understood that it might be a sensitive subject.

  After expelling her entire closet onto her bed, and trying on half of what she’d pulled out, she decided on a red knee-length sundress with white flowers that buttoned up the front from top to bottom and a white cardigan. It might’ve been late August in Southern California, but the nights still got chilly enough for a sweater.

  She was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup when her phone chimed with a text.

  Will:

  I’m outside the gate. Take your time. I’m in no hurry except to see your sexy ass.

  She laughed a genuine out-loud laugh. She never thought of herself as someone who liked to be talked to that way, but she loved when he mentioned her “sexy ass”. A few other things he’d said the last week made her blush just to think about. After a couple of their conversations, she’d pulled out her Magic Pickle which was a “Happy Divorce” gift from a friend back in Berkeley with a questionable sense of humor. She’d laughed at the gift and put it away assuming she’d never actually use it. Never in her life had she felt a need as great as the need triggered by just an hour of conversation with Will. Turns out the dildo was a wonderful way to release the tension caused by a sexy firefighter with even sexier words.

  Her phone rang. She smiled thinking that Will, despite his text protesting otherwise, was in a hurry to start their date. But her smile fell when she saw it was an unknown number with a Berkeley area code. Assuming it was Aiden, she sent it straight to voicemail and blocked the number. The only way she could think he would’ve gotten new San Diego number—and her address, for that matter—was from his mom, Louise, but she’d have to consider that little act of betrayal later.

  A quick swipe of lip gloss; a last look in the mirror; she grabbed her purse and was out the door. Walking down the sidewalk towards the gate that separated the condos from the parking spaces, she spotted Will waiting for her. Staring at her. Watching her walk towards him. He was wearing designer jeans and a nice button-up shirt. She smiled thinking about what his closet must look like. Every time she’d seen him, he was wearing a baby blue shirt that matched his eyes. Eyes that were on her so intently, so full of lust, that she felt like the sexiest woman on the planet. The feminist in her said she didn’t need a man to validate how she felt about herself, but the shallowest part of her was very flattered to be ogled by such a good-looking man.

  She unlocked the gate.

  “You look stunning. Absolutely amazing.” He stepped up to push the gate open for her.

  “Thank you. You look pretty spectacular yourself.”

  He put his arm around her, placed his hand on the small of her back, and pulled her closer to him. Their fronts touched, and she was very aware that her breasts were crushed against his hard chest. She couldn’t tell if he was wearing cologne or if it was a great combination of his soap and his natural scent. But he smelled lightly of citrus, sandalwood, lavender and licorice. An odd but amazing combination that gave her thoughts that were inappropriate for such a semi-public place.

  His light blue eyes stared into hers like he was contemplating something. He must’ve made up his mind because his head lowered slowly to hers giving her time to stop him if she wanted. But stopping him was the furthest from her mind. She closed the distance and their lips met. It didn’t go any further than lips on lips, but after a few seconds, they leaned into each other instead of pulling away.

  Time didn’t stand still. It kept moving, but whether seconds or days passed, she couldn’t be sure. When she felt him pulling away, she did too, but he didn’t go far. He held her in his arms. Their bodies still pressed together. “I’ve wanted to do that for over a week now.”

  “Me too.”

  “This might be our first official date, but I feel like all of our conversations have put us much further than that. Can we agree this is more like our fifth date and skip all the first date awkwardness?”

  “I can try, but I
must warn you that I’m a pretty awkward person to begin with.”

  “You? No.” His words said one thing, but his tone was purely mock surprise.

  She slapped his arm, and he threw his head back and laughed. He had a whole-hearted laugh that made it impossible to be mad or sad in his presence, and she laughed too.

  “Shall we?” He stepped back a little and offered his arm.

  “Let’s.” She stepped up to him, placed her hand on the inside of his arm and held his bicep.

  He walked her to his truck, a new matte-black Dodge Ram Rebel. She wasn’t a car girl by any stretch, but his truck looked sleek. He opened the passenger door and helped her step up into the cab. She sat down, and he made sure she securely tucked her dress under her before he closed the door. While he walked around to the driver side, she took a minute to admire all the fancy controls on the dashboard of his truck. Her 1988 Volvo was one of her most prized possessions, and was high-tech in it’s prime, but it had nothing on such a high-quality machine manufactured in the twenty-first century.

  When Will opened the door and climbed in, she stopped admiring the interior and started admiring her companion as his nectarous scent filled the cabin. She felt like a voyeur. Watching his powerful arms do the simple tasks of starting the truck, adjusting the controls, and turning the wheel was like witnessing an erotic dance. If just observing him move while doing mundane tasks got her hot, she’d spontaneously combust if they made it to the bedroom. She adjusted the hem of her dress and caught him watching her with lust in his eyes too.

  “Eyes on the road mister.” She teased.

  “Yes ma’am.” He tipped his imaginary hat.