Courage

by Kristen Proby

  “Hold on there, mister. We stay put.”

  “Maybe he needs my help.”

  Aspen smiles, and I squat next to him. “Do you see that fire? The flames are going really high in the air. I know you think you can help, but you’re still a little boy. You could be hurt. So, you’re going to stay right here with Aspen and me. Do you hear me?”

  “Yeah. I’ll stay.”

  We watch as the men hurry about, grabbing hoses and hooking them up to fire hydrants.

  “Get this car out of here,” Sam yells, pointing to a red car that’s parked illegally in front of a hydrant.

  I watch in shock as about six men circle the car and lift it. Lift it, and move it back about six feet.

  “Holy crap,” Aspen mutters.

  “No kidding.”

  Everything happens fast. The house is burning at a rate that takes my breath away.

  “It’s going up fast.”

  “Old house,” Aspen murmurs. “They’ll have to work to save the houses on either side.”

  “It’s hot. I can feel it from here.”

  Suddenly, with a hose over his shoulder and a helmet on his head, Sam marches right for the front door of the house, which is currently an inferno.

  “Do not go in there.” I say it as if he’s standing right next to me and can hear me. “Please, don’t go in.”

  My heart clenches. I can’t breathe. I definitely can’t take my eyes off him as he continues forward.

  But he doesn’t go inside. He’s only standing close to get the water to shoot into the flames.

  And then, to my utter shock and horror, something inside the house explodes, sending Sam and several others flying backwards.

  “Oh, God.”

  Kelsey screams. Kevin latches onto my leg.

  Now, the houses surrounding the original building are on fire, as well. It’s a fucking mess, and Sam is still lying on the ground. Not moving.

  “I need to get to him.”

  “No.” Aspen grips my arm. “You can’t help him if you get hurt, too. Stay here, Tash.”

  “No.” No one is rushing to his side to see if he’s okay. Why isn’t anyone helping him? “I have to go.”

  She grabs onto the kids, and I slip around the barricade and run as fast as my feet will carry me toward where Sam’s lying on the ground.

  But before I can reach him, I’m flung up off my feet and swung around.

  “Let me go!” I scream in terror. “Let go of me!”

  Chapter 10

  ~Sam~

  Jesus, what started this motherfucker? My guys and I are like a hive of bees, organized chaos as we hurry about, getting hoses connected, ladders pulled, and all of the other equipment we’ll need for this massive fire.

  The worst part is, the houses in this neighborhood aren’t far apart, and given how fast this fire is spreading, the neighbors could be in danger, as well.

  “Make sure those houses are evacuated! Do we know if anyone was inside?” I yell to one of my teammates.

  “No one inside. They’re at work,” he replies. “I have guys knocking on doors as we speak.”

  “Good.”

  I’d like to punch the asshole who parked his car in front of the damn hydrant. It’s a good thing I have strong men.

  I grab a hose, sling it over my shoulder, and go for the front of the house to shoot water into the heart of the fire and hopefully dampen it.

  Less than twenty seconds later, there’s a sudden explosion, and I’m knocked back, flat on the ground.

  Damn it!

  I can’t breathe. I can feel the heat coming from the house, but I can’t move. Knocked the damn air out of me.

  And the back of my head hit the concrete hard enough for me to see stars.

  “Let go of me!”

  Tash? Is that Natasha’s voice, or is the head injury just that bad?

  I turn my head, cringing at the pain that sings through my brain. Sure enough, there she is, being held back by one of my guys. She’s kicking and screaming, reaching out for me.

  I roll to my side and manage to sit up but have to swallow the sudden wave of nausea.

  “Let her go,” I call out, and Tash immediately sprints to me, launching herself into my arms.

  “Oh, my God, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  She pats me down and kisses my face, and I have to take her by the shoulders and set her back.

  “You can’t be here,” I say firmly. “Where are the kids?”

  “With Aspen.” Her eyes roam over me as she pats me down some more. “Jesus, you flew. How many fingers am I holding up?”

  I stand and make her stand, too. The fresh wave of nausea makes me want to lean on her, but I don’t.

  “You can’t be here,” I say again. “Tash, listen to me.”

  I move us both away from the heat of the fire.

  “You can’t leave me,” she says. She’s hysterical now.

  “Tash.” I give her shoulders a shake, and she looks up at me. “I can’t have you here. Listen to me. This is too dangerous, and I have to do my job.”

  “You’re hurt.”

  “No, I’m not.” The lie falls off my tongue easier than it probably should, but I need to get her the fuck out of here. “I need you to get the kids and go. I’ll see you at your house later.”

  Her face registers hurt, but then she steps away. “Okay. See you.”

  She turns and hurries back to the crowd she came from, and I get back to work.

  “You need an EMT,” Jess, one of my coworkers, says. “You hit hard.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s get this under control before we lose more.”

  It’s a fucking brutal few hours, but we move fast and efficiently, and with only minimal damage to the two homes on either side, the fire calms to a smolder.

  Some of the guys agree to stay through the night to keep an eye on things and work on any hot spots, making sure that it doesn’t get out of control again.

  It’s after eight in the evening when I glance at the time. It’s been a long fucking day.

  I need food, a shower, and a bed—in that order.

  I walk into Tash’s house and the twins immediately greet me, wanting to know everything.

  “Is the fire out?”

  “Did you get hurt?”

  “Did someone die?”

  “No one died,” I assure them as they both latch onto my legs. “And no one was seriously hurt. I’m going to take a shower, okay?”

  I glance up and see Tash leaning on the counter, watching me with guarded eyes.

  “Are you hungry?” she asks.

  “Starving.”

  “You take that shower, and I’ll make you something.”

  “You’re the best.” I lean over and kiss her cheek on my way down the hall to the bathroom.

  The shower is hot and soothing. My head aches like a son of a bitch, and I’m tired to the bone. But I’m also starving, so diving into bed for about twelve hours of sleep isn’t going to happen yet.

  When I return to the living room, the kids are in their pajamas. Both jump up from the couch to greet me again.

  “We want to snuggle before bed,” Kelsey informs me. “But Auntie Tash says you have to eat. Can you eat on the couch so we can snuggle?”

  I glance at Tash, who just shrugs. “Up to you.”

  “As long as she doesn’t care, I suppose it’s okay.”

  I eat the BLT and fries Tash made and chat with the kids on the couch, eating around little heads and arms that want to hold onto me.

  “Why are you guys so clingy tonight?”

  “They saw you,” Tash says before either of the kids can respond. “They were there.”

  “I’m totally okay,” I assure them both right away. “This is what I’m trained to do. I’m glad you waited up for me, but I think you should probably go to bed now.”

  Natasha herds the kids to their room, and I can hear her talking to them as I polish off the second sandwich.

  I stretc
h my arms above my head and then take my empty plate to the kitchen.

  “How are you, really?” she asks when she returns.

  “I’m okay. Slight concussion according to the EMT, but no special instructions for that. It mostly just knocked the wind out of me.”

  She nods and crosses to me.

  “I’m gonna go to bed myself,” I say and hug her, then kiss her lips. “I’m exhausted.”

  I walk back to the bedroom and climb into bed. The sheets are cool, and I barely hit the pillow before sleep overtakes me.

  The house is silent.

  I sit up and rub my hands over my face, then check the time.

  I slept through the morning. Hell, it’s almost noon. I never do that.

  I walk out of the bedroom and find Tash sitting at the table, making a list and checking her open laptop.

  “I’m sorry I slept so late.”

  Her head comes up, and she watches me. “You needed to. How do you feel? Headache?”

  “Actually, no. I feel pretty good. A little groggy.”

  She stands and makes me a cup of coffee. “This should help.”

  “So, I guess the kids are at school, huh?”

  “Yup.”

  She sits back down and doesn’t look at me at all as she writes something on her list.

  “What’s going on, Tash?”

  “What do you mean?”

  I raise a brow and sip my coffee. “What’s up with the cold shoulder?”

  She stares at me for a minute and then shakes her head as if in disbelief.

  I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.

  “You know, you can be a jerk sometimes.”

  “Oh, for sure.” There’s no point in denying it. I can be a jerk. “But this time, I’m not sure what I was a jerk about.”

  “I was scared,” she begins and stands from the table to pace.

  It’s never a good sign when a woman paces as she chews your ass.

  “You got thrown by an explosion, and you were just lying there on the ground. Lifeless. No one was checking to see if you were okay. So, I ran over.”

  I cross my arms and let her rant.

  “And you basically brushed me off like I was an annoying little gnat.”

  “That’s not what I did.”

  “Yes, it is, Sam. You told me to go to my house. That you’d talk to me later. Which you didn’t do, by the way. You let the kids snuggle up to you and get all cozy, ate the food I made you, and then you went and slept soundly in my bed while I tossed and turned all night because I was damn mad at you.”

  She sniffs and shakes her head in frustration.

  “I don’t even know why I’m crying over you. You’re so not worth it. Not one single tear.”

  “I didn’t brush you off. You were in the middle of a fire zone, Tash. It was dangerous. I was disoriented, and you were there, where you weren’t supposed to be.”

  “I get it. I wasn’t supposed to be there.”

  “I had a job to do. I couldn’t console you or pat you on the head in that moment. I had to put out a goddamn fire.”

  “I didn’t want you to pat me on the head!”

  “Then what did you want? Because all I knew was that I was in the middle of one of the worst fires I’ve seen in town, and you were right there in the middle of it with me.”

  “I wanted to make sure that you were okay,” she insists.

  “I told you I was.” I hold my hands out at my sides, completely clueless as to why this made her so mad. “And I told you that you couldn’t be there because it wasn’t safe. I wasn’t lying. It was damn dangerous, and I wanted you out of there.”

  “Yes, you made that perfectly clear.”

  “Listen up, sweetheart. I refuse to apologize for needing to keep you safe. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

  “You’re such a caveman.”

  “And you’re everything,” I retort with frustration. “You’re fucking everything that matters, goddamn it. So, yes, I’m a motherfucking caveman because I want to protect you. Fine. I’ll wear that label. And the next time I tell you that you can’t be somewhere for your own safety, you’ll damn well follow orders, or I’ll move you myself. Is that understood?”

  She blinks at me and then shrugs one shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t put myself in that position again.”

  “Tash, what in the hell?”

  “You hurt my feelings,” she admits and crosses her arms over her chest. “All damn day, that’s all you did. You told me to leave, to go to my house. And then later, you let the kids cuddle you, but when I wanted some alone time, you brushed me off and went to bed. Yes,” she interrupts before I can speak, “I know you were tired. But damn it, I was scared. And I wanted some time with you, and you turned away.”

  “Not on purpose.” I cross to her, but she doesn’t open her arms. So, I just wrap mine around her and hold her against me. “I was so fucking tired, I didn’t know what was going on. I certainly wasn’t alert enough to see that you were hurt, and I’m sorry for that.”

  “Well, I—”

  “I’m not done,” I continue and kiss her forehead. “I’m sorry for all of it, except the part where I told you to leave a fire scene. I should have said I’ll see you at home later. And, thank you for being so worried that you almost took Martinez’s arm off in trying to get to me. I think he has a sprained shoulder.”

  “I’m not sorry,” she says and sniffs against my chest.

  “I have an idea.” I pick her up easily and head for the bedroom. “We can snuggle right now. The kids are at school, and we’re all alone. No one to interrupt us.”

  She immediately buries her face in my neck and holds on tightly. “Who said I wanted to cuddle with a caveman?”

  I laugh and carry her through the bedroom door, then lower her to the bed.

  “We don’t have to snuggle on the bed,” she says but doesn’t complain when I lie down with her and pull her against me, her head resting on my chest. “Okay, this is nice.”

  “Yeah.” I sigh and rub my hand up and down her back. “You know what would make it better?”

  “Hmm?” She looks up at me and I offer her a wicked grin. “Naked snuggles.”

  “Who says naked snuggles are better?”

  “Uh, literally everyone.”

  “Right. You’re full of it, Sam Waters.”

  I peel her shirt over her head, unclasp her bra, and turn her onto her back so I can look down at her perfection.

  “I’m full of wanting you.” I kiss her chest, right between her breasts. “I never stop wanting you. It’s like a virus that’s spread through me. I’m fully infected by you.”

  “Somehow, that’s not particularly flattering.” She laughs and then sighs when I clasp my lips over one hard nipple and give it a firm tug.

  “You’re sexy as hell, Natasha.” I kiss my way over to the other breast and pay it the same attention. I love the little sighs and moans that come from her throat as I make love to her.

  As I explore every inch of her.

  I know her body better than I know mine at this point. And yet, there’s still so much to learn, to explore.

  My fingers dive under the waistband of her leggings, and I work the fabric down her hips and over her feet.

  And when she’s spread before me, naked and open, I swallow thickly and thank whatever god may be watching for making her this perfect.

  This mine.

  With reverent fingers, I touch her. Lightly. Gently. And just like that, she comes alive. The blush spreads from her face and runs down her chest as she sighs and bites that plump lip, spreading those gorgeous, long legs for me.

  “Are you ready for me, baby?”

  “Always,” she moans. “I’m always ready.”

  My cock pulses with a heartbeat of its own as I slip inside of her. I have to stop to take a deep breath when I’m fully seated.

  She fits over me like a fucking glove. And when she circles her hips and tightens just a bit, I feel
like I’ll lose it, here and now.

  “Sam,” she breathes as she begins moving with me in the ancient dance of push and pull as we enjoy each other.

  “Look at me.”

  Her eyes open, and she licks her fingers and then presses them against her clit. I can’t handle it. I pick up the pace, watching with awe as she pleasures herself. And when her climax builds, when her muscles quiver around me, I lean over and whisper in her ear.

  “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. And you’re mine.”

  That pushes her over the edge. She cries out and shudders beneath me, pulling me with her.

  Later, when we’re lying in the quiet, still tangled in each other, I know without a doubt that I’m irrevocably in love with Natasha Mills.

  Chapter 11

  ~Natasha~

  “Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?” Kelsey asks. We’re all in the kitchen together, all four of us baking pies for the holiday dinner we’ve been invited to attend up at Ellie and Liam’s home on Whitetail Mountain.

  I was grateful when Ellie called. Being around friends to keep my mind off the fact that this is our first holiday season without Monica and Rich is exactly what I think we all need.

  “It’s a day to count our blessings,” Sam says and kisses Kelsey on the head. “And to be grateful for all of the good things in our lives.”

  “Oh.” Kelsey frowns as if giving it a lot of thought. “I’m thankful for Mrs. Delgado. Because she’s nice and reads good stories.”

  “There you go,” I say with a grin and slip the last pie, a huckleberry-cherry, in the oven. “I think our work here is done for now. I have these little tables set up for the pies to cool, so be careful, okay?”

  No one acknowledges that I’ve said a word.

  “Guys, I need you to be careful around the pies so you don’t knock them over. Got it?”

  Not even a glance my way.

  “Yo!”

  Three heads jerk up and stare at me like I’m crazy.

  “I’m speaking, and you need to listen. No funny business around the pies so they can cool and not end up on the floor. Okay?”