“Just get in, idiots,” Hoove growled, pushing open the door at the end of the long hall.
When I let go of Jamie’s hand and stood back to let her and Lake go in first, I felt the loss of comfort her small hand in mine gave me. Quickly walking into the room, I skirted around Lake to Jamie and recaptured her hand in mine. The smile she gave me was happy and relieved. Did I read that to mean she wasn’t happy that I let her go? You bet your arse I did.
“Hey, guys, thank you all so much for waiting so long,” Tate said in a hushed voice.
The little bundle of blue in her arms stirred, letting out a tiny screech. Jamie pulled me closer to the bed, her hand tightening around mine with each step. I could feel a tremor ripple through her body.
Is this what she wanted one day, too?
Before I could explore the thought more, Lake stepped forward.
“Come on, Daddy. Get on the bed with your family. It’s photo time.”
Chase and I let out a groan at the same time. Dylan ‘Hoove’ Grant was not one to turn down an opportunity to get his face in front of a camera. And he never missed a chance to—
“Oh, shit a brick. Really, Hoove,” Carson muttered behind me.
Lake and Jamie both let out small gasps of surprise, not in shocked surprise but more like appreciative gasps.
Without even looking, I knew what Hoove had done, and Tate’s giggling confirmed my suspicions.
“Hunk, you don’t have to take your shirt off. Lake is taking our photo.”
“Baby, you heard the doctor. Skin on skin contact is best for the baby in the first hours after birth,” Hoove replied unashamedly.
I narrowed my eyes at Jamie, who was staring open-mouthed at Hoove’s ample and overly muscled torso.
Growling at her and getting a shy, apologetic smile in return, I turned my narrowed eyes to Hoove.
“I believe you have to be holding the baby to get the full effect, turkey,” I said deadpan. Not that it wasn’t true what Hoove was saying. When Prue came into the world, a nurse said the same thing to me. I spent the first few weeks of her life shirtless with her cradled against me. Even as young as I was when we had Prue, I wanted to be everything to my little girl. I wanted her to know she had nothing to fear from me, that my heart beat for her and her alone. Our bond as father and daughter started strong and stayed strong until the very end.
Choking back the lump in my throat at the memories invading me all of a sudden, I tried to concentrate on the happiness my friends were currently experiencing.
Jamie leaned into me, and without releasing our hands, we wrapped our free arms around one another’s waists.
A calmness settled over me, not something I could remember happening unless I was out in my paddocks with my and Prue’s horses.
“What’s his name?” Jamie whispered, keeping her eyes on the tiny little boy sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms.
Tate looked over at Hoove, who was now on the bed, his arms wrapped tightly around his family. Hoove nodded at her, and the smile he gave her was full of pride.
“Everyone, I would like you to meet Mason Flame Chase Carson Grant. Mason, meet your new family, sweet baby boy.”
A new lump took up residence in my throat as I stared at the baby then at Hoove and Carson.
“Hoove,” I croaked out, completely overwhelmed with emotions.
“It’s a mouthful of a name, but that’s what we are putting on his birth certificate. We will cut it down to just Mason Flame for everyday stuff. You guys are my best friends—our best friends,” Hoove amended, looking at Tate, who nodded, her eyes wet.
“We thought Flame sort of honoured the struggle we went through to bring him into this world. Tate and I had to find our way out of the flames to be here today with the miracle our son is to us. But honouring you two was just as important, ya know,” Hoove said, suddenly looking unsure of himself. We were mostly used to Hoove being sappy only when it came to the woman sitting beside him. To see him so wrought with emotion for anything else was a first in my book.
“I’m friggin honoured, man,” Carson said gruffly, his head resting on Lake’s white-blonde hair.
“Same here, Hoove, Tate. Thank you both. He is a handsome little bugger.”
“Of course, he is. He is his old man’s clone. The spit out of my mouth, the stuff from my loins, the—”
“Shut up, Hoove,” Carson and I said at the same time, getting a laugh from everyone in the room.
“He is so cute,” Jamie gushed, her eyes still riveted to the baby. I noticed she looked from the baby to Tate and then back to the baby again. I could practically see the drool pooling at the corner of her mouth.
Lowering my mouth to her ear, I whispered to her, “I don’t think Tate is going to let him go any time soon, legs.”
“I know.” Jamie pouted cutely.
As she turned her head to look at me, our faces were only centimetres apart. She looked at my lips, and then she did something I would remember for the rest of my life. Her pink tongue darted out and licked my bottom lip. It was the briefest touch, but I felt that flick of her tongue all the way to my heavy balls.
Her eyes heated with what I could only imagine was desire, but when she looked at the baby in Tate’s arms then back at me, I saw the longing in them, too.
“Do you want me, legs, or one of those?” I asked playfully.
That pink tongue made another appearance. This time, it swiped across her top lip then her bottom one, leaving a wet trail in its wake, which nearly made me moan with need.
“Let’s start with option A,” she suggested coyly, her voice a low whisper so no one else could hear her.
Her attempt at being a temptress was beyond cute, and if it weren’t for the red blush staining her cheeks and neck, she would have pulled it off. It made me happy that she wanted to flirt with me, yet I was more pleased she really had no experience at it. Beyond fucking thrilled, actually.
Squeezing her hand, I stepped forward to plant a kiss on Tate’s cheek.
“Congratulations, mama bear. He is beyond amazing.” Holding out my other hand, I made a fist to Hoove, who did the same and bumped my knuckles. “Enjoy your two weeks off, man. I am happy as hell for both of you.”
Dylan scowled, his face worried.
“Are you sure the station can afford to have me off for so long? With Knox—”
I held up my hand to stop him. I knew what he was thinking. With Knox’s death and Percy going to the other team, we were down two first responder firefighters. Percy could be used in a pinch, but his new duties kept him with the pumper truck most of the time.
“We got this, Hoove. You enjoy your family, mate. With any luck, the gods will cut us a break with no fires for two weeks,” Carson said, which just made Hoove and I groan.
“Well done, Hoges. You just jinxed us with that statement,” I muttered. There was an unwritten rule in our line of work. Don’t ask for quiet time because as soon as you did, all hell broke loose.
“Okay. Jamie and I are out of here. The dogs and the farm animals will be wondering where their feed is.” It was a good excuse to leave without copping any shit from Hoove or Carson. They didn’t need to know I really wanted to get legs home, strip her naked, and teach her all the things she needed to know about making love with me. She didn’t know it yet, but once I was fully seated in her, she was mine forever. Jesus, she had been mine the day I walked into the café and saw her for the first time, neither of us knew it then, that was all.
Another reason was I didn’t want Jamie feeling anything other than comfortable with me. Enough of her life so far had been lived in the spotlight.
She deserved some privacy for a change.
“Thank you so much for staying around to meet Mason. As soon as we’re settled at home, we will have everyone around for a party. Maybe by then, I will be able to hand him over so you ladies can have some cuddle time with him,” Tate said sheepishly, but I noticed the subtle way her arms held him a bit closer to h
er chest. Not that anyone could blame her. Poor Tate had suffered the worst kind of loss in that accident, and the fact that her sister did this for her took years off her waiting time to become a mother. Adoption was not easy or quick here, so I didn’t begrudge her one bit for wanting to keep little Mason all to herself and Hoove.
“Whenever you are ready, darlin’.” I winked at her and received a warning growl from Hoove.
“Come on, legs. Let’s get going before he goes all apeshit on me,” I said with a chuckle.
With a chorus of quiet goodbyes, I led Jamie out of the room, and we made our way to the exit, her hand in mine the whole way until we reached my car.
Opening the door for her, I stopped Jamie from sliding into the passenger seat. I put my arms around her and brought my face to within inches from hers.
“Are you sure, legs? I need you to be one hundred percent in this with me. I don’t want a quick roll in the hay to take the edge off, nor do I want a fuck buddy.”
Why the hell I was giving her an out baffled me. My dick certainly wasn’t happy with my question. The greedy bastard wanted one thing and one thing only, to get as far into Jamie’s pussy as he could be. And once upon a time, I would have accommodated him, but this time was different. This woman was different. This time I was going to let my heart take the lead.
“I don’t want those things, either, Chase. I want you, just you for as long as you want me.” Her eyes shone with the truth of her words, but then they clouded over slightly, making my heart clench.
“What, baby?” I whispered, worried that she was having second thoughts all of a sudden.
“There… I still have things to tell you, Chase. What if when I do, you change your mind about wanting me in your life.” Her voice broke as she confessed what was really wrong.
Relief poured through me that she still wanted me, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned with what she was hiding from me. I trusted my ability to judge a person’s character, and this beautiful woman in front of me did not raise a flag, not one.
“Baby, whatever it is, we will handle it, okay? Nothing and I mean nothing could scare me away from you,” I rushed to assure her.
Jamie’s smile lit up her gorgeous face. Today she was free from any make-up, and I had never seen anything more stunning. Since I met her, she usually wore lip gloss and had her eyelashes enhanced with thick, black mascara. I couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t her normal thing, that it was just part of her hiding because she looked so much better without it.
“Take me home, honey. To your place,” she said shyly.
After giving her a small chaste kiss on her lips—because anything more than that and I would be taking her right there in the carpark of the hospital—I helped her settle in the front seat. Once she buckled her seatbelt, I closed the door firmly and ran around the front of the car, thinking the whole time that I couldn’t wait for the time to come when she called home ‘our place.’
13
The drive back to Chase’s house was spent mostly in comfortable silence. There was tension, but it wasn’t bad, more like ‘pull over to the side of the road and take me in the car’ tension.
Chase’s Trans Am was a manual, so when he got in the car and started it up, he took my hand and placed it on his muscular thigh. When he wasn’t changing gears, he rested his hand on top of mine. The simple yet sweet gesture calmed the turmoil raging inside of me—so many things were worrying me.
Would I be any good at sex, were my boobs sexy, would he hate me and turn me into his policeman friend when he found out I was a murderess? Things like that swam around my head.
Okay, so maybe not a murderess since I hadn’t heard anything on the few news broadcasts I had listened to so far. I deliberately kept off social media so I didn’t bring attention to my whereabouts. I even swiped a newspaper from one of the senior citizens that came into the café for their morning tea when he went to the men’s room and found nothing in the sports section about Colin or me although I did see that Raphael was killing it in the latest tournament in Spain—again.
Surely, if Colin were dead it would be headlining news, wouldn’t it?
My other concerns about my body and how I would be in bed were legitimate ones, at least for me. Chase seemed to enjoy my boobs on the couple of occasions he had his hands on them. And though he was yet to see me completely naked, the bulge behind his pants gave me some comfort that things might go okay for me.
“Stop overthinking things, legs,” Chase growled then let go of my hand to downshift as he turned slowly into his driveway. The two big Russian dogs barked loudly, welcoming their master home or admonishing him for being late.
“I’m not,” I protested weakly. Damn the man for seeing too much.
His raised eyebrows and smirk said it all.
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
“Go into the house, baby. I have to quickly feed the dogs and other animals. It shouldn’t take me more than an hour,” Chase said, handing me the keys from the ignition after he parked the car and shut it off, the ticking of the cooling engine the only noise in the car.
I nodded and took the offered keys, making sure I made contact with his fingers, not ready to stop touching him even for a small amount of time.
“I won’t be long, I promise,” he told me, his smile happy. He must have sensed my reluctance to go inside because he brought my hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. The warmth of his lips on my skin sent a flurry of butterflies to my stomach. Every time Chase touched me, I felt the same giddy feeling. It was so new for me to feel that way. My experience with a male’s touch was either Colin’s rough handling or a trainer’s cold, clinical one.
Soft and gentle was a lot better in my view.
Only Chase’s touch.
The electric sparks building inside of me while I waited for Chase to finish his chores outside made me both uneasy and giddy.
Our chemistry was undeniable—so much so, it was almost tangible—our connection thrilling, and being around him made me happy and helped me to forget.
And that was the thing that was making me uneasy.
My heart wanted me to jump in feet first with Chase, and in some ways, I already had. The nights we spent on his couch, getting to know one another and exploring our bodies together was the first step in becoming something incredibly special.
Being part of a love so special was something I’d craved from a very young age, but it was never possible with my parents. I came to grips with that small fact very early on in my life. We never shared a bond, not in my memory, so I couldn’t miss what I never had. However, what I did miss and wanted was love from someone special. Chase was the one I wanted that from, but could I go headlong into a relationship without telling him everything first?
My selfish side, which I should listen to, told me to tell him nothing until after we made love because once he found out, he might just kick me out on my toned butt, and missing out on the chance to be loved by the man made me want to weep.
Where have all these selfish thoughts come from? I suddenly thought, ashamed that I could think getting into bed with Chase was worth more than my pride. It wasn’t fair to Chase, either. He showed me such kindness by opening his home and his heart to me so easily, so willingly, and here I was lying to him. They might be lies of omission, but no matter how you dressed them up, they were still lies and secrets.
Secrets I had no right to keep from him any longer.
Dread settled like a cement brick in my belly. Chase’s earlier assurance that nothing I had to tell would matter to him, that he would still want me rang in my ears. I prayed it was true and he could see past what I did and find it in himself to forgive me, to still want to build something from our attraction to each other.
“You look to be thinking pretty hard there, legs. Are you thinking about tonight and me getting between your thighs,” Chase said from the back door, startling me.
Grabbing the chair in front of me, I grippe
d the back of it. My heart hammered in my throat, and my head shook slowly.
“No. Well, yes, I have been thinking about making love with you, a lot, in fact. But before we do, I think it only right we talk first. About why I am here,” I finished off quietly.
“Jamie—”
“No, Chase. Please, I have to do this,” I said harsher than I intended. I took in a sharp breath as I tried to calm myself. Panic and fear rose inside me, so I pulled out the chair and fell into it.
“You need to hear what I have to say first, and then you can decide if I am who you want in your life,” I whispered.
Chase’s eyes narrowed, his lips thinned, and he looked like he wanted to argue with me. Thankfully, he just pushed away from the doorframe, then slowly walked to the other chair and sank into it.
“Okay, fine. You can tell me, but, legs, nothing is gonna change. I am already halfway in love with you, and I don’t scare easy. Just saying,” Chase said with his signature smirk, but it wasn’t his smirk that was affecting my ability to breathe right now.
His declaration that he was falling in love with me was the reason I had a freight train racing through my chest.
“Oh, Chase, I—”
Chase held up his hands to quiet me from speaking.
“Tell me your story, Jamie,” Chase growled. His stern voice surprised me as did his use of my name instead of the pet name he bestowed on me the first day we met, which he used more often than not when we were alone, and just now, his tone was hard and unyielding.
Heaving a sigh, I placed my sweaty hands on the table and twisted them nervously. The last thing I wanted was Chase angry at me. Didn’t he want to hear that I felt the same pull, that his heart beat was in tune with mine? Tears stung the backs of my eyes. This was a mistake. Telling Chase wasn’t going to get me anywhere other than back on the road to a different town, one without a hunky firefighter with ocean-blue eyes and a heart as big as a lion’s.
From The Inferno (Firemen Do It Better Book 3) Page 12
