Batteries Not Included: A Romantic Comedy

by Christa Lynn

  Another guy bumps him off the line, and Nash looks back, taking his hat off and dropping it onto the grass before he runs to me. He grabs me and pulls me into his arms, the smell of soot overwhelming me. He cups my face and kisses me hard, his tongue demanding entrance. “Don’t walk away from me again,” he whispers. “I can’t handle it.”

  I look down at his dirty boots, “Hey, Mister?” I look behind Nash, and there’s the little girl he carried out, on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on her face. I know how she feels, seeing Nash’s handsome face.

  “Hey, sweetness,” he says as he leans over her. “You’re going to be just fine. But where are your parents?” he asks.

  “Sleeping,” she cries.

  “Wait, they’re still in the house? Ray, her parents!” he yells out as Ray nods and grabs a buddy, and they run back inside as they wheel the little girl away. “Hold on a second, what’s your name?”

  “Amber,” she coughs out.

  “How old are you?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “Well, this beautiful lady is going to ride to the hospital with you, is that okay? Her name is Shelby.” He nods to me, and I agree. I grab my shoes and climb into the back of the ambulance with her, holding her hand while the fireman looks for her parents. I know deep inside they won’t find them alive, and my heart breaks for this girl losing her parents at such a young age.

  Nash blows me a kiss, “I’ll come get you when we’re done here.”

  I nod as the doors close, and we’re whisked to the hospital.

  “You her mother?” the doctor asks as she’s lowered from the ambulance.

  “No, my boyfriend is a firefighter and asked me to ride along with her.”

  “Are you injured?”

  “No, no, I just didn’t want her to go through this alone,” I sigh, fighting back the tears.

  “Okay, are her parents on the way?” I stop as he continues rolling her bed down the hall. He looks back and see’s that I’ve stopped, “Ma’am?”

  “I don’t think her parents made it, Doctor. The firefighters were looking for them when we left.” He nods in understanding before taking off down the hall toward the ER. I walk to the waiting room and sit down, still in my hooker clothes feeling extremely out of place. I call Sarah and tell her what happened, and she said she’d be down soon with a change of clothes for me.

  A nurse comes out bringing a blanket. “I thought we were supposed to stop meeting like this.” The nurse chuckled.

  “Thankfully it’s not me this time,” I say, taking the blanket from her.

  “She lost her parents?”

  “I think so,” I cry. “It’s not fair!” I cry. “No child should lose her parents like this, who’s going to take care of her?”

  “Child services will place her in a foster family, and we can only hope she’ll get adopted.”

  “Ugh, it’s so not fair,” I cry into the blanket.

  “She’s going to be okay,” the nurse says as she stands up. “Let me know if you need anything,” she says as she walks away. I stay seated and wait for either Nash or Sarah to show up. I feel as if I’ve lost everything again, even though it wasn’t me. I have a home to go back to, I have my mom. This poor little girl has lost everything. Her world has been turned upside down, but … but she survived. Nash saved her.

  Sarah finally shows up, and I’m able to change into something more comfortable before wrapping myself back up into the blanket and propping my aching feet up. Sarah doesn’t stay, though she offers to take me home. “No, I need to wait for Nash.”

  “Miss Mansfield?” I hear my name from the nurses’ station.

  “Yes?” I stand up, thinking something has happened to Nash.

  “Miss Amber would like some company if you’d like to come back.”

  “Sure,” I say and nod to Sarah. She takes off, and I follow the nurse back to where the little girl is. “Hey Amber,” I say and force a smile as I sit down next to her. Her face has been cleaned up a little, but I still see a little soot under her eyes. I grab a tissue and wipe her face, cleaning her up best I can.

  “My parents didn’t make it, did they?” she cries.

  “I … I don’t know, baby.” I take her hand. “But it’s going to be okay,” I say, though I can’t be sure that’s the truth. Right now, the truth would hurt too much, and I realize then why Nash didn’t tell me he helped because sometimes it’s best to lie. And I was petty and mean, and I shouldn’t have been. God, if something had happened to him after that …

  She squeezes my hand, and I open my eyes, her blue ones staring back at me. “He saved me,” she whispers.

  “Yes, he did, baby girl.”

  “Will he come see me?”

  “I hope so,” I respond. I know he’ll be here, I just don’t know when. I feel like I’ve been here all night, and as I look at the clock on the wall, I realize I’m right. We sit in silence, and I watch her fall asleep, her body trying to rest, though I know her mind is full of anguish. I lay my head down on the side of her bed and close my own eyes, but I’m awoken by a strong hand on my back.

  “Shel?” I hear him. I blink open my eyes, and Nash is behind me. I smile and stand and stretch before tucking the blankets around Amber, who’s still sound asleep.

  As the door closes, I have to ask, “Did you find her parents?”

  “We did.” He looks down.

  “They didn’t make it, did they?”

  “No, unfortunately, they didn’t. We found her father on the stairs under a wooden beam. It looked like he was trying to get to Amber when the roof collapsed. Her mother was discovered in the bedroom.”

  “Oh, God, that poor girl.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” he says as he pulls me into his arms. But I hear someone clearing their throat behind us, and I pull back. “You ready to go home?”

  “Yes,” I say.

  “You okay with my place?”

  “I am,” I say as I follow him out. “Where did you get the clothes?”

  “Sarah brought them to me.”

  “And she didn’t take you home?”

  “No, I wanted to stay with Amber until you got there. I’ll come back and see her tomorrow,” I say as we get to his truck.

  We drive in silence to his apartment a few miles away. We walk inside, and I’m surprised at how clean and beautiful it is. He walks to his bedroom and comes back quickly, bringing me a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. “Go put this on and get comfortable,” he tosses me the clothes.

  “Like these pants are going to fit,” I argue.

  “Just roll them up and pull the drawstring, it’ll be fine.” He points down the hallway, and I slip into the bathroom and change clothes, the soft fleece warming me. I still have on the sexy black bra that he hasn’t seen yet, but I think by now we’re past that. So, I take it off and lay it on the counter and pull the shirt over my head. I take a deep breath because it smells like Nash. I go back to the living room, and he’s in the kitchen opening a bottle of wine.

  He pours me a glass and hands it to me. “Sip on this while I take a quick shower.” I take the wine and take a big sip as I sit down on his sofa. I hear the water running and think about how nice that would feel, so I set my drink down and quietly open the bathroom door.

  I can see his sleek body through the foggy glass, and that ass. Damn that ass. I quickly undress and open the shower door and step inside, and he turns to see me. His eyes scan my body, stopping on my nipples. He moves toward me, and my back hits the tile wall, my head knocking against the hard tile.

  “Ow,” I groan, rubbing the back of my head.

  “Sorry, beauty,” Nash moans against my neck, and I immediately forget the pain. His fingers pinch and twist my nipples and a surge of electricity rolls through my body. I trail my nails down his chest, stopping to pay homage to his nips and I hear a low moan from his throat. I kiss down his chest, the warm water rolling over his skin.

  I kiss lower and lower until I’m hovering over his
cock, my heated breath blowing over the head. I can tell he’s fighting for control, but he lets me have it. I wrap my lips around the head of his cock and slowly sink down over him until my lips hit his abdomen. I pull back and wrap my fingers around him and dart my tongue out over the tip, looking up at him through my lashes.

  “Jesus, Shel.” He groans as he runs his fingers through my wet hair, massaging my scalp as I suck him deeper and deeper. He loses control and pumps his hips against my face, and I lose my balance, slipping on the slippery tile floor and back onto my ass. “Fuck,” he barks, but his face tells me he’s about to laugh his ass off.

  “It’s not funny,” I mock cry, though I’m about to laugh too. It’s late, it’s been a long day, and we’re both exhausted, but I can’t stop. Not now. He lifts me up under my arms and turns me around, my ass now against his cock. I arch my back, and he fills his hands with my tits while his lips brush against my neck. He bends me forward. “Hands on the wall,” he demands.

  He pushes his cock between my legs, giving enough friction against my clit that I push back in an attempt to increase the pressure. He presses his cock against my entrance and slowly pushes in, a sigh of relief exiting my mouth. “Oh yes,” I groan.

  “Hold on, beauty,” he says as he slams into me, my hands slipping down the wall and my head crashing against the tile. “Fuck,” he says as he turns the water off and pulls me up against his chest. “We need to get out before you end up with a concussion,” he says as he lifts me up and cradles me like a baby. I reach out and open the shower door, and he steps out, but his foot slips and we both go tumbling to the floor.

  “Good God,” I say as I roll into his chest. “Are you okay?”

  But he doesn’t answer, his body is shaking as if he’s having a seizure, “Nash?” I scream, about to go grab my phone, when he finally rolls over, his body still shaking … with laughter. “Nash!” I roll over and sigh with relief, but I’m getting cold here on the bathroom floor. I reach up and grab two towels and drape them over us, but he pulls me into his arms.

  “Are you cold?”

  “Yeah,” I say as I snuggle back into him, his cock still hard and now pressed against my ass. Before I can get up, he pushes into me and starts to slowly fuck me from behind.

  “Warming up now?”

  “Mmhmm,” I moan.

  “I think so, your pussy is so hot,” he says as he pulls me back into him grinds into me. But then he pulls out and turns me to face him, “I want to see your face when you come.” And he stands up, holds his hand out for me to stand up, and leads me out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. He backs me into the bed, and as it hits the back of my knees, I sit down and scoot back, and he climbs over me. He looks me dead in the eyes, and I see something other than lust, “What you did back there …” he cuts off.

  “I didn’t do anything, you’re the hero,” I say.

  “But you didn’t have to go with her to the hospital.”

  “I wasn’t going to let her go alone, Nash. She’s young, and she was so scared.”

  “You’re good with kids,” he says.

  “Correction, I was good with that kid.”

  “Well, you amaze me,” he says. “I have a confession to make,” he says as I feel his cock pressing against me.

  “Now?” I moan, thrusting my hips up.

  “When I told Jade I loved her?” he pauses. “I thought you were Jade, or I thought Jade was you.”

  “We’ve already established that,” I say. “Now fuck me,” I groan, desperate for release, and sleep.

  “No, I mean … I knew it was you, it was you I told that, not Jade, it was just all jumbled in my head.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying, I love you, Shelby. I think I’ve loved you since the day I ran over your foot at Beer Knobs. I’ve never stopped loving you, and I know it’s soon. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, until you.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything, I just needed you to know,” he says against my lips as he thrusts deep inside me, pulling my legs up to give him deeper access.

  “Oh, oh!” I cry out, pulling my lower lip between my teeth and biting down.

  “Don’t do that,” he whispers against my mouth, sucking my bottom lip out from between my teeth and into his mouth. His thrusting continues, slowly and tortuous. He’s no longer fucking me, he’s making love to me. His turquoise eyes search mine for some sort of confirmation that I feel the same things he’s feeling. I think I am, but I’m not ready to tell him. Not yet. He kept a secret from me, and though minor as it was, it was still a secret. And all we’ve done is have sex, but oh what sex it is. Can I be in a relationship with someone that puts his life on the line every day? Can I live with the chance of his Captain knocking on my door to deliver bad news?

  How am I thinking this right now? I don’t know, so I shut it out and push him off of me. I roll him onto his back, and I crawl over him, taking his cock and sliding it inside me. He reaches up and grabs my breasts and massages while his hips rise up to meet me.

  I watch his face as I ride him, his face contorts, and he holds my hips down. “I’m gonna come, baby,” he groans as he lifts me off him. “But not before you do,” he says as he tossed me on my back and hiked my legs back, before burying his face between my legs. His tongue drags up against my sensitive skin, and he sucks my clit into his mouth as two fingers stroke me.

  He gets me just to the edge and stops, only to plunge his cock back in, his fingers pressed against my clit. “Come with me, beauty,” he groans as he shoves into the hilt and I fly over the edge, my pussy muscles flexing against him, milking him. He collapses onto my chest and buries his face against my neck, kissing and sucking the tender skin there, before he rolls off and pulls the covers over us.

  “I need to pee,” I say as I get up, and he lets me. I walk into the bathroom and clean up, throwing his t-shirt on. I look at myself in the mirror; my hair is a mess, my mascara is smeared across my face, and I look like … like I’ve been good and well fucked. I splash cold water on my face and wash, my skin now pink and glowing.

  “Can I love him?” I ask the reflection in the mirror. “Can I let him love me?” I have this internal conversation with myself before going back to bed, and Nash is sound asleep. I crawl into bed and roll to my side while he sleeps, but my mind takes over, and the sun is coming up before I finally drift off.

  Chapter 22

  The smell of coffee wakes me up, and I roll over to an empty bed. The sheets on Nash’s side are cold, so he’s been up for a while. I glance at the clock, and it’s noon. “Holy shit,” I say as I sit up and wipe the sleep from my eyes.

  “There’s my beauty,” Nash says as he comes into the bedroom wearing only lounge pants hung low on his waist and no shirt. He hands me a piping hot cup of coffee and sits down next to me.

  “Have you checked on Amber?” I ask.

  “Yes, she’s being released today.”

  “Where will she go?”

  “Foster care, for now. Then she’ll go on the adoption list.”

  “Oh, Nash, it’s so hard for older kids to find a loving home.”

  “I don’t think she’ll have a problem,” he says as he gets up and heads toward the shower. “Care to join me?” He winks.

  “Um no, it’s too dangerous in there.” I laugh.

  “Right, well if you change your mind …” He closes the door, and I hear the water turn on. The events of last night blast through my soul like a rollercoaster. The ups, the downs … the curves and hills, gosh what a crazy night. And those words. Does he really love me? Or was that exhaustion taking over?

  I decide to not let it take over my day and wait and talk to Sarah. She’ll know what to do, of course … she got me into this. I slip on a shirt and head down the hall and into the living room to find my phone, and sure enough, I’ve missed several text messages and calls from her.

  “Where are you?”r />
  “Shelby, pick up the phone.”

  “Damn it, Shelby!”

  !I'm okay, sorry. Just woke up.”

  “Oh thank God, she replies almost instantly.”

  “I went to your house, and you weren’t there.”

  “I’m at Nash’s.”

  “Oooh, sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  “Did the outfit work?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Great, call me when you get home.”

  “Ok.”

  “Was that Sarah?” Nash asks as he walks into the living room, his hair wet and a towel wrapped around his waist.

  “Yeah.” I look away. I don’t need to fall into bed with him again, not until I know if what he said last night is true.

  “It’s true, you know,” he says as he sits down beside me.

  “What’s that?”

  “That I love you,” he says again. “I know that’s been rattling around in your head all night, and no, it wasn’t in the heat of the moment. You’re beautiful, smart, sexy and any man would be crazy not to snag you if they could.”

  I look at him, and for the first time, I actually see him. He’s vulnerable and unsure of himself, and I can tell he’s not sure he should have said anything yet. I brush my hand down his scruff and lean in and kiss him. “I know I’m fond of you, but it’s so soon.”

  “Soon? We’ve known each other for months now.”

  “I know, but two of those months we didn’t see each other.”

  “Doesn’t matter, my feelings only got stronger the longer it went. When I bumped into you at the coffee shop, I knew then I’d never let you get away again, even if I had to express myself quicker than maybe I should have. Take your time, but know this, you are everything to me. Hell, I ran into a burning house to save you.” He laughs.

  “That was your job,” I said.

  “Actually, it wasn’t. I was on a car accident call when I heard the call for the fire. I left the scene once the driver was out of the car and headed straight to your house. That storm that night caused accidents and fires all over Charleston. I got in some trouble too, but it was worth it.”