Dear Mr. Firefighter: The Match Maker Series

by Callahan, Kelli

  I couldn’t resist teasing Chloe and kissing her a few times before finally removing the straps. My desire was starting to burn, and it was difficult to resist her. I kissed her as soon as she was off the rack and we started looking around the room—trying to find anything that could connect the number three with the next piece of the puzzle. The rest of the torture devices appeared to be nothing more than props, so we started looking around the room itself.

  “Maybe it references the third of something…” Chloe twisted her lip into a perplexed star. “What about the paintings? There are three of them.”

  “That’s true.” I nodded and looked at the three images of random medieval scenery in front of us.

  Chloe walked over and pulled on the first one. It was bolted to the wall. The one next to it appeared to be bolted as well. The third one wasn’t. It came off the wall fairly easily and when she turned it around, we found a carved slot that slid open to reveal a key. It wasn’t big enough to fit the door though. It was a smaller key that was similar to the kind that would have fit a small luggage lock. Once I sized up the key, I started looking around the room again.

  “It has to fit something…” I narrowed my eyes and started to inspect several of the items.

  Although I’m having so much fun with you that I’m not eager to end our date—especially since it is going to end with me dropping you off at home.

  My date with Cain was going extremely well, but I couldn’t help but stare at the irony of the situation. I was finally with a guy that I would have eagerly given myself to, yet we were bound by the rules of the dating service to wait three months before we went through with it. I wanted him so bad my body was burning every time he was near me. I saw the same desire in his eyes too, but he was holding back. He didn’t want to break the rules, and I respected them, but that didn’t make the craving go away.

  I can hardly focus on this puzzle. Every time I find a clue, I feel like I’m just dragging myself towards the final moment I get to spend with him tonight.

  “Yeah, I can’t find anything.” Cain put his hands on his hips.

  “Could the key be some sort of decoy? Would they do that?” I looked down at the key in my hand.

  “Maybe…” He nodded. “Or maybe the lock is hidden and something else will reveal it.”

  “That’s a good theory.” I walked over and began turning over some random pieces of armor that appeared to be casually placed on a table

  “Wait, look at this picture.” He grabbed the picture that previously hid the key. “There’s a castle, but in the distance—there’s a guy holding up a sword.”

  “A sword?” I looked over at the table next to me that had various dull weapons. “There are a few swords.”

  “One of them is different though.” Cain walked over and picked it up. “It has a sheath.”

  Cain pulled the sword out of the sheath and I immediately noticed that the blade itself had a slot that looked big enough for the key. I pushed the tiny key into the slot and the sword came apart. I had a sense of excitement as Cain started pulling on the bottom of the sword.

  “Careful, don’t cut yourself.” I bit down on my lip in concern.

  “It’s not sharp.” He wiggled the bottom half of the sword until it slid free, which revealed a key welded to the top half of the sword.

  “Ah ha.” He grinned and held it up. “I think this one will fit the door.”

  “Definitely.” I nodded and followed him over.

  Cain unlocked the door and we were done with our second Escape Room. Part of me wanted to do another one, but I was also starting to get hungry. We decided to get something to eat and save the rest of the rooms for another day—I definitely wasn’t going to say no if he asked me to go there again. Solving puzzles with him was a lot of fun. I felt like it gave me a good perspective on the way he solved problems. It was methodical and it was a team effort—he didn’t try to hog the glory or do it all on his own.

  “So, are you going to take me home before the sun goes down?” I looked out the window and sipped my drink once I finished eating.

  “Not a chance.” He reached over and took my hand. “I’m going to spend every minute with you that I can.”

  “Good.” I grinned and nodded. “I’m not ready to go home yet.”

  We spent a couple of hours walking around the park, enjoying nature—and he couldn’t resist pulling me out of sight several times to devour my lips. That was definitely the best part. In between kisses, we talked. There was so much we had opened up about, but by the time we made it back to his truck, we had exhausted most of the interesting stories from our childhoods. I even found myself remembering things I hadn’t thought about in years—pieces of my past that weren’t entirely unpleasant but had been drowned out by the difficulties I experienced at a young age. The age difference showed some, especially in the pop culture of our youth, but it had really begun to feel like a non-factor entirely.

  After the trip the park, we decided to catch a movie and grab some dinner. We took a long time talking as we ate our food, even though we had had worked up an appetite since lunch. By the time we left the restaurant, it was pretty late, and we had successfully spent most of the day together. I still didn’t want to go home—not unless Cain was coming inside with me. When he pulled up to my apartment building, I had a sense of dread swirling inside of me. The kind that told me I was falling hard for him because I didn’t even want to say goodbye.

  “These rules are so stupid…” I turned towards him. “Why should we have to wait if we know it’s right?”

  “Trust me, I’m fighting it every single minute that I’m with you.” He reached over and let his fingers brush against my cheek. “Couples rush into these things. I certainly want to—but then I remember how many relationships fail because desire becomes the only thing that drives two people together.”

  “Do you think all of the people on the wall of success at What the Heart Wants waited?” I sighed and leaned against his touch.

  “Probably not…” He shook his head back and forth.

  Cain pulled me close—he started kissing me. I melted into his arms. Every kiss felt like the first one—it made fireworks go off in my head while my panties got wet. I wouldn’t have been able to resist him if he pushed for more than a kiss. The fuse inside my body had been lit so many times that it was smoldering, even when I didn’t have his lips pressed against mine. When the kiss finally ended, I was gasping for air. Cain stepped out of the truck, opened my door, and helped me down.

  “If you walk me to my apartment, I might pull you inside and lock the door.” I looked up at him and bit down on my bottom lip.

  “I guess I’ll have to make sure you make it there from a distance.” He exhaled sharply.

  “Yeah—that’s probably for the best.” I nodded quickly.

  Cain escorted me to the elevator, and it took us to my floor. I was thinking up every scenario imaginable in my head—even a few devious ones. He was a firefighter—I had a few things I could burn if it would make him show up at my door. That wasn’t reality though—reality was kissing Cain one last time—walking to my apartment—and waving to him before he walked away. I stepped inside my apartment with the afterglow of the date plastering a smile on my face that couldn’t have been erased by anything—even the medieval torture devices we used to solve our puzzle at the Escape Room.

  “You look like you had a good night.” Lola walked into the living room as I leaned against the door and stared at the ceiling.

  “It was incredible…” I lowered my head and smiled.

  I told Lola all about the date. I didn’t hold back any of the details—I even told her about all the magical kisses and the way I felt every time I was with Cain. It was such new territory for me that I wasn’t sure what I should have held back, so I blabbered like a kid confessing every secret I knew. I was far to excited to stop talking once I got going, and by the time I was finished, Lola had a huge smile on her face.

  “
You two better name your first kid after me or something.” Lola chuckled under her breath. “This is all because of me, you know.”

  “Yeah…” I grinned and nodded. “You made it happen and I couldn’t be happier—oh, I have other news too!”

  “Something that’s better than everything you just told me about your date?” She leaned forward.

  “I don’t know if it’s better…” I wasn’t able to suppress the grin that formed on my lips. “But I got an email from Cardinal Advertising. They want to interview me!”

  “What!?” Lola’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “Chloe, that’s amazing! I knew you were going to find something. Now you won’t have to learn how to make fancy coffee at Starbucks!”

  “As long as I don’t botch the interview.” I leaned back against the couch. “I haven’t had much time to process it because of the date, but this is going to be the most important interview of my life.”

  “You’re going to do great.” Lola nodded quickly. “Just show them how bad you want to work there—that kind of enthusiasm is never a bad thing until you’re negotiating your salary, but I think a little excitement for the job will make you stand out.”

  “If I can get my foot in the door, I’ll prove that I belong there.” I smiled and nodded. “I’ll work for peanuts at this point just to get the opportunity.”

  “Nah, don’t sell yourself short. You’re worth more than peanuts.” Lola chuckled.

  “Hopefully they see it that way.” I shrugged. “Okay, I know it’s a little early, but I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to bed.”

  “To sleep or to spend half the night texting Cain?” Lola winked at me.

  “I don’t know yet.” I picked up my cell phone. “I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

  I went to my bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. I did want to text Cain, but I kind of hoped he would text me first. I was worried that he would think I was too clingy if I couldn’t go more than an hour without communicating with him after the date. Luckily, my phone buzzed in my hand before I ever got a chance to decide which option would be best, and his gorgeous faced popped up on the screen.

  Cain: Will you go out with me tomorrow?

  Chloe: Definitely! I thought you’d never ask…

  Cain: I might have been a little distracted when I dropped you off.

  Chloe: Oh? I bet I can send you a picture that’s even more distracting.

  Cain: Is that so?

  I had a smile on my face as I stripped out of my clothes and found a sexy pair of panties to put on, along with a lace covered bra that was almost a perfect match for them. I didn’t own much that I considered to be sexy, but I had a few pieces that I had picked up over the years. If I was going to spend three months tempting him with pictures, I was going to have to take a trip to Victoria’s Secret as soon as I got my first paycheck. I stretched out on my side, pulled one leg up with my hips rolled forward, and took a picture that showed everything from my bra to my toes.

  Cain: Damn—you’re so fucking hot.

  Chloe: I can’t be the only one sending pictures. Where’s mine?

  I grinned as I waited for a shot of Cain and he sent me one that made my mouth water. Every inch of his gorgeous torso, his muscled legs, and nothing hiding what I wanted inside me except a thin pair of boxers. My panties got so wet after I saw him that I found my hand moving down my abdomen in into my panties before I even thought about it.

  This will have to do for tonight—even if it’s not what I really want.

  One week later

  Every day that went by with Chloe felt like a countdown clock in my head painfully ticking away the moments until we could finally be together. We went out when we could and the nights at the fire station without her were torturous. I wasn’t even trying to pretend that I wasn’t falling for her. I was falling so hard that I was lucky my head didn’t slam into the ground. We came close to giving in multiple times, especially when we had to say goodbye for the night, but then the text messages began—and they were getting dirtier as the days went by. It was almost like being in two relationships at the same time—dating a woman that was stealing my heart and texting with one that clearly wanted my cock.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so distracted by your phone.” Bridget walked into the living room and sat down as I typed out a message to Chloe. “You look like all of the customers at the diner.”

  “Just talking to Chloe.” I looked up from the screen and smiled.

  “I guess it’s getting pretty serious then?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “I think it might be.” I suppressed the devious grin that was trying to form.

  “When do we get to meet her?” Bridget leaned forward and picked up the television remote. “I told Abby not to keep asking you—so she just asks me.”

  “Soon, I think. Maybe I could invite her over for dinner one night when we’re all here?” I shrugged. “I’m kind of hesitant to introduce her to Abby so quickly—but I think this is the real deal.”

  “You’ve had more dates in a week than most new couples have in a month, so maybe things are moving a little faster than normal.” She nodded quickly.

  Except in the sex department—that’s going to be as slow as molasses no matter what.

  “Yeah, that’s true.” I looked up at Bridget. “I’ll talk to Chloe and see if she wants to come here for dinner next week.”

  “Sounds good. By the way, I didn’t want to say anything while Abby was still awake, but I had an interesting encounter at the diner today.” Bridget turned on the television so that the noise would drown out what she was saying if Abby happened to be able to hear us.

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to date one of your customers because they tipped well.” I prepared to roll my eyes.

  “No.” She shook her head back and forth. “I don’t do that. I had a guy at one of my tables who was in a hurry. I see him at the diner from time-to-time and he always has one foot out the door before his food even arrives, so I’m used to it. Anyway—after I brought him his check, he gave me his card and asked if I would consider interviewing for a position at his company!”

  “Wait—what?!” I blinked in surprise.

  “I know! I didn’t even know what to say. He said that he was really impressed with how I handled things at the diner and the service he got. Apparently, his secretary just quit and left him in a tough spot. He literally wants someone that can start tomorrow.” Bridget looked down for a moment. “I don’t want to work at the diner forever, but the last time I looked for another job, I didn’t have much success.”

  “You should do it.” I nodded quickly. “Provided that it’s a legit offer and he’s not after something else…”

  “That does worry me a little bit. I mean, he’s never hit on me. Hell, he’s usually so eager to go that he doesn’t even look at me. He’s always tipped well though.” She sighed. “I’m sure it would be better than working for tips—and the company probably offers benefits like health insurance that doesn’t cost nearly as much as my rent.”

  “It won’t hurt to interview. Maybe something good will come of it.” I smiled and nodded. “You definitely deserve to do more than wait tables for the rest of your life—but you might want to lay off the weed in case they give you a drug test.”

  “Yeah.” She sighed again. “Not much I can do about it at this point, but if I don’t get this job it’s at least reminded me that I need to be looking—always.”

  Bridget and I talked for a couple hours as we watched a movie. She was definitely excited about the prospect of spending her days in an office instead of waiting tables. I hoped it would work out for her. Just like I hoped Chloe was going to nail the interview she had scheduled later in the week. Things were moving in a good direction all around me, and when my phone lit up with another message from Chloe, I was ready to retire to my bedroom for the evening. I said goodnight to Bridget as soon as the movie was over.

  Chloe: Thinking about you t
akes my mind off the interview, so guess what I’m thinking about right now?

  Cain: Probably something naughty…

  Chloe: Something very, very naughty.

  Cain: Are you going to show me?

  Chloe: Maybe…

  I had a collection of pictures on my phone from Chloe already, but I never got tired of getting new ones. My phone lit up with a new message and I saw a picture of her from the waist down. Her knees were bent, her panties were push down slightly, and she had a hand between her legs. It was the dirtiest picture she had ever sent me, and my cock immediately got hard when I saw it. She knew how to tease—god did she know how to tease.

  Cain: You’re definitely being naughty.

  Chloe: Too bad you’re not here to do something about it—or stop me.

  Cain: I wouldn’t stop you, so it’s probably a good thing that I’m not there with you right now.

  Even though that’s exactly where I want to be…

  We exchanged a few more dirty messages, she sent me a few more pictures, and I was forced to deal with my throbbing cock before I even said goodnight. She was on my thoughts as soon as I put my phone down—in my dreams when I finally drifted off to sleep—and the first thing on my mind when I woke up the next morning. Spending the day at the fire station was going to be an ordeal, but at least I would have a distraction. I wasn’t sure I would be able to get her out of my head, even if I had to rush into a burning building before my shift was done.

  I guess I should go say goodbye to Abby before she goes to school. I won’t hear the end of it if I don’t.

  “Good morning, Uncle Cain!” Abby looked up from her cereal with a grin on her face. “Mom said we get to meet Chloe next weekend!”

  “She already told you that, huh?” I sat down and smiled.

  I haven’t even asked her yet. Hopefully she doesn’t think it’s too soon to meet the family…

  “Sorry, I couldn’t wait to spoil the good news.” Bridget walked into the kitchen, still trying to get an earring in her left ear.