by S. K. Lessly
He touched the tip of my nose with his finger before he placed a soft kiss to my nose. He then kissed my lips, brushing against me softly before pulling back. He cupped my face between his hands and placed some serious blue eyes on me.
“Lauren, I don’t care who comes with us. I just know that being with you is all I care about. I want to experience walking along the beach during sunset with you. I want to have you by my side when we go to dinner, feed you dessert and maybe cop a feel underneath the table. I want to enjoy our friends, do the couples thing and have fun. And most of all I want to make love to you every day and night with the sound of waves crashing against the surf as our soft music.”
Paul pulled me closer to him and rested his forehead against mine.
“I want to show you off, let everyone know just who you belong to. I promise you will have a good time. Trust me. I will make sure of it.”
I sighed, nodded, and was immediately kissed until I could barely breathe. My leg was hiked up and tucked against his hip. He grinded into my stomach, and I moaned my pleasures at feeling just how much he wanted me. Paul released my lips and trailed kisses along my chin, down my throat, around to the spot where my neck met my shoulders. I gripped his shirt tight, wishing he would lift me in his arms so that I could feel his hardness right against my sweet spot.
“Paul…” I moaned and damned near creamed my panties. I was soaked for him, needing him, throbbing for him.
He pushed his hand down my tights and fisted my ass.
“Fuck baby, I want inside you.” He mumbled and just when I was about to reach for him, to grip him through his jeans, someone cleared their throats.
We paused, and I slowly looked over Paul’s shoulder to find everyone piled inside the kitchen watching us.
I cleared my throat and dropped my leg from Paul’s hip.
I only lifted my eyes to our audience; the rest of my embarrassed face was hidden from view. Paul kept his back to everyone, no doubt wanting to shield them from the hard on ready to burst from the front of his jeans. I took in the scene in front of me and fought a grin.
Sabrina looked shocked as hell. Her face was red, flushed from the show we were putting on. Dominic, Samson, and Tyler smirked at us. Melissa, Tonya, and Amy hid their giggles and smiles, but Sebastian. Holy hell, he looked like he wanted to murder someone. Who? Paul? Me? I couldn’t tell but just as quick as the anger appeared, it disappeared, replaced with indifference.
“You two are fucking ridiculous.” Samson chided with a huge smile on his face. “Are you horny teenagers coming with us or not?”
Paul looked down at me and waited for my reply. I gave him a small nod. He smiled.
“Yeah, we’re going. Call me later though to tell me where you guys want to go.”
“Why? We can decide now.”
Paul, who finally turned halfway around so that he could meet his friend’s eyes, grinned broadly. “Because Lauren and I are heading home. I need to make love to my woman.”
Samson gave us shit, but he couldn’t stop smiling at us.
Paul made good on his word, he did make sweet love to me that night and well into the morning. Samson had texted where they decided we would go, Long Island. Unfortunately, we never took that trip.
Fate always has a funny way of ruining plans, doesn’t she?
Paul
I stepped out of the firehouse, needing some fresh air and my fix— the sound of my woman's voice. Samson brought me up to speed on the travel plans that were made. He and I were both off the weekend after the fourth, and it was decided to head up to some resort in Long Island. I pulled out my phone to call my addiction to give her the news and just to hear her voice.
“Hello?” whispered a sleep-filled voice on the other end of my call.
I leaned against the front of the fire truck I was next to and grinned. “Hey, baby, did I wake you?”
I heard her stretch and moan softly, which made my dick twitch in my pants. He, meaning my dick, remembered having her close earlier and was dying for a repeat performance. She had stopped by the firehouse to see me, and as usual, one thing led to another, and I had her pinned up against the side of the building, my hand desperately trying to get to her sweet heat. As with every time I fill her up, I would get interrupted with a call and tonight wasn’t any different.
“Did you wake me? Not really. What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be laying down getting some rest?” I closed my eyes and took in the low raspy sound of her voice. It was so got damn sexy.
“I will in a little bit. I wanted to talk to you about the plans for this trip and to hear your voice. Plus, I wanted to check up on you. I take it you made it home safely.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I did. It was very uneventful.”
We grew silent, and I took this time to get my thoughts together. Besides this trip, I wanted to talk to her about something I had been thinking about earlier. I wasn’t sure how I would broach the topic, but I never got the chance. Apparently, I wasn’t the only person with shit on their mind.
“Paul, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, baby, anything.”
“Do you think it's crazy that we are so wrapped up in each other? Or that we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other?”
I held my breath wondering where she was going with those question.
“No, not at all. Why? Do you?”
I could hear her shifting over the phone; I assumed getting comfortable for a long conversation. “I don’t know. I know deep down inside that you love me. You tell me all the time, and you show me with your actions. We spend most of our time together, and just as much as you can’t live without me, I can’t live without you. Is that crazy for us to feel this way so soon?”
I took a moment to let her words sink in. Yes, we were moving very fast. We’ve moved in together months after we officially became a couple and even though we’ve known each other for a long time, we had moved quickly. Nevertheless, I didn’t think we were moving too fast.
I understood why some have said we should’ve waited until the proper time had passed between relationships, before we hooked up again. I didn’t agree. When it came to Lauren and me, for some reason, I gave myself to her without hesitation or fear. Was that foolish considering our past? Maybe. Did I care? No. If I had to do it over again, the only thing I would change was letting her walk away from me without a fight.
I admitted honestly, “I don’t think it’s crazy at all. You and I have been through a lot, and I know our faith in love has been shaken. We both married people we thought loved us unconditionally. We expected to grow old with these two and have a family with them. However, that didn’t work out, and in the midst of that life lesson, we found each other. We established a friendship above all else. We learned to trust one another a long time ago, and when we finally had enough and shared our hearts with each other, things were different. We’ve learned how to cherish and treasure each other very differently.”
“But how do you know that I’m right for you? How do you know we aren’t setting ourselves up to repeat the failures of our past?”
“Shit, baby, there are so many reasons why you’re right for me.” I chuckled and looked down at my boots. I kicked the concrete not willing to take this conversation that far, at least not yet. I decided to concentrate on answering her other question instead. “Don’t be afraid, Lauren; not of us or what we have here. I won’t hurt you. I’d never hurt you. Know that what I feel for you is real, what we both feel is real. And know that I have never been happier.”
“It’s that simple, huh?” she asked me, and I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.
“Yeah, baby, it is. You can trust in our love for each other. It’s strong enough to withstand any storm life throws at us. We have a strong foundation that will keep us grounded. As long as we talk to each other, instead of, you know, jumping to conclusions.” She groaned, and I chuckled before continuing. “We should be good to go, baby. Sounds good to you?�
�
She paused then replied a smile evident on her beautiful face, “You’re so insightful. That’s sounds good. And I do trust us, and I trust you. I love you.”
A grin blossomed on my face. “Yeah, how much?”
“Wellll,” she dragged out, humor laced in her voice. “I love you so much, that I think I’ll let you make love to me when you get home in a few days.”
I laughed. “Is that so? How selfless of you.”
“Eh, it’s the least I can do.”
I shook my head, grinning like a freaking idiot. “You’re crazy, do you know that?”
“Yup,” she replied, which had me laughing again.
“Look, I had called you for a different reason.”
“Oh, what was it?”
“I’m sure you spoke to Tonya or Melissa by now about the trip up North, but I was thinking that maybe after that, you and I can take a trip just the two of us. The trip to Long Island is happening in a couple of weeks. But you remember, after that my three-week vacation starts?”
“Yes, I remember. You told me you wanted to work on the kitchen and replace the cabinets or something.”
“Right, well what do you say we spend my vacation doing something else?”
She paused before she asked, “Like what?”
“Like finding someone’s beach to lie on and watch someone’s blue waters crash against it.”
“You want to go to a beach after we go to Long Island?”
“Not any beach, Lauren. I want to go someplace tropical and romantic. I want to take you away for a while just the two of us. We can head to Hawaii or somewhere else in the Caribbean.”
“Paul, that sounds amazing, but one, can we afford two trips? And second, I thought you really wanted to work on the house and relax? I remember your exact words were—" she began to rehash our previous conversation, but I cut her off.
“I know what I said, but I changed my mind. I want to get out of here, and I want to get out of here with you. The trip with the group will be fun. After that, I want to just be with you.” I was trying not to let her questions deter me, but I couldn’t help asking, “Do you not want to go with me?”
“Oh of course I do. I would love to go away with you. I’m just curious as to why the change of plans?”
I ran my hand down my face and blew out a breath. “No real reason, baby. This is supposed to be my vacation, and I don’t want to be working on my vacation.”
She remained quiet probably trying to figure out if I had a hidden agenda or not. I did, but I wasn’t getting into it now. Later. Everything would happen later.
Finally, Lauren prodded softly, “So do you have a destination in mind? I can get started on researching and—"
I cut her off quick. “Ah, no. Stop right there. I don’t want you to do a thing. I want to take care of everything. I’ll find a place for us to stay and an island for us to stay on.”
“Really?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at her surprised tone.
“Yes, really.”
“Ok, Lieutenant,” she relented rather too quickly for my taste, but I didn’t question it, “you just let me know the time and place, and I’ll be packed and ready.”
We talked a little more about what all I wanted to do on our vacation and what I wanted to get her to try to do. She’d never went parasailing or water skiing and was reluctant to try it, but I promised I’d keep her safe and for now, she’d agreed to keep an open mind.
I had a feeling we were going to get another call, so I reluctantly wrapped up our call. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she answered, “I think I have an idea.”
“You think you do? That’s not good enough. I see I have some work to do of my own. How about I take you up on that selfless act of yours and make love to you when I get home.”
She chuckled. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
I was about to say something else, like all the things I planned to do to her, but as expected, a call came in.
“As you can no doubt hear, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
“Okay, I will. You be careful.” She sent me a kiss through the phone, trying to mask the worry in her voice.
I knew she was nervous for me every time she heard me go on a call. I knew it was equally hard because she witnessed a call that had gone south some months back. I had no way of easing her mind. I just made sure to tell her every chance I got that I loved her.
“I will, baby. I love you!”
“You better…” she retorted.
I felt Samson’s large hand on my back as I moved to the side of the truck to grab my gear. I hung up my phone, placed it in my pocket, and stepped into my turnout gear. I pulled myself up into the truck just when the truck started moving.
“You’re so pussy whipped,” Samson joked grinning at me as he hung out of the window of his truck.
I gave him the finger and yelled over at him as his squad passed us.
“You damn right I am!”
27
Lauren
It’s been over two weeks since I heard his voice, since I felt his touch, since I saw his smile, and since he held me close. I kissed his hand and caressed his bearded face. I closed my eyes and continued to pray that he would open his eyes again. That he would squeeze my hand again, show me some sign that I’d done the right thing. I glanced at the machine that was breathing for him then at the monitor that showed his heartbeat, and I felt more tears stream down my face.
Tears have been falling from my eyes for hours now, and I don’t know if it will ever stop. It felt as if I ran out of time. My heart ached more today than the day Samson came to my door in what felt like a lifetime ago.
I had been in the kitchen making an omelet for Paul, using egg whites and fresh veggies when I heard my doorbell. I looked at the clock on the wall and frowned. Paul should be coming home soon, but he wouldn’t be using the bell. I turned off the eye on the stove and headed to the door. When I opened it and saw Samson, I smiled, but my smile quickly faded when I saw the expression on his face. I backed up from the door and almost passed out.
“No… No… No… Lauren,” Samson declared. He reached out and caught me just as my legs gave out. “He’s not dead, okay. He’s in the hospital.”
I gripped him tight until I was able to stand and gather myself. I nodded simply and went to get my shoes, keys, and phone.
On the way to the hospital, Samson explained what happened. They were inside a building when a beam collapsed on Paul and his team. Paul pushed a young guy out of the way and ended up taking the brunt of the blow. His helmet took some of the force, which I thought was a good sign.
“How is he?” I asked.
“He’s in a coma.”
My heart dropped, and I closed my eyes, praying the entire way to the hospital, especially when Samson explained that he was airlifted from Bloomfield Hospital to a hospital in Newark, who specialized in head trauma.
When I arrived at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Downtown, I learned the doctors were still running tests and examining him, so we had no updates. After about thirty minutes or so Paul’s family arrived, with his father demanding someone update him on his son. He looked over at me as if I held all of the answers. Actually, he looked at me as if it was my fault that he was here.
I ignored him. I stayed next to Samson and Paul’s squad trying not to lose it. We all sat around impatiently waiting for what seemed like forever until a tall, older white man with a head full of black hair accented with gray at the temples walked up to Paul’s parents.
“Mr. and Mrs. Logan?” The doctor approached the couple. Paul’s parents stood, anguish evident all through their body. Even though we weren’t considered family, according to the hospital, me and Paul’s firehouse all hovered around to hear what the doctor had to say.
“I’m Dr. Goldbloom, your son’s trauma surgeon. Your son is in a coma. He sustained a substantial b
low to the head that caused some bruising and swelling of his brain. The helmet he wore took the brunt of the blow, which is why he’s still with us, but I can’t tell you if or when he will wake.”
I collapsed in a nearby chair and buried my face in my hands. I tuned out the questions his parents were asking and stared into space. Oh God, this isn’t happening. How could this be happening? I closed my eyes and willed for the pain in my chest to subside. It literally hurt to breathe.
The doctor finally let us see him, and when I did, I broke down. I could barely recognize him. His face was swollen and unrecognizable. Tubes and wires were coming from his body. I started praying at that moment, and I hadn’t stopped.
From that day on, his parents and I took turns being at his bedside. I got a hotel room close to the hospital and only used it to take a shower and change clothes when his family came to sit with him.
My family surprised me one day and came for a weekend, and I introduced them to Paul’s family. My father and brother both talked with the doctor, at Mr. Logan’s insistence, to get a better understanding of Paul’s injuries.
Mr. Logan was getting frustrated with Dr. Goldbloom because he wasn’t able to tell him anything new about his son’s condition. My dad, however, explained to Mr. Logan that Paul’s doctor knew what he was doing.
“Dr. Goldbloom is top in his field,” my father explained. “He’s taking great care of Paul, trust me.”
“How do you know?” Mr. Logan challenged. His lips were in a thin line.
“Because I looked him up the moment Lauren told he was Paul’s doctor. There’s no way anyone can tell the extent of any brain injury until the swelling subsides. No indication will help anyone determine when he will wake. Right now, Paul’s recovery is all up to him. Your son is young and strong. You just have to give him time to heal.”
My dad’s words didn’t ease the tension in Mr. Logan, but at least he didn’t completely lose it on Dr. Goldbloom and threaten to end his career, again.
* * *
One week went by, and there wasn’t a change in Paul’s condition. We were heading into a second week with still no sign of improvement, not as far as everyone was concerned. I, on the other hand, witnessed Paul open his eyes then close them again, and I felt him squeeze my hand. Unfortunately, this happened when I was alone with him, and no one believed me. I was sure he was fighting. He was coming back to me, I just had to be patient, and I would be. All he needed was time. We both did until that was also taken away from me.
