When they were apart, they spent hours on the telephone, talking about their pasts, their favorite television shows, their families. His mother who ran a furniture store and lived in Austin; her parents who were both teachers living in Fort Worth. They wondered when they’d find time to visit their respective parents together, because they’d dated long enough they both thought this “thing” they had might stick.
This weekend, she was staying at his place and had stuck a DVD of Longmire episodes into the player, not that either of them really cared what was on the TV. She was faced toward the television, her knees tucked beside his thighs. He was holding her hips and bouncing her on his lap. The angle was interesting, but she wasn’t getting the depth she needed. And she’d complained.
Troy brought her back against his chest. “Trust me?” he whispered.
“Hell, no,” she said and snickered. Every time he said that she knew to expect some new and embarrassing sex act.
He held out his hand. Two rubber objects shaped like mini light bulbs sat in the center of his palm.
“What are those?”
“Nipple suckers.”
Her nipples tightened instantly. “Show me,” she said, her heart already racing. Her nipples were extremely sensitive, and she loved when he played with them.
Looking over her shoulder, Troy lifted one breast, squeezed the “bulb” of the device, and then placed the opening over her tip. When he released the bulb, it suctioned her nipple. Troy squeezed it again and again, increasing the pull until she was digging her fingernails into her own thighs.
“Too much?” he murmured.
She gave a quick shake of her head. It stung, but she kind of liked it. Eager for him to apply the second one, she lifted her other breast.
He tsked in her ear. “This can work someplace else, baby girl.”
As she envisioned that other place, she went rigid and moisture instantly flooded her channel.
He glided a hand up her inner thigh, forked his fingers, and pulled up her labia to expose her clit. Then he squeezed the bulb on the tiny toy and placed the opening atop her clit.
The moment he released the bulb, she had to move. But before she could do more than slide forward, he squeezed it again.
“Oh fuck,” she gasped as the suction grew stronger.
Troy flicked the sucker still attached to her breast. “Do you like it?”
“Let me move.”
“Still going to complain?”
“Just please, Troy,” she gasped, “I have to move.”
He gave the inside of one thigh a smack, and she bolted upward and slammed downward, then repeated the action, faster and faster. Eventually, the sucker attached to her breast loosened and fell away. The one on her clit disappeared as well, but she didn’t care, couldn’t stop, she was there, fucking right there…
She bounced again, Troy smacked the top her folds, and she exploded, crying out and rocking, eyes closed, mind blown. When she came back down, he was hugging her against his chest, his hands caressing her breasts to soothe away the ache.
She settled her head on his shoulder and turned to look at him. He smirked.
So, he deserved a big head. Hell, he deserved an orgasm. “You didn’t come.”
“I’m saving it.”
“For what?”
“For when I bend you over the back of this couch. That’s my fantasy.”
And just that fast, she was ready again. “Feel that?” she asked, rubbing her cheek against his.
“Did you pee?” he teased.
She swatted his thigh. “Be nice.”
“Too late. You let me inside you. I don’t have to be polite anymore.” He bit her ear.
“Ouch! I can’t believe I’ve sunk so low.”
Troy patted her belly like bongo drum.
She laughed and tried to capture his hands. “Stop it.”
“Not until you say it.”
“Say what?”
“That you love me.”
She went still, her head facing forward, because she didn’t want to see his expression. Didn’t want to think he might be joking and didn’t want him to see the dismay on her face, because she wasn’t sure she was ready.
He patted her belly again, this time more gently. “Don’t think too hard about it. I won’t be crushed if you can’t say it, but I thought I’d go ahead and let you know.” His chest rose, pressing against her back. “I love you, Diana Boyle.” He kissed her hair.
Her eyes burned. She gave a little nod, unable to speak. When his hands gripped her and lifted her off his lap, she set her feet on the floor, not knowing where to go now—the bathroom to hide? The bedroom to pack her things and go?
But no, he gripped her upper arms and marched her around the back of the sectional. A smile tugged at her mouth, and she glanced back at him, letting him see the tears welling in her eyes as well as the grin.
“Now, bend the hell over.”
* * *
TROY’S PHONE VIBRATED on the nightstand. Diana ignored the sound and muttered. Because she was in the way, he rolled on top of Diana to grab his cell. Not a bad way to wake up, she mused, as his weight pressed her into the bed. She slipped her hands around to cup his ass as he read the screen.
When he put down the phone, he bent and gave her a quick kiss. “Baby, I’ve got to go. Barn fire. It’s already spread to the surrounding fields. Everyone’s being called. With the grass as dry as it is, they’re afraid the fire will jump to the next property. And it’s not far from town.”
He kissed her again then rolled away. With no time to shower, he slipped on sweats and a tee, grabbed his keys from the dresser and rushed out of the bedroom. In the distance, she heard the snick of the lock as he closed the front door.
Diana opened her eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. This was the first time since the competition that she’d let herself really think about the fact of what he was. Troy had left their bed to walk into a fire. And she didn’t know how she felt about it.
Even when Mike had been alive, she’d been ambivalent. Part of her proud of what he did. The other scared shitless of the risks. She understood all too well the dangers of Troy’s job. For all she knew that quick kiss might have been their last. Why wasn’t she shocked? Crying? If anything, she felt a little numb.
She sat on the edge of the bed and decided to get a shower. She contemplated heading home, but knew that would be a shitty move to make when her man was out being a hero, so she quickly got ready and headed to the firehouse. When there was a big fire, there was always something to be done. While she volunteered, maybe she’d work through how she felt. Decide whether she was all in, or whether she needed to cut her losses now.
An image of Mike lying on a gurney in the morgue flashed through her mind. He’d succumbed to smoke when his helmet was knocked from his head by falling debris. The blow had thankfully kept him unaware that he was suffocating. When she’d seen him, the ME’s folks had already cleaned the soot from his face. He’d looked like he was sleeping.
Maybe if he’d been burned she’d be more freaked out now, but at this moment, nothing felt real.
When she arrived it was to find volunteers crawling all over the firehouse. The trucks were gone from the bay, but neighboring counties had sent vehicles and men, and Sergeant Horvak was manning dispatch, giving each arriving team orders as to where they were needed.
Diana headed straight to the kitchen. The trucks might run on diesel, but firefighters needed food for fuel.
Sherry Thacker was already in the kitchen setting out steaming mugs of coffee for new arrivals. She set cup on the counter in front of Diana. “Why do these things always happen in the middle of the night?”
Diana smiled at the redhead who was dressed in jeans and a too-large firehouse tee. “My late husband said fire’s a woman, and we’re always inconvenient.”
Sherry gave her a look then laughed. “He was a smart man.”
Diana grinned, glad she could find a happy memory of Mi
ke to share. “He was indeed.”
Sherry peered into the large refrigerator. “Ugh. Blake’s a better cook than I am. He sees meals. I see jumble.”
Diana gently pushed her out of the way and took inventory. “How about we make this easy? Lots of hot biscuits, white gravy, scrambled eggs.” She held up packages of bacon and sausage. “We can fry it all up and keep it in the oven. Feed them as they come.”
Sherry wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Let me take a turn around the station house. Make sure Benny doesn’t need help, and see if any girlfriends or wives are coming in. I’ll get them setting up a buffet table with utensils and snack food.”
Diana waved her off, glad to be alone for a while with her thoughts. The quiet lasted all of a minute before men poured inside, looking for coffee to fill their travel mugs and thermoses, and grabbing slices of buttered bread, all that she had time to prepare before they headed back out the door.
The dizzying pace of activity kept her moving. Kept her from rushing to the dispatch desk or the rec room to check the news on the TV. It was just a barn fire. Maybe it would creep to the surrounding pastures. A pain in the ass to put out, but nothing like a multi-storied building with crashing overhead beams. Troy would be fine. He’d return with a huge smile on his face to find her helping out in the firehouse. He’d tell her she belonged, that she had place here, that she could teach in the local school, the same school where their kids would attend. Again, he’d tell her that he loved her.
This time, she might have the courage to tell him she loved him right back.
TROY WAS LAYING down streams of water outside the Parker’s large ranch house. Although it had started a quarter mile from the barn, the fire had run away from the crews trying to get it under control, spreading across the pastures, jumping across the gravel ranch road to lick its way straight to the house.
When he’d first arrived he’d been assigned the house. Before the flames came screaming down the road, he’d soaked the roof and the yard. Depleting the truck’s tank and sending it back to town while a rig from the next county pulled in to take its place. Within minutes he was back, trying to get enough water on the house and its surrounds that any fire might hop over it looking for easier fuel.
When he’d seen the flames marching his way undeterred, he’d left Jeremiah McCord, a local rancher and a volunteer firefighter, on the hose, grabbed a shovel and followed Mr. Parker’s bush hog to where the old man was trying to clear a firebreak wide enough to stop the fire. Troy had worked on digging a trench in front of the band of cleared brush. Due to the heavy smoke, his SCBA mask and oxygen cylinder had replaced the wet bandana he’d used earlier as he bent to the task, working feverishly, but to no avail.
The fire marched farther down the road. The next firebreak barely slowed its progress. And now he was back at the house. And yes, the fire had jumped over the house, quicker than he’d had time to evacuate, and now surrounded it. The pump was nearly dry. The roar and crackle of the flame were deafening. Smoke was so thick, he couldn’t see any others, but knew most had been pulled back to the next ranch. Now they’d be laying down fire with drip torches to rob the wildfire of fuel.
He felt a tug on his jacket. Jeremiah stood beside his elbow. “Parker has a storm shelter,” he shouted through his mask.
Troy cut the flow of water and followed Jeremiah, keeping a hand on his back so he didn’t lose him in the smoke. The cellar was behind the house, a large earthen hole with a thick steel door for a roof. All they had to do was hunker down until the fire passed. They’d be safe enough. Inside the bunker, Troy sat in pitch darkness beside Mr. Parker, with his back to a wall and his legs stretched in front of him. He and Jeremiah shared their masks with the old man who’d been too stubborn to leave the home he’d lived in all his life.
Troy wondered what that would be like, having deep roots. Having family to carry on after he was gone. His mom hadn’t been the most “hands-on” parent. She’d worked hard to support them both when he was growing up. He wanted to be more involved with his children. The thought of the process of making those babies, watching Diana’s body swell with his child, made him feel restless, like time was running out. He wanted to begin building a family now.
Troy pushed up and felt his way back to the ladder, climbed the steps, and felt the steel door. It was warm still, but not hot to the touch. It might be safe now to poke his head out and have a look. Only when he unlatched the door and pushed up, the door wouldn’t budge. Something was blocking it.
“Everything okay?” Jeremiah called out in the darkness.
“Buddy, looks like we’re going to be here a while.”
Chapter Seven
DIANA MADE ONE last pot of coffee and cleaned the countertops one last time. The crowd inside the firehouse was thinning. Crews from the surrounding counties returned to check out. The local firefighters, volunteers and the regular crews, wandered in, one truck at a time. But there was still no sign of Troy.
When there was nothing else to do to keep her mind busy, she strode toward dispatch and a very tired Sergeant Horvak who was still manning the board. “Jeremiah? Troy?” he said into the microphone. “We need you both to report in.”
The fire chief hovered next to him, his expression grim.
Diana felt a little lightheaded as she walked closer.
The sergeant looked down at his clipboard which was a mess of crossed-out fire crews, every name accounted for, except for two.
“His last location, Benny?” the chief asked.
“Mr. Parker’s house. Haven’t seen him either.”
The fire chief lifted his handheld radio. “Sheriff, we’re missing three men. Last seen at Parker’s place. Can you send a unit to check it out?”
The radio squawked. The sheriff was sending a squad car to the location.
An arm slipped around the back of Diana’s waist, and she glanced sideways to find Sherry Thacker beside her, concern evident in her tight features. “Why don’t you come into the common area with me, Diana. We can wait together. I’m sure your man will be along shortly.”
Only Diana didn’t want to wait. She wanted to head to her car and tear out to the ranch to find Troy herself. And when she did, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Tell him she couldn’t be with a firefighter if he was going to scare her like this. That she loved him, but she wasn’t sure it was enough.
Instead, she let Sherry lead her to a long, well-worn sofa. She let the other woman make them both tea. Sherry seemed to know better than to try to engage her in small talk. She stayed silent while Diana counted the seconds, then the minutes.
In the distance a siren sounded. Diana braced. Squad car? Ambulance? Had the men been found? She set her cup down on the coffee table in front of her, gripped the edges of the couch, and began to rock because she couldn’t stand the waiting, and she felt like she might splinter apart.
Footsteps sounded, coming fast. Sherry gripped her upper arm and squeezed. Diana closed her eyes and stiffened, waiting in an agony of suspense.
And then fingers feathered over her face and tilted it upward. Firm lips brushed across hers. “Sorry I scared you, girl.”
Diana sniffed and opened her eyes. Troy’s face was black with soot and dirt. His eyes were red, but his smile was a mile wide. She threw out her arms and hugged him close.
“Whoa, I’ll get you dirty.”
“Too late. Thought you liked me dirty,” she muttered.
Chuckles surrounded them, and Diana bit her lip and settled back, her hands seeking Troy’s because she wasn’t letting him go.
Sherry rose, bent to kiss Troy’s cheek, then fluttered her fingers at her husband, who shook his head. “I have reports to write, sweet cheeks.”
“Well then, lower the blinds in your office,” she said, sashaying away.
Troy stood and reached down to help Diana up. “I need a shower, and then I’ll tell you all about it. I wasn’t in any imminent danger, baby. Promise. A fallen chimney blocked the s
torm shelter door. I’m not taking risks with this body. You love it too much.”
Diana shook her head. “You’re a jerk. Completely full of yourself. As if I was worried about your hide.”
He jerked her against him then lowered his head. “You’re going to take that back.”
With her heart beating wildly in her chest from a mixture of pure relief and love, she rose on tiptoe and kissed him. When she settled to the floor, she held his gaze, took a deep breath, and… “I love you, Troy Barlow.”
“I know. Who wouldn’t?” His tone was light, but his eyes blazed with a deep joy.
Diana snagged his hand and pulled her behind him. “What time do you think the school district office will be open?”
“An hour, maybe.”
“Good, we’ll have enough time.”
“Before what?” he asked, his tone bemused.
“Before I go fill out an application. Get on a sub list. I’m moving to Caldera.”
Behind her, Troy whooped. Diana gasped as she was swung into the air and twirled around. In that moment, something clicked into place. She had a second chance at love, and she was grabbing for it with both hands and her eyes wide open.
* * *
WHEN DIANA ARRIVED home from her first day of teaching at Caldera’s elementary school, Troy was waiting at the doorway. His pretty wife looked a little tired but definitely happy. He took her tote bag and hung set it on the counter beside the fresh bouquet of flowers he’d picked up earlier.
Her gaze widened, and she bent to breathe in the scent of red and white roses. “You did not have to do this,” she said, giving him a smile.
He held up a finger. “Wait.” He went to the stove and raised the lid on the pot of stew he’d started sometime around noon. He waved a hand over the steam to blow some of the aroma her way.
“You cooked!” She shook her head and stepped out of her shoes, kicking them toward the hallway on the pristine floor. His frown made her laugh. “You are so fussy. Just wait until this one’s messing with all your clean,” she said patting her slightly rounded belly. “How are you going to stand it?”
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