Hooked on a Phoenix

by Ashlyn Chase

  Gabe’s mind wandered back to his childhood. His brother Ryan had been raised as his twin. The eldest son had met with a deadly accident at age seven. With a quick explanation to Jayce and Miguel, his parents set Ryan on fire, and he reincarnated out of the ashes. But apparently he didn’t stay in phoenix form long enough to mature to his former age. He shifted into human form right away. Their parents couldn’t stand the idea of burning a baby, so Ryan stayed as he was.

  Gabe was just an infant. Suddenly he had a “twin.” He didn’t remember any of it, but the story was well known among family members. A neighbor saw the two babies, so the Fierros decided to raise their eldest and middle child as twins. He and Ryan should have been close. They had a good relationship, but not like real twins.

  His first memories were of Jayce teasing his younger brother Miguel and of Ryan trying to join in. Gabe used the distraction to crawl up into his mother’s lap and get some prime cuddle time for himself. To be honest, sometimes he suggested a game and then quit when the others were busy…just to bask in his mother’s love. That didn’t make him sensitive, but he could see why his mother might think so.

  Now Misty was all cuddled up to him. He propped his chin on top of her head and stroked her dark, silky hair, cascading down her back. And he liked it.

  “Gabe?”

  “Mmm?”

  “Is this okay?”

  “Is what okay?”

  “This. Your holding me. ’Cuz if it is, I’d like to stay here forever.”

  He chuckled. “Forever is a long time, Misty. I might get hungry.”

  She pulled away just enough to look up at his face. “I’m hungry now. But not for food.”

  Whoa. “You had to go and make it weird.” He let out a nervous chuckle.

  “It’s not weird. We like each other. We always have.”

  “Parker would kill me.”

  “And then I’d kill him. Either way, I get to live.” The little minx was smirking.

  “Oh, so as long as you come out of it okay…” He couldn’t help laughing.

  She gave him a carefree shrug.

  He dipped her until she lay flat on the couch, and then he loomed over her. Without thinking, he bent down and captured her lips. Her arms twined around his neck. Careful not to put his full weight on her fragile body, he stretched out beside her. They kissed for who knew how long.

  He was well aware of the erection straining his jeans. A moment later, he realized she was aware of it too. And she reached down to stroke him.

  “Jesus, Misty. Stop it.”

  “Why? I want you, Gabe. And unless you’re always this hard, I can tell you want me too.”

  He bolted upright. “Oh, fer Chrissakes.” He stood, placed his hands on his hips, and frowned. He was losing the war inside his head. At last, scooping under her bottom and back, he lifted her effortlessly. Then, against all better judgement, he carried her to his bed.

  He lay her in the middle and straightened. Arms folded, he studied her for a few moments. She wasn’t afraid. Her expression was…expectant? Probing?

  “What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

  “Nothing. That’s what’s wrong.”

  Her forehead wrinkled into a perplexed line.

  Gabe unbuttoned his shirt, still holding her gaze. She didn’t move as he peeled it off. Her eyes flicked to the white puckered burn mark on his ribs but quickly returned to his face.

  “You can still stop me if you want to,” he said.

  “I don’t.”

  She sat up and pulled her sweater over her head.

  Shit. She had the most perfect breasts he’d ever seen. Granted, they were still partially hidden by her black satin bra, but the shining skin and her cleavage were tempting enough. His mouth watered. Her breasts were no less beautiful when she popped her bra open and tossed it aside.

  She unbuttoned her jeans, and he quickly lay down beside her, placing his hand over hers. “Let’s leave those on for now.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Absolutely. There’s a lot of feel-good fun that can be had with your pants on.”

  Misty rolled her eyes. “If you say so.”

  Gabe leaned over her. “I say so.” He laved one nipple, and it pebbled quickly. Then he took it into his mouth. As he sucked one breast, he massaged the other, giving a small squeeze to that nipple. She arched and moaned.

  Gabe continued to lavish attention on each breast while Misty ran her fingers through his hair occasionally, as if holding on for dear life.

  “Oh God, Gabe. I swear I could come from just this.”

  He leaned back with a satisfied smile. “See what I mean?”

  “Yeah, but what about you? I want to make you feel good too.”

  “I do feel good.”

  “I don’t think so.” Misty pushed on his shoulder until he lay on his back, and then she climbed on top of him. She began the age-old beat of dry humping.

  Gabe moaned. “How did you learn that?”

  “You’d be surprised what living with your grandparents will make you resort to.”

  He grinned. He didn’t know if Misty was a virgin or not. He hoped not.

  It didn’t seem like the right time to ask, so he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensations she was creating over his clothed cock. Before long, he had to stop her, or he’d embarrass himself.

  “Babe, it’s time to stop.”

  Instead of stopping, she sped up and added more pressure.

  “Whoa, I’m too close.”

  “Go with it. Please,” she begged.

  Gabe didn’t really have a choice. His orgasm had already started. Then his climax hit, and he came hard in his tighty-whities.

  “Jesus. Why did you…”

  She placed a finger over his lips. “Shhh. Now we’re even.”

  “Not by a long shot,” he said, then he flipped her onto her back.

  She shrieked and giggled. He unzipped her jeans and plunged his hand down over her black panties. He stared at her face as he massaged her covered clit.

  Her eyes closed on a moan. Her breathing sped up, and she gripped his bedspread. Her moans became more frequent and soon gave way to a different sound. A strangled cry. He didn’t let up until she screamed, then grabbed his hand, and yanked it out of her jeans.

  Finally, her arms fell to her sides, and she panted, relaxing completely. After a few more deep breaths, her eyes fluttered open. “Wow. That was… I mean… Wow.”

  Grinning, Gabe propped himself on his elbow. “And you still have your pants on.”

  She laughed out loud. “I guess you were right. Lots of feel-good fun was had.”

  “Now, I’m going to leave you for a few minutes—to change my pants.”

  Chapter 7

  Misty headed home to change her clothes. She couldn’t help smiling at strangers on the subway. She’d needed that release more than she’d realized. Her first real orgasm with a guy. And she was glad it was Gabe who gave it to her.

  As she walked up to her house, she received a text message. She smiled when she saw it was from Gabe. She waited until she was in her apartment before she read it. All he said was, We never made firm plans for your birthday. I can’t do the spa. I’m working until 6. When should I pick you up?

  She felt like saying “now,” but she didn’t want to seem overly eager. Or more eager than she already had been. Anyway, it was time to cool it…just a bit. Until she seemed more cool than desperate.

  She consulted her calendar. There was very little to consult. Other than tests and doctor’s appointments, she was wide open. Sadness swamped her. If not for Gabe, her life would suck. Living paycheck to paycheck. Working at a job she had no passion for. Even her love of dance might be in jeopardy.

  She wanted to be in a better mood when she talked to him again, so she just t
exted back, How about seven thirty?

  A few moments later, he answered, You got it.

  She shuffled to her bathroom, turned on the shower, and waited for it to get warm. What was she going to do with the rest of her life? With nothing to look forward to, she was adrift.

  “Turn it around, Misty,” she said out loud. Her grandmother had taught her to reframe negative thoughts and feelings. But as much as she tried to look at it differently, all she could see was day after day of the same boring job and not much to show for it. She sighed deeply.

  Stepping into the warm steam and hot water interrupted her train of thought. It was a good thing, because that train was on the track to doom. As she ran her hands over her head to get it wet and ready for shampoo, she thought of Gabe running his hands over her hair and down her back. Sometimes it almost felt as if he were petting her. And then his hand would move farther down…a little lower than was strictly necessary. It seemed as if Gabe was the only good thing happening to her now.

  She missed him already.

  Growing up down the street from the Fierros showed her how different families could be from each other. Her own small WASP family was quiet, and as children, she and Parker were expected to be well-behaved. Their home was always neat and clean, because that’s the way her father liked it. Her mother had a cleaning lady come in twice a year. She helped her with the huge spring cleaning to freshen everything after a long hard winter, and a thorough fall cleaning just because.

  The Fierros, on the other hand, were a rough-and-tumble bunch, always running, jumping, and tossing things around. Their home was alive. There didn’t seem to be anything to refresh at any particular time of year. It would just wind up on the floor or out of place a minute later anyway.

  Mr. Fierro may have been head of the household, but Mrs. Fierro was in charge. Misty’s parents commented on how they managed to keep all those kids in line. They would shake their heads and say, “How do they do it, with all those boys?” It was as if her family would have cracked under the pressure that the Fierros thrived on. Maybe they would have. But Misty secretly wished her family could be more like them.

  After her shower, she toweled off and wound another towel around her hair. She barely heard her phone ringing. By the time she got there, she had a voicemail message. It was from her friend Julie in Saugus.

  “Hey, girl. We miss you. All of us are planning on getting together for a toy party.” She giggled. “And we’re not talking about Barbie dolls. Let me know when you’re available. We won’t have it without you!”

  Misty called her right back. “Julie! It’s so good to hear from you. I’ve missed you too.”

  “So, have you met anyone? Anyone that could replace the toy, if you know what I mean?”

  Misty smiled to herself. “Sort of.” She wasn’t sure how much to say. She didn’t want to identify Gabe as her boyfriend…yet.

  “Sounds intriguing. So where did you meet this ‘sort of’ someone?”

  “I don’t want to go into details just yet. You know how it is.”

  “Ah. It’s just at that flirting stage, right?”

  Misty thought about how far past flirting they were. “Not to repeat myself, but sort of.”

  “Oh, come on, girl. Spill. Is it someone I know?”

  “No. None of you know him. Let’s just say that I’m not ready to DTR.”

  Julie sighed loudly. “Fine. When you ‘define the relationship,’ be sure to let me know first.”

  Misty figured she’d better change the subject. “So where are we having this toy party?”

  “Well, we were thinking of doing it at your place. None of us have seen it yet, and we’d like to go into the city to kick around a bit beforehand.”

  Misty laughed. “Oh, so you just thought you’d invite yourselves to my place? Lucky for you, I’d love that. Maybe when you all know how to get here, you’ll come and see me more often.” Or at all, she thought.

  She missed her friends and was afraid that their lives were going separate ways. The kind of separate ways that resulted in Facebook-only communication. Everyone was either going to college or engaged already. Julie was the only one whose life was as uncertain as hers was.

  “Excellent!” Julie said. “So when would it be convenient to throw a party for all of us?”

  Misty laughed again. “Wow. You’re not nervy at all. Hang on. Let me look at my calendar.” She pulled up her planner, looking further out, even though she knew there was nothing on it to speak of. More tests and doctor’s appointments. Ugh. “How much notice do you need?”

  “Not much. I have a party next weekend. How about the weekend after that? I can text everyone as soon as you and I pick a time.”

  “Don’t you need to consult the hostess, or put-er on-er, or whatever she’s called?”

  “You’re the hostess. And you’re in luck, because the put-er on-er is me.”

  “Oh. I see how it is. You’re using me to forward your career as a toy party put-er on-er.”

  “No! I don’t want you to feel that way. I just thought it would be fun if we all got together, and doing it this way would be even more fun.”

  “Yeah. I was kidding. It does sound like a lot of fun. How’s a week from next Saturday? The twenty-ninth.”

  “Perfect. What time?”

  “I don’t know. Do you want to have dinner here?”

  “Oh, hell no. I’d never make you cook for all of us. Besides, you only eat rabbit food as I remember. We could all go out to dinner first. Nothing fancy or expensive. Maybe just someplace in Quincy Market.”

  “That sounds good. Want to meet at the fake Cheers at five?”

  “Sure. We might need to make reservations since there are so many of us.”

  “I don’t know if they take reservations.”

  “Well, I’ll call and ask. If they don’t, maybe I can order pizza to be delivered to your place? And salad, of course.”

  “Either is fine with me. You decide…since you’re orchestrating the whole thing.”

  “Speaking of orchestras and stuff, how’s your dancing going?”

  Misty’s good mood took a nosedive. How could she tell her friend she might never dance again? She would have to wait until she knew for sure. Hopefully they’d find out it was nothing…just some inner ear infection or something.

  “I haven’t really had time to do much. New job. New apartment. I’m still adjusting to the move.”

  “Really? I thought you’d have a dance studio lined up before any of that. I’ve never known you to miss a lesson…until your grandparents got sick.”

  “Nope. A roof over my head and a job to pay for it take priority. I’m getting practical in my old age.”

  “If you say so. Well, I gotta go. I’ll let you know what I find out as far as who’s coming.”

  “Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.”

  And she was. She might need friends more than ever, depending on the results of the tests she was having Thursday.

  * * *

  Misty and Gabe had firmed up their plans for her birthday. Gabe had had to work overnight the night before, but he would be getting off at six that evening. She hoped he didn’t get too many calls during the night and wind up exhausted. That was a common problem for firefighters, but she understood this and would go with the flow. They made arrangements to meet at his station in the South End, right around the corner from where they grew up.

  When she arrived, she was told Engine 22 was battling a three-alarm fire in another part of town. Gabe was on Engine 22. Oh well…

  Misty decided since she was in the neighborhood, she’d drop in on Mrs. Fierro. It wasn’t as if she was inviting herself for dinner. She already had plans—whenever Gabe got back. She left a message with the dispatcher, so he’d know where to find her.

  She was pretty sure she was always we
lcome at the Fierro home. How many times had Gabriella told her so? If she got hungry before Gabe was able to join her and Gabriella offered to feed her, she could have a cup of coffee and a cookie or something to hold her over.

  Strolling down Massachusetts Avenue a couple of blocks, she found herself actually looking forward to visiting with Gabriella Fierro. The woman had been like a second mother to her.

  When she arrived on the doorstep and rang the bell, the diminutive matriarch opened the door and almost threw herself at Misty, giving her a huge hug.

  “Come in, come in! It’s cold out tonight, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. It’s always freezing on my birthday.”

  Gabriella Fierro gasped. “It’s your birthday? Today? I thought it was… Never mind. Happy birthday, my sweet girl!” After another tight hug, she released her. “Let me take your coat.”

  “I hope I’m not imposing. I was supposed to meet Gabe at his station, but they’re out on a job.”

  “Oh, yes. We heard about a big fire in South Boston. Antonio thought he’d go watch for a while.” She chuckled. “You’d think he might have had enough of fires after thirty-two years.” She hung up Misty’s coat and led her to the kitchen. “I was just wishing I had some company. Have you had dinner yet?”

  “Not yet. I have plans with Gabe, but I guess they’ll have to wait.”

  Gabriella sighed. “Ah, yes. Plans need to be somewhat flexible when you’re involved with a firefighter. It’s a shame they don’t work regular hours, but fires can be very inconsiderate.”

  Misty smiled. The woman had such an easy way about her. She wondered if she’d ever be able to take things so calmly. Misty tended to be “wound a little tight,” or so she’d been told.

  “Can I get you some coffee and a small piece of cake? I imagine Gabe was taking you out to dinner, and I don’t want to spoil your appetite.”

  “Coffee, yes. But no thank you to the cake. It might be easier if I just get takeout and save him the trouble of going out to dinner at this point.”

  “Tsk tsk.” Gabriella shook her head as she gathered the cream, sugar, and spoons. “You can’t always make everything easy on them, especially when the relationship is new. They might grow to expect it.”