Defensible Space: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Lane Martin

  "One what?" I turned my head back to look at her, unsure of what she was asking. If she needed another “O” the guys could wait.

  "Bottle of Fireball," she answered. I laughed my way out the door so that I could meet her best friend.

  Chapter Seventeen

  PENNY

  “How’s your fire hottie?” Cathy asked as I entered the staff lounge after the final bell. I had a few minutes before I needed to go over to the on-site after school program to pick up Brody for his private lesson. Shelby had fought me at first, but once I’d told her that he was naturally gifted, she relented. I think Dylan and Grady may have had something to do with it too. It was hard to say no to them.

  It had been two months since my father had shown up unannounced. Carson had held me in my driveway as I’d cried like I hadn’t done in years. Tears weren’t something my father permitted. He said they were a waste of time and energy. Carson told me that his mom always told him tears were the words the heart could not say. He never asked me more about my father or said anything ill of him; he simply let me cry. I hadn't heard from anyone in my family since that day.

  “He’s good.” Carson was better than good. The man was incredible. When he wasn’t working at the station, he was working at my house. Our house. Not only that, he respected my decisions and gave his input or suggestions when I asked for them. He let me help even though I knew he could do the project in half the time it took with me assisting. He even left me little projects to work on by myself when he was on duty. He thought he was slick by making sure only to leave me projects that didn’t involve power tools, but I was on to him.

  “Yeah, okay.” Cathy raised a skeptical brow at me and did nothing to hide the smirk on her lips. “You look like the cat that ate the canary.”

  I wasn’t about to tell her how Carson held me in his arms all night and woke me up most mornings to my delight between my thighs. I slept in his bed every night, even when he was at the station. In some ways, the trailer seemed like it was as much mine as it was his. I couldn’t believe how blessed I was to have him in my life. After two months I couldn’t imagine my life without that man in it, and it scared the shit out of me.

  “I think another night out with more Lady’s Bluffs is in order. I need details.” Cathy gave a suggestive wink.

  I was saved by my ringing phone and quickly excused myself from Cathy before answering, “Hey, handsome.”

  “I’m nothing compared to the fire god you’re shacking up with.” Henry’s jovial laughter filled my phone. I missed him. My bestie had come to town for two days last month and helped me in my classroom. I was still embarrassed he had heard Carson and me going at it. He was never going to let me forget it. He’d stayed at The Cottages because the house was not even close to being up to Henry’s standards yet. Although, I’m sure he would have jumped at the chance to stay with Carson in the trailer. I’m not sure if he fell deeper in love with Carson or with Bertha’s pancakes. It was a toss-up.

  “You’re so modest.” Nothing could be further from the truth; Henry was a handsome man and he dang well knew it.

  “Take it back,” he admonished with more laughter before moving on. “Listen, love. I don’t have much time. I got a call from the NHL team in San Jose. They have a last-minute cancelation and are looking for someone to play the National Anthem. I told them I might know someone and that I would call them right back. Of course, it would include game tickets and a room in the city if you’re interested. It’s Firefighter Appreciation Night, and I know one of those I’d love to appreciate.”

  I didn't hesitate for a second. “I’ll do it, but I need four tickets and two rooms.” This was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass me by.

  “I’m sure four tickets are fine, but please don’t tell me you and Saint are sleeping in separate rooms.” He sounded so dejected. If I’d had time to mess with him, I would have, but I needed to pick up Brody for his lesson and to make sure I could make this work.

  “No, if everything goes as planned, I’ll bring a special guest and his mother. Have the team email me the details and I’ll give them the information on my guests. It will be a perfect addition to the night. Who are they playing, anyway?” I made my way over to the portable building that housed the afterschool program.

  “The team from Denver. The Miners.” I couldn’t have been surer of my decision when I walked into the room and found Brody on the floor playing with Luke Malone; he wore a black and purple Miners t-shirt.

  “I still can’t believe this,” Shelby said in awe as we stood near the entrance to the ice we would use as soon as they announced us. Luckily for me, Brody and I had already been working on the National Anthem when I’d gotten the call from Henry. I would have invited them even if we hadn’t been. The kid loved all things hockey, and his dad was a firefighter who had lost his life in a fire. It was the least I could have done. Brody and Shelby deserved to be here and to be appreciated way more than I did.

  “Why can’t I wear my Miners shirt?” Brody whined again. I could remember having the same argument many times with my father over the years. I wanted to wear pretty colors and he always made me wear black to performances. Part of me wanted to give in, but I wasn’t sure how the home crowd would react if the boy walked out on their ice wearing the competition's colors. As a compromise, we were all wearing jeans and Sunnyville FD t-shirts. Shelby tried to reason with him, telling him that we were representing Sunnyville, but he wasn’t buying it.

  “Excuse me.” A large man in a dark suit with a thick accent, possibly Russian, interrupted us. “I couldn’t help but hear we have a Miners fan here.” He had a badge on a lanyard around his neck, designating him as staff. He bent down to Brody’s level. “I’m Alex Belenov.”

  “You are?” Brody clearly recognized the name. He practically danced with excitement, bouncing from foot to foot, his small violin in one hand. The rest of us watched the interaction dumbfounded.

  “I am. Listen, we need all the Miners fans we can get here in the Shark Tank. How would you like it if, once you get back to your seats, I have a jersey brought up to you? After the game, you can come down to the locker room as my guest and meet the players and have them sign it.” Alex peeked at Shelby for permission, and she nodded before he looked over at the stadium representative who was acting as our host for the night. The rep nodded her head in confirmation that she could make it happen.

  “That would be awesome!” Brody’s excitement at the idea of meeting his idols was palpable. “Will I get to meet Boom Boom McGill, Hot Shot Stevens, Ford, Vanz, Double D, and Knight?” Alex smiled and nodded until Brody got to the name Knight. There was a story between those two for sure.

  “Brody Tyler, how can you possibly remember all those names and not all of your sight words?” Shelby perched her hands on her hips while she questioned her son. We were so distracted we hadn’t even realized it was time for our performance.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and remove your hats as we honor the United States of America with a performance of our National Anthem performed by Grammy award-winning artist Penelope Anderson who is joined by her student Brody Hammond whose father proudly served in the Sunnyville Fire Department until he got his last alarm on October nineteenth...” The crowd went crazy as Brody and I walked out onto the carpeted ice. I had played at plenty of sporting events, and I was sure the extra exuberance the spectators showed was for Brody’s father, Drew, not me. The sweet young man nodded his head in the direction of the thin, red line flag proudly waving on the jumbotron along with a picture of his dad. Brody might have loved hockey, but his biggest hero was a man most of us would never know. The thought almost brought tears to my eyes. We lifted our instruments and began to play.

  “That was so cool.” Carson’s excitement matched Brody’s when we finally got back to our room after meeting all the Miners in the locker room and then going out for Brody’s choice—burgers. Despite performing at several, I had never stayed to watch a game before. It h
ad been so exciting to see the Miners win and seeing the joy in Shelby’s face as she watched her son beaming. It made me remember my first interaction with her and the way she’d told me that Brody was her reason for everything and how I had wished I had that for myself.

  “It was,” I agreed breathlessly. The man standing before me knocked the wind right out of me. He was kind and giving, and yet he had a side to him he didn’t share with me. I don’t know; maybe it was all in my head. Or perhaps it had something to do with the clock that seemed to keep ticking away every day. Soon I would be faced with some hard decisions. What would I do when the school year was over? Where would Carson go next? We didn’t talk about the future; we barely spoke about next week. Was that how it was when someone’s job caused them to risk their life daily? They no longer took little moments for granted. Life became about living every single one. Tomorrow wasn’t promised to anyone. The only thing I knew for sure was the time I spent with Carson would forever change me. I was no longer the woman who traveled the world but was okay spending all her free time in her hotel room watching home renovation and cooking shows. I wasn’t the woman who had performed the anthem and then hadn’t stayed to watch the game anymore.

  Carson stood with his back against the hotel room door, studying me. “Come here,” he beckoned and crooked a finger at me. I took one step toward him before stopping and kicking off one shoe.

  “Why don’t you come here?” I smirked as he watched my shoe fly across the floor.

  “I could do that.” He remained against the door and copied me by kicking off one shoe. It landed next to mine. “But this seems like more fun.” Everything with Carson was fun, even grouting the tile in my new master bathroom.

  “It’s all fun and games,” I said while kicking off my other shoe and taking another step forward.

  “Until someone gets...,” Carson trailed off, kicking off his remaining shoe instead of adding until someone gets hurt to the end of his sentence. It was not the time to think about what the future held. There was a massive tub in the bathroom and I, for one, was looking forward to a long soak. What girl didn’t like a good bubbly dip? Especially when she had a hot man ready and willing to join her.

  I lifted the hem of my shirt, exposing some skin to him. “Until we both get naked,” I countered playfully. Carson stood from his place against the door. He lifted his shirt above his head and added it to the pile with our shoes.

  “Exactly.” He flexed his pecs and I admired his firm chest. Show off.

  “Well then, I guess I should do my part and get naked.” With a teasing shimmy, I tugged the navy t-shirt with the Sunnyville FD logo over my head. It was a woman’s size this time, not one I’d bummed from the half-naked man taking me in from halfway across the room. The hitch in his breath told me he liked the black lace demi-cup bra beneath it. I didn’t know if it was pride or desire that heated me. At that point, I didn’t care.

  “Keep going,” Carson rasped as I stood before him in my jeans and bra. Tingles shot through me as I lifted my arms to my back, but I froze when he tutted me. “Jeans first. I’ll take care of the bra, gorgeous.” Wetness pooled between my legs as I—in what I hoped was a seductive manner—lowered my jeans before kicking out of them.

  “Jesus Christ, are you trying to kill me? Turn around.” The drapes on our suite’s floor to ceiling windows facing the stadium were still open, and the only thing illuminating the room was the single light near the door we’d turned on when we had entered. I always wondered about people looking into windows. What would someone see if they looked into ours? The thought caused me a moment of hesitation, but not as much embarrassment as I would have expected. We were on the seventeenth floor, and most of the other buildings around us were offices that were more than likely closed for the weekend. A thought entered my head, and I hesitated as I turned to face the windows.

  “Do you have any idea what people would think if they could see you right now?” Carson asked. Sometimes I thought he could read my mind. At times it was difficult to believe how well he knew me. I shook my head in answer as I looked out into the city. Cars sped by on the freeway below, but time nearly stood still in our room. He came closer and I watched him unbuckle his jeans in the reflection of the glass. “They’d think I was the luckiest guy on the planet.” He took his boxer briefs down with his jeans and his cock was hard and ready. I licked my lips and moaned at the sight of him while raising my hands to touch my breasts. My nipples were beaded against the lace cups, and I instantly wished they were his hands, not mine.

  “Carson,” I sighed as he moved behind me and finally touched me. This game of ours and the idea of someone watching us had me soaked. His hands covered both of mine at my breasts. One trailed down my body deliberately slow before dipping into the front of my panties. I leaned my head back against him and angled it to the side so he had complete access to my neck.

  “I love how wet you are for me, Penny.” He dipped two fingers inside of me and I nearly came undone as he pressed up against me. He was hard everywhere, and I loved that I had the power to do this to him. It was a heady feeling.

  “I need you.” I almost didn’t recognize my own voice.

  “As you wish,” he conceded as he lowered to his knees behind me, one hand now at the curve of my hip while he continued to tease me with his fingers. “The windows are tinted. Nobody can see in,” he assured me. Honestly, I didn’t care who saw us.

  Instinctively, I reached out to steady myself. My hands flattened against the glass as Carson continued to finger me with one talented hand while he pulled down my panties with the other. His tongue was on me before I even stepped out of them. Before him, I hadn’t known such things were even possible. “Carson!” I cried out, unable to take any more as I shattered against his tongue and fingers. Quickly he stood and spun me around, so I was facing him. My legs instinctively wrapped around him as he lifted me. The cold glass against my back was a welcome contrast to the body heat that radiated from both of us. With practiced skill, he flicked the clasp of my bra as he sunk deep inside of me. His mouth came down on one nipple and bit.

  “Oh, God,” I moaned as my walls tightened around him.

  “Yes, beautiful. That’s it. Milk me, baby. I want all of that sweet cum on my cock.” He continued to rock methodically in and out of me. “Jesus, you're perfect.” I tensed up at his words as he came deep inside of me. I shattered—not from pleasure, but from his words. Perfect. I hated that word.

  Carson gently put me down. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Not physically.

  “No, that was amazing.” It had been until....

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” He didn't seem convinced. I’d be a terrible card player.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Would you mind if I took advantage of the big bathtub?” Earlier I’d thought about how fun it would be to enjoy the suite’s tub together, but now I just needed some time and a little space.

  “Okay. If you’re sure everything is all right, Penny. I never want to hurt you or do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” He raised his hand to my cheek and gently stroked across it with his thumb. I couldn’t help but turn into his thoughtful caress.

  “I’m sure, Carson. I’ll be out in a little while.” I was a chickenshit, and I knew it the second I shut the door behind me. I should have told him that I didn’t like it when he called me perfect. It was what had been expected of me my whole life. Perfection. Growing up the daughter of William and Beth Anderson, there had been no room for anything less.

  I soaked so long I was a prune by the time I emerged from the bathroom. Carson was asleep on the king-size bed, but as soon as I slipped in beside him, he pulled me to him. He must have been exhausted with all the hours he had been working at the station and at the house. I guessed that talk would wait. When I pressed a kiss to his chest, I swore I heard him mumble what sounded like I love you right before sleep overtook me.

  Chapter Eighteen

  CARSON

  We overslept. Sin
ce we had driven together with Shelby and Brody, and she needed to get back to town to open her shop, Penny and I were scrambling to get ready and head out quickly. If we got on the road in the next ten minutes, we would have time to stop and grab something to eat and still make it on time. I woke up with Penny in my arms, but we hadn’t had a chance to talk. As the door sounded with a knock, Penny shoved the rest of her toiletries into her overnight bag.

  I looked back at her and she gave me a nod before I opened the door and Brody came charging in. He was still buzzing about last night. Her young protégé went straight for the windows. “Hey, you have smudges all over yours too. Mommy said she was going to have to leave extra money for the workers who clean up.” Shelby chuckled at the door as I chanced a glance at Penny. She was utterly mortified. Thankfully, Shelby took pity on us before Brody could ask any more questions or notice they weren’t all caused by fingerprints.

  “Let’s go wait down in the lobby, little man,” she urged as Penny buried her face in her hands. Kids really did say the darndest things.

  “We’ll be right down,” I confirmed before shutting the door behind them. Shelby wasn’t wrong. I pulled another ten out of my wallet.

  I knew that wasn’t the time to talk because we needed to go. But it was an opportune moment to test the theory I had come up with while Penny was trying to turn herself into a prune in the tub. I wanted to charge in like a bull in a china shop and demand to know why she’d shut me out the night before, but more than that, I wanted to respect her and give her the space she had nonverbally requested when she’d closed the door behind her last night. I must have been more tired than I thought because while I had lain in the bed waiting for her, rehashing everything that had happened, I’d fallen asleep.

  “Looks perfect to me.” Just as expected, her entire body tensed the second I said the word. I moved behind her. Her violin case was in her hands ready to leave the room as I wrapped my arms around her from behind. I pressed a kiss to the side of her neck before whispering, “When you stop worrying about being perfect, you become yourself. Don’t ever apologize for that, Penny. Your imperfections are what make you, you. And I happen to really like you.”