Slow Burn

by Alexis Adaire

  “No, this is the mother,” I say, pointing my chin at her. Ty nods, looking almost relieved.

  The EMTs arrive and take over, and the rest of us move away to let them work. I tell Ty what happened, and how I just happened to be sitting there after finishing a run, and knew enough not to move the kid. He tells me I did the right thing, because you never know if there might be a spinal injury after a fall like that. He’s looking at me oddly, and I realize my hair is soaking wet and stuck to my head. Great.

  After some smelling salts, the kid comes around and starts crying. The EMTs carefully put him on a stretcher and his mother accompanies them to the ambulance, which drives off. Suddenly, it’s very quiet.

  Ty turns to his colleague. “John, can you turn the water back on? I’ll meet you at the truck in a minute.”

  He leads me out of the fountain’s circle, then says, “I’m still waiting for that pie, you know.”

  I’m so embarrassed. “I didn’t forget,” I say apologetically. “It’s just been a strange week. Besides, I didn’t think you were serious.”

  “Of course I was serious. That pie was amazing.” He smiles and looks down at me, those intense brown eyes grabbing me and refusing to let go. “More importantly, Jess, I really wanted to see you again.”

  Oh, shit. For real? Did he just say that? Suddenly self-conscious, I squeeze the water out of my hair.

  “Listen,” he says, “I’ve got to get going, but how would you like to go out tomorrow night?”

  I wasn’t dreaming. This is actually happening. This incredibly handsome man just asked me out.

  “I would love that,” I say shyly.

  “Great. What’s your number?” He pulls a phone out of a zip-lock bag in his pocket, and I give him the digits.

  “Awesome,” he says. “I’ll call you tomorrow and get your address. Seven o’clock sound okay?”

  I nod, stunned. Then immediately I realize I need more details.

  “Where are we going? What should I wear?”

  “How about dinner? Maybe a movie afterward?”

  “Perfect.”

  “And you can wear this same outfit if you want. It looks great on you.”

  Confused, I look down and am instantly mortified. My yellow T-shirt and my light jogging bra are both still soaking wet, and more importantly, are almost completely transparent and clinging to me. My hard nipples are very visible, as are the rest of my breasts. I was so distracted by everything that was going on that it never occurred to me I look like this.

  My eyes fly back up to Ty’s as my hands cover my breasts. He’s smiling, but it’s a smile with more than a hint of dirtiness and sex behind it. I don’t know whether to scold him, smack him, smile back, or just run away.

  “I’m just teasing you,” he says, then removes his helmet, leans forward, and kisses me softly on the lips. “Don’t be mad.”

  I can’t be mad, even though he’s being a butt. Instead of saying something, I respond by blushing like crazy.

  “Gotta go. You’re not upset with me, are you?” His smile is warm and inviting.

  What do I do? Before I can think, my libido takes over.

  “I won’t be if you kiss me again,” I say softly.

  With no hesitation, he presses his lips to mine. This time he keeps them there and I feel his tongue requesting—no, demanding—entry. Time stands still as we share a very intimate, yet very public, kiss.

  He pulls away first. Truth be told, I’d have been willing to stay locked up blissfully like that for hours.

  “Wow,” he says. “I’d love to do that again, but I really have to go. See you tomorrow. And seriously, wear this same shirt again.”

  That dirty grin returns, then he starts walking away. Meanwhile, I’m still mortified.

  “No way,” I tell him.

  He takes another two steps, then turns back toward me, laughing.

  “I like you, Jess. I’m looking forward to seeing more of you.”

  Then he walks off. Goddamn, he’s so fucking hot.

  I watch as his truck drives off. Only when I notice the hot dog guy is staring at me do I realize I’m standing there holding my tits. I rush back to my car, and as I’m driving home I remember Ty’s last words.

  I’m looking forward to seeing more of you.

  Well, fuck. No wonder he was laughing. He probably wouldn’t be so smug if he knew how much of him I’ve already seen, when he was running around his back yard naked.

  By the time I go to sleep later, I’ve spent hours thinking about what happened at the fountain. I’m still slightly embarrassed, but I’m also very, very horny. And looking forward to my date tomorrow.

  That man can see however much of me he wants.

  Chapter 6

  Ty

  If there were any doubt about my attraction to Jess, it disappeared when the EMTs arrived at the Center Street Fountain and took over the emergency response call. At the same time they began to examine the unconscious little boy, Jess stood up and walked over to talk to me.

  The way she approached me, with those tits held high, I have to think she knew what her wet T-shirt looked like. The sopping material of both the shirt and her jogging shorts was stuck against her skin, making it obvious to whoever was looking—in my case, staring—what her body looks like. And what a body it is. Great hips and waist, nice almost-flat little belly, and those tits. Jesus, those tits. Her big nipples were hard like marbles under that practically non-existent bra. Even now, as John and I drive back to the station house, all I can think of is how much I can’t wait to get my hands and mouth on those tits.

  I am seriously attracted to this chick.

  Not just physically, either. She’s kind, generous, funny, and seems oddly drama-free, which is a rarity for Linville women.

  For the rest of my shift, I use my down time to plan the date. I make reservations at Niku Sushi, the surprisingly amazing restaurant—for sushi in Linville, at least. Niku is also expensive, so Jess will know right off the bat that I’m not cheap. I look through the movie listings and see that Win, Place, Show is starting at nine o’clock at the mall cinema. That gives us plenty of time to eat without hurrying. Romantic comedies aren’t really my thing, but hopefully, she’ll appreciate the gesture.

  All that night, and beginning again the moment I wake up in the morning, my thoughts are about Jess. More than anything else, those beautiful eyes and those equally beautiful tits. I go to sleep with a boner and wake up with one, and it’s all I can do throughout the day to keep myself from rubbing one out. I know if I masturbate, it would take some of the edge off this sexual frustration I feel. At the same time, though, I like that edge. It’s exciting to me to know that the reason my crotch is tingling is because I’m so damned attracted to this woman.

  I call Jess just before noon and let her know where we’ll be going. I also tell her how much I’m looking forward to this, and she says that she is, too. That just adds to my physical anxiety.

  The shower in preparation for the date is the hardest part, no pun intended. I purposely stroke myself to the brink of orgasm, then stop. By the time I put on some slacks and a nice button-down shirt, I’ve settled down a little, but not much.

  Jess’s house is in the Riverdale Oaks subdivision, where houses originally built in the fifties have mostly been renovated. It was a very trendy neighborhood a decade ago, and has now settled into its second life. I see a red Toyota sedan in the drive, the same car I saw at the shelter the day we found the fireproof box. As I approach the front door, I’m surprised that I feel a little nervous. I don’t get nervous on dates, so I chalk it up to my having kept myself on edge sexually for the last twenty-four hours without release.

  Jess answers my knock, swinging the door open to reveal a woman who looks quite different from the one I saw at the fountain yesterday. She’s wearing a short dress with a black leather jacket over it. Her hair is styled perfectly, with soft waves flowing down to her chest. The dress is short enough that it shows off her spe
ctacular legs, with black ankle-strap stilettos completing the look.

  “Hello, Mr. Fireman.”

  She looks fucking amazing. Classy and sexy and fun and holy fuck, I like this chick. How could I have spent so many years in Linville being totally unaware that a woman like this existed?

  Chapter 7

  Jess

  My first date with Ty is going great. I was nervous as hell all day long, and while I’m still a bit anxious, I’m no longer too concerned that I’ll say or do something stupid. He’s been a perfect gentleman, and has gone out of his way to make me feel at ease. I’m sure I’d feel more comfortable if he weren’t so damned handsome and charming. Despite all the evidence at hand pointing to the fact that he likes me and wants to be here at this moment, I still can’t shake the feeling at the back of my brain that says he’s out of my league.

  There’s also that weird, vague sense of familiarity about him, though that could be a result of the terrific chemistry we seem to have together.

  So far, the night has been a total feast for the senses, eating this scrumptious sushi and drinking warm sake while looking at this man’s face and listening to his hypnotic voice and warm, sincere laugh. I’ve been having an internal dialog all day about whether I could sleep with Ty on the first date, should things go in that direction. The same old arguments present themselves, sounding suspiciously like my mother is behind them. Will he lose respect? What if he wants a more traditional girl (whatever that means)? Would it be better to wait and see whether he’s only interested in a one-night fling?

  It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if all a guy this sexy wanted was a one-night stand. Chances are it would be the best one-night stand of my life.

  Maybe it’s the alcohol working its way into my bloodstream, but everything about this date has been sexy as hell, and I feel as if I’m heating up from the inside. I’ve kept my leather jacket on thus far, but I’ll break into a sweat right here at the table if I don’t take it off. When I take it off and drape it over the back of my chair, I see Ty eying me appreciatively, and it’s not the first time I’ve caught him doing so.

  I decided to go with a light floral print dress that’s probably a little too short, but since my legs are my best asset, I figured I’d use them to distract from my flaws. My hips are too wide and I have a little belly that no amount of exercise and diet has been able to diminish. The embarrassingly small breasts I had as an eight-grader grew so much that by the time I was a high school junior, they were getting way too much attention. Although I’ve learned to accept them, the little incident at the fountain yesterday tweaked me more than it probably should have because it brought back that past. The short dress is loose enough to hide all those flaws, and the medium-high neckline shows no cleavage at all, yet still looks sexy. And my legs must look really good in it, because Ty keeps looking.

  “I can’t get over how different you look from the first time I saw you,” he says after I’ve removed the jacket.

  “You mean when I was a total wreck because of the fire?” I laugh at the idea. “Did you think I look like that all the time?”

  “No, but there was no way for me to know you look so… tempting.”

  I love the word he chooses. When I hear that and see the look in his eyes, I end the mental discussion about how far to go tonight. I’m his if he wants me. And if he only wants a one-nighter, I’m game for that, too, because at least I’d get to experience sleeping with him once.

  “And you were hidden beneath all those layers of gear,” I tell him. “Who knew we both clean up so well?”

  He expression turns thoughtful, then he leans across the table towards me and says softly, “I’m sorry if I acted like a jerk yesterday at the fountain.”

  It’s sweet, but I’m not going to let him off easy.

  “You mean when you were gawking at me like you’d never seen breasts before? Is that what you’re referring to?” No matter how I try, my smirk is too playful and not disapproving enough.

  Ty actually blushes, though, and it’s cute that I caught him off-guard.

  “Yeah. When I saw… well, you know. Before I knew it, I’d turned into a middle-schooler again.”

  Time to steer the conversation away from my boobs.

  “Where’d you go to school?” I ask. “You’re not from here, are you?”

  “I am originally. I lived here for a few years when I was young, then my folks got divorced and my mom moved and took me with her.”

  “What brought you back to little ol’ Linville?”

  “I decided to get into firefighting in my mid-twenties, but the waiting list in Wichita was too long. Even the surrounding suburbs didn’t need new recruits at that point. I came to visit my dad, who still lives in town, and put in an application while I was here. LFD called me a couple of months later, and I moved back to start training. The rest is history.”

  I can barely concentrate on what he’s saying because I’m busy watching his lips move. I can’t stop thinking about that kiss at the fountain.

  “Anyway, back to my smartass comment yesterday. I hope I didn’t offend you.”

  “Well, it was a little pervy.” I smile, but he doesn’t return it.

  “It was uncalled for. Especially considering the situation, and the fact that I was on-duty.”

  “Seriously?”

  I can’t believe he’s really that concerned. It might have been creepy coming from someone else, but at that point, I’d already seen Ty nak— Oops. He doesn’t know about that.

  “I really am sorry, and I’d feel less like a creeper if you’d accept my apology. I don’t want us to get off on the wrong foot.”

  I look at his eyes as he waits for my reply. I can just accept his apology and that would be the end of it. Sometimes I’m too honest for my own good, though.

  “Ty, I have a confession to make.”

  His brow furrows slightly. “Okay.” He probably thinks I’m going to say I knew my wet shirt was see-through, or that I actually enjoyed him looking at me.

  Nope.

  “The other day, when I stopped by your house with the pies and there was no answer? I heard a dog barking from behind the house and thought maybe you were back there, so I went around to the fence and looked over.”

  “Yeah, I was playing catch with Beau.” His eyes narrow when he remembers. “Wait a minute. I wasn’t…?”

  “You were.”

  “And you didn’t…?”

  I give him a feeble smile.

  “I did.”

  Ty’s face turns crimson, and it might be the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.

  “Everything?” he asks.

  “Everything.”

  I can see in his eyes that despite the embarrassment, he’s feeling a thrill at knowing that I’ve seen his manhood. Boys will be boys, after all.

  He breaks into a grin. “So, you’re the real perv at this table.”

  “No,” I protest. “I didn’t know you were going to be naked.”

  “Did you turn away the moment you saw I was?” he asks smugly.

  I hesitate, my own cheeks flushing.

  “No,” I say shamefully.

  “Then you’re the perv.”

  “But you, you were staring at me in a moment of weakness, right after an emergency.”

  “True, but the emergency was over at that point,” he counters.

  “Plus, you met me on the driveway wearing only a towel,” I argue, “then proceeded to parade that body of yours in front of me. That’s pretty pervy stuff, my friend.”

  He eats his last piece of spicy tuna.

  “’Friend’? We’re not friends anymore, Jess.”

  “We’re not?”

  “No,” he says. “The way I see it, we’ve already seen each other naked. Plus, there was that smoldering kiss yesterday.”

  He’s smiling, and I stare into his eyes as the corners of my mouth also turn up.

  “Yeah, that kiss was something. I’m glad you felt it, too.
But for the record, I was not naked.”

  “You might as well have been. My god, you looked sexy.”

  We are locked into each other’s eyes. I can tell he’s got an image of that moment in his head, and I suddenly feel excited. It’s as if he were actually looking at my breasts in person, and I’m perfectly okay with it.

  This sake must be stronger than I realized.

  The waiter walks up and unknowingly spoils the moment. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “Just the check.” Ty says it without breaking eye contact with me. “We’re ready to go.”

  “Movie time,” I say after he leaves. I don’t want to rush things or appear too eager. In reality, this date has gone perfectly and I want tonight to end in his bed. I haven’t had any man in ages, much less one like this.

  The waiter returns with the bill and Ty pulls out his wallet. I remove my jacket from the back of the chair, slipping my arms into it without getting up. The little black padded folder containing the check is sitting on the table, an Amex card protruding from the side of it. Without thinking, I glance at the name.

  Tyler Jackson.

  A sudden chill goes through my body.

  Tyler Jackson.

  The sense of deja vu is momentarily overwhelming.

  Of course!

  As the waiter takes the folder, Ty notices my expression.

  “Something wrong?”

  I recover as quickly as I can and force a smile. “Everything’s fine. Too much sake.”

  He smirks at me. “Lightweight.”

  That smirk brings back a flood of memories. Now, as I look at his face, I can’t help but see it. Oh my god, how could I have possibly missed it?

  And more importantly, when should I tell him?

  Chapter 8

  Ty

  This is going to happen.

  I felt bad about making fun of Jess’s wet T-shirt yesterday, so I apologized. That ended up with her admitting she watched me running around naked in my back yard, and she doesn’t seem all that contrite about it. Now we’re walking out to my truck in the Niku Sushi parking lot, and all I can think about is getting her into bed. I’m confident that’s what she wants, too. It’s only a matter of time now.