“Where would you like to go?”
“Anywhere with you.”
Alice gently pushed his shoulder. “Look at you Mr. corny.”
“It’s true.” He glanced at the alarm clock. “And on that note, I’m getting in the shower. Think about it. We’ll discuss it tonight when I get home.”
Since it was Saturday, Alice fell back to sleep after Jack had left. It was one way to not think too much about what could possibly happen to him, and she was exhausted from the school week before. Around ten AM, she decided to get up and make coffee. There was a note by the pantry, and she unclipped it.
Have a good day, my love. There’s nothing I’d want more than to spend time away with you. I’ll think about you all day today. Love you more than you’ll ever know.
-- Jack.
Folding it up, she placed it in her journal in her nightstand and took a long sip of coffee. His random notes, even if they were short, always made her happy. She couldn’t part with any of them, and her notebook was starting to get thick with them.
To keep busy, she went for a long run, bought groceries, and cleaned the house. It had killed several hours and before she knew it, it was almost time for Jack to be home. It was likely he’d be too tired to do anything, so she made something simple for dinner and found a good movie he’d hopefully want to watch, if he could stay awake long enough. It was after seven, and it was rare he ever got home right after shift, but it was later than usual.
Walking to the window, Alice looked out into the yard. The sun was setting, displaying a beautiful sunset just above the trees. It was only thirty minutes after. Often times he’d stay after and chat with some of the guys. She didn’t want to be the nagging girlfriend, but something was bugging her.
Grabbing her phone, she double-checked to make sure he hadn’t called or texted. Nothing. There wasn’t anything on the news. Flipping through the channels, she stopped on an old episode of Emergency. It was a show that she sometimes caught with Jack. How she wished times were as innocent as the show portrayed.
Trying hard not to obsess over the clock, she noticed it was after eight. Usually he’d have at least called by now if he was going to be late. She couldn’t resist it anymore. Dialing his number, she began to pace again as it rang.
“Hey, Alice.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. We’re uhh, we’re just finishing up on a call. I’ll come straight home when we’re done. I gotta go.”
Without giving her a chance to say anything else, the line went dead. Staring down at her screen, Alice tried hard not to read into it. He sounded different – not his usual upbeat self. She wasn’t stupid. The job took its toll on him. He tried hard not to bring it home, but sometimes a bad day came through in his attitude. She tried to be there for him, but sometimes it didn’t feel like it was enough.
The rumble of his truck pulled her from her thoughts and she met him out on the porch. He was covered in soot and his posture was slumped.
Keeping his head down, he said, “Sorry I didn’t call.”
“What… what happened, Jack?”
He looked up, his eyes red. Had he been crying? “Bad call.”
Alice followed him inside and shut the door. “Wanna talk about it?”
Jack shook his head no. “I need a shower. I didn’t even wanna do it at the station. Just wanted to get home.”
“You don’t want to talk about it?” Alice reached for his hand, but he pulled it away.
“No.” His gaze was harsh.
“Why? You know I’m here for you.”
Heaving a deep sigh, Jack looked down at the floor. “Because I don’t want you to freak out on me. You already worry enough. If I talk about it, you’re just gonna be up half the night thinking about it.”
“It doesn’t matter if you tell me or not, Jack. I’m going to worry regardless. I want you to be able to vent to me. I want you to get it off your chest. Don’t feel like you have to keep it bottled in because of me.” A man who was hurting replaced the carefree guy who talked about vacation that morning. It killed Alice to see him this way.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You don’t deserve to be yelled at. This isn’t your fault.”
“It’s okay, Babe. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but please don’t keep quiet because you don’t want to hurt me, okay?” Her voice shook and she blinked back the warmth forming in the corner of her eyes.
“It was a bunch of kids.” Again, his posture slumped and he wasn’t able to make eye contact with her. “A bunch of kids, Alice.”
This time, she was able to intertwine her fingers in his. His palms were moist and dirty, but she didn’t care. He latched on tight, almost like he was scared to let her go.
Jack continued, “You know that warehouse down on Ninth Street?” He looked up, his eyes bright against the black on his cheeks.
“Yes.”
“They were goofing off inside. Someone was storing fireworks in there. I don’t know all the details yet, but I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Jack.”
“Four dead, two in critical condition.”
He clenched onto her hand again, sliding against the wall, down to the floor below them. Pulling her with him, he sat her on his lap and hugged her tight. The pungent smoke odor was strong, but Alice gladly embraced him. Whatever he needed, she was there. His body quivered against hers, and the warmth felt through the fabric of her shirt confirmed that he was crying.
“It was like a damn warzone, Alice. Bottle rockets shooting off. Black Cats exploding like bombs. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.” The very thought of him in the middle of something like that made her crazy, but she wouldn’t admit that out loud. He already feared freaking her out. “I’m sorry those kids weren’t. You guys did what you could.”
Releasing the hug, he looked up into her eyes. The moisture from his tears had smeared the soot. “Let’s take that vacation, Alice. The sooner, the better.”
Alice nodded, looking deep into his eyes. “Whatever you want, Jack. As soon as school is out for summer, I’ve got nothing but time.”
After a quick supper, Jack had fallen asleep on the couch. Realizing he wasn’t comfortable, Alice helped him to the bedroom. She wasn’t sure if he even woke up during the walk down the hallway, and with the way he fell into the bed with a low murmur, she was certain he hadn’t. She adjusted the covers around him, fluffed the pillows, and flicked the lamp on. She wasn’t tired yet, but she didn’t want to leave the room.
Pulling a book out of the top drawer, she thumbed to where her bookmark was, but her mind wasn’t on the plot. Glancing at Jack, she let out a sigh. She was glad he was sleeping. Alice studied him. His jaw clenched and his eyebrows moved around – he wasn’t relaxed at all. Her heart hurt for him. It killed her just hearing about the bad calls. She couldn’t imagine witnessing what he had.
Jack shifted his weight and turned over, now facing her. His eyes flickered open for a second, but slammed back shut as he said something that was hard to understand. She had learned that he was quite the sleep talker, especially when he was exhausted. At first, it was cute. Tonight it wasn’t amusing.
Scooting in against him, she fanned her fingers through his soft hair. He shivered, and again, his eyelids parted, revealing his eyes for a split second. She nestled her face into his neck. They were safe, they were together, and he had made it out alive. There was no use in crossing a bridge they weren’t at. All that mattered was that moment. Jack was sleeping next to her and they were in love. Alice didn’t want to think of what could be. She didn’t want to freak out about the call.
Closing her eyes, she took every sensation in. Jack’s one day old stubble, his smooth skin, his muscular chest that moved up and down as he breathed, and his strong arms that wrapped around her, pulling her so close to him that it was almost uncomfortable.
“Thank y
ou,” Jack whispered.
Looking up, she saw that he was awake. Wrapping her legs around him, a small smile parted her lips. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, Jack. Get some sleep. We’ve got a vacation to rest up for.”
***
“You sure we’re just gonna be gone a week?” Jack pointed down at her suitcase, a playful grin on his face. “You act like we’re going away from all civilization.”
Alice looked at her heaping luggage. She had always over packed. “I’ve gotta take options for clothes. You know, sometimes I may not be in the mood to wear something, so I need choices.”
Shaking his head, Jack tossed a pair of jeans in his bag. “You women are crazy. Give a man a couple pairs of paints, a few shirts, and a toothbrush, and we’ll be fine.”
“Don’t forget deodorant. We both know how…” Alice snapped her fingers as she tried to think up the appropriate word. “Ripe you can get whenever you get all sweaty.”
“Now that’s just mean.” Jack edged across the room and hugged her from behind. “Are we really getting away for a few days or am I dreaming?”
“Not dreaming, though it does feel like it, I agree.” Alice leaned into him. It had been a few weeks since the bad warehouse call, and though the tension was still there, Jack seemed to be handling the deaths of four children better than she had anticipated. That, or he was good at keeping it bottled up inside. “They’re able to cover you at the firehouse?”
He nodded into her neck. “Yeah. They wanted me to take some time. I’ve got too much saved up. They didn’t want me to lose it.”
Leaning down, she tried to close her suitcase, but it was too full. “I’m glad we’re not flying. They’d probably charge extra due to the weight of this thing.”
Jack tried to zip it up, but he had trouble too. “Well, Babe, anything you might want to part with that we can live without?” He started to pull a few articles of clothing out and stopped when he slid his finger around the one thing Alice was trying to keep a secret from him. Sliding it out slowly, his eyes lit up when he got a good look at it. “Babe…” His voice trailed off. “We obviously can’t part with this. I’d say it’s a necessity.”
Alice couldn’t help but laugh. It was a silky black teddy she had bought right after they had booked the trip. She wasn’t one for wearing sexy lingerie much, but figured it’d be a nice change of pace and something to help relax Jack.
“You weren’t supposed to find that!” She reached out to swipe it away but Jack was quick and moved it out of her grasp.
“Oh yeah? It’s for another man, I see…” He held it high over his head.
Alice jumped, trying to grab it, but he was too tall and his arms spanned high over her. “I really did want to surprise you. You know, have a nice, romantic evening in the mountains and catch you off guard.”
Jack smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth. Lowering the lingerie, he tossed it back in the suitcase. “Why are you so good to me?” He lowered his head and gently kissed her, brushing his lips over hers. He asked her that question all the time and she loved the fact that he felt that way.
“I’m not sure, Jack.” His smooth lips ran over hers again, but this time, she nipped at the bottom one, gently biting down on it before he could pull away. “You like it?”
His tongue darted into her mouth and back out. “I like it. I’ll love it when I see you wearing it, though I don’t plan on you being in it for very long.”
Butterflies shot through Alice’s stomach. He still made her go weak in the knees. “I guess we better finish packing so we can get on the road. The sooner we get there, the better.”
Chapter Eight
The road trip didn’t seem to take long, and before she knew it, they were at the hotel. Pictures didn’t do it justice. Jack had booked a suite and there was a hot tub and full kitchenette. Scooting their luggage aside, Alice walked to the window, pushing the curtains open.
“Oh my gosh, Jack, take a look at the view.”
Joining her, he whistled. “That is nice…”
The mountains seemed like she could reach out and touch them. They were covered in green pine and spanned as far as she could see. It was breathtaking, and beat the normal, dull view they had in the city. She could get used to it.
“The room is awesome too. You didn’t tell me you got us a suite.”
“You have your surprises and I have mine,” Jack shrugged and walked into the kitchenette, opening the mini bar. Pulling out a bottle of wine, he smirked as he held it up. “For tonight. I hope we can have an evening like you described back at the house.”
“We’ll have to see, Jack.”
Cocking his head to the side, he slid the bottle across the counter top and kicked the refrigerator shut. “We’ll have to see?”
Alice walked back toward the bed, making sure she swayed her hips as she did. She felt Jack’s gaze on her, almost burning a hole in her. “Depends on how well you behave yourself.”
His hand reached around, stroking her stomach, just above her belt. His fingers fluttered against her and she felt aroused from his gentle touch. Maybe she wouldn’t make it until the evening.
Biting her lobe, Jack whispered right into her ear. “I plan to be bad tonight.”
She wanted to push him onto the bed and take him right there, but she had to pace herself. Glancing at him over her shoulder, her will power almost proved to be non-existent when she saw the smoldering hunger on his face. His hand moved down, cupping her between her legs. She wished her jeans weren’t there, guarding direct contact with the pleasure she knew Jack was capable of giving her.
He pulled away and backed off. Alice wanted to yell out and ask why, but she didn’t. Turning to face him, she didn’t say anything right off. Neither of them did.
“Hungry?” he asked. “I think we should go to dinner.”
Alice almost said no. She could do without food. “Yeah, let’s eat.” It was as if her voice betrayed her, saying opposite of what she was feeling.
“Good. You’re gonna need the nourishment for what I have planned.”
All through the meal, all Alice could think about was what would transpire back in their hotel room. The food was delicious, but they were quiet. Jack seemed distant, and she wondered if his mind was back at work.
“Everything okay?” she asked as she sipped on her wine.
Jack shook his head yes and took a pull off his beer. “Yep. How’s your steak?”
“It’s delicious. How’s yours?”
He took a bite. “I bet it doesn’t taste near as good as you do.”
A chill shot through Alice. Why were they torturing each other? They both knew they’d rather be back at the hotel. Her cheeks heated up when she saw his stare. His eyes moved downward, and she felt vulnerable in the thin cotton dress she had chosen to wear. Motioning toward the waiter, Jack handed him his credit card.
“Let’s get out of here, what do you say?”
Alice didn’t say anything, but agreed. Jack was acting a bit differently. Maybe he was horny and that’s all he could think about. She hoped that was the case and that something else wasn’t bothering him. The walk back to the hotel was peaceful and quiet, and just the subtle hand holding made her want him even more.
Once inside, Jack slid the do not disturb sign outside and locked the door. “So, where’s the surprise I ruined?”
Alice grabbed the teddy from her suitcase and hurried to the bathroom. She slipped out of her dress and adjusted the silky fabric. She studied herself in the full-length mirror. It covered her up just enough, but accentuated her chest and hips to the point that it would drive Jack crazy. She fluffed her hair and took one last glance.
She opened the door and couldn’t help but laugh when’s he saw Jack on the bed, burrowed under the thin sheet. “You better be naked under that,” she said, slowly approaching him.
“I’m not sure if I remember how to talk. All the blood just rushed out of my head.” He motioned his hand toward her. “Damn, A
lice, you look sexy.”
Getting on the bed, she straddled him. The sheet and her teddy were the only two things stopping the skin on skin contact, and she ground her hips into his, feeling his arousal. His fingers traced her nipples and she never realized how seductive silk could feel. His thumb continued to massage her and his free hand guided her closer. Taking her in his mouth, he kissed her deeper than she had ever felt. His hands skimmed down her side and between her legs, spreading her wide. Pushing the fabric aside, he plunged two fingers into her, probing in and out, hitting her in all of her spots. Her hips bucked in rhythm with his fingers and she moaned into his mouth.
Just as soon as he began, he pulled them out, leaving the moist silk against her skin. His hands moved upward and he slipped her breasts from the lingerie. The cold air hit her skin, but the warmth of his mouth replaced it. Gently, he sucked on each nipple and she arched her back as more moans escaped, probably loud enough that the people in the next room could hear her. He bit down and she yelped, and though it hurt, it still was a complete turn on as he moved from one to the other, nipping, sucking, and biting.
Jack continued to pull the lingerie down, brushing down her stomach and finally, edging down her thighs until it was completely off.
“I told you that you wouldn’t be wearing it for long.” Looking up at her, his left hand squeezed her already sensitive breast. “Straddle my face, Alice.”
How could she say no? Scooting up the bed, she got on top of him. His hands grasped her hips, lowering her closer to his mouth where he provided the most heightened pleasure that Alice could ever imagine. He did the same between her legs that he had done to her nipples. Gentle bites, flicks of the tongue, and sucking. Her hips moved out of her control, and he steadied her as he continued.
“Oh my… Jack,” she yelled out, resting her hands on the wall behind the bed. She wasn’t sure how much she could take. Her legs shook and the edges of her vision grew fuzzy, and he didn’t let up. When he inserted a finger inside her, she lost it. She came almost instantly, her body giving out as she collapsed on top of him. Her breathing was labored and for a second, they both lay there together. Jack looked into her eyes.
Hers for a While Page 6
