by Zoe Norman
“On my last shift, we were called to a car accident where the driver had to be extricated from the car. My buddy, Tanner, and I had to use the Jaws of Life and cut the roof off the car to get the guy out. We put a C collar on him—or a cervical collar,” I clarify, “and we got him out of there. Right away, we smelled alcohol on the guy. He was pretty messed up—a broken femur, deep lacerations to his face… He wasn't pretty. Thankfully, it was a solo accident and he didn't harm anyone else.”
“Oh dear,” Lily says, gripping her neck with a grimace. “You must see horrible things, Owen.”
I sigh heavily. “Yes, Mrs. Burke, I do.”
“Owen, please call me Lily. We're not so formal around here.” Lily smiles, and I can easily see where Olivia gets her warmth.
Bob continues his line of questioning about my job and how long I've been with the company. He has a lot of questions about how one comes to be on a Rescue Company, and I swear I see a look of respect cross his face when I go into detail about the selection process and how only the elite firemen in the city are interviewed and selected. Score one for Owen.
“Guys!? We're here!” a male voice calls from inside the house.
Olivia quickly gets up from the porch swing, smiling. “Simon!” she squeals excitedly.
I watch as Olivia walks into the house, followed by her parents and their dog, Sophie. A chill of anxiety runs down my spine as I brace myself for the introduction to Olivia's brother and his fiancée. I take a deep breath, man up, and follow the Burkes into the house.
“Olivia! You made it.” Simon calls out, giving his sister a bear hug. Simon is about six foot, with brown hair and the same blue eyes as Olivia. I can definitely tell that they're siblings. Olivia moves on to greet Reese, Simon's fiancée, embracing her in a hug. She's a beautiful woman with coal-black hair, pale, porcelain skin, and amber eyes. I stand back and observe as Bob and Lily greet their family, and I easily see that there is a lot of love in this house.
“Who's black Range Rover is that out front, Liv?” Simon asks, smiling as he shrugs off his coat. “Did you get a pay raise or something? Because that thing is exp—”
“That would belong to Owen,” Olivia says, cutting off her brother. She comes to my side, wrapping an arm around my waist and placing a hand on my chest. “Owen, I'd like to introduce you to my older brother, Simon, and his fiancée, Reese.”
Simon looks from me to Olivia and back again, somewhat surprised. “Owen! Finally,” he says excitedly. “I've been looking forward to meeting you.”
“Likewise. Thank you,” I say as I shake Simon's and Reese's hands. “I know how important Olivia's family is to her, so I'm glad I could meet everyone.” Olivia gives me a side hug and rubs her hand over my chest.
“I'm going to get the rest of our stuff out of our car and then we can sit down and talk,” Simon says to me as he leans over and gives Reese a kiss on the top of her head.
“Let me help you,” I offer as I take Olivia's hand that's on my chest and kiss her knuckles. I catch Reese giving Olivia a wink with an “okay” sign as I follow Simon outside and feel somewhat relieved that I've secured an A+ rating with the women in the house.
“Good drive up this morning?” Simon asks as he pops open his trunk.
“Yeah. We beat the traffic so we made it in about an hour.”
“I'm glad you were able to make it this weekend,” Simon says. “Olivia has told me good things about you. I know she's told you about her last relationship, so you can understand when you get the fifth degree from my Dad. We're all very protective of her. I don't want you to take any offense to that.”
I grab a suitcase out of Simon's trunk. “I'm protective of her too, so I get the reason for all the questions. I'm expecting them, but I want you to know that I'm very serious about Olivia and will do anything and everything to make sure she's happy and safe.”
Simon looks me up and down and smiles. “I believe you,” he says simply as he turns to close the car trunk. “Just don't fuck it up.” He turns to look at me and gives me a wink.
“We'll get started with lunch,” Olivia's mom calls out as Simon and I walk into the house. “You boys go into the family room and talk while we ladies get things ready. I'll call you when it's time to eat. Then, we can all head to the Fall Festival together.”
Olivia comes up to me, her arms encircling my waist, burying her face into my chest and breathing deeply. “Did that go okay?” she whispers, referring to my brief encounter with her brother outside.
I lean down, wrapping my arms around her too. “I got my first warning,” I whisper back. Olivia pulls back quickly, surprised. I wink down at her and kiss her forehead softly. “It's okay. He just cares a lot about you,” I reassure her. I lay my cheek on Olivia's head, hugging her close. I see Lily watching us again with a giddy look on her face, and I slowly pull away. “You help your mom with lunch and I'll face the firing squad,” I say with wide eyes as I grab Olivia's hands.
Olivia chuckles and squeezes my hands before letting them go.
I leave the kitchen and take a seat on the couch to watch the Yankees game on TV with the guys.
“You a Yankee fan, Owen?” Bob asks.
“Yes, sir, I am,” I reply. “Gotta say I'm disappointed in the pitching this year though. The boys can put up the runs, but they're have a hard time keeping the lead.”
“I was just saying the same thing to Simon earlier. Those runs don't mean nothing unless you have the pitching and defense to go with it,” Bob replies animatedly. “Glad to hear you're not a Boston fan, Owen. Otherwise, I'd have to ask you to leave,” Bob tells me with a smile, the first smile I've gotten all day.
As we wait for lunch to be ready, we continue to talk about the Yankees and my job. Somehow we get into a friendly debate about the merits of inviting or not inviting distant relatives to Simon and Reese's wedding, which happens to be a major concern for Simon. He wants to keep the wedding small, while Reese is looking for a grander affair. By the time lunch is ready, all of us are laughing and Bob has formally asked me to call him “Bob” instead of “sir” or “Mr. Burke.” Things are looking up.
After lunch, Simon and Reese ride with Olivia and me to the Fall Festival. We find a nearby parking spot beside Bob and Lily, who drove separately. The cool, crisp weather is perfect for snuggling, and I have every intention of getting in as many kisses as possible despite the fact that her family has yet to give us some space. I'm itching to touch Olivia. During lunch, I was able to cop a feel under the table, rubbing my hand across Olivia's thigh and daring to dip my fingers between her thighs to run my fingers across her crotch. Granted, she was wearing jeans, damn it, but I elicited a shiver out of her and kept her squirming in her seat through lunch. That was all I needed.
I take Olivia's hand in mine as we walk towards the festival. The area is crowded with families all out to enjoy the atmosphere. We all walk as a group along the street, checking out different exhibits and vendors. On display is everything from wood-carved statues to homemade soaps and lotions to as-seen-on-TV treasurers.
Olivia and I are walking ahead of the group, our fingers laced together. Unashamedly, I lean over and give Olivia a kiss on the temple as she points out an interesting wind chime that has caught her eye. I'm sure the rest of the family is watching our interactions, but oddly enough, I'm not overly concerned. All of my apprehension of the initial meeting of the Burkes is over, and we have all had a few hours to get to know each other a little better. I know I'm not in the tree of trust quite yet, but I don't think I'll be sleeping outside with the dog either.
As Olivia and I walk ahead, we come across a vendor selling hats. We pop in the shop, and right away, Olivia puts on an obscenely fluffy white hat that has whiskers and cat ears while I try one with a beer stein on it. The rest of the family follows us inside, and we all get a good laugh out of how ridiculous Olivia and I look.
“Oh! Put this one on, Owen! This one!” Olivia squeals.
I remove my beer stein
hat and slip on the one she hands me. It's a crocheted stocking hat in the shape of the head of a rooster. The comb of the rooster is massive, sticking straight up, making my already tall height exaggerated.
“So handsome.” Olivia laughs.
I pull Olivia to the mirror with me so we can look at ourselves. “Well, would you look at that? A little pussy and a massive cock,” I deadpan.
Simon busts out laughing and has to briefly walk away to compose himself.
“Oh my God, Owen!” Olivia says, laughing as she quickly looks around to make sure her parents were out of earshot. Meanwhile, Reese wipes tears from her eyes as she takes out her camera to capture the moment for posterity.
As we pose for our picture, at the last second, I lean over and plant a kiss on Olivia's cheek. Reese takes the picture at the perfect time, catching Olivia's reaction. Her eyes are as wide as her beautiful smile, and Simon comments that she looks genuinely happy. Simon's remark catches me off guard for some reason. He and I exchange glances, smiling at each other. Simon offers me a fist bump and I ball my fist, knocking our knuckles together. In that instant, I know that Simon approves of me.
As we round the corner, ready to leave the hat shop, we catch Bob checking himself out in a mirror wearing a Rasta tam hat with long, fake dreadlocks.
“Daddy, no,” Olivia laughs. She goes to her father, placing a hand on his shoulder, and they look at their reflection in the mirror.
“No?” Bob asks jokingly while giving a peace sign. It's nice to see him relaxed and jovial—finally.
“Just…no.” Olivia smiles as she pulls the hat off of her father's head before returning it to the shelf.
The group meanders through the festival, watching various street performs stopping to listen to an a cappella singing group. The rest of the Burkes step in closer, while I keep Olivia towards the back with me, which gives us a rare moment of semi-alone time.
I stand behind her so my front is pressed against her back and lean down to kiss Olivia's neck. “Are you having a good time?” I ask, my arms enveloping her as I rest my cheek against her head.
“Mmmm,” she coos, “I am. Last time I was here, I was with my high school boyfriend, so it's been years since I've been here. Things have changed, but a lot of it is the same.”
“I see,” I say, feeling a bit daring. “Did your date do this to you?” I wonder, kissing her neck again.
“No,” Olivia smiles as she opens her neck to me for more kisses.
“And did he ever do this to you?” I ask, continuing to nibble on her neck while slowly moving my hands up her sides to rest just below her breasts.
“Oh God. No, he didn't,” she replies, rolling her head onto my chest. I quickly scan the crowd for the rest of Olivia's family and see that they're engrossed with the singing group. This provides me a little more time to fondle my girlfriend.
I brush my pelvis across Olivia's ass, letting her feel my growing hardness. “I'm desperate for you, you know that?”
“I can feel that,” she hums, arching her back and pressing her backside into me.
“You're not helping my situation, Miss Burke,” I growl into her ear before taking her earlobe between my lips.
“Ahhh…” she moans as I suck and lick her ear.
The combination of being out in public and being with her family makes me feel extremely horny, and my mind races at all of the things I'd love to do to Olivia.
“I loved fucking you in your room earlier today,” I whisper into her ear. “I can't wait to have you riding my cock tonight, my hand covering your mouth to muffle your screams while you come. Fuck. Feel that?” I moan, grinding my hardness against her. “I need you.”
Olivia exhales, and in the coldness, I am able to see her breath. “I need you too.” She reaches her hand behind her back and slides it up and down the outline of my penis through my jeans.
“God, Olivia...What are you doing to me?” I groan, pressing my face into her neck.
Just as quickly as she started touching me, she stops and turns into me. She laces her fingers behind my neck and looks into my dark, lust-filled eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for coming up here with me and meeting my family. I know it was stressful, but you've won them over.”
I lean down and give her a gentle, loving kiss. “You're welcome. Thank you for including me. They're all really great,” I say sincerely. “And you, my sweet Olivia, are too amazing for words.” We both look into each other's eyes, something...some feeling passing between us.
Tell her you love her.
Tell her you love her.
Tell her you love her.
I can't do it.
Damn it.
“I don't know that I've won your family over quite yet though,” I say, breaking our eye contact and pulling her into my chest. Can she feel how hard my heart is beating right now?
“I do,” Olivia says confidently and reaches up on her toes to give me a quick kiss. “And tonight I'll reward you for your bravery.” She shoots me a wicked smirk.
Hello. You've got my cock's attention again. “Oh? And how will that go down?” I ask curiously as she starts to walk away, still clinging to my fingers.
“Hmmm…” She playfully taps her chin with her finger. “It will involve my mouth…on you…and wetness.”
“How wet?”
“Very,” she says, pulling me along so we can catch up to her family.
“Umm…can we go home now?” I call after her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Olivia
Owen and I had an amazing weekend at my folks' house, and we have been kind of riding the wave of that good feeling for a bit. Well, at least I have. Actually, I kind of thought by now he would have brought up my meeting his mom and sister. But that hasn't happened—yet. I don't want to push. We've been getting along so well, and I know that Owen needs to ease into this relationship. But on the other hand, I don't want to sit back and wait because I'm scared of his reactions. That would be just silly. We're partners in this, right?
Last night Owen announced that tomorrow is Tanner's birthday and we've been invited to a club in the city to celebrate. He suggests that I give Laney a call and see if she can come. We've been itching to set Tanner up with Laney for a while, and this could be our big opportunity. I'm able to get ahold of her, and she plans to meet us there tomorrow night. Fun! A Friday night out!
Today Owen has to work half a shift in the morning to help out, so I spend some time cleaning up around his apartment. I've been staying here more and more, and between our two crazy schedules, the place is a mess. I change into an old pair of short shorts and a tank top, crank up some music, and start cleaning. I start by picking up our scattered belongings. Laptops, clothes, my notebooks and journals, his boots and suspenders. Why does he have so many pairs of suspenders?
I'm sweating because I'm putting some effort into both the cleaning and the dancing. This has become quite a workout, and I'm grateful for it since my usual exercise routine has basically gone out the window with my new living arrangements. I move on to vacuuming and finally dusting.
I suddenly feel two hands reach around my waist and I jump, screaming. When I turn around, I see that Owen is standing behind me. His hands are up as if in a peace offering. I put my hand over my chest, my breath heaving.
“You scared the shit out of me!” I yell over the music.
He mouths, “Sorry,” and steps closer. His look is sexy as hell, and I can't help but grin at him. He slips his arms around my waist again and bends over, kissing me hard, his tongue punishing, searching, seeking, consuming. It's so hot. I put my arms around his neck as he slips his hands behind my knees and lifts me, moving me so he can pin me against the rough exposed brick of the living room wall.
The music is still blaring as he whispers in my ear, “I'm going to fuck you now.”
Whoa…
He slips his hand between us and takes out his beautiful cock. I reach down and pull my shorts to the side as he guides himself into
me, pushing up and deep to the hilt. I groan loudly although it is muffled by the music. Owen buries his head in my neck and just has at me. Pounding, relentless, harder and harder. It hurts but in the best way possible. I don't know what's going on in his head right now, but I kind of don't care. This is hot.
In minutes, it's over. He comes, squeezing my ass through my shorts, bruising me for sure. He pushes me against the wall, and then I'm clenching around him in a wordless orgasm masked by the music blaring through the apartment. He finally pulls back and looks at me, slowly letting me down until I'm steady on my feet. He brushes my sweaty bangs out of my face and, reaching down, grabs the music remote and shuts it off.
“Hi. Nice to see you too,” I say as he tucks himself back into his pants. I notice that he leaves them unbuttoned. Very sexy.
He smiles back. “Hey, sorry about that. I had a stressful morning. Needed to let a little excess energy out.” He kisses my forehead and starts toward the bedroom as I regain my composure. I put away the vacuum cleaner, gather up the dirty rags to toss in the hamper and follow him back to his room. He is already in the shower when I walk into the bathroom, so I hop up onto the sink's counter.
I wonder if something is wrong. “Baby, you okay?” I ask just loud enough to be heard over the running shower.
“Yeah,” he replies, his back to me. “Why?”
“No reason,” I say. “Just checking in.” I jump back down off the counter, starting toward the bedroom. “I'm going to go get my clothes ready. I'll shower when you're done.”
I go to the closet and pull out my outfit for tonight. I've chosen a tight pair of black dress pants and a very sheer blouse. It's super sexy, and the heels I've chosen to wear with it really finish the look.
About an hour later, I meet Owen out in the living room, dressed and ready to go. He's sitting on the couch wearing tailored jeans, a blue button-down, and a sports jacket. He looks edible. He turns off the TV as I come out of the bedroom. He stands, turns to face me and whistles.
