Gunnar's Guardian

by Pandora Pine

  Gunnar reluctantly pulled back, fishing his keys out of his pocket. He climbed the stairs and opened the door. He crooked his finger at me, motioning me inside. I hoped I knew what I was doing, that this was the right decision and not some colossal mistake.

  I followed him into the house. Gunnar shut and locked the door behind me. He leaned against it with a devious look on his face. “I’ve got you right where I want you.”

  Striding toward Gunnar, his look went from mischievous, to turned on, to alarmed in a matter of seconds. I snorted as I scooped him into my arms and carried him like a bride toward the stairs. He wrapped his arms around my neck, resting his face on my shoulder.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” I set Gunnar down on the floor at the foot of his bed. I noticed the bed was made and the room was neat as a pin.

  “You are what I want, Kennedy.” Gunnar lifted his shirt over his head. It dropped soundlessly to the floor.

  My first instinct was to go to him and rip the rest of his clothes off. I took a deep breath and tried to slow myself down. “Now your pants.” I had no idea where this take charge instinct came from. I’d never been like this with any other lover, only Gunnar. Was it because I was so much older than him or because this was how it was supposed to be?

  Gunnar’s slender hands went to the waistband of his pants. His fingers deftly undid the top button of his jeans. They drew down the zipper, while he shot me a devilish smile.

  My eyes were glued to his hands as they pushed the denim off his ass and down past the sizable bulge in his briefs. I could feel my mouth start to water. Christ, Gunnar was making me feel like a teenager about to go off in my pants for the second time with him.

  “Your turn,” Gunnar challenged. He was standing there in his navy briefs, the head of his cock pushing up past the waistband.

  I was about to do what Gunnar asked when I paused with my shirt halfway up my stomach. My entire body felt as if it were on fire. Getting my clothes off was the first step, but I wanted help. “You do it.”

  Gunnar’s eyes glowed brighter at the thought of being able to strip me bare. He stalked toward me like a panther. He didn’t stop in front of me to get right to it, instead, he stepped behind me. I could feel the heat of him sinking into my back. One finger slipped beneath the hem of my shirt. It burned a trail along my waistline as Gunnar moved to the front of me. His hands slid beneath my shirt, rubbing slowly over my abs. It was sweet torture. “Are you going to pet me like a cat or take my clothes off.”

  “We’re only going to have one first time together.” There was a look of wonder in his eyes. Who was I to disappoint him?

  I flinched every time his skin touched mine as he worked my shirt up and over my head. More than anything, I wanted to push him on the bed and have my way with him. It was taking every last shred of self-control to stay put.

  A blast of cold air hit my skin when Gunnar finally got my shirt off. Both of his hands landed on my back, exploring every inch of skin. “You’re perfection,” he whispered, stepping around to the front of me. Those same hands slid down my chest to tangle in the fur over my stomach.

  “Hardly,” I scoffed.

  “I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.” Gunnar sank to his knees. This position reminded me so much of the night he tried to thank me for helping him out.

  I reached down, caressing his face with my right hand. “Hurry,” I whispered. We had all night, but I didn’t want to spend all of it involved in this dance.

  Gunnar made quick work of my shoes and pants. All that was left were my black boxer briefs with a giant bulge. “I did this to you.”

  “Christ, you have no idea what you do to me.”

  He licked his lips before licking over my package. I hissed in response. Even with my boxers on, I could feel the wet heat of his mouth. Slipping my fingers into the waistband, I slid them down just far enough for my long-suffering erection to spring free.

  “I need to taste you.” Gunnar took a step forward, still on his knees. “Please.”

  Reaching for his head, I pulled Gunnar’s face closer to me. I took myself in hand, rubbing the head of my dick against his silky lips. “Fuck, yeah.”

  Without being asked, Gunnar opened his mouth. I slipped myself inside. His tongue began to lick and suck me as if this was what he’d been born to do. “That’s it. Take all of me.” I pushed in slowly until I hit the back of his throat. Gunnar gagged around his mouthful. I couldn’t help smiling.

  The combination of his eyes glittering up at me and the quiet way he was gagging on my dick had me on the edge in no time. If I didn’t pull back, the party was going to end before it began. “Easy. Easy,” I panted. Christ, this kid was going to be the death of me.

  A look of disappointment graced Gunnar’s face.

  “Strip and get on the bed.” I needed a few seconds to get myself together again. This night wasn’t supposed to be all about me. It was about Gunnar too. About us.

  After a few deep breaths, I turned around to see Gunnar lying on the center of his bed. His dick was aimed at the ceiling. His hands pillowed behind his head. I knew they were in that position so he wouldn’t be tempted to bring himself off. He was on the edge, even though I hadn’t touched him yet. “Look at you. So handsome. All mine.”

  His eyelashes fluttered at me, but he stayed silent.

  Kneeling between his spread legs, I could see how nervous he was. I set a hand on his knee, which I slid down lower and lower until my fingers wrapped around his shaft and started stroking. Gunnar practically shot off the bed. I snickered at him as he fell slowly back to the mattress.

  “Kennedy, please. I need more.”

  “Oh, you’re going to get more.” I lowered my mouth to him, licking slowly around the crown before slipping my lips down over him. Gunnar bucked forward, sending his dick into the back of my throat. I wasn’t ready for him to cut off my air like that. I set both hands on his thighs and gently pulled back. “Supplies?” I wasn’t going any further than this if Gunnar didn’t have condoms and lube.

  “Top drawer.” He waved a hand in the direction of the nightstand.

  The box of condoms was unopened and the plastic wrap on the bottle of lube was still intact. It was obvious Gunnar hadn’t been with anyone else since he’d moved into the townhouse. I hadn’t been either for that matter. “Are you sure?” I needed to ask him one more time just in case. He was so nervous. I needed to know it was because he was excited about what was going to happen rather than afraid of it.

  “Never been more sure about anything in my life. Now hurry up and fuck me!”

  I guess that settled that. I suited myself up as quickly as I could, careful to go slow when I lubed my cock. The last thing I needed was to go off in the condom, but outside of Gunnar.

  Swiping a lubed finger against Gunnar’s hole, I paused for a few seconds to tease him and wriggled my way inside. He was so fucking tight. He clamped down around me. “You’re an eager little thing.”

  “Now, Kennedy, please. I can’t wait much longer.”

  I knew exactly what he was talking about. I couldn’t wait any longer either. I finished loosening him up as fast as I could, although, truth be told, I would have loved to tease and torment him this way for much longer. Another time. I shivered at the thought of doing this again.

  After adding a bit more lube to my rock-hard dick, I lined myself up with Gunnar’s hole. “This is it.”

  “Do it!” Gunnar urged behind gritted teeth. His green eyes were locked with mine.

  “Your wish is my command.” I pushed forward, breaching the first ring of muscle. I nearly came then and there. This feeling of euphoria washed over me. I’d never felt anything like that with another man.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I wasn’t about to tell him what I was feeling. The last thing I needed was for Gunnar to see me as a needy guy. One time in the sack didn’t make us soulmates. “Nothing, I’m fine.” To prove my point, I pushed forward, sending my d
ick deeper and deeper inside Gunnar. If I were a more whimsical man, I’d swear our souls were touching.

  Gunnar’s eyes glazed over when I bottomed out. He was trying with all his might to keep himself from coming. At least we were in the same boat.

  My instincts were telling me to go hard and fast. I kept them in check by reminding myself I needed to make sure Gunnar was taken care of before my own needs were satisfied.

  “Jesus, Kennedy, now.” Gunnar was fidgeting beneath me.

  All of my good intentions flew out the window. I pulled my hips back as slow as I possibly could before setting a punishing pace. Gunnar cried out my name as his fingers dug into my biceps. There were going to be bruises there in the morning. I couldn’t have cared less. I wanted his brand on me for the world to see.

  The slap of flesh on flesh filled the room. I was mesmerized by the look I was putting on Gunnar’s face. It was somewhere between ecstasy and agony. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was wearing a similar look.

  “Close,” Gunnar panted.

  “Me too.” I’d been thinking about my high school gym teacher to keep from coming. She’d been under five feet tall and fond of over-using her whistle. I slipped my hand around Gunnar’s cock, jacking him in time to the beat of my hips.

  “Kennedy!” Gunnar shouted.

  Come ripped from his slit to coat my hand. Gunnar’s eyes were rolled back in his head. I took a second to freeze-frame that moment in my mind before I let myself go. My dick jerked once. The pleasure was nearly blinding. Just when I thought I was winding down, Gunnar tightened himself around me and I felt like I was coming all over again.

  When it was over, my dick ached from the exertion as I slipped from Gunnar’s body and removed the condom. I’d taken myself off to the bathroom to clean up. I almost didn’t recognize the man in the mirror. He looked happy. He was happy.

  I had no idea what came next, but I did know that there was a warm man waiting for me to come back to bed. I’d deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.

  24

  Gunnar

  How is it that the best times of your life go by at the speed of light? Those hours with Kennedy last night had been the best I’d ever known. He’d left this morning with a casual, “Catch you later.” I had no idea when later was or even if there would actually be a later.

  Part of me knew I was being ridiculous. He’d gotten all dressed up last night and made reservations at a restaurant. All for me. What happened in my bed later only brought us closer together. At least that’s how I saw it.

  After the fireworks, he’d come back to bed with a warm, wet cloth to clean me up before he’d spooned himself around me and fell asleep. I hadn’t minded one bit. There were so many things I needed to think about, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if Kennedy had been awake and talking to me.

  Granted, he was only the second lover I’d ever had in my life, but I knew from the moment he touched me this thing between us was more. Special. I sounded ridiculous, but I could feel it deep down in my soul.

  I didn’t have time to think about Kennedy right now. Ozzy had sent a text asking me to meet with him half an hour before my shift began. Thankfully, I was past thinking he was going to fire me, which freed me up to think about the topics he did want to discuss. Chief among them were Kennedy and the McMasters’ fire.

  It had been days since that fire, but it had stayed with me. The way Dillon cried out for his wife and daughters. Hal and Max covering their bodies with blankets and the way I’d had to hold him back from going to them. I didn’t know how the people at the firehouse dealt with these kinds of scenes day in and day out.

  Ozzy was sitting at his desk making a funny face at his computer screen when I knocked on his office door.

  “Hey, Gunnar. Come in. I can’t get this damn report to download.” Ozzy rolled his dark eyes.

  “Mind if I take a look?”

  “Go ahead.” Ozzy got out of his seat with a dramatic sigh.

  I had a feeling this would be an easy fix but didn’t want to sound cocky in front of my new boss. Reading the original email, I hit the button to download the report and instantly was asked for a password. “It’s asking for a password.”

  “I thought I wasn’t supposed to give out my password to things I get through the internet.” Ozzy wore a confused look on his face.

  “That’s only for things that are suspect. Like Amazon saying there’s a problem with your account and to use a button in the email to log in. Who is this report from?”

  “The Gloucester Fire Chief.” Ozzy sighed, sounding like all of this shit was beyond him.

  “Come over here.” I motioned him toward the screen. “When you mouse over the chief’s name, his email address pops up in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. See?” I moused over him name and pointed to the address. “Is that his correct email address?”

  “Yeah.” Ozzy sounded considerably less cheerful than he had when I knocked on his door.

  “Enter your password and the report will pop up. If you get an option to save it, do that so you don’t have to go through this again.”

  “How do you kids keep up with all this shit?” Ozzy pecked in his password with one finger.

  To keep you oldsters out of trouble, was my first thought, but I bit my tongue. “I listen to a lot of news.” That was the truth. I’d promised myself I’d keep up with local headlines and I was doing just that.

  Ozzy’s face was a mask of concentration. A moment later, his easy smile was back in place. “Thank you for playing tech support, but that’s not why I asked to meet with you.”

  “Okay.” I wasn’t sure what the hell else to say, so I shut up. I wasn’t about to offer information about something he wasn’t going to ask me about. Namely Kennedy.

  “I know things got crazy after your ride along.” Serious Ozzy was back in charge.

  “That’s for sure. They were crazy during it too.”

  “Yes, they were. Scenes like that are par for the course for us. People watching their homes burn never gets any easier. You didn’t get caught up in that and did what you could to help, even though I asked you to stay put and observe.” Ozzy’s left eyebrow arched high.

  I wondered if my intercepting Dillon McMasters was going to come back to bite me in the ass. “I heard every word you said, Ozzy, but there was something in me, some instinct I’d never felt before, that propelled me into action that night.”

  “I know. I saw the change come over you. Hal Rossi saw it too.” Ozzy leaned forward. His large fingers steepled in front of his chin. “How closely have you been following news about The Scorcher?”

  Okay, I wasn’t expecting those words to come out of his mouth. I had disobeyed a direct order after all. “I’ve been keeping up with the fires on the news since I moved to Gloucester.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Ozzy nodded and sat back in his chair. It groaned under his weight.

  I was at a total loss now. Where was he going with this conversation?

  “I’m issuing you a department laptop. Tech support already assigned you login credentials. With this computer, you’ll have access to the Gloucester EMS records. Fire. Police. EMT. 911.”

  If my eyes got any wider, they were going to fall out of my skull. I pinched my left thigh just to make sure this was really happening and wasn’t some dream or fantasy coming to life. I felt the pinch. This was unbelievably real. I opened my mouth to say something, but I had no words for him.

  “I can see you’re stunned. Cut the shit. You’re a good worker. I wouldn’t be asking for your help if I didn’t think you could handle this assignment.”

  “What is it you need me to do?” My heart was pounding in my chest and my hands were sweating. I hadn’t been this excited about something since the first time Kennedy kissed me.

  “I want you to read through all the reports in the system about these arson fires. You’ll be able to access the incident reports for the medics and police through the fire records. You’re g
oing to be our expert on The Scorcher.”

  “I was always good at research.” I was good at it, but I’d hated every second of it at BU. This was different. I had a vested interest now. Gloucester was my town. Ozzy and the members of the GFD were my family now. I would do anything in my power to protect them.

  “I know.” Ozzy’s dark eyes glittered.

  “You do?” My stomach flipped. How did he know?

  “I got in touch with one of your professors. Turns out we go way back.” Ozzy winked at me.

  Jesus, my boss fucked one of my professors. That was one bit of news I really didn’t need to hear at the moment. “What did he say?”

  “Who says it’s a he?” That twinkle was back. “Anyway, you’re a stellar student when suitably motivated. Call me crazy, but I think working here with us has you motivated.”

  “You’re not crazy. I love working here. I love my coworkers and what you all stand for.”

  Ozzy shook his head. “You stand for it too, kid.”

  I let those words sink in for a few seconds. I’d loved every moment of working at Firehouse Three. Even when I was washing the trucks or shining shoes, I’d loved every second of it. There were days when I wanted to come in and help out when I wasn’t scheduled to work. For a screw up like me, that was saying a lot. “Thanks, Ozzy. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t.” He leaned forward again. The chair creaked in protest. “There’s one more thing.”

  Oh, shit. This was where he was going to ask me about Kennedy. How the fuck was I going to get out of this? “Sure.” I’d tried to keep my voice level, but failed. I’d squeaked like a chipmunk.

  “I want you coming out on fire calls with us.”

  “You do?” I couldn’t breathe.

  Ozzy nodded. “I need you to be my eyes and ears. Keep your eyes on what’s going on with the fire, but more importantly, with what’s going on in the crowd. Look at faces. Take pictures if you can. Listen to what the crowd is talking about.”