by Debra Kayn
Lifting her up, he held her against the wall and slid into her warm heat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and studied his face.
“You okay?” He rocked their bodies together slowly.
“Now I am.” She smiled. “I like you this way. Stripped bare of your responsibilities, your hero status, and just being you. And knowing that you're safe. It scared me last night with you gone on that fire. Don’t get me wrong. I love the man you are, but this—” She traced his lower lip with her finger “This man right here, with me, is mine...” Her voice went husky with emotion. “You’ve rescued me, given me attention, and you continue to amaze me every day.”
Gregg’s grunt of approval pleased her. She laid her cheek against his shoulder, and holding him to her, she let him set the pace. Slow, steady, and comforting, she luxuriated in reconnecting with him.
Every nerve in her body hummed. Undulating her hips against him, she grew enthralled with how well they fit together. He was the strength she needed, the support she craved. Her breath whooshed out with each of his thrusts. A scream built up deep inside her, exciting her more.
Her inner muscles squeezed and caressed him with each stroke. Her head fell back and she gazed into Gregg’s face. Her own pleasure stared back at her from his eyes and carried her over the edge.
“Amber...” His hands pressed into the small of her back.
She closed her eyes, letting the pulsating muscles explode and sweet release wash over them both. “Yes.”
Gregg thrust one last time and shuddered inside her. She ran her hand down the back of his head and kissed him softly. The way he touched her soul filled her with an indescribable love that she’d never experienced before. She belonged.
“Do you feel it?” He lathered the washcloth and passed it to her. “That connection we have going?”
Sliding her body down Gregg’s, she trembled. He straightened up, stepped back, and let the water cascade over her.
“I do. It doesn’t feel quite real to me yet. I keep waiting for something to change or for you to realize I’m not the right woman for you.” She finished soaping up and hung the cloth over the hot water handle. “I never want to disappoint you.”
“Amber. You could never do that. This is the real thing. I know it. I’m sure. I’ve never been so positive in my life.” He switched places with her and grabbed the bar of soap. “You scared the hell out of me earlier. The whole time I was gone on call, I thought of what it would be like without you here.” He stuck his head under the water spray, shook, and ran his hand over his face. “We need to have a serious talk. I want to know what’s going on and how I can fix your problem.”
Shivering, she waited for Gregg to shut the water off and open the glass sliding door. “I know. You deserve to know what’s going on, and it’s unfair of me to keep something from you, but this is something I have to do alone. If I lean on anyone, there will always be that doubt living inside of me that maybe I couldn’t succeed on my own. I owe it to myself to fight this myself. Does that make sense to you?”
“Yeah, it does. I don’t like it, but I can see how important it is to you.” He tossed her a blue Port View Fire Department T-shirt. “It’s warm out tonight; let’s go outside and listen to the waves, and let me hold you. I’ve missed you.”
Gregg pulled the comforter off the bed and motioned for her to come. She padded through the house following him outside.
He sat down and stretched out on the chaise lounge, opened his arms, and covered her with the blanket. She snuggled down and curled against his side. It was hard to admit to her lack of responsibility in the matter of her business plan. To do so would be admitting there was truth in her inability to make anything of herself, and that her parents were right.
“OK, let’s hear it. The sooner you spit it out, the faster I can work at fixing it.” Gregg kissed the top of her head.
“Don’t Gregg.” She shook her head. “You sound exactly like my parents when I was growing up.” Swallowing, she laid her head down and stared off into the distance. “I moved here with plans to open the pet daycare and do it successfully. Myself.”
Gregg stroked the length of her arm as she spoke. “Aunt Grace, bless her soul, gave me the biggest gift anyone ever gave me. The only thing someone has given me that didn’t come with an ultimatum. She left it up to me to do what I want without telling me I needed to jump through hoops. My first real chance at owning my own company, doing what I love, and succeeding in life without feeling like I’m disappointing anyone.” She snorted. “My track record of living on my own and out of my parents pocketbook has been dismal at best.” She moved her arm and rested her head on her hand. “Maybe I finally grew up. I don’t know, but now I want to show everyone that I can earn a living, succeed, and make something of myself.”
“Moving out here alone and running the pet daycare isn’t a sign of a slacker, Amber.” He raised his brows. “I can understand your desire not to rely on anyone. That’s commendable.”
“Maybe.” She laid her head back down. “But with my new set of problems, I’m dreading the day I have to ask them for help. It might be best just to sell Aunt Gr— my house— and set my sights on a different town.”
He stiffened beneath her body. “What about us? Are you willing to give up on our relationship?”
"It has nothing to do with us, Gregg. Of course, I don’t want to leave you, but you have to realize where I stand. No job, no income, no Amber stay in Port View.” She pushed up off his chest and stood.
“OK, so let me help you. If you need money, fine. If you need someone to help you get a loan, I can do that too.” He sat up in the chair and swung his feet down to the ground. “I’ll help. Hell, like you say, I know everyone in town. I can get the word out that—”
“No! Stop it, Gregg.” She stomped her foot. “This is exactly what I don’t want. I’d never be happy knowing that you bailed me out.”
“That’s not the point. Think of us. You make it sound like our relationship depends on you being independent. I thought we were in this together.”
“You think I’m selfish.” It wasn’t a question. She knew how she sounded, but he’d never understand. His family was there for him and supported him. He’d planted himself into a career, settled down, and things came easy to him.
He stepped up in front of her, cupped her cheeks, and urged her to look up into his face. “What aren’t you telling me? I can see something else is bothering you. Jesus, Amber. I love you. I want to help. Let me help.”
Her jaw dropped. “You do? I mean, we’ve told each other that we were falling in love, but that’s not the same thing...is it?”
“Nope.” He chuckled. “I love you. I realized I do when I thought you were moving away.” He leaned down and kissed first one cheek and then the other. Laying his forehead on hers, he whispered, “I’m not your parent, or your goodtime friend; I’m thinking long term, as in forever. I’ll help you anyway I can, and if it means standing back and letting you control the outcome to your business, I can do that. Regardless, I don’t want you going anywhere. I want you to stay in Port View. You hear me?”
She nodded and squeezed his arms. “I love you too. Oh God, what a mess. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t as long as you stay here. If things begin to look bad and your business doesn’t take off like you hope, you’ll get another job, or try something new. Whatever happens is no big deal, because we’re together.” He shrugged. "You have to trust that things will be okay."
“Oh, but it is a big deal, Gregg. My family...” She groaned. “My parents and my older brother are all lawyers. My older sister is a heart surgeon, even my little brother has already put his footprint on the world and is working his way up to the governor’s seat in the future.” She curled her lip. “I might only babysit animals, but, dammit, I want to be the best animal babysitter in Port View.”
Gregg pulled her into his embrace.
“I love the animals I care for. I really do. Most people don
’t understand that.” She closed her eyes and concentrated on the way his chest rose and fell against her cheek. He was so strong, secure, and self-assured compared to her. “The animals make me feel important. I think I get more from them than they do from me.”
“It’ll be okay.” He led her back toward the house. “You’ve got the drive and dedication to make this work. You’ll figure something out.”
Chapter Ten
The roar of all the people gathering in the empty bays of the fire department seemed louder than normal with the fire trucks parked outside. Amber smiled, gazing at all the community members who came to support their local emergency team by attending a pancake breakfast fund-raiser.
“We need more pancake batter, Captain Miller.” Amber passed over the empty pitcher and stood guard over the ten round pancakes on the grill.
“Sure thing, Ms. Bailey.” The fireman jogged into the back of the station.
Amber flipped the pancakes and peered down the line of people waiting. “More pancakes will be up in just a few minutes.” She waved at a little black haired girl that bounced in line. “What do you have there, cutie? Is that a doggy?”
The child’s head bobbed up and down. The girl stuck a raggedy stuffed animal in the air for Amber to see. She laughed and slid the spatula under the pancake. “My goodness, but that is one very cute dog. I bet you take real good care of him.” She winked. “I like animals too. I get to take care of dogs, cats, and even a bird.”
“You do?” The girl’s eyes grew bigger.
The woman next to her laughed. “You must be the woman who opened the pet daycare.”
Amber smiled. “My name’s Amber.”
“I’m Michelle and this is my daughter Gretchen.” Michelle patted her daughter’s head. “We should thank you. You take care of Max, our next-door neighbor’s dog.” She laughed. “Max used to bark continually every day that the DeRuynes worked, but now that he’s gone to daycare, we have our nice quiet days back again.”
“Max is a good boy. Just a little lonely. Not every dog likes to be alone. That’s exactly the reason why I’ve set up the daycare. I get to take care of some really cool animals, and they reap the benefits of having my attention.” She set the platter down on the table in front of the grill. “I think it works out well for everyone involved.”
“Well, whatever you’ve done has turned Max into a lovely dog. Mr. and Mrs. DeRuyne talk very highly of you.” Michelle forked a pancake and placed it on a plate for Gretchen. “It was really nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” More than you know. Amber smiled down the line of people waiting their turn. “There you go, folks. Eat up.”
Stepping back, she searched for the chief.
“Looking for me?” Gregg circled her with his arms and kissed the side of her cheek. “You smell delicious. All syrupy, sweet, and tasty.”
Amber laughed and swatted his arm. “Oh, I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Chief McKee.”
Gregg turned her around without letting go. “Brad.” He stretched an arm out and leaned over the back of Amber to shake the man’s hand. “It’s good to see you up and moving around.”
“I feel a hundred percent better.” Brad grinned. “I go to the doctor on Wednesday, and I’m hoping he’ll release me.”
“Excellent.” Gregg moved off to the side. “Amber, this is Brad Turner, one of our volunteer firemen. He tore the ligaments in his knee playing baseball on the community adult team and has had to sit on the sidelines the last couple months.”
“Oh, ouch. I'm glad you're feeling better.” Amber smiled and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Amber Bailey.”
“Any relation to Grace Bailey?” Brad moved out of the line backing up behind him.
“She was my aunt.” Amber waited for him to make an excuse and leave. Her aunt’s name seemed to have that effect on people.
“No kidding? She did a lot for my son’s Boy Scout troop. I admired her for all the volunteer jobs she handled.” Brad turned back to Gregg. “I better keep the line going. See you next week at drills, Chief.”
Amber picked up the new pitcher of batter and poured more pancakes out on the grill. “Gregg, did you know my aunt? I can’t believe I’ve never asked you that before. You know everyone.”
“What, sweetheart?” He stepped closer.
“My aunt.” She glanced over at him. “Did you know her?”
“I knew of her.” He waved to someone across the bay. “She used to own the newspaper here in town. I probably talked to her a couple times in passing, but I can’t say I knew anything else about her.”
“I wish I had known her.” Amber shrugged. “I didn’t even know she was in the newspaper business until the other day when I was reading some old clippings she had shoved into a drawer and noticed her name on the articles.”
Gregg lifted his arm and checked his watch. “Looks like time’s up. Go ahead and dish those out and we can start cleaning up.” He unhooked the phone from his belt. “Close it up, guys. The yearly pancake feed is officially over.”
Leaning down, he whispered, “I have to go thank everyone for coming, but stick around. Don’t run off, okay?”
She nodded. The least she could do is help clean up. The money they’d earned today went for a good cause, and if it meant spending more time with Gregg, she was all for that. She gazed around the area. A sense of belonging hit her, and she realized a lot had to do with dating the fire chief. Maybe Gregg was right—once the town people got to know her better, she’d become a full-fledged Port Viewian.
***
Amber stood on the edge of the vacant lot behind the fire station. It hadn’t taken long for all the firemen to escape outside with a football after cleaning up from the fundraiser. The mist of water from the fire hoses arching over the field cooled her off from the heat of the afternoon sun. She clapped. “Go Gregg!”
“You know, you’ve sided with the wrong team.” A slender woman in shorts stepped up beside her. “You can’t cheer the head honchos on; you’ve got to egg on the firefighters.”
“Uh-oh.” She laughed. “That might not go over too big, seeing as how I’m dating the chief.”
The woman’s mouth fell open and she slapped her hand over it. “Sorry.” Laughter lit up her eyes and she dropped her hand. “I thought you were one of the firemen’s girlfriends. What a nice surprise. I don’t think I’ve known Chief McKee to bring a date to any of these activities.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Barb. Married to Stan.” Barb shook Amber’s hand and pointed. “That’s him all covered with mud wearing the black shorts and red shirt.”
“I can’t believe they all enjoy playing football in the mud.” Amber shook her head.
“They’re all little boys at heart. I swear, when they aren’t out on a call, washing the rigs, or cooking up some weird batch of chili, they grab a ball and waste time until their shift is over.” Barb waved to a couple women standing over on the corner. “I better go say hi to everyone else. I missed the big pancake feed because I had to work. How’d it go?”
“Good. Quite a few people came.” She smiled. “It was nice to meet you.”
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” Barb squeezed her arm. “Tell the chief hi from me.”
She nodded, shrieked, and grabbed onto the body that swept her off her feet. “Gregg! Put me down.”
“You look hot. I’m just cooling you off.” He carried her out to the middle of the field and stood under the water. “How’s that feel?”
Laughing, she glanced down. “I’m soaked, you dork.”
He wiggled his brows. “I happen to like you all wet.” Gregg’s lips captured her mouth. “Mm...makes me thirsty. How about we go back to my house, shower, and find a way to entertain ourselves for the rest of the day?”
“Yes.”
“God, I love when you purr that answer.” He carried her off the field, set her down on the sidewalk, and eyed her from hea
d to toe. “You’ll never make it through the station looking like that without starting a fire.”
Her white tank topped stuck to her chest, and she groaned. Her nipples were hard little pebbles after that kiss from Gregg. “This is your fault. You’re an arsonist.” She planted her hands on her hips and tried to appear stern. Instead, she fought laughing and shook her head. “I wish we were back at your house already.”
“Your wish is my command.” He leaned over and scooped her up in a fireman carry, gave her ass a smack, and strode across the street to the fire station.
“Gregg! This isn’t any better. My butt is probably showing.” She tried to reach up and pull her wet shorts up further on her hips down. Her head banged against his lower back. She gave up and hugged his waist. “Don’t drop me.”
“I’m a trained fireman. Relax.” He smacked her butt again, opened the back door, and strolled through the station.
Wolf whistles and cheers echoed inside the big open bay. She pinched Gregg’s tight butt. He laughed harder. “You’ll pay for this.” She laughed, unable to deny she enjoyed his attention.
“Good job, Chief.”
“That’s the way to show her who’s boss.”
“She’s going to kick your ass when you put her down. I’ve tried that with my girlfriend before and I still carry a bruise.”
“See ya next shift, Chief. Have fun.”
The front door slammed shut, cutting off the banter from his men, and Gregg let loose with a laugh. “Let’s go home, sweetheart.”
Chapter Eleven
Shutting the door on Ditto’s new portable cage, Amber stood back and cocked her head to the side. “It looks more like we’re joining a parade than making a good impression.”
Kristy ripped off the streamer taped to the handle of the wagon. “Let’s get rid of the decorations. That’ll help.” She squatted down and handed the blue and white streamers to Matt. “Run these over to Amber’s garbage can, sweetie.”
Amber turned and whispered, “I still think it was a marvelous idea having you and Matt help me go door to door. The neighbors will be hard pressed not to gaze upon such a sweet boy and deny him the pleasure of my animals.”
