Cinders

by Cara Malone

  She ignored him instead, and Marigold did her the favor of doing the same. Cyn blocked his view with her back and said, “Thank you for bringing back my shoe. I’d ask if you’re free for coffee, but I’m not really supposed to leave the firehouse while I’m on duty in case we get a call.”

  “That’s okay,” Mari said. “I understand.”

  Those blue eyes burned into Cyn and filled her whole body with electricity, and she felt like she was blowing her chance. She didn’t want Marigold to walk out of the firehouse right now because they might never have an excuse to run into each other again.

  “But we have coffee here,” she blurted. “James buys the good stuff, actually – fair trade, organic. Would you like a cup?”

  “Umm,” Mari said, glancing at the other firefighters at the table, then back to Cyn. Her heart stopped in that moment of hesitation, then started up again with a leap of delight as Mari said, “I’d like that.”

  “That’ll be five dollars a cup,” James said as Cyn led Marigold over to the counter and got a fresh mug from the cabinet. “That’s my toasted blackberry blend – very popular, very pricey.”

  “You can take it out of my chips,” Cyn shot back, nodding at the stack of poker chips in front of her unplayed cards. James shrugged and grabbed a couple chips off the top of the stack.

  Cyn poured coffee into the mug and slid a little caddy full of cream and sugar packets across the counter to Marigold. She lifted the cup to her nose, taking in the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and the faint notes of blackberry, and then in deference to James’s high-brow coffee tastes, she sipped it black and gave him an appreciative smile.

  “It’s very good,” she said. She took another sip and Cyn enjoyed the sight of her lips wrapping around the ceramic rim. She enjoyed it even more when Marigold's tongue slipped out and licked the liquid from her bottom lip.

  “There’s not much room down here to sit,” Cyn said apologetically to Marigold. “Unless you want to hang out with these guys, or sit in a fire engine. But we could go up to the bunk room where it’s a little quieter.”

  Her cheeks burned as she suggested it. They would be all alone up there and while that thought had certainly crossed her mind, she was more interested in getting away from the rest of her crew before they could embarrass her or make another crude joke.

  “Well, the fire engine is tempting,” Marigold said. “But I’ll settle for the bunk room.”

  As Cyn led Mari out of the break room, the look James gave her was unmistakable. Cinders and Marigold, sitting in a tree…

  She brought Mari over to a steel door just outside the break room and opened it to reveal a flight of stairs leading up to the living quarters where all the firefighters slept when they were on call. As she followed Mari into the stairwell, enjoying the view, she said, “I’m sorry about the guys – they get bored and antsy when there’s nothing to do, and it can feel like being in a locker room sometimes.”

  “Don’t worry,” Marigold said, turning around and forcing Cyn to bring her eyes abruptly upward to avoid being caught in the very behavior she’d just distanced herself from. She noticed Cyn’s gaze despite her best efforts, and gave her a toothy grin as she said, “I can hold my own.”

  “I never doubted you,” Cyn said. Mari turned back around, her hand gliding up the railing, the curves of her ass and hips irresistible in her tight pants. Cyn smiled and said, “If you want, we’ll take the fire pole when we come back down.”

  “You actually have one of those?” Marigold asked.

  “Of course,” Cyn said. “What self-respecting firefighter takes the stairs? You might want to lose the heels, though.”

  “You’d be amazed what I can do in these heels,” Mari said as she reached the top of the stairs and turned around to face Cyn. There it was – that flirtation again. It had felt so surreal the night before, like something out of a dream or a fairy tale, but in the light of day, Cyn couldn’t deny it.

  She stepped forward, ready to kiss Marigold again, but instead, Mari raised her coffee cup and took another sip, then turned and looked around the room.

  “So, this is where you spend your time?”

  “When I’m on call, yes,” Cyn said. “Want the tour?”

  “Please.”

  There wasn’t too much to show her. The bunk room was one big space, with three sets of bunk beds pushed up against the walls on two sides, a couple of couches and a television set in the opposite corner, partitioned off by a rather ineffective room divider.

  In the fourth corner, there was the fire pole. Cyn led Mari over to it and put one hand on the cool metal, circling slowly around the hole in the floor and keeping a professional distance between them. Mari peeked down to the first floor, then closed her eyes and leaned back.

  “Afraid of heights?” Cyn asked.

  “No,” Marigold said. “I am afraid of falling, though.”

  Cyn got brave. She swung around the pole to meet Marigold, their bodies nearly touching as she said in her most sultry voice, “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”

  Marigold bit her lower lip and Cyn could feel it between her legs, desire blooming hot and urgent. She leaned in again for a kiss, but again, Marigold pulled back. She smiled at Cyn and said, “So, you came into my world last night. Tell me about yours. What’s it like being a firefighter?”

  “It’s pretty great,” Cyn said. She took Mari’s hand and led her over to the couches, where they sat down together and Marigold let Cyn’s knee rest against hers. “There’s a lot more sitting around, waiting, than I expected when I first started, but it didn’t take long to figure out that’s a good thing. The better I get at poker, the safer Grimm Falls is. But when we do get a call, oh, nothing beats the course of adrenaline that shoots through my veins at the sound of the alarm.”

  Mari smiled, amused. “So, you’re an adrenaline junkie?”

  “Not at first,” Cyn said. “It used to scare me. But it grew on me, and it beats the hell out of the alternative – working in my stepmother’s boutique and helping stuffy rich ladies try on overpriced clothes that will probably never leave their walk-in closets.” She glanced at Marigold. The heels she wore today had those red soles that told Cyn they probably cost what she made in a week, and nothing else Mari wore looked cheap, either. “Sorry – not that there’s anything wrong with it.”

  Marigold laughed, then said, “It’s okay. Would it make me sound more or less like a rich snob if I told you I leave all my clothes shopping to my assistant because she actually enjoys it?”

  Cyn put her hand to her chin, thinking about it for a minute, then she said, “Less, as long as she’s enjoying herself. How did the party go, by the way? Am I looking at the proud new conservator of Grimm House?”

  Mari frowned for the first time since she’d arrived in the firehouse. “Not exactly. I was hoping my father would make an official announcement last night, but he had a change of heart and decided to wait a little longer.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Cyn said.

  “It’s okay,” Mari said. “It’s just a matter of patience at this point. I love my father dearly but things have to feel just right for him to make a decision, and that goes double for any matters involving me. I’m sure you know, being an only child and having only one parent means the doting often borders on overbearing.”

  “Actually,” Cyn said, “my dad took the opposite approach. My mother’s death was hard on him, and when we moved to Grimm Falls, he was trying to circumvent the grieving process by throwing himself into his new marriage. He tried to do the same thing for me by throwing me into work at Samantha’s boutique, but that didn’t end well.”

  She said this last part with a roll of her eyes and Mari asked, “What happened?”

  “You know, that timeless story – surly tomboy with a dead mom meets ultra-feminine stepmother, proves incapable of fitting into the boutique’s image and winds up causing resentment all around,” Cyn said with a shrug. She set her coffee mug on a nearby en
d table and added, “We both tried to make it work for my father’s sake for a while. I wore dresses and put on the expensive makeup Samantha bought me. I kept trying to be the girly girl she wanted, but sooner or later, it always fell apart. It’s impossible to be who two different people want you to be, even when one of those people is you.”

  “Well, I like the real version of you,” Marigold said, and then she abruptly leaned in for the kiss Cyn had been waiting for.

  Eighteen

  Marigold

  The kiss was impulsive.

  Mari had been trying to resist the urge to act on her desires ever since she came upstairs with Cyn – a bad idea that led her right into temptation. She shouldn’t have been sending mixed signals like this to Cyn when she didn’t know what she wanted or what kind of relationship she was capable of. Her future lay in her father’s hands and until he made a decision, she couldn’t make any for herself.

  But sitting just a few inches away from Cyn, with those steely eyes boring into her, setting her core on fire, she couldn’t help herself.

  Cyn slid her tongue along Mari’s lips, tickling them until they parted, and then her tongue was inside Marigold’s mouth. The wetness, the firmness of the tip of her tongue as it danced over Mari’s made her forget every hesitation she had except for one.

  She pulled back and glanced toward the door to the stairwell. “Will we be interrupted?”

  “No,” Cyn said, planting her hands on the couch cushion on either side of Mari’s hips and leaning into her space. “They may act like teenagers, but they’re good guys. They won’t pry.”

  Then she leaned further forward and Marigold felt her back pressing against the arm of the sofa. Her coffee cup was still in her hand and she reached awkwardly for the end table behind her head. Then Cyn took the mug from her and set it down, planting her lips on the tender skin of Marigold’s collarbone in the same slick motion.

  Mari let out a pleased moan and sank into the couch. She put her hands on Cyn’s waist, feeling the core strength that she was engaging to hover above her. Then Mari pulled her down, spreading her legs so their hips connected.

  They kissed and Cyn moved her hips against Marigold’s body, gently at first, as if she was afraid of being caught in her desire and rejected. Meanwhile, Marigold ran her hands over Cyn’s hips and down her backside, pulling her body closer as their tongues slid over each other.

  The next time Marigold pulled back, it was because a sudden burst of fear bubbled up inside her and made her question what she was doing. She put her hand flat against Cyn’s chest, pushing against her until she got the idea and pulled back. Mari said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Is something wrong?” Cyn asked. She sat up and looked worried. “We are going kind of fast. We can just talk.”

  “I’d like that,” Mari said. “But will you stay here on the couch with me?”

  “Of course,” Cyn said. Mari reached for her and Cyn lay down next to her, her arms wrapped around Marigold’s waist and her head resting on her shoulder.

  “I was being honest when I said last night that I don’t normally do this sort of thing,” Mari said. “I don’t know how people do the whole one-night stand thing-”

  “Is that what this is?” Cyn asked.

  “No,” Marigold hurried to add. “At least, I hope not.”

  “Good,” Cyn said. “Besides, it would technically have to be a two-night stand.”

  “What I meant was,” Mari said, then she paused to collect her thoughts and kiss the top of Cyn’s head. Her hair was soft and fine, and it smelled like teakwood. “I’ve worked so hard on my career for the last ten years that I’ve never really had a personal life.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that if you and I were to walk arm-in-arm down the streets of Grimm Falls, the paparazzi would have a field day,” Cyn said.

  “I don’t have paparazzi,” Mari said with a roll of her eyes. “But there probably would be talk. You know how everyone loves other people’s business.”

  Cyn sat up so she could look Mari in the eyes, and she grabbed her hands to pull her upright. Then she asked, “So you’ve never had a girlfriend?”

  “Not a serious one.”

  Then it was Mari’s turn to be aggressive. She wanted to escape this embarrassing admission so she grabbed Cyn’s hand and yanked her back down on top of her, then threaded her fingers through Cyn’s hair. She took Cyn’s hand and put it on her chest, just above her heart so she could feel how hard it was beating. They looked into each other’s eyes and she wished for a device that could stop time right in that moment.

  Then Cyn slid her hand down a few inches to cup Marigold’s breast. Her nipple hardened against Cyn’s palm and her thumb moved in slow circles over the thin fabric of her blouse.

  “I don’t know how much of myself I could give you right now,” Mari hurried to add before her desire could get the best of her. “If my father gives me control of the estate, I’ll be really busy-”

  “It’s okay,” Cyn said. “We can go as slow or as fast as you want. I’m not expecting anything. I just want to see where this goes.”

  “Okay,” Mari said, giving in to Cyn’s powerful seduction.

  They kissed again and Cyn slid her hand over to Marigold’s other breast, her thumb running over the most sensitive part and sending a deeper, more urgent wave of desire between her thighs. Then Marigold felt Cyn’s hands sliding inside the V-neck cut of her blouse.

  Her hands were warm and slightly rough from her work. Marigold gasped at the surge of pleasure as Cyn pulled her breast out of Mari’s shirt and bowed to take her nipple into her mouth. She closed her eyes and arched her back, pressing her body against Cyn and closing her fist in her short hair.

  She held Cyn’s mouth against her as her tongue swirled wet and hot around her nipple.

  Mari moaned, trying to stifle the sound and coming up short on willpower. Then Cyn’s hips locked against Marigold’s as her hand trailed over her waist and the curve of her hip bone. When their bodies moved together, Cyn’s breath caught, sounding ragged in Mari’s ear and driving her wild with desire.

  She brought her hips closer and Cyn slid her hand around Mari’s backside, then between her legs. She was hot and wet for Cyn and she could hardly keep her eyes open or her mind focused as everything became very small and far away, the whole world insignificant but for the curve of Cyn’s body pressed against hers as her hand slid between Mari’s legs.

  She ran her fingers up and down over Marigold, then slipped her hand under the waistband of her pants. She parted her lips through her panties, and Mari nearly lost control when one finger slid inside of her. Mari let out a long sigh and Cyn shifted on the couch, laying Marigold down and straddling her. She put one hand over her mouth and whispered, "Sound travels up here. You have to be quiet."

  Then she took her other hand from between Marigold's thighs and gave her fingers a lick, not breaking Marigold's gaze. She kissed her, their hips grinding together as Marigold delighted in the way their bodies moved together. Cyn was wearing a pair of lightweight sweatpants and her navy fire department t-shirt, and she managed to look damn sexy in sweats. Marigold slipped her hands beneath the shirt hem to find Cyn’s small, bare breasts. Her nipples were hard and she closed her eyes, trying hard to take her own advice as Marigold's hands closed over her breasts.

  Be quiet. Be quiet.

  As the desire built with every gyration of their hips, Mari wondered how much longer she could stay quiet. Cyn seemed to read the tortured look on her face, so she trailed one finger over Marigold's lips and then scooted down to the bottom of the couch. She unbuttoned Mari’s pants and scrunched them down around her hips until they were at her ankles and her knees fell open.

  Cyn slid her fingers over the fabric of Marigold’s panties again, the smile on her face telling Mari that she was enjoying the tease of making her wait. Then she hooked the crotch of her panties aside and Marigold drew in an expectant breath. Is this really happening?

&nb
sp; Cyn touched her gently at first, their eyes locked. She ran her fingers all over Marigold, spreading her wetness around. When she wet her clit, Marigold immediately let out a moan and clamped her hand over her mouth as Cyn lingered there, rolling her finger in slow, deliberate circles. Marigold closed her knees against Cyn’s sides, squeezing her as Cyn slid a finger inside her again.

  When Marigold began to rock her hips in time with Cyn’s touch, she increased the intensity of her strokes and even though Mari wanted that moment to last forever, it wasn't long before she was crying into the palm of her hand, muffling the sounds of her orgasm.

  As soon as she came, she reached up and pulled Cyn by her neck to lay down beside her again on the couch cushions. Their bodies pressed together closely in the narrow space and she kissed Cyn as she slid her hand down the front of her sweatpants. She was already throbbing with the first promise of release and Marigold ached to give it to her.

  She didn't get it, though, because the moment Marigold felt the firm, wet mound of Cyn’s clit, a siren started to blare from a speaker mounted to the wall nearby.

  Mari sat up, her heart slamming into her chest. "What is that?"

  "Shit," Cyn said, holding Marigold's hand against her for a moment longer. "That's the fire alarm. I have to go."

  Of course, it was. What else?

  Mari looked down at Cyn, still moving her hips needfully against her hand. As soon as they got up from that couch, the real world would come crashing back in on them.

  But Cyn was too much of a professional to ignore the call of duty. She pulled Marigold’s hand out of the waistband of her sweats and kissed her fingertips, then stood up and held out her hand. "Come on, it looks like you get to try out the fire pole after all.”

  Marigold took her hand and stood up, straightening her clothes. Cyn pulled her into the most indulgent kiss she could afford in the brief time they had, pressing her hips longingly against Marigold's body. Then she went over to an armoire anchored to the wall and changed quickly into her firefighter’s uniform. It happened in a flash but Mari enjoyed the view while it lasted, the lines of Cyn’s thigh muscles visible as she shimmied out of the sweats and pulled on her pants.