He rolled his lips in. “Yeah? How great?”
“What?”
“How great was I? Gimme a grade.”
“A grade?”
He sat up in the bed, his elbows on his knees. “You have a little more experience than me, so I thought you could tell me how I did.”
Evie blinked, then caught his insolent smile. “Oh, you had me going, you bastard.” Heart in chaos, she sat on the bed, not too close but enough so he wouldn’t think she was weirded out.
“Weirded out, right?” Another brazen grin. How was he so unaffected by this?
“A bit. I meant what I said about it being wonderful, but I’d hate to lose what we have. It means a lot to me to have a friend who’s not a drama queen, and sex tends to ratchet up the drama.”
“I suppose.” He ran a finger along the plush terry cloth of the towel over her thigh. Mesmerized, she watched its journey, her hormones already on board with whatever he had in mind. “But only if you let it. Thing is, Evie, I’m not going to be able to let you leave here.”
Oh. As much as she enjoyed this possessive streak on display, she needed to establish some ground rules.
“Ty, I understand that maybe you’re feeling a little sensitive right now because last night was a big deal. You lose your virginity only once and all. But that doesn’t mean you have to get…well, clingy?”
His brow crimped. “You think that’s why I’m anxious to keep you here. Because now I’m mated to you? Imprinted on your pussy or something?” He hopped out of the bed, naked and half erect, and she couldn’t tear her eyes from him in all his hard glory. Taking her by the arm, he steered her to the bedroom window and opened the blinds.
“Last night’s storm dumped eighteen inches, and it’s still coming down like a mother. That’s why you can’t leave.”
…
Tyler stirred the eggs and strained his ear toward the living room where Evie was on the phone to the chief.
“I wasn’t too drunk, Dad. Or drunk at all. The weather meant it was tough to get home, and now…” Pause while the chief reamed her out. “Of course I’m safe with Tyler. He’s my best friend. He—” Another lengthy pause where Evie tried to get a word in and failed miserably. “Okay, Dad. I’ll check in later.”
She appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing his CFD sweatshirt and PJ bottoms held up with a tie and looking so damn sexy he could cry. Cry? Maybe she was right. Now that he was no longer a virgin, he was feeling raw and oversensitive.
“Chief’s worried, huh?”
“Yeah, he said he’d be calling—”
Tyler’s phone rang with Venti’s number. “Here, watch these eggs, would you?” He answered on the third ring. “Chief.”
“I hear you took good care of my daughter.”
Tyler could feel his cheeks flushing hot. Did Evie actually tell her dad that Tyler had defiled her? Surely, he would have picked up on that.
The chief went on. “Well, thanks. Putting her up was a good thing to do.”
Relief washed over Tyler. “Of course I’m going to take care of her. She’s family.” Damn. That’s not what he meant to say, and Evie’s eyebrow raise and slight smirk confirmed he was an idiot. “Well, not family, just—”
“She means the world to me, Brooks. Understand?”
“Yes, Chief.”
“And I’ll spare no time, expense, or risk of incarceration if I find you took advantage of her while she’s going through this rough period. Got it?”
“Yep. I mean, yes, Chief. Understood, Chief.”
“Okay, the fuckers in charge of the weather reckon it’ll ease off by late afternoon. At which time you will shovel your sidewalk, dig out your truck, and drive my daughter home. We on the same page?’
Tyler nodded, though the man couldn’t see.
I will not debauch your daughter. I will not debauch your daughter.
Rephrase.
I will no longer debauch your daughter.
“Will do. See you at the start of shift tomorrow, Chief.”
Venti grunted and rang off.
“Man, your dad’s a hard-ass.” Tyler looked up to find Evie buttering toast in preparation for the fluffy scrambled eggs.
“He worries. It’s his thing.”
“Well, he made it very clear I better not take advantage of you.” Tyler bit his lip, then grabbed a couple of mugs for coffee. Watching her take a seat at his kitchen table, he chose his next words carefully. “Did I take advantage?”
She pointed a fork at him. “Do not let the chief get into your head, Ty! This is more about me, him not trusting me to make good decisions where men are concerned. My track record’s not exactly stellar.” She shook her head, clearly annoyed with herself. “You did not take advantage. We knew what we were doing and, if I could do it over, I’d make the same decision.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah!”
Tyler took a seat and shoveled a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. When he’d swallowed, he picked up the thread. “Because you didn’t look too happy about it this morning. In fact, you looked downright regretful.”
“Not—not because of the sex.” She scrunched up her nose. “I don’t want you to think this means anything more. Of course I love you—you’re my bestie. But I’m not in love with you.”
“I know that, city girl. Listen, I’m going to say something and I need you to chill and not take it the wrong way.”
She lifted her coffee cup and said a small “okay” before taking a sip.
“What happened last night was amazing. The best night of my life, actually. Not just because I finally did it”—he added a fist pump, which made her giggle—“but because I had that wonderful experience with my best friend. My hot, funny, awesome bestie. What you gave me was precious, a true gift.”
“I’ve always considered my pussy to be a true gift.”
Typical Evie, always with the joke.
“What I’m trying to say, smart-ass, is that this doesn’t change how I feel about you. We are completely cool.”
It doesn’t change how I feel, because I’ve always been in love with you.
“Really?” Was that disappointment? Probably just projecting. “You’re not going to get all weird on me?”
“No weirder than usual.”
She grinned at him, that ray of sunshine his heart went wild for. Evie was going to require careful handling to get her on the same page. No problem. They had several hours snowed in on a wintry Chicago day to come to an understanding.
Chapter Eight
Evie was trying her damnedest to work out how she felt here. Tyler was being a total sweetheart. Not pushing, not flipping to crazy, completely understanding where they were—or weren’t—headed.
A little too understanding.
She’d balked at the idea he might want more or would try to turn this into something because his pants-feelings had migrated north to his heart. But as soon as he said nothing had changed, the relief she should have felt hadn’t rushed in. Instead, she was left with this hollow pit in her stomach that not even his amazing scrambled eggs with pesto could fill.
Tyler stood and grabbed her empty plate.
“Oh, I can get—”
“Nope. The chief said I should look after you. Now, I’ve got to go check on Mrs. Novak, so make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Make myself comfortable?”
“Well, not too comfortable.” He stood before her, which lined her gaze right up with his abs. Perfect blocks her tongue needed to explore. Her eyes dipped lower—and lower—and swallowed at the clear evidence Tyler was in a bit of discomfort himself.
She couldn’t help herself. Her palm shot out and cupped his balls through the sweat pants. He hissed, a sharp intake of breath, then made a weird sound in the back of his throat.
“Evie, what—”
“We’re holed up here all day with nothing to do.”
“There’s always Netflix.” His voice sounde
d strained.
Evie curled the index finger of her free hand into the waistband of his sweats and pulled down. That beautiful cock that had filled her to perfection sprang up, almost slapping her in the face.
She giggled.
“No, don’t—don’t laugh.”
“Okay,” she said, then took him in her mouth.
He jerked at first, surprise at her boldness his initial instinct. But then a more natural instinct took over, where he understood that this was what she wanted. That big, fat, delicious invasion of her body, one where she controlled his pleasure.
His hands curled into fists, his need to fill them evident. She grasped one hand and placed it behind her head. Gave him permission to participate more fully.
“Evie—oh, Christ, Evie.”
God, she loved how he said her name, the pure desperation in it. She looked up at his beautiful face, contorted in the pleasure she was giving him. No other girl should get to see her man like this. This ecstasy was hers to gift—and hers alone.
Cupping his balls, she squeezed, testing the boundaries of what turned him on. Some guys hated to be touched there, more liked an old-fashioned filthy fondle.
Tyler was in the latter group. The hand, formerly cradling the back of her neck gently, tightened its grip with a sense of ownership to match the pride in her heart. She swallowed him down, then lingered longer on the meaty head, applying a lusty suckle and a tongue in the leaking slit.
“Evie.”
She could feel his balls getting heavier, a precursor of his imminent orgasm. But she wanted to give him more. She slipped her finger inside her mouth, giving his dick a little company, then she slid that same finger behind his balls—and between those lovely ass cheeks.
Eager to test his limits, she pressed the soft, wet pad of her finger to that tight rim. Peeking up, she found his eyes blown wide as he realized where she was going with this.
Say the word, baby.
“Evie,” he moaned, and that was all the invitation she needed to press home her advantage.
Taking him deep, she opened her throat to hold him there, to keep him connected to her like they had never been connected before. Or would be again.
No. Her heart rebelled at the thought. Was she falling in love while giving her best friend a blow job with some surprise ass play thrown into the mix?
Already there. Already fallen. Already hopelessly, crazily in love.
Her finger hit the spot, and his celebratory roar as he came sent her pulse skyward.
He pulled back, but she held on, one hand on his ass to anchor him—and herself. Licking him clean, she made sure he’d never forget she’d owned him first. Everywhere.
His palm cupped her jaw and drew her gaze up to his. In his eyes, she saw the world she’d missed, the future she could have, but…this was Tyler. She’d just gotten done telling him not to mistake sex for love and here she was distinctly not taking her own advice.
“Evie, did you just stick your finger in my ass?”
She giggled, not quite believing it herself. “Too much?”
“You filthy, gorgeous girl.” He grinned. “That was amazing, Evie. You’re amazing.”
No, you’re the amazing one.
Evie was the one who was completely screwed.
…
Tyler stretched out in his cot in the Engine 6 bunk room, trying to catch a few Z’s but recognizing it was likely hopeless. Not when all he could think of was Evie. In his bed, on his cock, in his heart. Yesterday evening, per the chief’s orders, he’d dug out his truck and drove her home. But before that—before he had to return to an empty apartment and an emptier bed—he’d made up for lost time and could safely say he’d put in the man-hours necessary to be considered a sexpert.
Not a single surface had escaped their efforts to christen them good and dirty. They’d fucked over the back of the sofa, on the kitchen table, in the shower that was really not designed to hold more than one person. They’d done it against the wall, against his dresser, and she’d met him thrust for thrust, just as often initiating the next round once they refueled on sandwiches and Mrs. Novak’s delicious kremówka. Evie had even spent some time taking a few X-rated photos of him with her phone for a new portrait series she said she was planning.
Best of all, they’d talked. About their lives right now, where they wanted to be in their careers, how their families drove them nuts. He wanted to ask about them—Tyler and Evie—but not spooking her was the name of the game right now. As long as he could keep her under the spell of his dick, he lived in hope.
Just after two a.m., Gage walked in and threw himself on one of the cots. “Wyatt wants to see you in the chief’s office.”
What now? Thankfully the chief wasn’t on shift tonight. “Did he say what it was about?”
Gage was already on his phone, probably sexting with his husband, Brady. “Dunno, dude. Shut the door behind you and make it ten—no, twenty minutes.”
Great, he was being banished to give his coworker a shot at jerking off on city time. “Does the LT really want to see me, or are you just looking for some alone time with your boo?”
Gage laughed, sort of evilly. “Yes, he does, and that’s not what I call my dick.” He rubbed a hand over his crotch. “Brooks, meet—”
“I don’t want to know what name you’ve christened your dick.”
Gage smirked. “Go see Wy. You’ll thank me later.”
No clue what that meant. Tyler headed out, past the makeshift gym—their house was old and shabby and not as shiny as some of the newer houses—and was about to turn the corner to the chief’s office when he heard it.
“Psst!”
Wheeling about, he got the shock of his life: a vision that looked like Evie beckoning him from the door to the bunker gear room. What the—? Hurrying over, he touched her, checking to see if she was real.
She was. “Evie.”
“In here.” She dragged him inside the gear room. The only light came from her phone, which she’d propped up on one of the shelves, a picture of a flickering candle creating a muted glow.
She threw her arms around him, her supple body rubbing against him. “Hi, farm boy.”
Oh, Christ. She was wearing only a bra and panties. Pink with little ribbons on them, they showcased her silky, olive skin. She must have slipped her coat off the second she closed the door.
“Evie, what are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”
“I know. Firehouse booty call. You’re welcome.” She tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth and he lost it—her body, her scent, her mouth. There was no resisting her. No wanting to.
“Honey, we can’t—not here—we—” But she had already unzipped his uniform pants and untucked him. Hard, rough strokes, just the way he liked it. She knew exactly what he needed.
“Fuck, Evie. This is crazy.” His fingers slid inside her panties and found her hot and slick.
“Tyler, please. I can’t get enough of you. Enough of this.”
Her words pierced him, giving him hope that this was more than just mindless desire. No other woman could come close to the lust and love she inspired in him. They’d found each other at last, and he refused to let her go.
“Turn around, Evie. Show me that ass.”
Her gasp was an even bigger turn-on. She needed to know the effect she had on him. With her, he was a beast, his control tenuous and fleeting.
When she didn’t turn immediately, he flipped her away from him. “Hands on the shelf.”
Her instant obedience thrilled through him. He wasn’t sure where it was coming from, this dominance that had lain dormant, waiting to be unraveled by this woman. He yanked her panties down and palmed one perfect ass cheek. With his other hand he slipped around the front, over her pussy, two fingers pushing inside and sawing in and out. So easy because she was liquid with desire.
“This what you came for, Evie? This what you need?”
“Yes.”
He put the hand tha
t had been between her legs over her mouth. “Gonna need you to be quiet unless you like an audience. Now lick my fingers.”
Without hesitation, she took his hand, applying kitten licks to his fingers, wet from her, now making them even slicker. His other hand splayed between her thighs from behind, separating her legs to give him better access. He rubbed a palm roughly over her clit and on through her seam.
“Bite down on my hand if you need to.” He spanked her, just a light tap to test the waters. Her rusty groan went straight to his balls.
“Put your foot on the shelf in front of you and show me how much you want it, Evie.”
Again, she did as she was told, the slight adjustment hitching her curvy hips and gorgeous ass to create that perfect accessibility. All he needed to—
“Fuck.” He entered her hard, her hot sheath as comforting as coming home. It didn’t take long for either of them. Moving toward the peak, hearts in sync, they quickly found that perfect rhythm. On hearing her raspy moan of release, he followed her over, and in that falling apart, he felt complete for the first time in his life.
Chapter Nine
He was still inside her, still wrapped around her body. A complete cocoon of Tyler. Together, their breathing ratcheted down until it felt like they were inhaling as a single entity. Bodies, hearts, and souls becoming one.
“Nice of you to stop by,” he murmured, making her laugh.
“I figured there were a few things left on your list.”
He kissed her neck. “You’re not some checklist for me, Evie. Every moment with you is a revelation, and I don’t just mean the sex.”
Her heart hopped, skipped, and jumped. She knew she was important to him—as he was to her—but she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him to the messiness of a relationship. Once he realized she was bad girlfriend material, the rest she so relied upon would vanish into a haze of recrimination and awkwardness. Her track record proved she was incapable of keeping a guy’s interest.
But a part of her wanted to believe that her foundation with Tyler might be enough.
“Ty—”
Men In Uniform Anthology Page 42
