Burning for You: A Steamy NYC Firefighter Romance

by Kaye Kennedy

  Tyler got Ryan settled in one of the bedrooms to watch cartoons, then he and Jesse sat with us as we stayed glued to the television for hours. Our phone wouldn't stop ringing and Tyler and Allie did a great job of intercepting concerned friends so that mom wouldn't have to do it. Later, a third building at the WTC that had caught fire collapsed, and with it, so did our hope.

  As the sun set, a few neighbors dropped by with food, but none of us could bring ourselves to eat. Sometime that evening, Mrs. Dupree arrived and she watched the news with us for a bit. She even got my mom to eat a little and drink some coffee. I overheard her offer to stay the night, but my mom declined. We still hadn't heard from Dad, but the reporters claimed that cell service was basically non-existent in the area, so I crossed my fingers and prayed that was the reason why.

  Mrs. Dupree helped get the younger boys ready for bed and then she rejoined us in the living room.

  "Ann, are you sure you don't want us to stay?" she asked my mom.

  Mom nodded. "Thank you for all of your help."

  Mrs. Dupree waved her off. "I'm off tomorrow, so we'll come back in the morning, okay?"

  "I'd appreciate that, Leslie."

  "Of course. You call me anytime if you need anything at all." She turned to her children. "Let's go you lot."

  Tyler stood, but Allie remained planted to my side. "Mom, I'm gonna stay."

  Mrs. Dupree nodded. "Sure, sweetie. I'll bring you a change of clothes and whatnot in the morning." She kissed her daughter goodbye and they left.

  It was after midnight by the time my mother shut off the television. "We need to go to bed."

  "Ma, can Allie stay in my room?" Our parents hadn't let us share a bedroom since we'd hit puberty.

  She didn't hesitate. "That's fine."

  I gave my mom a hug that seemed to last for days. As she pulled away, I said. "Or I can stay with you tonight if you want." My mom was one of the strongest people I knew, but a part of me recognized that staying alone in the bed that she and my father shared wouldn't be an easy thing.

  She cupped my cheek. "I love you for offering, but I'll be okay."

  "You sure?" I asked for good measure.

  She nodded. "Try and get some sleep, you two," she said as she went upstairs.

  I gave Allie a pair of my boxers and a t-shirt to sleep in so she didn't have to wear the clothes she'd worn to school. After getting ready for the night, we slid under the covers of my full-sized bed.

  Allie cuddled up against me and put her head on my chest. Holding her and having her near like that managed to ease a little bit of my tension. I truly couldn't imagine my life without her and that day had been the perfect example of why. She intuited what I’d needed from her without a word. Every single time. And she had a way of comforting me when no one or nothing else could. We stayed like that for a while, neither of us speaking, no sound but our breathing and the ceiling fan clicking above us. I doubted sleep would come easily because my mind kept reliving the horror of the day.

  After some time, when I'd assumed Allie had fallen asleep, she surprised me by saying. "It's going to be okay, Kyle."

  I sighed and her head bobbed on my chest. "Yeah."

  "I promise you it is," she whispered in the darkness. "I have a feeling."

  The idea of my father being hurt or...worse, crept in. I swallowed. "I hope you're right."

  "I am. And I'm going to be here with you every second until he comes home."

  And I knew without a doubt that she would be. For the first time, I allowed the tears to drip down my cheeks without fighting. I'd been holding them in all day, trying to be strong for my family like my dad had asked, but everyone had a breaking point.

  Allie didn't say anything, she just held me tighter until I managed to get control of myself. Sometime later, Allie whispered, "I love you Kyle, you know that, right?"

  That made me smile. "Yeah, I do."

  "And..." she teased.

  A small laugh escaped my lips. "And I love you, too." No words were truer. Except, I was pretty sure that the love I felt for her was different than what she'd meant. But I didn't dwell on that. My heart was hurting enough.

  The next morning, we once again huddled around the television, praying to catch a glimpse of Dad. Mrs. Dupree handled the friends and neighbors who'd decided to stop by to check in on us. Mom wasn't up for company. Hell, neither was I. Since we'd yet to hear from Dad, my Mom had chosen to keep us home from school and she'd called out of work as well. Tyler went, but Allie, true to her word, refused to leave me.

  Around noon, the phone rang and instead of coaxing the concerned friend off the line, Mrs. Dupree brought the cordless handset in to my mom. "Ann, you should take this one." She looked pale and my stomach immediately sank.

  Mom clutched it to her ear. "Hello?" The desperation in her voice told me that Mom was hurting much more than she'd been letting on. "Yes, hi, Jimmy."

  Dad worked with a guy named Jimmy at his firehouse. My hands clenched into fists on my lap and I strained to try and hear the conversation. As though she read my mind, Allie muted the TV.

  My mom fell back against the wall and the phone dropped from her hands. Mrs. Dupree grasped Mom's shoulders. "Ann, what is it?"

  I went for the phone. "Jimmy? This is Kyle."

  He sounded like he hadn't slept in years. "Kyle, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your father is missing."

  Missing wasn't good, but it wasn't dead. I squeezed the bridge of my nose. "When?" was all I managed to get out.

  "We haven't heard from him since before the second tower fell."

  My hope shattered. I glanced at my mom who was crying on Mrs. Dupree's shoulder. It broke my heart to see her like that, so I looked away. Allie was holding Ryan, trying to soothe him. Jesse and Dylan stared at me expectantly.

  I took a deep breath. "Thank you, Jimmy."

  "A few of the wives from the firehouse are going to stop by to help you guys. I'm heading back to the site soon, but one of us will give you a call tonight with an update. You call the firehouse anytime if you need anything, son."

  Son. I remembered my last conversation with my dad. "We will. Thank you."

  "Be strong, Kyle. You can handle this."

  I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Be safe out there, Jimmy."

  He sighed. "We won't stop until we find him."

  "I know." That I believed. Dad had always said the firehouse was family.

  "Talk to you later."

  "Goodbye, Jimmy."

  I clicked the hang up button and stared down at the phone.

  Mrs. Dupree had gotten my mom into the kitchen and I wanted to go check on her, but Dylan stopped me. "Well?" His voice shook.

  I went over and sat on the coffee table, directly in front of them. "Dad's missing."

  Allie clutched Ryan tighter and I noticed her eyes water up. Jesse stared at his lap and Dylan gawked at me in disbelief.

  I continued. "They're going to find him. You hear the reports, it's a mess down there. Most of the radios aren't working and cell phones have become useless pieces of plastic."

  "Your dad is going to be okay, boys," Allie stated with the confidence I wished I had.

  Later that day, as Jimmy had said, a few of the wives of other firemen came by with tons of food. They sat with Mom, helped with my brothers, and after a while, we all started to regain some hope. They had people they loved out there, too, which meant that they understood, while others could only sympathize.

  Marci, Jimmy's wife, stayed the night. She and mom had always been good friends. Her husband was a few hours into his forty-eight hour stretch at Ground Zero, so her staying was just as good for her as it was for Mom. Her kids were off at college and I bet she hadn't wanted to be alone either.

  Just like the night before, Allie stayed in bed with me. Even though her mom had brought her pajamas, she chose to wear my boxers and t-shirt again. I hated myself for thinking it, but I really liked seeing her in my clothes. With everything going o
n, sex should be the furthest thing from my mind, but I was a fourteen-year-old boy with hormones that raged beyond my control. Of course I adored seeing Allie all dressed up because she was sexy as hell, but nothing would beat the image of her in my boxers, with no makeup on and her hair piled atop her head in a messy bun. That was my Allie: the girl I'd loved for years.

  She cuddled up beside me and I immediately raised my knee slightly so she wouldn't notice the hard-on in my gym shorts. "Thanks for staying with me."

  "There's nowhere else I'd be."

  My chest warmed beneath her head.

  "Your heart is racing," she noted.

  I took a deep breath and uttered the words I'd been feeling since I'd heard my mom come over the loudspeaker, but hadn't vocalized. "I'm scared." My voice was so low, I wondered if she'd hear me.

  "I know. Have faith a little longer. I don't know how I know, but I just know that your dad is okay."

  Beyond reason, I believed her.

  The phone ringing jolted me awake. Sunlight was barely inching through my curtains. I leapt out of bed and practically flew downstairs. As frazzled as I was, I got to the phone just before Dylan and Mom appeared in the kitchen.

  "Hello?"

  "Hey, son."

  I squeezed my eyes shut but it was no use. The tears fell. "Dad?" I asked in disbelief.

  Mom clutched Dylan to her side as they both cried, too.

  "Yeah, it's me."

  "You're okay?"

  "I'm fine. I'll be home tonight."

  I ran the back of my forearm over my eyes. "You're really okay?"

  "I promise you."

  "They told us you were missing."

  He sighed. "I was trapped in an alcove. Some guys found me this morning."

  Bile rose to my throat at the image of my Dad being buried in the rubble. "Are you hurt?"

  "Nope. Damn miracle. How's everyone there?"

  "Hanging in. It'll be better now we know you're safe."

  "Good. Can I talk to your mom?"

  "Yes, of course, she's right here."

  "Kyle?"

  "Yeah."

  "I love you, son."

  "I love you, too, Dad."

  I handed the phone to my mom and she both laughed and cried into it. Everyone had crowded into the doorway and I happily announced, "Dad's safe. He's coming home."

  We all cheered and hugged. Allie threw her arms around me and I held onto her like she was my lifeline.

  "What'd I tell you?" She muttered into my ear.

  "You were right." I squeezed her tighter. "Thank you for being my faith."

  "I'm not." She rubbed my back. "You had it all along, I just reminded you."

  "No. You had it for me. And I had you."

  I finally released her and she smiled up at me as she wiped the tears of relief off my face using the sleeve of my sweatshirt she was wearing. She must've found it in my room and tugged it on before coming downstairs. A sudden urge compelled me to bend down and kiss her forehead. I knew then that as long as I had her, my life would be full. Right then and there, despite wanting more than friendship, I vowed to myself that I'd never cross that line because if things didn't work out and I lost her, I'd never get over it.

  10

  Allie

  9th Grade - February

  Melissa re-tied the gold satin ribbon around the base of my braid. It had slipped off during our half-time dance. This was the biggest night of the season for our school's basketball team. We were going up against the high school one town over, so it was a major rivalry. Our boys were leading by nine, but they had been flip flopping the lead all game. I glanced over at our team's bench and caught Ian staring at me. He smiled. I blushed and smiled back.

  Melissa rolled her eyes. "When are the two of you going to go out?"

  "Huh?"

  "You and Ian. You've had this flirtation thing going on for like a year already."

  I shrugged. "He hasn't asked me out." Even if he had, Mom had made it clear that I couldn't date until I was a sophomore and my brothers were all too happy to enforce that.

  "He's practically undressing you with his eyes, Allie."

  I snort-laughed. "Yeah, right."

  "I'm serious. He's into you."

  God, I hope so.

  "We could totally go on a double date this weekend." Melissa had been casually dating Kyle for the past few weeks. It was too weird for me to think about. I gave them two months. Tops. She waved to him in the stands.

  I shook my head. "Can't."

  "Why not?"

  Because my brothers would murder Ian if they found out. "I've got plans."

  "Plans more important than going on a date with Ian?"

  Melissa could be relentless. Thankfully, I didn't have to answer because the captain told us to get into formation since the game was starting back up. Ian had made varsity as a freshman, but he didn't get as much play time as the older guys, so when he did make it onto the court, I paid extra attention.

  He dribbled the ball around one of the defenders and tossed it into the air, sliding it along the backboard and into the basket. We went straight into the cheer we did for individual players. "A cheer for Ian Baxter let's hear it," we shouted in unison. “Ian, Ian he’s our man. He rocked the court, he scored the shot, he’s the one we trust a lot to lead us to V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Victory! Go Ian!”

  When we finished, I scanned the court for him. He ran past us and winked at me. I nearly died. Our team won by three. It was hands-down the most exciting game I'd cheered for. When it was over, the boys ran past us to go to the locker room and I had a moment of bravery.

  I shouted, “Great game, Ian.”

  He stopped and grinned. “Thanks, Allie.” Sweat pinned his dark hair to his forehead and he swiped the strands away. “See you tomorrow.”

  I bit my lip and nodded. When I turned back around, Melissa was wrapped in Kyle’s arms and it made me wince.

  At lunch the next day, I sat with our usual crew in the cafeteria. Kyle, Shawn, and Reese were talking about hockey, Melissa was showing off her new iPod to Lila, which I must admit was much cooler than my Walkman CD player, and I was staring into space fantasizing about Ian. Melissa had planted a seed in my head at the game and ever since all I could think about was dating Ian. Sigh.

  "Hey," a familiar voice behind me made my heart flutter.

  "Great game last night, Ian." Melissa grinned at me.

  "Thanks."

  I scooted over so he could pull a chair in beside me. "Want to sit with us?"

  "Sure." He smiled and grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table.

  Melissa wasted no time. "So, Ian, what do you think of Allie's new haircut?"

  I squinted and was about to ask her what she was talking about because I hadn't gotten a new haircut, but she gave me a look that told me to go with it.

  Kyle arched a brow. "What—ow!" He glared at Melissa who must’ve kicked him under the table or something.

  Ian replied, "Beautiful as always, Allie."

  I blushed. "Thanks."

  "She is, isn't she?" She gave me a grin that said she was plotting. "Allie, give me your camera. I’ll get a picture of you and Ian."

  I dug the disposable camera out of my bag and handed it over. Ian put his arm on the back of my chair and we smiled as Melissa snapped the photo. She handed the camera back and swung her finger back and forth pointing at Ian and me. "You two look cute together. Don't they, Lila?"

  "So cute.”

  I wanted to crawl under the table.

  Kyle asked, "Mel, what are you doing?"

  She shrugged all innocently. "What? I'm simply making an observation. Ian and Allie should totally date don't you think?"

  "Melissa," I gritted through my teeth.

  Ian tensed up.

  Kyle laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."

  "What do you mean?" Melissa returned.

  I narrowed my eyes and turned to my best friend. "Yeah, what's so ridiculous about that?"

  Kyle looked st
raight over my head at Ian. "Allie's not allowed to date until Sophomore year."

  "What the hell, Kyle?" I wanted to punch him.

  "What? It's true," he replied as though he hadn't just mortified me entirely.

  "I know, dude." Ian put his hands up.

  I swiveled my head to Ian. "You do?"

  He squirmed in his chair. "Uh, yeah. Kyle told me at the beginning of the school year. I wanted to ask you out and went to him to see if he thought you'd be interested and he told me."

  I kicked my chair backward as I rose to my feet so I could tower over Kyle. "I can't believe you! How could you do that?"

  He stood as well, making me look up at him. "I was stating the facts, Allie. Don't get all butt-hurt."

  I balled my hands into fists at my sides. "It wasn't your place." I spun around and asked Ian, "Would you still like to go out with me?"

  He hesitated and looked around me at Kyle.

  "He's not the boss of me. We don't need his permission."

  "Uh, yeah. I mean of course I do, but I thought—"

  "As long as my mom and my brothers don't find out, it's fine." I sat back down so I was closer to his level.

  "You sure?"

  I nodded. "Tell you what, you think about it, just know that if you ask me, I'll say yes. And no one is going to say shit about it." I turned to glare at Kyle. "Right?"

  The bell rang, but I stayed put and continued to stare at Kyle who looked pissed off. That, of course, only made me angrier because I was the one who deserved to be pissed at him, not the other way around.

  Kyle broke first. "I'll walk you to class."

  "No, thanks. I don't really want to be around you right now."

  I pushed my chair back.

  Ian cleared his throat. "I'll walk you, Allie." He grabbed my books off the table.

  "Thanks." I followed him out of the cafeteria.

  Once in the hall, after I'd taken a few calming breaths and distanced myself from Kyle, I said, "I'm sorry, Ian. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

  He nudged me in the arm. "No sweat. You're cute when you're angry."

  I smiled and the tension melted away.