fighting fire.
It was the greatest obstacle in their path and the one thing Andrea thought was unchangeable.
But since the Hadley building fire, that wickedly playful gleam had left his eyes. He’d doubled the drills for his team. He’d become careful, and Andrea knew there was nothing as dangerous as an overly cautious firefighter. Which meant…he’d have to give it up. Now, all she had to do was wait for him to realize it.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly, already knowing the answer before he shook his head and rolled over.
Almost every night he’d spent with her since the accident had been the same. She’d wake him in the middle of a nightmare, and he’d shrug it off as nothing, roll over and go back to sleep.
“Why won’t you talk to me?”
“About what?” he mumbled into the pillow.
“About the fire. About what really happened.”
“I told you a thousand times, baby, nothing happened.”
“Is this…” She hesitated. More than once he’d snapped at her when she attempted to ask questions regarding exactly what happened. “Because of Marco?”
Marco had recently been released from the hospital. He’d had to stay longer than Cal to have a skin graft covering a six-inch patch of burnt skin on his arm. But given what could’ve happened, Andrea thought, the boy had been incredibly blessed.
Of course, Cal had taken full responsibility for that, as well. “You saved his life, Cal, the skin graft was a small price compared to—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Andrea! You weren’t there—you don’t know what you’re talking about!”
A cold silence settled over the dark room.
Sometimes Andrea felt as if she was trying to cuddle up to a wounded bear. She sighed in defeat and turned back over to her side of the bed and snuggled under the covers.
She stared at the wall seeing right through the darkness. She studied the outline of the soft pink watercolor painting of a vase of peonies. Once again, her mind was swirling with conflicting emotions, many of which she knew she shouldn’t feel. Even in the midst of Cal’s crisis some part of her was blossoming with hope. There was no way he could go back to being a firefighter, not in his current state of mind.
And as much as Andrea hurt for him, as much as it pained her to see him in such turmoil, some part of her still preferred it to the who-gives-a-damn way of looking at the world he had before. That attitude was dangerous, reckless, and…ultimately fatal.
After several minutes, Cal turned over to spoon her. His large hand came over her hipbone and settled in the crook of her body. Although Andrea sensed the movement wasn’t meant to be arousing, she had no control over the tinkling sensation that started in her toes and worked its way up her body. It had been that way from the beginning. The most casual skim of his hand, an accidental brush of bodies and she was wired for action.
Cal was the first man she’d ever known who had that kind of effect on her senses, and in her heart she knew he would always be the only one who could.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered in the dark. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”
She sighed. “No, it’s my own fault. As many times as you’ve told me to leave it alone, you think I’d give up.”
He snuggled in closer, wrapping his large body around hers. “Don’t ever give up on me, baby. No matter how much like a jackass I behave.” He squeezed her against him so quickly and so tight Andrea could barely breath, and just as quickly he released his viselike hold. “Don’t ever give up on me.”
Andrea said nothing. His words were too close to her fretful contemplations.
Cal propped himself up on one elbow. “Look, what happened to me is nothing new, it comes with the job. The bad dreams—all that will stop eventually. It’s just that it is still fresh in my mind. I’ll be fine.”
She turned to face him. “So, it has nothing to do with feeling like you failed Marco?”
“Maybe a little. But I’ll get over that, too. I just need some time and your understanding.”
The patient look in his soft brown eyes and his gently spoken words made her brave, and Andrea decided to voice her one hope. “Cal, maybe you should give up firefigh—”
He quickly covered her lips with two fingers. “Shh, don’t even think it.” He chuckled. “Really, I’m going to be okay. Like I said before, it’s just part of the job.”
“But, Cal, if you can’t—”
Suddenly, he reached up and pulled her head down to his, covering her mouth with his own. He quickly kissed her once, just a soft peck as if exploring for her response, and it came quickly when she returned the kiss, but with more conviction.
Looking into her eyes, his full lips spread in a slow smile before his eyes closed and he kissed her again, this time with all the precision and finesse that Andrea had come to expect. Slowly, he shifted their bodies, bearing her back down into the bedding.
Andrea felt his warm, calloused hands on each of her thighs as he worked his way beneath the thin silk teddy she wore. She gave a sharp gasp, feeling his rising bulge against her thigh.
She moaned softly, feeling his hot breath on her neck and then his warm tongue as he nibbled and licked his way down her neck headed straight for her exposed cleavage.
Unable to hold back any longer, Andrea reached out, taking his head between her hands, needing to kiss him again. She needed the familiar taste of his tongue in her mouth and of their own will, her legs fell open.
Cal knew an invitation when one was extended. He lifted himself up to remove his pajama pants and Andrea immediately sat up to help work them down his hips. He chuckled at her anxiousness, and placed his hands over her trembling ones. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear.
“If you don’t slow down, this is going to be over before it begins.”
Ignoring his words, Andrea pressed her hungry mouth against his rock hard midsection, working her way up his warm, muscular chest and continued pushing the offensive pants down his legs. She desperately needed to get them off of him.
Lifting her arms, she waited impatiently for him to unsnap the teddy and pull it over her head. And then her hands were all over him again.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whined, feeling the ripple of muscles under almost every inch of skin she touched.
Cal gently pushed her back down onto the bed. “No, baby, you are the beautiful one.” Coming over her, Cal braced himself on his elbows, as his penis sought her entrance. He struggled to control his breathing, to slow himself down, but it was hard when her warm, wet opening was reaching for him, trying desperately to draw him inside her body.
Andrea felt her heart beating like crazy when the tip of his penis entered her. She parted her legs as wide as possible, wanting nothing more than for him to drive deep inside of her…when the telephone rang making both of them jump in surprise.
