I looked down to see him holding up two fingers.
“This can’t be the afterlife. ’Cause fuck all if the first thing I see is your ugly mug,” I grumbled, feeling pain shooting through my back. My air tank was poking me directly in the back, my full body weight against it as I lay sprawled on the sidewalk … or the middle of the street. I wasn’t too sure where I landed.
“He’s good,” Don chuckled, standing up straighter. “You can look him over, sweetheart.”
I hear the paramedic suck her teeth. “I’m not your damn sweetheart.” Her voice grew closer and then her face came into view. “Don’t move. Do you hurt anywhere?” she questioned shining her pin light into my eyes.
I cursed, squeezing my eyes shut against the brightness of the light.
“Don’t sit up!” she yelled, but I ignored her. I’d already taken the liberty of assessing my body. I could wiggle my hands and toes, moved my legs, and I still had my helmet and all my gear on. My back was sore as all hell, but that was to be expected, considering it was my tank that likely broke my fall.
“I’m good,” I said, sitting up. “Wow.” I held my hand out as the world spun. I blinked a few times.
“Did you inhale any smoke?” the medic asked as she helped me remove my jacket and gear.
“I don’t think so.”
“That’s good. We’d like to place you on a gurney and take you to the hospital to check you out.”
I waved her off before she could even finish talking. “I’m okay,” I insisted. “I just needed a little help standing up. Are they still working on putting the fire out?” I had no idea how long I was out or if I even passed out really. I got my bearings and then stood with the assistance of the paramedic and Don.
“Nah, fire’s still burning. We’re moving a hose in now. All the guys have gotten out,” Corey informed me.
I nodded in his direction. “All right, let’s go.”
“I still need to check you out!” the paramedic insisted.
“I’m fine,” I yelled over my shoulder, following behind the rest of the guys as we ran back over to the rig.
“Cap, there was no baby in that apartment. I searched everywhere,” I told the captain once I got back to the rig.
He frowned. “I’m sorry, Harvard. The baby wasn’t in there. In her panic, the mother thought her baby was left behind, but she placed the baby in a neighbor’s arms while she grabbed her three-year-old. Both kids are with her now. Safe and sound.” The captain jutted his head toward a woman who stood in the front of the crowd, cradling a baby in her arms, a young child hugging her leg.
I risked my life for a baby that was already safe. I felt no anger, however. This was my job, and people often made such errors in their panic. I was just glad the baby was safe, and I thanked God I made it out of there. I tilted my head up and saw flames shooting out from the windows of the second-floor apartments. It was now totally consumed. I didn’t dwell, though. We still needed to tackle this fire to prevent it from spreading to any of the surrounding buildings.
Chapter Fourteen
Angela
Butterflies fluttered in my abdomen when I heard the rhythmic knock on my door. Eric always knocked the same little beat whenever he came over. I quickly wiped my hands with a dishtowel, tossed it on the counter, and removed the apron I was wearing before heading toward the door.
I couldn’t stop the spreading of my lips, even if I wanted to when I opened the door to see him leaning against the side of the door. His signature dark jeans and T-shirt clung to the muscles of his arms and torso. A slight smile creased his lips, causing a glimmer in his dark eyes. Those dark orbs lazily scanned up and down my body, taking in the bright pink sleeveless tee and ripped blue jean shorts I wore. His smile increased when his gaze reached my bare toes. When his eyes met mine again, they were on fire.
Before I could say anything, a long arm snaked around my waist, pulling me into him and capturing my mouth. The kiss was hard and hungry. I opened up for him, letting him have his way with my mouth. I heard the door slam shut at the same time my back hit the wall.
“You look beautiful,” he said, once he finally came up for air.
“I’m just wearing a T-shirt and shorts.”
“I know. Take ’em off,” he said, his hands already pulling up my shirt, discarding it. Next, his hands went to unbutton my jean shorts and he began kissing a trail down my belly dropping to his knees. After lowering my shorts and panties, he pressed a kiss to my belly-button before he began tonguing it. Moisture seeped from my passage at the erotic move. My belly-button was a particularly erogenous zone for me; something only Eric had ever discovered. And since he had, he never neglected that hot spot whenever we were intimate.
His firm hands gripped the side of my thighs tightly, pulling me into him. His nose brushed against the neatly trimmed hairs that covered my sex. He adjusted, placing my left leg over his broad shoulder. I braced myself, one hand clamping around the hairs at the top of his head while the other reached for the arm he held against the wall. He covered me with his mouth and ate ravenously. Within minutes my entire body was trembling, only being held up by Eric’s hands
“Oh God!” I moaned, back arching off the wall behind me.
He pulled me into his mouth even more. A low growl sounded at the back of his throat, telling me how far gone he was. When his lips wrapped around my hardened button and sucked, he inserted two fingers inside of me, curling them to reach my g-spot, my pelvic muscles spasmed uncontrollably.
“Oh shiiit!” I rasped, my orgasm hitting me like a mack truck. My grip on his hair tightened as my hips moved wildly, wringing out the last moments of my orgasm. Eric waited until my orgasm completely passed, to lower my leg to the floor and stand. I opened my eyes to see the intensity of his gaze and his top lip shining with evidence of my satisfaction. I cupped his chiseled jaw and leaned up, licking my juices from his lips. He pressed me back against the wall, once again his tongue and mouth seizing the moment to take over. Within seconds, I heard the distinct sound of a condom wrapper wrinkling. I pulled back, and he placed the now opened wrapper in between us, and I grinned. This had become part of our usual routine as well.
