Page 58 of Fire and Ice
A few strokes more, and then she collapsed against him, his breathing as hard as hers, his wet chest rising and falling against her cheek. The water flowed and bubbled around them, teasing her sensitized body.
Chelsea let out a shuddering sigh. After a moment, she rose and smiled at him. “We’re going to have to do that again.”
“We have two more nights here.” He stroked her damp cheek. “I think we’ll have no problem finding another opportunity.”
“Or three. Or four.” She wriggled on his lap, and he groaned, still inside her.
“Give me a moment to recover.” He drew her tight against him and lightly bit her between her shoulder and the curve of her neck. He moved his lips to her hair. “I’m right where I want to be. With you.”
Warmth flowed through her as he echoed the feeling in her heart. “I’m here for you. Only you.”
He gave her a soft smile as he looked into her eyes. “You are the whole package. Intelligent, fun, loving, and beautiful. Right now, I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
She smiled, hearing the genuineness in his tone, seeing it in his eyes. She was in love with him, but she wasn’t going to tell him yet. She needed to give their relationship time and not rush into anything.
Chelsea sighed and snuggled against him, her wet flesh against his in the churning water. Feeling like she was the luckiest woman in the world.
18
Grady smiled to himself as he sat back and watched a couple of the guys in the firehouse, Beckett Clark and Archer, play Ping-Pong. The ball made its unique clicking noise every time it bounced on the table's surface or a hollow smack when one of the guys hit the ball with his paddle.
The last weeks Grady had spent with Chelsea had been amazing. She was wholesome, genuine, loving, and compassionate, and she just happened to be as beautiful on the outside as she was on the inside. All those gorgeous curves… He couldn’t wait to get his hands on them again.
Something whacked Grady in the shoulder, knocking him out of his daydreams.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, it must be pretty damned good,” Beckett said as he caught the Ping-Pong ball he’d just hit Grady with. “You’re smiling like you just got laid by half the Green Bay Packers cheerleaders.”
“Better.” Grady got to his feet. “Every one of them.”
Archer snorted. “Dating Chelsea has you walking around like you’ve discovered a way to get to Mars in a VW Bug.”
Beckett laughed, and Grady shook his head. “Chelsea is something else.” He couldn’t help smiling again.
The alarm blasted throughout the firehouse. Over the intercom, the dispatcher’s voice informed them that there was a fire at the specified address.
The location was the house on the right side of Grady’s.
“Shit.” Grady hurried to get into his gear as his heart slammed against his breastbone. “That’s next to my place, Kyra’s home.” He thought about his Dalmatian. “I hope to hell Kyra’s all right and that Carla picked Spot up already to take him to doggie daycare.” He’d been running late this morning and had asked the woman who lived in the house to the left of his, Carla, to take him. She was a great neighbor, and they often traded favors.
Archer frowned as he and Grady climbed into the cab with the rest of the crew. “No doubt she took him,” Archer said.
Grady nodded, but said nothing as they strapped in. The men around him joked with each other on their way to the fire, similar to how soldiers often liked to keep things light when they went on a mission.
The closer they got to his neighborhood, the faster Grady’s pulse raced. When they reached the site, he saw his own home was on fire as well as the one to the right. His heart slammed against his breastbone.
He was the first out of the truck.
Smoke billowed from three homes. “Captain.” Grady jogged over to Captain Gerry Spencer. “A woman lives at the address we were called to, on the right. My home is to the left, and my dog might be there if my friend didn’t take him to daycare.”
“Spot?” The captain shouted out orders, then turned back to Grady. “I’m sending Roberts and Elliott with you.”
Grady nodded. In moments, he, Archer, and Cord Elliott headed up the stairs to Grady’s home. The dog’s continuous barking could now be heard over the thunder of the fire and the creaking structure. Grady’s heart jumped into overdrive. Spot.
When he reached his front door, Grady slammed his boot against the door jam. Spot’s barking grew louder. The lock gave way, and the door swung open.
Smoke rolled out, and Grady immediately caught sight of the Dalmatian through the haze.
Spot continued to bark, rather than run to Grady.
