Page 25 of Fools in Love

“It’s perfect. What more do you need?” I asked with a smile. “And, yeah, what is your schedule like?”

“I’m usually on for one day and off for two. But sometimes it varies. And if there’s a major incident on my off day, I go in.”

“What does that mean exactly? The on part?” I had a general idea of firemen from movies and stuff, but I didn’t know what was reality or what was exaggerated for the sake of entertainment.

“It means, I sleep at the firehouse. I live there for twenty-four at a time.” He walked into the kitchen before asking me if I wanted something to drink.

“Water would be great actually,” I said before sitting down on one of the two barstools.

He grabbed two glasses before opening the fridge and pulling out a pitcher filled with filtered water. I had the exact same one at my place. He slid one of the glasses across the kitchen island toward me, and I took it, our fingers brushing, sending chills racing down my spine. Robbie stayed across the island, and I wasn’t sure if he was using it as a buffer in order to keep his distance from me or if he thought that my feelings had somehow changed in the last ten minutes so he was giving me space.

“When I say that I live at the firehouse for twenty-four hours, I mean it. I can’t leave. Or spend the night anywhere else. I’m on call every minute of every hour while I’m there.”

Realization smacked me upside the head. This was another one of his defense mechanisms. The more he revealed to me about his lifestyle, the more worried he was that I might not accept it.

“I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” I tried to reassure him. “I mean, obviously, I don’t know what it’s like yet, and I’m sure there will be days when I wish you could come stay with me instead of your fire bros, but I work a lot, too, so I think we’ll be okay.”

His mouth twisted up into a grin as everything I’d just said replayed in my mind. I’d basically jumped the gun and said we were dating before the man even told me he wanted anything to do with me after this night.

He pushed off the counter with both arms and stalked toward me. I watched his every move, my eyes locked on to his. When he reached me, he spun the barstool and positioned himself between my legs, his arms outstretched around me, securing me in place.

“You want this?” he asked, and I had no idea whatthishe was referring to.

“Whichthisare you talking about exactly?”

“All of it. You. Me. Getting to know each other better. Spending time together. Dating. Not just having sex.”

He sounded so bossy and arrogant, like he was telling me instead of inquiring about my opinion on the matter, but I knew the truth. Robbiewasasking me, and he needed to hear me say it out loud.

I swallowed hard and counted to three before reaching out to touch him. My fingertips grazed the muscles in his back before gripping on to his waist for dear life. “I want that. And I definitely want more than just sex. I want it all, Robbie.”

“Thank God.”

His breath skirted across my cheek before his lips were on mine, devouring them the way I’d craved earlier in the park. His tongue swept across my bottom lip before moving inside my mouth like he couldn’t get enough.

His hands reached underneath my ass, and before I knew what was going on, I was in the air. I tossed my arms around his neck as he walked us toward his bed, never breaking the kiss. Our mouths were fused to one another, even as our teeth crashed.

The second he laid me down on top of the bed, my stomach growled, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. His eyes widened as he stared at the lower half of my body.

“You’re hungry,” he said before smacking his head. “Of course you’re hungry. I didn’t let you eat.”

I could have lied and said that I was fine, but the truth was that I did need food at some point or else I was going to die of starvation. “I am actually. But I can wait.”

A wicked grin appeared, and he moved my tight dress all the way up my thighs, a small gasp escaping from between his lips. “You’re not wearing any panties.”

“Didn’t want the lines.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t know that in the limo,” he breathed out, and instead of asking him why, the question died on my lips the moment his tongue touched my flesh. “I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from doing this in the backseat.”

My dress was shoved up to my hips as he buried his face between my thighs. There was no slow torture, no taking his time to explore every inch of me before reaching the goods. This man dived headfirst into my lady parts and started feasting like he’d done it a million times before. I writhed on top of the bed, my hips lifting, my hands fisting the sheets with the intensity. No man had ever been so skilled at this before.

If I’d thought he was going to talk to me while he did his thing, I was mistaken. There were no words coming from his mouth, and apparently, I didn’t need them. He showed me how much he enjoyed what he was doing by doing it until I came. My breath was ragged, my face felt flushed, and I swore I had his head trapped between my legs. When he moved away, his eyes searched for mine and held on as he wiped his face with the back of his hand.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever catch my breath again.