First Class Rescue (First Class Novels) (4 page)

Tim awoke at three in the morning, Amanda’s bare ass
pressing into his hip. He’d had an enjoyable evening with her and had made damn
sure she’d enjoyed it too. But that was all it was…just one evening.

He slipped from the bed, trying not to disturb her even
breathing and picked up his scattered clothing and shoes. Tiptoeing from the
bedroom, he quickly dressed in the living room and then silently locked the
door behind him as he left her apartment. There was no point in staying ‘til
morning. There would be an awkwardness as they tried to make small talk and she
would try to elicit a promise from him to call, which he would make and then
never keep, or not make and then suffer through her poutiness as he left her
sitting in bed or at the kitchen table. It had happened too many times before.
It was better to avoid all of it. Drama was not his style.

Flagging down a cab as the rain drops began to fall, he
remembered the funeral in just a few hours. Daniel would be buried today. It was
his day off and he would be there, in his uniform, to show his respects to his
fallen brother. This was one of the most difficult things he had to do in his
line of work.

Tim fell into his own bed after setting the alarm and tried
to sleep but his dreams woke him. Her voice was soft and soothing and he could
see her bright eyes sparkling brilliantly before him. Beth Collins would not
let him rest.

At six o’clock he gave up and got up and went for a run.
After a shower and breakfast he dressed in his blue uniform and headed to the
church.

*****

Matt had personally paid off Daniel’s widow’s mortgage in
Long Island. If she chose to stay in the house, she could do so without the
added financial burden of the huge debt, and if she sold the house, she would have
money to begin again somewhere new. Tim was grateful for his brother’s
generosity and had assured Matt that the gift would remain anonymous.

As Tim took his turn paying his condolences to the widow, he
felt relief that their family had been able to help just a little. Daniel’s two
sons, aged three and five, stood next to their mother and grandparents
obviously not really grasping the events of the day. They would grow up without
a father for no good reason.

The fire investigator had an initial finding of arson. The
investigation was on-going but the facts and evidence were all pointing in that
direction. The fire had started in the trash chute and had spread quickly. That
meant that if the culprit was ever found, a murder charge would be added. The
thought would do little to soften the loss of the grieving family.

The service was long. Tim caught glimpses of the two boys
sitting at the front with their mother. They were behaving incredibly well for
being made to sit for such a long time. Members of Daniel’s family spoke. The FDNY
Chief spoke along with Daniel’s parish priest. And then the funeral procession
began. The hearse left first followed by the town cars that held the family.
Then all the fire department vehicles followed behind. Tim stood on the sidewalk
with several of his co-workers and saluted as the coffin passed them.

No good reason
, he shook his head.
Just fucked up!

*****

The next morning Tim arrived at work at six o’clock. His
shift didn’t begin until seven but he hadn’t been able to sleep so he came in
early and checked his email and began a couple of month-end reports.

The day went by quickly. There were several call-outs before
lunch and after lunch, when it calmed down a little, all the equipment on the
truck was given the once over. Just before seven that evening, Tim ran
downstairs to lock up his locker and head home. As he stepped out onto the
sidewalk, the sun had all but set and the streetlights were starting to
flicker. Walking to the corner he was almost knocked over by the big German
Shepherd jumping on him.

“Cleo!” he yelled. “Down girl!”

She immediately sat in front of him, her tail sweeping back
and forth across the concrete. Her tongue hung from her mouth and she seemed to
be smiling. Tim scratched her head and shook his.

“Where’s your mom?” he asked as he picked up the leash lying
next to her. “Come on.”

She led him in the direction of her home, Tim keeping a look
out for Beth who was probably searching for Cleo. But by the time they reached
the apartment building, there was no sign of her.

As Cleo sat next to him in the elevator, Tim played with her
ears. “You’re a crazy dog,” he grinned. They stopped moving and the doors
opened to reveal Beth and two men standing in the hallway.

“Good grief Cleo! This is twice now!” Beth dropped to her
knees as Cleo lunged at her and licked her face.

“Well she certainly has good taste in men,” Jerry smiled as
he gave Tim the once over.

“Yes she does!” agreed Vince.

“Not now!” Beth was serious.

“She came to the station,” Tim shrugged as he stepped into
the hallway.

“She has a new friend! We’ve been replaced,” frowned Vince.

“She just took off and we couldn’t hold on to her,” Jerry
apologized. “But now I see why.” He winked at Tim.

Beth stood and took the leash from Tim. “Come on you,” she pulled
on the leash and Cleo happily trotted down the hall and stopped in front of
Beth’s apartment. Tim followed.

“Well, all’s well that ends well,” Vince chirped. “Sorry
honey.”

“It’s fine
now
,” Beth sighed. “See you guys later.”

Jerry blew a kiss to Tim as he shut the door and Tim shook
his head. “They’re quite the couple.”

Beth grinned. “Yes they are. Thank you so much for bringing
her home.”

“Of course! I’m just glad I know where you live.”

“Come in. Please?”

Tim followed her into the apartment and shut the door. Beth
unleashed Cleo and the dog ran to her water dish and lapped up a gallon of
water, slopping half of it on the floor, and then went and collapsed on her
bed.

“You really do have a new friend,” Beth sighed. “I’m very
sorry for the inconvenience.”

“No big deal. Except that it might be next time. I would
hate for her to get hit by a car or get picked up by animal control.”

Beth winced at his words.

“I’m sorry,” he frowned.

“No! No. You’re quite right of course. I’ve been lucky so
far, but luck usually doesn’t last, does it?”

Tim nodded in agreement. “Well, I should get going.” But he
didn’t move.

“Yes,” she replied, but there was a slight wrinkle in her
forehead. “I’m sure we have disrupted your evening, haven’t we?”

“Not at all. I was just going to go home and have dinner.”

“I just made dinner. Would you care to join me?” Her eyes
sparkled just like in his dreams.

Walk away! Leave now!
“I’d love to,” he smiled and
removed his jacket.

*****

Beth had made a green salad and some baked salmon with
lemon. She cut the piece of fish down the middle and put a small piece on each
of their plates.

“I didn’t mean to eat
your
dinner,” Tim frowned.

“Nonsense,” she said. “I like the bread anyway.” She
slathered butter onto a slice of the baguette that lay in the middle of the
table. “The salmon just makes me feel better about my eating choices. Not that
I don’t enjoy it. I just prefer the bread,” she grinned and took a big bite.

“So, you’re English,” Tim said between mouthfuls. “What
brought you here?”

“I am,” she nodded. “I went to university here and then
never left. I became a legal permanent resident and call this my home now.”

“Your family is here?”

“No. They’re back in England.”

“Do you miss them?”

She had to think about it. “I miss my sister, Emma, sometimes,”
she said thoughtfully. “And Esmeralda.”

Tim’s eyebrows rose.

“My horse,” she clarified.

“Do you have parents there?”

“Mm-hmm. And a brother…Rupert.”

“But you don’t miss them?”

Beth frowned.

“I’m sorry,” Tim said. “That’s none of my business.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” she replied. “I suppose that I feel like my
own person here. And if they were here, or if I was there, I wouldn’t.” She
looked up at Tim and he didn’t reply so she continued. “My family, if you go
back far enough, was part of London high society. They would have attended
balls with the Prince Regent and the daughters would have been taken to court
and introduced to the Queen. You know…all the uppity stuff. And even though my
father holds no titles, my mother believes in all that social class stuff. As
one of the major land owners in the county, she patrons the schools and the
local hospital and does it all out of
responsibility
.”

“That sounds nice,” Tim shrugged.

“Well it would be if she
wanted
to do it rather than
just keeping up appearances. It’s all very, very nineteenth century.”

“So your family is wealthy?”

Beth looked up at Tim over her fork as she slid the salmon
into her mouth. She nodded.

“A little rebellion then?” he asked.

“No,” she said thoughtfully. “Just trying to forge my
own
path. I don’t want to be known as ‘that Collins girl, of the Collins’s of
Surrey’,” she said in her best impersonation of the Queen.

Somehow, Tim knew what she meant. He was a Lathem.
Ah, a
Lathem
, people would say to him when meeting him for the first time. He
knew exactly how she felt. So not only did he find her physically attractive,
he understood her too.

“I don’t have any dessert,” she apologized, interrupting his
thoughts.

“I appreciate you feeding me,” he grinned. “Dessert or no
dessert.”

“Maybe we could do this again?”

“Definitely,” he replied a little too quickly. “That would
be nice,” he smiled.

“Yes it would,” she whispered.

Beth stood and took their plates over to the sink. He
followed suit and grabbed the salad bowl and walked the few steps behind her.
As she spun around, she all but smacked into him.

“Oh!” she blushed.

Tim reached around her and put the bowl on the counter. Her
lips were just inches from his and he took advantage of the situation. He
leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were slightly pursed and at first she didn’t
respond. He had obviously taken her by complete surprise.

He drew back and opened his eyes to see hers closed. He
kissed her again and this time her response was quick. She ran her hands up his
chest and around his neck and interlocked her fingers. Tim wrapped his arms
around her waist and closed the gap between them.

Her lips were warm and she tasted of butter. His tongue
coaxed her lips apart and darted inside and tasted her more. Her breath hitched
in her throat and he felt her tense in his arms. He deepened the kiss and found
her tongue. She danced with him and the heat grew quickly.

Her body relaxed into his and he tightened his hold on her.
Her fingers played with his hair on his collar and when she moaned into his mouth
he wanted her like no woman before. He pressed his erection into her pelvis and
she moaned again.

His hands slid up past her waist and cupped the sides of her
breasts. She moaned again and the sound just inspired and encouraged him more.
He broke away and kissed her ear lobe and her neck and was slowly moving down
when his cell phone rang in his pocket.

It was enough of a distraction that Beth jumped backwards,
releasing her hold on him and pushed her hair behind her ears. She was flushed.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I have to get this.” He answered the
phone with a curt “Yes?” But his expression quickly changed as his eyes grew
big.

“Really? Now? Yes, I’m coming.” He put the phone back in his
pocket.

Beth was staring at the floor and Tim lifted her chin with
his fingers. “I have to go,” he whispered. “I really want to stay, but I
can’t.”

She bit her lower lip and nodded. He could tell she thought
she was getting the brush-off.

“My brother and sister-in-law are having a baby…right now!”
he smiled.

“Right now?”

Tim nodded. “But I’d really, really like to do this again.”

She smiled. “Friday?”

He grinned. “Absolutely.” He kissed her cheek, grabbed his
jacket and left.

“Friday,” she giggled.

Nic had delivered a healthy baby boy. Both mother and son
were doing well and Paul couldn’t keep still.

“She was
amazing
!” he told everyone as they gathered
in her room to congratulate the new parents and gaze at the precious bundle of
blue in Maureen’s arms.

Nic just chuckled. “The epidural was amazing.”

“Amen!” laughed Janie.

Paul handed his brothers a cigar. David and Lindsey were
still on their honeymoon. They were due back in a couple of days, but Paul had
already sent them dozens of pictures from his phone.

Gregory Paul Lathem was named after his maternal grandfather;
the man Nic had never met; the man Nic’s mother had taught her to despise; the
man Paul had discovered had died serving his country; the man Nic had come to
love through the association with his parents, her grandparents, Larry and
Irene Wilkins, whom she’d met for the first time just last year and had become
a huge part of hers and Paul’s life.  

The baby was passed around to all the women first. Maureen
had been the first one at the hospital and was the first to hold Gregory, after
his parents of course. And now Janie and Katy had their turn at snuggling with the
perfect little bundle.

“Does it make you want one?” Nic asked Katy and she kissed
his tiny forehead.

“Oh no!” she laughed. “I’m going to enjoy ALL of my nieces
and nephews and wait for grandchildren.”

Tim was one of the last to hold the baby. He sat in the
recliner and looked into Gregory’s eyes and watched him yawn and stretch. It
was a strange emotion he felt. Just yesterday he’d attended a funeral and today
he was sitting holding a baby that had been born less than an hour before. He
looked up at Nic who was studying him.

“You look good with a baby,” she smiled. “You’re a natural.”

Most of the family’s attention had been taken by Ella who
was telling them all about her day at pre-school. Tim looked over at them and
then back at Nic and nodded. “I do want children,” he said. “But I’ll never
find a woman like you to marry so I may just be out of luck.”

Nic chuckled. “She’s out there. You just have to find her.”

Have I already found her?

*****

Right before he left after his shift on Thursday, Tim put a
big orange sticky note on the bulletin board that said if a German Shepherd
showed up at the firehouse, to hold on to her and call him immediately. Then he
grabbed his jacket and left.

Nic was scheduled to come home the next morning and Paul
asked Tim to come over after work and help him scrub down the apartment. He
wanted to make sure there wasn’t a germ anywhere before Gregory arrived. Tim
had silently laughed at his brother but had agreed to help him, even if he did
think he was going overboard.

They scrubbed every surface, washed all the linens and ate
pizza for dinner and then Paul scrubbed again while Tim watched.

“Healthy environment equals healthy baby,” Paul had
repeated.

Tim smiled at his brother. “You’re going to be a great dad.”

“That’s the plan.”

As Tim rode the subway back down to the West Village, he
thought about Nic who grew up without a father and Paul who’d grown up with the
best father. And then he thought of Daniel’s children and how they probably
wouldn’t remember their father but how they would know that he died a hero.

His mind wandered to Beth and how she was three thousand
miles from her father and she didn’t care. He realized just how lucky he was
and he hoped that one day, a long time in the future, that his son would think
he was lucky to have Tim as a father.

*****

Friday went by so slowly Tim could hardly stand it. He was
anxious for his date with Beth and when the clock finally turned six, he left
his apartment for the twenty minute walk to her building.

She was dressed in a simple navy blue dress. It was
sleeveless and cinched at her waist with a thin gold belt. She wore gold hoops
in her ears and a gold bangle on her wrist. Her hair was down looking like spun
silk and her eyes sparkled. She smiled at him when she opened the door.

“I felt silly,” she admitted, “as we didn’t set a time. I’m
glad you came early.”

“I thought about that too,” he grinned. “You look beautiful
by the way.”

Beth blushed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Cleo leapt from her bed and bounded over to Tim who paid her
the attention she required. “I haven’t seen her at the station,” he chuckled.

“No,” Beth replied. “I haven’t let Jerry and Vince take her
out. They’re kind of upset with me.”

“She’s a strong girl, aren’t you Cleo,” he laughed as she
rolled onto her back so Tim could rub her tummy.

“She’s never done it before. I guess she
really
wanted to see you.”

“Guess so,” Tim agreed.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Tim threw Cleo’s bone onto her bed and the dog jumped up and
ran over to it, settling down to chew on the rawhide. He took off his jacket
and threw it on the back of the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

“Mind if I wash up?”

“Of course not,” she smiled.

He sat down at the table a minute later and admired the
spread in front of him.

“Roast beef and Yorkshire puddings,” she pointed. “Roasted
potatoes and peas.”

“Looks and smells delicious,” he smiled and took the platter
of beef as she offered it to him.

As they ate they talked about Tim’s job and how 9/11 had
influenced his decision to become a firefighter. Beth told him all about her
job as a book editor and how much she loved it. She told him about her adoption
of Cleo and all the animals she’d had growing up.

The conversation was easy and there weren’t any awkward
silences; one subject just flowed into another and before long they’d been
sitting at the table for nearly three hours, talking and picking at the food
with their forks that was left on the serving platters.

“I made trifle,” she sighed as she stood to clear the
dishes.

“Maybe that can wait a little longer?” Tim asked.

“That would be good,” Beth nodded. “I don’t think I could
eat it right now.”

Tim helped to load the dishwasher and tidy the kitchen then
followed Beth through to the living room and sat on the sofa.

“How’s the new baby?” she asked.

“Gregory is adorable and he will be spoilt rotten, of that I
have no doubt.”

Beth smiled. “Isn’t that why you have children? To spoil
them?”

“I thought it was the free labor,” he chuckled. “Although, I
actually don’t remember having to do much around the house.”

“We had staff,” Beth frowned. “I don’t remember my mother
making one meal when I was a child. Gertie was our cook. She’s the one who
taught me how to cook. She retired a few years ago. I don’t know who the cook
is now.”

“You haven’t been back?”

“No. Not since Ed…not in several years.”

“Ed?” Tim asked.

“Edward. My fiancé.
Ex
-fiancé, that is. ”

“Oh?”

“I broke off the engagement after I caught him…well…after I
discovered he was…was
sharing
his affections.”

“Ouch.”

“It was all for the best. We weren’t right for each other, and
I’m
much
happier without him.”

“Stiff upper lip and all that?” Tim grinned.

“Exactly,” she laughed. “Can I get you a drink?”

“I should probably get going,” he sighed. “I have to work in
the morning.”

“Oh, okay,” disappointment apparent in her voice.

“Thank you for cooking for me,” he smiled. “Next time I’ll
take you out.”

“Next time?” she asked.

“Would you have dinner with me on Monday?”

“I’d like that,” she smiled.

Tim scooted closer to her on the sofa and ran his fingers
through her hair. “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he whispered as he
lightly kissed her lips.

Beth sighed. Her perfect posture collapsed as she leaned
into him. His chest was solid and strong and she closed her eyes and breathed
in his cologne. It was musky and masculine and fit him perfectly. His lips formed
a smile and he kissed her again. He held the silky strands of her hair in his
hands and cupped her face while eagerly deepening his kiss, searching her mouth
for her tongue and feeling her shudder when he found it.

He hardened quickly and he could feel her excitement too. As
his fingers slid down her to her breasts, he could feel her nipples pushing
into the palms of his hands as she arched her back into him.

There was no thought, just physical need directing their
every movement and action. Tim tugged on the zipper at the back of her dress
but it was stopped by her belt. Beth unbuttoned his shirt as he fiddled with
the gold buckle around her waist and within a few moments he was pulling her
dress over her head and she was pushing his shirt off his broad shoulders,
exposing the small axe tattoo at the top of his arm. Beth found it extremely
sexy and kissed it while her hands kneaded the muscles of his back.

There was no talking, just desire that raged through them.
Tim hoisted her onto his lap, her knees straddling him, his erection was
pushing against her. He could feel her heat through his clothes. With a flick
of his wrist, her bra popped open and he ogled her round plump breasts in front
of him. He took one distended nipple into his mouth and rolled his tongue over
it as he gently sucked. Beth’s head dropped back and he could hear her gasps
for air. He held her hips firmly over his and jerked upwards as she rubbed her sex
along his hardness.

He’d been in her apartment before. He knew where her bedroom
was. In one swift move he stood and carried her to the bed, gently laying her
head on the pillow. Extricating himself from his shoes, socks, pants and briefs,
he kneeled in between her legs as she writhed with need. He took a nipple in
each hand and twisted and pulled as she arched her back up to him, her fingers
in his hair. He placed feather kisses down her breast bone to her belly button
and then down lower to the satin trim of her panties. Beth gasped and arched
her back.  He nibbled on her hip bone that peaked out from behind the satin and
then with his teeth, pulled on the fabric ‘til she lifted her hips and allowed
him to remove them from her body.

The blonde curls that covered her sex beckoned him and he
lowered himself to taste her. She flinched and pushed at his head. He looked up
at her to see the panicked expression on her face.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered gently.
He held her hands in his and kissed each one before placing them on the bed at
her side.

Tim instinctively knew that no one had ever tasted her like
this. No one had ever loved her like this and the knowledge pleased him immensely.
He dipped his head once more and kissed her curls and pushed her thighs further
apart. He used his thumbs and parted her so he could see her and then tasted
her dew. Her hips jerked up and she moaned aloud and Tim had to stop himself
from coming early.

She was absolutely beautiful, every inch of her, inside and
out, and she tasted divine. He was addicted to her smell, her voice, everything
about her. He lowered his head again and licked her, this time circling his
tongue around her clitoris over and over, around and around. Without warning
she gulped and cried out as he felt her body quiver violently and then stiffen
as she came. He lifted his eyes and watched her face contort into an expression
of almost pain and then relax as a smile appeared across her lips. Tim exhaled
the breath he’d been holding and grinned. It was her first time. The thought
was exhilarating.

*****

As Beth’s wits returned to her, her first coherent thought
was that this may very well have been the best moment of her life. But then, as
her muscles relaxed and her eyes opened, the thought that came next was not a
nice one.

If this is what it feels like every time a man has an
orgasm, how the hell have they let me go without?
To be fair, she’d only
been with three men…now four. But that meant that three men had used her body
to achieve that kind of euphoria and had knowingly ignored her needs.

“Are you okay?” he asked, returning her to the present.

“Oh yeah,” she said. “I’m excellent.”

“Yes you are,” he chuckled. He crawled up beside her and she
rolled into his arms. “You’ve got about two minutes.”

“For what?”

“To recover and then you’re going again.”

“Oh,” she grinned. “Okay.”

He kissed her temple and her eyelid and her cheek, his hands
all the while caressing her soft skin. He kissed her mouth and danced with her
tongue and then he kissed down her neck and sucked on her shoulder.

When he could hear her breathing getting shallow, he grinned
to himself and pushed her onto her back. He rolled over to find a condom in his
wallet and expertly sheathed himself.  Beth watched him intently and her mouth
formed an ‘O’, as the sight of his length excited her more. He was a
magnificent specimen. His limbs long and solid; his muscles were hard and
strong. Climbing in between her legs, he pushed her thighs apart with his knees
and hovered over her, holding up his weight with his hands planted on each side
of her. Beth lifted her feet and placed them on the bed at his knees, a sign
she was ready.

He lowered his hips to hers and instinctively the head of
his penis found her opening. He could feel her warmth as he pressed inside her.
She was wet and tight and sucked his length deep inside her. Tim gritted his
teeth and pleaded with his body for some kind of control. This had not happened
to him in many years. He’d always been able to control his physical response to
women, but Beth had him pleading with his dick to obey him. He would not come
before she did.

He slid out and then pushed back in. Beth opened her hips
wider, creating more contact between them with each new thrust and causing Tim to
hold his breath. Within just a few seconds she was matching his rhythm, lifting
her hips to him as he pushed in and rolling them downwards as he slid out. This
went on for an eternity in Tim’s mind before he felt her need building and
building. She grabbed his ass and was holding him inside her as she ground into
him; her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth open gasping for air. He closed his
eyes and prayed she was close as he didn’t know how much longer he could prolong
his climax.