First Class Rescue (First Class Novels) (5 page)

Once again, she jerked her hips up to his and cried out his
name as her body stilled and her muscles contracted violently around his shaft.

“Mercy!” he yelled as his orgasm racked his entire body and
he collapsed on top of her.

“Wow,” she whispered into his hair. “Can you come over
tomorrow?”

“I have to go,” he said for about the fifth time in the last
hour. But he didn’t move.

“I know,” Beth sighed as she drew circles on his chest with
her finger.

After a few minutes, Tim looked at the clock. It was five
o’clock. He needed to get to the station and shower before his shift started.
He kissed her forehead and pulled his arm from under her neck. She rolled in
the other direction and sat on the edge of the bed facing away from him. He
swung his legs over the side of the mattress and stood, stretching his arms
high above his head. Then he gathered his clothes and dressed quickly before he
lost all resolve and climbed on top of her again.

He never spent the night with a woman after having sex. He
took care of business and then went home. He never had women in his apartment.
He’d rent a hotel room before he brought anyone home. He’d heard too many
stories of the ‘fire bunnies’ and he wasn’t going to take any chances. It was
easier this way.

By the time he’d dressed, Beth had come out of the bathroom
with her hair up in a claw and her robe tied tightly around her waist. She
looked tired. They hadn’t slept much. He was used to going without sleep, but
Beth looked like she needed to go back to bed.

He kissed her tenderly. “Go back to sleep,” he whispered.
“I’ll pick you up on Monday at seven.”

Beth nodded and smiled. He petted Cleo on his way out and
Beth leaned in the bedroom doorway as he closed the door behind him.

She walked back into her bedroom after Tim left. She looked
at the state of her bed. The duvet was on the floor at the foot of the bed. The
pillow shams had been thrown against the wall. The sheet had come un-tucked on
the bottom corner and there was a large wet spot visible. They’d woken around
four after Cleo had barked at something outside and before she knew it, she was
impaled upon him and riding him hard. She closed her eyes and relived the
feeling.

Cleo rubbed against her thigh and interrupted the memory of
him inside her.

“This is all your doing,” she said to the dog. Cleo thumped
her tail on the wooden floor. “I don’t know whether to thank you or be mad.”
Cleo tilted her head. “Right now I’m thanking you,” she grinned.

Beth yawned and her eyes felt as though they hand sand in
them. She really was tired but she couldn’t go back to bed. She could smell
sex…and him, so she threw on some sweats and grabbed Cleo’s leash and took her
down to the courtyard of the building and let her do her business.

Back in her apartment, Beth stripped the sheets of the bed and
tossed them in the washing machine. Then she curled up on the sofa, said
goodnight to Cleo and fell asleep.

*****

“Did you work last night?” Jeff asked Tim when he arrived at
the station and Tim was getting dressed at his locker.

Tim shook his head.

“Ah! Hot date then huh?” Jeff grinned.

Tim didn’t reply.

“Aw come on! Just give me the juicy details.”

Tim looked at Jeff and was about to speak, but didn’t.

“Tell me! Was she blonde or a brunette?” Jeff continued.
“I’m betting…a blonde.”

Tim bit his tongue and held his arms at his sides. He didn’t
want Jeff talking about Beth. Jeff saw the anger simmering.

“Hey! What’s up with you this morning? You know I live
vicariously through you dude.”

Tim exhaled. It wasn’t Jeff’s fault. It was not unusual for
them to discuss the women he’d bedded. Jeff was a great guy, but he wasn’t a
lady magnet like Tim. He’d had some pretty bad acne as a teenager and it had
left deep scars on his face. He was also short – five foot seven. He was as
strong as an ox but women tended to like tall men. And to top it all off, he
was going grey at the ripe old age of thirty-two. Not the combination that
guaranteed getting laid every weekend. They were good friends and Tim had often
told him about his latest conquest.

But this was different. Tim didn’t know how…or why, but it
was. “Just didn’t sleep much and ended up here,” he said.

“Well, you’re no fun,” Jeff teased.

Later during the morning, Tim found himself remembering his
night. It had been a phenomenal sexual experience and he had drifted off to
sleep as he held her in his arms. He hadn’t wanted to leave. That’s the part
that confused him. It was a dilemma that would have to wait though. The alarm
sounded and they were headed out to save the world…one street of Manhattan at a
time.

*****

Beth tried to keep herself on a schedule. Working from home
meant she needed to be extremely disciplined at not getting distracted during
the course of her workday. She liked the idea of working nine to five but in
reality it never ended up that way. She got up and walked, or ran, Cleo every
morning. Then she’d shower and have breakfast and then begin her work day at
her desk. By mid-morning she was usually curled up in the corner of the sofa
reading a manuscript and would forget to eat lunch. That meant it was a good
story and it was eventually put in the ‘maybe’ pile. Her assistant, Rachel, got
to read the manuscripts that Beth couldn’t force herself to finish and then
they usually were returned to the author with the standard ‘no thank you’
letter. And a couple of times a week, Beth would look at the clock in the
evening and see it was well after midnight. She’d been so engrossed with a book
that time had suspended itself. She’d gather Cleo for her last trip out to the
courtyard and then fall into bed, only to repeat the sequence the next day.

But the weekends were different. And on this particular Saturday,
she had plans. Jerry and Vince were taking Cleo for the day, although she was
having serious doubts about their ability to control her now that she’d taken
up visiting Tim at work, and she was driving to a small farm in Connecticut to
go horseback riding. She loved New York but she missed the rolling hills of
green where she could ride Esmeralda for hours and not see a soul. Every once
in a while she grabbed a Saturday and headed for the stables and the smell of
hay and leather saddles.

The traffic wasn’t terrible and within a couple of hours she
was pulling into the parking lot and pulling her boots on over her breeches.
The weather wasn’t perfect but she didn’t care. Grabbing her jacket and riding
helmet, she slammed the car door and jogged to the stables through the light
mist in the air.

They were expecting her and was saddling up a beautiful girl
with a white stripe down the middle of her nose and white up to her knees. She
looked like she was wearing socks.

“Hello girl,” she cooed as she stroked her nose. “You are
beautiful, aren’t you?”

“This is Liza, a Mecklenburger. She’s six and she’s all
yours ‘til three o’clock,” the stable hand said.

“I don’t speak German,” Beth joked.

He laughed and offered her help into the saddle. “Don’t
worry. She understands English.”

Beth shook her head. “I’ve been riding since I was three.
But thank you.”

“It’s kinda quiet today. The rain is keeping most away. You pretty
much have the run of the place ‘til one and the lessons start.”

“Great. We’ll start with some baby jumps then,” she smiled
and rubbed Liza’s head once she was settled on her back. “And then I think I’d
like to run her.”

“The west field is all yours and she likes to be let loose.
You two have a good time,” he smiled and swung back to another horse waiting to
be brushed down.

Beth and Liza headed for the equestrian jumps and didn’t
even notice that the rain drops were getting bigger.

*****

By the time Monday evening rolled around, anxiety ran
through Beth’s veins. Tim was taking her to dinner…and then? The question had
plagued her all weekend.

Friday night had literally been one of the best nights of
her life. She had felt comfortable with him as they sat and talked and laughed
all through dinner. She knew as much about him after three hours as she did
Edward after a year of being engaged to him. It was another confirmation that
she and Edward should not have been together.

After dinner, Tim would bring her home and then she’d invite
him in and then…and then. Her tummy was all topsy-turvy as she remembered his
lips on hers…his lips on her…all over her. She closed her eyes and sighed. Cleo
stood next to her and laid her head on Beth’s thigh. She pushed at Beth’s hand
with her wet nose until Beth scratched her.

“You like him, don’t you?” she asked Cleo. “Mmmm. Me too.”
She checked the clock. He’d be there any minute and as if on cue, there was a
knock on the door.

Tim took her to a Thai restaurant all of his brothers had
raved about and they each placed their order.

“How was your day?” she asked as she sipped from her water
glass.

“Good,” he smiled. “I have four days off so today I went
over to my parents and hauled the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the
attic.”

“Christmas?” she choked. “It’s only just November!”

Tim grinned. “It takes my mom almost a month to decorate.
She has boxes and boxes of stuff.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine my mother ever doing that.”

“Didn’t you decorate?”

“Oh yes! We had two trees; one in the parlor that was
magnificent that we were under no circumstances allowed to touch, and then the
one in the back of the house that nobody but the family ever saw, that had the
presents under it. That’s the one that we could put our handmade ornaments on
and our
poorly
wrapped gifts.”

“Poorly wrapped?”

“I liked to wrap my own gifts but my mother always had the
shop wrap hers so they looked professional.”

“Your mom sounds…well…never mind.” Tim frowned as he stopped
his train of thought.

“The thing is,” Beth began, “I always knew that she loved me
and Rupert and Emma. It’s just that she lets her idea of her place in society
dictate her actions and demeanor with others, but also with her children. Once
when I was a teenager, I walked in on them while my dad was kissing her and she
jumped so high and then apologized for days afterward about her behavior.
They’re married for heaven’s sake! You know, that’s the only time I ever remember
them showing any physical affection to each other. On the rare occasions I went
to friends’ houses for a sleep over or a birthday party or something, I would
see their parents kissing and hugging and it all seemed so normal. As you
Americans would say, she just needs to
chill out
.”

Tim chuckled. “Well you might not want to come to my
parents’ house then.”

“Why?”

“Well my parents are always touching. Whether it’s holding
hands or hugging, or my dad with his arm around my mom.
Always.
”

“That sounds nice,” she smiled.

“And then throw in my brothers and their spouses,” Tim added.
“Matt can’t keep his hands off Janie. Same with Mark and Katy. And all the
others. They’re all whipped,” he grinned. “Sorry. That was crude.”

Beth smiled. “I think it’s kind of nice. I think it would be
sweet to have a man that loved me so much he doted on me.”

Tim smiled and watched her cheeks color a light shade of red
as she spoke. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem finding a man like that.”

The waitress arrived with their lettuce wraps and they both
dug in and cleaned the plate quickly.

“This is delicious,” she grinned as she wiped her mouth on
her napkin. “I love to find places like this.”

“My brother Mark and his wife Katy discovered it a few
months ago and I’ve heard about it regularly ever since so I figured this was a
good night to try it out.”

Once again, Beth thought of Edward and how he would’ve
balked at the idea of eating Thai food. He was missing out but Beth wasn’t
missing him…not one bit.

They ordered dessert to share – sticky rice with fresh mango
slices and as they scraped the plate clean, the waitress arrived with the
check. Tim was eager to get back to her place.

*****

Walking out into the chill of the November air, Tim stepped
to the edge of the sidewalk to flag down a cab and Beth cinched her belt on her
coat a little tighter as she waited under the awning out of the rain that was
just beginning to fall. As she took a step toward him a woman rushed to Tim and
threw her arms around his neck.

“Tim! How wonderful to see you.” She obviously knew him
well.

He stepped out of her embrace and tilted his head slightly.

“You disappeared in the middle of the night and I’ve been
waiting for you to call me.”

Tim risked a glance at Beth. She was listening and watching
the scene unfold.

“Umm,” he stuttered.

“Amanda,” she exclaimed. “Your brother’s wedding? Shit! It
was only last month.”

Tim attempted a smile. “Right. Well.”

The cab pulled in front of the curb and Tim opened the door
to the backseat. Then, cautiously, he turned to Beth. She walked straight past
him and slid into the seat.

“Why don’t you get the next one,” she said with no emotion
in her voice. “It sounds like you have some catching up to do.” As she yanked
the door shut, the driver pulled away from the curb.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” he yelled.

Amanda frowned and walked away. It was clear that he would
never remember her name.

“Well that’s just…just bloody fabulous!” Beth spat out as
she shut her apartment door behind her. Cleo appeared at her feet, wagging her
tail, ready to go out to the courtyard. Beth obliged.

As she stood in the rain as Cleo sniffed every blade of
grass and every leaf on the brick patio, Beth sighed and closed her eyes
.
Maybe it’s all for the best,
she thought.
Better to end it now than when
I’ve already fallen for him.

She didn’t see Tim banging on her door. She didn’t hear him
yelling her name, begging her to open up so he could explain. She didn’t see
the desperation in his eyes as he paced the hallway, running his hand through
his hair, and she didn’t see his defeated expression as he stood in the elevator
as the doors closed. By the time she returned with Cleo, everything was just
the same as when she’d left.

*****

Three days later Beth picked Emma up at the airport. At
least once a year, she came to visit, although Beth was pretty sure her sister
came to see New York and used Beth as a free place to stay but she didn’t mind.
She loved her little sister and was happy to see her.

Cleo was also very happy to see Emma. After ten minutes of
excitement with her tail almost knocking everything off the coffee table, they
settled in for a couple of hours of catching up; the two sisters in each corner
of the sofa and Cleo on her bed.

None of the three siblings were married, much to the chagrin
of their mother. Rupert had followed in his father’s footsteps and would one
day take over the family business of running the estate and the farm equipment
rental business they had built. Beth thought it was all too eighteen hundred
and that Rupert should have a choice in what he would do with his life. Rupert
didn’t appear to mind the future his parents had mapped out for him however, so
Beth didn’t voice her opinion very often.

“So mum is threatening to set him up on blind dates,” Emma
laughed.

“That’s horrible,” Beth frowned.

“Well it’s fortunate for you that you are out of their grasp
because she’s said a hundred times that she’s found a dozen men that would be
perfect for you.”

Beth groaned. “I don’t need her trying to find me a husband,
thank you.”

“I for one am quite happy you’re not married yet.”

“Why?” Beth was puzzled.

“Because while mum is dealing with your being single, she
leaves me completely alone,” Emma grinned.

“Well I’m glad I can be of service to you. You’re welcome,”
Beth chuckled.

“I’m knackered,” yawned Emma. “I need a nap.”

“Why don’t you call it a night? Sleep twelve hours and
tomorrow we’ll go shopping.”

“That sounds perfect. Goodnight then.”

Emma padded down the hall to the guest room and Beth took
their coffee mugs through to the kitchen then she grabbed the leash and Cleo
and her coat and headed down to the lobby. She could take her out to the
courtyard or they could go for a walk. She walked through the front doors of
the building and turned right. The skies were clear of precipitation but there
was a chill in the air. Winter was definitely on its way. Cleo led the way. She
knew the neighborhood very well and had certain spots she liked to take care of
business. Three blocks down was a small grassy area with a couple of wrought
iron benches and a few trees. This was one of Cleo’s favorite places. Beth let
the leash out as long as it would go and sat on the empty bench as Cleo sniffed
at the bushes and picked the perfect place to poop.

Beth let her head fall backwards and she looked up. One of
the things she missed most about England was being able to look up at night and
see the stars – the millions and millions of stars. Manhattan was not conducive
to star gazing, at least not in the middle of the city. She pulled out one of
the many plastic bags she kept in her coat pocket and deposited Cleo’s offering
in the trash can. Then, with Cleo leading again, they continued on their trek.

Mindlessly walking along, Beth wasn’t paying any attention
to their route until she realized they were across the street from the Ladder 5
station. Cleo sat on the sidewalk and swished her tail staring at the brick
building.

“Oh my!” Beth exclaimed. “Cleo! What is this all about?” She
pulled on the leash to leave but Cleo wouldn’t budge. “Come!” she demanded, but
Cleo would not move. “He’s not even here,” she hissed at the dog. “He said he
had four days off.”

Cleo’s head twisted to look at Beth with her big brown eyes.
“Oh stop it!” Beth snapped. “You’ve got it worse for him than I do…did,” she
corrected herself. “Now, let’s go home.” She pulled on the leash again but
Cleo’s tail started thumping against the pavement and then she abruptly stood
and started whining. Beth looked up and saw a figure standing in the driveway
of the firehouse. Cleo barked and the figure jogged across the street.

“Hi,” Tim said as he stepped up onto the curb. “Hi Cleo.” He
scratched her ears. The tail thumping continued.

Beth was mortified. He would think
she
came to the
station. “I…” she began.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Tim said at the same time.

“You are?”

“I am. I really wanted to apologize for the other night.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Yes! Yes there is.” He rubbed his bare arms. “Would you
like to come inside? It’s warm in there,” he smiled.

“No. We were just out walking and, and Cleo seems to like
coming this way. I should be getting back.”

“Please?” he pleaded. “Just for a minute?”

He was so handsome and Beth felt her will power dissipating
as Cleo surged in his direction. “Fine. But just for a minute.”

“Great,” he smiled. “Come on.” Tim placed his hand on the
small of her back and led her into the station and up the stairs. There were
about eight, or so, firefighters lounging in recliners in front of a big-screen
television. It appeared they were watching an action movie with a lot of gun
fire and car chases.

Tim made a quick introduction and Cleo made friends
instantly as she moved around the men as they fawned over her. Tim ushered Beth
into the office he shared, which was empty, and offered her one of the desk
chairs. She hesitantly sat.

“I had a great time on Monday…until Amanda showed up. I wish
there was an explanation that sounded good, but there isn’t,” he frowned.

Beth shifted in her seat. This was a conversation she didn’t
want to be having.

But Tim continued. “It was nothing. Just a one night thing…”

“Apparently not all night,” she whispered under her breath.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” she shook her head.

“Well, it was never a thing between us. It…it was a mistake.
I’m sorry it happened. I’m sorry she made you uncomfortable.”

“I wasn’t,” Beth lied.

“You left.”

“Alright. Maybe a little uncomfortable.”

“We, you and I, hadn’t gone out yet and if we had I would’ve
never…I like you and I don’t want to hurt you Beth. I’m really sorry.”

Well what do I say to that?
She attempted a smile but
it obviously didn’t look like one.

“Are you okay?” Tim asked. “You look like you’re ill.”

Beth sighed. “I’m not ill.”

“Am I forgiven?” he asked.

“You don’t need to be forgiven. It’s not like we’re…like we
have some…we’ve just been on a couple of dates.”

“I would like to go on more dates, Beth. With only you.”

She closed her eyes and tried to calm the butterflies in her
stomach. She liked the fact that he felt bad. She was kind of enjoying the
groveling. The revelation that he only wanted to date her made her bite her
lower to lip to keep from smiling.

“My sister just arrived today. I really should be with her
while she’s here, but maybe after she leaves?”

“How long is she here?”

“Ten days.”

“Oh.” He looked deflated. “Okay. Can I have your number?”

“Sure.” She pulled a sticky note from the desk beside her, wrote
down her cell number and handed it to him. “I should go.”

“I wish I could walk you home but I’m working.”

“I thought you had four days off?”

“Eli has the flu so I’m working his shift.”

He walked her out to find Cleo lying on the couch being fed
Cheetos. She looked deliriously happy. Beth couldn’t help but grin.

“Come on girl,” Tim said. She leapt off the couch and ran to
him. They all walked down the stairs to the sidewalk. “Thanks for coming by,”
he whispered as he kissed her softly on the cheek.

Beth took the leash from him, their hands grazing
momentarily and then she and Cleo walked back in the direction of her
apartment.

*****

Lieutenant Ralph Lindberg waited for Tim to return upstairs
in the firehouse and motioned him into their shared office. Ralph was the
senior officer on duty for the shift and one of Tim’s good buddies.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ralph asked Tim once he’d
shut the door and given them some privacy.

“Huh?”

“The woman? Beth? Are you dating her?”

Tim shrugged.

“Seriously Lathem! What the hell are you thinking?”

“She’s not a groupie. It’s not like that.”

Ralph sighed and sat in his chair at his desk. “I’m talking
to you as your friend, man. You know it’s a bad idea to date people from fires,
or any call we go on.”

“There’s no written regulation that says I can’t,” he
defended himself. “And it’s not like I went out looking for her…it was all very
innocent actually. Besides, I really like her.”

“Be careful Tim. You’ve seen these end badly.”

Tim nodded his head. He had seen some pretty ugly stuff when
women had become fixated on their ‘rescuer’. But he knew in his heart that this
really was different and he didn’t want to give her up. He wasn’t going to give
her up.