Tempting Tatum (31 page)

“How can I help?” I ask.

Nancy smiles at me. “You girls run on home. I’ll call when I get more information,” she says.

As soon as we get home, I change into jeans and a t-shirt. I want to be ready to go if we get called out to help. Ember is on the phone with Jackson in the kitchen and I’m pacing back and forth in the living room, watching the live news coverage of this five alarm fire.

Ember joins me and sits down on the couch. “Sometimes I think all the media coverage makes it worse. Especially for those of us who have loved ones there battling the fire.”

“Yeah, I agree, but at the same time I can’t turn it off. They will be the first to report any injuries, and I need to be there if he gets hurt.”

“Dad is there, Tatum. If anything happens to Blaise, he will let us know,” she tells me.

“What about him? Who calls if your dad gets hurt?” I ask her.

“Dad is more of a facilitator. He suffered a back injury from a fire several years ago, and now he can’t carry all the equipment. He’s there to oversee the trucks and make sure all the men remain accounted for. It’s his job to keep track of who is in what sector of the fire and make sure they are checking in. He’s going to keep them all safe,” she says.

I take comfort in the fact that Steve is there to keep an eye on all of them, on Blaise. Ember pats the couch beside her and I shake my head no. I can’t sit.

Ember’s phone rings. I stop pacing and watch as she answers. I can tell from the conversation that she’s talking to Nancy. I don’t take my eyes off her.

“Well?” I ask as soon as she hangs up the phone.

“Mom said our local auxiliary is heading over in about an hour to take a shift,” she tells me.

“All right, where do we meet them? How do I help?” I ask, my thoughts racing. I’ll be where he is. If something bad happens, I’ll be there this time.

“Tatum, maybe we should sit this one out,” she says gently.

I shake my head no. “No, no way. I need to be there with him. If something happens and I’m not there…” I fight back the emotions threating to spill. “I have to be there,” I croak out.

Ember releases a heavy sigh. “Tatum—”

“No! I wasn’t there when my parents died in that fucking car crash. I wasn’t there when…” I take a deep breath. “I need to be there, please, Ember.”

“Okay,” she says gently. “Under one condition.”

She waits for me to agree; I nod my head.

“You have to stay back. If something does happen, you have to let them do their jobs.”

“I’ll try. I just want to be there,” I say.

“All right, I’ll call Mom on the way to the firehouse.”

Ember tries to distract me on the way there. She talks and I try to listen. I just can’t shut my mind off. I can’t help but worry. This is all new to me, feeling this about someone. Add in the fear of not being there when something happens. I’m a mess.

Ember pulls into the lot and I see several women filling the back of a van. We get out of the car and find Nancy.

“Hey, girls. We have sandwiches and chips, and coolers of water and drinks. Our shift will run until eleven and then we switch off.” She focuses her eyes on me. “Tatum, everything will be fine. I know this is the first for you. Our guys will be okay; we have to stay strong for them. This,” she points to the van, “helps keep them going. Just knowing you are there will be all he needs,” she assures me.

Ember and I follow the van in her car. Driving toward the stables, I can see the flames lighting up the night sky. We park at a safe distance and help set up. The smoke is thick and makes it hard to breathe at times. I say a silent prayer that everyone’s okay.

I focus on keeping everything stocked while crew members come over to take quick breaks from the mayhem. Steve stopped by earlier to tell us the fire spread fast. The owner was able to get all the horses to safety. It started in the back of the stables where the new addition to the training facility was built. More than likely, electrical issues caused the fire.

Time is dragging as we watch the once state of the art stables burn to the ground. Crew members continue to stop by for drinks and food, as a quick relief. It’s almost eleven o’clock and I have yet to see Blaise. Nancy and Ember assure me he’s fine; he just hasn’t felt like he needed a break. This actually doesn’t really surprise me. Most of the people who have stopped by were ordered to do so by their chiefs. Blaise is stubborn and his dad knows this. I know he’s one of the men who insist on letting others get a break while he stays to battle the inferno. I know this, but I still wish I could see him. I need to see with my own eyes that he’s okay.

Eleven o’clock rolls around and another auxiliary comes to take our place. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay and…I don’t know what. I just know I need to be here. My mind is running through how I can convince Ember to stay when I hear him.

“Tate.” His voice is gruff, but it’s him.

Blaise.

I whip my ahead around and there he stands. He’s covered in smoke and his silver eyes are tired. None of that matters. What matters is that he’s here and he’s okay. I drop the bag filled with paper supplies and run to him.

Blaise opens his arms wide as I jump on him and wrap my legs around his waist. His arms close around me and it’s just us. He holds me tight. I never want him to let me go.

“Hey you,” he says softly.

That causes my tears to flow, tears of relief, joy, and sadness. Two little words that mean so much to me. Eventually, I release my legs from around his waist and slide my feet to the ground. Blaise places his finger under my chin and lifts my head.

“You okay?” he asks. He brushes my tears away with his thumbs.

I laugh, “I’m more than okay. I was so worried about you.”

He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead.

Nancy and Ember come over and give him a hug. He keeps me tucked into his side the entire time. “We’ll be here most of the night,” he tells us. “We have the fire under control, so it’s not spreading, but this is a big facility.”

“We just finished our shift, so we’ll be heading home soon,” Nancy says.

“I want to stay,” I say against his chest.

Blaise wraps both arms around me and brings his lips to my ear. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll come to you as soon as we’re done here.”

“But what if—”

Blaise pulls back and captures my face with his hands. “Baby, nothing is going to happen to me. The fire is secured and no one is inside. The immediate danger is done. We just need to be here to fight flames.”

I nod my head in agreement. I don’t like it, but I know I won’t be able to be at every fire and every accident he’s called to. I need to learn to cope with this.

“I’ll come to you as soon as I can, okay?”

“Okay.” I barely get the words out before his lips crash with mine.

Blaise gulps down two bottles of water and heads back to relieve members of his crew. Ember and I hug their mom goodbye and climb in her car.

“I called Asher, and he’s home. Why don’t we swing by and pick some clothes up for Blaise.” She smiles. “I heard him say he would come to you, and he’s going to want to shower and change. That is unless you were planning on keeping him in his birthday suit.” She winks.

I laugh, “That does sound appealing, but he’s going to be exhausted. I think he would really appreciate clean clothes. Good idea.”

It’s five in the morning and my ass is dragging. Dad called in today’s crew that was supposed to start at eight to relieve us. Standing outside their apartment, I try to be as quiet as I can so I don’t wake them. I’m going to have to shower. I hope Jackson has left some clothes here at some point; otherwise, my ass will be naked. Right now, at this moment, I couldn’t care less. I just want to shower and crawl in bed with my girl.

Her being there tonight, supporting me, my family, my crew members. I fall more in love with her each day. Beth would have whined and complained, not that she and Tatum are anything alike, thank God. Tatum is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I make my way down the hall and quietly let myself into her room. She’s curled up in a ball on the side of the bed I usually sleep on. She’s clutching the pillow tight. I see she also has her cell in her hand. My chest constricts just seeing how much she cares.

I walk into her bathroom and shut the door before turning on the light. I strip out of my clothes and lay them in a pile on the floor. I’ll have to clean up my mess tomorrow. I turn on the hot spray and let it massage my tired muscles. I reach for the shampoo and see mine sitting on the shelf beside hers. I smile. Tatum knew I would need a shower. She also knew I would keep my promise and come to her. Like there is anywhere else I would rather be.

I quickly wash away the grime and towel off. I make my way to her bed and gently remove the cell phone from her hands. She stirs and opens her eyes.

“Hey,” she says groggily. She scoots back to her side of the bed and I slip in beside her, pulling her into my arms.

“Hey you,” I say, kissing the top of her head. I drift off to sleep with her in my arms.

I wake up when Tatum tries to remove herself from my arms. “Quit it, I’m trying to sleep,” I mumble.

She chuckles. “I have to get ready for work,” she says.

“Don’t go. Call in sick,” I whine.

“I can’t.” She leans up and kisses my cheek. I grab her by the hips and settle her on my lap. Her long dark locks are in a jumbled mess and she’s wearing my shirt. She is so damn sexy; I want to engrain this moment in my memory. I always want to remember what she looks like, what this feels like, being with her like this.

I reach my hand up and cup her face, gently running my thumb across her bottom lip. “I love you, Tatum.” The words slip off my tongue like I’ve said them a thousand times. I have, in my head.

Tatum leans down, her lips close to mine, her green eyes filled with moisture. “I love you, too.” Then she kisses me.

Pulling away from her kiss, I grab her hips and flip her onto her back, and I’m pushing inside of her. Home. Tatum is home to me and home feels fucking fantastic.

Tatum claws at my back trying to get me to go faster. I don’t want to for multiple reasons. I’m about to blow and increasing my speed would end this, and I’m not ready for that. We just said I love you for the first time; I want to take my time with her.

Leaning down, I capture her lips with mine, our tongues moving in time with our bodies. I’m not going to last long; she feels too good.

“Blaise,” she breathes my name and I feel her clench around me. She’s close. I deepen my thrust just enough to throw us both over the edge.

I roll to the side and wrap her in my arms. Once our breathing evens out, Tatum rushes to get a shower so she’s not late for work. “There’s clothes for you on the dresser,” she says, walking toward the shower.

I jump out of bed and slip into a pair of my sweats. She’s taking care of me. I smile as I head toward the kitchen to make my girl some breakfast.

Ember is in the kitchen pulling waffles out of the toaster. “Hey. What time did you get in?”

“Around five,” I say, popping two waffles in for Tate.

“What are you doing up?” she asks.

“Tate has to get up for work. I tried to talk her into calling in, but she wouldn’t,” I grumble, and my sister laughs.

Just as I’m taking her waffles out of the toaster, Tatum comes barreling into the kitchen, hopping on one foot as she slides her foot into her shoe.

I place them on a plate and add syrup. I motion for her to sit and eat; she does. I grab her a glass of orange juice and place it in front of her. Leaning down, I place a kiss on top of her head.

She scarfs down her food and quickly stands. I grab her wrist. “I got it, babe,” I say. She nods her head and grabs her purse. “Let me walk you out.”

“No, you need to go back to sleep. Are you at the shop tonight?” she asks.

“Yes, but I don’t even know what’s on my schedule.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later,” she says, heading toward the door.

I reach for her arm and tug her back against my chest. “Have a good day,” I whisper against her lips, and then give her a chaste kiss. She pulls back and smiles. “I love you.” I smile at how good it feels to finally be able to say those words out loud.