Vital Signs (3 page)

When she returned, she wore a smile that lifted his spirits. He felt the side of his mouth twitch as if attempting a smile, but he failed. She didn’t seem to notice as she spread a heated blanket over him. The warmth sank into his skin and burrowed deeper until his bones felt like hot pudding.

He groaned.

“Better?”

“Yes, thank you.” Now if she’d curl up beside him and put her arms around him, he’d be even better. Speed the healing process.

“Would you like some TV?”

“No thanks.” He only watched it at home to keep the loneliness at bay.

“Oh look. Your menu is here. Why don’t we choose some meals for the week?”

“I don’t give a damn what I eat.”

She didn’t seem affected by his harsh tone or surly response. She just picked up a pen and poised it over the paper. “Breakfast. Waffle and fruit. Two egg whites and toast. Which do you prefer?”

“Neither. I hate breakfast.”

She laughed. At that moment a low knock sounded on the door. He and Sarita looked around to find several of the East Street fire crew. Sarita hurriedly stood as the guys flooded in. Before he could think to introduce her, they introduced themselves. Sarita shook hands with them all.

Then she threw Corey a wave. “I’m going to slip out and let you visit. I just wanted to see how you were feeling today.”

He shook his head. “Thank you for coming.”

Their gazes connected. Something fluttered low in his groin, a stirring for a woman he hardly knew and couldn’t satisfy for many weeks anyway.

She looked a little uncomfortable between the wall of muscle. Jagger, Gabe, and Joey as well as Chief. “I’ll stop back soon, okay?” She reached over to squeeze his hand.

Corey captured her fingers before she could pull away, turning her hand over and stroking his thumb across hers. That dark need slipped low in his groin again.

Definitely attraction. I want her.

The realization smacked him in the face. When was the last time he’d even wanted a woman? Not that he didn’t find women beautiful. But there was a big difference between seeing a random woman and thinking she was pretty and looking into her eyes and knowing there was a spark between them.

He wanted to tell Sarita he looked forward to seeing her again. But why should she come visit him? He was grumpier than a bear with a hurt paw. He had nothing to offer a woman of Sarita’s value.

She smiled, a wide, genuine smile he wouldn’t mind seeing on the pillow next to him after a night of rowdy, satisfying sex.

“Goodbye, Corey.”

As soon as she left, silence bulged within the room. Jagger crossed his arms over his chest and spoke first. “Please tell us you’re hitting that.”

Corey shook his head. “Hell, look at me. I think my dick’s even bandaged. I’m not hitting anything.”

“Well
,
at least say you will be hitting that as soon as you heal.”

Gabriel laughed. “Way to get the patient flustered.” He twitched his jaw toward the vital signs monitor, which showed that Corey’s heart rate was a few beats higher than it had been.

“We didn’t come here to upset our patient,” Chief said with a grin of his own. “We came to rally his spirits.”

Gabriel took the only chair in the room and the other guys leaned against the walls or the foot of the bed. They filled Corey in on everything they’d been doing in the past few days, including battling more arson fires.

Corey’s jaw hung open. “You’re sure?”

Chief gave a solemn nod. “It’s definitely arson.”

“But we just caught the guy.” Corey stared between Gabriel and Joey, who had assisted the woman, who they lived with, loved, and shared, in having the arsonist arrested.

“Turns out that guy is a copycat. He knew how to start fires in the same way as the real arsonist and he had a big healthy case of psychopath.”

Corey pushed out a breath that hurt a little bit. “Sick fucks in this world…”

“You’re not kidding,” Joey said. “At least that idiot’s locked up. But we’re facing the same problem.”

Looking at his friends, Corey asked the question racing through his mind. “The fire that did this was arson?” He waved a hand down his bandaged torso.

Jagger nodded. “We found some residue at the source of the fire.”

He arched a brow. “Pool chemicals?” It was what the last guy had used. Readily available and highly flammable if used incorrectly or combined in certain ways.

“Yeah, and something else,” Jagger said.

Corey’s gaze shot to the chief’s. The big guy had been harassed by media and city officials for not being able to find the criminal. Of course, he wasn’t the only man on the case—he was just blamed most often. He seemed to handle it in his stoic way, though.

“We took a sample of the chemical and sent it off to the lab.”

“Any idea what it might be?” Corey’s mind was going thirty different directions. He was laid up because some twisted bastard had set fire to a house. The arsonist didn’t care about the loss of lives or personal property—he reveled in taking both away.

Why? Who was this fucking person and what was driving him to commit these crimes?

“It’s time we put a stop to this asshole.”

All the guys stared at Corey. They knew that tone of voice very well.

“Not you, bro. Not until you’re healed.”

“As soon as I’m on my feet, I’m on the case. I might not be able to carry hose for a little while, but I can sure as hell investigate.” He looked to Chief, a challenge in the set of his jaw.

Chief didn’t respond for a long minute, and then he gave a slight nod. “I’ll let you back on the job as soon as you’re cleared for office work. But Corey, we need you in the field. I won’t let you do anything that will set back your healing time.”

“I won’t.” Even as he said this, he knew if something came up and he was needed, he’d go. Heedless of his personal safety.

Gabriel, sitting nearest, patted him on the shoulder. “Just take your time and focus on getting out of the hospital first. Hopefully we’ll find this arsonist fast so you don’t need to think about it.”

“He’s right. You need to concentrate on healing,” Joey said.

“If not for your team then for that sweet little EMT.” Jagger waggled his eyebrows.

Corey couldn’t deny that he liked having a woman like Sarita checking in on him. She had just done her job and stabilized him after his accident. She didn’t need to visit him or put up with his surliness about hospital breakfasts. The fact that she’d actually chuckled and hadn’t left immediately gave him hope that at some point he’d get a chance to show her a better version of himself.

He had so much ahead of him, though. Healing had damn well better happen fast—he needed to get on the job again. For years, all he’d lived for was fighting fires. And now he had a personal vendetta against the person who’d set the fire and almost killed him. Now the criminal was going down. Now it was personal.

Hopefully all of this happened quickly. With any luck a curvy and exotic woman would agree to go to dinner with him.

And have breakfast in bed.

»»•««

Sarita stared at the thick blood pumping from the victim lying on the ground in front of her. Too much blood, coming too fast.

“Is this person on blood thinners? Check him for a medical alert bracelet!” She grabbed a handful of thick material and pressed it to the bullet wound in his upper thigh.

Looking at her patient’s still face, she spoke soothingly. “Stay with me. We’re taking care of you.”

No response—he was out cold.

Peter got a line in him and administered pain meds along with something to clot blood.

“I can’t find anything about a blood thinner,” the other EMT she was working with said.

“Maybe he has a bleeding disorder. That wound is too far to the right to have hit the femoral artery. All right, his BP’s dropping. We need him in the rescue unit now.”

In seconds they’d rolled the victim onto a board and strapped him on. The pressure bandage Sarita had applied to his upper thigh appeared to be slowing the blood-flow. Judging by the position of the bullet hole, somebody had been shooting for his private parts.

They got the guy to the trauma center and then went back out for three more victims. She always took her time with each patient she encountered. But lately she found herself looking into their eyes, trying to feel the same connection she had with Corey.

But there was none. They were just people in unfortunate circumstances.

She carried out her shift and by the time she got home and stepped into the shower, fatigue weighted her shoulders.

She slumped against the wall and allowed her mind to wander to the firefighter. She’d had too many extra shifts and overtime to visit him again. When she thought of the way he’d held her hand and looked into her eyes, she couldn’t stop the tingle of awareness between her legs.

Soaping her washcloth, she dragged it over her neck and shoulders, down her breasts. Soap bubbles glistened on her skin. Her nipples pebbled.

As she thought of the way Corey looked at her and her body’s reaction, need sprang up deep in her core. She couldn’t stop the animalistic need inside her. She wanted him.

Skimming the tips of her breasts with the cloth, she imagined his mouth on hers, angling his head to plunge his tongue deep. A soft noise left her and she dropped the washcloth. It made a wet slapping sound as she twisted her nipples in her fingers. Pinching lightly at first and then harder until she cried out. She’d never questioned why she liked her pleasure hard and rough. It was just part of who she was.

Her past lovers hadn’t always done the job for her or given her what she needed, but she never stopped dreaming of a man who could take her on.

She bit into her lower lip and twisted her nipples. Blood filled them and they swelled, aching for more. Her pussy was slick, her juices on her inner thighs mingling with the water droplets.

She kept a dildo in her shower, often needing strong release after a stressful day like today. She grabbed the thick cock and switched on the vibration. Then she eased the mushroomed tip over her wet folds, imagining Corey poised at the quick of her.

Ready to thrust.

As she plunged the cock into her pussy, she cried out. Hips pumping, angling the toy deeper. She knew how to bring herself off fast and hard, but she had a feeling that teasing herself with thoughts of Corey was going to bring her higher than she’d been in a long time.

Need hummed along with the vibrations of the toy. Her pussy pulsated around it rhythmically, her pleasure escalating. She slammed it deep. Withdrew to the tip. Plunged again.

The little attachment that stroked her clit with every stroke heightened the experience. Water sluiced across her hot skin. She closed her eyes and thought of strong muscles under her mouth, big hands on her ass, drawing her up and onto his cock.

The first wave struck her out of nowhere. Her voice echoed off the shower walls as she came. She reached between her thighs and pinched her clit between her thumb and forefinger, sending her to brand new heights.

Corey’s teeth grazing her nipples. His cock splitting her with every thrust.

Spank me,
she told the fantasy man.

Like this, you naughty wench?
A hard clap on her ass. Her pussy clamped around the toy, juices spilling from her.

When the final contractions faded, she leaned heavily against the wall and slowly removed the toy from her sensitive folds. She let her eyes close, drifting in a sexual haze.

This obsession she had with Corey was new to her, to say the least. She had too much on her mind to care about finding someone to share her life with here in the US. She had goals. She wanted to own a house someday, but first and foremost she wanted to bring her mother and sisters here.

She didn’t really have time for more than work. Besides, Corey wasn’t offering to sweep her away and fall in love with her anyway. All of this lived in her head.

But there’s attraction between us.

It was true that he looked at her a certain way that made her girly parts sit up and beg. But he was down for the count, still healing.

She just had a crush. It happened sometimes between patients and doctors. Why not EMTs and hunky firefighters?

When she stepped from the shower, her cell phone was ringing. She quickly wrapped a towel around herself and brought it to her ear.
“Mami!”

“Sarita, my love.” Her mother’s rich accent rang in her ears and warmed her heart. “You’ve been very busy lately, no? I haven’t spoken with you for weeks.”

“Yes, I’ve been working extra shifts.” She shut off the bathroom light and went into her bedroom. It was small but since she didn’t own much, not crowded. She sank to her bed and imagined her homeland.

Younger sisters seated at the scrubbed kitchen table, preparing food. Her mother standing at the doorway where the old phone was attached to the wall, looking upon the busy street outside their home.

Sarita glanced at her own window overlooking an alley. She was happy to be here, but she
was
homesick. What she longed for most was the sea. She could have that here—she just had to make the time to go. She knew the instant she gazed upon the spot where the sky met the water, her spirit would be rejuvenated.

They talked about some of the people in her old village before the discussion turned to Sarita’s life. After relating a few stories about fun patients she’d encountered—and her speculations about the shooting victim from earlier who’d make a full recovery, she’d been told—she broached the topic that had been worrying her for too long.

“I met a man while working,
Mami.
A firefighter.”

“Oh Sarita. You promised you wouldn’t let a man turn you from your goals. Stand on your own two feet first, my sweet girl.”

Sarita crossed her legs and bounced her foot. “I
am
standing on my own two feet. I’m paying for everything on my own and saving. And I never said I was going out with this man.” Her mind wandered over the way he’d looked when she’d last seen him. Even bandaged, his muscled chest and roped biceps spoke of a strength she wanted to reach out and touch.