Chapter Nine
Ladon
A half-heat. I had no idea that was even possible.
Not until it happened to me. With Kirin having a fever last Saturday morning, I’d forgotten to take my suppressant pill.
That led to me getting all frisky with Blaze the moment my son was in bed.
Not at all the way I’d wanted our date to go.
From what I remembered from my heat haze, the experience was so good, and I felt incredibly right with him buried deep inside me.
But I didn’t want the alpha to think I was easy, or for him to break my heart when he found out I wasn’t usually that promiscuous.
Ugh! I glanced at my phone then put it back down again. Blaze had messaged me the next day to ask if both Kirin and I were okay, but I’d been too embarrassed to respond. How was I supposed to explain that I hadn’t meant to have sex with him?
“Daddy?” Kirin glanced up at me from the seat beside me on the bus. “When are we going to see Blaze again?” He bounced Wee-Woo, the stuffed fire truck, on his lap after he’d refused to leave it at home, and I hadn’t felt like taking on that battle before we left.
“I’m not sure.” I lifted his hat and kissed his forehead. “He’s really busy at the firehall, training and saving people who need help.”
Kirin wiggled in his seat. “What if I need help? What if I accidentally chuff and some fire comes out? Can I call him?”
With a deep breath, I rested my hand on his lap. “First, we don’t call him for emergencies, we call 9-1-1. Second, firefighters and future firefighters aren’t supposed to start fires. It’s against their code.”
He pouted, crossing his arms in front of himself. “Fine. I’ll walk to the firehall myself, then.”
“I will text Blaze and see when he’s not busy.” Anything to placate my son until we arrived at day care and hopefully, he would forget all about this conversation. He started kindergarten in the fall, and the week ahead involved a tour of his future school, his birthday, and a promised dinner out.
When we reached the bus terminal, a fire rescue truck appeared at the back of tower two.
We could just see the edge of it, but Kirin’s eyes widened and my stomach dropped to the floor.
I didn’t want to face Blaze, but I knew my son wouldn’t let the conversation go and would try his hardest to sneak out of day care to see the alpha.
I didn’t want to make my co-workers’ days harder, so as soon as we left the bus, we walked toward where the truck was parked.
Kirin tugged on my arm as I contemplated what I would say to the dragon shifter who’d been seated deep inside me a couple nights earlier.
As we rounded the corner, Kirin paused. I was hit by a moment of confusion before relief filled me.
The fire inspector who’d been at the day care with Blaze stepped out of the truck with his messenger bag.
The firefighter who came around from the passenger side wasn’t Blaze, but a much younger alpha.
“Hey!” Inspector Stanfield waved to my son and pointed to his stuffie. “Do you like fire trucks?”
Kirin nodded, grabbing the edge of my shirt and pulling himself into my side.
The inspector chuckled. “Well, I have some goodies for you if you’d like them.”
Another nod, but Kirin didn’t move away from me.
“Here you go.” Inspector Stanfield held out a coloring book and sticker he’d retrieved from his bag, the same items the firefighters had been handing out at the Touch a Truck event.
I held onto the stuffed fire truck and nudged my son forward.
Kirin reluctantly reached for the items. “Thank you,” he said with his other hand over his mouth.
“You’re welcome.” The inspector nodded.
“Thank you,” I reiterated as my son pulled me away from the firefighters and toward the closest entrance for tower one.
I hoped that interaction would be enough to help Kirin focus on something else for the day. Maybe even longer, as I contemplated when and if I would text Blaze back.