EIGHT
Redford
It’s way too soon to feel this way about her.
Though, if I’m being honest, I had a thing for Aspen long before I met her. Before I had any clue how amazing she is. Before her every word, every subtle movement had me transfixed, making it impossible to look away.
I don’t mind the burden one bit.
I’ve been trying not to stare at her, sleeping peacefully in the backseat of the firetruck, her head resting on Meredith’s like it’s a pillow. Their friendship warms my heart. To know that something like that exists in a world that could treat them the way it has, it gives me hope for mankind.
It’s too late to look away when Aspen stirs, she caught me watching her but the smile that curls the corners of her mouth tells me she doesn’t mind.
“Are we there already?” The sound of her groggy voice coming through the headset startles her, jolting her eyes open wider, forgetting where she was.
“Talking through these takes a little getting used to. It beats the hell out of the headache you’d get from the rumbling engine though.”
“Did I fall asleep on the drive?”
“That’d be one way to put it,” I say quietly, not wanting to wake her friend, still sleeping peacefully.
“Oh no, we weren’t even moving yet, were we? I was supposed to keep you company.”
“You’ve had a long night. Don’t worry about it, I managed the two mile drive down Main Street just fine. But I have to admit, I did miss your company.”
“You did?” she swoons, making a pouty face that lodges my heart in my throat. “No more falling asleep, I promise. We didn’t just pull up, did we?”
“Few minutes ago,” I lie, unless you count thirty as a few.
“I’m blaming it on the paramedic who checked us out at the pier, that smoke inhalation protocol was draining.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside where there’s some semi-comfortable beds.”
“Okay, but I refuse to go to sleep again so they better not be too comfy. We can’t have you missing me.”
My eyes are glued to her as she leans closer to the front seat, tapping her finger on my nose, then slowly lowering it to my lips.
I can’t fight the urge to kiss her fingertip, I don’t get the impression she wants me to stop.
The tiniest whimper leaves her mouth, caressing my ears through the headset with the sweet sound.
Her finger slips in a little deeper, giving me no choice but to suck on her skin gently, transfixed by her eyes as they roll back in her head. The moan that escapes has her free hand shooting to her mouth in a failed attempt to cover it.
I reach back, cupping the headset and slowly pulling it off, watching every strand of her caramel hair cling to it until the last possible second, falling into her face like an ornate frame encompassing the work of art that is Aspen.
Her eyes, an autumn forest full of hope and desire, never leave mine. Every slow blink her long lashes make assures me we’ve entered a dream world, one I never want to leave.
My hands aimlessly wander her face, knowing they will never feel anything as soft as her cheeks ever again.
Watching her lips part, revealing a sliver of her perfect teeth, tongue resting on them like she’s about to speak the sweetest words or kiss me with such passion my mouth will never be the same, I’m struggling to decide which I’d want more.
“Reddy, do you copy?” Hollis’s voice coming through the headset takes a moment to usher me back to the reality that exists outside of Aspen.
“I hear you,” I stutter, clearing my throat, trying to concentrate on my job while the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen makes bedroom eyes at me.
“We’ve apprehended the suspect on the island, son of a bitch is lookin’ a little green. Fire’s almost contained. You get the mermaids back to the station? Are they alright?”
“EMTs cleared them, we just got back to the house.”
“Perfect, keep them there. Unfortunately the cabin is a total loss. We’ll need to get statements so we can start tracking down the rest of these guys. Your lieutenant’s getting in touch with the Red Cross as we speak. Keep the firehouse on lockdown, just in case.”
“You got it, Hollis.”
“Time to go in?” Aspen asks softly, slowly pulling her eyes from mine. “Should I wake Meredith up?”
“I can carry her in.”
“No fair,” she pouts, batting her lashes as I hop out of the engine, scooping her friend in my arms. “I want to be held too.”
“Then it’s a good thing I planned on coming back for you next.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
The way she strokes my arm until the last possible second as I lift her friend has the uprising in my pants fighting to be set free. I’m tempted to let Meredith sleep in the truck and carry Aspen in right now, before doing things to her I’ve been trying my damndest not to think about all night.
The summer soundtrack fades as I pass from the floor to the stairs, taking two at a time just to get back down quicker. It’s weird to hear the station so silent, it’s not often I’m the only one here.
Meredith stirs when I tuck her in, just enough to thank me, though I’m not sure she knows what she’s thanking me for. I feel guilty leaving her but nothing in this world could keep me from venturing back into Aspen’s, where everyone outside the two of us ceases to exist.
I know my feelings for her are inappropriate, and I find how little I care rather alarming as I skip more stairs than I touch, eager to be back in her presence, whatever that entails.
The sight of her leaned against the lockers stops me in my tracks, I planned on collecting myself before I got back to the truck.
At the very least, catch my breath, not from my flight down the stairs but from the way my heart’s still racing.
The way it has been since I saw her in the loft, my mermaid.
“I couldn’t wait. I missed you too much.” Her soft voice, tinged with the raspiness of someone who just walked through hell unscathed, has my heart pounding incessantly, like it has a warrant.
She reaches for me as I stride closer, somewhere between a jog and a sprint, pulling me into her the second I’m within orbit. When my lips finally press against hers, I realize why no matter how content I was, my life has never felt complete. It was missing one thing; Aspen.
Her kiss breathes life into me, at war with the exhaustion that should be setting in.
I caress her tongue with mine, an exploratory mission, eager to discover every secret location that causes her to whimper against my lips. I take note of them all, committing everything about Aspen to memory, yearning to learn more.
She wraps her arms around me, unwilling to let go for even a second.
And when her arms aren’t quite enough, she slips one leg around my waist, followed by the other.
The heat between her legs, pressed firmly against my stomach, leaves me no choice but to dig my fingers into her ass, lifting her higher, pulling her tighter against me.
Her back clangs against the lockers as I lean into her, reciprocating the passion I feel coursing through her body like an electrical current. The way she’s writhing against me, rolling her hips, panting into my mouth, if this lasts much longer, there’s a strong possibility I won’t.
My feet lead us to the turnout room, it’s not my brain in control, all it can focus on is Aspen grinding against me. The wet heat from her core consumes my every thought until I can’t take it anymore.
Slowly, she unravels her body from around mine when I bend over, resting her back on the long bench. Legs resistant to let go, I finally break free of her grasp, planting another kiss on her lips, instantly missing them when I pull away.
She nods her head eagerly when I slide my hands under her denim skirt and curl my fingers through her panties, convincing me to slip them over her soft thighs. I can’t help but marvel at her beautiful pussy, running my fingers over her as she thrums with anticipation.
I drop to my knees, burying my face in her folds to a symphony of squeals that could seduce a monk out of abstinence. My hands travel over her body, quivering in pleasure as my tongue tickles her clit in long strokes, until they land on her arched back, helping her press into me harder.
Her hands claw at whatever they can find, clinging to my shoulders just slightly out of reach before digging into the bench, eventually landing on her breasts.
Between deep breaths that cause her stomach to cave in, I can see her long fingers wandering up her shirt when the fabric becomes too restrictive.
I’m torn between devouring her until the bay door opens or letting my mouth get in on the fun her hands are having upstairs.
Every ragged inhale reveals her taut nipples, peeking out between her knuckles as she kneads them harder, causing her blissful moans to be overtaken by guttural growls that mimic my own.
A series of yelps and cries crescendo into a climactic silence as her body stiffens, toes curling against me. A broken whimper fills the room when her heartbeat resumes, spent but clearly not ready for this to be over.
I’ve never heard a song so beautiful in my life.
And I plan to play it on repeat until she begs for reprieve.