21. Jensen
TWENTY-ONE
JENSEN
My heart was still raging when I slid out of her. Lyric hadn’t even awakened when I stripped off her stockings and panties and gently washed her up. Luckily, she had an en suite bathroom.
Her sooty lashes had fluttered once, but she’d gone back under with a wispy sigh.
I’d been tempted to crawl right in beside her, but I was still too revved. Nothing had been like that for me before. I’d managed to keep myself in check during our date, but I was on edge, and she’d tossed down that gauntlet.
I’d been too wound up to hold back.
Getting her to fly was a drug like no other. It had pushed away the tension that had started creeping into me on the way home from Syracuse.
She’d invited me home and it was far better than the restless night I would’ve had alone. At least here I could find a few hours of sleep in her soft arms. I took a quick shower, then just before I was about to slip in with her, I heard a light scratching at the door.
I cracked her bedroom door open to find Sheba staring up at me. Her tail went into helicopter mode immediately. I let her in, and she immediately hopped onto the bed and did three circles before flopping down and tucking her nose under her tail with a sigh.
“You going to let me in there with your mistress?”
She opened her eyes, then she closed them again.
“Guess that’s good enough.”
Lyric was on her side. I wasn’t sure what side she usually slept on. And I was definitely not used to sleeping with a woman. I’d done it, of course, but I was generally too restless post sex to stay with anyone. I stretched out on my back, tucking my arm under my head. I definitely wasn’t mad that she had a king-sized bed.
That wasn’t usual for apartment dwelling. After spending so much time in hospitals, maybe she wanted the space.
Her bedroom suited her with the soft gray walls and colorful art. A comfy club chair that looked like it had seen many hours of reading was tucked under shelves full of trinkets. Crystals, a unicorn with wild hair that reminded me of an old cartoon my mom used to love.
The Last Unicorn .
The old memory was one of the few nice ones I had with her. Sitting on the lumpy green couch in the shit apartment in Albany with a bowl of popcorn between us with grape off-brand sodas. It had been dark and intense and probably too adult for my four-year-old self, but I’d been fascinated with the fires even then.
The store had broken that back open. I needed to find a way to bring it back under control in my life. To know that it wasn’t going to take everything from me. Lyric had been bad enough, but watching the whole thing consume Trick or Treat had been equally as bad.
Seeing the firefighters come in and scatter, each with a goal in mind had driven me out of the frozen fear moment standing over Lyric. They’d had the answers.
Answers that I’d been driven to find at the academy. The way they’d worked together to solve the problem and save her even as the fire raged around us had been incredible. They’d tried to throw me out of there, but the focus had been Lyric and they didn’t have the manpower to haul me out of there.
I hadn’t known it was Adam at the time, but he’d been the one to climb down into the basement and carry her out of there. He hadn’t even hesitated. The rest of the team had been worried about the structural integrity of the floor and what they’d find in the basement.
Even now, I could remember the yelling. But the one firefighter had put his head down and did the job.
And I’d known that was what I wanted. Focus and problem-solving.
I knew the latter would take time and training, but being a firefighter mattered .
And I wanted to matter. I didn’t want to be the guy who passively lived life anymore.
I had the Burn House part of my exam the next morning. We’d been put through our paces on a number of obstacles at the academy. Now I had to pull all of that together and get through the live, active fire.
Lyric moaned lightly and I turned her toward me. She settled onto my chest just like the night in the studio. Only her bed was a helluva lot more comfortable than the makeshift blanket fort I’d made.
Her arm slid around my waist, and she sighed into my skin.
I wanted to matter for her and for me. I just had to get through the final exam and then I could put my name in at CCFD. Then I’d be able to show Lyric that I was worthy of her.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew there was hot breath on my face.
I opened an eye to find Sheba standing over me and Lyric missing.
“Sheba,” she whispered.
“I’m awake,” I said gruffly.
“Oh, sorry. I thought I could sneak in a shower before I took her out for her morning business.”
“Do you want me to take her?”
“That’s very sweet of you, but I think you said you had something this morning.”
I sat up and ended up with a Sheba foot to the junk. “Shit.”
She popped up and did a few circles before she did a low stretch with her front paws out.
“Sheba!” She laughed and pushed her off the bed.
Sheba hit the floor as if on springs and a moment later, was right up on the bed with us again. I flipped a pillow over my crotch as to not get nailed again.
Lyric laughed. “Sorry about that.”
I yanked Lyric into my arms, and she giggled. Her fuzzy robe opened and I couldn’t resist lowering my mouth to taste her still damp skin. She gasped and I grinned up at her. “You passed out on me last night.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I should learn my lesson about challenging you.”
“Nah, I love making you come so hard you black out.”
Lightly, she punched me in the shoulder. “Can you sound any smugger?”
I rolled onto my side and propped my head up. “I could, but it would require you sitting on my face.”
“Not a chance.” She closed her robe and cinched it.
“Your loss, not mine.”
“Do I want to know why you’re so incredibly good at what you do?”
I shoved the pillow under my chin and rolled onto my stomach. Sheba did her triple circle and curled up next to my hip. “Do you really want details?”
“No.” She sat at the small table near the door to her bathroom and opened a lighted mirror.
“I’m good at finding what you like, period.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “And you learned by doing.”
“I have enjoyed a few relationships and a few fun nights, Lyric. But probably not as many as you think.” I rolled to a seated position. Sheba gave me an annoyed huff and spread out on her side where I’d been.
I slid off the bed and crossed to her wearing only my boxers. She turned in her seat and gave me a bland stare when my dick didn’t exactly cooperate even after a kick from her dog.
“Sorry, baby. He’s always interested in saying hello to you.”
She turned back to her mirror and applied some sort of powder over her cheeks with a big brush, but she said nothing.
“Lyric, this is where I want to be. Whoever I was with before doesn’t matter.”
She threw the brush down. “I know. I’m being an ass.”
I moved behind her and lightly massaged her shoulders. I could feel the knots and knew I’d had the same last night. I knew it was because we’d gone from zero to one thousand in a few days. I kissed the top of her head. “I get it. I wanted to put my fist through your boyfriend’s face. Knowing he had the right to touch you didn’t make me hate it any less.”
“He wasn’t worth it.”
I crouched beside her stool. “And neither were the girls before you. And I know how to make you feel good because I care to figure it out. Period.” I took her hand and put it on my chest. “Same as you know how to make me crazy.”
“Do I?”
“You fucking do.” I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “All the time.”
She laughed against my mouth. “I think that might be a different crazy.”
“Maybe.” I cupped her face and let the kiss spin out a little, but my phone started buzzing and the most annoying ringtone blared out of my discarded pants. “I gotta go.”
“What do you have going today?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her. But I didn’t want to disappoint her if I didn’t make it through this exam. And part of me was afraid to say it out loud. “I have an appointment a few towns over. I can’t miss it.”
Her golden eyes still held questions, but I leaned in and gave her a quick, hot kiss before I stood. The alarm meant I had an hour to get to my place to change. I couldn’t exactly wear my dress clothes to the exam—then get to the academy.
I unearthed my phone and turned it off, then I pulled on my pants. I leaned over and gave Sheba a rub, then I found my belt under her. I finished getting dressed while Lyric methodically did her face.
She followed me out into the hall, Sheba leaping down to bring up the rear. The scent of bacon made my mouth water, and the sound of a blender had me looking back at Lyric.
“My sister believes in breakfast like no other.”
I got into the kitchen and was surprised how much her sister looked like her and yet didn’t. Where Lyric was wild dark hair and golden tones, her sister was fresh faced and much paler with straight hair that was scraped back into a tail. But the intelligent eyes that locked with mine resembled Lyric’s.
The same golden, the same shape, but instead of a heart-shaped face, she was oval but with the same stubborn chin.
CJ folded her arms. “I made egg bites and protein shakes if you need to replenish fluids.”
“Uh.” I didn’t know what to say to that one.
“Don’t mind her, CJ doesn’t have a filter. Ca—” Lyric’s gaze turned wicked, but she stopped herself at her sister’s sharp look.
I shot a glance at Lyric, but she shrugged.
“Jensen meet CJ, my sister.”
“Hi.”
CJ pushed a stainless-steel navy tumbler toward me. “Chocolate. Wasn’t sure if you had an allergy. I’d say you need the protein. You probably are empty.”
My face went hot. “Uh, thanks.”
Next came a plastic container with three mini-muffin-sized egg bites.
“Do I get some?” Lyric went around the kitchen island and started a coffee.
“She doesn’t do protein shakes. Then again, she probably had her fill.”
“Okay.” Lyric bumped her sister’s hip. “Yes, I had a sleepover, and yes, we enjoyed adult playtime.”
I snickered.
“I miss playtime.” She sighed. “I’m giving up on the male race. Maybe I should try girls—for science.”
“You do you, boo.” Lyric quipped.
CJ sighed. “It’s tempting.” She glanced at me. “Got any brothers there, stud?”
I nearly choked on my sip of the shake. “Um, yes.”
“Oh, really? Is he hot and muscled up like you?”
I arched a brow. “I don’t know about that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother out of a suit.”
She leaned on the counter and cupped her hands around a glass with a straw. Her confection was definitely in the strawberry realm. “I don’t mind a suit. Especially a really nice black one. Go on.”
Lyric turned back with her own mug. “He’s gotta go.”
CJ sighed dramatically. “Fine.” She took her glass and an egg bite and walked out of the kitchen toward the hall. “I’ll let you two play tonsil hockey before you leave. Nice to meet you, Jensen.”
I wasn’t sure if I could say the same. “You too,” I yelled after her.
“Don’t mind her. She’s one of those genius-level types. Makes her a little weird.”
“Good to know. And that she has a healthy outlook on sex.”
“I’m not entirely sure she doesn’t look at it as a problem to solve rather than enjoy.” She went onto her toes and gave me a coffee-flavored kiss. “My sister is a programmer. Analyzing is her favorite pastime. It can be a little disconcerting, if you’re not ready for it.”
That was one way to put it. “She’s interesting, to say the least.”
She laughed. “That’s CJ. Think you can stop by the store later? We will have some more details for your murals.”
“Probably not until later. But you can have me tonight.”
“Okay, I can work with that.” She followed me to the door and handed me my coat. “Good luck with your appointment.”
“Thanks. I’ll need it.”
Her brow furrowed. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be.” I dropped a quick kiss on her lips and escaped down the stairs.
The trip to my apartment didn’t take long and my nerves started to jangle as I turned my truck toward the academy. I pushed it a bit with the speed limit, but I wanted to make sure I was there early enough for the lineup.
We didn’t exactly have appointments, but my group was one of the first for the day.
Which I appreciated. Much like the stress test, I wanted to get it over with.
It was a cold one which would make the fire react differently. It could give off more smoke with the temperature differences.
I only hoped I’d get through this.