23. Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Three
Raif
R aif spends the rest of his shift watching over Ash. He knows she’s a strong firefighter, that she has seniority, and is trained way above his skill level. But he can’t help the concern he carries with him on shift.
It’s only when he’s back home in his cabin that he realizes something monumental, he kissed her goodbye.
They had just gotten back from a long call.
A hard one, too. A truck rolled over and slammed into a tree.
The driver and passenger were trapped upside down.
Fire was first on the scene, and they used the jaws of life to get the female driver out.
She was unconscious when they removed her, but woke soon after.
When Ash and Ben went to help the passenger, he had passed on.
The woman wailed in grief. She struggled on the gurney to get free and run to her dead husband.
Lucas and Raif had to hold her back. When she was finally loaded into the ambulance, Ash went over to check on her.
Raif watched from further back. He saw the woman scream and yell at Ash for not saving her husband.
Ash offered comfort, and soon the woman was crying in her arms. When the ambulance drove away, and Fire finished clearing the scene, he went over to check on Ash.
Her face was set, she was focused on her job of talking with the tow truck driver and clearing the glass from the road.
Raif wanted to go to her, hold her, and let her know it wasn’t her fault, that there was nothing she could have done.
But Lucas and Ben beat him to it. The two men huddled around her, keeping a firm grip on her till she pushed them playfully away.
She shed no tears, and didn't have a panic attack. She was the vision of professionalism, and he was proud of her. They didn’t get back to the station till three hours after his shift ended, and Ash still had a lot more hours to go.
As he packed up his bag after changing, he and Aiden made their way to the front, where the others were eating dinner.
He bid them all good evening, and Ash had stood to walk him out.
At the bay door, he pecked her on the lips and told her to have a good rest of her shift.
She’d waved goodbye to him as he drove off, and it wasn’t until later that the kiss occurred to him.
It seemed so natural to kiss her goodbye, even at the station.
Like it was part of their normal routine.
Not like they had just had their first kiss the previous day.
When he gets home, he jumps into the shower to wash off the day. The water is cold when he first gets in, but he pays it no mind. It’s quick to heat up as he soaps up his body.
He’s methodical in washing. Hair first, and then face.
Body next. It’s only when he’s doing his chest that the memory of Ash’s hands on him pops in.
She had pressed her hands to his chest, scratching through the material.
He could feel the warmth of her hands through his shirt.
Wishes her hands had worked lower, rucked up his shirt, and touched his stomach where he knows he’s sensitive.
He rubs there, down his happy trail and back up, teasing himself. His cock thickens.
Cupping his balls with one hand, he strokes with the other.
Being a born bear shifter, he’s uncircumcised, and his cock is long and thick.
He takes himself in hand, going slowly up and down.
He pictures Ash’s hand on him. How her fingers would be smaller, her palm smooth, but her fingertips calloused.
What it would feel like for her to circle him, stroke him.
He thumbs the slit, dipping his thumbnail in a little and making himself shudder.
He’s close, very close, for only having touched himself for a little while.
He doesn’t care, though. He has no desire to draw it out.
He jacks himself faster, tightening and twisting his grip till he’s shuddering and spilling over his fingers.
He rinses his hand, leans his head on the tiles, and breathes. He can almost still smell the scent of Ash in his home, citrus and cloves. He wants that scent in his den always, filling it up till it’s all he can smell.
Raif finishes up in the shower and debates what to do. If he should crash for the night, or go to the lodge and see his brothers, or go into town. He figures the diner shouldn’t be too busy this time of night and throws on his clothes and boots, preparing for the forty-minute drive into town.
The diner is the same as always. Tinny music plays through old speakers. The vinyl seats are long since cracked from many years of wear. But the meatloaf is to die for, and the company isn’t so bad either.
“Hey there, big man. Didn’t know if I’d see you tonight.” Sandy is all smiles as she fills up his water glass. He can’t help but smile back at her.
“Do you want the meatloaf or are you going to try something new?”
“Meat loaf, please, and with-”
“Extra gravy, I know.”
She smiles and goes to put in his order while he sips his water.
“So, anything new?”
“Actually...I met someone.”
Her eyes are wide, her smile is huge, and that’s part of why he likes Sandy so much. She doesn’t care that this means he’s officially off the market, she’s just happy for him.
“Who’s the lucky person? Anyone I know?”
“She doesn’t live in town. She’s a firefighter, over in Juniper. She’s...she’s amazing.”
“Oh, Raif, I’m so happy for you.”
She squeals and claps her hands together, and he feels himself blush.
He tells her about how they met. He doesn’t mention the mate part, Sandy doesn’t know.
He tells her how he parked too close and how Ash yelled at him.
How he met her father coincidentally in the diner, mowed his lawn, and Ash showed up.
He leaves out the intimate details, things Ash has told him about herself.
“So, you slept with her yet?”
Sandy is shameless as she cocks a smile at him while folding napkins. The diner is empty save for an old man in the corner and two men at the other end of the long counter.
“Don’t you have other people to serve?” he grumbles at her.
“Nope!” She’s practically beaming.
“We haven’t yet. We’re taking things slow.”
“Slow is good. Slow is what you’re comfortable with, right?”
He snaps his head around left to right to make sure no one is listening.
She sighs exaggeratedly, and he quirks a smile. She always was one to goof around with him. Everyone else just thought he was all gruff, but Sandy saw through that and teased him relentlessly about anything and everything to embarrass him.
“Anybody you’ve got your eye on?” he asks her.
“There’s a new firefighter, you might know him, Aiden? He stopped by the other day, gave me his number.”
“He’s a volunteer firefighter, and I’m pretty sure the volunteering is court-ordered.”
“Well, he’s handsome and seems sweet-”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Oh, fine, Raif, he seems like a good lay, okay? He doesn’t live around here, and if I fuck him the whole damn town won’t know about it by next morning.” She’s whisper-yelling, and he can’t help but chuckle.
It’s good to talk with Sandy, comfortable. She’s the first female friend he’s ever had, and he wonders if Ash and she will get along. If they do, it will be frightening, all that power and sass combined.