14. Where There’s Understandings.
14
Where There’s Understandings...
Angel Savoie - September 12th, 2025
Since the fire a few weeks ago, I’ve been on edge, panicking about the thought that something like that would happen again. And because of this, I haven’t been able to visit the bakery out of fear of seeing the aftermath. I mean, yeah, it was close to being completely renovated, but I was still a bit traumatized.
However, Phoenix had been there to console me, even after I was told that I’d have to stay in the hospital for an additional week. Of course, she’s come back a day early from the mini vacation I made her take, but I should’ve known that there was only so long she could go without seeing me face to face, mainly because I was feeling the same way.
Seeing he r walk through those doors when I was expecting my doctor had stopped me in my tracks as I headed to the bathroom. All thoughts evaded me as I pulled her into my arms, careful not to put too much pressure on her hurt wrist. She smelled like her favorite soap, so I knew she’d stopped at her place to take a shower before coming here, although I wouldn’t have cared if she still smelled like the forest.
From that point on, she was by my bedside every day, but this time, she actually took some time away when things got too hard. Even if she didn’t go further than the waiting room, I was glad that she was giving herself the breaks she needed. That’s all I wanted. After she explained how hospitals made her feel, the last thing I wanted was to add to her anxiety. Just like she wanted me to feel safe, I wanted her to feel safe and secure as well.
Speaking of comfort, she cared for me as much as her fractured wrist allowed. Even though she’d gone back to work a while ago, she still made time to check on me before she went to work, during her breaks, and she spent hours with me after she got off. Hell, the only reason why she hadn’t taken me to her house was because of how far it was from town, meaning that she wouldn’t have been able to check on me as much. But she assured me that as soon as I was better, I was coming to stay with her.
Not gonna lie, I was excited as hell.
“Do you need anything before I head out, Angel?” I heard, snapping me out of my daze. I look up to see Orion at the door of the room I’d been staying in since I was released from the hospital.
I noticed that he was dressed in the clothes he usually wore for work when it was time to do deliveries. I knew that he had to head back out on the road with Chris after pushing back the deliveries because of the fire. I had shaken back and could watch Kennedy until they returned, but he insisted on having her stay with Avery and Tyler so I could rest more. I hated how fragile everyone thought I was.
“No, I’m good,” I sigh, sitting up in bed. I catch a glimpse of myself in the large vanity mirror across from me and groan at my disheveled appearance. “I look terrible.”
“Eh, what’s new?” he jokes, but I just roll my eyes. He comes over and kisses me lightly on the forehead before ruffling my hair a bit. “If you need me, call. Also, please rest, Angel. No baking, cooking, or wandering the streets. You need to build your strength back up. These last few weeks have been hard on you.”
“I’m not a damn child,” I grumble but if he heard me, he ignored me.
“I’ll see you in a week. I would say to Avery if you need anything, however, I know that Phee gotchu,” he smirks.
I wave him off, and he chuckles before finally exiting the room. Once I hear the front door close, I feel a sense of relief. I love my brothers to death, but they were overbearing as hell. I was tired of sitting in this house and knew I needed to go do something.
So, I rose from the bed and managed to get in the shower to wash off all the funk and depression I’d been wallowing in these last few days. About an hour later, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world. I grab my keys, phone, and purse before heading out the door.
After driving around aimlessly for half an hour, I finally made my way to Kiwi’s Coffee Cafe. It’d been a while since I stopped by to get my favorite drink, and as soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the comforting smells of fresh coffee and tea.
“Well, look who finally decided to come back down to the real world.” I smile and shake my head as I walk into Maddox’s outstretched arms. He kisses me lightly against my temple before pulling back. He softly rubs his thumbs over my cheeks and checks me for any scratches or bruises. “How are you, Angel? You know, you scared the shit out of me and everyone else.”
“I’m good and I’m sorry,” I sigh before pulling away from him and taking a seat at the counter. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just…”
“Scared for Phoenix?” He adds, and I nod. He offers me a sweet, understanding smile before proceeding to make my favorite drink. “I know your brothers told you that that decision was dumb as hell, but I get it. If I knew Zeelan was in danger, I’d jump in to try to save him, too. No hesitations. However…”
“I know. I know,” I sigh, holding up my hands. “I shouldn’t have gone back in there without some kind of protection. Trust me, I learned that the hard way.” I sigh.
“I'm just glad you AND Phoenix are safe,” he nods, placing the drink in front of me. I thank him as my mind drifts over to her.
“Did sh e stop by today?” I ask as I play with the straw in the cup. “She’s been extra busy these last few days, and I’ve only gotten to see her a few times a day since I’ve been stuck inside.”
“Yeah, she came in earlier. She’s seemed really tired since there’s been an increased number of fires nearby,” He informs me. “Lots of crops have been hit hard on the farms deeper in the country.”
“Wait, she didn’t mention that,” I admit. My pulse starts racing as I think about her potentially being in danger again. I shivered at the thought.
“It’s been pretty hectic for all of the first responders, thanks to how hot the summer has been,” he states. “However, I think seeing you would bring a smile to her face.”
He winks, and I smile shyly as I watch him pull out a bag, filling it with some of his delicious sandwiches. Since I wasn’t around to make pastries lately, his savory menu has become a hit, from what Avery tells me. He hands the bag to me and motions for me to stand.
Before I could ask what he was doing, we were outside, and he was pushing me in the direction of the firehouse. It was across the street and a few buildings down, so there was no need for me to drive. I could feel the anxiety building. I wouldn’t stay long in case there were more emergencies to attend to, but I needed to see her smile and feel her arms wrap around me for a bit. I needed to make sure she was okay. Only then would I be able to go back home to the boredom of my brother’s house.
With each step I took, my heart beat faster, and at one point, I thought it might give out on me. But I took a deep breath and continued my trek. By the time I made it to the fire station entrance, my head was spi nning, and I was second-guessing everything. I decided to go in before I chickened out.
“Well, if it isn’t Cheonsa the daredevil,” I hear as soon as I enter. I shyly wave at Jed as he stands behind the desk with crossed arms. “Glad to see you’re alive and not dead.”
“Dude, leave her alone,” I hear someone else say. I look to the side and see Emerson shaking his head. He comes over and pulls me in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay, Angel. How can we help you today?”
“I, uh, I brought sandwiches from Kiwi’s,” I say, holding up the bag. I set it on the counter, and Jed smiles before thanking me and digging in. I turn to Emerson, suddenly nervous. “I don’t plan on staying long, but I wanted to see Phoenix...”
“You know you’re always welcome to come see your boo,” he smiles sweetly, motioning for me to follow him. I nod and quickly trailed behind him through the double doors that led to the garage. “Ayo, Phee. You have a visitor.”
I peek from behind him just in time to see her come from around the front of the truck, slinging an old rag over her shoulder. My breath hitches as I take in her appearance. Her locs were tied up in a bun on the top of her head, and as the last remnants of daylight seeped through the window, it hit her complexion just right.
My eyes traveled down her body, and I had to close my mouth to stop it from watering as I stared at her toned muscles peeking out from her black tank. It was paired with black sweatpants with the Tucker Fire Station logo on the left side. All I wanted to do was run my hands along her body as she fucked me all night long.
Yeah, it ’s been a while...
“Angel, what are you doing here?” She asks as I slowly walk over to her. Hearing her call me by my real name and not the nickname I’d grown to love had me pouting. “You okay? You should be resting at home.”
“Ugh, I’m tired of resting at home,” I admit, shaking my head as my eyes narrowed. Her face softens, and she pulls me into her arms. I let out a contented sigh. “I needed this.”
“Oh, uh, we’ll leave y’all to it then,” I hear Emerson say, and he tells Kentrell to let us have some time. “We’re heading out, but I’ll lock up the front so no one will walk in on y’all.”
Phoenix acknowledges them with a nod, but her eyes are still trained on me. Once they’re gone, she pulls back to look at me fully. I can’t read her mind, but I can feel her worry in the way her eyes examine me. I can pinpoint the exact moment she realizes I’m okay by the slowing down of her breathing and the sigh that falls from her lips. She kisses me tenderly before smiling down at me.
“You missed me that much, Sweets?” She asks softly, and I nod frantically. “Even though you just saw me two days ago.”
“It doesn’t matter if I saw you two hours ago, I’m still going to miss you. Don’t you know that being away from you was so fucking painful,” I admit as I tightened my hold on her. “I knew you were busy, but why didn’t you tell me that so many fires were happening? I had to hear from Maddox.” I pause, pulling away to look up at her. “Are you being safe? Are you following protocol? Did you get hurt? Are you...”
She cut m e off by kissing me tenderly, and I can feel myself relax. After she pulls away, she takes my hand and guides me out of the garage and down the hall to what I assume is her office. She opens the door for me, and I step in, looking around at the decent-sized space. A desk with neatly stacked papers was on one side of the room, and a couch was on the other. The rest of the furniture consisted of two chairs, a few filled bookshelves, and a small mini fridge.
My eyes drifted to the wall, and I took in all of the plaques and framed news articles. She had all kinds of awards and recognitions, and it made me feel proud to know that my baby had accomplished all of this. She was really a natural-born firefighter. My anxiety eased up a bit more.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” she says, pulling me back to the present. My head snaps over to her as she takes one of my hands in hers. She guides me over to the couch where we sit, hip to hip. “I didn’t want you to worry about me, but I promise I’m being safe. Especially because I’m doing more desk duty than anything.” She holds up her wrist. “Can’t really fight fires when I’m fractured, you know?”
“Okay, but...”
“I know that you’re not gonna stop worrying,” she cuts me off. I could see her eyes start to gloss over, and I did my best to blink back tears. “But this is my job, baby. When I’m fully healed and ready to go back out into the field, I need you to trust me that I will be safe. I promise to follow all of the steps like I should’ve back then. I promise that I’ll come home to you every time.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I say, taking her right hand in mine. “I love you with all of my heart, Phoenix, and the last thing I want is to l ose you. However, I trust you. I trust that you’ll always do the right thing. I know I complicated things in the fire, and I apologize.”
“Sweets, please stop apologizing,” she chuckles. “It was a traumatizing experience, but we’re still here, right?”
“Yes. Yes, we are,” I nod, cupping her face. “All that matters is that we’re alive and doing well. I mean, yeah you’re injured, and my asthma is doing the fucking most, but we’re still here. That’s all that matters…even if I do have to carry an inhaler around again for a while and you can only work half speed.”
“Oh, trust,” she smirks, leaning closer to me. “This fractured wrist don’t stop shit.” She kisses me before pulling away to take in my appearance. “Fuck, I missed you so much.”
“When are your coworkers coming back?” I ask, my body heating up as she lightly rubs my thigh. I bit my bottom lip softly to stop a moan from escaping, but she seemed to get what I was asking, and her smile widened.
“They went to get dinner, so it’ll be about another hour,” she answers, never taking her eyes off me or her hand off my thigh. I was wearing a skirt as usual, so her hands against my skin sent tingles down my spine. “Why? You have something to ask me?”
“No, I have something to give you,” I say as I stand from the couch.
I quickly walk over to the door and lock it. When I turn around, I see that she has draped her free arm over the back of the couch and gotten a bit more comfortable. Her eyes were on me, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
“What ’s up, Sweets?” She asks as I make it back over to her. I don’t reply, but I drop to my knees before her. Her body reacts to me, and her legs spread. “What you tryna do, mamas?”
“I just want to taste you,” I whisper, my fingers tracing the band of her sweats. Need is written all over her face, and I felt like I had so much power right now. Making her feel good was something I always craved. “Can I taste you, baby?”
“Of course,” she replied, her voice suddenly raspy, dripping with desire. “You can do whatever you want to me, Sweets. You know this.”
“I know, but it turns me on when you tell me I can,” I admit, gently tugging down her sweats. She lifts her hips, and I pull them off until she’s only left in her boxer briefs. I look up at her, and she stares down at me. “I’ll leave these on for now.”
“But-”
Her mouth shuts close when my hands connect with her clit through the briefs. She inhales deeply as her head falls back. Her free hand gently grips my wrist, something she always did when I made her feel good too quickly. Her body became overwhelmed, but she never told me to stop. Even now, she just held it there as moans slipped past her lips.
I took that as an invitation to start trailing kisses down her thighs. They were thick and beautiful from all the years of manual labor and the gym sessions she did. They were one of my favorite features of her body because fuck. I’ve always been attracted to thick thighs.
“Sweets , baby, you plan on teasing me for the next hour?” She moans, looking down at me. I smirk but don’t reply before burying my face between her legs. She gasps, and her hand travels to the back of my head. “Angel, fuck…”
I grip her thighs as I rub my nose against her clit, taking in the scent of her arousal mixed with the faint smell of sweat from a hard day of work and her favorite fragrance. It had my heart doing cartwheels, and I was lost in that heavenly combination for a while.
I could feel her thighs shaking every so often as I kissed and sucked her clit through the fabric. When she begged me to give her more, I slid off the boxer briefs, finally, and went right back into savoring every bit of her.
It was like I couldn’t get satisfied no matter how long I was down there. I was devoted to the way she tasted and the way she whimpered for me. She’d admitted before that no other woman had ever made her do that, so knowing that made me feel special. It was like she and I were always meant to be or something.
“Mm, yes, mamas. Eat this pussy like a good girl,” she said as she slowly rolled her hips against me, her hand still holding the back of my head. Her fingers locked in my mess of curls, and she pushed down, causing my tongue to sink even further into her as she rode it, chasing that release. “Fuck! Just like that, Sweets.”
“You’re such a good girl; she missed you,” she continued. “Did you miss this pussy?” I nod, never stopping my feasting. “Yeah, I see. Shit…you’re eating like you miss her. Mmm, Angel baby, you’re so ta lented.”
She knew that her words worked magic on me because if there was one thing I loved, it was being praised for what I did. Something about it set a million tiny fires inside of me, and I loved everything about it. I always wanted to please her.
“Ooh, fuck, I’m almost there baby,” she moaned and fucked my tongue with a quickened pace.
I gripped her thighs tighter and went to work helping her chase that sweet release. She was slowly crumbling underneath me, and I knew my panties were gonna be soaked by the time she soaked my face. She moaned and whimpered, and soon, she was gifting me with my prize.
I held my mouth in position and accepted every drop of her release. I didn’t move back until she was licked clean, and her legs had stopped shaking. All she could do was fall back against the couch as she tried to catch her breath. I stood up and sat beside her before pulling her face to mine to kiss.
“Fuck, I’m so in love with you,” she says once we break apart. I giggle before cupping her cheek in my hand.
“The feeling is mutual, love.”
“Let me go shower and then we can get out of here,” she says as she sits up. I help her back into her clothes, and then we stand. She leans down until her lips are a few inches away from mine, her smile spread wide. “I need to return the favor, so how about we head to my place?”
“Okay,” is all I managed to say as I got lost in her eyes. “Please, I need you.”
“I know , baby,” she replies smugly. “And you’ll have me all night long. Wrist pain be damned.”
This causes me to crack a smile, and she winks before exiting the office and heading to the shower. I busy myself with cleaning up any traces of our activities. About twenty minutes later, she’s out of the shower, and we’re headed out the door right as Kentrell and Emerson return. Phee tells them that she was gone for the night, and they tell us goodnight.
Jed meets us at the parking lot and smirks when he notices Phee’s change of clothes. He points it out, but she waves him off before saying goodnight.
It doesn't take us long to climb into Phee’s truck and head over to her place. As soon as we crossed the threshold, the clothes were coming off, and she was pulling me to her room for a night of sweet lovemaking.