Chapter 15
~
Rhea
When the door closed behind us, I realized how small the gear room actually was.
It was dark and cramped, filled to the brim with whatever kinds of things the firefighters needed.
Most of it wasn’t particularly organized, probably because they usually had to just grab and run, and haphazardly put things back when they returned.
The air smelled like smoke and rubber, and it was hotter in here than it was outside. There wasn’t much to actually do in there, and I was sure that there was only reason that Calder would’ve chosen this location.
But the room was adjacent to the engine bay, and close to the other door. Plus, it wasn’t exactly noise-proof. It was highly possible that we’d get caught if we got too loud, or knocked something over, or maybe even just if someone needed a piece of equipment.
“This is dangerous,” I whispered, immediately giggling nervously when I stopped speaking. I could already feel the adrenaline building up in my chest, and I could feel my heart beating in my ears.
“That’s what makes it exciting, right?” Calder answered in a low voice that almost sounded like a growl. There was a sense of tension under his voice, a hint of the pressure that he was under. I could only imagine how stressful it had to be to be in his position.
Everyone wanted answers for the fires, and there was only so much he could give. On top of that, he was in training to become lieutenant, and if he made a mistake, that could be ruined.
I had a feeling that there was more beneath the surface, too, something that he was hiding far from prying eyes.
He was definitely the kind of man that hid a lot of himself behind impossibly high walls.
I wondered if he would ever let me see beyond them, if he’d ever manage to share more of himself with me, like Ash had.
“Press conference went well,” I pointed out, testing the waters. I knew we were here for something other than simple conversation, but maybe while we were alone, Calder would take the opportunity to show me a glimpse of his heart.
“Better than I expected,” he answered honestly. “I was afraid I was going to screw it up.”
I was immediately surprised that he’d let himself be so vulnerable with me so easily. Maybe it wasn’t easy, and maybe it was a choice he’d made long before he answered me. But I appreciated the moment for what it was, and it only made me more attracted to him.
“I believed in you,” I said, reaching out to put my hand against his chest. “You’re great at what you do, and I have no doubt that it’s going to work out.”
Calder shifted so that we were now standing against each other. In the dim darkness, I could barely see his face, but I could sense the emotional side of him peeking out from behind his walls.
“I hope you’re right,” he whispered, before he leaned down.
This kiss was less fiery than the previous ones had been, but also more intentional, more sensual. There was an intense sense of purpose and meaning behind it that made my entire body relax into Calder in an instant.
I closed my eyes and let emotion take over, meeting his tongue’s slow exploration with my own.
I already had goosebumps, made all the more real by the fact that we could be caught at any moment.
Calder lifted his hands to hold the sides of my head, his fingers threading into my hair.
I let him lead the way, simply allowing my body and my mouth to respond to him.
His hands were strong, calloused, but gentle somehow, as if he was aware of the power that he had. One began to move, slowly making its way down from my shoulder across my arm and to the back of my shirt.
I felt Calder’s fingers brush across my back under it, and I shivered, pushing myself against him to encourage him to keep going.
Unlike Beck and Ash, Calder didn’t seem too interested in undressing me immediately. He let his hand explore my back slowly, as if he wanted to map out every inch of my skin in his mind. Something about that turned me on in a way I hadn’t expected.
He paused the kiss and moved to whisper in my ear. “We have to make sure we can move fast if someone comes.”
Those words sent another shiver through my spine, an almost electric sensation that heightened both my anxiety and my excitement. Really, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two, but I also didn’t want to stop. I wanted this to go as far as possible, further than just a kiss.
From the way Calder was holding me against him and from the hardness I could feel through his pants, he felt the same way.
“Then we should be careful,” I said, lowering my own hand to his crotch and grasping him, surprised by the size that was waiting there. “But I don’t want to just kiss you anymore. I want… All of you.”
“I want all of you, too,” Calder answered, creating a powerful hunger in my soul.
He moved both hands this time to work on my jeans, leaving my shirt on.
That made sense; I needed to be able to pull things up and on quickly if we had to escape.
At least if I could do that, we had a chance at making up some kind of an excuse.
Though truthfully, if we did get caught, I wasn’t sure what Calder or I could say that could convince anyone else we were doing anything innocent.
Right then, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity or squander the little time that we had.
As soon as Calder had my jeans loose, I went to work on his. My hands fumbled in the dark, but I managed to undo the button and the zipper. Calder himself undid his belt.
I pulled his pants down to his thighs, and took his hardness in my hand. I could barely hold it, which made my eyes widen.
“Whoa,” I breathed, and Calder let out a soft laugh.
His hand echoed mine, moving my pants down and settling between my thighs. I pushed my legs apart as far as possible to give him space to work.
In the small space, Calder adjusted himself so that he could play with me while leaning forward to kiss me in my neck. I turned my head somewhat, starting to move my own hand up and down his shaft.
Calder’s fingers knew exactly what they were doing. Fairly soon, it felt as if electric charges were running down to my feet with every circle he completed. My jaw tightened as I tried to avoid letting out a moan, and somehow fighting it was making the atmosphere even tenser.
What I couldn’t avoid was my breathing speeding up and my hammering heart.
It felt loud enough that anyone could hear it, but my anxiety had been replaced by pure excitement and wanting.
I sensed myself getting wetter from Calder’s touch, and felt the way the blood moved in his dick as my hand moved.
He was breathing hard, too, and the pressure of his kisses was increasing on my neck.
Eventually, a moan did escape me, one that I simply could not hold back.
“Shh,” Calder whispered into my neck, almost driving me wild. “We need to be quiet.”
“I’m… trying,” I murmured. “But it’s… so good.”
My legs were almost shaking the longer Calder continued. But he did not let up. However, when a small moan came from my lips again, he moved to kiss me in an attempt to help me stay silent.
I wasn’t sure that was going to work. In fact, it was only driving the fire even further.
I was getting closer to the edge now, something that was proven with how my hand’s movements sped up.
The kiss became more urgent, more hungry, and far more intense than it had started.
Finally, I felt the shudder that would lead to a crescendo, and I pressed my lips and body tightly against Calder.
He, however, pulled back, and put one hand over my mouth.
That turned out to be a smart move. A deep sound came from my stomach as I crashed into the orgasm, muffled by Calder’s hand more than it would have been by his lips.
When it passed, Calder put his hand on my shoulder. “Will you turn around for me?”
“Yes,” I breathed, doing exactly as instructed and leaning forward slightly.
I heard the sound of a condom being opened, and a moment later, Calder’s hands moved to my waist and lifted me slightly onto my toes.
I felt him navigating between my thighs, then pushing himself inside of me with slow, powerful determination.
This time, I held my own hand over my mouth, knowing that it was going to be incredibly difficult to stay as quiet as I needed to be. The friction, even at a slow pace, was enough to make my mind teeter on the edge of its focus.
Calder leaned forward, so that he was breathing close to my ears, and wrapped one arm around my chest to lift me up against him.
“You feel incredible,” he said as we found our rhythm together, and I had to admit that I felt the same. The sensation was almost overwhelming, and I had to close my eyes to truly feel it all.
The smell of rubber and smoke disappeared into Calder’s earthy cologne and the sweat of our movements.
The fear of getting caught was still lingering in the back of my mind, but it was overthrown by the pleasure of having Calder inside of me.
I managed to stay somewhat quiet, though it was particularly difficult.
“I don’t think I’m going to last much longer,” Calder said after a long while, and that encouraged me to move my hips faster. He fell into step with me quickly and easily, as if we’d done this many times before.
It wasn’t long for me, either; soon, I was shuddering into an orgasm that had me putting both of my hands over my mouth to stop the scream that wanted to escape me.
“Oh, god,” Calder growled, pulling me tightly against him and putting his face in my neck. When he released me, he stepped back, and I almost fell forward. Luckily, he caught me and turned me to face him again.
We took a few moments to catch our breath, but there wasn’t a lot of time to simply bask in the afterglow.
Beyond the door, I suddenly heard footsteps.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Calder insisted, and I pulled up my pants.