Chapter 6
CHAPTER
SIX
THE WHOLE I’M a doctor mantra didn’t mean crap when a sexy firefighter was biting her lower lip.
The he’s my brother’s best friend reasoning didn’t stop her from grinding her hips into his, obsessed for more.
The fire station where other firefighters were nearby didn’t matter to her when her hands rubbed all over his muscular arms.
Nope.
Elijah Barnett and his mouth were far more important than any reason to stop.
If the phone hadn’t rang, she would have given up her virginity on a counter in the station.
Happily.
Ugh, Georgia groaned, dropping her head into her hands as she sat in her office. It’s been a couple of weeks since she saw the firefighter in question, and he was driving her crazy. Did he just go around kissing women senseless all the time?
Was that why she hadn’t heard from him?
Was he just a drive-by kisser?
She reviewed her notes on her last patient for the day, clicked save, and then shut down her computer.
Finally in the groove of how the medical practice worked, Georgia was ready to sign off at a decent hour.
She was still the last person in the office, but she was leaving at seven tonight, which she considered a win.
By the time she got home, showered, and was eating dinner, there was a knock on the door. Was it Elijah? With excitement she didn’t know she had in her, she skipped over to her door and opened it, then frowned.
“Wow.” Sophie pushed past her to come inside. “Who stole the batteries from your vibrator?”
Anna trickled in behind her, laughing. “I think it’s who pissed in your cereal, but you got your point across.”
Georgia locked the door once her friends were inside, then followed them into her living room. Schooling her face to pretend she wasn’t disappointed, she slumped onto the couch. “No, I think it’s who kicked your puppy.”
“We’d never talk about hurting puppies.” Anna wiggled her finger at Georgia.
She rolled her eyes. “Duh. But that’s the saying.”
Sophie kicked off her heels. “And we would never ruin the opportunity for an orgasm, so stealing the batteries isn’t happening.”
“I haven’t had a man-given orgasm in so long, my vibrator feels like a lifeline,” Anna admitted to them.
“If this is the time to be honest”—Sophie threw a blanket over her as she snuggled into the recliner—“I’m in the unfortunate predicament where only one man does it for me, but he also happens to be scum.”
Though Georgia didn’t expect a visit from her friends, it was just what she needed. “We’re going to do a deep dive into that in a minute, but what brought everyone to my house tonight?”
“Under no circumstances are we discussing him.” Sophie crossed her arms in defiance. “We’re here because you’re finally back in Landmere, and we wanted to surprise you with a girls’ night in.”
Georgia smiled. “This is honestly the best surprise.”
“Are you still boycotting alcohol?” Anna pulled out a bottle of wine from her purse and swayed it back and forth like a prize.
“Who are you, Mary Poppins?” Georgia giggled. “What’s next, a coatrack?”
Sophie hopped up and rummaged around in the kitchen, coming back with three coffee cups and a wine opener. “We need to get you some wineglasses. The mugs will have to do.”
Anna fiddled with the wine until Sophie impatiently took it from her and opened the bottle within a second. She filled the cups up and handed them out.
“To being best friends!” Sophie announced. They tapped the coffee mugs together, and each took a sip.
Georgia turned her attention to Sophie. “And as best friends, you need to tell us what’s happening in your sex life.”
She pouted. “Make Anna go first.”
Anna vehemently shook her head. “Not happening. Georgia, you do it.”
Georgia looked down at her drink and muttered.
“We didn’t hear a thing, so whatever you whispered doesn’t count.” Sophie reprimanded over her cup.
“I’m still a virgin!”
Sophie spat out her mouthful of wine.
Anna’s jaw dropped.
If music had been playing, the record would have screeched to a halt.
Not wanting to make eye contact, Georgia rushed to get paper towels to clean off the wine Sophie sputtered out.
Sophie plucked the paper towels from her and ushered her to sit. “My shirt will live. You need to explain how this happened. Holy shit, what do they teach you at medical school?”
“If you’re waiting until marriage, we support you,” Anna said, while sternly eyeing Sophie.
Georgia huffed back onto the couch. “I’m not waiting until marriage, though it feels like that.
In high school, it just didn’t happen. Then in college, my schoolwork always came first. I was on scholarship and couldn’t risk losing the funds, so studying was my top priority.
I went on dates and all, but it never progressed.
When I was in medical school, academics were my life.
After that, I was in residency. Again, I went on dates, but nothing happened.
To me, it was like I’ve waited this long, so I’m not giving it up to some guy who doesn’t give me butterflies.
But now I’m twenty-nine, and I want to know what sex feels like! ”
“Wow.” Sophie nodded. “Okay, makes sense.”
Anna refilled the wine mugs. “Has anyone ever given you butterflies?”
“Maybe you’re waiting for something that doesn’t exist?” Sophie added with a grimace.
“No way! Butterflies exist.” Anna defended the fluttering feeling.
Sophie dismissed this with a shake of her hand. “The beautiful insect does exist. But when it comes from a man, no. It never ends well anyway, so why rely on some mediocre feeling to have an orgasm.”
“Who hurt you?” Georgia asked her friend. “Give me his name, and we ride at dawn.”
Anna giggled. “She’ll never tell.”
“There is a bigger issue here.” Sophie switched the conversation away from herself. “We need to make a plan. I don’t think some rando is the option to the v-card situation.”
“No, me either.” Anna agreed. “She needs someone experienced but not slutty. Someone who can make her orgasm during her first time.”
“And someone hot. Georgia needs to want to fuck him.” Sophie clapped with excitement. “Maybe not butterflies, but someone whose kiss lights her up.”
“It also needs to be someone who can coach her through it, so she doesn’t get stuck in her head.”
Sophie’s smile shined. “Yes, some dirty talking too.”
“Hello!” Georgia waved her hands at her friends. “I’d like a say in all this.”
“Well, your way hasn’t worked yet,” Sophie countered.
Georgia gave her bestie the middle finger. “I do agree with what you’re both saying.”
“But?” Sophie pushed.
Anna jumped up from the couch. “Oh my god, she knows who she wants. Who is it? Who do you want your first time to be with?”
Heat rushed across Georgia’s skin. She was sure her face was ruby red from blushing.
“If she isn’t at work, she’s with us,” Sophie shared aloud. “Everyone at her office is taken or geriatric.”
Anna did a dance. “It’s someone from the fire station!”
“Who?” Sophie yelled her question excitedly, joining Anna in jumping around.
It took a few minutes, but her friends finally calmed down and sat next to her on the couch.
“If I tell you, you have to promise me it doesn’t leave this room.”
Naturally, her friends readily agreed.
Welp, there was no turning back now. She faced her friends and shared the news about the best kiss of her life.
With Elijah Barnett.
ELIJAH WAS TORN. It was day two of his seventy-two hours off, which was typically when he was most likely to do anything. Roman invited a few people from the station to his house, which sounded fun. But when Roman told him Georgia would be there, he wasn’t positive he would attend.
He had been doing a damn good job of avoiding her after he almost fucked her on the counter at the station.
But there was no way he could manage not to see her forever. Hell, Nash was his best friend, and he was getting suspicious since Elijah had bailed on him twice already.
Against his better judgment, he agreed to go to Roman’s party. And for the past ten minutes, he sat in his car in front of his friend’s house. Fuck it. If she was inside and there was tension, he would leave.
It was as simple as that.
Elijah got out of his car and walked to Roman’s door. He made a quick knock, and Roman screamed that the door was open and to come in. Only Benny and Roman sat on the couch, each drinking a beer, watching a baseball game on television.
Annoyingly, he was disappointed the women weren’t there. One woman in particular. Georgia.
They probably heard it was a low-key night and decided to do something else.
Which was fine.
“Anyone else want a beer?” Elijah asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“Grab six!” Roman shouted from the other room.
That sounded like it was going to be a raging kind of night, but he didn’t work for two more days, so what the hell. Roman wouldn’t care if he crashed in the spare room. Not wanting warm drinks, he grabbed a bowl, added ice, and tossed in a bunch of beer bottles.
“What’s up, assholes!” Nash hollered as he walked into the house.
Nice, most of his friends were here. Elijah added a few more drinks to the bowl and went into the living room. He sat on the couch and twisted off the beer cap. “What’s the plan for tonight?”
Nash grabbed a beer from the makeshift cooler. “I thought we could pregame here and then head out?”
Roman groaned. “I really don’t feel like going out tonight. I just got off shift.”
They all nodded, knowing what that was like.
“I need to get laid,” Nash casually told the group. “It’s been forever.”
Benny laughed. “Two weeks ago, you left the bar with some smoking-hot brunette.”
“That’s my point.” Nash flashed his cocky grin. “I haven’t fucked in two weeks.”
A knock on the door interrupted them. Elijah was just about to lecture his idiot friend on safe sex for the millionth time. Yes, they all had active sex lives, but it was like Nash was on a mission to fuck every woman he met.
“Hey, boys!” Sophie greeted them as she sauntered into the room.
Anna followed, and she sat down next to Roman. “What are you guys talking about?”
“My sex life.” Nash had no bounds.
“Gross, you’re my brother.”
Elijah almost choked on his drink at the sound of her voice. There was no ignoring her now, especially since she sat down next to him.
“We need some votes. Who wants to go out, and who wants to stay here?” Roman surveyed the group.
But all Elijah could focus on was how close Georgia was to him. Fuck, she smelled good. Like a damn orange creamsicle. He did his best not to actually look at her, but she made it damn hard, since every time she moved, she grazed his leg with hers.
“I want to go out.” Nash was the first person to vote.
Sophie glanced at Georgia for a second and winked. “Me too.”
Nash muttered something, but Elijah couldn’t hear him clearly.
“Fuck it.” Benny took a chug of his drink. “I’ll go out too, but not to Lighthouse. We always go there. I want to go somewhere different.”
Anna propped her feet on the coffee table. “I’d rather stay in, but I don’t want to watch baseball.”
“We can put on whatever you want,” Roman quickly told her as he pulled a piece of her hair out of her face.
Elijah, finally, turned to look at Georgia.
What the fuck was she wearing?
As she batted her eyelashes, he swore he could feel his blood pressure rising. The woman who had paraded through all his thoughts for the past two months wore next to nothing.
Georgia turned to him. “What are you going to do?”
His eyes traveled all over her body, hating how much of her skin was on display.
She was wearing a nude dress cut low in the front showing off her amazing chest, and he imagined the dress was short.
It was basically nonexistent as she sat next to him, so he doubted her outfit would grow six or seven more inches when she stood.
If she went out tonight, there was no way in hell she wasn’t going home with someone.
And imagining her with someone else made him irrationally mad.
“I’m staying here,” he ground out through a clenched jaw.
Sophie, with an evil glint in her eye, asked, “Georgia, what’s your plan? You look hot as fuck—”
“Hell yeah, she does!” Anna hooted from her seat.
No, Elijah didn’t need the brigade of her friends taunting her to go out. Fuck that. Elijah wasn’t letting her out of his sight.
“You should come out with us,” Sophie kept talking. “Find a man to hook up with.”
Nash glared at Sophie. “That’s my sister.”
Georgia stood, and the dress did not grow in length, much to Elijah’s dismay. “And you know the rules. If you can do it, so can I.”
Her brother laughed, but Elijah was fuming. Nash’s list of what he’d say no to was extremely short. The idea that this was Georgia’s starting point for making decisions made him insane.
“You know…” Anna joined Georgia and grabbed her hand. “We could just split up. Whoever wants to go to the bar can, and whoever wants to stay here can.”
Everyone agreed, and chatter fell across the group.
Anna dragged Georgia to the kitchen, and Sophie quickly followed.
“You’re going to let your sister go out wearing that?” Elijah asked as soon as the women were out of earshot.
Nash lifted his shoulder. “I can’t tell her what to do. And who knows, maybe she’ll stay here with your lame asses.”
“Hey!” Roman protested by throwing a pillow at Nash. “Fuck off. I thought tonight was going to be laid-back, not us going out so you can fuck some random chick.”
Benny checked the time on his watch. “It’s almost nine thirty. If we’re leaving, let’s get going now.”
“Girls, let’s go!” Nash called out, standing up.
Sophie came stomping in first. “Don’t boss me around. Anna said she would drop us off, so we don’t need to Uber.”
Did that mean Georgia was going?
“Roman, come with me, please,” Anna asked her best friend. Elijah was jealous of their easy friendship.
“Fine, but when we get back, it’s beer and chill.”
Sophie pretended to wave herself off like she was hot. “Is this a new version of Netflix and chill?”
“Gross.” Anna brushed off the idea of her being with Roman. Elijah was used to hearing this because everyone always asked if they were together. Roman did the same thing when people harassed him about her. “Let’s go.”
Georgia came into the living room, her strappy heels dangling from her hand. “I’m going to stay here. Once I took these babies off, I’m not putting them back on.”
“If you leave before we get home, just lock up,” Roman instructed them as he put on his shoes.
Everyone said their goodbyes, and then it was just him. With the woman who was his nightmare.