Chapter 25
brANDON
Autumn pads down the hall with her hands behind her back.
My gray MLC Fire Department tee hangs just an inch too low, and I feel the desire to slide it up against her fantastic legs for another peek at what’s underneath.
Even the thought of her legs wrapped around me again distracts me from the voice on the other end of the line.
She approaches slowly with an apologetic look hanging on her face as she reaches the edge of the living room. Choosing to lean against the corner, she waits as if needing permission instead of closing the gap between us.
I don’t want her to be shy or feel like she’s intruding. What we did overrides any propriety, giving her free rein of the house as far as I’m concerned. Fuck, I’m pretty damn enamored with her.
When the emergency line rings though, I have to answer it. With the phone pressed to one ear, I wave her to me. “I’ll be there, Captain.” She scurries over, holding out a pair of boxer briefs for me even when I left her at the worst possible time. She only thought of me and what I needed.
I slip them on and take her hand, appreciating the comfort that slides back onto her features, and the feel of her skin still heated from being together.
Phone call be damned. Autumn’s too distracting to listen to my boss’s yammering.
I’d rather invest my attention into her—counting freckles across her nose, resting my head against her chest just to hear her steady heartbeat, or even taking another shower where we take full advantage of being soapy and wet this time.
“Mm-hmm,” I hum, not hearing a word being said since she walked out here. “Thanks again.”
I hang up, setting the phone on the counter, and fully embrace this stunning woman, with a wild curl swerving over her left eye while the rest of her hair remains untamed.
Her eyelids still languish after the activities that should have had us napping to recoup, instead of in here taking calls. She’s fucking gorgeous.
My heart thumps in my chest just from seeing her. My head spins in disbelief that I can kiss her now anytime I want, fastening me to this moment, to the desire to see it last forever.
Resting her chin on my chest, she looks at me, allowing me the insight to the questions she hasn’t asked. I slide my hand over her cheek, slipping my fingers into her hair, and reply, “That was the station.”
“I figured.” A light smile falls into place, but worry still pinches her brows together. “Is everything okay?” I smooth the lines they create, wanting to ease the concern.
“I got some good news.” I back onto a barstool, pulling her between my legs and filling my hands with the globes of her ass.
She’s the best distraction. “How are you so pretty?” Her instinct is to roll her eyes, but I see the smile that pinkens her cheeks.
I kiss her forehead, sliding my hands under the hem only to find soft skin and firm mounds that send my mind right back to the bedroom and how I want to take her next.
She doesn’t pull away or get embarrassed but laughs. She’s onto me, and I won’t be able to lie. I’m captivated by her ass cheeks. Placating me, she lets me take two handfuls and squeeze to my heart’s content. “Brandon, what’s the good news?”
“Oh right. That was my captain. Excuse me, new fire chief.”
“Tony got a promotion?” I sometimes forget how small this town really is.
Everyone knows everyone. It’s also a reminder that I’m still at a disadvantage and unable to remember the one person I want to the most. “Reggie is retiring at the end of the month, so he finally passed the baton and promoted Tony.”
She rubs her hands along the tops of my legs and arches toward me to kiss my chin. “That is good news.”
“It is, but not the news I was referring to.”
Autumn drags her nails lightly over my stomach, resting the other on my chest. I love that she can’t keep her hands off me either. She asks, “What was the good news?”
I run the back of my fingers over her cheek, still amazed I get to do this with her. “Yours truly is getting a key to the city.”
“That’s exciting.” A smile blossoms, harnessing in the sunshine just for us. It’s becoming easier to forget life exists outside of this. She’s quick to steal a kiss and lean back on her heels again. “I’m so proud of you, Lieutenant.”
Taking her hand, I kiss her palm, closing my eyes for just a beat longer to relish the bond and wonder if I should lead her back down the hall.
How am I supposed to function like a normal human being when I have a goddess with nothing underneath her T-shirt standing before me.
She says, “Name the time and place, and I’ll be there. ”
Something tells me if I ask real nicely, she’ll meet me back in my bedroom again.
I blink, reeling my thoughts back in from the bedroom.
She’ll be at the ceremony, Brandon. Pride wells in my chest, and I rest my chin on the top of her head as I accept what I always wanted.
Someone to celebrate with, to share my life with.
Her entire identity is helping others, but I see the way she doesn’t prioritize herself. I want to do that for her, too.
“I’ll let you know.”
I have all the privacy anyone could dream of on this mountain, but the loneliness is sometimes louder than the peace.
She has no privacy, tiptoeing around a house full of women, but her bedroom is a living time capsule.
I can change that. I want her with me. I want to give her the space she deserves to call her own.
I work all the fucking time, but it wasn’t until she’s been here that I realized why. I built an amazing home, but I don’t want to be here alone.
So when I asked her if this was real, it wasn’t because I’m losing touch with reality. It’s because I needed it to sink in. I’m now convinced that she was brought here not only to nurse me to better health but also to heal a part of me that I hadn’t felt in years. My heart.
There’s still a missing link to contend with—my memory of her.
I hop off the barstool when she heads into the kitchen.
While she grabs a glass from the cabinet, I give her space, keeping the peninsula between us.
It’s not a fun topic to broach, but I need answers since my memories haven’t been recovered.
“Don’t you find it interesting that the one person I can’t remember is the main person in my life? ”
“Good thing you saved that dog.”
“I was kind of meaning on a bigger scale, more existential.”
She flicks on the faucet and fills the glass. I see the ideas turning in her eyes and watch as she gets lost in her thoughts for a moment. When she looks at me, she asks, “Like?”
“Like fate, or however you want to look at it.”
She shuts off the faucet and takes a sip, seeming to need more time to ponder the concept. “I didn’t know you believed in that stuff.”
Scratching the back of my neck, I scoff. “Me either, but maybe there’s something to it.”
“I don’t really believe in coincidences.”
“If you don’t believe in coincidences, you believe I’ve forgotten you for a reason. What would that reason be?”
“Let me just state upfront that I took this job for professional reasons that had nothing to do with you.” She takes a sip, but when she lowers the glass, she holds it with both hands as if she needs a lifeline. “So I didn’t come in here thinking I’d sleep with you when I signed on.”
“I would hope not,” I joke, though even I can admit it’s not funny.
At least that wins me a half-hearted laugh.
“Trust me, I know some who might have if they got a look at you.” She takes another quick sip as if her throat is dry, and then clears it.
“What I mean is I didn’t come here with ulterior motives.
I only came to help you, and it did help me out of a sticky situation. Mutually beneficial.”
It’s a situation she should have never been put in, though. The fucker. “It was a win-win.”
Her smile is soft but genuine as she comes around the counter, sets down the glass beside her, and takes my hand instead.
The muscles at her shoulders aren’t as tense as she rests her hip against the countertop.
“I need to say something, and I hope you can give me grace in the decisions I’ve made.
” It’s not a question. She doesn’t wait for me to give her the go-ahead.
“I didn’t cause your memory loss, but I feel like keeping you in the dark about what happened between us isn’t serving either of us well.
I thought I was protecting you in a way, but I realized I was only protecting myself, so I didn’t get hurt again.
There’s no protecting me anymore, and the truth is the only path forward. ”
My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as I travel through scenarios of what could have possibly happened between us. “I’ve wondered and waited, but with a start like that, I’m a bit nervous.” I laugh, glancing away and rubbing my forehead. “Do I want to know the truth if it’s that bad?”
“I ask myself the same question each time I circle the topic. What we have is good. Really good.” She rubs the side of my leg, sliding her hand higher to come to rest on top of it. “Will having everything out in the open help or harm what we’re building?”
I sit back on the barstool, hating to move away from her, but I need some room to process the potential repercussions of each scenario.
“I’m sure there are pros and cons, but without the facts, I can’t weigh them.
” I hate that sunken heart of mine is still thumping loudly in my ears.
“All I know is that I have a hole in my memory and you’re the only one who can help me fill it in.
I can’t force you to share the information.
Only you can decide if it’s worth it. But if you’re asking me, I’d rather know and deal with the consequences. ”
With distance still between us, she sets her eyes on mine and says, “You broke my heart. And until recently, I hadn’t realized that you also broke me.”
That confession drops like a weight at our feet, dragging my heart with it.