Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
I jog up the stairs to the elementary school. Chief’s wife meets me at the front entrance. “Captain Wallace, this is so kind of you. The children will be so surprised.”
“Please, call me Ben. And it’s nothing. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.” And weasel my way into seeing her.
Mrs. Caldwell turns and walks us down the hallway, stopping outside Makayla’s door. “Ah, perfect timing. Looks like it’s reading time.” She knocks, grabbing Makayla’s attention. The moment Makayla’s eyes land on mine, confusion blossoms. “Ms. Fischer, you have a special visitor today.”
“Do I?” Her lips curl into the most beautiful smile. “Captain Wallace, what brings you in?”
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since this past weekend and had to make an excuse to see you. “Actually, I’m not here to see you.” I hold back my grin when hers falls. “I’m here to see them.” I point to the classroom. “I promised to bring you all some official firefighter badges.” I lift the bag filled with toy badges, then steal a glance at Makayla and wink.
“No way!” Billy jumps up from his chair. “You brought them!”
“Sure did, bud. You think your teacher will let me hand them out?” I look back at Mak.
“Can he? Can he?”
I take in her features. Her full lips covered in a pink gloss. The rosy tint of her cheeks. The glow of her addictive eyes. She’s so damn beautiful.
“Can he?” I ask her, loving the way she stares back at me, lost in a trance. Her bottom lip disappears between her teeth, and I have to remind myself I’m standing in a room full of kids. Grabbing her and stealing a kiss is frowned upon.
“I don’t see why not. He did come all the way here.”
“He did,” I say.
“Just to bring firefighter badges.”
“Just to bring firefighter badges,” I repeat, licking my lips. Her eyes fall to them, and she inhales a slow breath. The faintest giggle falls off her lips, and she rolls her eyes.
“I’m sure. Class, why don’t we stand in a line? I’m sure Captain Wallace has a busy day today.” The kids are up and scrambling into a messy line within seconds. I hold her gaze for as long as possible before I’m summoned.
“I now pronounce you a member of the fire department. Use this badge wisely.”
“I will.” Billy smiles wide.
I make it through the entire line, then turn around and smile. “Ms. Fischer, your turn.”
“Oh, I’m okay—”
“Take the badge!”
“Do it, Ms. Fischer!”
Thankfully, the class backs me up. I walk up to her, close enough that our shoes touch. “Come on, Ms. Fischer, you don’t want to disappoint the kids, do you?” I reach out, and my knuckles graze her breast as I clip the badge onto the pocket of her blouse. Pulling my eyes up to hers, I murmur, “I now pronounce you a member of the fire department.” Being this close, I can smell her perfume, which triggers every damn memory of her near me. The back alley of Jimmy’s. My apartment. The damn hotel she deceived me in. The kids start clapping, and I step back, needing the space.
I agreed to be friends, but that’s the farthest thing from my mind. My intentions today were harmless. A good deed with the bonus of getting to see her. An innocent moment where I could bask in her beauty, then head to the gym and work out the tension. Fuck if this isn’t blowing up in my face.
“Go out with—”
“Okay, class. Let’s thank Captain Wallace for coming in today.” Makayla claps her hands together, dismissing me. The kids yell their goodbyes, and I take that as my cue.
“Thanks again, Captain Wallace,” she says, her tone sugary-sweet.
“Any time, Ms. Fischer.”
I walk out, feeling in worse shape than when I entered.
Makayla
“This place is packed,” Jenny says as we walk into Jimmy’s Bar.
“It’s a big game. Do you see Hannah?” I ask, looking around. When I got off work, I had a voicemail from Hannah inviting me out to watch the baseball game.
Knowing I’m a huge fan, there was no way I was missing it. Not to mention, I could use a drink.
“No. Oh, wait. There she is. Waving at us.”
I spot Hannah at a full table. Crap. The chair next to her is occupied by Ben. I was hoping he wasn't part of the group she mentioned going. Today messed me up. I’ve been fighting to get him out of my head, needing to stop this silly fantasy where he’s the main act. I couldn’t go a measly second without thinking about him. In the shower, his hands replaced mine as I brought myself to the hottest orgasm. Daydreaming at stoplights of his lips grazing my inner thighs. I officially put myself in time-out when I found myself aroused at the grocery store as I passed a stand of Flaming Hot Cheetos. Flaming went to fire, fire went to hot firefighter, then I was envisioning his tongue and hands and—gah!