15. Zoe
As days passed,I became more and more immersed in the chaotic but adventurous lives of the firefighters that I had come to know. After all the exhilarating, stressful calls we went on together and all the fun we had outside of work hours, I didn’t just see them as partners in this case anymore. They were so much more.
They were… I couldn’t even think of a label. I just knew that they were important to me.
“Let’s go! Get those ladders up there!” Paolo’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
What was I doing? Oh, right. I was watching Tobin, Angus, and Cohen train. Specifically, they were practicing throwing ladders correctly and quickly. We all stood out behind the fire station, giving them plenty of room to haul tall ladders on their shoulders and quickly put them in place against the back of the building.
“How often do they have to use ladders?” I asked Paolo as I moved closer to him.
Paolo turned to look at me, making my heart rate spike. Since he was the chief, he was a bit intimidating but in a good way.
“A decent bit. There aren’t many multi-story businesses in town, but there are quite a few houses that are two-story,” he explained. The side of his mouth curled up. “Learning a lot?”
I laughed a little and nodded.
“I have been actually,” I said.
When I wasn’t typing up notes or doing research, I joined them during their training sessions and had learned a lot about firefighting and the risks involved. All of that in-depth knowledge would make my story even better, and I was so grateful that I was on good terms with all of the guys now. They were more than welcoming. In more ways than one.
I tried to tell myself that sleeping with them was just having fun and getting some stress relief, but there was a part of me that had latched onto them emotionally.
I craved them. Cared about them. Maybe it was because we spent so much time together and dealt with danger every day.
“Well, I think you being here is a good thing. The guys work ten times harder trying to impress you,” Paolo replied with a smirk as we watched the others run back and forth with their ladders to perfect their form.
My face warmed up as Cohen shot me a wink. All of these handsome firefighters were going to be the death of me.
“All of you are very impressive,” I told him.
“You’ve impressed us as well,” Paolo said. “I wasn’t sure about you at first, but you’re more determined than most people to help this town. I admire that.”
My heart fluttered as I gave him a grateful look.
“Thank you. That means a lot,” I replied.
We held each other’s gazes for a few lingering moments until I felt a small raindrop on my cheek. My eyes shifted up toward the sky, which was starting to become crowded with dark gray clouds.
“Come on in, guys! Storm is coming,” Paolo called out before checking his watch. “Shift end is coming anyway. I’ll be staying behind to do some work.”
“I was going to finish up here too if that’s okay,” I said as I followed him inside.
“You’re always welcome here,” Paolo assured me, passing me a small smile before heading to his office.
I paused in the apparatus bay, watching him go with a slow exhale. I hadn’t gotten to know him all that much, but I hoped that would change soon. He was a bit mysterious, while also being so bold and authoritative.
“Enjoy watching us?” Angus asked me as he and the others passed by me.
I smirked and shrugged.
“Perhaps,” I replied, shooting them a teasing smile as they headed to the showers.
Oh, yeah. They were going to be the death of me.
I retreated to the dayroom with my laptop, my fingers flying over the keys as I typed up a few more things I had learned today during training. The station was eerily quiet since it was just me and Paolo here, but that silence was suddenly interrupted by lightning cracking outside. I jumped, checking the time to see that it was late.
I probably needed to head out, but before I could even get to my feet, another loud boom sounded outside. The next moment, all of the lights went out, casting me in darkness.
“Damn it,” I muttered as I turned my head, barely able to make out anything through the dark. “Paolo?”
“Hold on! I’m coming,” Paolo called out. A few minutes later, an orange glow appeared in the doorway of the dayroom as he walked inside with two candles in his hands. He set them on the coffee table in front of the couch before sitting down next to me. “We’ll just have to wait out the storm. You okay?”
I nodded and put my laptop to the side as I heard the rain thump against the roof above me. More lightning and thunder rumbled outside, making me scoot a little closer to Paolo.
“I’m not a big fan of storms,” I admitted.
“We’ll be safe in here,” Paolo assured me. “Did a bad storm scare you as a kid or something?”
A warm feeling bloomed within me when I realized that he was trying to distract me by talking to me. I believed that he had a caring side to him, and I was curious to find out more about it.
“Lightning struck the top of our house during one storm,” I told him. “My mom and dad let me hide in the closet so that I wouldn’t be so scared.”
Paolo smiled and nodded.
“When my kids were young, they were scared of storms too. They didn’t like all the loud noises,” he said.
My eyes grew wide.
“You have kids?” I asked him.
Paolo nodded.
“I have some pictures in my office. If you want to see them,” he offered.
“Of course,” I said, unable to stifle my curiosity.
Paolo stood and led me to his small office by candlelight, flashes of lightning flickering off the closed blinds of his window. He showed me a few framed photos on his desk.
“That’s my daughter, Elena. She’s fifteen and a volleyball player. That’s Lucas. He’s twelve and probably the biggest science geek ever. He’s so smart,” Paolo said with an affectionate chuckle. “He must’ve gotten that from his mom.”
I smiled as I listened to him, hearing the pure care and love in his voice. The tough man with the booming voice did have a soft side.
“What does your wife do?” I asked.
Paolo fell silent for a moment before sitting on the edge of his desk.
“Katie. She is - was a teacher,” he told me.
An ache filled my chest as I placed my hand on his upper arm.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
Paolo gave me a grateful look, shadows flickering over his face from the swaying flames on the candles.
“We all miss her. It’s been tough moving forward, but I do it for my kids,” he told me. “I’m trying to do it for myself too. Grief is a hard place to stay at.”
I nodded, fully understanding his words. I sat next to him on his desk, the sides of our legs touching.
“My mom passed away three years ago. I know all about grief. How it doesn’t really go away. How it hits you in waves,” I said.
Paolo’s expression softened. It was probably the gentlest look that I had ever seen on his face. Most of the time, he had an almost gruff expression as he called out orders and rallied everyone.
“You do get it,” he murmured. “I can’t imagine how my kids feel. My parents have passed on, but that was from old age. It was expected. Their mom became sick and passed so suddenly.”
“I think the sudden deaths are worse. There’s no preparing for it,” I added, reflecting on how I would wake up in the mornings that followed and wouldn’t remember that she was gone for a few blissful seconds. Then, realization hit me like a train, and I couldn’t even be prepared for that.
“They missed a lot of school that month. I couldn’t even get them out of bed for a few days. Hearing them cry through the walls… that about killed me,” Paolo admitted, his voice cracking at a point.
My heart ached for him as he described an experience that was so familiar to me. That I hated he and his children had to go through as well.
“I will say that kids are resilient. Nothing keeps them down forever,” I pointed out.
The shadows of grief casted over his face lightened up a little.
“That’s true. They started getting out of bed on their own. Playing with their toys. They told me when they were ready to go back to school, and I was so shocked but proud of them,” he told me. “We found a new kind of normal, and I think seeing them heal helped me do the same.”
“Other people help take the pain away. You being there for them helped them heal too,” I said as warmth started to fill the atmosphere around us.
“They help me heal. The guys help me heal,” Paolo said before smiling a little. “This helps too. Talking about it with someone who gets it.”
My breath hitched as our eyes met under the intimate glow of the candlelight. It felt like I opened my soul up to him, letting him see past all of my defenses. Grief was awful, but it did connect people.
“I’m here to talk whenever you need to,” I told him, warmth burning in my chest.
Paolo nodded.
“Thank you. I’m here for you too,” he said.
I held his gaze, unable to shake the tremor of desire I had for this wise, collected, and sexy man. He was a decent bit older than I was, but that didn’t matter to me. What mattered was how he gazed at me like he truly saw me.
Understood me.
“I’ve been wanting to get to know you more,” I admitted. “But I was nervous.”
“Why?” Paolo asked as he tilted his head.
Should I speak my mind and take a leap of faith?
I must’ve been more reckless than I expected because I found myself moving my hand over the surface of the desk closer to his.
“Because lately… I’ve been wanting what I can’t have. What I shouldn’t have,” I murmured as our eyes locked. “And it’s getting harder and harder to hold myself back.”
Paolo visibly swallowed hard, his eyes glancing over the part of my thighs where my fitted dress didn’t cover.
Anxiety tremored through me when he didn’t respond. Oh, no. Did I already sour things between us?
“Then, don’t.”
“What?” I blurted out the word before I could even process it in my brain. My face flushed as his hand moved to rest on my thigh, his fingertips grazing my bare skin.
“Don’t hold back.”
I didn’t need any more prompting than that to lean closer to him, closing the distance with my lips on his. He tasted minty and warm, making me want to melt against him as he cupped my cheek. Every brush of his lips made me squeeze my thighs tighter together, capturing the pleasurable pressure building between them.
“Why are you doing that?” Paolo murmured as he slipped his fingers between my thighs, drawing them apart. “Can’t handle how turned on you are?”
His dirty words caught me off guard, making my next exhale come out shakily. Oh, boy. Dirty talking was definitely one of my weaknesses, and these firefighters spoke hot words that rivaled the burn of the fires they fought.
“I was hoping you could help me with that,” I said, parting my thighs more until my leg was draped over his. Something about us being alone and basked in candlelight drove up the heat even more.
Paolo’s fingers glided higher up my inner thigh, his fingertips brushing the thin material of my black panties.
A weak moan rumbled in my throat as a jolt of bliss lit me up like lightning. How in the world could one little touch have me almost writhing on his desk?
Paolo’s lips caressed the side of my neck, coaxing me to lean my head to the side. The softest caress of his tongue on the spot under my ear brought me to shivers, his smile grazing my skin. His fingertips stroked lines up and down the fabric of my panties.
“I can already feel you getting wet,” he whispered near my ear. “I’ll admit I’ve thought about this sexy body of yours quite a lot.”
My stomach twisted in response. The desire I struggled with wasn’t one-sided, which was a relief, but what would come from this? Did I really care right now when my brain was a hazy, heated mess?
“Since you’ve thought about it so much, what do you want to do to me?” I asked as I cocked my head at him in a teasing manner.
“What do I not want to do to you?” Paolo replied as he got off the desk. He slotted himself between my thighs, towering over me with his strong, broad body. I could see the results of years of training in his muscular arms and firm chest.
Don’t get me started on the slight streaks of silver that adorned his dark hair around his temples. Whoever knocked older guys out of the running was seriously missing out because he was already twisting me around his finger with just words and kisses.
“Kiss you,” Paolo murmured before pressing his lips against mine. He pushed my dress up to my waist, his forefinger hooking under the material of my panties to draw it to the side. The moment his thumb brushed over my clit, I moaned into his mouth. “Touch you.”
I gripped the sleeves of his t-shirt, waves of pleasure rocking through me with each soft rub of his thumb. He knew that he didn’t have to go crazy. He knew that just a light touch was enough to have me squirming.
Paolo grabbed my chin with his free hand, a satisfied grin crossing his handsome face.
“And I’d very much like to fuck you,” he said. “Would you like that?”
Somehow, a question still sounded like an order, and it made my core throb even harder.
“Please,” I breathed out.
Paolo drew his thumb away, but he didn’t leave me hanging for long. He sank a long finger inside of me, a curse breaking from him.
“You’re so tight, beautiful,” he praised me, rocking his finger in and out before adding another.
I couldn’t even form a word right now. I could feel myself tightening around his fingers, drawing him in. Begging for more. These firefighters had ignited something twisted and raw inside of me, pushing me to broaden the limits of my desire.
I wanted more than ever before. I wanted all of them.
Greedy? Perhaps. But who wouldn’t fold in my situation? Saints, I suppose.
Paolo’s erection strained against his work khakis and pressed against my inner thigh. And it was heavy.
I reached for his belt, working open the buckle and undoing his pants. Before I could even touch him, Paolo grabbed my hands, which meant removing his fingers.
A whine of protest broke from me as my eyes darted up to his.
Paolo brought my hands up to his mouth, kissing my knuckles in a manner that made me melt. Sexy and sweet. He was killing me.
“You want my cock that bad? Ask for it,” he said. “Show me how bad you want it.”
Show him. Now, that sounded like a challenge. That sounded like fun.
I took his hands instead, drawing the two fingers that were just inside of me and still glistening wet to my mouth. My lips wrapped around them, my tongue caressing the underside as my mouth turned up at the corners in a coy smile.
Paolo’s breath hitched as he watched me suck on his fingers.
“You dirty girl,” he groaned before reaching down to release his cock from his briefs with his free hand. Its long, hard length dropped against my inner thigh before he stroked himself a few times. “Come here, beautiful.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he grabbed the small of my back, pulling my ass to the edge of his desk. We didn’t even bother getting fully undressed. I needed him inside of me now, and discarded clothes and candles screamed fire hazard.
It was already hot enough in his office.
Paolo sank his cock inside of me, inch by inch until he was sheathed inside.
I was left breathless for a few seconds, my eyes squeezing shut at the stretch. It felt so good, though. So full.
“Show me how you’ve fantasized about fucking me,” I told him.
“Gladly,” Paolo replied before pulling his cock out, only to drive himself right back in.
My responding moan filled his entire office, and if anyone else was at the station, I was pretty sure they would’ve heard me. Maybe I didn’t care at this point. I had singular connections with each of them, but the overall bond I had with all of them was a whole different story.
Paolo grabbed the underside of my thighs, parting my legs even more as he drove into me over and over. The sounds of quick breathing and skin hitting skin surrounded us, the atmosphere growing hotter and hotter by the second.
My core fluttered and pounded as he worked me closer and closer to orgasm. The angle he was hitting had his cock drenched, and I couldn’t have formed a sentence right then if I tried.
“So good. Take me just like that,” Paolo praised as he watched his cock disappear deep inside of me over and over.
Tension built up in my lower stomach like a bomb threatening to go off. Every thrust made the sensation more overwhelming, nearly making me break a sweat because my skin was so hot.
“Paolo… yes…” I gasped as I dropped my head back.
Paolo brought his thumb back to my clit, sending an extra surge of bliss through me.
My back arched off the desk as my composure shattered. My orgasm tore through me, eliciting a cry from me as I succumbed to pure, hot euphoria.
Paolo’s dark eyes watched me come undone in front of him. He thrusted into my trembling body, drawing out my orgasm even longer before finishing inside of me with a groan.
“Fuck…” he breathed out as his movements slowed to an eventual stop. He remained buried inside of me as we recovered, our eyes shifting to each other. “You really are something special.”
A bashful smile crossed my face as I placed my hands on his shoulders, anchoring our bodies together.
“I don’t know,” I replied. I tried to be unique, but I was also following so many of my mom’s footsteps. Part of me was still stuck in the past.
“I do know. The others… I think they like you too,” Paolo said as he tucked my hair behind my ears.
I bit into my bottom lip for a second, searching his eyes to see if he knew the truth. Did he know that I slept with some of his crew members? Would he be upset?
“I… I’ve been with them too. Like this,” I admitted, my heartbeat stopping as I waited for his answer.
Paolo’s eyebrows lifted.
“Really? They haven’t said anything,” he stated.
“We haven’t really openly talked about it,” I told him. We kept acting on our feelings but not talking about them. Eventually, we would run into a wall. “Are you upset? I swear I’m not trying to distract them or anything.”
Paolo suddenly chuckled.
“This is a very welcome distraction,” he assured me as he gestured to our joined bodies as we held each other close. When I relaxed and laughed too, he stroked my cheek. “They’re the finest men I know, and I’ve taken quite a liking to you as well. Why would I be upset about you being involved with them too?”
“Some people don’t like to share,” I pointed out. It still shocked me that there hadn’t been any jealousy or pettiness lingering around the fire station.
“Understandable, but there’s something different about sharing someone special with the men who you trust with your life,” Paolo explained. “You’ve made them happy. That makes me happy. And we can protect you better the closer we are to you. See how things can still work out in our favor?”
Well, when he put it that way…
“I just don’t want to complicate things even more,” I told him as worry flickered in my eyes. “We’ve got enough on our plate.”
Before Paolo could reply, the power suddenly came back on, flooding the office with bright light that made us squint and grimace.
“We should get cleaned up,” he suggested as our conversation derailed.
Oh, well. Another time. It wasn’t like I had any good suggestions or plans on what to do going forward anyway.
I nodded in response, feeling a brief moment of cold emptiness once he pulled away from me. Eventually, this case would be finished, and my time back in my hometown would come to an end. Could I really handle that empty feeling and cut ties with the men who made this place actually feel somewhat close to home again?