Page 58 of Nanny for the Firefighters
Station 23, he replies almost immediately. Come quick.
I grab my keys and head out, telling Marcus I'm running an errand. He nods worriedly but doesn't stop me.
The drive to the fire station is quick, the streets blessedly clear. I park outside Station 23 and make my way in, the familiar scents of smoke and machinery filling the air.
Theo meets me in the garage, his face serious. "Ella, what's going on? You look like hell."
I don't say much, just cross over to where he is standing and hug him. His arms wrap around me as he buries a hand in my hair. "Sweetheart, what is it?" he asks gently.
Of course, I can't tell him. So, I stand there with his arms cradling me and let his warm, honeyed scent wash over my worries.
27
THEO
Ella and I are taking up one of the bunks in the back, and my brothers are leaving us be. There's something to be said about seeing a woman break down in the fire station. They don't want to get involved. Which is fine. I've more than got Ella. She can cry on me any time she needs to.
Her head leans against my shoulder, our feet hanging off the side of the mattress with our backs to the wall. It makes me feel like a teenager again, especially with how we're simply holding hands here in the dark.
"Don't they need you out there?" Ella asks, blinking up at me with her thick, dark lashes.
I squeeze her fingers with mine. "No. The bell will ring if there's an emergency." We have been here a while, but at least most of my duties are already done. My thumb draws circles over the back of her hand.
"You know, my sister and I used to sit on my bed like this when we were young. When she was being bullied in class but wouldn't let me step in for her. Because I would have popped that buck-toothed Billy right in his mouth for some of the foul things she confessed he'd called her. Oh, did my blood boil." Her voice went gritty and hot.
I like it. "That must have been hard for you."
"Oh, it was. But she wanted to be able to best him herself. So although I wanted to teach her a few moves—how to throw a punch or a kick—she wanted to practice comebacks. That's what we ended up doing, and with that practice, she was able to shut Billy down the next day. And the one after that. And the one after that. I was so proud of her." Ella grins, and it shines in the low light.
The way she talks about her sister makes me think of my oldest sister, Sophia. She's fiercely protective, even now that it's my job. Literally. But she reminds me every month at our family dinner that I am the baby and she is the eldest, so she will always be my second mother.
"My sisters never had trouble telling a bully off. They did, however, struggle with the way I followed the daredevil older kids around. I never got bullied into doing anything stupid. One of them just had to try it first, and I would follow without hesitation." I would have done anything for a thrill back then. It bled into my adult life, and now, I work hard to keep a rein on my instincts.
"I bet you broke a lot of bones," Ella says, reaching up to ruffle through the hair around my ear. It's not long enough to tuck behind my ear, but her gesture is similar.
She's become so real to me. More than physical tension and pleasure. More than easy laughs and fun. Tonight, her vulnerability clarifies her for me.
"I did. I broke a lot of bones. Got a lot of scars."
Her laugh is soft. "Yeah. I know. I've seen."
I grin at her. She's so different from my ex, so open and herself. Even though Ella keeps bits of herself private now, I only need to stick around to gain access to those parts of her. To show her I mean to stay long enough to earn that trust, I share how the last month has changed my perspective on things, like love and the direction of my life.
"You know, when we first met, I was dating my ex, Tiffany. I know you never met her, which is for the better, seeing as she isn't the greatest person. But I remember thinking that I was in love with her. The feeling was so shallow. It doesn't even compare?—"
Ella lifts to her knees, turning toward me. The look on her face silences me immediately.
My hands find her waist as she slides her thighs around my hips and sinks into me. Our noses brush, and a frenzy builds in my chest. I love this woman. Every little detail of her.
Fuck, she's perfect.
Her mouth teases mine. I soak in her playful nature with me. She's always so sweet and playful with me even when we wink into the dirtiest situations I've ever experienced. But this moment promises me so much. I let Ella take the lead.
And she does, pressing her lips over mine, coaxing them open with gentle pressure until our tongues are dancing. Every small move winds me up, twists that knot in my chest that makes me know Ella is the one. Nothing has ever felt like this before.
Tension builds between us, her knees squeezing my hips and hands tugging at my shirt. I groan into her mouth and lean back to let her yank my tee over my head. Her fingernails scrape down my chest as she leans in to kiss me again.
It doesn't take me much to get riled up. Not for her. I lift my hips to thrust against her, my grip twisting in her jeans. It only takes another minute of teasing before I swing her up and around to plant her back on the thin mattress. Cradling the back of her head, I press another gentle kiss to her lips before I nibble down her jaw and throat.