I felt the heat of her skin through her clothes. I felt her hands roaming over my back in random patterns. I left her sweet lips, shifting slightly, so I could reach her neck. I kissed my way down, drawn to the pulse in her neck, tasting the sweet and slightly salty taste of her skin, craving the softness and strength that was Caity. I moved my hand down from her back to her side, and then I reached up to cup her breast. I could feel the firm weight of it as it filled my hand with just a little left over. I skimmed my thumb across her nipple and felt it, already tight and stiff, begging for my lips.
She shifted and started to pull away before standing up. Her eyes were dark with desire as she looked at me, still on the swing. She held out her hand and I took it, weaving my fingers with hers. We went to the house and as had become habit, she stopped in the hallway. She left the choice to me, to the bedroom or the living room. I chose the direction, the bedroom, definitely the bedroom this time.
I was nervous. I knew that this act was irreversible. Once we crossed the line and became lovers, our friendship would be changed, forever. I couldn"t have stopped it, even if I had the desire to do so. I had to admit that I was in love with my best friend and we were about to consummate that relationship.
She led me into her room, switched on the lamp across the room from her queen size sleigh bed, shedding a dim light across the room. "Is that all right? I want to see you as I make love to you."
I felt my mouth go dry when she said that to me. I gave a nod of my head as I swallowed hard and tried to remember how to undress. My hands fumbled with b.u.t.tons and zippers until she came near me and stilled my hands.
"Let me, please, Chloe, let me do this. I"ve dreamed about taking these off of you."
Her touch was gentle, her motions controlled and sure. Caity"s hands made quick work of my shirt. I had already kicked off my shoes. She moved closer to me, gathering me in her arms. Her lips met mine for a kiss that still curls my toes just thinking about it. The softness of her lips, the desire we both felt, the connection, the electricity that shot straight through to my groin. Her hands skimmed down my shoulders, moving between us to slide the zipper of my jeans down, sliding them over my hips and letting them pool at my feet. I stepped out of them and moved closer to the bed as she followed. I allowed her to remove my bra and briefs, leaving me naked in front of her. She let out a soft moan that sent a rush of warmth through me.
I pulled her down on the bed, pulling at what was left of her clothing, desperate to feel her naked skin against mine.
Our tongues wrestled and thrust, hands were everywhere, I moved on top of her, settling with one of my legs between her thighs with my weight resting on my arms. I watched her face carefully. I was still afraid of this moment although I wanted it more than anything else I had ever wanted. She smiled up at me, her hazel eyes burning with desire, her rich, brown hair, lay in sharp contrast to the white of the pillowcase. I was overwhelmed by it all. I had to explore her body. I kissed my way down her neck, pausing at the rapid pulse beat, nipping at the tendons that revealed themselves as she arched into me. As I lowered my head to the valley between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, I inhaled the wonderful scent that meant Caity to me. The smell of sage and sandalwood, as well as a slightly sweeter note, more like fresh cut gra.s.s. She shifted slightly which brought the tip of her breast closer to my mouth. I kissed all around the areola, and then I slipped my mouth over her nipple, already rigid with desire. I moaned loudly, swept up by the need to taste her everywhere. I moved to her other breast, allowing part of my weight to rest on her body, bringing our skin into greater contact. While my mouth entertained one breast, the other was being squeezed and molded by my free hand.
"Please, Chloe, please touch me. I need to feel you, I need..." She gave a groan, cutting herself off.
"I"m here, baby. I"m here. Are you sure? You know this changes everything right?" I was still nervous, no matter how badly I wanted her, I was afraid.
"Oh G.o.d, yes, please. I want this, I want you! I need to feel you inside of me!"
I couldn"t help myself, with that plea still on her lips, my hand slipped between her thighs. The warmth, the wetness, welcomed me inside. I stroked my fingers through her wetness. My hips were moving against her on their own, as if I had no control over their movement. I felt the opening I searched for and slipped one, then two fingers inside my Caity. I almost lost my mind with the realization that I was actually inside of her. I felt her muscles clenching me, tightening at the slide and movement of my fingers. Her head moved from side to side on her pillow. Her hands were roaming my body, one toying with my nipples, the other pulling my a.s.s towards her, encouraging my rhythmic thrusting.
There was nothing left but this glorious wetness, thrusting, sliding together and her moaning my name. I felt her muscles clench, pulling me deeper and deeper inside. I allowed my thumb to slide around her c.l.i.toris, gently rubbing her until I felt her grow impossibly hard against me. Caity"s hips started thrusting wildly into me, and I knew she was about to lose control. I wanted that more than anything else in my life. I wanted to be the one to cause her to come with a fierce intensity.
"C"mon Caity, let me feel you, let me see you. I"ve got you sweetie, let go. I"ve got you." I was shuddering, on the verge of losing control myself, but I was determined to wait until she came first.
"Oh G.o.d... Oh G.o.d, Chloe... I"m gonna come for you, baby. I"m coming!" She gave a sharp shout, and I felt her entire body wracked with spasms. My fingers deep inside of her and her arms locked around me. She held me tightly against her. Her knee rubbing against my c.l.i.t pushed me over the edge, and I joined her in ecstatic bliss.
When I was aware of my surroundings again, I looked down to find Caity looking up at me with the biggest smile on her face that I had ever seen. I realized that I was lying on her fully and my hand was still inside of her. I gently started to slide my fingers out, feeling the slight aftershocks still rolling through her body. She groaned as I pulled out.
"Uhh, don"t go, stay inside me, please?"
Well, how could I resist that? I stopped my exit and instead pushed forward gently. I felt myself grow hard again as I did it, and there was a spark in her eyes, a slight intake of breath that I recognized as the rekindling of her desire. I slid in as far as I could, curling my fingers up to find her G-spot. I rubbed it gently and I leaned down to kiss her. What started as gentle quickly became heated. I felt her responding, her slickness coating my entire hand and her thighs. I had to taste it, I had to taste her. Without waiting, I pulled away from her mouth and shifted my body so that I could keep my fingers inside of her, but I could reach my goal with my mouth. This was my first look at her and she was beautiful, breathtaking, and so very wet for me. I dove into her wetness, rubbing it all over my face as I worked my tongue through her hot folds. I let the tip of my tongue tease her c.l.i.t, nudging the hood back from her erection, then I started a gentle licking motion, using my entire tongue to make wide and soft swipes over her most sensitive spot.
"Ung, I"m, oh! You!... G.o.d, Chloe, I can"t take it... too intense, it"s too much."
She begged and pleaded so I gave in. I moved my fingers in and out of her, making sure to keep my fingers curled to hit her spot inside, and I lay claim to her copious moisture with my tongue. I lapped up every drop I could then sucked on her c.l.i.t while teasing it gently at first, then harder, with my tongue. She let out a high, keening wail, an almost scream, as her body tensed and arched up. She stayed arched off the bed for a minute before collapsing down and pushing my face away from the overly sensitive area between her thighs.
I slipped out of her and moved up to hold her. I kissed her lips gently and stared at her with wonder. "Thank you," I whispered.
"Honey, after that I need to thank you! That was unbelievable, Chloe, I have no words."
She held me tightly for a moment and then kissed me again. Her hand trailed down my body, starting a journey that her mouth followed. I groaned, letting my legs spread apart, allowing her greater access. She made her way to my c.l.i.t, licking up one side and down the other, while her fingers held my lower lips further apart. She teased my opening with the tip of one finger and glanced up at me as if to ask permission. I granted it willingly.
"Yes, Caity, please," was all I could groan out but it was enough.
She used two fingers, then added a third inside of me. She set a thrusting pattern that her tongue followed as it danced over my turgid c.l.i.t. I was certain that it was impossible for me to get any harder, yet feeling her fill me up so much, I felt myself stiffen even more. I knew I was close and she knew it as well.
"Harder, please, Caity!"
Her tempo increased, she started thrusting with more force until all I could see were the fireworks behind my eyelids, and I lost all control over my body. When I finally calmed down, I pulled her up to lay beside me and I held her closely. I had to keep touching her, to keep reminding myself that this was real, not just another of my dreams.
"Are you okay?" asked Caity.
"Mmmm, yeah, I"m great, you? Are you sorry we...?"
"How could you ask that? I"m not sorry for anything other than it taking me so long to tell you that I wanted you like this."
"Like this?" I questioned. "You mean to tell me you wanted me boneless, helpless, and naked in your bed?" I quirked an eyebrow at her and gave her a half grin.
Laughing, she rolled on top of me. "You are a great many things, dear, but helpless is not one of them. I could never be sorry for loving you."
Her hazel eyes gazed into mine as she said that, she said she loved me. My heart stopped, my mind reeled. Caity loves me? What? I knew she was waiting for me to say something but my brain was stuck for a moment. When it unstuck, I hugged her closely and whispered, "I"ve loved you for so long. I"m sorry I was too afraid to tell you."
We fell asleep wrapped up in one another, our limbs and hearts entwined. For the night, we could forget the realities of our jobs and our lives. We would deal with the rest in the daylight.
I woke up to find a body snuggled in behind me, a warm hand reaching around to cup my breast, and a soft, shapely leg thrown over my legs. I gave a brief thanks that I hadn"t simply been dreaming, yet again, of spending the night with Caity. We really had made love and spent the night together. Then I remembered that I had to get down to the station for our company debrief. The last thing on my mind was the station, or at least, it should have been, but I knew I had to get there on time. I started to gently disengage myself from the body wrapped around mine, but warm arms pulled me back to bed.
"Mmm, don"t go anywhere," Caity whispered, her voice slightly hoa.r.s.e in the early morning. "I don"t want you trying to get away."
"You know I want to stay, Caity, but I have to get to the station. We have that critical stress incident debrief this morning. I have to do it, it"s mandatory with no way out. I want to stay, you know I do."
"Fine, I accept defeat this time. Go get your stuff done, but will you come back later? I"m off today and would like to spend it with you." She looked uncertain as she asked.
"Of course, I have the next two days off in the rotation. I"m all yours today if you want me here." I was amazed that she would doubt that I would rush back here. I couldn"t think of a better place to spend my day off than next to Caity.
She smiled at me, kissed me once, and then pushed me out of bed. "Since you are coming back, I will let you go temporarily." She got out of bed, and strode across the room to the bathroom. Standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but a smile, she turned to look at me over her shoulder. "I"m going to start the shower, care to join me?"
Now, I"ve been naive about things at times, and I know I"m not always quick to notice signals from women, but even I understood that it would be foolish to miss out. I jumped up and followed her into the shower. I just hoped I got out in time for my meeting.
CHAPTER 5.
"WHAT THE h.e.l.l do you mean? How can you f.u.c.king suspend me for doing my G.o.dd.a.m.n job?" The voice was loud, male, and undoubtedly Tony"s. I really didn"t want to be around for the talk that was obviously going on in the captain"s office so I changed direction, heading upstairs from the truck bay instead of from the lounge. I spent a little more time than I needed grabbing gear from my locker, rearranging it, and packing a bag of stuff to bring downstairs for the washer. I wanted to give Tony plenty of time to finish his meeting and get out of the house with minimum embarra.s.sment. Having everyone know that you were suspended was bad enough, having them watch you leave and looking at you with sympathy would be worse. Apparently, his private debriefing hadn"t been as smooth as the crew meeting.
The general debrief had gone well and I spent a wonderful two days off splitting my time between Caity and my house doing some ch.o.r.es. It had been amazing to spend the time with Caity now that we had crossed from friends to lovers. Suddenly, the awkwardness I had felt about getting physically close with her was gone. I had no problem cuddling, holding hands, or anything else. Maybe it was just me being nervous about getting physical with someone I love so much, I mused.
I felt my knees get weak as I replayed that in my head. I was in love with my best friend. I mean, I knew I was in love with my best friend, but it just hit me what that could really mean. Before I could contemplate it too much I heard steps on the stairs, slow and steady, heading towards the women"s area. The door pushed open and there was Spike, looking worn out, and for the first time in a while, I remembered the five-year age difference between us. Never had it been more apparent than at that moment. We looked at each other for a minute before she moved towards her bunk and crashed down onto it. She flipped onto her back and laced her fingers behind her head before staring up at the ceiling.
"Kristy?" That was Spike"s real name and I didn"t feel inclined to use it much, but it felt right this time. "Hey, Kris? Do you wanna talk about it? I heard Tony giving you guys a hard time when I came in. Are you okay?"
She gave a sigh, shifted around a bit so that she could look over at me, and nodded. "I"m fine I guess. It just isn"t easy having to dress someone down for being human. Any of us would have run into that building given the right circ.u.mstances. If it was our family in there. He saw it that way, you know? Like his big brother was trapped and he should get his a.s.s in there and save him."
Once again, I was glad not to be in her position. I do check rides, teach some cla.s.ses for continuing education, and I mentor some of the rookies, but I don"t have to do the administrative stuff she does. This wasn"t going to get me excited to take it on anytime soon either. I just nodded my head and waited for her to continue, I knew she had more to vent.
"The poor guy, he really just wants to make a difference here. I think he could be a good medic given the time and seasoning. Now? We might lose him. He only has a week suspension but he may not come back. The suspension is more for ignoring orders on a scene and shoving you down, but he sees it as punishment for having feelings. Were we ever that young, Donny?"
I grinned at her, knowing full well I was that young when I started here. "Don"t you remember your first shift with me? I drove you crazy asking questions, trying to get you to tell me stories about your saves. I"m surprised you didn"t toss me out of the rig on the way to a call." I chuckled at the thought of that probie version of me.
She joined me in laughter and then grinned over at me. "You were so eager, fresh from school, and ready to save the world! I knew that you would turn into a great medic, Donny, even then I knew it. You really have become one of the best we have, you know that, right?"
I shifted and started fidgeting with my spare boots, examining the laces even though they were new. I felt myself turn red as the fire rose to my face. I have never taken compliments well, but especially when they come from people I admire so much. Spike is a medic"s medic-the one we all strive to emulate. Here she was complimenting me?
"What"s the matter, Donny? Can"t take a compliment yet? Don"t you know that the probies coming through here all love riding with you? You treat them with respect, you don"t pull stupid probie jokes on them, and you are willing to let them learn by doing things. Hands on with supervision is one of the best ways to learn, but the hardest way to teach. You have a gift for it. Be proud of that, will ya?"
I was in full blush mode now, even my ears burned red. Spike chuckled and tossed a letter sized envelope towards me. It landed on my cot, but I grabbed it up and looked at it.
"What is it? It isn"t addressed to me." I stated the obvious as I tried to figure out what she had thrown.
"Go ahead, open it up, I think you"ll like it." She pulled her body up into a sitting position and tucked her legs under her so that she sat cross-legged on her cot. She just kept gazing over at me, waiting patiently for me to open the envelope.
I opened it and pulled out the folded piece of paper. As I unfolded it, an insignia dropped out and onto my cot. I looked up, puzzled, at Spike, then back down at the rank. It was the crossed bugles representing field supervisor status in our department. I read the letter that congratulated me on my new promotion and a.s.signment as a training officer/field supervisor with the department. Shock doesn"t begin to cover what I was feeling. I had no idea I was up for promotion, never mind actually getting promoted! I looked to Spike for answers.
Spike just laughed at my expression for a while before speaking again. "I guess we surprised you! It has been in the works for a little while now but I couldn"t say anything until it was official. This is why you were doing rides with so many probies this year. Cap wanted to see how you"d handle it if we moved you up. I just made Senior Field Officer and we need a new Field Officer, so you won"t leave the house, just change duties a bit."
I offered her congratulations on her promotion. I was genuinely happy for her but unsure how I felt about my own promotion. I was still trying to absorb it. Just then, the klaxon sounded and the dispatcher"s voice echoed through the station. I tossed my extra stuff in the locker, shoved my letter and insignia in one of my pockets, and headed down the pole to the bay. Spike was right behind me and we both stepped into our turnout gear as we listened to the dispatch. Neither one of us was actually on shift yet, nor did we have partners yet, but why let details like that stop us? We decided to grab the extra rig and go out since it was a big car accident on the highway, less than three miles from the station, and extra hands might be needed. We responded as a supervisor truck en route, that way we wouldn"t cancel out any other rigs going in on the call.
We arrived on scene just after the other two crews pulled up. The rescue truck was right behind us, and as we got out of our rig, Spike yelled over to me.
"Why don"t you take command? I"ll go triage and see if the rescue crew needs an extra hand.
I agreed and called the dispatch center, "County, this is supervisor two two one, a.s.suming medical command."
Usually, it falls to the senior officer, which would still be Spike, but I knew she viewed this as a training exercise. I grabbed my radio and sat in the truck, taking copious notes as to who was dispatched, who arrived, how many were injured, and to what degree. Spike did her triage and reported the numbers back to me so that I could notify county dispatch if we needed additional personnel or equipment.
Thankfully for all, this wreck looked worse than it was, and most of the involved victims were able to walk away without a scratch. "County, medical command two two one."
"Go ahead, two two one."
"County, we"re gonna need a van or bus out here to transport a group of fifteen green tags to an ER." Green tags meant they were basically uninjured or walking wounded.
"Two two one, affirmative, we"ll send something out ASAP to your location."
It looked like a mess. Somehow seven cars managed to skid into one another in a domino effect after the lead car blew out a tire and spun out on the highway. There was debris scattered across all four lanes, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. We had arrived on the scene by driving down the nearest exit ramp the wrong way, and heading into the flow of traffic, had there been any flowing. The rescue crew set up the hydraulic tools to cut apart one of the cars with a trapped victim. It was a quick, but loud, process and they quickly freed one, and then another patient from separate cars. Other members of the crew checked the cars and disabled the batteries in each car to avoid any risk of sparks starting a fire before starting the cleanup of debris and vehicular fluids that had spread across the roadway.
The two crews a.s.signed to the call transported the remaining two injured parties, once they were cut free from their cars. We remained on scene, though we terminated medical command, until the fire crew was ready to depart the scene, just in case anyone managed to get hurt during clean up. Finally, we headed back to the station to start our shifts, officially.
Call after call, it was the same thing from Pauli. She pestered me the whole shift about Tony.
"Is he coming back? Do you think it was right to suspend him?"
These and other variants of the same theme peppered me in between two cardiac arrests, a near drowning, a broken clavicle, three medical emergency runs, and a routine transport to get someone"s shunt replaced. The last thing I needed was Pauli on my case about something I hadn"t been involved in to begin with.
"Thank goodness, we made it to the end of the shift," I sighed as we backed the rig into the bay. All I wanted was to grab my gear and get home to bed. Sadly, the fates had other plans for me.
"Donny, get in here!" bellowed the captain as soon as I opened the door to the rig.
"What did you do wrong, Donny? You"ve only been a supervisor for a week and you"re already getting summoned?"
Pauli was teasing me, but I was wondering the same thing myself.
I grabbed my gear, tossed the checkout list to Pauli, and headed to the Cap"s office. Knocking on the open door, I waited for him to motion me inside.
"Yeah, Cap? You bellowed?" I grinned as I said it, hoping to lighten the tension I felt.
He grinned at me, and then he motioned to a seat in front of his desk. "Sit down, Donny, it is time for a little chat."
I really didn"t like the sound of that, but I knew that this man was infamous for making people sweat and then giving good news as often as bad news. I waited for him to say something while trying to figure out what I could have messed up already.
"How are you liking the new rank? Settling in all right?"
That wasn"t what I expected, so I just nodded. "It"s going okay, Cap. I"m getting over the shock at least. Is something wrong?" I figured I might as well just ask now and save myself the ulcer that I could feel eating through my stomach lining.
He sighed and leaned back in his creaky leather desk chair. "I wasn"t gonna bring this up to you yet but with the timing of some other stuff I have no choice. I know you"re new to the rank but part of your job will be doing medic evaluations. I"m gonna need to have you do a couple to help Spike out. She"s running behind with them right now and we have a couple due soon. If you have any questions, Spike"ll help ya out, or you can come see me."
He handed me a short list of three evals to write up, but there was a problem. Pauli"s name was on the list. He must have seen me looking uneasy and he called me on it right away.
"Problem, Donovan? Don"t like your list?"
"Actually, Cap, can I swap one name out for another one? It would really help me out."
I prayed I wouldn"t have to come clean about why but luck was not in my favor. I should have known that from the kind of day I"d already dealt with though.
"Why should I do that? First set of evaluations and you already want to switch them up? You gotta gimme a reason for it first. And, Donny, it better be a doozy!"
s.h.i.t! I really didn"t want to tell him, but what choice did I have in the end? Besides, if I had my way, Caity would be my date to station events, and everyone would know about us anyway.
"Cap, I"m kind of in a personal relationship that..." I didn"t know how to explain it and my brain was too tired to help me out.
The captain"s face grew serious and he leaned forward in his chair. "You aren"t involved with one of the other medics, are you? You know what kind of problems that can bring. We"ll have to transfer one of you."
I hurried to clear up his concern, "No, it isn"t anything like that Cap, but I am seeing someone, pretty seriously. The problem is one of my list is related to my girlfriend."
While I waited to get chewed out he just stared at me. I swear, he must have sat there staring for at least a full minute before he said anything to me. All of a sudden, I heard this rumble. I looked around and realized it was coming from the captain! He busted up, laughing his a.s.s off! He laughed until tears were coming out of his eyes, and then he laughed some more. I thought I was gonna have to go get an oxygen tank for him!