Ladder 54: Five Firefighter Romances Read online

  Holy mother of God. Moisture pooled in his mouth and his cock, which until now had been dead, sprang to immediate hardness in his uniform pants. Yet she wasn’t as confident as her appearance suggested. Her red-painted lips trembled on a small smile, and he could see her pulse beating frantically in her neck.

  Had she come to torment him? She’d made her thoughts perfectly clear when she hadn’t answered any of his calls. The sight of her standing in front of his desk made no sense. “What do you want, Selene?” he asked.

  A flash of hurt darkened her eyes and she took a step backward as her smile disappeared. “I’m sorry. I just…” She chewed her lip and lifted up her helmet. “This was a mistake. I’ll leave now.”

  Oh, fuck, no. She was not going to disappear on him again. What he wouldn’t give for handcuffs or even a piece of rope to keep her still. She made it two steps toward the door before he was on her. He caught her shoulder and swept her legs out from under her with a foot, then lowered her gently to the floor on her stomach before straddling her hips and unbuckling his belt.

  “What are you doing?” She tried to buck him off, but he wasn’t having it. When she tried to kick, he reached back and slapped her ass.

  “Be still.” He pulled his belt free of the loops and grabbed her hands, quickly lashing them together behind her back. Grinning, he helped her up and slung her over a shoulder. Her curvy weight in his arms energized him, washing his exhaustion away.

  “Theo! God damn it! Put me down!” She struggled, nearly making him lose his hold on her.

  “That’s Sir to you, little one.”

  She screeched and kicked, but a hard swat on her backside made her go still and he resettled her.

  “Hey, Papadakis! Where are you going?”

  “Home. My woman and I have some things to discuss.” He didn’t bother to glance in Declan’s direction.

  “We’re already shorthanded, man. You can’t just—”

  “Watch me.”

  “You’re gonna get yourself fired.”

  “Nobody’s left to fire me. I’ll make it up to you, and I’ll leave my phone on just in case something happens.” Ignoring whatever other bullshit Declan said, Theo walked out, his woman where she belonged. Ass up and in his arms.

  * * *

  Theo wrapped his arm around her thighs, pinning her in place over his shoulder as he walked out. She lifted her head and caught a glimpse of one of the other doms smirking at her. Her face flamed. He was the one she’d almost bid on. Selene hadn’t been so embarrassed since the time Martine Stephanopoulos gave Ajax Dimitrios a love note and told everyone it was from her back in sixth grade.

  She didn’t have time to worry about silly shit, though. Declan’s face disappeared as Theo slammed the door behind them and stomped to his truck. With a wrench, he jerked the door open and plopped her none too gently on the seat. She opened her mouth in protest, but before she had a chance to speak, he tore a piece of duct tape off a roll and slapped it over her mouth.

  “Not one word, Selene. It’s my turn to talk.”

  Holy fuck. She was torn between being terrified and aroused as he yanked the seatbelt out and clicked it around her body, trapping her. He rummaged behind the seats and pulled out a towing strap, wasting no time lashing her feet together. The passenger door slammed and he raced around the front of the truck. He threw himself behind the wheel and was roaring down the street before she could blink.

  “I should blindfold you,” he muttered as he spun the wheel to barrel around a turn. “Noise-canceling headphones too. Make you completely helpless, force you to trust me until I can march you in front of a damned priest. Spread you out on a cross and do everything I want until all you can do is scream my name as you beg me to let you come.”

  His voice trailed off into nonsensical angry whispers as he drove and she stared at him in shock. Maybe she should have listened to some of his messages instead of deleting them. She’d had every intention of coming to Big Banks to claim her man, but he’d turned the tables on her. Maybe not claim him right away, but at least demand that he give them a chance to thrive or fail. Grimacing behind the tape, she admitted to herself they’d both been guilty of running.

  The road grew rough as he drove them out of town and sweat beaded on her forehead. Where was he taking her?

  As if he’d heard her unspoken question, he said, “We’re going to the CCC. I was going to take you home, but the CCC has a playroom.” His foot hit the accelerator and the transmission whined as he sped up. “And I’m going to make use of every piece of equipment in there until you’re too spent to run.”

  Selene mumbled behind the tape over her mouth. She wasn’t the only one who had run. At least she hadn’t left the fucking state.

  “Work is easy, isn’t it? Throw yourself into your job and forget everything else.” He let out a burst of derisive laughter. “We both did it, didn’t we, agapi mou?”

  The truck sped down the road, faster with every passing second until Theo glanced over at her and slowed down. Selene breathed a sigh of relief through her nose. Theo was probably a great driver, but the road conditions were too rough to maintain any speed.

  “But I’m not going to run anymore. From now on, I chase.” He slowed and turned onto a gravel road. “And I will catch you if you make the mistake of trying to escape me.” Theo stopped his truck in front of the Crystal Cabin Club and rested his forehead on the wheel.

  What was he thinking? He was so quiet now. Did he regret bringing her out here? She didn’t. She wanted everything he’d promised. There would be time later for hashing out their differences, but right now, he needed her submission, and she needed to give it to him.

  His head still resting on the wheel, he said, “Shake your head if you don’t want this, Selene. I’m going to give you one last chance to run. If you want to stay, you will never run from me again.”

  Selene grumbled behind the tape and he lifted his head to give her a crooked smile.

  “And I won’t run either.”

  And just like that, her heart melted and she nodded her head. She wouldn’t run again, and if Theo thought he might get away with it, he’d find out she was every bit as good at chasing as he was.

  * * *

  He pulled the tape from her mouth, careful to avoid tugging at her soft skin as he waited for her to lambaste him with that famous Greek temper. Except she didn’t. Instead, she turned to face him and licked her lips a second before they bowed up into a smile.

  “You’re not the only one who can chase, Theo mou. We’re both done running. I want you to show me what you need. I want…”

  Her voice trailed off and she looked away. He touched her chin to turn her to face him. “What do you want, Selene?”

  He’d asked her that question when he saw her standing in the fire station, but she didn’t flinch this time.

  “I want everything from you. I want the floggers and the wax, and a dirty fuck against a wall that leaves scratches on both our backs. And I want you to make love to me. I want everything in the middle, too.” Her lips firmed into a thin line. “And I’m not leaving until I get it.”

  He grinned and nestled her against him. Tugging her braid, he pulled her head back and took her mouth in a hard kiss. She might be soft-spoken and quiet compared to his female relatives, but she was every bit as intractable as any other Greek woman on a mission. Who else but a Greek could be so demanding while tied up and helpless?

  God, she tasted good. Black licorice like she’d had a drink of ouzo, but spicy and hot. Her tongue dueled with his as she fought to dominate their kiss, but he wouldn’t let her. It was hard, though, and he didn’t mean his cock. She fought to steal his breath and his will, and he nearly lost his soul when she whimpered into his mouth.

  With some effort, he pulled away from her and looked down into her beautiful face. Her eyes were glazed with passion, her lips swollen from his kisses. He cupped her cheeks in his hands, touching his forehead to hers. “Never mind about the dung
eon. I’m taking you home.”

  “Where is home?”

  “For the moment, it’s half a duplex three blocks from the fire station. When we settle down, it will be your place in Braidwood.”

  Selene hissed out a breath. “You would move back to Chicago? I thought you liked it here!”

  “I do, but your job is in Chicago. I can be a firefighter anywhere.” He started the truck and drove slowly down the gravel road toward the highway.

  She bit her lip and turned bright red. “I have a confession.”

  Slamming on the brakes, he caught her when she fell forward. “What confession? You’re moving your family in with us?”

  Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh, fuck, no! There’s a reason I had only two bedrooms!”

  Laughing, he caressed her thigh, belatedly realizing he should probably untie her after he spanked her for swearing. But she wasn’t complaining, and it was nice to have her at his mercy. “Okay, then what’s your confession?”

  “I put the Braidwood place on the market two days ago and bought the hundred-acre parcel across the lake from the Crystal Cabin Club.” Giving him a crooked grin, she added, “I told you I wasn’t going to let you run again.”

  “What about our families?” He had to ask the question. It was one thing for him to move out here by himself. It was quite another for them both to ditch their families. Would she be happy so far away from the safety of Greektown? Would she leave him to go back when she couldn’t tolerate the capricious weather and isolation?

  “I’m sure they’ll get along without us, and we can visit for Christmas or Easter.” She sidled closer to him, moving as far as her seatbelt would allow. “So, what do you say? Want to give us a shot?”

  “What about work?”

  “Home office. I’ll telecommute for most of it and limit my traveling to every eight weeks.”

  He was silent for a few moments to give himself time to think.

  Selene bit her lip and looked down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have presumed. You should probably untie me so I can get out of your hair.”

  “What happened to the woman who wasn’t going to let me run?”

  “She’s realizing what a stupid idea it was to spring this on you all at once.”

  “No, it’s a great idea with one exception.” He shook his head. “No, two exceptions.”

  “Oh?”

  She lifted her head, and he brushed the loose strands of hair from her eyes. “Yes. You should keep your farm to give us a place to stay when we visit.”

  Her brow wrinkled and she nodded. “Okay. I’ll have to take out a loan for building a house here, though. What’s the second thing?”

  “We, Selene. We’re going to take out a loan to build.” He tapped her chin and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “And you forgot to say yes.”

  “To what?”

  “You forgot to say yes to my proposal.”

  “But you…” Her eyes flew open and filled with understanding. “You have to untie my hands, Theo.”

  “Why? I like you at my mercy.” He winked at her and leaned back against his seat to watch her, smiling as she struggled to free herself from the belt around her wrists.

  “Because I want to hug you when I say yes!”

  How could he refuse?

  The End

  Rekindled

  By

  Adaline Raine

  Chapter One

  Troy Channing changed out of his turnout gear and into a pair of black jeans and a black fitted tee shirt. Sophie had explained in detail about this event being black tie and warned them to dress the part if any of them attended, but Troy didn’t own anything close to fancy so this outfit would have to do. Blake had let him borrow a pair of shiny dress shoes. Speaking of, the much taller man was headed directly for him. Blake was a laidback guy, so the furrow in his brow seemed out of place.

  “Hey.” Blake leaned one arm against the bar. “Come take a walk with me.”

  “Even as attractive as you are, my friend, I’m not a submissive and we’re not supposed to play tonight.”

  “I need to tell you something and it’s important. Come on. It will only be a minute.” Blake shot him with a look.

  Troy busted out laughing. “Don’t give me those come hither bedroom eyes. They won’t work on me.”

  “I’ll break out the smolder.” Blake raised both eyebrows up and down. “I’ll do it.”

  “Hard limit. Seriously. I won’t recover from that shit.” Troy held up his palms in surrender. “Lead the way. I’ll go with you.” He followed his buddy out of the main room and into one of the playrooms. It seemed a bit strange to have a serious conversation with a Saint Andrew’s cross and a spanking bench in eyesight, but they had been in stranger locations before. But in those locations they were usually wrestling fires and not having intense conversations. “Do I at least get a safeword?”

  “This is serious, man.” Blake pinched the bridge of his nose and then dropped his hand. “Did you know Dakota came home?”

  Troy stared at Blake for a full minute, then walked over and sat on the edge of the spanking bench, needing to brace against something for support. Of all the moments to bring up his ex-wife, why would Blake bring her up during an important event? “I’d have been less surprised if you ordered me to put my hands over my head so you could tie me up and have your way with me.” He took a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit. No, I didn’t know. Have you heard from her?”

  “Not exactly.” Blake walked over to the cross and leaned against it. “According to Sophie, Dakota has been back in town for a few months, and she’s quite interested in the lifestyle among other things.”

  “I appreciate the info, but why are you sharing this information now?” Troy would bet he didn’t want to know the answer. All those overnight shifts the two men shared with nothing else to do but play cards and talk about life gave Blake more insight into his relationship with Dakota than anyone else at the auction save Sophie herself. It meant a lot for the other man to consider his feelings, and he realized somewhere along the path of craziness they experienced while being firefighters they had also become friends.

  “Dakota is in the other room. She placed the winning bet, which gives her full access to you for one whole night. I didn’t want you to be blindsided.” Blake shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if she had approached you before.”

  “Fuck! No, she hasn’t reached out in years. Are you sure you don’t want to tie me up? At least I’d have a chance to escape.”

  “Well, no, you wouldn’t, but don’t worry.” Blake grinned despite the topic of conversation. “I’m not planning on it.”

  “All right. Noted.” Troy shook his head. “Did you see her?”

  “Yes, she’s all done up in a tiny little black dress. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination. I prefer more modest cuts myself.”

  “I bet you do.” Troy got to his feet. “I’m not sure what to do about the sudden appearance of my ex. Why the hell did she show up and bid on me? Why did she show up here after four years?”

  “Dakota is the only one who can answer your questions.” Blake moved to Troy’s side and clapped him on the back. “Go talk to her. Next week you can tell me all about what went down between the two of you.”

  “We’ll have plenty of time considering we’re working three overnights in the span of as many days.”

  “Sure, it will break up the monotony of kicking your ass at cards,” Blake chuckled. “Actually, I never get tired of that.”

  “Uh-huh.” Troy clapped him back. “I appreciate your concern more than you know.”

  “You’re welcome. That’s what I do, make sure my brothers are well informed and not blindsided by anything.”

  * * *

  Dakota accepted the drink but did not tip the bartender. Guilt panged through her, but she’d overspent her pennies today, big time. Dropping a ton of money, money she didn’t have, on an auction showed her desperation. The cause hit close to her heart,
Walt and Sophie, who had been there for her when no one else cared. Three months ago, Dakota had showed up on Sophie’s doorstep begging for advice. Dakota had returned to Big Banks hoping she could rekindle something with Troy as she’d left him alone, devastated and had never offered any explanation or provided closure. Sophie wasn’t old enough to be her mother biologically but she’d always offered a warm drink and an open mind with just a hint of maternal know-how.

  Dakota had leaned on Sophie a lot during Troy’s recovery. The two women had met in a bookstore of all places, nothing kinky, and they’d connected right away. Sophie had encouraged Troy to talk to Walt about becoming a firefighter. Troy’s military background gave him all the prerequisites to enroll, and he signed up to become an interior firefighter after his physical therapist provided him the medical clearance to do so. Fighting fires and saving lives provided Troy an adrenaline rush he pretended he didn’t seek, as well as helping their community directly.

  Dakota would give her last scrap of food if it meant she could give back to her self-adopted parents. Unfortunately, she was currently balanced precariously on the edge of massive debt and personal bankruptcy. How could she justify the two thousand dollar throw-down?

  Fanning her face, she blew out a breath overcome with heat. Troy Channing would be hers for one whole night to do with as she pleased. Well, not exactly as she pleased. He would only control her under the parameters she’d set.

  What if he refused to play with her? No, Sophie wouldn’t let him refuse, and since he thought the world of the older woman, he would follow whatever plans were in place. Why had Dakota gotten herself into this mess? She could’ve donated any amount of money to Sophie without showing up at an auction and raining dollars on Troy, her very ex-husband. No, she reminded herself. Sophie had refused to take her charity, and instead sent Dakota running errands for the event and helping out in other ways.