Crashed (6 page)

***

The couple spent quite a bit of time, walking up and down the shores of the Atlantic, stealing glances at each other under the bright moon light. Their conversation flowed easily, and Emily found herself occasionally stopping to steal kisses from the perfect man escorting her. With each kiss their bond deepened. When their walk came to an end, they climbed the stairs to Emily’s apartment, never once turning loose of the other’s hand.

“Still up for a movie?” she asked, rubbing the sand off her feet. Without any words, Avery answered her question when he slowly leaned in, taking her lips once more. Emily reached behind her back, opening the door to her apartment as they moved inside. Avery kicking the door closed behind them.

Moving toward the living room, they never broke their kiss, the barbell on his tongue piercing massaging her mouth as they playfully fought for control of the kiss. Emily let out a quiet moan when Avery bit her bottom lip, slowly sucking it into his mouth. Her moan drove him wild. The little noises she made were heavenly.

Making a desperate attempt to put a bit of space between the two of them, Emily broke her lips away from his gently, once again kissing him on the cheek and turning toward her DVD shelf. “Wow,” she mumbled under her breath, searching for her favorite romantic comedy.

“Wow is right, holy shit. I haven’t felt like that in ages, Emily.” Avery moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and planting a sweet kiss on her cheek as she searched. Her body tingled under his touch, her mind breeding sexual thoughts involving the breathtaking man in her living room.

“Found it!” she exclaimed with excitement. It had been ages since she watched
Serendipity
.

“You really are going to make me watch a chick flick, aren’t you?” Avery laughed, pulling her back against his muscular front. Emily turned in his arms, fingers clasped onto the DVD case, holding it up to her chest, wearing a shy smile.

“You don’t want to watch my favorite movie of all time?” she asked with a sad puppy dog look, causing Avery’s dislike for girly movies to disappear with ease. He leaned in for a short and sweet kiss before Emily turned on the television and DVD player.

“I saw this movie when I was in high school and always wanted an amazing love story like the two main characters. Over the years I kind of gave up on that though.” She collapsed down onto the couch next to Avery, snuggling under his arm while pressing buttons on the remote.

“All women should be hopeless romantics. They should never stop until they find a man who sweeps them off their feet. Never settle for less.” He nudged her cheek with his nose before planting a chaste kiss.

Emily felt her stomach fluttering with nerves once again. She couldn’t help but listen to all the thoughts running through her mind.
He is perfect.
She rose off the couch, heading for the kitchen. “Before we settle in for the movie, do you want something to drink?” She walked off the chills his words had given her just a moment before. This was nothing she wanted to feel on a first date, because it made her think of the happily ever after she craved and it was just too early for those thoughts. 

“Just a bottle of water if you have one, Emily.” He kicked his feet up onto her coffee table, getting comfortable. He fit so perfectly into her house, her life, she couldn’t even think straight. Her only mission became making it through that movie without getting naked.
God, I just want to get naked for him right now. What would he think if I walked back into the living room in my birthday suit? Oh. Lord, it’s way too soon for that. What the hell is wrong with me?

“Need some help?” It wasn’t until Avery spoke, that she realized she apparently had been in outer space arguing with herself while grasping onto the kitchen counter for dear life. He watched from across the living room, waiting for the drink she’d just promised.

“No, I’m coming.” She grabbed his water and finished pouring herself a glass of wine she found on the bottom shelf of her fridge, making her way toward the living room to join him as the movie started.

“I hope you don’t mind me having a glass of wine. It’s been one of those weeks, and I just want to relax a bit.” She pressed the large goblet full of pink liquid to her lips, savoring the sweet flavor as it passed down her throat.

“Not at all. If I were you, I would’ve probably downed a bottle of Jack by now.” He let out a laugh and pulled her close, settling his arm down on her soft bicep, lightly rubbing her bare skin with his thumb. The movie was comforting, like an old friend, but she was more aware of Avery’s closeness than she was of anything on the screen.

“A fortunate accident,” Avery repeated after the movie was over. “Isn’t that kind of how we met?”

Emily had never put much thought into their meeting, but he certainly was right. No matter how much pain and hurt the accident had caused her, it had brought something positive into her life. Him.

“I guess so, huh?” she agreed, turning to look him in the eyes. Emily swore she could see raw lust on his face. Her own desire for Avery was absolutely palpable. They sat paralyzed in each other’s gaze. Avery finally broke the stillness, reaching for her face and running his strong fingers down her reddening cheeks. He chose that moment to lean in for a long awaited kiss since they’d both behaved so well during the movie.

His lips moved to hers with urgent need, starting slow and sweet, but quickly building with hunger. Emily responded slowly, opening her lips to plead for entry to his stunning mouth which he quickly granted. As the desire between the both of them grew, Avery gently lowered Emily back onto the couch, settling himself between her legs, never breaking their kiss.

Her hands wandered all over his body, exploring over his clothes. She could feel each delicious muscle as her fingers continued their journey. Avery shifted on top of her, moving his knee to nestle between her thighs, only a thin piece of fabric separating their skin. Emily let out a slow, deep moan while running her hands under his shirt, finally making contact with warm flesh.

The instant surge of passion that came with a mere touch of his skin sent Emily retreating. She slowly pulled away from their kiss, scared by her own desire for Avery.

“We have to slow down,” she barely breathed out as he took her words seriously and sat up, carefully taking her with him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” His words drifted off as he apologized with embarrassment. “I just got too wrapped up...I mean, I really like you, Emily. I couldn’t help myself.”

His words hit her directly in the chest. It was a mixture of fear and hope for something more than just a couple of dates. It had been so long since she found herself in love, and she desperately wanted a real future with someone. Not to mention, she really missed sex.

“It’s okay. I just, don’t trust myself...” She pulled back a little, reaching out to cup his cheek as she continued, “It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone and I just want to take it slow.” She laced her fingers with his and kissed his knuckle.

“Maybe I should go.” Avery started to pull away from her and stood up. Even though he tried to be discreet, adjusting himself to hide his erection, she still saw how much he wanted her. Emily’s stomach churned with the thought of him leaving her. She didn’t want him to go; she just needed a bit of a breather. But maybe it was best since it was late and she still wasn’t feeling all that great.

“I guess,” she agreed as she stood, slowly fixing her bunched up sundress. “Want me to wrap up the leftover pizza for you? Maybe lunch tomorrow or something?” She felt the maternal instincts her mother had deeply instilled in her coming to life for the first time in ages, her need to take care of someone other than Flip. She wanted to take care of Avery.

“Actually, that would be great, Em. I have a 72 shift over the next couple days, so I’m going to need to put together a bag of stuff to hide in the fridge at the firehouse,” Avery said, glowering now that he remembered it would be at least another three days before he could spend this kind of time with Emily again.
Damn this stupid fuckin’ work shift.
He watched her flawlessly move through the kitchen, wrapping the pizza up for him.

“What’s a 72?” Emily questioned.

It hurt him to even think about explaining the concept to her, since he no longer wanted to work the shift.
Damn bills, damn work, damn everything! Damn it all to hell!

“It’s my next shift at work. For the next couple weeks I will work seventy-two hours on, then twenty-four or forty-eight hours off. Depending on the weeks and how many hours I work in a given week.” He noticed her change in mood as he explained his schedule.

“Oh, so I won’t get to see you for another three damn days?” Emily asked with the smile slowly peeking through her dismal mood.

“That’s exactly what it means, Baby. I’m sorry.” Avery moved into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her stomach and pulling her in close. “But I’m going to miss the hell out of you, every minute I’m away, Emily.” She felt goosebumps spread across her body with his confession.

“Well, I’m going to miss you too, Firefighter Martin.” She turned in his arms and captured his mouth with hers once more. She framed his face, kissing him with burning need, knowing this would be her last taste of him for days. Avery’s mouth responded to hers with just as much urgency.

As his pierced tongue explored her deliciously sweet, wine tainted mouth, he slowly picked her up and placed her on the black granite counter top. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer into her embrace. They necked for what seemed like hours, but it was actually only a short fifteen-minute adolescent make-out fest on Emily’s counter. They lazily peeled their bodies apart, ending their passionate kiss with a few uncomplicated pecks.

Emily scooted down off the counter, taking the leftover pizza and placing it into one of her re-usable cloth tote bags. Before she handed it over to him, she excused herself for a moment, making her way into the master bedroom. She made a beeline for her
sexy
drawer as she called it, rummaging through the contents until she found the perfect pair, a tiny, hot pink thong with rhinestone accents around the waistband. Sliding them into the top of her dress, she hurried back to the kitchen. Avery stood in the living room, finishing up the bottle of water he started earlier, and she quickly reached down the top of her dress to grab his
hidden treat
she would add to his bag of lunch.

She buried her panties at the bottom of the bag, placing the pizza on top of it along with a couple cans of soda from her fridge, Pepsi, all his favorites. Emily smirked to herself as she grabbed the bag and headed for Avery. “I packed you a little lunch. Well, leftover pizza and a couple of drinks. If I’d known I was supposed to be making you meals for three days, I would have at least hit the grocery store today.” She laughed as she sassed him.

Avery took the bag and slung it over his shoulder while leaning in to give her a little kiss. “You’re too good to me already, Emily.” He turned toward the door, Emily following close behind. Unlocking and opening the door, they stepped outside.

The wind blew stronger than it had earlier in the evening, and light sprinkles of rain were starting to come down. The smell of rain was in the air. It mixed with the salty aroma of the Atlantic Ocean just right. Despite the weather, Emily walked Avery to his truck. They strolled slowly while holding hands, making the short journey last as long as they could, despising the fact they had to part ways.

“I loved tonight, Baby,” Avery spoke just inches away from Emily’s mouth, never taking his eyes off of hers. His tongue ran along his bottom lip, moistening it in anticipation for the last kiss they would share for days.

“I did too. It was perfect, Avery,” Emily answered him while leaning in to kiss him. He backed her up against his truck, continuing to lick and taste her. When their lips broke apart, he moved his kiss down her neck, nibbling and kissing his way to her collarbone. A moan escaped her lips, and she turned away from him.

“If I don’t go back inside, you won’t be leaving tonight...” She started walking away from Avery’s truck toward her apartment door. “Goodnight, Firefighter Martin. Until I see you again.” She blew him a kiss. He watched her animated expression as she made her way back to her home. Before she turned, he held up three fingers with a grin on his face.

Chapter Four

Three Long Days

Knock, Knock, Knock. Emily heard a banging at her front door. She rolled over, looking at her alarm clock. Eight-thirty.
What the fuck? It’s way too early for this shit.
She got out of bed and threw on her long bathrobe when the doorbell rang.

“I’m coming!” she yelled, tripping over the overflowing laundry basket at her doorway. She quickened her pace before whoever was on the other side started banging again. Opening her door she was shocked to see Avery standing on the other side with a smile and a vase full of white roses.

“I’m so sorry I woke you up, but I wanted to drop these off on my way to work.” Emily stood in her doorway with her mouth hanging open, staring at him in his uniform, basically drooling.

“Wow.” She sighed. “Come in, Avery.” She insisted while taking the flowers from him, heading for the kitchen counter to put them in a safe place.

“I can’t, I don’t have time.” He apologized as he stood in the doorway. “Plus, if my imagination is right, you are wearing very little under that robe and I would never get out of here,” he joked as she walked back toward him. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into her apartment, closing the door behind them.

“Just five minutes,” she whispered into his ear as she pushed him down on the couch, straddling his lap. “Maybe six,” she added, leaning in to passionately kiss him.

“I could never say no to that.” He barely got the words out before her lips were on him again. Avery trailed his hands up her legs and back down, groaning into her mouth when he noticed how smooth and soft her legs were.

They both reluctantly pulled away in frustration, knowing this couldn’t last, no matter how much they both wanted it. Emily climbed off his lap with a forced smile on her face. One look into her eyes and Avery could tell she was disappointed. Little did she know, but he was just as upset.

“Goodbye, Baby. I will text you when I have some downtime.” Avery gave her one last kiss before he let himself out of her apartment, while Emily sat on the couch left alone, hot and bothered. It had been ages since she found herself so turned on and all alone.

***

The warm water ran down her naked body as she lathered up with her apple scented shower gel. The bathroom was foggy with the steam of the shower. Once Avery left, she climbed in, just letting the soothing spray run over her body for a few minutes before snapping out of her daydream.

The more she thought about Avery the more aroused she became. His early morning surprise had left her melting into a puddle of raging hormones. Emily tried to shrug it off, but just thinking about his hands on her legs, and his hardness pressed firmly against her wet center, she couldn’t ignore her needs.

Fumbling with the vanity drawer while leaning out of the shower, soaking the floor in the process, she found the little black bag hidden in the back of her makeup drawer. Placing it on the counter she unzipped it, revealing her smooth bright blue vibrator.
Well, hello lover. Long time no see.
It had been months since she dug into that drawer to pleasure herself.

Bringing her toy into the shower, she placed it on the corner shelf and finished washing. First, Emily ensured her hair was cleaned and conditioned, then repeated the lathering process with her body wash, spending extra time rubbing her breasts, teasing her nipples gently until they pebbled under her own fingertips. She let out a small moan of pleasure and continued caressing herself. Moving downward, she focused on her freshly shaved pussy, which didn’t need any added help to get in the mood.

Emily turned under the water, rinsing all the soap from her body. With a smile of anticipation, she reached for the shelf which held her relief from the morning’s unsettling events. Taking the blue toy in hand, she pressed the button on the top, bringing the vibrator to life. Running one hand down her body, she slipped two fingers through her folds, gently parting them.

With the other hand, she guided the vibrating toy between her spread lips, making her tremble as the tingle caused her clit to swell. Moving the toy down her slit, she slowly nudged it into her wet and waiting sex. Emily let out a loud moan and continued working toward her orgasm as she bucked her hips, clenching and unclenching her inner muscles. Her mind drifted back to the moments when she was sitting in Avery’s lap, his hands caressing her wanton body. The thought of his lips on her neck sent her over the edge. As her orgasm crashed over her, she cried out in pleasure, losing the grip on her toy. It fell to the floor of the tub as she grabbed the wall to support her weak legs.

***

Avery had been at work for a mere four hours when his stomach reminded him how damn hungry he was. He had skipped out on breakfast so he could stop and get Emily flowers.
It was so worth it
. He rummaged through the floral print bag she’d given him the night before. He pulled out a soda, placing it on the counter next to him, then repeated the process with the pizza. Avery did a double take as he looked back in the near empty bag.
What the hell is that?
He questioned as he pulled the scrap of fabric from the bag. It wasn’t until he had it in his hands that he realized what it was. Emily had put a hot ass thong in the bottom of his lunch bag.
Oh. My. God. This girl is going to be the end of me.

“What cha got there, Martin?” Tom had picked a shitty time to creep up on Avery. It wasn’t the first time though; he’d become famous for having the worst timing in the fire house. As Avery turned around to face Tom, he momentarily forgot he was still clutching Emily’s panties in his hand.

“Um...nothing.” He tried to shove them down into his pocket, but Tom wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. He grabbed at the thong and snapped it from Avery’s hands.

“Oh, these are nice, Martin. How’d they look on her?” As Tom grilled him, his face started to burn with anger. Just seeing another man handling Emily’s panties had him seeing red.

“I swear to God, Tom, give them back. Now.” Before Avery could ask again, Tom flung them at him.

“Calm down, dude, I was just fucking with you.” Tom laughed while playfully punching Avery in the shoulder. He stuffed the panties into his pocket and started to re-heat the pizza from the night before. Tom continued to linger around.

“So, how was your
date
last night?” he asked. Avery couldn’t help but smile at the thought of his time with Emily. She evoked something deep within him, something he wasn’t familiar with at all.

“It was good, had some pizza, took a walk on the beach, watched a movie. Pretty typical.” Avery wrapped up the last of the pizza and put it in the fridge.

“You forgot to mention how you ended up with her panties. Last time I checked that only happens when you get some action.”

“We didn’t fuck. Stop prying,” Avery warned.

“Why are you all over-protective and shit, man? What happened to you?” Tom questioned. Avery was acting differently and he could tell. Normally all the guys would share the details of whatever conquest they made.

It wasn’t that Avery was embarrassed of Emily; it was the complete opposite in fact.

“I just don’t want to talk about it right now, Hampton. Move on.” Avery grabbed his pizza out of the microwave and headed toward the long cafeteria style table in the kitchen of the fire house, sliding down onto the bench to eat.
I fucking hope he leaves me the hell alone
.

“Martin.” A booming voice broke into his thoughts. It was then he realized his boss was standing behind him. Avery turned around, immediately rising from his seat in respect and answered him, “Yes, Sir?”

“Relax, sit back down. Mind if I join you?” The large intimidating man had already started to take his seat. Captain Sullivan could be your best friend or worst enemy on any given day. It always depended on his mood. Today it seemed as though he was in a pleasant disposition, at least for now.

“Sure, Captain. Would you like a slice?”

“No, thank you, Avery. I just wanted to see how your date with Miss Taylor went. That’s all.” Avery looked around before answering the Captain, surveying exactly who was close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation before continuing.

“It was great, Captain, enjoyed some pizza.” He motioned to the leftovers on his plate and continued, “We had a nice walk on the beach and watched a surprisingly good click flick.” His grim mood from earlier started to lift, re-playing the evening in his mind. A smug smile spread across his face as the Captain took notice.

“You like her, huh, son?” he questioned with a father-like demeanor.

Before answering, Avery took a moment to think about the Captain’s actual question.
Like her? Way more than like her.
She was fascinating, almost everything about her intrigued him and for the first time in ages he found himself excited about actually
dating
a woman.

“Sure do, Captain. I really do like her,” he answered with a sincere tone in his voice.

The Captain could tell he was getting an honest answer from his Firefighter. Long ago Captain Sullivan learned to read these younger men like books. They could get very little passed him. “You treat her good, Martin. You hear me?”

“Yes, Sir.” The husky Captain stood up from the bench and went on his way, leaving Avery to his own thoughts.
I like her, a lot. Damn, I really like her.
He pulled his phone out and sent her a text.
Thanks for the surprise in my lunch. Miss you. Xoxo

***

“He did what?” Becca questioned as she sipped on a bottle of Corona with a small slice of lime tucked in the neck. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She wore a pair of neon yellow Raybans and an orange printed bikini.

“He brought me roses on his way to work this morning. This was after our first
real
date last night. I think he fell out of a movie, because he’s just way too good to be true. And that country accent he’s got goin’ on. Fucking damn,” Emily replied while picking up her bottle of Woodchuck cider out of the sand next to her lawn chair. She stood up, taking a sip of her beer and placed it back down before she walked down the beach toward the water.

“Don’t run him off. You have to see if he’s good in bed first.” Becca laughed, following Emily. “Because if he is good in bed, you’ve finally found yourself a keeper, girl.”

They waded into the crystal clear, sky blue water to escape from the hot Florida sun. The dip in the ocean was exactly what Emily needed to cool down. Since getting out of the hospital, she couldn’t take the heat as long as she typically could. She wondered if it was because of the medications they continued to have her on until her follow up appointment the following week.

“I could have found out last night, if I wanted to.” Emily shot Becca a smug smile and made her way back to the shore.

“Well, why the hell didn’t you?” Becca was almost yelling at her. Emily’s face started turning red with embarrassment.

“I didn’t want to. Yet.” The more Emily thought about her admission, the more she realized there was something more between her and Avery than she bargained for when she agreed to spend time with him. When they were together, she could be herself. There were no expectations of being someone else or promises of a future or a life together; they were simply just enjoying each other’s company. Emily didn’t want to complicate that.

Their attraction was undeniable, but one of her biggest mistakes in the past was jumping into bed way too soon. If this was something that would last, she would take things as slow as she could tolerate without going insane.

“Did you take a picture of this boy for me yet?” Becca snapped her out of her own head. Emily started laughing at her.

“No, you’re a damn creeper. You know that, right?” Emily teased her as they sat back down on their beach chairs.

“Can you blame a girl for wanting to see the guy who has my best friend all doe eyed? Don’t even try to play it off, Em. You would do the same thing!” Emily couldn’t even deny it. She was right, and she would be beyond pissed off if Becca still shut her out.

“I have an idea.” Emily laughed as she started plotting. Picking up her phone from her beach bag, she typed out a text message to Avery.

What firehouse do you work at?

Emily patiently waited for a reply from Avery, but she didn’t have to wait long at all.

Station #1 on Beach Street. Why?

Not far from her apartment at all.

“Wanna make some brownies, Becca?” Her best friend gave her a confused look. “Ya know, we could go drop them off at the firehouse for all the firefighters. Because we are good Samaritans, and all.” Simultaneously both girls started laughing. Becca loved the way her best friend plotted, especially when she actually benefitted from her subterfuge.

“Why don’t we pack up and get on that.” Becca started packing her beach bag while Emily pulled her phone back out to reply to Avery.

Oh, just some good Samaritans want to do something nice for the local firemen.

She joined her best friend in packing up their beach gear before making it up the stairs toward her apartment. They unlocked the door and dragged the bulky chairs down the hallway to the laundry room. Emily’s text tone went off in the kitchen; she had no doubt of who it was.

Does that mean I get to see you again today?